Smart Cities | Business Life
All cities struggle to manage water, power, transport, waste and pollution, and urban populations are said to be growing at the rate of 10,000 people an hour. So the future … Continue reading
Personalisation | Business Life
As technology advances, marketing techniques become ever more sophisticated and the amount of information that can be mined from our day-to-day lives increases. Advertisers know where we are and they … Continue reading
The Love Business | Business Life
All you need is love? Not so, say British retailers, who’ll be using the increasingly long run-up to Valentine’s Day to provide a comprehensive list of what we can accessorise … Continue reading
Hotels: 10 Predictions | Business Life
Ten top predictions for hotels was written for Business Life in 2007. It’s interesting now to see which predictions were on the ball, and which . . . well, weren’t. … Continue reading
Sierpe: A Trip to Town | Somewheresville
Blog post from Somewheresville Hot (www.somewheresville.org), a series of pieces about life in the wilds of the Osa, Southern Costa Rica. The first place you come to when you take … Continue reading
America: What Was It? | Somewheresville
Blog entry from somewheresville (www.somewheresville.org). It’s vast, a load of different countries tied together with strings of Arbys and Taco Bells. In some, people are very busy accumulating more and … Continue reading
Motels & Shootings | Somewheresville
Blog entry from somewheresville (www.somewheresville.org). The road trip was initially east to west. That was so nice, I added west to east. The minute the car was turned to face … Continue reading
The Greatest Show on Earth | FT
Hot ferrets sleep in boxes, low-slung sheep dogs drive ducks over an obstacle course in the sportsfield, and traders do a roaring trade in tripe sticks, candy floss, PVC coated … Continue reading
FARC Hostage Released | The Times
It’s vaguely European, Bogota, with its malls, brick buildings, drizzle and commuters in suits. The two of us sit about talking romance, London and kids; boys specifically, and their thing … Continue reading
Child Soldiers
As a 13-year old soldier in Sierra Leone shooting someone was “as easy as drinking a glass of water” says Ishmael Beah. But given a place at a UNICEF rehabilitation … Continue reading
Town to Call my Own | FT
“You wouldn’t believe how many people want to buy a town” says Rudy Nielson, who has bought and sold a few. “Mainly to say they own one”. With towns, mountain … Continue reading
Right Royal Wedding Business | Business Life
Outgoings Moments after Prince Charles twittered engagement congratulations on Nov 16, the nation was busily totting up the potential costs and profits of a Royal Wedding. Charles’ own wedding (the … Continue reading
Online Self-Prescription | FT
It took me three minutes to drop 180 Xanax, 180 Ambien, 90 Zocor and 160 Soma into my shopping basket and proceed to checkout. Like most of the online pharmacies … Continue reading
Panama: Designer Communities | FT
The steamy glamour of Panama, and that air of infinite possibility that lures people here in search of a new life is not exclusive to the capital, Panama City. High … Continue reading
Panama’s Pacific Coast Communities | FT
The steamy glamour of Panama, and that air of infinite possibility that lures people here in search of a new life is not exclusive to the capital, Panama City. High … Continue reading
Costa Rica Property Investment | FT
Ask any foreigner who has lived in Costa Rica over ten years why they bought property here, and they’ll say they came on holiday and fell in love with the … Continue reading
Watching the Workers | Business Life
Fifty years ago a manager knew when his team clocked on and off. Now employers are using hidden cameras, GPS and RFID tags, keystroke logging and emergent technology to monitor … Continue reading
Secret Life of Desks | Business Life
The position of a person’s desk whether on a podium, down a dust-blown corridor, facing the corner is tacitly understood to signify the difference between success and failure but office … Continue reading
