The once-cult mobile brand ‘BlackBerry’ finally shuts down
It was once the most sought-after phone of the moment. But now, BlackBerry is just another sign of the times; a window into our relentless wanting for something new. In the 2010s, high flying businessmen, celebrities, and status-hungry teenagers were all bound by one thing: the BlackBerry’s QWERTY keyboard. For...
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Hydrogen: the key to decarbonising the planet?
Hydrogen is a clean, versatile fuel that doesn’t produce any greenhouse gas emissions and all it requires to release energy is oxygen. To date, our utilisation of it has been marginal at best, but here’s why it could transform the energy sector in the years to come. With the aim...
Space-based film studio officially in development for 2024
Space Entertainment Enterprise, co-producers of Tom Cruise’s forthcoming space-set film, has announced plans to build a fully-fledged production studio 250 miles above Earth. Remember back in 2020, when Tom Cruise teamed up with Elon Musk’s Space X to shoot the first ever feature film in space… no? That’s probably because...
Floating solar farms put Thailand on track for carbon neutrality
In Thailand’s north-eastern region of Ubon Ratchathani, a shimmering network of solar panels stretches across a large reservoir constantly generating green energy. This is the first of 15 planned floating solar farms that aim to put Thailand on track for carbon neutrality by 2050. With climate deadlines from COP26 fast...
Is Microsoft creating a monopoly after Activision Blizzard deal?
Microsoft is on the brink of acquiring Activision Blizzard for a record fee of $68.7bn. Having already landed the Bethesda deal last year, is the conglomerate potentially underway with a full-scale gaming monopoly? If the cringe, social media driven console wars are even still a thing, this is the equivalent...
Tech company Framework designs modular laptop to reduce e-waste
American tech company Framework has created a new laptop with modular components that can be easily repaired and replaced. It will help increase the lifespan of laptops and reduce the e-waste produced per unit. Laptops can be tricky products to purchase successfully, at least as far as getting the right...
Fact checkers label YouTube a ‘major conduit’ for misinformation
Organisations involved in fact-checking have come together to demand YouTube finally address its misinformation problem. YouTube has a little something for everyone, whether you’re looking for an amusing review of a takeaway chain or a comprehensive history lesson on the Mayans. The only issue with allowing almost anything to end up on the platform, so long as it doesn’t breach terms brazenly, is that information is able to circulate rapidly without...
Twitter bans ‘Politics For All’ account without specifying why
The integrity of Twitter as a democratic platform is again under scrutiny. This time, after permanently banning a political news aggregator account for a strange and minor offence. Another day, another censorship storm involving Twitter. The topical social media giant is under scrutiny after removing a popular political news aggregator account called Politics For All earlier this week. It has since specified that Twitter will not be reinstating the page. Removed on...
Is voice AI on the verge of a marketing explosion?
AI speech synthesisers may feel like a novel gimmick now, but as the technology becomes more sophisticated, could we see a full-scale integration into the marketing world? Apparently, AI audio synthesisers are about to get a whole load more sophisticated than Eminem’s rap generator. Like that’s even possible. Despite the many ethical issues surrounding the recreational use of AI and its potential for nefarious uses - with non-consensual deepfake porn, doctored...
Regulatory hurdles for flying taxis almost cleared
Talk of flying taxis called eVTOLs were all the rage in 2019. But, only now has the concept gathered enough investment and regulatory ticks to be considered a realistic prospect. This time, they really are close to take-off. While aviation endeavours to make biofuel a staple of the industry, can eVTOLs become a popular choice for eco-conscious flyers? Back in 2019, you may recall that big tech start-ups were racing...
