The cost of solar power crashes
23 Jul 2010 [0 Comments | 227 views]
The day to look forward to is the day that the cost of energy generated from renewables converges with the cost of energy generated from fossil fuels. Cynics say that day will never dawn. They are wrong, and this is why. According to the European Photovoltaic Industry Association, convergence will occur in southern Italy by [...]
The case for optimism
23 Jul 2010 [0 Comments | 155 views]
It’s a funny thing; during the build up to the financial crisis of 2008/09, this publication received a number of emails accusing us of being too pessimistic. “If ever there is good news,” went the gist of the complaint, “you always try to put a negative spin on it.” Looking back with the benefit of [...]
Students opt for entrepreneur as their career choice
22 Jul 2010 [0 Comments | 219 views]
From something bad, good things can grow. Mass unemployment is not good. But it can at least force the labour market to become more flexible and force some people to re-invent their career, which can be a good thing. Recessions in which businesses go bust can also leave a vacuum, which can filled by more-efficient [...]
The two words economists forget
20 Jul 2010 [3 Comments | 1,326 views]
Two words, that’s all that’s wrong. The FT is running an excellent series at the moment in which various world renowned economists argue either for or against cutting fiscal deficits. Of course, what we are seeing in the FT is no more than a reflection of a much wider debate running in pubs, bars and [...]
The Long Tail explains Facebook’s clash with Cameron
15 Jul 2010 [1 Comment | 214 views]
We are guessing that there is one thing that everyone who reads this article has in common, and we would like to include ourselves in this group. None of us understand why 35,000 people have signed up to the Raoul Moat tribute page on Facebook. You may either like or dislike David Cameron, but no doubt [...]
A student tax, and tyranny of the baby boomers
15 Jul 2010 [0 Comments | 177 views]
When the author was a university student, he used to queue at the Job Centre, along with just about everyone he knew from his old 6th Form, signing on for benefit during the holidays. It was like that in those days. Students could sign on at Christmas, Easter and during the summer. On one occasion, [...]
The three musketeers have riposte for German queen
24 Jun 2010 [0 Comments | 387 views]
And while all around there was Armageddon, Mr and Mrs UK Press had a picnic. Okay, that’s a little harsh and maybe a touch over the top. But the truth is, this week’s budget should have been no more than a sideshow while some serious stuff was taking off in other parts of the world. [...]
Do we really face an impending food crisis?
18 Jun 2010 [0 Comments | 316 views]
According to the annual joint report from the OECD and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, the cost of food is set to soar over the next decade. Okay, soar is a bit extreme. The report says that wheat and coarse grain prices will rise by between 15 and 40 per cent over the next [...]
Why specialisation gave us our edge over apes
11 Jun 2010 [0 Comments | 168 views]
Brains use up a lot of energy. And big brains, like the ones you and I are supposed to have, use up an awful lot of energy. So for us humans, when we were evolving, a big breakthrough to facilitate the evolution of big brains must have been the means by which we took on [...]
Why Black Swan may explain a lot, but not all
11 Jun 2010 [1 Comment | 447 views]
Have you seen the latest BP-related idea coming out of America? It has been suggested that BP pays the wages of all workers who lose their jobs as a result of the oil drilling ban in the Gulf of Mexico. So that’s not just employees of BP, but employees of Exxon Mobil or Shell. This [...]
