Business Unusual

The best way to predict the future is to understand the past

How Brewster Kahle set about storing the contents of the web for future generations. Image credit: Internet Archive Audio credit: AOL

Latest episodes in this series

A shortage of computer chips is the latest challenge to the global economy

14 April 2021 | 10 Minute Listen

Metal-Oxide semiconductor transistors are arguably the most manufactured artefact in human history and there is now a global shortage. We need about a trillion chips per year but demand has outstripped the supply. Image credit: Laura Ockel = Unsplash

Radio 3.0 - the live chat room apps are coming

07 April 2021 | 13 Minute Listen

First there was broadcast and streaming, then podcasts and now live online chat shows from apps like Clubhouse. The next step in making traditional media channels available to everyone. It will not always be good but it should fill in a gap for more focussed audio broadcasts for those that want to listen and contribute. Audio credit. Vergecast Ashley Carman

Big ships solve problems but can create new ones

31 March 2021 | 12 Minute Listen

The grounding of the Ever Given in the Suez Canal may have been avoided but it was inevitable. image credit: © Lukas Gojda/123rf.com

How unicorns turn into donkeys

24 March 2021 | 14 Minute Listen

Unicorns are startups that rapidly become valued at over $1 billion, sometimes those valuations prove to be wrong especially when a business casts itself as a fintech disruptor in order to attract venture capital investments that was actually a regular business with a persuasive CEO and a good backstory. This is the story of Greensill Capital - the super abridged version. In this story you will hear about small suppliers being hard done, you will hear about supply chain financing and you will hear about big investments and circular dealing. Audio credit: Bloomberg

A big trend in City developments - micro apartments

17 March 2021 | 13 Minute Listen

Mark Twain once offered this piece of investment advice, “Buy land, they don’t make it anymore”, but owning land is not only an economic goal, it remains a dream for most who see it as part of becoming an adult. But it is not that simple, not that it ever was, but there are factors now that make owning a home more difficult despite most other parts of our lives getting easier. The principal issue is not that we are going to run out of land as Twain might suggest, but rather that the demand to occupy the same piece of it is increasing. Living in the heart of a city for those who also work there makes sense, but for young workers that would make the most of living in the city, they are the least likely to be able to afford it. Audio credit: Tiny House Movement | Andrew Morrison | TEDx

Rupert Murdoch and how he built a multinational media empire

10 March 2021 | 13 Minute Listen

The Executive Chairman of News Corp turns 90 in March and is arguably one of the most influential media owners of the last century. At its peak his companies numbered as many as 800 entities in 50 countries. He has been regarded as the person to help get Britain to support Brexit and for Americans to elect Donald Trump and most recently to get Google and Facebook to pay for news content by his titles. audio credit: CBS News

Roll up, roll up get your non fungible tokens here

03 March 2021 | 12 Minute Listen

There are no shortages of bubbles at the moment, this is just the next one, but once it pops (again) there are some really good reasons for keeping it around. Audio credit : CNBC Television Image credit: Fran Hogan / Unsplash

Facebook and Australia, what it means for the rest of us

24 February 2021 | 9 Minute Listen

Will the deal with Australia help publishers around the world? It was a long time coming but the Great Barrier Beef (as MSNBC described it) came to a head last week when Facebook blocked news content and pages from posting on their platform in Australia. A new law which would compel platforms like Google and Facebook to compensate news publishers for content that was displayed on their sites. Google has agreed to deals of about $1 billion while Facebook held out until 23 February 2021. The Australian Government and Facebook agreed that the negotiations would not force a deal on Facebook. Facebook have set out their position in a post which suggests that they would be willing to use a model to invest/compensate publishers in Australia and elsewhere offering to pay about a $1 billion to publishers in the next three years. Audio credit: ABC Australia Image credit: © Yael Weiss/123fr.com

The best way to predict the future is to understand the past

17 February 2021 | 10 Minute Listen

How Brewster Kahle set about storing the contents of the web for future generations. Image credit: Internet Archive Audio credit: AOL

The story of the web can be told by the highs and lows of Reddit

10 February 2021 | 12 Minute Listen

The largest social network you did not know about has a remarkable story In the news thanks to Wall Street bets, but as one of the top 20 websites in the world its history makes for a fascinating timeline of the web. Image credit: reddit.com

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