7 ways the crisis has made tech better

I've updated this post from its original version, written last August. Since then, countries like the UK have slipped back into lockdown, and even rebellious Sweden is preparing to limit its citizens' movements, such is the extent of the dreaded second wave. Still, the only real change is that working from home has lost some … Continue reading 7 ways the crisis has made tech better →

How to stay sane online (especially now) – tips from Shine Offline’s Laura Willis

Depending on where we live, we're now up between two and three weeks into Covid-19-caused confinement, meaning most of us with 'non-essential' jobs are stuck inside, working from home. Which brings its lot of non-digital challenges (home schooling, anyone?) But above all, we're more dependent on technology than ever. All interactions with colleagues are limited … Continue reading How to stay sane online (especially now) – tips from Shine Offline’s Laura Willis →

How tech, big and small, may be saving the planet after all

Much is said - including here - about tech’s negative impact on society. But what if, whilst GAFAM’s greenwashing continues, thousands of smaller enterprises - and even some of the biggest ones - were working to literally make the world better, with tech? This was our takeaway from changeNOW, the third edition of an ecology-focused … Continue reading How tech, big and small, may be saving the planet after all →

Social media algorithms’ “complete moral vacuity”, Techfugees, politics & more – interview with tech-for-good pioneer Mike Butcher

Besides his 'day job' as London-based Editor-at-large for TechCrunch, it is above all Mike Butcher's side gigs that have made him one of today's most prominent tech-for-good actors. As well as founding Techfugees in 2015 — this major organisation now uses startup skills to help millions of refugees worldwide, as we covered last year — … Continue reading Social media algorithms’ “complete moral vacuity”, Techfugees, politics & more – interview with tech-for-good pioneer Mike Butcher →

Big tech is harming the environment; how to stop it

You know how companies tend to say one thing and do the other? When it comes to the environment, this is known as greenwashing; essentially, pretending to be green for good press, then doing the opposite. Like Amazon's leader Jeff Bezos saying initiatives like its wind farms (above) would enable the company to be carbon … Continue reading Big tech is harming the environment; how to stop it →

Ex-execs dissing Facebook: all the rage. But who’s bringing about true change?

Earlier this month, the latest 'responsible tech' bombshell dropped: Chris Hughes (left above), who co-founded Facebook back in the day with Mark Zuckerberg, affirmed in a New York Times op-ed "It's Time to Break Up Facebook". Since the Cambridge Analytica scandal, claims Hughes, "Zuck" and Sheryl Sandberg have done nothing to reign in Facebook's huge … Continue reading Ex-execs dissing Facebook: all the rage. But who’s bringing about true change? →

Why Time’s up for irresponsible tech

If there's one thing that SXSW, the massive gathering that takes over Austin, Texas every March remains today, it's a tech trends barometer. Twitter, Foursquare and Periscope were all launched there, after all. This year, however, as this excellent post from France Télévisions' Kati Bremme (in French) was first to confirm to me, the big … Continue reading Why Time’s up for irresponsible tech →

4 more reasons to reduce your screen time… after reading this

1. Screens now divide rich from poor "Human contact is now a luxury good," asserts this thought-proving New York Times piece. "The wealthy can afford to opt out of having their data and their attention sold as a product," writes Nellie Bowles. "The poor and middle class don’t have the same kind of resources to … Continue reading 4 more reasons to reduce your screen time… after reading this →