Latest Stories from Jamie
Plantd is creating carbon absorbing building materials from grass
Plantd is a burgeoning startup using grass fibres to create building materials instead of wood. Could this become a popular alternative in the future? The drive for constant economic growth comes at a cost to natural resources, particularly wood. The volume of wood used for lumber in a single year would circle the Earth’s equator 880 times if stacked in a straight line, or stretch between the Earth and the...
Study shows recycling can release huge quantities of microplastics
Billed as a key solution to the climate crisis, recycling could be releasing huge quantities of microplastics itself, according to a new study. The vast majority of our plastic waste winds up in landfill, bonfires, and in our natural environment, but how efficiently is the 9% that is recycled dealt with? A new study conducted by an international team of scientists claims that recycling plants inadvertently create staggering amounts...
What Nvidia’s AI NPC demo could mean for game development
Nvidia demoed its capabilities for AI and unique character building during Computex 2023. The gaming giant showed how an innocuous NPC could provide generated, off-the-cuff responses to player’s unique prompts during an in-game interaction. Contemporary titles can have anywhere between a handful and hundreds of non-playable characters (NPCs). Primarily intended to carry the overarching narrative forward by delivering missions, these secondary characters carry the bulk-load for creating a sense of emotional...
70% of California beaches could reportedly vanish by the century’s end
Geological researchers believe California’s beaches could diminish by up to 70% by the year 2100. Satellite data collected over two decades is now being peer reviewed. The Golden State may lose some of its glorious sheen, thanks to the impacts of climate change. Globally famed for its sprawling beaches and ceaseless waves, California could reportedly face the grim prospect of waving goodbye to 70% of its coastline by the year 2100. Satellite...
Is football betting becoming too normalised in the UK?
Around 700 gambling ads are visible in every Premier League match and live odds are constantly touted online. Here’s why banning front-shirt sponsors for bookies isn’t sufficient. Football has become synonymous with gambling in the UK, and that is indubitably a problem. As someone obsessed with the beautiful game, my mind is usually preoccupied with the sporting permutations of each weekend; who is looking likely for a title run, who’s in...
Greenpeace criminalised and forced to disband within Russia
Greenpeace has been forcibly liquidated within Russia, meaning the continuation of its activities would be illegal and put staff at risk of prosecution. The term ‘foreign agent’, once synonymous with the Soviet era, is returning with worrying regularity within Russia, leaving many to believe civil freedoms are being systematically bulldozed. The latest to be branded an ‘undesirable organisation’ by Moscow authorities is Greenpeace, effectively forcing the ecological outfit to disband or...
Ad agencies and regulators claim era of greenwashing is over
Several major cities face stricter regulatory restrictions on annoying greenwashing tactics. Advertising agencies are being told to reconsider relationships with major polluters, and false claims of being ‘carbon neutral’ and ‘nature positive’ will be thwarted by marketing authorities. Everyone blags their way through professional life to some extent, right? When it comes to the future prosperity of the planet, however, we need to be sure companies are legitimately taking action. Wanting...
Abuse of Vinicius Jr renews calls to address racism in football
Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr was subject to racist abuse during a La Liga tie against Valencia on Sunday. Past and present teammates have since come out in support of the 22-year-old, along with the wider football world. The beautiful game, at times, can be extremely ugly. One of football’s most exciting starlets, Vinicius Jr, was subject to racist abuse during Real Madrid’s Spanish league tie against Valencia at the Mestalla...
Meta fined a record $1.3bn for EU data transfers to the US
Meta has been hit with a record $1.3bn fine for transferring the Facebook data of EU citizens to the US despite security risks. Is Mark Zuckerberg’s burgeoning social media enterprise already reaching last-chance saloon territory? To summarise the current Meta situation in Gen Z terms, there’s only one phrase that springs to mind: ‘common L’. Mark Zuckerberg’s burgeoning social media enterprise is looking more like a strange social experiment by the...
Is bacteria the key to making limitless energy from thin air?
Scientists have been studying a form of bacteria able to scavenge atmospheric hydrogen from thin air. They believe applying this principle to new technology could help humanity create limitless energy. As the world continues to negligently burn through fossil fuels, science is frantically searching for sustainable ways to power civilisation. Far-fetched as it may sound, we could generate limitless energy from thin air, literally. An Australian research team from Monash University...