Digital Inspiration has an interesting idea for people who have to log on to multiple web sites from public computers, or just for people who want secure passwords even if they don’t spend a lot of time in internet cafes. It uses paper.
If you use the same password for multiple sites, you have a [...]
What makes supermarket employees work harder? Why do rats drink more tonic water, when it becomes more expensive? (Rats hate tonic water, they don’t like the taste of the quinine in it), and why is your boss overpaid?
It’s all down to the logic of economics, according to Tim Harford, or as he calls it [...]
The German Post has implemented some innovative services which either haven’t been copied abroad, or only took off in other countries quite a bit later:
By John | February 28, 2010
Recently Ruth asked me to set up a new website for her and some other textile artists who she has met. So I set up Use Your Eyes for them. Ruth was quite taken with the design, and decided she wanted her own blog Sew2Speak changing to use a similar skin, which is what I [...]
By John | February 10, 2010
If global warming hasn’t frightened your socks off yet, then take a look at these two news items:
1. The UK is likely to run out of soil in the next 60 years. Other countries are similarly affected:
An estimated 75 billion tonnes of soil is lost annually with more than 80 per cent of the [...]
By John | February 8, 2010
It is surprising how many large companies which like to think of themselves as international, and who advertise in the international press can’t cope with having customers in countries other than their home land.
From our own recent experience:
A subsidiary of a British bank – one of the national brands – can’t cope with [...]
By John | February 8, 2010
We went to Xàtiva a couple of weeks ago to pick up the deeds for the plot we have bought, and to see a second architect. The guy we initially met made an offer for doing the design which was 50% over the usual rate, and was unable to explain why. Our (excellent) lawyer in [...]
By John | January 30, 2010
It has been snowing since last Wednesday. And we and the neighbours are starting to run out of places to put the snow we’ve cleared.
Since I took these pictures, it has continued to snow, and snow is forecast to continue until at least next Wednesday. One of the neighbours set off in his [...]
By John | January 21, 2010
Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England, gave a speech at the University of Exeter this week. He uses an example of “Sudoku for Economists” (pdf file, 47 kB) to illustrate why the mess the world economy is in is unlikely to get any better. He produces a small 9-celled “sudoku table”, to [...]
By John | January 18, 2010
I noticed an article in the Daily Mail today about what Spanish air traffic controllers earn (here). I thought that must be typical exaggeration by the popular press, but decided to see if I find out what they “really” earn. It turns out that the figures are probably accurate – here’s an article in El [...]
