December 2011
61 posts
Apple's Jonathan Ive gets knighthood in honours... →
It’s always nice to know that at the heart of Apple and a huge key to its success is a British designer!
10 things we learned about Apple this year →
Some interesting observations.
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Luxembourg VAT cut set to hit UK book trade →
I for one would love to see the UK follow suit and drop or at least reduce VAT on ebooks.
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Some thoughts on kids learning to read in a world...
My friend Ollie shared an article by Lisa Guernsey today on eReading and kids. It had the somewhat scaremongering title of, ‘Why eReading With Your Kid Can Impede Learning’.
On many levels I do get much of what she was saying. But it seemed like more a critique of parents rather than eReaders and iPads in and of themselves. She talked about how, when parents are reading with their...
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For Times Such As These: The Radical Christian... →
Very thought-provoking.
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The success of The Choir's military wives suggests... →
Really great column talking about the rise of TV that lifts people up rather than pulling them down.
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Ed Miliband revealed: At home with the Labour... →
I tend to be pretty critical of Ed Miliband and his leadership of the Labour party. And when it comes to politics, it’s easy to forget that it is human beings involved and not simply political ideologies at war with each other. In that spirit, I thought I’d share this very warm portrait of Ed Miliband from the Mirror today.
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Apple buys Israeli flash storage maker in $500m... →
Makes a lot of sense. Smart move for a company who likes to have as much control as possible.
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Samsung's shameless copying of anything Apple
Samsung really are shameless in their copying of Apple! I’ve only just noticed these smart covers they’re selling. You can see Apple’s original designs here.
You wonder whether they have any pride at all as a company in what they do. I couldn’t work for a company that simply rides on the coat tales of someone else’s success rather than pursuing true innovation...
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Is a cure for the common cold on the way? →
Why do they have to so brutally raise our hopes EVERY SINGLE YEAR with stories like this telling us that the cure is ‘coming soon’?!
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Some thoughts on on purchasing TV shows
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the best ways to buy TV shows. And I say ‘best’ (rather than cheapest) deliberately. There a lots of TV series that I really want to watch. Mad Men, The West Wing and Dexter are just three examples. But what is the best way for me to buy and watch these shows?
Before that, let me explain my context. I have an Apple TV device and also...
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Amazon Kindle Fire vs. iPad 2 →
If you’re deciding between a Kindle Fire and an iPad, make sure you view this comparison chart and not just the (very selective) Amazon version.
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On the Difference Between Apple and Google →
Very interesting observation.
Fear of Apple is about losing control over the software on our computers. Fear of Google is about losing control over our privacy.
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Union signs NHS pension reform pact →
Looks like some progress is happening even if not fully there yet.
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Cameron Does God →
This is a good post addressing some of the over-the-top, negative reaction to Cameron’s comments on Christianity.
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Apple's iPhone gets head start in smartphone... →
Wow. 37% of all smartphones being bought in the UK in the run up to Christmas are iPhones.
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The Biology of Right and Wrong →
Peter Saalfield in Harvard Magazine talking about the work of Joshua Greene, a philosopher, experimental psychologist, and neuroscientist:
[Greene’s] work has led him to conclude that “emotion and reason both play critical roles in moral judgment and that their respective influences have been widely misunderstood.”
Greene’s “dual-process theory” of moral decision-making posits that...
Apple's struggle to defeat Amazon set to be... →
Juliette Garside, guardian.co.uk
The deal that the iPad maker struck with publishers could be threatened by an inquiry into the prices people in the EU pay for their digital reading For book publishers, Christmas will come twice this year. After the festive trade in hardback…
It’ll be interesting to see how this pans out. As a consumer I just want the cheapest prices possible. And yet I...
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David Cameron talks about his faith, the Bible,... →
David Cameron, from a speech commemorating the 400 year anniversary of the King James Bible:
I am proud to stand here and celebrate the achievements of the King James Bible. Not as some great Christian on a mission to convert the world. But because, as Prime Minister, it is right to recognise the impact of a translation that is, I believe, one of this country’s greatest achievements…
...
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Are Christians Fighting the Wrong “War on... →
Skye Jethani:
Sermons about the pagan origins of Christmas or the danger of rampant materialism in Christ’s name are unlikely to be heard today. In recent years the dominant message heard from the Christian community during the holiday season has been precisely the opposite. Today, it seems many Christians are offended when unchecked materialism in December is not explicitly associated with...
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The importance of generosity in your marriage →
Tara Parker-Pope in the New York Times:
Men and women with the highest scores on the generosity scale were far more likely to report that they were “very happy” in their marriages. The benefits of generosity were particularly pronounced among couples with children. Among the parents who posted above-average scores for marital generosity, about 50 percent reported being “very happy” together....
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Parallels between the search for the ‘God... →
Alistair McGrath in The Telegraph:
Some tell us that science is about what can be proved. The wise tell us it is really about offering the best explanations of what we see, realising that these explanations often cannot be proved, and may sometimes lie beyond proof. Science often proposes the existence of invisible (and often undetectable) entities – such as dark matter – to explain what can...
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Some thoughts on Flipboard
Ever since Flipboard came out last year I have loved it. It is quite simply a stunningly beautiful and simple way to read news, follow my Twitter feed, and stay up-to-date with Facebook on my iPad. There was a problem though: I never used it.
It was a great app that, much as I wanted to, I just couldn’t quite make it fit with my workflow. And it wasn’t for want of trying. I’ve...
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“Too often, we’re presented with the illusion of choice, but instead get...”
– Craig Grannell
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Financial education should be compulsory in... →
Money Saving Expert:
As MPs today debate making financial education a compulsory part of the school curriculum, on the back of a government e-petition tabled by Martin Lewis as part of a campaign by this website, Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls says young people must be taught about money matters.
It’s not often I find myself agreeing with Ed Balls, but on this issue I definitely do.
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Daniel Craig on why Quantum of Solace was pretty... →
If you ever wondered why Quantum of Solace was pretty rubbish by Bond standard, this - from an interview in Time Out with Daniel Craig, explains a lot:
Q: It seems that the script is sometimes an after-thought on huge productions.
A: ‘Yes and you swear that you’ll never get involved with shit like that, and it happens. On “Quantum”, we were fucked. We had the bare bones of a script and...
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The Tories are ahead in the polls again, here's... →
Anthony Wells of YouGov comments on their latest poll that puts the Tories two points ahead of Labour (41% to 39%):
The UK Independence party had been gradually increasing its support, getting as high as 7% or 8% immediately after the recent Conservative backbench rebellion over a European referendum. Cameron’s veto, however, appears to have convinced those voters to return to the Tory...
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Robert Downey Jr, Sherlock Holmes and the sequel... →
Interesting look at how Robert Downey Jr and Guy Ritchie aimed to avoid the common pitfalls of creating a movie sequel. I loved the first movie and am looking forward to seeing this one.
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Forget the UK veto, the Euro Zone lacks a credible... →
Gideon Rachman in the FT:
As ratification problems mount, against a background of economic stagnation or worse, last week’s clear picture of an isolated Britain and a Europe pushing towards unity will become much more blurred.
Very sensible take that’s well worth your time.
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“What makes us human is precisely our experience of the infinite, the fact that...”
– Ron Modras, Ignatian Humanism
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Europhobia's no swivel-eyed Tory monopoly →
Very interesting look at the UK’s relationship with Europe by John Harris in The Guardian. Shame it has a touch of the sneering, the-majority-are-stupid edge to it, but worth a read for the most part.
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Definition of an ‘Apple fanboy’ and those that use... →
Jim Dalrymple nails it. You need to read it all though, so I won’t post any of the definition here. :)
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An Office Designed To Keep Employees Working From... →
Ariel Schwartz:
The headset manufacturer Plantronics doesn’t much care where its employees work, and to prove that it’s new offices are outfitted with a cornucopia of features that make telecommuting simple, easy, and encouraged.
Talk about embracing the future.
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BBC iPlayer comes to the iPhone and gets AirPlay... →
The BBC have just released an updated version of their iPlayer app that will now run on iPhone’s and iPod Touch’s as well as iPad’s which it has been on for some time now. This is what I’ve been really waiting for though:
The app is compatible with Apple AirPlay. If you are running iOS5, you can connect your iPhone or iPod touch to Apple TV and watch your favourite...
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Amazon gave zero thought to kids using the Kindle... →
Mitch Lipka:
St. Louis area software engineer Lance Durham says he decided to get a couple of Kindle Fires to give as presents to his children. He was loading some games before wrapping them and realized he couldn’t turn off the single-click ordering, which charges his credit card.
“There was no password or pin, nor any kind of confirmation - the purchase immediately went...
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Any PM would have done as Cameron did →
John Rentoul in The Independent:
The Labour argument is that the Prime Minister has bought short-term popularity with Eurosceptic backbenchers and the press at the expense of Britain’s long-term interests. That may be right. There is a danger in isolation, but it seems more likely that, over the next three to 10 years, Cameron will be vindicated. I cannot see the fiscal compact ending...
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Facebook is making us miserable →
Daniel Gulati at HBR:
As Facebook continues to add new features to help us connect more efficiently online, the battle to maintain off-line relationships will become even more difficult, which will impact their overall quality, especially in the long-run. Facebook is negatively affecting what psychology Professor Jeffrey Parker refers to as “the closeness properties of...
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Euro crisis summit: The night Europe changed →
Gavin Hewitt, BBC News:
Last night most of Europe’s governments gave up a chunk of their sovereignty. In the future, tax and spending plans will be shown to European officials before national governments.
There will be automatic sanctions against those countries that overspend. A monetary union has moved towards being also a fiscal union.
Good article looking at the implications...
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The New Twitter (R.I.P. Tweetie) →
Good critique of the new Twitter for iPhone app by John Gruber.
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Innovation Is Everyone's Job →
Ron Ashkenas at HBR:
Great organizations don’t depend on a small number of exclusive people to come up with innovations. Instead they create a culture in which every employee is encouraged and empowered to innovate — whether it’s in processes, products, or services. This leads not only to new customer offerings but also better margins, stickier customer relationships, and stronger...
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Walt Mossberg reviews the Asus Eee Pad Transformer... →
Walt Mossberg:
I still believe the iPad 2 is the best overall tablet available. However, if you’re looking for a model using Google’s Android interface and are yearning for a well-designed, easily integrated keyboard solution, or want to play more power-hungry games, the Transformer Prime is a good choice, as long as you can tolerate its software limitations.
I know that on many levels the...
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Thoughts on Magazines and Publishing on the iPad →
Justin Williams:
Publishers know they need to be on the iPad, but they don’t understand how to successfully get there. Instead they rely on the traditional layouts and experiences that have served them well in print.
This is a good post that I really, really, really hope magazine publishers will read and take heed of.
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Flipboard Launches a New iPhone App →
Christina Bonnington at WIRED:
Flipboard is taking its celebrated iPad magazine and shrinking it down so you can take your page flipping, graphics-filled social media experience with you on your iPhone, everywhere you go.
I love Flipboard for iPad, but I don’t really use it. It is beautifully designed and I so want to use it more. But, for whatever reason, it doesn’t quite work...
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Jonathan Freedland gushes over Ed Balls' economic... →
As Jonathan Freedland makes the point in his Guardian column, Ed Balls’ alternative approach to the economy could be summarised as borrowing more now in order to borrow less later. By giving the economy a shot in the arm, it’ll trigger growth which, in turn, will mean that the deficit will come down quicker with the result that, in the long term, we actually need to borrow less.
The...
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The hopeful continent: Africa rising →
The Economist:
Over the past decade six of the world’s ten fastest-growing countries were African. In eight of the past ten years, Africa has grown faster than East Asia, including Japan. Even allowing for the knock-on effect of the northern hemisphere’s slowdown, the IMF expects Africa to grow by 6% this year and nearly 6% in 2012, about the same as Asia.
Whilst not ignoring the many...
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Chrissie Wellington on why she won't be attending... →
British triathlete Chrissie Wellington:
I do not feel able to support an event which endorses and perpetuates the message that a) not one single women has done anything of sporting note, relative to their male counterparts this year, and that b) the achievements of those participating in minority sports are somehow inferior to those in more high profile (better funded) sports.
This is from...
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Great to see Keri-anne Payne winning FINA Woman... →
Keri-anne Payne:
I have been tremendously lucky with my achievements this year and it really is a great honour to be recognised for my achievements.
Today I was awarded FINA Woman Open Water swimmer of the year! FINA are the over riding governing body for world wide swimming so this really is such a great award!
Great to see Keri-anne winning this award. Though I disagree with her on...
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Nigerian leaders unite against same-sex marriages →
BBC News:
Under the new bill, same-sex couples entering into either marriage or cohabitation would face jail terms of up to 14 years.
Jailing people on the basis of their sexuality is a tragic backwards step. It’s so sad to see this growing hard line trend in African nations.
As Richard Branson said on his blog earlier, ‘All of us with influence in Nigeria must do what we can...
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Income inequality in the UK growing faster than... →
The Economist:
Today a report published by the OECD, a rich-country think-tank, shows that worldwide the distribution of income—as measured by earnings and investments plus benefits, after tax, and adjusted for household size—is more unequal than ever before. It also claims that in Britain income inequality rose faster between 1975 and 2008 than in any other OECD member country.
According...
