Grid

This week’s main blog discussions include … The end of the smartphone? I’ve predicted the death of many things. The death of the keyboard, the death of the plastic card, the death of cash and cheques, the death of the branch, the death of main street and the death of the computer itself. Now, we…

I’ve predicted the death of many things. The death of the keyboard, the death of the plastic card, the death of cash and cheques, the death of the branch, the death of main street and the death of the computer itself. Now, we have the death of the phone. As I look to the future,…

Everyone who knows me well, knows that I grew up with David Bowie as my real-life Hero. I saw him concert regularly, until he stopped touring in the 2000s, and loved the fact that not only did he produce unique music, but nearly every time it was performance and music. He was first to really…

I’ve been sitting and thinking. Not a bad thing, but a dangerous thing. I’ve been sitting and thinking about AI, Artificial Intelligence. How will AI change banking and finance? Specifically, how could we use AI to change banking and finance? When I think about this, I think about how banking has changed since the last…

This month the Bank for International Settlements (BIS – the guys who do Basels) released a report on the implications of BigTech on FinTech and banking. The report is not what I expected, as it is far too simple in its thinking imho, but it is worth a read. Maybe next time, they’ll ask yours truly…

I’m wondering about data access and privacy. There’s a balance. You can mine my data if you give me better service. If you cannot be bothered to be intelligent with my data however, then get lost. This thought occurs to me when I deal with any organisation. When Netflix loads, does it know the shows…

I’ve noticed many dislikable trends since Elon Musk took over twitter. First, the system is broken. Rebranded as X, which no-one likes, the whole interface has changed. My main access was via tweetdeck, which is now only available via premium subscription, and then it does not work as before. For example, before, I could have…

This week’s main blog discussions include … Is Hamas funded by crypto? I hate stepping into controversy, and I know that this column is going to be really unpopular, but the latest reporting of terrorist funding using cryptocurrencies is seriously biased. This specifically relates to Hamas and Hezbollah in Gaza and Lebanon respectively. The latest…

I have a dog and am worried he has Stockholm Syndrome. He seems to love me, but it’s only because I feed and walk him every day. By nature, the dog should be free. Thing is that, now that he’s three years old, he’s developed into a beautiful animal who is dedicated to me. As…

The confusion over the origins of money I, like most, thought money was invented to replace barter. I, like most, am wrong. Money has little to do with bartering. Money, in fact, has more to do with how society moved from villages and communities to societies and cities. Going back to the origins of money…