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Vuvuzelas: The difference between culture and imperialism can be subtle
Written by Gavin Chait
Katie Price, a UK "celebrity" mostly famous for her, um, "large tracts of land", has a new perfume out. It is called Besotted. And it has been withdrawn from UK shelves for "ethical" reasons.
The fragrance is made in India by workers paid about 40 US cents an hour. Minimum wages in the UK vary from $5.30 to $8.60 per hour so this difference has caused outrage.
Read more: Vuvuzelas: The difference between culture and imperialism can be subtleThe long, hard road of self-publishing a web comic
Written by Gavin Chait
Every morning, as I sit down at my desk with my morning coffee, I indulge in a tiny pleasure. I spend 20 minutes ambling through my favourite online comics.
On 4 May, though, my coffee tasted that little bit less peppy. Jonathan Rosenberg has taken an indefinite hiatus. Goats, which follows its characters hapless attempts to save the universe from being accidentally rebooted, has been running since 1997. Rosenberg, in a heartfelt message to his fans, is throwing in the towel and planning to find a "real" job.
Read more: The long, hard road of self-publishing a web comicDeath by committee falls as heavily on art as on trade
Written by Gavin Chait
"The camel," goes an old joke, "is a horse designed by a committee."
An unhappy outcome of inviting a plurality of opinions is that any final conclusion that seeks to please everyone will irritate most.
Read more: Death by committee falls as heavily on art as on tradeBanning canaries in mineshafts isn't a kindness
Written by Gavin Chait
BP has poured 3.5 million litres of chemical dispersants into the Gulf of Mexico to break down oil released by the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon back in April.
Far from being effective, the dispersants have acted to create a caustic emulsion spread over hundreds of kilometres at different depths beneath the surface. The dangers of dispersants shouldn't have come as a surprise.
Read more: Banning canaries in mineshafts isn't a kindnessThe process of services commoditisation is happening faster than that for manufacturing
Written by Gavin Chait
A factory is an expensive thing. Massive machinery is immobile, often custom-built and rooted in place. New technologies or alternative work practices can be impossible to incorporate into existing systems.
When profits start falling and debts pile up the only choice is between closing down or moving the entire factory somewhere cheaper.
Read more: The process of services commoditisation is happening faster than that for manufacturingPage 2 of 49
