Latest Stories from Jamie
Historic ‘Ingenuity’ flight on Mars could change planetary exploration
This week, NASA’s Mars helicopter ‘Ingenuity’ performed the first ever flight on another world. Could this historic demonstration mark the start of a whole new mode of planetary travel? Is there a prouder moment than seeing your child break out of their bicycle stabilisers and roam free? Many an employee at NASA experienced that feeling for the first time on Monday (April 19th), as Ingenuity nailed its debut flight test. Engineers...
Earth Day 2021 goes digital with ‘Restore our Earth’ theme
Starting today (April 20th) and carrying through to the 22nd, Earth Day is planning some big online events for the estimated 10 million changemakers set to tune in. Has it really been a year already? The three days of climate action currently underway for Earth Day 2021 would suggest so, and we definitely need another kick up the backside. This Thursday (April 20th) will mark the 51st Earth Day since its...
NASA leverages gamers to save the world’s coral reefs
As rising temperatures continue to bleach delicate coral ecosystems, NASA scientists are turning to gamers to help map out the ocean floor. If you’re willing to put your candy crushing obsession aside for a bit, NASA is offering gamers the opportunity to partake in a mission of global importance. Despite covering less than a percent of the ocean floor, coral reefs are home to more than a quarter of all marine...
Investigation claims Facebook rife with political manipulation
A former employee at Facebook alleges that the social media giant prioritises PR in the west. In other countries with less influence, policy abuses and political deception on the platform are reportedly being ignored.
Facebook is reportedly allowing world leaders and influential figures to go against company policy and post politically deceiving content, so long as it doesn’t affect relations in the west.
This week, an investigation carried out by
Facebook app ‘Sparked’ to bring kindness to dating
In a ruthless age of dating, where potential suitors are mercilessly swiped by and matches routinely ghosted, Facebook is promoting a kind approach to speed-dating with its new app ‘Sparked.’ Getting into dating these days is easier than ever, thanks to a multitude of free apps such as Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge. However, this level of convenience and boundless choice has brought with it a wave of unsavoury dating behaviours that...
France MPs vote to ban domestic flights as part of climate pledge
French MPs have voted to axe domestic flights on routes that can be travelled by train in less than two and a half hours. Macron’s climate commission now looks set to up the ante throughout 2021. As of April 10th, the French government has declared a ban on short domestic flights where other transport options are available. Specifically, the new legislation states that flights across the nation which can be...
UK black youth ‘three times as likely’ to be jobless after COVID-19
With new data showing the UK’s most severe black youth employment slump in 40 years, has COVID further exposed deep-rooted inequality within the job market? Young black workers in the UK have been hit disproportionally hard during the pandemic, and the knock on effects could put a dent in our pursuit of total job equality for some time. This troubling update comes courtesy of new data from the Office for...
Facebook unveils its Clubhouse competitor ‘Hotline’ with beta test
Hot on the heels of Clubhouse and wanting to gain a slice of the burgeoning audio chat market, Facebook is finally showing its hand with ‘Hotline’ beta tests. Well... that didn’t take long, did it? Clubhouse’s meteoric rise over the last year has cemented ephemeral audio chat as the hottest new USP in social media’s ever-fleeting wheelhouse, thus putting a gigantic target on the app’s back. Keen to usurp the newcomer platform,...
Twitch expands misconduct policy to include other platforms
Ensuring that Twitch remains a safe and inclusive space for stream buffs, the platform is expanding its off-service conduct policy to punish threatening behaviours outside of Twitch. Those who take to spreading hate online or trolling Twitter and Discord may soon find their indiscretions have landed them bans on Twitch – much like a certain ex US president last January. The Amazon owned streaming giant has this week expanded its off-service...
Clubhouse users can soon make in-app donations to creators
As the latest part of its monetisation efforts, Clubhouse will allow users to make donations to their favourite creators. The flagship audio app won’t take a cut of payments. It’s been quite the inaugural year for flagship audio chat app Clubhouse. Already numero uno in the audio chat space, Facebook and Twitter are set to up the competition in 2021 with their own ephemeral updates. Clubhouse is now being forced to...
