The social psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s new book The Anxious Generation delivers an urgent call for action. Haidt argues that the evidence is in. Teenagers’ widespread use of smartphones is causing a mental health crisis. Individual, collective and legislative action is required to limit their smartphone access. Haidt begins his book with an allegory. Imagine someone… Continue reading Have smartphones created an ‘anxious generation’? Jonathan Haidt sounds the alarm
Electric vehicles (EVs) are often seen as the panacea to cutting emissions — and air pollution — from transport. Is this view correct? Yes — but only once uptake accelerates. Despite the recent boom in EV purchases, they are still a tiny minority of the cars on the road. We would get more immediate benefit… Continue reading Electric vehicles will start to cut emissions and improve air quality in our cities — but only once they’re common
Fake photography is nothing new. In the 1910s, British author Arthur Conan Doyle was famously deceived by two school-aged sisters who had produced photographs of elegant fairies cavorting in their garden. Today it is hard to believe these photos could have fooled anybody, but it was not until the 1980s an expert named Geoffrey Crawley… Continue reading AI image generation is advancing at astronomical speeds — can we still tell if a picture is fake?
With the proliferation of female robots such as Sophia and the popularity of female virtual assistants such as Siri (Apple), Alexa (Amazon) and Cortana (Microsoft), artificial intelligence (AI) seems to have a gender issue. This gender imbalance in AI is a pervasive trend that has drawn sharp criticism in the media—even UNESCO warned against the… Continue reading Why is AI mostly female?
“Larry David is one of the best-dressed men on television,” declared New York magazine in 2020. Stylist Allison Bornstein, among others on TikTok, has celebrated David as an “accidental style icon,” praising his “classic, layered, and practical” fashion choices. His “laid-back dad style” has been lauded by fashion publications, and he has even graced the… Continue reading The Larry David style — a closer look at the fashion evolution of the Curb Your Enthusiasm star
You face a dilemma. You’ve found the perfect shirt, and it’s an absolute bargain, but you notice it’s “Made in Bangladesh”. You’re conscious it was probably made using cheap labour. Do you buy it, or walk away? Today Oxfam released its annual Naughty or Nice list. This list highlights retail brands committed to transparent sourcing,… Continue reading We know sweatshop clothing is bad — and buy it anyway. Here’s how your brain makes excuses
Luxury fashion house Prada has a scheme for customers who want something even more exclusive than its usual range of clothing and accessories. Each month, on a first-come, first-served basis, the Time Capsule Collection offers ultra-limited editions of Prada products. They’re only on sale for 24 hours, with purchases delivered straight to customers’ doors. For… Continue reading How brands like Prada and Nike are using NFTs — and what could go wrong
You probably don’t realise it when you’re listening to your favourite song, but music has an incredibly powerful effect on the human brain. Singing, playing an instrument or listening to music have all been shown to activate numerous areas of the brain that control speech, movement and cognition, memory and emotion — often all at… Continue reading Why researchers are turning to music as a possible treatment for stroke, brain injuries and even Parkinson’s
Since the 1990s, fast fashion has enabled everyday people to buy the latest catwalk trends. But the sheer volume of garments being whipped up, sold and soon discarded is contributing to a global sustainability crisis. Now, just when the fashion industry should be waking up and breaking free of this vicious cycle, it’s heading in… Continue reading Ultra-fast fashion is a disturbing trend undermining efforts to make the whole industry more sustainable
For the first time in its 170-year history, the V&A held an exhibition that centred solely on African fashion. Fashion has long been seen and taught as centred in Europe, with Japanese designers occasionally highlighted as international non-Western exponents. The fashion education experienced by students often relies on a design cycle that has not changed… Continue reading Why the V&A’s Africa Fashion exhibition was important — and long overdue
