Let’s get jiggy with it
I hadn’t heard of a mouse jiggler until today. What’s one of those? Well, it turns out they are a simple USB dongle or software download that makes it look like you’re using your computer because the mouse is constantly moving and clicking. Amazon recommends this one … … and it costs just $5! So what?…
Has the G20 agreed to launch a global CBDC?
The G20’s central banks announce a global alliance for digital currencies It’s been bubbling away for a while but, as central banks are launching CBDCs (Central Bank Digital Currency) all over the world, there is now a G20 agreement to create a global digital currency. Initiated by Christine Lagarde at the European Central Bank (ECB),…
The crime committed by finding Knights Templar’s Crusader Coins in a field
I know that my blog is focused upon finance, technology and the future, but there are moments where something hits you about the past and makes you consider it. This is one of those days. I wrote some years ago about the creation of Switzerland being based upon the Knights Templar, which created a state…
The Dunning-Kruger effect, as inspired by a bank robbery
I had never heard of the Dunning-Kruger effect until the other day. Inspired by a bank robbery, Professor David Dunning worked out that people sit at opposite ends of a spectrum of confidence. Some are hugely confident and competent whilst, at the other end of the spectrum, they are hugely confident but completely incompetent. How…
Anyone want to hire an old man who knows COBOL?
Seven years ago, I was citing the fact that 43% of the global financial system runs on a computer language no-one speaks anymore. Seven years later, PC Magazine (are PC’s still a thing?) picked up on this theme with the headline: The World Depends on 60-Year-Old Code No One Knows Anymore | PCMag … and sub-headline:…
There were 50 ways to leave your lover … now there’s one more (thanks to your payment app)
Over the years, there have been many weird and wacky ideas for banking. There was the G&L Bank in the USA in 2000, targeting the LBGTQ+ community. It was a viable, niche, boutique bank, but twenty years ahead of its time. The was a David Bowie bank, surprisingly called Bowie Bank. Again, it did not…
Dear Bank Manager
I liked this so much, it needed to be shared. It is a letter allegedly sent to my bank manager. Enjoy! Dear Bank Manager, I am writing to thank you for bouncing my check with which I endeavored to pay my plumber last month. By my calculations, three nanoseconds must have elapsed between his depositing…