Hill Street Blues creator Steven Bochco dies aged 74
Reuters Bochco is seen here in 1996 US television producer and writer Steven Bochco, who created some of America’s best known police drama series, has died aged 74. Born in New York, he helped define modern TV drama through work like Hill Street Blues, LA Law and NYPD Blue. His award-winning innovations included story lines […]
Five tech trends shaping the beauty industry
P&G Could make-up printers be the shape of things to come? Beauty brands are using everything from artificial intelligence (AI) to augmented reality (AR) to keep their customers engaged in a fiercely competitive market. But do such innovations actually work or are they simply marketing hype? When L’Oreal said last year it no longer wanted […]
What’s the new weapon against money laundering gangsters?
Getty Images Gangster Al Capone was eventually convicted of tax evasion in 1931 Money laundering accounts for up to 5% of global GDP – or $2tn (£1.5tn) – every year, says the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. So banks and law enforcement agencies are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to help combat the […]
Tech Tent: Alexa speaks louder
BBC Stream or download the latest Tech Tent podcast Listen to previous episodes on the BBC website Listen live every Friday at 15:00 BST on the BBC World Service We were promised jetpacks, we ended up with 140 characters. That’s the cynical take on how Silicon Valley’s dreams of life-changing innovations ended up producing something […]
Scottish Labour calls for a 48-hour working week limit
PA NHS workers in particular would benefit from a limit to the working week, Scottish Labour believes A call to limit the working week to 48 hours is among proposals in Scottish Labour’s new industrial strategy. The party is urging the UK and Scottish governments to consider implementing the policy. The Scottish government said Labour […]
The broadcast revolution will be televised
Getty Images Change is constant on and off the football field, and technological advances means fans could soon be watching more intuitive players via more mobile friendly channels. The 22nd Soccerex football finance event returns to Manchester this weekend for its last year as host – discussing everything from who will be showing future action, […]
Elon Musk and Jack Ma disagree about AI’s threat
Reuters Alibaba’s Jack Ma and Tesla’s Elon Musk took opposing views of the risks and potential rewards of artificial intelligence at an event in Shanghai. The Chinese entrepreneur said he was “quite optimistic” about AI and thought it was nothing for “street smart” people like them to be scared of. “I don’t know man, that’s […]
Why your bananas could soon cost more in the afternoon
Displaydata Electronic price labels like this one can be changed instantaneously Technology is enabling supermarkets and other retailers to change their prices throughout the day, but why should they want to do this and what will customers think about it? Many know the dispiriting feeling when the summer holiday flight they had their eye on […]
The people getting rich off the discards of our addiction
Ghidaq al-Nizar Indonesian artist Ghidaq al-Nizar uses coffee grounds on leaves, ceramics and melamine to create delicate art works (Credit: Ghidaq al-Nizar) It’s not the cuppa itself, but the grounds we toss away as rubbish. Coffee socks, anyone? Desperate for our morning coffee fix, most of us are blind to the mammoth mounds of messy […]
China’s remote and dangerous Great Wall
Amanda Ruggeri Until recently, there was no restoration on the Jiankou section of China’s Great Wall (Credit: Amanda Ruggeri) While a remote part of the Great Wall may soon attract more visitors, it remains a striking reminder of the centuries that shaped not only the fortification, but China itself. The Great Wall of China, which […]