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Daily Mirror
10 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'Modern travel is rotting our brains but I have found a solution'
Do you ever ask yourself, "Well, how did I get here?" Like the Talking Heads, I'm sometimes confronted by that question. Most often, after a long drive. Something about being plugged into a satnav—watching the time-to-arrival tick by and the purple line wiggle through the digital landscape—removes me from the real world. Half the country can pass by, and I've barely noticed. It turns out I'm not alone in this feeling. Over the past decade, multiple studies have shown satnavs chip away at our sense of direction. Scientists at the University College London concluded that plugging in stops drivers from making memories of the world around them—perhaps explaining why TomTom-assisted travel can be so hard to recall. An increasing number of people are concerned about this. Over four in five motorists aged 35+ say using a satnav or map app has made their navigation skills worse, while three out of five young drivers would never go anywhere without some form of technological guidance. The worry is that, as the tech gets better, the negative long-term impact on our brains will only grow. A small but alarming MIT study published this month suggests ChatGPT users quickly became lazy, prone to shortcuts, and very forgetful when given essay-writing tasks—compared to those who weren't using a large language model. In broader societal terms, it's a problem for the deep-thinking future of our species. When it comes to travel specifically, each time tech takes on a bit more of the organisational burden, are we also losing some of the joy of adventure? I decided to find out (albeit in a very unempirical, non-scientifically rigorous way) by heading out on a tech-free, analogue road trip. The rules were simple: no satnav, no phone maps, no looking up anything online before or during the trip. Just me, my partner, a car, a guidebook, and an OS map. After picking up a beautiful BMW 3 Series from Sixt—which has 2,200 rental outlets worldwide, including a newly opened branch at London Liverpool Street—the first challenge was figuring out how to switch off its massive dashboard console. It immediately sprang to life, eager to offer me a spot of digital assistance. Once effectively shut down, the next task was getting out of London. As a relatively inexperienced driver with four failed tests (and one pass!) checkering my record, I hate driving around the English capital perhaps more than most. It's a blood-pressure-raising nightmare of indicating buses, swerving Lime Bikes, and three-point-turning cabbies—something I'd trade for an expensive train ticket any day. But years of cycling London's streets and hopping on tubes to its outer reaches in the cause of local journalism have left me with a decent understanding of how it all hangs together. My wife and I made it to Epping and then smoothly onto the M11 with just our bare wits, some road signs, and no arguments. Conveniently, much of the UK's motorway network is built atop Roman roads—meaning they're very straight and very long. Reach the A1, and before you know it, you're in Northumberland, no turns required. After heading west to Hexham, I realised I didn't have the address for the beautiful YHA Ninebanks where we were staying, and I'd yet to invest in a proper map (that was a Day 2 purchase). My top tip for analogue travellers in this situation? Head to your nearest Waitrose and ask the cashier for directions. Without fail, they're friendly locals with the time and inclination to help. Half an hour later, we'd settled into the YHA—a stone-brick building filled with geologists attracted to an area known for its excellent rocks and whooping curlew population. Had we searched online for accommodation instead of taking a recommendation, we may never have met the lovely owners, Pauline Elliott and her partner Ian Baker. They cook, clean, and welcome guests to this incredibly remote hillside refuge. (If you're interested, they're currently looking to sell the hostel.) The next two days unfolded as relaxed and stress-free as possible. Without anywhere we had to be—and without a satnav feeding us a false sense of urgency—we stopped off wherever and whenever we fancied. A tour around Hexham Abbey was followed by a druid-filled midsummer morning at Dilston Physic Garden, before stops at the iconic Ovingham Goose Fair, a cricket pitch in the shadows of Warkworth Castle, the chart-toppingly pretty Bamburgh, and then Holy Island. There is a small but growing movement of people embracing analogue travel, realising that tech doesn't switch itself off when the holiday begins—and that it can get in the way of a truly relaxing, restorative break. Katie King, who owns a hospitality company, 'absolutely loves switching off.' The 38-year-old works remotely and suffers from 'digital exhaustion sometimes,' which is why she chooses holiday destinations without phone signal or WiFi. The East Midlander loves to ditch Google reviews in favour of testing out restaurants herself; she saves up her holiday snaps to post once she's home; and she switches off from work completely. 'Addicted to checking emails? Perfect time to detox and reset that habit. Enjoy the surroundings—if it's urgent, they'll text you. I work in hospitality, not hospitals. I deal with ads, not A&E,' Katie told The Mirror. 'Want to navigate from one part of an unknown country to another, on the other side of the road? Map out your route and factor in 'getting lost' time. When we 'got lost,' we found some of the most incredible spots for lunch, shopping, swimming and more. When you accidentally wander off the beaten tourist track, the real adventure begins.' Hector Hughes and his company Unplugged have been at the forefront of digital detox travel for years. They welcome guests into charming cabins across the UK and invite them to truly switch off. 'We include everything people need to be offline for three days: a phone lockbox, physical map and compass, cassette radio player, instant camera, and analogue entertainment like books and board games. Our cabins are completely analogue, with the only tech being an old-school Nokia to call local eateries or contact friends and family if needed. This helps people relax, with no outside noise or distractions—so they can feel human again,' Hector explained. After burning out while working at a fast-paced tech start-up, Hector sought a 'hard reset' in a silent retreat in the Himalayas. He left relaxed, and with a new goal: to help others unwind amidst what he calls the 'screen epidemic.' 'A three-day digital detox has a magnitude of mental and physical benefits. Spending 72 hours offline and in nature dramatically reduces stress levels, improves sleep quality, boosts creativity and original thought, and brings you back to the present moment. Recent studies show that three days offline can start to curb phone addiction and even rewire your brain,' Hector said. 'Without Google or ChatGPT, you don't have an instant answer for everything. You can't just Google a question—you discuss it or think deeply about it. You also see everything through your own eyes, not through a lens. We strip all of this back and remind you what it feels like to feel and be present.' At the end of my mini-analogue trip, I completely agree. It was the calmest, most engaging adventure I've had in a long time—and I'm already planning another. The old adage is that travel broadens the mind, but I'd argue that too much satnav, Google Translate, and Instagram recommendations, and we risk shrinking it.
Rakyat Post
a day ago
- General
- Rakyat Post
Lee Hup Suan And Jawahir Haji Ali – Malayan Teens Hit The World Stage, Back In The 50s
Subscribe to our FREE Picture this. The year is 1956. Malaysia was a word no one had coined yet. Independence was still a year away and no one knew what the future would hold. A young girl from SMK Zainab (1) in Kelantan, Jawahir Haji Ali , was about 17 years old, and could not possibly have imagined that her fellow countrymen would be discussing her achievements on social media some eight decades later. At the time SMK Zainab was known as Zainab School, a government English school for girls. Jawahir spoke fluent English at the time and while not much information can be gleaned about her early years, what is clear is that she was a brilliant young lady. In 1956, Jawahir binte Haji Ali represented Malaya as a youth ambassador at the Herald Tribune World Youth Forum. As part of this international programme, she spent three months in the United States experiencing American life — attending high school, going on site visits, and meeting political figures. The footage you're watching is from a broadcast series that aimed to promote global understanding by showcasing selected youths from around the world, while reminding American audiences that, despite their differences, young people everywhere shared common hopes and challenges. Unfortunately, Jawahir didn't get much airtime in this particular broadcast. It's a real shame, especially since many of us today (nearly seven decades later) would've loved to hear her thoughts on Malaya and the world's youth in the 1950s. From what I could find online, Jawahir was from Kelantan and later pursued a PhD at University College London in the 1980s. Her thesis explored how native English speakers and Malaysian learners differ in their understanding of word categories, and what that means for teaching English as a foreign language. Surely someone out there remembers her. If you do, please share this. It would be wonderful if this video eventually reached her family, and maybe even helped complete the rest of her story. 📽️Source: Indiana University Bloomington She was not the only one. Two years later, Lee Hup Suan from Anderson School (now SMK Anderson) Ipoh, Perak would follow in her footsteps, making her way to the World Youth Forum. The forum, organised by the New York Herald Tribune was a gathering of high-schoolers from all over the world. They were not randomly selected but they were all winners of a nationwide competition held by the ministries of education in their respective countries. Teenagers like Jawahir and Lee beat all the other entries in Malaya at the time to earn their spot in the forum which took them abroad for a few months. Based on the old black and white footages, we know that the forum took them to New York, USA and Lee's group had also proceeded to Berlin, Germany. Thanks to these old footages, we can see the joy in the faces of these teenagers, who were possibly abroad for the very first time in their young lives. Dr Jawahir Haji Ali, Kota Bharu – Kelantan Jawahir said while she knew it would be winter in New York prior to arriving, the cold still took by her surprise. This is of course to be expected for a girl from Peninsular Malaysia as we don't get four seasons here. Not much can be found of Jawahir's later life online but it is learned that the she pursued a doctorate in London. According to a comment by Suraya Supian on TikTok, claiming to be her niece, Jawahir had dedicated her life to academia, English lingustics specifically. 'She had a flair in expressing herself, always so eloquently, witty and humorous too. She was known as Dr J among her students,' Suraya said. This is backed by a thesis paper we found in the University of London Another TikTok user Jamal Ali left a comment saying he is Jawahir's son and that his mother passed away in 2005. Clearly the short clip of Jawahir speaking confidently impressed many, with one user likening her speech to the flow of a gentle stream. Her voice drifts like a gentle stream…Tender in tone, yet deep with meaning. Each word falls with quiet elegance, her English a reflection of both intellect and grace. Badli Shah What is equally as impressive as her English is her confidence. There was neither pause nor stutter in her mannerism, a clear indication of a well-educated and bright young woman, able to hold herself high in a time women's voices were not quite loud. And to do all that at just 17. Lee Hup Suan, Ipoh – Perak It was the same for Lee, who attended the forum in 1958. In a Not only that, Lee was the only one among 25 Malaysians who passed the chartered accountancy examination in London which she sat for in 1965. At the time, she was also a chartered secretary. Lee had gone to London under a scholarship from the Perak state government in 1960. In the Straits Times article, Lee spoke about her three months in the US for the World Youth Forum in 1958. She won the spot thanks to her essay titled 'The World We Want'. I wrote in my essay that I wanted a world in which there is tolerance, cooperation and friendship. Lee Hup Suan, Singapore Straits Times, 3 April 1966 World Youth Forum As part of the Youth Forum, participants are involved in a National Educational Television series titled 'The World We Want'. These are the footages we are seeing today. Most of them can be found in the Based on our search, the Herald Tribune's forum ran from 1947 to 1972. Writer Catherine Bishop The forum gathered 30 teenagers in each edition and they would spend three months in New York. They experienced life with American families, American schools, went on television and discussed topics rangin from world conflicts to human rights. Bishop noted that these teenagers also had the opportunity to chat with US presidents and met stars like Harry Belafonte and Ingrid Bergman. The Herald Tribune World Youth Forum was both an idealistic attempt to create a better, more peaceful postwar world and an exercise in Cold War soft power diplomacy. Catherine Bishop While the forum showed these teenagers the world beyond their home countries, Lee remained a true Malayan. When asked if she would rather be an American than a Malayan, she confidently replied no. Because in spite of all the formality and rigidness that we are subject to, I am sure the Malayan way of life has more to offer me and has more variety than the American. Lee Hup Suan Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.
NDTV
a day ago
- Science
- NDTV
Augustus De Morgan: The Mathematician Who Shaped Modern Logic And Algebra
Today marks the birth anniversary of Augustus De Morgan, one of the most influential figures in the history of mathematics and logic. Born on June 27, 1806, in Madurai, India, De Morgan went on to become a British mathematician and logician whose groundbreaking work still shapes modern thinking. According to MacTutor, Augustus lost the sight of his right eye shortly after birth when both eyes were affected with Indian "sore eye". One of his eyes was saved but he became blind in one eye. He was baptised on 20 October 1806 at Fort St George, Madras, India. When seven months old, he returned to England with his parents, and his sisters Eliza and Georgina. De Morgan is best known for formulating De Morgan's Laws, which are fundamental rules in Boolean algebra and logic. These laws describe how mathematical statements and their negations relate, forming a crucial basis for digital electronics and computer programming today. Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, De Morgan later became the first professor of mathematics at University College London. He was known not only for his academic brilliance but also for his efforts to make mathematics more accessible. His textbooks were some of the first to explain complex concepts in plain language, encouraging broader understanding. De Morgan also introduced the term "mathematical induction" and made significant contributions to the study of symbolic logic. Though he lived in the 19th century, his insights laid the groundwork for future developments in computer science, particularly in programming and circuit design. Beyond his academic achievements, De Morgan was known for his wit, sharp reasoning, and belief in intellectual integrity. He was also one of the founders of the London Mathematical Society. As we celebrate his birthday today, Augustus De Morgan remains a shining example of how mathematical insight can transcend centuries, influencing both theoretical and practical aspects of our digital world.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Mystery behind cold blob in the Atlantic Ocean finally solved
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Researchers have finally answered a longstanding question about a giant patch of cold water in the Atlantic Ocean, blaming a change in ocean currents for the unexpected cooling. The anomaly, located just south of Greenland, is — perhaps counterintuitively — called the North Atlantic Warming Hole, and it has been stumping scientists for years. Despite the steady warming of ocean waters around the world, this one area got colder by up to 0.5 degrees Fahrenheit (0.3 degrees Celsius) over the past century. By analyzing ocean temperatures and salinity patterns, scientists linked this mysterious cooling to the slowing of a system of ocean currents called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). The changing AMOC is "a weakening of a major part of the climate system," David Thornalley, a paleoceanographer at University College London who was not involved in the new research, told Live Science in an email. The cold blob has long been a point of disagreement among oceanographers. Some believed that ocean dynamics were responsible, while others suggested atmospheric influences like aerosol pollution were the cause, according to a statement from the University of California, Riverside. These findings, published May 28 in the journal Communications Earth and Environment, could help settle the disagreement, providing evidence that ocean dynamics are responsible. Related story: Key Atlantic current is weakening much faster than scientists had predicted There are only about 20 years of direct AMOC observations, so the research team relied on other data to track older ocean movements. They used temperature and salinity data, which are correlated to current speed, to uncover the AMOC's patterns from the last century, and used 94 different ocean models to assess the changes. With a clear timeline of the AMOC's behavior in hand, the researchers found that only the models that included slowed Atlantic currents matched the real-world cooling. "It's a very robust correlation," study co-author Kai-Yuan Li, a climate scientist at the University of California, Riverside, said in the statement. Better understanding of how the AMOC is slowing will not only explain the cold blob but will also contribute to climate forecasting, the statement noted. The AMOC and the anomaly it created both influence European weather patterns, including rainfall and wind. Marine ecosystems may also be negatively affected by the changing currents, as water temperature and salinity can determine local habitability for some species. RELATED STORIES —Large patch of the Atlantic Ocean near the equator has been cooling at record speeds — and scientists can't figure out why —'We don't really consider it low probability anymore': Collapse of key Atlantic current could have catastrophic impacts, says oceanographer Stefan Rahmstorf —The Atlantic Ocean is widening. Here's why. There's also concern that the AMOC will collapse. Scientists believe that it will weaken by at least 20% by 2100, but it's unclear whether a collapse is imminent, said Nicholas Foukal, an oceanographer at the University of Georgia's Skidaway Institute of Oceanography who was not involved in the new study. "In some sense, the debate is over how bad the effects will be and whether we will have time to adapt to the changes, not whether it will happen," Foukal told Live Science in an email.
The Province
2 days ago
- Health
- The Province
Global vaccination efforts stall, leaving millions of children vulnerable to preventable diseases
'After clean water, vaccination is the most effective intervention for protecting the health of our children,' says professor of children's health at University College London Helen Bedford Published Jun 25, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read A dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination awaits the next patient during a vaccine clinic at Southwestern Public Health in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. Photo by Geoff Robins / AP Efforts to vaccinate children globally have stalled since 2010, leaving millions vulnerable to tetanus, polio, tuberculosis and other diseases that can be easily prevented. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Protection from measles in particular dropped in 100 countries between 2010 and 2019, unravelling decades of progress, including in rich countries that had previously eliminated the highly infectious disease, according to a new analysis of global vaccination trends published Tuesday in the journal Lancet. 'After clean water, vaccination is the most effective intervention for protecting the health of our children,' said Helen Bedford, a professor of children's health at University College London, who was not connected to the research. She warned there has been a small but worrying rise in the number of parents skipping vaccination for their children in recent years, for reasons including misinformation. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In Britain, Bedford said that has resulted in the largest number of measles recorded since the 1990s and the deaths of nearly a dozen babies from whooping cough. Vaccination rates in the U.S. are also falling, and exemptions from vaccinations are at an all-time high. After the World Health Organization established its routine immunization program in 1974, countries made significant efforts to protect children against preventable and sometimes fatal diseases; the program is credited with inoculating more than 4 billion children, saving the lives of 154 million worldwide. Since the program began, the global coverage of children receiving three doses of the diphtheria-tetanus-whooping cough vaccine nearly doubled, from 40 per cent to 81 per cent. The percentage of kids getting the measles vaccine also jumped from 37 per cent to 83 per cent, with similar increases for polio and tuberculosis. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But after the COVID-19 pandemic, coverage rates dropped, with an estimated 15.6 million children missing out on the diphtheria-tetanus-whooping cough vaccine and the measles vaccine. Nearly 16 million children failed to get vaccinated against polio and 9 million missed out on the TB vaccine, with the biggest impact in sub-Saharan Africa. The study was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance. Researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, who conducted the analysis, noted that more than half of the world's 15.7 million unvaccinated children live in just eight countries in 2023: Nigeria, India, Congo, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Indonesia and Brazil. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Since President Trump has begun to withdraw the U.S. from the WHO and dismantled the U.S Agency for International Aid, public health experts have warned of new epidemics of infectious diseases. The researchers said it was too early to know what impact recent funding cuts might have on children's immunization rates. The WHO said there had been an 11-fold spike in measles in the Americas this year compared to 2024. Measles infections doubled in the European region in 2024 versus the previous year and the disease remains common in Africa and Southeast Asia. 'It is in everyone's interest that this situation is rectified,' said Dr. David Elliman, a pediatrician who has advised the British government, in a statement. 'While vaccine-preventable infectious diseases occur anywhere in the world, we are all at risk.' Read More Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
