UK outlook

As with the previous post, news to keep and eye on and understand the responses in coming weeks and months both by the commentator, the business and consumer base.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22539965

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22499912

Lets have a look at this in septemer 2013

UK economy picking up, surveys suggest | Business | guardian.co.uk
Britain is starting to see green shoots of recovery as business activity picks up, companies continue to hire new staff and consumers start to spend again.
A series of surveys published on Monday suggest the UK is on the road to recovery after its double-dip recession,..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22484394

A revision by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has cast doubt on the UK's double-dip recession last year.

Revised growth estimates now suggest the construction industry shrank in the first quarter of 2012, but by less than previously thought.

Analysts say the revision may be enough to mean the overall economy narrowly avoided falling into recession for a second time.

The ONS is due to give official confirmation of this in June.

Matters of real importance.

New coronavirus can spread between humans, says WHO official

World Health Organisation expert plays down fears of pandemic, saying prolonged contact is needed to transmit disease

New coronavirus can spread between humans, says WHO official | World news | guardian.co.uk

Circle of 6

Circle of 6 for MDG3! Great innovation for the world over

http://girlsglobe.org/2013/05/02/preventing-violence-against-women-through-mobile-apps/

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/11/01/announcing-winners-apps-against-abuse-technology-challenge

MBA students see the business sense in both doing well and doing good - FT.com

It was always just a matter or time, now the implementation needs to really count!
MBA students see the business sense in both doing well and doing good - FT.com
and it features two guys I've met, Josh and Doug from Balloon Kenya so that's even better!
www.balloonkenya.com

White spaces - Techology Innovation for International Development

This hold huge potential, making the ubiquitous TV signal serve those who are online but are desperate to connect all those around them. It will have the impact that mobile phones are having with everything to safer maternal care to M-Pesa

Microsoft - 4Afrika | Article - White spaces project

Just look where it could fit in in Uganda via this animation from Unicef Uganda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9pZ53dpPXQ

and other info
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/uganda_68321.html

Prospects - Global Monitoring Report 2013: Monitoring the MDGs

Prospects - Global Monitoring Report 2013: Monitoring the MDGs

World Bank Downloads - Site Statistics

Site Statistics Very interesting!

Zeer pot fridge | Practical Action

Here is some cool innovative devices for:

keeping food cool - http://practicalaction.org/zeer-pots from others @ http://practicalaction.org/

cooking safely in Africa and elsewhere http://nickhorslen.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=500M

... to generating power from your sanitation output ie urine
http://nickhorslen.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=urine

enjoy the lateral thinking!!

UNICEF Uganda - Keeping children Alive, Safe and Learning - YouTube

This presents the whole picture of the Millenium Development Goals so well, with the child and mother at the centre of it all - BRILLIANT!! its only a short video:
UNICEF Uganda - Keeping children Alive, Safe and Learning - YouTube

Introduction to bitcoin - what is money???

This presentation spells out the transition of offline to online money pretty well!
Introduction to bitcoin
http://www.slideshare.net/RobertMcNally1/introduction-to-bitcoin-15161936
via http://www.ictworks.org/news/2013/04/08/bitcoins-could-bring-truly-mobile-banking-to-africa/?utm_source=ICIPs&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=5d526d1cb0-ICIP_RSS_Email

Documentary {Be A Change Maker}

So Proud of Francis one of my mentees from the Butterfly project in Uganda opening this video
Documentary {Be A Change Maker} - first trailer on Vimeo

Summly: UK internet entrepreneur @17 sells out $MM to Yahoo

Internet whizz-kid with a knack for design - FT.com

Internet whizz-kid with a knack for design - FT.com http://on.ft.com/14pZMpO via @FT

So pleased Id posted on him before! Congratulation, lets hope he invests in others in the UK now!

UNICEF - Millennium Development Goals

Pick 1 and make it your favorite to follow for life!
http://www.unicef.org/mdg/
UNICEF - Millennium Development Goals

Top 10 Economists on Twitter

Tim Harford — Article — Top 10 Economists on Twitter

The history of our world in 18 minutes

David Christian: The history of our world in 18 minutes | Video on TED.com

along with http://www.ted.com/talks/david_christian_big_history.html

makes the whole thing clear for all to learn at whatever speed!

If you need it you could add http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laws_of_thermodynamics
or for kids http://www.kids.esdb.bg/basic_principles.html theres plenty like this if you search google!

Wilson Solar Grill Stores the Sun's Energy For Nighttime Grilling | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building

Wilson Solar Grill Stores the Sun's Energy For Nighttime Grilling | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building

Reminders from the past are good - Davos Annual Meeting 2008 - Bill Gates - YouTube

Davos Annual Meeting 2008 - Bill Gates - YouTube

Best practice in the developing world!?

If you have a great example please post if here facebook.com/DigitalDIYaid
or on twitter #digitalDIYaid

Data Vaults Go Mainstream at World Economic Forum | Getting Personal – My Data and the Digital Me

This is a good little item about personal Data in light of BigData and LinkedData developments. Will keep track of this!
Data Vaults Go Mainstream at World Economic Forum | Getting Personal – My Data and the Digital Me

WHO | Global report on Fukushima nuclear accident details health risks

WHO | Global report on Fukushima nuclear accident details health risks

Now what are the risks from any and all coal powered stations!?

Education is easy!!

$1M TedPRIZE winner - School in the cloud!
 
http://www.ted.com/prize

you have to watch the talk> Brilliant 
http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html
"where there is interest - there is education"

Urine Powered Generator by 4 Nigerian Teenage Girls | AfriGadget

Piss on a power problem, brilliant!!

The system works like this:

• Urine is put into an electrolytic cell, which separates out the hydrogen.
• The hydrogen goes into a water filter for purification, which then gets pushed into the gas cylinder.
• The gas cylinder pushes hydrogen into a cylinder of liquid borax, which is used to remove the moisture from the hydrogen gas.
• This purified hydrogen gas is pushed into the generator.

Urine Powered Generator by 4 Nigerian Teenage Girls | AfriGadget

Start-up entrepreneurs flock to UK - FT.com

And here is one of the steps from below in action!
Start-up entrepreneurs flock to UK - FT.com
“To satisfy the visa criteria, applicants have to create jobs and prove that they will make a long-term contribution to the UK economy,” he said. “These entrepreneurs can be hugely beneficial to the UK economy. They’ll bring fresh ideas, create new jobs, and provide a boost just when the economy needs it.”

Tips for creating a hub for enterprise - FT.com

A useful framework for enterprise and growing the entrepreneurial spirit!
Tips for creating a hub for enterprise - FT.com

Beyond Today - Peter Diamandis - Zeitgeist 2012 - YouTube

Local and Linear to Global and Exponential!! past to present to future solutions!

10 to the ninth impact? Solve a problem that effects a billion people!

The expert = the person who will tell you it cant be done!! xspert - "X" as in was, "spert" as in forced out under pressure!!

Beyond Today - Peter Diamandis - Zeitgeist 2012 - YouTube

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Diamandis

Everything you need to know about the new Millennium Development Goals | The ONE Blog

Everything you need to know about the new Millennium Development Goals | The ONE Blog

A good starting point to understand what 2013 needs to be remembered for!

Bill Gates Letter 2013 - Measurement!

I like to read Bills letter every year and while he's not necessarily saying BigData he is saying, ALLdata for a project or mission is critical to its completion, especially a global and huge project like eradicating polio http://annualletter.gatesfoundation.org/

This is well worth reading, for the insight to disease, the MDG's and just the good of man and progress of technology and mankind!

Polio - its lastminute.com for Polio and we need to be inclusive and eradicate it now!

Martha Lane Fox the founder of lastminute.com and the UK govt lead on Digital Inclusion was at the Bill Gates Richard Dimbleby lecture that I attended on the invitation of the BBC, her blog gets the point across perfectly http://marthalanefoxblog.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/bills-big-and-brilliant-ambition/

If!

#IF

How open data can save lives | Forum:Blog | The World Economic Forum

Another view:
How open data can save lives | Forum:Blog | The World Economic Forum
"
Data drives our decision-making. But in this information age, new data sources are making sharing, analysing and applying all this data far more difficult.
For example, we now have crowdsourcing (the ability to communicate directly with the communities we are working in); open data (large data sets provided free of charge by governments and agencies); and big data (massive data sets created as a by-product of transactions in systems such as mobile networks).
And let’s not forget “small data” – the operational and internal data we need to run our organizations efficiently. Small data is hard to collect, making it difficult to draw solid evidence-based conclusions. It is often stuck in silos where it can’t be shared. We need to release it. If we share our small data, collective large data sets will emerge, potentially offering useful insights in how to deal with complex situations more innovatively."

Big Data

Referencing the previous comments Ive made over the years about Linked Data and Big Data
http://nickhorslen.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=linked+data
http://nickhorslen.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=big+data
http://nickhorslen.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=visualisation
http://nickhorslen.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=hans

Its interesting to see just how much inpact BIG DATA is starting to have in key areas such as:

• National and Global Health http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21045594
• Crime and police management http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/08/09/microsoft_domain_awareness_system/
• Commerce and consumer behaviour http://radar.oreilly.com/2012/09/big-data-retail-iphone-nfc-mobile-commerce.html
• Weather and Climate change modeling http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2012/10/30/sandy-hurricane-models/1668867/
• Infrastructure and development of cities http://civic.mit.edu/blog/kanarinka/cities-and-big-data-opening-panel-of-the-urban-code-conference-at-mit AND http://www.future-internet.eu/home/future-internet-assembly/aalborg-may-2012/31-smart-cities-and-big-data.html
• International development and facets of the MDG's http://www.unglobalpulse.org/taxonomy/term/791 AND http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/data.aspx AND dont forget www.gapminder.com and other visualisations I have featured before from www.TED.com

Anywhere now that data is catpure realtime and/or in processes, where pc's, mobiles, internet devices (The Internet of Things) is throwing up massive amounts of data, which can unluck new understanding for economists, business, government and NGO's.

With the hugh stides in technology development from Storage and Capture, to Processing and Mining data, the whole wave of the semantic web, web2.0, augmented reality, data mining and semantic processing algorithms makes this so interesting to watch.

I will post further links that illustrate these points later.
personally with the huge numbers and issues around the MDG's and International development, this is set to be tremendous for progress in the rest of this decade.