Don’t rely on an algorithm to choose your brand ambassadors

Here’s a cautionary tale found by Lucire travel editor Stanley Moss. His words: ‘Photographer Dmitry Kostyukov recently experienced a rich dialogue with an algorithm belonging to a Scandinavian swimwear company. He’d been auto-mistaken for a Y chromosome, and digitally invited to become a brand ambassador. Dmitry accepted, and received the sample suit of his choice, […]

Read More… from Don’t rely on an algorithm to choose your brand ambassadors



Paging Dr Libby

Update: scroll down for a happy ending to this! Even famous people can slip up. Two posts on Instagram, one of them mine, the other an hour later on Dr Libby Weaver’s account.    If you’d like a closer inspection, here’s my photo cropped roughly where hers is. The clouds are the giveaway, and trust […]

Read More… from Paging Dr Libby



Snapped on Instagram

This wasn’t taken by me, but by another car enthusiast, who goes by Kiwi_cars on Instagram. They (I don’t know the gender though one shadow in one photo suggests it could be a male) photograph some of the more interesting cars in New Zealand, and I was flattered to have mine spotted and posted on […]

Read More… from Snapped on Instagram



Meizu M2 Note: welcome to a Google-free mid-2010s

Other than for the landline, I’ve never bought a phone before. Each cellphone has come as a result of a company plan or a loyalty gift from the telco, but when my Huawei Ascend Y200 began needing resets several times a day—I’ve had computer experts tell me this is the phone, or the SD card […]

Read More… from Meizu M2 Note: welcome to a Google-free mid-2010s



Shanghai, 1987 v. 2013

Originally on my Tumblog, but the graphic wouldn’t fit properly with the template. Amazing. There’s an entire generation who will have no concept of Shanghai being a city without skyscrapers. You may also like Endgame: Saab files for bankruptcy Here’s probably how Semrush linked concepts—and got it totally wrong Why the next Holden Commodore will […]

Read More… from Shanghai, 1987 v. 2013



Christchurch in happier times

Christchurch, as it once was. These are some of the images that appeared on my old Vox blog (or, what is left of that). The Cathedral, as shot from my room at the Millennium Hotel The Holiday Inn The ceiling of the Isaac Theatre Taxis and a tram Gloucester Street Manchester Street New Regent Street […]

Read More… from Christchurch in happier times



Roy Axe gives a sincere look at his career

Keith Adams is well known to many motorheads out there. We probably encountered him initially at his excellent AROnline, formerly The Unofficial Austin–Rover Resource. More recently, some of us have got to know Keith as a writer for Octane, where his well researched articles remind me of some of the best motoring journalists’ work. They […]

Read More… from Roy Axe gives a sincere look at his career



Retrograde steps for our cellphones

Last week, our company’s Nokia 2730 Classics arrived as part of a contract with Telstra Clear, of whom we’ve been a customer since the 1980s. They are a reminder of how technology is regressing.    Remember that scene in Life on Mars, where Sam Tyler, or Samuel Santos in La chica de ayer, tells Annie […]

Read More… from Retrograde steps for our cellphones



If Google Images does it, is it legal?

If you pop down to the comments at an earlier post, you’ll find that a chap called Mark was very upset I used a thumbnail (100 pixels wide, 67 high) of one of his photos. In fact, I’ve done exactly the same in this post with another gentleman’s work (albeit this one is under Creative […]

Read More… from If Google Images does it, is it legal?