Are Gen Z picking up the phone less?
In an age where typed out texts and DMs dominate our means of communication, is answering a phone call a real fear for young people? The haunting bells of an incoming call ignite the room. You reach for your device only to find an unknown number. In a blazing frenzy,...
Current in Offbeat
The generation of young people hooked on a pen
What was once used to rid us of a more sinister evil is now a casually prevalent vapour snack for the masses. A new wave of pen lovers has entered the room. I’m not referring to a Biro, unfortunately. I’m talking about the torrent of vape pens gripped to adolescents'...
Opinion – we need to prevent ‘third places’ from disappearing
The mounting cost of living, social media prevalence, and post-pandemic isolation mentality is driving socialisation outside of school, work, or home underground. With loneliness now a global public health concern, physical community locations where quality connections can flourish have never been more important – or needed. Before the pandemic,...
What is the ‘Dead Internet Theory’ and is it real?
With the ceaseless growth of AI since 2022, conspiracies surrounding the so-called ‘Dead Internet Theory’ have grown stronger. First thing’s first, though, what the hell is it and does it have any credibility? Is this an online rabbit hole worth getting lost in? Is it pure storm in a teacup?...
New study says there are microplastics in your balls
A growing number of studies are finding microplastics inside the testicles of humans and dogs. Scientists anticipate this has repercussions for fertility and reproduction. Plastics are now permanently ingrained in modern life. They’re used in almost every industry, and now, tiny invisible plastic particles are making a home inside our...
The unsettling rise of Facebook Marketplace sperm donors
Why bother with expensive IVF or IUI treatments for your fertility needs? Facebook Marketplace apparently has you covered. What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve heard today? Wait, here us out. Thousands of people are currently looking for unregulated fertility treatments on – get this – Facebook Marketplace. Now, it goes without saying...
‘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...
A Michelin-star restaurant will open in outer space by next year
Inside a NASA complex on Cape Canaveral in Florida, the mission to make luxury space travel available to the public is well on its way. ‘The public’ being those in the highest tax bracket, of course. Ever since Jeff Bezos yeeted himself into the stratosphere a couple of years back, we all knew luxury space tourism was inevitable - but how many of us could’ve predicted it would be possible...
What are ‘adult gap years’ and why are they on the rise?
Most commonly a pre-uni rite of passage for teens and people in their early 20s, putting everything on hold to travel the world is fast becoming a trend among older generations looking for a break from the relentless nature of life as a grown up. Typically associated with the brink of adulthood, a gap year is a period of development for those with the time and resources to travel, volunteer,...
Dutch tulip fields are being looked after by an AI robot
Though the rise of Artificial Intelligence is fuelling paranoia amongst some, this rapidly evolving technology is being used in unique and helpful ways – including in The Netherlands’ many tulip fields. The arrival of spring is an exciting time for us sun-deprived humans, but also for nature, which blossoms into a multitude of colours, shapes, and textures over the course of just a few weeks. In the Netherlands, spring is marked...
