For those alive and well in the 70s and 80s, the obtrusive bleeper became an icon for fast-paced business types, but this pales when compared with the modern smartphone, which is essentially a fifth limb for many of us. It’s not only that the number of quality of life technologies is increasing, but that we’re becoming increasingly dependent on them. To be part of the modern world, it’s necessary to have a smartphone. Likewise, it’s increasingly necessary (and just a tad self-destructive) to be an active participant in social media. Almost unconsciously, technology has transitioned from convenience to necessity...
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An exploration of creativity, technology and the culture of identity
Yes, there is something so familiar about our two nations that the Britain has often been unfairly designated as the 51st state. And yet, like the modern dysfunctional family, it’s hard to admit that we have anything more than blood in common. At least as far as Britain goes, we’re unnerved by the likeness, even a tad ashamed and embarrassed that our younger sibling has gone off to become more successful, and only comes home to gleefully ram our faces into it...
Generally, we’re an idealistic people. We’re inspired by the idea of the socially divergent working from humble dorm rooms and garages (modern day version of a lair), changing the world from the shadows. Spurred by Hollywood and an inveterately sensationalising media, there exists a cultural-wide love affair with the superhero narrative, attested to by the sheer number of superhero movies produced over the past decade (non-coincidentally resurgent from the 1970s and 80s). A number of factors are behind this: encroaching world wide calamity – the threat of (nuclear) war or the constant peril of terror attacks...
Read MoreAnyone that started their careers in small companies will have a solid idea of what we’re talking about. The sluggish mirroring of late 20th century business practices, whereby stringent office managers count the minutes and out-of-touch directors guide their workforce like blind guide dogs, is the bane of growth. That’s not to say such companies don’t survive – they certainly do – but only that their survival precludes the possibility of their success. Humans may live in three-foot high cubicles, but they’ll never be able to stand tall – businesses that refuse to change must also accept a low ceiling for growth...
Read MoreThe Internet is both pervasive in its application and ubiquitous in its function – having expanded to all corners of the globe, and is surely as vital to our day-to-day life as food or water. But it seems amazing that something originally intended to be a design for an information sharing network could have grown to such glorious heights, transcending all scopes of function and rapidly becoming mankind’s favourite tool for, well, just about everything...
Read MoreLike the legendary Batman Villain Two-Face, there are two halves to Britain’s new identity that are at desperate odds with each other. Younger generations grew up listening to the rhetoric describing Britain as a great, multi-cultural society. After the fall of communism in 1989, the 1990s saw an influx of Polish immigrants, in no small part owing to our need to rectify a labour shortage. Regardless of the motives, there was a light to this openness, styled as an international beauty with the world viewing Britain as a progressive and tolerant society...
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We set out knowing who we were. Bobbing along calm currents, the horizon held promise: known seas, established trade routes brimming with pioneering vessels and a world of foreign and exotic destinations at our finger tips. Our friends even told us who we were; we were Britain, and we mattered. Now lost in this darkness, only the beating tide keeps our company, and brother turns on brother in matters of blame...
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In the throngs of globalisation, the British mentality is suspended in a continuous tug of war. At some point, we were meant to become more than just British, but we missed the cue. We have a self-affirming history of greatness and strength, and the words of Shakespeare and Churchill ring in our ears to remind us of our unique circumstance and character, an egotism that was, perhaps, never truly justified to begin with...
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The business landscape is a hunting ground. Small start-ups hungrily seek the market share of big players, whilst big players desperately look to absorb start-ups’ entrepreneurial agility. And thus traditional understandings of the employee role are slowly lost. The workers of today must be entrepreneurs, innovators and inventors, with the elusive talents and traits normally allergic to the corporate environment...
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Artists often talk about inspiration being drawn from new experiences. Through the 21st century, technology has become the new experience, redefining how we live and interact. The Internet is, both virtually and in actuality, a new frontier, filled with boundless potential, promise and possibility. We no longer think of when we can do something, but rather when we’ll achieve it...
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Cue Edinburgh, the hilly champion of Scotland’s future. Edinburgh is already the UK’s largest financial centre outside of London and bears the unofficial title of UK’s second capital – a claim that somewhat risks belittling the city’s potential. Because far more important than Edinburgh’s past or present, is its future – as the budding pioneer of a reinvigorated Scotland...
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Some hundreds of years ago a Nordic settlement was founded in Scotland, influencing a large part of the North’s culture. Whilst this doesn’t mean that everyone’s walking about with spiked helmets and Tolkien-inspired dwarf beards (unless you’re of the hipster variety), it does leave enough of a trace for some Scottish hopefuls to follow. In the age of discontent, the ties to the UK aren’t as attractive or as inspiring as the potential ties to their prosperous Scandinavian partners...
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