Billy McFarland claims Fyre Festival II is ‘finally happening’
The serial fraudster is said to owe $26m for duping more than 100 investors in 2017. Five years on, he claims that a second attempt at Fyre Festival is ‘finally happening.’ Incarceration is supposed to be about rehabilitation, right? In the case of Billy McFarland - a man once compared to...
Current in Culture
Is powdered beer the answer to alcohol’s carbon footprint?
A German brewery has developed powdered beer, a revolutionary new beverage that may change the way we consume alcohol forever. Instant drinks like coffee and - dare I say it - custard, have been around for years now. And while these powdered alternatives have revolutionised our daily lives, an alcoholic...
Re:Sound festival highlights homeless experiences
Re:Sound is a festival that aims to use music to allow audiences to rediscover their city through the eyes of those who have been homeless. The last performance of the opera’s national tour was on Sunday. The festival Re:Sound, run by charity Streetwise Opera, involves professional composers, designers, singers, and...
Opinion – Why BTS leader RM’s thoughts on colonialism are so important
‘In the West, people just don't get it’, Kim Nam-Joon, leader of world's biggest music group, BTS, exclaims when asked if the cult of perfection and over-achievement are Korean cultural traits. Here’s our attempt at an explanation. ‘Korea is a country that has been invaded, razed to the ground, torn in...
Is diabetes killing my sex drive?
Chronic conditions such as diabetes can have a severe impact on a person’s physical and mental health, but can they damage our ability to be intimate with our partners, as well as ourselves? My body image has drastically changed since being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes last year. Insulin injections have...
Opinion – Dating apps ruin the experience of falling in love
From selecting a potential partner based on vague information on a phone screen to the weighty implications of meeting within a platform designed to transform strangers into couples, have ‘dating apps’ taken the fun out of falling in love? If you met your significant other through close friends, family, or...
Scientific data suggests pollution is making penises bigger
According to newly analysed data, the average male penis size has increased by 25 percent over the last three decades. Scientists say pollutants in what we eat, drink, and breathe are likely the cause of the rapid change. While it might not sound like the worst news at face value, scientists have raised concerns that the average male penis size is rapidly getting bigger. The revelation was made by researchers at...
Do accents still play a big role in our identity?
In an increasingly globalised world, people have progressively more puzzling accents. Do accents still play a role in how we identify ourselves and others? ‘I’ve definitely not been believed when I say I’m Norwegian,’ says Lea Dzifa Seeberg, who grew up in Oslo before moving to the UK a little under five years ago. ‘Sadly, most people assume I’m from the US,’ she tells me. But her accent can change from time...
Saudi Arabia is set to build another super skyscraper
The latest futuristic design coming out of Saudi Arabia is a 19 sq km structure to be based in Riyadh named The Mukaab. In recent months, Saudi Arabia’s abundance of oil money has sparked the design of some absolutely insane architectural projects. First was The Line, put forward by the design company Neom. The one-trillion-dollar project will essentially be its own massive city in the middle of a desert once it’s...
Spotify launches AI DJ for personalised playlists with virtual hosts
Everyone wants their go with the aux, and Spotify is no different. The ubiquitous music streamer has created an AI DJ feature capable of curating original playlists while providing intermittent commentary like a radio host. Let’s face it, AI is inevitably coming for all of our livelihoods - commercial or creative. Not even DJs are safe. The central story with AI at the moment is understandably Microsoft vs Alphabet, and...
