Discussion
Why Jeff Bezos is wasting his billions in space
By Paul Kwatz, author of Conscious Robots Recently, Jeff Bezos announced he’d be spending $1 billion of his Amazon fortune every year on his Blue Origin Space Rocket Company. But maybe he’s making the wrong decision. 20 years ago, his conscious mind wondered whether building the world’s biggest bookstore would give him pleasure, and the answer came back from his non-conscious mind “Yes, Jeff - if you can achieve that, you’re going to feel great.” And that worked, and Jeff...
The London City Gentleman: On the intricacies of death
My father died last week. I don’t mean that to sound too dramatic: he was approaching 70 and had suffered from cancer for a few years. That said, he’d been in remission, and until what proved to be the last week of his life, he was pretty healthy. His doctor was somewhat baffled by his wellbeing, but had advised him to keep doing what he was doing, which included a martini every day at about 5.00 pm. The end was...
Quiz: Can you solve the Brexit border paradox?
A new graphic puzzle has been making the rounds on social media as the Northern Irish border with the Republic dominates news headlines. Last week Ireland's Prime Minister warned that his government will not accept a physical border between Northern Ireland and Ireland after Brexit, calling for the commitment to be written into the first phase of exit talks. However, that presents a problem. If Brexit is to be fulfilled then some sort of border must exist between Northern Ireland...
University invents new version of rock, paper, scissors
Forget rock, paper, scissors - a professor at Exeter University has invented a new version of the game to help people understand war, politics and power. University of Exeter expert Professor Neville Morley has worked with local developers Kaleider to invent new games which bring the work of Thucydides to life and show how he warned about the dangers of people having too much or too little power. The free event, which is suitable for people aged 14 and above, will...
Men unable to share their feelings “because of their gender”
This emotive video shows seven men talking about the constant battle they face when it comes to masculinity. A study of 1,000 men found two thirds agree man’s role in society has changed, yet 45 per cent still say they have felt unable to share their feelings because of their gender. And over one in five still feel pressure to be a ‘man’s man’. The short film, released by Gillette in association with Southbank Centre’s Being A Man Festival (24-26...
This is how much we spend on household bills over a lifetime
The average Brit will spend £686,000 on household bills over a lifetime, a study has found. The poll of 2,000 bill payers found the average household will fork out £11,379 a year on energy and water bills, mortgages or rent, insurance and loans. That amounts to £686,125 over the average adult lifetime, with £57,982 of this spent on energy bills alone. A spokesman for Compare the Market, which commissioned the study, said: “Bills account for a large amount of our...
Brits are turning to cleaning to de-stress
Millions of Brits admit they find tidying therapeutic rather than a chore, a study has found. Eight in ten adults reckon tidying and organising is a real stress buster - whether it be filing away important documents, having a pristine desk at work or labelling files. Four in five people even said they find mess stressful, while 63 per cent don't feel on top of things unless their items are in the "right place." As a result, the average adult...
Smoking falls to record low – but drugs are on the up
It seems that while campaigners have been focused on stopping kids from smoking they’ve dropped the ball on drugs. New research out from NHS Digital’s Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People in England survey has made some alarming discoveries. The research found 19 per cent of youngsters aged 11-15 in England have smoked compared to 24 per cent who have taken drugs. This details a rise in juvenile drug use of nine percentage point since the last survey...
This is the little-known iPhone feature which is allowing Apple to look at your boobs
A little-known feature introduced with the launch of i0S 10 in mid-2016 has been allowing Apple to look at your boobs for a year. According to recent revelations iPhones are able to categorise pictures in "brassiere", as well as bra, bras and bandeaus. The function is supposed to help you rifle through your photo archive and has categories that include everything from various animals, food and fashion to inanimate objects like furniture and "sunsets". But many iPhone users were unaware it existed, or that...