Daniel Hoyer, University of Toronto
American humorist and writer Mark Twain is believed to have once said, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.”
I’ve been working as a historian and complexity scientist for the better part of a decade, and I often think about this phrase as I follow different strands of the historical record and notice the same patterns over and over.
Feb. 12, 2024 /Sports/ — The Super Bowl holds immense significance in the US calendar for several reasons:
Sports Spectacle: Continue reading
Melissa Avdeeff, University of Stirling
At Super Bowl LVIII, Taylor Swift will appear on the field at Allegiant Stadium after her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s team, the Kansas City Chiefs, wins the game. But she won’t be performing. Swift’s appearance will be a Pentagon-backed psy-op to turn the rigged game into a calculated political endorsement, to secure the 2024 presidential election for Joe Biden.
Here’s a statistic that would make Clark Griswold proud: according to The American Survey (powered by What If Media Group), a quarter of Americans plan to take a vacation somewhere within the US in 2024, and 63% will travel exclusively by car. Continue reading
Market research and consulting firm BrandSpark International, in partnership with iconic media brand Newsweek, has released its 2nd edition with the 2024 list of the Most Trusted brands in the UK, as 100% voted on by UK Shoppers. The winning brands were determined in the BrandSpark International UK Trust Study through a consumer survey, aggregating the opinions of 13,823 recent category shoppers who provided 86,736 top-of-mind unaided responses on which brands they trust most. BrandSpark has been measuring trust for 11 years, with robust studies in the United States and Canada. Continue reading
Jan. 8, 2024 /Human interest/ — Jews have a long history of advocating for human rights around the world, including in the US Civil Rights movement and against apartheid in South Africa. This commitment stems from both religious and ethical principles within Judaism that emphasize justice, equality, and compassion for all. Continue reading
Simon McCarthy-Jones, Trinity College Dublin
The idea of free speech sparked into life 2,500 years ago in Ancient Greece – in part because it served a politician’s interests. The ability to speak freely was seen as essential for the new Athenian democracy, which the politician Cleisthenes both introduced and benefited from.
Jan. 2, 2024 /Politics/ — 2024 is shaping up to be a bumper year for elections! Here are some noteworthy examples beyond the UK and USA: Continue reading
Driver monitoring systems (DMS) have gained considerable momentum, driven by the escalating SAE autonomous driving levels and regulatory frameworks in key regions like the USA, Europe, China, Japan, and others. While DMS is not a novel concept, traditional DMS techniques typically rely on passive data sourced from advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), such as driving duration and lane-keeping. Although these conventional passive technologies offer simplicity and easy integration into vehicles, they are prone to generating false positives. Continue reading
Daniel Jolley, University of Nottingham; Andrew McNeill, Northumbria University, Newcastle, and Jenny Paterson, Northumbria University, Newcastle
Scientists have learned a lot about why people believe in conspiracy theories and how they harm society over the past couple of decades. Yet little is known about how the groups targeted by conspiracy theories feel and behave.