How 5G will make Auckland a better place to live

Richard MacManus finds out how 5G will help Auckland smarten up by building better relationships with its citizens.  In its latest Smart Cities Index, Swedish company EasyPark ranked Auckland 58th out of 100 worldwide cities. Decidedly average. But it gets worse, I’m afraid. In the same list, Auckland was ranked 85th out of 100 cities … Read more

The digital human who wants to talk to you about your health insurance

Richard MacManus meets Aimee – the digital assistant with a human touch.  For years we’ve been worried about robots taking our jobs, but in fact it’s “digital humans” that are increasingly joining the workforce. At least, that seems to be the case in customer service. Southern Cross Health Society, New Zealand’s long-time and leading health … Read more

Could blockchain unshackle us from the corporate internet?

The hype around bitcoin as an investment is hard to miss. But could new infrastructure being built off the back of the digital currency allow us to have an internet where we keep our privacy? Technology blogger Richard MacManus says blockchain is a new and significant platform. Right now we’re experiencing a bubble in cryptocurrencies, … Read more

Blindsided by the Brexit result? Blame the ‘filter bubble’ of social media

The rancorous fallout from Brexit reinforces one of the key failings of what passes for debate in the social media era: that neither side ever hears the other’s argument. Richard MacManus on the ‘filter bubble’, and some ways Facebook and Twitter can address it. The big news this week was the decision by 52% of British … Read more