Some high-quality programmes may never be broadcast traditionally, so we've chosen 10 top series you can only find on the web.
H+ The Digital Series
In this stunning series by The Usual Suspects and X-Men director Bryan Singer, humans have had the internet uploaded directly into their brains. The story is told in five-minute episodes that happen in San Francisco the moment that a virus attacks the system, in Italy two years later, in Helsinki seven years before and at other points in time and space.
It’s thrilling, addictive and more than a little scary, with fantastic performances, particularly by Hannah Herzsprung as an impulsive, mysterious hacker.
The first 48-episode season ended this January; a second is in -production.
www.hplusdigitalseries.com
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
“One of the things that the comedian mindset requires is laziness,” Jerry Seinfeld opines on this charmingly laid-back series in which he picks up famous friends such as Alec Baldwin, Ricky Gervais and Mel Brooks and takes them out for a coffee.
The conversations that unfold are unfiltered, rambling and always funny. The episode with Seinfeld’s co-creator Larry David is particularly charming, as the two friends laugh so hard about David’s neurotic eating habits they actually spit out their tea.
“You have finally done the show about nothing,” Larry congratulates Seinfeld afterward.
www.comediansincarsgetting-coffee.com
I Hate Being Single
Think of it as Girls for boys. The bed-headed, flannel shirt-wearing Williamsburger Rob Michael Hugel gives a pitch-perfect performance as a sweet but clueless dumpee in this comedy drama about navigating life in a big city in your 20s.
The first frame shows a Facebook profile being switched to single, and the episode goes on to describe love as baking two pumpkin pies with your girlfriend, and then eating them over the course of two days. (“Yeah, you know what, that sounds really nice,” a friend who’s meant to be consoling him agrees, gloomily.)
Hugel, formerly an improv comedian, also writes the series and is a star in the making.
blip.tv/ihatebeingsingle
The Conversation
There’s an art to an intimate interview, and the TV presenter -Amanda de Cadenet, the former wife of Duran Duran’s John Taylor, has nailed it. She talks to women such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Melissa McCarthy and Arianna Huffington as though they’re old friends, asking them straight-up questions about relationships, addiction, body image, money problems and life.
Lady Gaga opens up about how she feels lonely all the time, Portia de Rossi talks about her feelings of inadequacy and Sarah Silverman explains why her controversial stand-up routines are less offensive than The Bachelorette.
www.theconversation.tv
Big Country Blues
The sweet-voiced, be-stubbled Jeremy McComb stars as the small-town country music singer Grayson Ricker, who is persuaded to move to Nashville to chase his dreams of stardom after his father – a musician who never made it – commits suicide. So far, only five episodes have been made of this slower, more soulful version of ABC’s Nashville, which has plenty of excellent musical interludes.
www.bigcountryblues.com
Clueless Gamer with Conan O'Brien
“I don’t play them, I’m not very good at them and I kind of hate them,” Conan O’Brien says about video games, but he’s going to try them out and rate them anyway, using a variety of bizarre metrics.
Whether or not you’re a gamer, it’s fun to watch him get seduced by alien babes, blow stuff up and get his heart broken over the death of Lara Croft.
“Want a death cookie with some blow-up milk?” he asks the computer while playing Halo 4. “Want some flan made of … you’re dead?” His companion tells him: “You’re the worst trash talker I’ve ever heard.”
teamcoco.com/cluelessgamer
Chasing the Hill
The West Wing’s Richard Schiff -produces and acts in this fictional series about the re-election campaign of a Democratic representative, played by the Emmy-winning Deadwood actress Robin Weigert. There are no sponsors or ads and -although the show was intended to be pay-per-view, it’s possible to watch the first three episodes for free.
www.chasingthehill.com
The Guild
One of the internet's longest -running comedy series, The Guild was created by the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural actress Felicia Day in 2007 and is now in its sixth season.
Day stars as Codex, who has spent years interacting with a group of gamers while playing a -fantasy role-playing game online. When one of them shows up at her door, they’re forced to get together in person for the first time.
While the first series was paid for by fan donations, subsequent seasons were distributed by Xbox Live and Microsoft.
www.watchtheguild.com
Neil’s Puppet Dreams
“Hi, I’m Neil. I sleep a lot and when I dream, I dream in puppet.”
This is how each episode starts. It co-stars the actor, singer and -magician Neil Patrick Harris alongside puppets from the Jim Henson Company. The resulting action is frequently surreal and definitely not child-friendly. It’s new on The -Nerdist, a YouTube channel run by the comedian and podcast host Chris Hardwick, who also presents several of his own web shows.
www.youtube.com/nerdist
Bonus: regional web series
Dating, Facebook and corny detergent ads are among the topics lampooned by Bath Bayakha, a Jordanian sketch show in unsubtitled Arabic that was developed for the web by the filmmakers Tamir Naber and Johnny Dabeet in 2010.
The show went on to be broadcast on TV in 2011, but you can watch episodes from its three seasons – some of which have been viewed half a million times – on YouTube and at www.bathbayakha.tv.
Meanwhile, BBC Media Action (formerly the World Service) has been winning awards for Shankaboot, the world's first Arabic-language web drama. Now in its fifth season, it tells the story of Suleiman, a 15-year-old roof squatter and delivery boy living in Beirut.
The show
How to volunteer
The UAE volunteers campaign can be reached at www.volunteers.ae , or by calling 800-VOLAE (80086523), or emailing info@volunteers.ae.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
Syria squad
Goalkeepers: Ibrahim Alma, Mahmoud Al Youssef, Ahmad Madania.
Defenders: Ahmad Al Salih, Moayad Ajan, Jehad Al Baour, Omar Midani, Amro Jenyat, Hussein Jwayed, Nadim Sabagh, Abdul Malek Anezan.
Midfielders: Mahmoud Al Mawas, Mohammed Osman, Osama Omari, Tamer Haj Mohamad, Ahmad Ashkar, Youssef Kalfa, Zaher Midani, Khaled Al Mobayed, Fahd Youssef.
Forwards: Omar Khribin, Omar Al Somah, Mardik Mardikian.
Education reform in Abu Dhabi
The emirate’s public education system has been in a constant state of change since the New School Model was launched in 2010 by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. The NSM, which is also known as the Abu Dhabi School Model, transformed the public school curriculum by introducing bilingual education starting with students from grades one to five. Under this new curriculum, the children spend half the day learning in Arabic and half in English – being taught maths, science and English language by mostly Western educated, native English speakers. The NSM curriculum also moved away from rote learning and required teachers to develop a “child-centered learning environment” that promoted critical thinking and independent learning. The NSM expanded by one grade each year and by the 2017-2018 academic year, it will have reached the high school level. Major reforms to the high school curriculum were announced in 2015. The two-stream curriculum, which allowed pupils to elect to follow a science or humanities course of study, was eliminated. In its place was a singular curriculum in which stem -- science, technology, engineering and maths – accounted for at least 50 per cent of all subjects. In 2016, Adec announced additional changes, including the introduction of two levels of maths and physics – advanced or general – to pupils in Grade 10, and a new core subject, career guidance, for grades 10 to 12; and a digital technology and innovation course for Grade 9. Next year, the focus will be on launching a new moral education subject to teach pupils from grades 1 to 9 character and morality, civic studies, cultural studies and the individual and the community.
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
Kill%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nikhil%20Nagesh%20Bhat%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Lakshya%2C%20Tanya%20Maniktala%2C%20Ashish%20Vidyarthi%2C%20Harsh%20Chhaya%2C%20Raghav%20Juyal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.5%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Avatar%3A%20The%20Way%20of%20Water
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJames%20Cameron%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESam%20Worthington%2C%20Zoe%20Saldana%2C%20Sigourney%20Weaver%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
Price, base: Dh1.2 million
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 725hp @ 6,500pm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.3L / 100km (estimate)
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Final results:
Open men
Australia 94 (4) beat New Zealand 48 (0)
Plate men
England 85 (3) beat India 81 (1)
Open women
Australia 121 (4) beat South Africa 52 (0)
Under 22 men
Australia 68 (2) beat New Zealand 66 (2)
Under 22 women
Australia 92 (3) beat New Zealand 54 (1)
Multitasking pays off for money goals
Tackling money goals one at a time cost financial literacy expert Barbara O'Neill at least $1 million.
That's how much Ms O'Neill, a distinguished professor at Rutgers University in the US, figures she lost by starting saving for retirement only after she had created an emergency fund, bought a car with cash and purchased a home.
"I tell students that eventually, 30 years later, I hit the million-dollar mark, but I could've had $2 million," Ms O'Neill says.
Too often, financial experts say, people want to attack their money goals one at a time: "As soon as I pay off my credit card debt, then I'll start saving for a home," or, "As soon as I pay off my student loan debt, then I'll start saving for retirement"."
People do not realise how costly the words "as soon as" can be. Paying off debt is a worthy goal, but it should not come at the expense of other goals, particularly saving for retirement. The sooner money is contributed, the longer it can benefit from compounded returns. Compounded returns are when your investment gains earn their own gains, which can dramatically increase your balances over time.
"By putting off saving for the future, you are really inhibiting yourself from benefiting from that wonderful magic," says Kimberly Zimmerman Rand , an accredited financial counsellor and principal at Dragonfly Financial Solutions in Boston. "If you can start saving today ... you are going to have a lot more five years from now than if you decide to pay off debt for three years and start saving in year four."
