On August 26 1970, 50,000 women marched down Fifth Avenue in New York City in a Women’s Strike. Organised by feminist activist Betty Friedan, the march highlighted the fact women still performed the vast majority of domestic work. The Women’s Liberation Movement wanted many things in 1970, but one of the most important was freedom from […] … learn more→
Author Archives: Kevin
‘Suburban living did turn women into robots’: why feminist horror novel The Stepford Wives is still relevant, 50 years on
Is Australian rhyming slang in a bit of froth and bubble? Let’s take a Captain Cook (spoiler: the billy lids may hold the key)
Have you heard? Barry Crocker’s having a … well, Barry Crocker (“shocker”) of a time with those Reg Grundies (“undies”) people. Karens everywhere can relate – they know it’s Jeffed up when your Danned name gets swept up in social parlance. And sure, Crocker has a point. We’ve got to draw the line somewhere when these corporate Noahs (“sharks”, from “Noah’s Ark”) claim our names. But we reckon […] … learn more→
Nostalgia for childhoods of the past overlooks children’s experiences today
Nostalgia made a comeback under COVID-19. In the context of enforced lockdowns, there was an increase in nostalgic activities such as watching classic films, baking and reminiscing with family and friends. Nostalgia can be defined as a feeling of longing for a better time in the past that no longer exists and may never have. When it isn’t […] … learn more→
Bullying targets gifted students
Peer violence is one of the problems that raises the most social concern in schools due to its prevalence, its severity and its relationship with health and psychosocial adjustment variables. Numerous studies have revealed physical health problems, emotional and behavioral difficulties , impaired social development, and poor academic performance associated with youth exposure to this violence. School bullying is defined […] … learn more→
Push for AI innovation can create dangerous products
This past June, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced a probe into Tesla’s autopilot software. Data gathered from 16 crashes raised concerns over the possibility that Tesla’s AI may be programmed to quit when a crash is imminent. This way, the car’s driver, not the manufacturer, would be legally liable at the moment of […] … learn more→
‘Weekend warrior’ exercise still lowers risk of premature death – new research
We’re all told time and again just how important it is to exercise for good health. But with our busy schedules, finding the time to work out is often easier said than done. For many of us, the weekend is the only time we can get to the gym or go for a run. UK exercise […] … learn more→
How “low tech” is making a name for itself in France
Ceramic pots for filtering water, techniques for solar cooking, wind turbines, breeding edible crickets: these are some of the low tech (or “low” technologies) documented by the Nomad of the Seas . A veritable “laboratory boat”, the Nomade des Mers has experimented and documented around fifty low tech boats around the world. After six years of travel and 25 […] … learn more→
6 ways to keep kids’ school skills sharp over the summer
Worried your kids will forget what they learned in school over the summer? Scholars have been studying the problem for over a century. When William White, a New York state mathematics professor, set out in the early 1900s to study how much math students remembered over summer vacation, he checked to see how well they […] … learn more→
Face masks affect how children understand speech differently from adults – new research
While mask-wearing is no longer required in many locations, it remains in use as a way to limit the spread of COVID-19. One of the criticisms of masks has been that they make communication more difficult. A recent report by the UK Department for Education, for example, suggests that mask wearing during the pandemic caused communication […] … learn more→
The downside of digital transformation: why organisations must allow for those who can’t or won’t move online
We hear the phrase “digital transformation” a lot these days. It’s often used to describe the process of replacing functions and services that were once done face-to-face by human beings with online interactions that are faster, more convenient and “empower” the user. But does digital transformation really deliver on those promises? Or does the seemingly relentless […] … learn more→
