Author: Andrew Fletcher

Googling with Matt Brittin

‘Fast and Happy’ – The Google Viewpoint

Matt Brittin, Vice President, Google– Northern & Central Europe

18.30 – 19.30, 10 November 2011, Imperial College Business School

Blog by Andrew Fletcher

Moving towards a world where everything will be connected all of the time; it will undoubtedly become more common to see presentations streamed from the cloud. However, Matt Brittin decided to take a high risk strategy by relying on internet connectivity on his phone and web browser to do a series of live demos of Google’s products. The result was certainly impressive. Frequently reciting the mantra ‘fast and happy,’ Matt explained the guiding principles behind one of the world’s largest brands, where even experimenting with different shades of blue for text links can shave fractions of a second off our searches.

IP and Copyright in the Digital Economy

Our future digital economy: Creative ownership in a post-scarcity world

19:00 – 20:00, 31 October 2011, Imperial College Business School

Blog by Sherry Morris and Andrew Fletcher

The third Tech City Talk, hosted by Imperial College Business School and the Guardian’s Tech Weekly team focused on intellectual property and copyright, building on the Hargreaves review commissioned by the Government – ‘Digital Opportunity’.

Introduced as part of an administration that was somewhat unique in having had a technology agenda from the get-go, Ed Vaizey MP, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, empathized with the need to balance protecting content creators, whilst also enabling innovators, since it was embodied within his role.

Creating Tech City

Our Future Digital Economy: If You Build It, Will They Come?

18:30-19:30, 24th October 2011, Imperial College Business School

Blog by Sherry Morris and Andrew Fletcher

The second of four Tech City Talks, hosted by Imperial College Business School and the Guardian’s Tech Weekly team focused on whether Government intervention in Tech City / Silicon Roundabout have been beneficial, and how it fits with other clusters and interventions.

Asked if Tech City was simply a brand to attract investment or whether the Government wants to invest in companies on the ground, Eric Pickles, secretary of state for communities and local government, made it clear direct government investment in companies would be the ‘kiss of death.’