Doodlers, unite!

Studies show that sketching and doodling improve our comprehension - and our creative thinking. So why do we still feel embarrassed when we're caught doodling in a meeting? Sunni Brown says: Doodlers, unite! She makes the case for unlocking your brain via pad and pen.

Banking the underbanked

By meeting the special financial needs of the working poor, an innovative credit union in San José helps lift a community out of poverty.

BankSimple presents its user interface as launch nears

BankSimple is a start-up hoping to take advantage of public disillusionment with the financial services industry by creating a bank that "doesn't suck". The bank has now provided a first glimpse of its user interface.

After months of testing and just ahead of the bank’s first customers receiving their cards, CEO Joshua Reich has posted a video running through some of the virtual bank's features.

Some very nice features here, from calculating what's 'safe to spend' to intuitive and fast searches, expenditure analysis, easy payments and some clever savings plans.


BankSimple Demo from BankSimple on Vimeo.

The West’s Killer Apps

Over the past few centuries, Western cultures have been very good at creating general prosperity for themselves. Historian Niall Ferguson asks: Why the West, and less so the rest? He suggests half a dozen big ideas from Western culture - call them the 6 killer apps - that promote wealth, stability and innovation. And in this new century, he says, these apps are all shareable.

Credit card scams – A look at what’s happening in Australia

Credit cards are becoming increasingly costly every day, as more and more Australians fall victim to credit fraud, now at epidemic proportions.

Google mobile wallet launched

Google has kicked off a new era in payments with the formal launch of its mobile wallet service and the announcement of new co-operation agreements with Visa, Discover and American Express.

Initially, Google Wallet will be available only to consumers in posession of a Citi MasterCard (or prepaid card) and an Android-powered Nexus S from Sprint. As an incentive, Google is offering $10 on a Google pre-paid card to anyone who gives Wallet a try by the end of the year.

God and Wall Street

Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman Sachs infamously claimed not long ago that Goldman Sachs was “doing God’s work”.

Now this gem from writer Calvin Trillin. Mr Trillin describes himself as a “Deadline Poet” because of the rhyming verses he contributes regularly to the Nation. The following appeared after this headline in the New York Times: “SEC Accuses Goldman of Fraud in Housing Deal”:

They’re doing God’s work, their CEO said.

They’re the kings of the Street.

They are regal.

So now we must ask if God ever knew

That some of his work was illegal.

The fight against cyberattacks

The US National Security Agency is using the 19th annual Def-Con hacking convention in Las Vegas as part of its latest recruiting drive for the fight against cyberattacks. Bill Whitaker reports on the CBS Evening News.

PayPal aims for the retail shopping space

PayPal is stepping up its bid to take on card companies Visa and MasterCard in the retail arena as the boundaries between online and offline merge. This promotional video from PayPal shows some innovative ideas of where retail payments could be heading.