Tomato vines power cloud server in Warm Earth exhibition
Exploring the idea of technology entering a symbiotic relationship with nature, design graduate Ilja Schamle has built a cloud server powered by tomato vines. If it had the potential to knock digits off your electricity bill, would you take up gardening? An Eindhoven design graduate named Ilja Schamle has long wanted...
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These lamps are made with traditional fibres and PET plastic waste
Spanish designer Alvaro Catalan de Ocon launched the PET Lamp project in 2011 and has since worked with a variety of international communities to repurpose plastic waste. One piece from 2018 uses fibres and PET to create unique looking lamps. Do you find IKEA’s home furnishing offerings a bit...
Eating a meat-based hot dog could reduce your life by 36 minutes
Need another reason to switch to a vegan diet? New research suggest that eating a single meat-based hot dog could shorten your life by over half-an-hour. BBQ doesn’t sound so fun now, eh? Forget drugs, getting too drunk, or attempting to do anything in the morning before a morning...
Potty training cows could put a dent in nitrous oxide emissions
In a bid to finally address the massive environmental toll of livestock emissions, scientists have decided to potty train cows. Yes, you read that right. Early signs are positive. If you can potty train a child, you can potty train a cow. At least that was the theory posited by a...
Marseilles residents turn McDonald’s into community foodbank
A closed McDonald’s has been transformed into a lifeline for Marseille and now operates as a food bank. In between the majority Muslim neighbourhoods of Saint-Marthe and Saint-Barthélémy sits the first McDonald’s to be built in the ‘banlieues’ (suburbs) around France’s major cities. The fast-food restaurant was opened thanks to help...
Minecraft library liberates gamers in censored countries
One of the most successful sandbox video games of all time once again proves its versatility outside of tree-punching and cave-exploring by providing a journalism sanctuary for its 126 million active players. Thinking outside the box Oppressive governments and growingly sophisticated systems of surveillance have led to an increase of censorship...
This lake in Argentina has turned bright pink
A lagoon in Argentina’s southern Patagonia region has turned an alarming pink colour, reportedly due to pollution caused by a chemical intended to preserve prawns. Forget the Red Sea, it’s all about the pink sea these days. At least, that’s the current situation in Argentina, where an entire lagoon has turned a bright pink colour - though it’s not for any uplifting reason. This isn’t some publicity stunt, sadly. The bizarre...
Experts warn against advertisers trying to hijack our dreams
In a recent ad campaign, beer company Coors attempted to infiltrate unconscious minds with ‘refreshing dreams’ of its beverages. A cohort of dream doctors is now calling for an end to the practice before it takes off. Soon, a once relaxing nap may not be enough to escape the infamous Go Compare opera man, or Muller’s nauseating ‘rice, rice, baby.’ Anyone who watches the Super Bowl knows that spectators don’t require...
Opinion – new ‘weight-loss device’ is not enough to tackle obesity
Researchers have developed a new ‘weight-loss device’ that forces the wearer’s jaw shut, apparently providing a means of slimming down. It has faced significant backlash online. Remember that scene from the 2005 adaption of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory where a young Willy Wonka was forced to wear an intense head brace that wrapped around his entire skull? It seems that researchers may have taken inspiration from Roald Dahl’s...
Why Japanese Gen Zers are avoiding falling in love
More Japanese people are single than ever before, with new pop-up services and clubs opening to fill the void. Is Japan heading toward a loveless future? In Japan, about 60% of unmarried women and 70% of unmarried men between the age of 18-34 years are single. The reason for this is a changing attitude toward relationships among Japan’s young population. It is custom in South Asian marriages for women to...
