Author: Diane Shipley
Staff Writer Diane is especially interested in high-tech medical advances, weird and interesting uses of science, new gadgets, and the intersection of tech and lifestyle. When not working, she reads the internet, listens to podcasts, watches American TV, and thinks about leaving the house.
Masque is a new anonymous dating app
If you’ve been meaning to dip your toe into online dating but feel hesitant about sharing your name and face and favourite TV shows for the whole internet to see, Masque could be the dating app for you. Just launched by Indian tech firm Nimbuzz, it matches you with someone locally but allows you to…
Teachers put girls off maths and science, study finds
We all know that there’s a gender gap when it comes to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) careers. Despite the odd Sheryl Sandberg or Marissa Meyer, women are still massively underrepresented in these fields and a new study suggests that this disparity could start as early as age 11. Researchers from Tel Aviv University…
Ikea’s adding wireless charging to furniture
Tired of rummaging around on the floor all the time for your phone’s charging cable, or worse – realising that you left it at work? Ikea feels your pain. They’ve just announced a new range of furniture that’ll charge your mobile (or tablet, or other device) with no cables needed. It includes bedside tables, lamps,…
Kazam mobile phone ad is banned for sexism
A young woman wanders around in her underwear, fondling her cleavage and thigh, biting her lip. What is this, some sub-‘50 Shades’ soft p0rn? Oh no, look, she’s doing her ironing, must be a gender-normative ad for some boring household product. Ahhh, no, I see what it is now: an ad for Kazam’s Tornado 348…
Finally! The optimum eyelash length, revealed
Sure, it might be cool to have a cure for cancer or see Aids ended in our lifetime. Maybe people with neurodegenerative diseases could be given a sliver of scientific hope. But I think we can all agree that there’s one field of research that's truly important for the future of humanity: optimal eyelash length.…
Scientists studied why lattes are harder to spill
Good news for romantic comedy heroines with a clumsy streak (i.e. all of them): scientists have found the type of coffee least likely to spill. Lattes are apparently much easier to carry incident-free than your standard drip coffee – which turns out to be aptly named. Researchers Emilie Dressaire, from the New York University Polytechnic…
BuzzFeed’s launched Cute or Not, a Tinder for Pets (kind of)
It used to be that only humans were objectified on the internet. But now animals are getting in on the action, too, thanks to BuzzFeed. They’ve launched a new iOS app called Cute or Not that allows you to rate other people’s pets on… well, whether they’re cute or not. (They do say the simplest…
Could measuring brainwaves predict a movie’s success?
You might think you’re pretty good at guessing whether you’ll enjoy a movie or not, but measuring your brainwaves could be a better way to predict what will appeal to you. Maarten A. S. Boksem and Ale Smidts from Erasmus University already knew that our subconscious mind and conscious mind can often be in conflict…
Engineers are making smart trousers for disabled people
A team from the University of Bristol is launching a new project to develop smart trousers that could help people to walk. (Reports that they were inspired by Wallace and Gromit are as yet unconfirmed.) It’s being led by Dr Jonathan Rossiter from the department of engineering mathematics at the university. As The Guardian reports,…
Apple’s finally made more diverse emoji
Apple’s finally made some new, diverse emoji. It only took eight years, but the company’s realised that mayyyyybe it wasn’t quite right that white people had loads of different ways to represent themselves – from a flamenco dancer to Santa to side-kicking twins – while people of colour just got a racial stereotype or two.…
