Image copyright Getty Images Image caption There are often no maps of rural areas of Rwanda “There are about two billion people in the world who don’t appear on a proper map,” says Ivan Gayton from the charity Humanitarian OpenStreetMap. “It’s shameful that we – as cartographers of the world – don’t take enough interest to even know where they… Read more →
Image copyright Getty Images The UK needs tougher rules to curb the dominance of Google and Facebook, including powers to break them up, the Competition and Markets Authority has said. It is concerned that the firms’ dominance in digital advertising raises barriers for new competitors. This may be pushing up prices for consumers, the CMA said. The tech giants said… Read more →
Image copyright Ford Image caption Ford is using thermal scanning to check workers’ temperatures before they enter company sites As more people start to return to their workplaces, many employers are introducing new ways to check up on their staff, from thermal scanners to wristbands. For workers at any of Ford’s sites worldwide, there are two new steps to the… Read more →
Image copyright Ere Santos Image caption Ere Santos has been animating movies at home Ere Santos remembers that he once had to animate a fight between his character, the sidekick, and the hero of the film. The sidekick lands on the hero’s head, and the scene cuts. Luckily, the hero’s animator sat next to Mr Santos. Much like their creations,… Read more →
Image copyright Lucy Gough Image caption Lucy Gough launched an online interior design course Like many others, interior stylist Lucy Gough saw her income disappear when the coronavirus hit and naturally felt anxious about her future prospects. “Within one week the four shoots I’d been prepping for were all cancelled,” she recalls. However, rather than do nothing, London-based Ms Gough… Read more →
Image copyright Keith Ingram Image caption During lockdown Keith Ingram shifted sales to Amazon “We wouldn’t have survived without Amazon,” says Keith Ingram, owner of vinyl records shop Assai Records. When lockdown hit on 23 March in the UK, Mr Ingram had to shut his shops in Edinburgh and Dundee, and sell his stock through Amazon Marketplace. Now, his sales… Read more →
Image copyright Evolv Technology Image caption Scanners were used to screen VIPs at this year’s Brit Awards at London’s O2 centre Peter George calls it the protection paradox. People want to have safety, but they don’t want to spend a long time queuing for a security inspection. He is the chief executive of Evolv Technology, a US business based just… Read more →
Image copyright Hypromag Image caption Valuable rare metals can be harvested from discarded disk drives What do you do with an old hard disk drive, the kind that still spins up inside most PCs, once it reaches the end of its life? If Allan Walton has his way, parts of it could soon be propelling your next car along the… Read more →
Image copyright Stasher Image caption Cleaning premises is a greater priority for bosses like Jacob Wedderburn-Day “Before, we had basic cleaning standards when handling luggage but sanitation was not a priority,” says Stasher’s co-founder and chief executive, Jacob Wedderburn-Day. “It absolutely will be now.” The storage company uses spots such as hotel luggage rooms to stash bags – 300,000 bags… Read more →
Image copyright Ruthie Townsend Image caption Ruthie Townsend found her firm’s redundancy process upsetting When travel start-up Pana held a meeting for all of its employees over Zoom, they explained that some staff would be laid off, and that there would be two further calls that morning – one at 09:00 for those who would be laid off, and one… Read more →