Latest Stories from Jamie
‘Bionic eye’ solves mystery of Plato’s final resting place
Italian researcher, Graziano Ranocchia, may have finally solved the mystery of Plato’s final resting place. An AI-powered ‘bionic eye’ scanned a 2,000-year-old carbonised scroll written around 348 BC which pinpointed a specific location in Athens. The mystery of where one of the world’s greatest philosophers rests may have just been solved – by a machine, ironically. The burial of Plato, arguably the most revered of the foundational thinkers of Greek philosophy...
First solar-powered vinyl record press built in US
Dave Newell, a Florida-based musician and avid record collector, has, alongside environmentalist wife Betsy Bemis, created the first solar-powered vinyl record press in the US. They call it ‘Audiodrome’. The first sustainable vinyl record press has opened in the US for Earth Day, and it has nowt to do with Billie Eilish, Chris Martin, or any other outspoken eco-conscious artist. Dave Newell, a humble musician and record collector hailing from Gainesville,...
Touchless tech is a huge gaming accessibility upgrade
Accessibility to games for disabled people used to require expensive specialist equipment. Now, sophisticated – and free – applications like MotionInput are helping to make the hobby more equitable. Picking up a controller or a mouse is second nature to the majority of game enthusiasts, but there is a large community that sadly don’t have that option. In the UK, 66% of gamers with a disability or condition say they...
Cosmologists convene to question accepted view of the universe
Some of the world’s top cosmologists are meeting at London’s Royal Society to scrutinise an accepted theory on the universe’s formation. The view, formed in 1922, suggests that the universe is a vast, even expanse with no notable features. We’re floating on a rock in a vast cosmic expanse, that much is a given. Exactly what that expanse looks like when zoomed out beyond the range of planets, stars, and...
Landmark climate change case won in EU human rights court
In what could prove to be a major breakthrough for civil efforts against climate change, a group of senior Swiss women have won a case in the EU Court of Human Rights affirming that human-exacerbated heatwaves are putting their lives at risk. The very first case ever registered at the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg has concluded with a landmark civil victory. Late last month, a group of senior...
57 companies linked to 80% of GHG emissions since 2016
A report from the Carbon Majors Database reveals that a mere 57 companies have been responsible for 80% of global GHG emissions since 2016. Disclaimer: This update is not intended to create a sense of nihilism or apathy regarding attitudes towards civil action and the mitigation of climate change. We prefer to pontificate that transparency is the key to ultimately holding offenders responsible. So, with that in mind, let’s bear witness...
Facebook allegedly shared user messages with Netflix for a decade
In a shady bid to better tailor content for its subscribers, Netflix has allegedly been peering at our private messages on Facebook – get this, for as long as a decade. Facebook is back in court, again. The charges levelled at parent company Meta follows a long rap sheet of previous data privacy and anti-trust violations. On this occasion, however, the social enterprise is one of two defendants. The lawsuit, filed...
Thailand to legalise same-sex marriage imminently
After an overwhelming majority vote in parliament, Thailand is poised to become the third Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage. In the coming months Thailand will officially become the first nation in south-east Asia to legalise same-sex marriage. Rapturous applause broke out following the announcement in parliament on Wednesday, with 400 of 415 lawmakers from the lower house voting for the bill’s instatement. Danuphorn Punnakanta, president of the committee that devised the...
Spotify testing freemium e-learning video courses
E-learning video courses are Spotify’s next offering as the service pushes for better subscriber retention and growth. Third parties like Skillshare and BBC Maestro are on board and a freemium model will generate new revenue – if people take to the idea. Remember when Spotify was purely a music streaming service? Those days are well and truly done. Diversifying business is the name of the game for Daniel Ek and co....
YouTube launches #WomenofYouTube mentorships for Shorts creators
YouTube has announced a new #WomenofYouTube mentorship program which will foster collaboration between female creators on the platform’s Shorts feature. As we celebrate Women’s History Month, YouTube is looking ahead to the future and ways in which it can further elevate its female creator base. At the forefront of this mission is a new #WomenofYouTube mentorship program, which will become a key pillar for the next phase of Stories. This community-based...
