Tidy Eye Media

Creative Consultancy

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WHY BEES NEED OUR HELP

by  @BumblebeeTrust

#Bumblebees and Bees of all types are mainly under threat because of changes to the countryside in the UK. Changes in agricultural techniques have meant that there are far fewer wildflowers in the landscape than there used to be, meaning that many of our bumblebee species are struggling to survive.

The dramatic decline in populations of most species, and the extinction of two species in the UK, show that something needs to be done.

Causes of bumblebee declines When we think of the British countryside, we often think of rolling green fields with crops or livestock. However, it wasn’t always this way. Until relatively recently, the British landscape was much more colourful. The fields had many more wildflowers, and these supported a much greater diversity of wildlife.

However, technology and demand for increased food production meant that traditional agricultural practises were abandoned in favour of techniques which increased productivity but ultimately reduced the abundance of wildflowers in the countryside. Indeed, it has been estimated that we have lost 97% of our flower-rich grassland since the 1930s. As bees rely entirely upon flowers for food, it is unsurprising that their populations began to rapidly decline in most places.

The result of this has been that two species have become extinct in the UK since the start of the 20th century:

Cullem’s bumblebee (Bombus cullumanus), was last recorded in 1941.

The Short-haired bumblebee (Bombus subterraneus), was last recorded in 1988.

Both of these species are still found in Europe, but the British populations may have been specially adapted to our climate and environment. Sadly, several other bumblebee species are in trouble, and could become extinct in the UK within a short time. Two species in particular, the Great yellow bumblebee and the Shrill carder bee, are now only present in small numbers.

Impact of bumblebee declines It is well-known that bumblebees are great pollinators, and therefore have a key role in producing much of the food that we eat. Through the pollination of many commercial crops such as tomatoes, peas, apples and strawberries, insects are estimated to contribute over £400 million per annum to the UK economy and €14.2 billion per annum to the EU economy. If bumblebee and other insect pollinator declines continue, the extremely high cost of pollinating these plants by other means could significantly increase the cost of fruit and vegetables.

Bumblebees also help pollinate many wildflowers, allowing them to reproduce. Without this pollination many of these plants would not produce seeds, resulting in declines in wildflowers. As these plants are often the basis of complex food chains, it is easy to imagine how other wildlife such as other insects, birds and mammals would all suffer if bees disappeared.

What can be done? Fortunately, there is much that can be done to benefit bumblebees. At the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, we work to raise awareness of the plight of the bumblebee amongst the general public. In particular, we help our members by providing information about bumblebees, as well as newsletters with information and advice about the latest happenings in the bumblebee world. To become a member, visit our membership page.

In areas where the rarest species are hanging on, we have been working with farmers who are farming in ways that are sympathetic to bumblebees. Some farmers have made a few simple changes to their techniques, which have meant more flowers blooming, and bumblebee populations recovering in some areas. If you are a farmer or land manager, have a look at our pages on Managing land for bumblebees to see what you can do.

It is also possible for individuals and other groups to help bumblebees in their own communities. Perhaps the simplest thing to do is to plant some bee-friendly plants in your garden. This is explained more extensively in our section on Gardening for bumblebees. As gardens cover over one million acres in the UK, this presents a great opportunity to provide food for bumblebees. By using this space more effectively, we hope that everyone can get involved in making the landscape more friendly to bumblebees and help reverse the declines we have seen.

People can also get involved in survey work. By doing this, we can see what bumblebees are present around the country, and how their distributions change over time. By monitoring the species like this, we can detect warning signs and take action to help.

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HUMAN FLYING DRONE from  @CaseyNeistat

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London's Gatwick Airport has installed 2,000 iBeacons, accurate up to three meters, for indoor navigation. The system could be used to inform passengers that

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How Banks And Fintech Startups Redefine Finance

By Ben Dickson - 30.8.17

For years, traditional financial institutions have kept their distance from the fintech industry, loath to embrace the trend that is threatening their monopoly over banking, finance, loans and investment.

But as financial technologies continue to expand, legacy players have come to accept the disruptive role of fintech startups and the need to work together. In recent years, the relation between banks and fintech startups has evolved from marginal investments to closely knit collaboration and integration.

The result has been beneficial to both parties as well as consumers, who now have access to more efficient and versatile financial services.

As is the case with the rest of the tech industry, fintech startups have the advantage of speed and agility. While banks and financial institutions are slow to adopt new technologies, startups are extremely efficient at implementing emerging trends such as machine learning and Blockchain. Peer-to-peer payments, smart loans and AI-powered fraud detection are just some of the innovations that fintech startups have brought forth.

Using mobile apps and easy-to-use web services, fintech startups simplify many of the services that banks offer. Examples are Acorns, an app that makes investment more accessible and easy to manage, and Mint, an all-in-one resource for creating a budget, tracking your spending and getting smart about your money.

However, to grow and succeed, fintech startups need access to the capital, scale, data and regulatory authority of banks. Testament to the fact are the struggles of online lending companies in recent years.

Banks are now getting involved at different levels to help fintech companies get off the ground. This includes an increasing number of buyouts, mergers and partnerships.

An example is Goldman Sachs, a banking firm that has invested more than $570 mln in fintech companies since 2012. Last year, the banking giant acquired Honest Dollar, a digital retirement savings platform, in order to expand the startup’s brilliant solution to millions of its customers. Along with Standard Charter, Goldman also helped Momo, a Vietnam-based mobile wallet and payment app, raise $34 mln in two rounds of funding. Goldman also launched its own online lending service Marcus last year, a move that is inspired by the fintech culture. The service has so far doled out more than $1 bln in loans and expects to cross $2 bln by the end of this year.

On the other end, fintech startups are helping banks adopt new technology. Ezbob, for example, is a UK-based startup that provided online lending services to SMEs before white-labeling its technology and changing its business model to a Lending as a Service (LaaS) platform. The Royal Bank of Scotland has leveraged Ezbob’s technology to launch Esme, its automated lending platform which allows small and medium-sized businesses to obtain loans quickly, even outside working hours.

Partnerships are also proving to be a successful venture in the banking and fintech front. In late 2015, JPMorgan Chase teamed up with online lender OnDeck Capital to provide small business lending services. JPMorgan was spared the effort to develop its own technology while OnDeck, a company that was struggling since its IPO in 2014, obtained access to Chase’s vast customer base. More recently, JPMorgan partnered with LiftFund, a financial and business support organization and microlender, to launch LiftUP, a web-based small business lending platform. LiftUp aims to support minorities and other underserved business owners by increasing their access to capital.

The financial support of financial institutions and the technical prowess of tech startups can help usher the next generation of data-powered financial technologies. In 2016, HSBC funded Xenomorph, a company that provides data management technology to banks, to help accelerate the development of TimeScape EDM+, an analytics and management platform for financial data.

The convergence of traditional and modern financial services is still in its infancy, but so far the results have been promising. According to a Business Insider report, partnerships with fintech startups has helped banks cut the costs of developing customer-facing services and optimizing legacy processes while increasing revenue. Banks and insurers have also been able to benefit from the collaboration to improve customer engagement through cutting edge technologies.

The financial landscape is one of the oldest and most complex components of human society. As it evolves, both banks and fintech startups realize that they need each other to thrive, and by finding the balance and making the right compromises, they’ll be able to adapt to the changing needs of the industry and create opportunities which were inconceivable before.

Source

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Why Accept Bitcoin?

Keep more of your money.

Credit cards take up to 3% in processing fees on every transaction. Accept bitcoin with BitPay and get direct bank deposits in your own currency for a simple, flat 1% settlement charge.

Sell to anyone, anywhere.

Connect to the world’s first borderless payment network - Bitcoin. Receive payment in any amount, from anywhere in the world, from any computer or mobile device.

End chargeback fraud and identity theft.

Other payment methods force customers and businesses to shoulder the risks and costs of payment fraud. With bitcoin, customers can pay without handing over sensitive personal information, and refunds are made through the merchant — no chargebacks.

Direct Bank Deposits

BitPay allows you to accept payments in bitcoin and receive funds directly to your bank account. Bank deposits in 38 countries, settled in US Dollars, Euros, GBP, and more.

Your customer chooses to pay with bitcoin during the checkout process.

They pay the BitPay invoice at a locked-in exchange rate.

BitPay instantly converts the bitcoin, shielding you from any volatility risk.

You get direct deposits into your bank account.

Over 40 Integrations

Want to get up and running with bitcoin? BitPay has partnered with some of the most popular e-commerce platforms and point-of-sale systems to make reliable, ready-to deploy integrations.

Browse Integrations

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iBeacons are coming to a store near you soon.

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(TidyEye)

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London to Eyeball Lane in Black & White

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A video shot over several days between London and Devon.