Victor Keegan



Profile:
Full name: Victor Keegan

Area of interest: Economics, industry, information technology (strategy)

Journals/Organisation: The Guardian

Email: [mailto:vic.keegan@guardian.co.uk vic.keegan@guardian.co.uk] | [mailto:victor.keegan@gmail.com victor.keegan@gmail.com]

Personal website: http://www.victorkeegan.com

Website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/victorkeegan

Blog: kickAAS | Shakespeare's Monkey

Representation:

Networks: https://twitter.com/#!/vickeegan | http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/39/277



Biography:
About:

Education: Wimbledon college; Brasenose College, Oxford University

Career: The Guardian (joined 1963): Northern reporter, Financial correspondent (London), Industrial correspondent, Industrial editor, Deputy financial editor, Business editor, Economics editor, Economics columnist, Chief leader writer, Assistant editor, Online editor (was also a member of the Scott Trust, for 11 years)

Current position/role: Columnist and Leader writer; cif contributor


 * also writes/has written for:

Other roles/Main role: Curator of the SLart Gallery in Second Life virtual world

Other activities: Poetry, painting, photography

Disclosures:

Viewpoints/Insight:

Broadcast media:

Video:

Controversy/Criticism:

Awards/Honours:

Scoops:

Other: Brother of commentator William Keegan; Married to Rosie Keegan - see: Diary of an antique market trader blog



Books & Debate:

 * The New Europe OCLC 28708546, with Martin Kettle,1993
 * The Guardian Year 1999 ISBN 1841152315, (ed.)
 * Crossing the Wye, poetry, (Shakespearesmonkey, 2001)
 * Best text poems: the cream of the Guardian's SMS poetry competitions OCLC 70884233, (ed.), 2005
 * Big Bang Poems about the start of life and onwards, 2006 - available from Lulu Marketplace

Latest work:

Speaking/Appearances:

Debate: 

The Guardian:
Column name:

Remit/Info: Internet and personal technology

Section: Technology

Role: Columnist

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:vic.keegan@guardian.co.uk vic.keegan@guardian.co.uk]

Website: Guardian.co/Technology

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Thursday

Regularity: Weekly

Column format:

Average length: 650 words



Articles: 2012

 * Evolutionary music doesn't mean the death of the creator - Almost anyone can be an artist in the digital age – yet language and meaning remain as elusive as ever - 20th June



Articles: 2010

 * digital reading revolution'' - Devices such as the Kindle and iPad are changing the way we think about books – but who will control the future of reading? - 14th October
 * no longer go to maps, they come to us'' - Google, Foursquare et al make online maps our egocentric own. It's all a long way from the cartographical gems of old - 11th September
 * worlds: is this where real life is heading?'' - The registered population of online communities such as Second Life and Blue Mars is greater than that of the US and Europe combined. Today's residents of the simulated universe aren't just socialising but doing big business - 26th August
 * of mobile data abroad is a scandal'' - Holidaymakers are being milked by extortionate charges to access the internet on their mobile phones - 29th April
 * innovation is coming of age'' - Companies need to open themselves up to collaboration if they want to stay competitive - 15th April
 * Keegan finds the Holy Grail of broadband – in Bournemouth'' - The government's target of up to 2Mbps for the UK by 2012 seems out of touch when speeds of up to 100Mbps are available - 1st April
 * does privacy fit in the online video revolution?'' - With more and more of us streaming live video of ourselves online, the meaning of the word 'privacy' is undergoing a change - 25th March
 * demise of the music industry is visible everywhere but in the facts'' - If music executives sold bottled water, they'd be calling for a ban on tapwater downloads. But their industry is proving resilient - 12th March
 * move from cannibal to creator'' - I've lost count of the number of products that mobile phones have replaced – but now they're bringing new ones into being - 11th March
 * copyright getting in the way of us preserving our history?'' - The issue of copyright is a global nightmare for anyone interested in digital preservation - 4th March
 * Nexus shows the way forward for mobile phones'' - Despite Google's protests, its entry into the mobile phone market will change the game – and makes operators 'dumb pipes' - 18th February
 * we should all pay more for our mobile phone apps'' - The only way to encourage developers to create great apps for all mobile phones, and not just Apple's iPhone, is to reward them – and that means paying more -18th February
 * the Wikipedia of the mapping world'' - Thanks to its team of volunteers, OpenStreetMap has now mapped most of the world – including Haiti - 4th February
 * times turn us to gaming, but not everyone will be a winner'' - Companies may look to cash in on the upcoming mobile market rather than invest millions in video games. Will it work though? - 21st January
 * next challenges for mobile phones: find me and tell me who I am'' - Mobile phones could soon have improve tracking facilities that will remember the places we frequent and use the data to build a profile of what kind of person we are - 14th January



Articles: 2009

 * iPhone isn't perfect'' - With most examples of new technology, the owner's desire to be seen at the cutting edge blinds them to admit any faults - 23rd December
 * tills are ringing to the sound of an unreal Christmas'' - Virtual goods are flying off the virtual shelves. It's time we started taking this new market seriously - 18th December
 * journalism is hard-wired to embrace change'' - From BBC computers to tweeting, via the dotcom boom, it's been an interesting 26 years - 17th December
 * phones will come of age in 2010 – and this time I mean it'' - Look at what they can do: email, GPS, satnav, social networking, camera, video … oh yes, and making phone calls - 10th December
 * the People's University of the Internet'' - Education has been slower than other sectors to respond to the digital revolution but through YouTube it is catching up - 3rd December
 * app heralds the digitisation of painting'' - As with books, music and photography, painting is feeling the winds of digital change - 26th November
 * strange death of illegal downloading'' - While the government and the music industry posture about illegal filesharing, smaller, smarter companies are simply out-competing it - 19th November
 * SimplicITy prove itself to technophobes?'' - A new computer aimed at older people makes IT easier, but the big hurdle will be getting reluctant users to try it in the first place - 12th November
 * I'm searching beyond Google'' - Google's power is no longer as a good search engine but as a brand, and increasingly pervasive one - 12th November
 * Nokia, Apple – who will win the mobile wars?'' - Apple's iPhone is still stunning; Nokia is most advanced. Google may yet make its mark with locational-based services - 5th November
 * Earth beware: the Brits are coming'' - A backroom team in the UK have built a world map that they hope could become the Wikipedia of a 3D internet - 29th October
 * Scottish farmers to clock off'' - Now the clocks have gone back, we'll all suffer gloomy evenings to keep Scotland happy. It's time to let in the light - 25th October
 * real-world boom in online cities'' - From Toyko to Helsinki and from Paris to Philadelphia, 3D virtual cities are being built at the pace of 19th-century railway mania - 22nd October
 * phones offer snapshot of an era'' - Mobiles that can take pictures have become almost a vital extension of our lives - 15th October
 * copyright would free creativity'' - Why hasn't there been a debate about what is good not for the long-term holders of copyrights but for the economy? - 8th October
 * needs to be more open to open source'' - The government supports open source software in theory - but it isn't backing up this up in its IT spending decisions - 1st October
 * is the bedrock of the digital age'' - 'Educational' games that engage children in maths could boost the whole economy - 24th September
 * Last.fm inspired a scientific breakthrough'' - I first saw Mendeley pitch two weeks ago – now it is on the way to changing the face of science - 17th September
 * virtual boom our industrial revolution?'' - There are reasons to believe the surging virtual goods market is more a seismic economic change than a passing fad - 10th September
 * Reader Touch'' - Sony's Reader Touch is lighter and faster but still has plenty of competition from the iPhone - 6th September
 * have overdosed on new, brilliant ideas'' - There is a wealth of innovative business schemes at networks for online entrepreneurs who are defying the recession - 3rd September
 * red phone box still has a future'' - Giles Gilbert Scott's red telephone kiosk is one of the most beautiful pieces of street furniture ever devised. But what to do with it in the age of the mobile? - 27th August
 * brush with the digital art revolution'' - New applications, led by Brushes on the iPhone, promise a game-changing approach to painting - 20th August
 * Google and Amazon won't innovate, the rest of us must'' - Dotcom giants Google and Amazon were once innovative, but have hit the well-worn takeover trail - 13th August
 * digital books, the story's just starting'' - The publishing industry has handled the digital revolution almost as poorly as the music industry did - 6th August
 * worlds are getting a second life'' - Second Life and other virtual worlds are not only booming – with membership growing by 39% in the second quarter of this year – but they are also making money - 30th July
 * – the next net revolution'' - Japan has woken up to the interactive potential of 2D barcodes, but smartphone manufacturers have been slow to provide support - 23rd July
 * apps are not the only fruit'' - Applications are propelling mobile phones into a new sphere of creative interactivity - 16th July
 * Chrome steal Microsoft's shine?'' - News of Google's operating system will be welcome news for anyone who believes that competition is a force for good - 10th July
 * Microsoft force Asus to axe Linux?'' - Microsoft is right to warn about the danger of a serious monopoly in search because of Google's dominance - 9th July
 * N97 brings a clash of two cultures'' - Smartphones are booming – even in the middle of a recession – but their design and functionality can differ remarkably - 2nd July
 * is the news: get ready to pay for it'' - Newspapers have a glorious past, but do they have a future - 4th June
 * operators must answer the call'' - If you want to save money during the recession, then look no further than your mobile phone - 28th May
 * industry must change the record'' - It took industry outsiders to create mechanisms to ensure paid-for music has a viable future - 21st May
 * short stroll around my hyperlocal'' - Pundits say that the new need is for hyperlocal information about what is going on immediately around us - 14th May
 * - soon to come with apps'' - Why is Apple the midwife for this new industry, and not the Finnish giant that sells nearly 40% of the world's mobiles? - 7th May
 * Africa can cut out banks, why can't we?'' - Why isn't there a Pirate Bay for banks, where people can send money to each other without having to wait days for it to arrive? - 30th April
 * mobiles are market of the future'' - If you look at the three arms of the digital world, it's only the web that has trouble making prices stick - 23rd April
 * Google run the mobile gateway?'' - the world's favourite search engine just gets more and more powerful - 16th April
 * new chapter in mobile reading'' - When Google has scanned the world's books, why would research students need a library? - 9th April
 * operators say no to free calls online'' - Skype is streets ahead of everyone in web telephony but this could change as there are plenty of 'free' web telephone systems - 2nd April 2009
 * are close to cracking the barcode'' - We should soon be able to do a lot more than just scan in our shopping - 19th March 2009
 * the banks; we need fast broadband'' - Why on earth should data travel halfway around the world at lightning speeds only to slow down as they reach your home? - 12th March 2009
 * we build a world with open source?'' - We are often told that the best things in life are free, but few have ever tried to build into a business model - 5th March 2009
 * coming soon to your front room?'' - I've done some daft things in my time, but inter viewing someone who wasn't there for the best part of an hour must be in a class of its own - 26th February 2009
 * needs big business, anyway?'' - This may be the worst of times to be looking for a job but it is among the best to be starting up on your own - 19th February 2009
 * isn't what it used to be'' - Most of us have a grand mind for forgetting - 12th February 2009
 * books should be taken as read'' - The printed book, supreme for centuries, has even repelled the advances of the digital age. Until now, that is - 5th February 2009
 * Twitter the perfect way to network?'' - What have Barack Obama, Andy Murray, Downing Street and Britney Spears got in common? Not a lot. Except they all use twitter as a means of instant communication - 29th January 2009
 * web of human progress revealed'' - The Genographic project is collecting data about us that not even Google can reach - 22nd January 2009
 * battle to rebuild London has begun'' - It looks as though we are in for a war of the online capitals - 15th January 2009
 * best rings in life are (almost) free'' - There is no such thing as a free lunch. But is there such as thing as a free telephone call? - 8th January 2009



Articles: 2008

 * getting harder to choose a mobile'' - The trade-off between complexity and useability is not easily solved, as I have found in looking for a new phone - 18th December 2008
 * can have a serious role to play'' - People have been saying for years that computer games need to grow up- and maybe they have - 11th December 2008
 * it good if Skype becomes a standard?'' - If this sounds like a plug, so be it. It is difficult to criticise a company that offers free international calls - 4th December 2008
 * has a right to be in the local arena'' - A report says introducing local online video services will have 'a significant negative impact' on commercial providers - 27th November 2008
 * web tools could help the economy'' - It would help everyone if local authorities actually embraced mySociety's websites - 20th November 2008
 * music, gossip - it's (virtually) all there in my parallel universe'' - a new generation of even easier-to-use cyber worlds is upon us - The Observer, 16th November 2008
 * shows banks how to do it right'' - the lending site Zopa, doesn't have a government-backed guarantee - unlike high street banks and credit unions. Yet the curious thing is that it is enjoying a boom. In the third quarter new borrowers soared by nearly 50% to 3,700 compared with the previous quarter. Why is this happening - and is it safe? - 13th November 2008
 * Cameraphones keep getting better'' - 6th November 2008
 * back at our fantasy of the future'' - 30th October 2008
 * sites for sore eyes to remember'' - It could be argued that technology is diminishing the experience of going on holiday, but enriching the memory - 23rd October 2008
 * older people to the world'' - on the huge potential for the IT sector from the over-50 age group, more than half of which do not own a computer - 9th October 2008
 * all be citizens of virtual worlds'' - Virtual worlds are changing fast. Those in the pipeline are more simple to operate and starting to mimic the real world - 2nd October 2008
 * new page in the history of startups'' - PlasticLogic marks the first major British entry into the e-book market - 25th September 2008
 * speed the people need'' - Helping children access the net is great, but the government needs to invest in faster broadband to aid the UK economy - Guardian.co.uk - 23rd September 2008
 * future stars will come from the web'' - 11th September 2008
 * proves a standard, 10 years on'' - 4th September 2008
 * 3's Skype phone ever be a must-have?'' - 21st August 2008
 * iPlayer success points to the future'' - 14th August 2008
 * Location technology finally finds its feet - Knowing where you are will become more relevant as access to the internet migrates to mobile devices - 24th July 2008
 * Google & co want us to read all about it - The new Cybook Gen is so light and thin it fitted into my inside pocket - 17th July 2008
 * Virtual worlds take over the online world - 10th July 2008
 * Open source calls the tune for phones - The astonishing advance of the mobile phone shows no sign of stopping, despite being the fastest-growing consumer product in history - 3rd July 2008
 * Dongles are great ... until you go abroad - 19th June 2008
 * I'm searching for Google alternatives - 12th June 2008
 * Hello? I'm on the free Wi-Fi bandwagon - 5th June 2008
 * Books are thriving despite the internet - 29th May 2008
 * In Google we trust - but should we? - 22nd May 2008
 * The computer for the people, by the people - 15th May 2008
 * Soon, all meetings will be virtual - 8th May 2008
 * Soon we'll have a CCTV in our pocket - 24th April 2008
 * Corporate dinosaurs kill sites - in a Flickr - 17th April 2008
 * Tapping into the developing world - 10th April 2008
 * All the world wide web's a stage - 3rd April 2008
 * Why piracy is not such a bad thing for music - 27th March 2008
 * Creativity shouldn't be limited to finance - 20th March 2008
 * Entrepreneurs come out of the webwork - 28th February 2008
 * Personalised search is still the holy grail - 21st February 2008
 * From global village to a local village - 14th February 2008
 * The sound of (free) music - 12th February 2008
 * Why the sale of the radio spectrum matters - 7th February 2008
 * Microsoft tries to buy way into 21st century - 2nd February 2008
 * We'll pay the piper if we like the tune - 31st January 2008
 * Making the global village a reality - 24th January 2008
 * Social sites develop a social conscience - Online meeting spaces have dominated web news but they're not the only - let alone the most useful - social sites on the block - 17th January 2008
 * Satnavs finally start to find their way - 10th January 2008
 * Living in a cave could be the way forward - 3rd January 2008
 * Poor management - 22nd January



Articles: 2007

 * Dialling danger - It is clearly dangerous to talk on the phone while driving, so the government's decision to impose heavier penalties is welcome - 20th December 2007
 * Game on for virtual football world - 20th December 2007
 * Has voice recognition finally come of age? - 13th December 2007
 * How long should copyright last? - 29th November 2007
 * Vanity publishing is now more attractive - 2nd November 2007
 * MySpace: your new web TV station - 15th November 2007
 * Social networks are the new cannibals - 8th November 2007
 * The mobile web is finally getting started - 25th October 2007
 * Gordon, it's time you looked at broadband - 4th October 2007
 * The new Spielbergs are in the living room - 27th September 2007
 * Ignoring open source is costing us dear - 20th September 2007
 * That ringing sound is Google on the phone - 13th September 2007
 * Who's writing the book of the net? - 6th Sepember 2007
 * Online, some things are freer than others - 30th August 2007
 * Avatars will soon outnumber humans - 23rd August 2007
 * Now it's operators v handset makers - 16th August 2007
 * Looking at a new way to make friends - 9th August 2007
 * Amateurs can be good and bad news - 5th July 2007



News & updates:


References:


Links:

 * Wikipedia bio
 * Prospect magazine articles