Latest Stories from Charlie
Japan developing wooden satellites to reduce space junk
Kyoto University has teamed up with Sumitomo Forestry to create the first satellites made entirely of wood. It’s hoped that they’ll reduce the levels of space junk in our atmosphere. If you thought human littering and wastage was a problem confined to just our planet, you may want to look into the ever-pressing issue of space junk. More satellites are being launched into our atmosphere every year. Tiny alumina particles are...
Are ‘pre-polluted’ babies the new normal?
Researchers find microplastics in human placentas, calling the presence of the particles 'a matter of great concern.' Just when you thought our plastic pollution problem couldn’t get any worse, Italian researchers have found microplastics in the placentas of human fetuses. While we don’t yet know the health implications of this finding, the researchers concluded that the presence of these particles “is a matter of great concern.” Microplastics are small pieces of...
Juice WRLD sells 1 million units for two albums in 2020
The late rapper and singer is the only artist of 2020 to sell over 1 million units for two albums, cementing emo-rap and trap as the defining Gen Z musical genre. It’s been over a year since Juice WRLD’s untimely passing, but he’s continued to dominate the mainstream charts throughout 2020 with a string of single and album releases. He’s the only artist to have sold over 1 million units...
Architects create new sculpture entirely from plant waste
Installed at Tennessee’s Knoxville Museum of Art, a new sculpture made from invasive forestry and plant waste is promoting an ‘alternative material ethic’ for architecture. Who needs brick and mortar when you’re constructing the world’s next best building or architectural masterpiece? Not ‘After Architecture’ co-founders Katie MacDonald and Kyle Schumann, that’s for sure. The pair have just unveiled their latest work in Tennessee called ‘Homegrown’, a large-scale installation constructed from...
CRA unveils first fully compostable marker pens
Made from natural fibres, these new marker pens from the Carlo Ratti Association are entirely compostable and could eventually replace traditional, plastic highlighters. Your local school arts and crafts box could be about to get a whole lot more environmentally friendly. The Carlo Ratti Association (CRA) has revealed the world’s first fully compostable marker pens that are made from natural fibres and non-toxic, water based inks. Considering that the US...
Why we need to stop putting developers under ‘crunch’
Cyberpunk 2077 has been removed from the PlayStation Store for being unstable and buggy. It’s a result of industry pressures and crunch time - do things need to change? CD Projekt Red’s latest title, Cyberpunk 2077, has finally launched for both PC and consoles, after a near eight year wait and four delays. Intended to be a worthy successor to the studio’s last game, The Witcher 3, the sci-fi RPG title...
New app Honk targets Gen Z with real-time texting
Honk is attempting to corner those weary of Facebook’s monopoly on mobile communication, offering real-time texting more akin to Snapchat than Messenger. Ever sent a friend or potential love interest a risky message and regretted it? Perhaps a meme on the group chat that went down like a lead balloon? We’ve all been there. A new mobile app called Honk is hoping to offer Gen Zers a happy medium between...
Mental health metaphors ‘doubled’ in hip-hop over last 20 years
New research shows popular hip-hop and rap songs of this century reference mental health and suicide twice as much as older tracks. It’s the result of a long and steady cultural shift. Anxiety, mental health, and suicide have become more prominent themes in the most popular rap songs of the last two decades, according to a new report from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Researchers analysed...
Pantone announces its official ‘Colour of the Year’
Pantone has selected two colours it predicts will dominate the next year of culture, providing a platform to discuss social change within the arts - though it’s not without criticism. Pantone has just announced its official ‘Colour of the Year’ for 2021, a combination of both ‘Illuminating’ and ‘Ultimate Grey’. The company selects a new colour (or in this case, two colours) every year that it thinks will best influence the...
Exclusive – Explaining the rise of AR with experts Ant and Alex
Augmented reality filters and interactive games have exploded in popularity this year, especially with Gen Zers. We sat down to discuss all things AR with two industry leaders, Ant Hagan and Alex Semenzato. If you’ve ever sent a friend a selfie with a face filter, or made a TikTok using special effects, then you’ll be familiar with augmented reality. Augmented reality (AR) can be anything that uses virtual assets or...
