Latest Stories from Jamie
Once discarded coal mines are sustainably heating EU homes
Abandoned coal mines are proving a surprisingly effective source of zero-carbon energy in Europe. That’s what you call poetic justice. It’s strange to think the bones of old fossil fuel mines may actually help our net zero ambitions, but we’ll take any win we can get. Throughout parts of Europe, abandoned coal mines have gradually flooded following decades of disuse. This has inadvertently provided an opportunity to generate clean geothermal energy...
Shell partners with Fortnite to push gasoline
In arguably the most brazen example of gross product placement in recent times, Shell is pushing gasoline propaganda through the vehicle of Fortnite. What are kids most worried about, climate change... what do kids really like, Fortnite. Roll out the prop! In what feels like a work of fiction Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker may have written, oil giant Shell has recently partnered with Fortnite to push its new ‘V-Power Nitro+’...
Will X navigate a slew of trademark lawsuits?
An endless slew of infringement lawsuits have come Elon Musk’s way since the Twitter to X rebrand. Will the whole thing be short lived, or can the billionaire prevail? Elon Musk’s strange affinity with the letter X isn’t sufficient enough to negate existing licensing laws apparently. Who would’ve thought? Back in July, when the obsessive billionaire began to implement Twitter’s rebrand to ‘X’, we delved into the underlying motivations behind...
Wattpad scraps ‘Paid Stories’ for better balanced freemium model
The community storytelling platform has decided to scrap its paywall feature in favour of a new freemium model. ‘Wattpad Originals’ aims to strike a better balance for authors in terms of monetisation and growing their readership through non-paying users. If this is the first you’re hearing of Wattpad, you’re welcome. The bustling online community is brimming with literary talent that may have otherwise never been discovered and a constantly growing library...
Corporations soon have to report their carbon emissions in California
California is about to sign off on a deal to become the first US state requiring large companies to report their carbon emissions. This will affect around 5,400 firms which make more than $1bn in annual revenue. Considering filling out tax forms for the prior year proves too difficult a task for certain businesses, it’s safe to say a mandate to report annual energy usage and carbon emission outlays will...
Developer protests force Unity to backtrack on greedy policy change
More than 500 game developers signed a collective letter threatening to turn off Unity ad monetisation in response to greedy and blindsiding policy changes announced earlier this month. Unity is already backtracking. Game developers are refusing to be taken for a ride, and we’re here for it. Earlier this month, Unity Technologies – the company behind the cross-platform game engine Unity – blindsided hundreds of game developers with a slew of...
Opinion – UK XL bully ban will ultimately fail to prevent dog attacks
The UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, has announced a ban on the American XL bully breed following a rise in serious dog attacks last year. Here’s why I believe the move is short-sighted, tokenistic, and ultimately destined to fail. Does the UK government enjoy anything more than a knee-jerk reaction these days? Here I sit, exasperated, pleading that policymakers adopt a holistic and sensible approach to addressing a serious issue...
Research says tobacco companies hooked the US onto junk food
Research carried out by the University of Kansas has revealed that tobacco companies were a key influence in the commercial explosion of junk food between 1988 and 2001. Responsible for roughly eight million cigarette-related deaths a year, and the recent mainstream pivot to the abomination that is the single-use vape, big tobacco already has a lot to answer for. New research, however, has suggested the industry’s empire of dirt doesn’t quite...
NASA announces new ‘UFO Research Director’ following hearing
NASA is formalising and accelerating efforts to better understand Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) after a public hearing. With a new Research Director hired, will this be a boon for those chasing infallible evidence of otherworldly visitors? While once terms like UAP and UFO were uttered mostly by foil-hat wearing conspiracists in the Deep South or Nevada, we’re increasingly hearing them discussed in an official capacity. The floodgates for acceptable ‘alien talk’...
UK ministers set to ban single-use vapes over child addiction fears
UK ministers are reportedly poised to announce a nationwide ban on single-use vapes in the coming week. With their considerable ecological impact considered in discussions, the chief concern is that children are becoming addicted. Your local off license is about to become a lot less colourful in the coming weeks, if reports are to be believed. After much umming and ahing, UK ministers are reportedly on the cusp of finally following...
