Monthly Archives: November 2024

Alliance defending freedom challenges Oklahoma's religious Charter  School ban

Alliance defending freedom challenges Oklahoma’s religious Charter School ban

The Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board, represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review a case that could have far-reaching implications for religious schools and educational choice across America. Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond, stems from the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s ruling that blocked the board from authorizing a […] … learn more→

Blurry, morphing and surreal – a new AI aesthetic is emerging in film

Blurry, morphing and surreal – a new AI aesthetic is emerging in film

Type text into AI image and video generators, and you’ll often see outputs of unusual, sometimes creepy, pictures. In a way, this is a feature, not a bug, of generative AI. And artists are wielding this aesthetic to create a new storytelling art form. The tools, such as Midjourney to generate images, Runway and Sora to produce videos, and Luma AI to create 3D […] … learn more→

A course in the United States: a trend or a necessity?

A course in the United States: a trend or a necessity?

In recent years, it has become increasingly common to send teenagers to spend a school year in an English-speaking country, such as the United States or the United Kingdom. In Spain, around 15,000 ESO and Bachillerato students go abroad to study every year . Parents see this option as an opportunity for their children to improve their […] … learn more→

Young people were becoming more anxious long before social media – here’s the evidence

Young people were becoming more anxious long before social media – here’s the evidence

Thanks to bestselling authors like Jonathan Haidt and Jean Twenge, the public has become increasingly aware of the rapid rise in mental health issues among younger people in many western countries. Their warnings about the destructive impact of social media have had an effect, reflected not least in a wave of schools across Europe banning smartphones. […] … learn more→

What delusions can tell us about the cognitive nature of belief

What delusions can tell us about the cognitive nature of belief

Beliefs are convictions of reality that we accept as true. They provide us with the basic mental scaffolding to understand and engage meaningfully in our world. Beliefs remain fundamental to our behaviour and identity, but are not well understood. Delusions, on the other hand, are fixed, usually false, beliefs that are strongly held, but not […] … learn more→

Rethinking screen time: A better understanding of what people do on their devices is key to digital well-being

Rethinking screen time: A better understanding of what people do on their devices is key to digital well-being

In an era where digital devices are everywhere, the term “screen time” has become a buzz phrase in discussions about technology’s impact on people’s lives. Parents are concerned about their children’s screen habits. But what if this entire approach to screen time is fundamentally flawed? While researchers have made advances in measuring screen use, a detailed […] … learn more→

Why school police officers may not be the most effective way to prevent violence

Why school police officers may not be the most effective way to prevent violence

In 1975, only 1% of public schools had their own police officers. Today, 44% do. A large reason for the increase is the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which led to the creation of the federal Community Oriented Policing Services to oversee funds for the hiring of police in schools. Another reason is the Columbine […] … learn more→

AI feels like an unstoppable force. But it is not a panacea for businesses or society

AI feels like an unstoppable force. But it is not a panacea for businesses or society

In Greek mythology, Prometheus is credited with giving humans fire as well as the “spark” that spurred civilisation. One of the unintended consequences of Prometheus’s “gift” was that the need for celestial Gods diminished. Modern humans have been up to all sorts of things that present similar unintended consequences, from using CFCs that led to a hole […] … learn more→

Is it ever OK for scientists to experiment on themselves?

Is it ever OK for scientists to experiment on themselves?

\A virologist named Beata Halassy recently made headlines after publishing a report of successfully treating her own breast cancer by self-administering an experimental treatment. Having previously undergone a mastectomy and chemotherapy, Halassy informed her doctors that she wanted to treat her tumour by injecting it with viruses known to attack cancerous cells. This sort of approach is called oncolytic […] … learn more→