Whatever...

A place to share stuff that isn't at all fintec related but is amusing, absurd or scary.

Retired Member 

Mobile 'government' as a saviour of 21st century democracy

In many places across the world we see societies struggling to express their views, vote or to just maintain their lives. Much of the problem is with inadequate or non-representational government. Mobile phones are the answer. Sriram suggests that mobile food stamps are a useful option in his blog here. I heartily agree. There are issues, in that...

21 July 2008

Retired Member 

Chip and PIN won't help the online sales boom

I notice a massive increase in online sales in the U.K. Did anyone think about this coming when they introduced Chip and PIN? About as useful as Chips-and-sauce on the net isn't it, unless you have a reader and the site is capable of utilising it. Does this signal a growth area for fraud? Will the trend continue? Will it take another £1.1 billion t...

20 July 2008 /payments

Retired Member 

'User friendly' does not compute with mobile makers

Anyone ever had any difficulty transferring contacts from one phone to the next? Does 10 days to get your new Blackberry working and synchronised with your enterprise email system, and getting your old phone contacts into the new phone sound familiar to anyone? Has anyone resorted to simply typing them in? While I use Nokia/Blackberry without the ...

18 July 2008

Paul Penrose Head of Research at Finextra

Heaven knows I'm miserable now

New figures from Peter Gabriel’s entertainment recommendation website TheFilter.com show a dramatic rise in liking for ‘depressing music’, as the credit crunch bites. The Ten Most Popular Depressing Songs, as rated by The Filter users in order : 1. Amy Winehouse - Tears Dry On Their Own 2. The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby 3. The Smiths - Heaven knows...

16 July 2008

Retired Member 

Running to the bank.

I imagine there's a bit of fund juggling going on at banks across America. Given that only the first $100k is covered by federal deposit insurance it would be wise to spread your cash across a number of financial institutions to maintain insurance coverage in the event of a collapse of an individual institution. Australia is not immune to the rec...

15 July 2008 /regulation /retail

Retired Member 

Fireworks to cheer you up

Although this is nothing like the fireworks we are going to create in the banking business soon, I thought you might all enjoy the fireworks at the farm for Bastille Day. All together it was a great day and I'll let you judge for yourself whether we know how to make things go off with a bang. The best French wines and food to sustain us, some fant...

15 July 2008

Matt White North America editor at Finextra

Working out at work

Good news for office workers worried that nine hours a day sat motionless in front of a PC is taking its toll on their waistlines. The Walkstation, from US office furniture outfit Details, is here to help you fight the flab. This ingenious product combines a computer workstation with a treadmill, so you can walk while you work. According to James ...

14 July 2008

Matt White North America editor at Finextra

Forgot to buy a wedding gift? Please insert card

A Tel Aviv wedding hall has come up with a novel way of ensuring guests don't forget to leave the bride and groom a gift. Gan Oranim hall has installed an ATM style device that lets guests insert their credit cards and enter the amount they want to give the couple. The machine then prints out a deposit slip with the guest's name which can be inser...

11 July 2008 /retail

Retired Member 

City playboys and mistresses feel the pinch

Ok there's no fintech angle here, but according to The Metro, mistresses of male high fliers in the City of London are getting the chop as spending habits are cut back. Apparently the first thing to go is "the other woman". This might seem like a good thing for married types, but apparently divorces are also on the up as my colleague he...

11 July 2008

Elizabeth Lumley Global FinTech Commentator at Girl, Disrupted

It's a man's world...?

This is a funny story about about how women with long nails can't use an iPhone. Which is a bit strange, as an owner of an iPod Touch, I think they are a rather female friendly. But it got me thinking about other tiny annoyances for women in the City. To name a few: 1. Shiny marble floors at investment banks when your wearing high heels. 2. Name...

24 June 2008