Video: ISS astronauts forced to evade debris cloud
My video report for Deutsche Welle (DW) on debris from a Russian anti-satellite missile test forcing the ISS’ astronauts to temporarily shelter in their spaceship capsules. Link to DW website: https://p.dw.com/p/433Rg
Digitalization in Africa: ‘We aren’t thinking any more in the conventional way’
From solar panels to apps that cut food waste, green tech is helping transform Africa. But its success rests on the continent’s digitalization. In my interview with Smart Africa’s new Director General Lacina Koné for Deutsche Welle, he told me why connectivity is key.
Video: Indian Ocean exploration mission makes historic broadcast
A video I made for Deutsche Welle about explorers broadcasting live video using wireless technology from below the surface of the Indian Ocean.
Courtrooms to go fully digital by 2016 – about time
Any journalist covering court who’s ever experienced the frustration of proceedings being held up simply because a crucial document was missing will be relieved to hear that this scenario may, by 2016, become a thing of the past. Courtrooms in England and Wales are set to…
Google’s autocomplete under fire over ‘defamatory’ searches
Google’s autocomplete function, which has yielded some eye-opening insights into the most commonly searched word combinations (the first suggestion that pops up when you type ‘Vladimir Putin r’ is ‘Vladimir Putin riding a bear’, ahead of ‘Vladimir Putin Russia’ – which the strongman president might…
Media law for Twitter users – will they heed it?
The BBC published a feature today on the categories of law that Twitter users not versed in that journalism staple McNae’s are coming unstuck on, covering the rules on matters like libel, not naming sexual offence victims and contempt of court. Knowing about media law, previously the preserve mainly…
The science of laughing – and why social media decays relationships
For the LOLs: texts aren’t enough to keep a relationship going, say scientists Using Twitter or Facebook to keep in touch is fine – just don’t expect those relationships to last if that is the only contact you have. So said scientists at the Royal…
A day without journalists: could citizen journalism fill the void?
Starting young: A citizen journalist What would happen if you sucked all the journalists out of the UK for 24 hours? Would citizen reporters and social media be able to step into the breach, or would confusion reign? This was the question posed by the…
Science at the movies: Prometheus and artificial intelligence
The search for the origins of humanity, meeting one’s maker, and discovering why we are here: Ridley Scott’s latest film Prometheus tackles some big themes. But arguably the most interesting one surrounds the issue of what it is to be human, raised in the form…
“Data journalism is like sex at university”: exploring data stories at the AOP forum
“Data journalism is rather like sex at university: lots of people are talking about it but few are doing it, and fewer are doing it well.” So said Neil McIntosh, deputy editor of the Wall Street Journal, at Wednesday’s (May 16, 2012) AOP forum on data…