Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) says UK has highest tax burden since Second World War
It has been suggested Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson have overseen biggest tax rises since the Second World War ‘Fiscal responsibility’ – code words for ‘cock-up!’ Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have stressed the need for ‘fiscal responsibility’ amid still-high inflation and rising debt costs. According toRead More →
Good news is bad news, and now bad news is bad news too
The stock market can’t get a break It’s frustrating! The stock market can be very volatile and unpredictable, especially in times of uncertainty and crisis. It seems like investors are reacting to every piece of news, whether it’s good or bad, with fear and panic. According to some analysts, theRead More →
Luddites against BIG tech’ – a modern rebellion
What are Luddites? Luddites were a group of workers who protested against the use of machinery that threatened their livelihoods in the early 19th century in Britain. They were not opposed to technology in general, but to the specific machines that were ‘taking away their livelihoods’. They attacked factories and smashedRead More →
The development of a controversial UK oil field, Rosebank, has been given the go-ahead
The Rosebank oil and gas field is a controversial project that has been approved by the UK government despite the concerns of environmental activists and some politicians. It is located about 80 miles west of Shetland in the North Sea and is estimated to contain 500 million barrels of oil.Read More →
Treasury yields reach levels not seen in more than 15 years
10 year yield The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield rose Wednesday 27th September 2023, to its highest level in more than 15 years, as traders navigated fears of persistent inflation and higher interest rates for longer than expected. The 10-year Treasury yield climbed to 4.612%. It had reached 4.566% on Tuesday 26th September 2023,Read More →
October and the stock market
1987 October stock market crash October is a special month in the stock market for several reasons. It is the month when some of the most spectacular market crashes have occurred, such as in 1929 and 1987. However, it is also a month that has historically performed well on average, withRead More →
Molnupiravir Covid drug reportedly linked to potential virus mutations
Covid19 medicine, Molnupiravir, sold as Lagevrio, has reportedly been linked to specific genetic changes in the virus that causes Covid19, researchers said, raising questions about whether the drug has the potential to accelerate Covid’s evolution. The drug works by creating mutations in the Covid genome to prevent the virus fromRead More →
NASA guides Bennu asteroid precious cargo home
Alien dust samples from the ‘most dangerous known rock in the Solar System’ have been brought to Earth. NASA safely landed the probe with the capsule containing the precious space dust in the West Desert of Utah state. The samples had been collected up from the surface of asteroid BennuRead More →
Credit card losses mount
Credit card losses in the U.S. are rising at the fastest pace since the Great Financial Crisis of 2008. Goldman Sachs reportedly predicts that credit card losses will continue to climb through the end of 2024 or early 2025 for most issuers. This is unusual because the losses are accelerating outsideRead More →
‘Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’
‘Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’ Arthur C. Clarke 1917 – 2008 Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry into the Limits of the PossibleRead More →
OpenAI says ChatGPT can now ‘speak,’ listen and process images
I can see and hear and speak… OpenAI’s ChatGPT can now ‘see, hear and speak,’ or, at least, understand spoken words, respond with a synthetic voice and process images, the company announced Monday 25th September 2023. The update to the chatbot OpenAI’s biggest since the introduction of GPT-4, allows users to opt intoRead More →
‘Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform (or pause and reflect).’
Mark Twain – 1835 – 1910Read More →
Brief history of the internet
The history of the internet is a fascinating story of how various computer networks around the world were interconnected to form a global system of communication and information exchange. Timeline in brief 1950’s The origins of the internet can be traced back to the 1950s, when the Cold War betweenRead More →
Amazon to invest up to $4 billion in leading edge tech Anthropic
E-commerce conglomerate Amazon announced on Monday 25th September 2023 that it will invest up to $4 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) firm Anthropic, a rival to ChatGPT developer OpenAI, and take a minority ownership position in the company. The move further enforces Amazon’s aggressive AI push as it aims toRead More →
Money waiting to go into tech, turn it on
Reports suggest as much as $3 trillion is waiting on the sidelines to be invested in tech’. AI FOMO The reasoning is that AI is driving a fear of missing out (FOMO). We could very well be experiencing the fourth industrial revolution right now, and it is AI-driven. Strategically, companiesRead More →
What do the flags of the U.S. and China symbolise
U.S. and China are two of the world’s most influential and powerful countries, with different political systems, cultures, and values. They have also been involved in various conflicts and cooperation over the years, such as trade, human rights, climate change, and security. The flags of the two countries reflect theirRead More →
‘Nothing to worry about here – everything is just fine and under control!’
Please just carry on and go about your day-to-day business as usual…Read More →
UK pound closes in on a six month low
According to the latest data, 1.00 GBP is equal to 1.22 USD This means that one British pound can buy 1.22 U.S. dollars at the current market rate. The exchange rate fluctuates depending on various factors such as supply and demand, interest rates, inflation, trade balance, and political stability. Weak againstRead More →
Introducing the UK magic message government lectern
‘Have you noticed everytime the government needs to persuade the public that their ‘message’ is so super important – they roll out the magic message lectern”. Other important messages And this… And this one… The latest government slogan… ‘LONG-TERM DECISIONS FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE’ Let’s roll out the advertisements toRead More →
‘Time is a game played beautifully by children’.
Heraclitus Heraclitus was an ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher from the city of Ephesus, which was then part of the Persian Empire. Little is known of Heraclitus’s life. He wrote a single work, only fragments of which have survived.Read More →
Cathie Wood and Ark Invest company STOCK WATCH
Tech’ investor and disruptor Cathie Wood is an American investor and the founder, CEO and CIO of ARK Invest, an investment management firm that focuses on disruptive innovation. She is known for her bullish views on Tesla, DeepMind, and many other AI companies. DeepMind and Tesla Cathie Wood is a fanRead More →
Spacecraft to return from asteroid mission with precious cargo
NASA mission Osiris-Rex is a NASA mission that aims to collect and return a sample from asteroid Bennu, which is believed to be a remnant of the early solar system. The mission hopes to learn more about the origins of life on Earth and the potential for asteroid mining in theRead More →
TikTok’s algorithm is failing to provide a safe and positive experience for its users and for society
TikTok is a popular social media app that allows users to create and share short videos. But, it has faced some controversies regarding its algorithm, design, and data protection. Tiktok has issues The company was fined $368 million in Europe for failing to protect children’s data. The Irish Data ProtectionRead More →