Opinion – Kate Bush’s surprise revival exemplifies a shifting industry
The 1985 ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’ single by Kate Bush is currently top of the UK charts, nearly four decades on from its release. It demonstrates how the current social media age allows old songs to become recontextualised for a new audience. I’m sure you’ve...
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Rebel Wilson’s coming out tainted by Hollywood homophobia
Actor Rebel Wilson recently came out on Instagram, announcing her relationship with Ramona Agruma. But what should have been a joyful milestone was tainted by threats and pressure from the media. The Sydney Morning Herald has faced backlash for its handling of Rebel Wilson’s relationship news. After sharing a sweet...
YouTube apologises for hitting Lofi Girl with a DMCA takedown
Two of the platforms’ most popular livestreaming music videos were removed after users abusively reported the channel with false copyright claims. One of the internet’s most beloved livestreams – which provided more than two years of non-stop lo-fi background music for hundreds of millions of people studying or trying to...
Lizzo changes lyrics to new single after backlash
The lyrics to Lizzo’s new single ‘Grrrls’ included an ableist slur at the beginning of the first verse. Fans criticised the track’s use of the word and Lizzo has now replaced the lyric in response. You’ve no doubt heard the popular single ‘About Damn Time’ from US singer Lizzo...
Rubbish bins are talking dirty to Swedish citizens to prevent littering
Don’t be startled, Swedes - there’s no one living inside your public bins. They’ve simply been fitted with recordings of women talking dirty to encourage you from putting your rubbish exactly where it’s supposed to go. I’m on the fence about whether this is totally weird or somewhat genius. To discourage...
British tourist is arrested for stealing historic Iraqi artifacts
A retired geologist from Bath, UK, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempting to steal historic artifacts whilst on a trip to Iraq. Jim Fitton, 66, claims he didn’t know he was breaking Iraqi law when he picked up shards of ancient pottery and placed them in...
Why Beyoncé is vetting potential collaborators for her upcoming album
The megastar is said to be running #MeToo background checks on everyone involved in Renaissance and has reportedly already rejected two ‘high-profile’ artists from appearing on the record. Committed to keeping her upcoming album release scandal-free, Beyoncé is said to be vetting everyone involved in its production, including her own team. She allegedly made the decision following news that her former collaborator, Noel Fisher, who co-wrote the Grammy award-winning hit ‘Drunk...
Activist wears a month’s worth of trash as a suit
Environmental activist Rob Greenfield wore a month’s worth of his own rubbish to demonstrate how much we generate on a regular basis. It also makes for quite the fashion statement. Next time you’re taking your bins out, perhaps consider donning those discarded bags of cardboard and food waste as a fresh new outfit. It may sound like an insane suggestion, but that’s exactly what environmental activist Rob Greenfield did last...
New ‘DALL-E Mini’ website sparks arty social media trend
A new open source AI application lets anyone input prompts and generate images via a database algorithm. Social media has been messing about with its tools and coming up with some truly bizarre results. The inevitable shift to algorithm-generated artwork is well under way, at least as far as surreal abstract pieces go. You may remember that we wrote about the advanced AI programme called ‘DALL-E 2’ a few...
Bees are now considered fish in California
A new court ruling has decided that some species of bee can now legally be considered fish in order to provide extra protection under the California Endangered Species Act. Consider yourself an expert on bees? Are you an academic on all things honey, hives, and bumbling? Those clued up on the iconic winged pollinators may want to brush up on their knowledge after this weekend, as a California court ruling now...
