Our possessions – the things we view as “mine” – play an important role in our lives. Beyond their functionality, they can serve as poignant reminders of cherished memories. They can symbolise not only who we are, but also who we used to be, and who we aspire to become. From faded photo albums to […] … learn more→

Today, screens and notifications dominate our daily lives. We are all familiar with these digital distractions that pull us out of our thoughts or activity. Between the important email from a superior and the call from school that requires you to leave work, postponing the current task, interruptions are an integral part of our lives […] … learn more→

From asking our smart speakers for the weather to receiving personalised advice from smartwatches, devices powered by artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly streamlining our routines and decision making. The technology is seeping into our lives in subtle ways. Manufacturers gather vast amounts of user data to ensure these smart devices are responsive and personalised. But […] … learn more→

Anatomy of a Fall , the film by French director Justine Triet, winner of the Oscar for best original screenplay, uses the reconstruction of a body’s fall as a MacGuffin to carefully dissect the fall of the couple’s romantic relationship. protagonist, Sandra Voyter and Samuel Maleski. The process of breaking up the relationship that the film describes is not an […] … learn more→

It’s hard not to see the journalism industry as one in crisis. In February, Bell Media announced it was ending multiple CTV newscasts, making other programming cuts and selling 45 radio stations. Its parent company, BCE Inc., also announced it is cutting 4,800 jobs “at all levels of the company,” saying fewer than 10 per cent are […] … learn more→

Earlier this year, Neuralink implanted a chip inside the brain of 29-year-old US man Noland Arbaugh, who is paralysed from the shoulders down. The chip has enabled Arbaugh to move a mouse pointer on a screen just by imagining it moving. In May 2023, US researchers also announced a non-invasive way to “decode” the words someone is thinking from […] … learn more→

In the past four years it’s become increasingly common for part or all of a university student’s learning to happen online. This transition to digital learning platforms has highlighted the digital divide within educational contexts. In poorer, less resourced and connected countries like South Africa, this divide is not merely a matter of who has access […] … learn more→

Modern physics suggests time may be an illusion. Einstein’s theory of relativity, for example, suggests the universe is a static, four-dimensional block that contains all of space and time simultaneously – with no special “now”. What’s the future to one observer, is the past to another. That means time doesn’t flow from past to future, as we experience it. […] … learn more→

Every few years, an emerging technology shows up at the doorstep of schools and universities promising to transform education. The most recent? Technologies and apps that include or are powered by generative artificial intelligence, also known as GenAI. These technologies are sold on the potential they hold for education. For example, Khan Academy’s founder opened […] … learn more→

As artificial intelligence creeps further into people’s daily lives, so do worries about it. At the most alarmist are concerns about AI going rogue and terminating its human masters. But behind the calls for a pause on the development of AI is a suite of more tangible social ills. Among them are the risks AI poses to people’s privacy and […] … learn more→