My Inspiration: The inventor of Minority Report’s iconic virtual interface on how he found inspiration in a curious encyclopedia June 2, 2016 John Underkoffler on Codex Seraphinianus "When I first arrived at college, the university bookstore had a copy of Codex Seraphinianus sitting on the shelf. It’s a legendary book by Luigi Serafini, and it’s a miracle that it was there at all. I absolutely could not afford it, but I had to have it. The Codex, [...]
Elon Musk wants to put people on Mars by 2025 June 2, 2016 Star-gazing serial technology entrepreneur Elon Musk wants to put people on Mars in under 10 years time. Speaking at Vox's media code conference, he said that his SpaceX company's manned mission to Mars would launch in 2024, arriving a year later. However, prospective recruits may want to think twice before joining the mission. "If you gotta choose a place to die, [...]
To IPO or not to IPO? Four things tech companies must consider June 2, 2016 Technology continues to be an agent of change and the explosion in size and complexity of technology-driven businesses has been reflected in their global growth and reach. With alternative sources of private funding increasingly available, and potentially higher valuations being achieved privately, the motivation to IPO may well be reduced. However, there will likely come a point in [...]
Is your house a smart home? Or is it a big idiot made of bricks? Sort it out with our list of the best connected home gadgets June 1, 2016 Best for Heating Up Your House: Nest Thermostat £249 – nest.com/uk Easily the object on this page that most resembles the homicidal computer from 2001: A Space Odyssey, the super clever Nest thermostat gradually learns how to heat your home, switches the heating off while you’re out and warms things up in time for your [...]
Porsche on-demand? VW boss reveals Gett plans June 1, 2016 Fancy ordering a Porsche to get home, instead of a plain old car or cab? Volkswagen's partnership with on-demand Uber rival Gett could very well make that a reality. VW boss Matthias Mueller has revealed more about the tie-up between the car maker and the tech company announced last week, and that could include making a high end [...]
EU referendum: The industries that will – and won’t – feel the Brexit hit June 1, 2016 Big UK and European businesses could see investment dry up if the UK votes to leave the European Union on 23 June, according to Standard and Poor’s (S&P). The ratings agency warned Brexit would “paralyse capital investment”, leave companies across the continent struggling to secure funds for “years to come” and “erode the competitive position” [...]
This London startup claims it’s launched the first ever working blockchain platform for financial institutions June 1, 2016 A London startup which boasts the former chairman of Barclays bank on its board has launched a new blockchain platform for financial institutions which it claims is the first of its kind. Several organisations are in the race to build a distributed ledger platform with blockchain technology, which can be used across the industry for processing transactions more quickly and [...]
Amazon and Goldman Sachs have backed this cyber security startup June 1, 2016 Amazon and Goldman Sachs are among investors to have put millions into a cyber security startup as worries grow around keeping private information secure for businesses and consumers. Ionic Security, which works with several Fortune 100 companies, has landed $45m (£31m) in a series D round of funding led by Hayman Capital and bringing total funding of [...]
A foldable smartphone that fits in your pocket? Samsung’s working on it June 1, 2016 As smartphone screens get bigger, the size of our pockets do not, resulting in a bit of a conundrum when it comes to carrying the thing around (when it' not glued to our palm, at least). Samsung is working on it, however, with plans for a device that simply folds in half and a new patent [...]
Trump, Thiel and space travel: Three things we learned from Amazon’s Jeff Bezos June 1, 2016 One of the most successful entrepreneurs of the modern world, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has spoken candidly on pressing issues such as Donald Trump, Peter Thiel versus Gawker and freedom of speech, as well as his childhood passion for space travel. Here are the three things we learned from his talk at Recode's Code Conference in California… [...]