February, 2015

Bank of England is REALLY INTO data visualization

February 26, 2015

To publicise the launch of a more open research agenda, the Bank of England is offering a £5,000 prize to the best data visualisation using one (or more) of six datasets it has added to its website.

Of course, potential entrants could be keeping their ideas top secret, but by far the dataset attracting most initial interest was the three centuries of macroeconomic research data, which makes a whole treasure trove of long run data – such as wages and prices from 1661 to 2012 – available to the general public.

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The Lego movie has helped Lego TRASH their competition

February 25, 2015

Lego is officially the world’s most profitable toymaker. The Danish company reported a 13 per cent increase in revenues to DKr28.6bn ($4.4bn) and a 15 per cent jump in net profit to Dkr7bn. Lego estimates that on average every person on earth owns 102 of its bricks. The Lego movie is widely credited with Lego’s recent success. The company almost went bust a decade ago. annual-sales-growth-at-major-toymakers-lego-mattel-hasbro_chartbuilder-1

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CHART: If China devalues the RMB this year, expect trouble

February 23, 2015

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90% of the industrialised world now has near zero interest rates

February 23, 2015

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Why Facebook was right to spend $19 billion on WhatsApp and eight more must-read stories

February 23, 2015

It’s sexist to ask “Who are you wearing?” on the red carpet. Actresses grilled about their outfits don’t get asked about their careers.
Don’t make goals, make habits. Goals only make you feel like you’re not good enough yet.
Robot workers are creating human jobs. The president of one robotics firm says the industry needs more skilled workers to develop and operate them(paywall).
Lenovo doesn’t deserve consumers’ trust.Installing adware on its laptops is not only annoying, it is unsafe.
Facebook was right to spend $19 billion on WhatsApp. Messaging apps are central to all smartphone use.
Cable companies speed up their TV shows to fit in more ads. Doing so raises actors’ voices, and cuts up to two minutes from each episode.
Reddit tricked Google. Users tricked Google’s algorithm into showing a picture of a potato when people searched for “gaming console.”
Americans aren’t studying European languages.But the availability of Chinese, Arabic, and Korean classes is rising.
Someone bought Warren Buffett’s old car for $122,500. A customized 2006 Cadillac DTS sold for $115,000 more than its model-expected resale value.

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All the ways America has chosen to execute people since 1776

February 23, 2015

America is looking for a humane way to execute people. Botched lethal injection rates are rising.

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As Russian planes buzz the Cornish coast, Russia heads for deep recession

February 19, 2015

As Russian planes are spotted off the Cornish Coast, Russia heads into crisis. Plummeting oil price, a weakened Rouble and accelerated inflation is pushing Putin’s Russia over the financial cliff.

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Bad bankers to pay bonuses back

February 11, 2015

The Financial Conduct Authority is considering forcing reckless bankers to repay their base salary — as well as bonuses — in an effort to combat misconduct. The move by the UK’s financial watchdog would come in the wake of the introduction of a European Union-wide bonus cap, in the teeth of fierce opposition from the UK government, says the FT.

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DISASTER! Jon Stewart quits the Daily Show

February 11, 2015

Jon Stewart is leaving The Daily Show, the satirical Comedy Central news programme that he has turned into a staple of cutting political comedy since taking the host’s chair in 1999.

Mr Stewart announced his departure on Tuesday. The Viacom-owned cable network said he would continue to host the show until later this year.

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Sky just MASSIVELY overpaid to screen the UK premiership

February 11, 2015

Sky has promised at least £200m a year in extra cost cuts to help fund the unexpectedly high price it paid to secure the majority of Premier League football rights.

Europe’s largest pay-TV company by subscribers blew its fierce rival BT out of the water in the auction for the rights on Tuesday, agreeing to pay £4.2bn over three years for 126 matches a season, including the prime Sunday afternoon fixtures.

Sky’s costs will rise 83 per cent starting from the 2016-17 season, while BT’s will increase 30 per cent. “The trajectory is unsustainable,” said Claudio Aspesi, an analyst at Bernstein, noting that costs rose by a similar amount in the last auction three years ago.

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