What Prague’s pub-crawl ban means for tourism
The new legislation is a blow for travellers looking for cheap, booze-filled nights out. For a certain type of tourist, Prague has long been synonymous with cheap beer, mediaeval charm, and a night out you’ll definitely forget. In fact, for many British party-goers, Prague has become a rite of passage. An...
Current in Offbeat
Opinion – I’m sick of seeing people waste food on social media
Given the state of our world at present, why are content creators still going viral for making a show of mass-consumption and promoting throwaway culture when this is so blatantly in poor taste? Sometimes, I genuinely think that most of us don’t give a rat’s arse about what’s going on...
Stop shoving online therapy down our throats
i’m trying to watch YouTube in the bath. Go away I’m one BetterHelp ad away from bouncing my Pixel off the wall. Is it just me, or is anyone else being low key harassed by advertising for online therapy portals in 2024? It’s either that or male grooming kits. Perhaps my YouTube...
Is the ‘aura points’ trend philosophical or misogynistic?
On social media, young people are using ‘aura points’ to calculate how cool they are. For philosophers, the trend falls in line with Gen Z’s love of astrology and other cosmic belief systems. For members of the manosphere, it’s a lifestyle, yet another opportunity to inject the world of...
When did British festivals get so messy?
Every time festival season rolls around in the UK, attendees make headlines for destroying the sites (and their livers alongside them). In other parts of Europe, this recklessness is less common – or at least less renowned. Should we be looking beyond British borders for an example of how...
Opinion – bring back the fat chefs
The online convergence of food and fitness influencers on social media means that people are focusing on the protein and ‘fuel’ quotient of their quick-to-make meals, rather than delighting in the flavour of their culinary creations and the process of cooking them. I vividly remember the first time I...
Will basketball ever make it rain in the UK?
Is British basketball slowly retreating, and will it ever have its time as an adequately funded sport? You pass the threshold into a large, echoey chamber. Four brick walls, sealing the aromas of effort, climb high into a ceiling of imperceptible detail. The hardwood courts lay steady under your foot. The nets, stripped of motion, rest soundly in the air. You fasten your trainers and grapple with your socks before...
Cognify wants AI-simulated memories to help rehabilitate prisoners
Hashem Al-Ghaili, a Berlin-based scientist and filmmaker, envisions a future where prisoners are rehabilitated using implanted synthetic memories created by AI. His MO is to instil a sense of empathy and cut lengthy sentences from years to a matter of minutes. Having cut his teeth in the realm of independent filmmaking, Hashem Al-Ghaili has certainly let his mind run wild with this controversial concept. Presumably after binging Black Mirror and the...
Why has the proposed smoking area ban sparked outrage in the UK?
To reduce the number of preventable deaths linked to tobacco use, Labour wants to take the indoor smoking ban outdoors. Opponents of the plan – including those who don’t light up – are lamenting the loss of valuable spaces where ‘all the best socialising happens.’ It’s no secret that life online lacks substance. These days, with the false promise of lasting connectedness through social media growing tired, many of...
A serial killer exhibition is coming to London this month
While documentaries and podcasts have been fulfilling society’s interest in true crime for a decade, a new exhibition in London will invite fans of the genre to explore genuine artefacts and recreated crime scenes from some of the world’s most notorious serial killer cases. As if people weren’t obsessed enough with true crime already, a new exhibition is coming to London to fuel humanity’s darkest fascinations further. Serial Killer: The...
