Moving World Wednesday

Your weekly round up of news and views from the tech, creative and business world.

Large Hadron Collider 2: A Stronger Machine

The Large Hadron Collider is back – faster, stronger and more misspelled than ever. The most powerful particle accelerator in the world has been officially switched back on in preparation for this summer, when it is due to continue smashing together the building blocks of the universe to see what comes out.

CERN is not just a world centre for scientific excellence (with an amazing variety of extracurricular clubs), but has long attracted the curiosity and talents of artists, designers and musicians. Within CERN’s Swiss campus, visitors could come across the ‘Globe of Science and Innovation’ exhibition space or Josef Kristofoletti’s vivid mural decorating the ATLUS detector. Elsewhere, Tim Exile prompted a TED stage-invasion during his live music set incorporating samples of LHC equipment. Earlier this year we reported on Collider by Funktronic Labs, an interactive journey through the particle accelerator using an Oculus Rift and Leap Motion. The Science Museum’s ‘Collider’ exhibition was so successful it is now on international tour.

The LHC ended its first ‘season’ (fun fact: CERN refers to the LHC’s periods of activity as seasons) with a triumphant final episode, finding the long-theorised Higgs boson particle and not, as the Daily Mail reported, destroying planet Earth. This season, the plot thickens as scientists attempt to unravel an altogether darker mystery: dark matter.

And since you asked – yes, of course the LHC is on Street View.

Battery Battles

As wary as we are about headlines that start ‘scientists have invented…’ and as tedious as it sounds, it’s actually quite exciting to see one that concerns batteries, so here goes nothing.

Scientists have invented a battery that charges a phone in just one minute, apparently. As well as the incredible charging speed, the aluminium prototype is said to be safer than the lithium-ion batteries that we use today – with the major bonus of being less likely to catch fire. It’s also more environmentally friendly than alkaline models such as AA and AAA.

So why is this exciting?

The world of tech has the capability and designs to realise some breathtaking innovations, but the batteries to power these products haven’t kept up. With Apple coming under fire for the battery life of its Watch and newest MacBook, Dyson investing $15m into a new type of battery, Tesla and BMW potentially partnering up and this solar panel that could double up as a phone screen, the battle of the batteries is more prevalent than ever.

Everyone’s favourite outspoken billionaire inventor Elon Musk took to Twitter to voice his concerns about the fact that the new battery hasn’t been proven beyond lab testing environments. With Co.Exist putting Tesla at number 17 on its ‘50 most innovative companies’ for ‘pushing the limits of affordable battery power’, maybe Musk knows a thing or two.

For Freedom and Dickpics

Comedian John Oliver used his successful HBO show 'Last Week Tonight' to tackle and demystify another complicated topic, by surprising viewers with an interview with Edward Snowden held in Russia.

Oliver’s reign has been notable since his takedown of Net Neutrality, which caused the FCC’s website to crash after being bombarded with thousands of comments.

John Oliver’s bold humour made it clear from the start this would not be the usual Snowden interview, when he asked if he misses hot pockets and the entire state of Florida. However this light note was quickly flipped, as Oliver pressed Snowden on how many of the documents he leaked he had actually read, before showing him footage of Americans “not knowing who the **** he is”, with people misremembering him as “The Wikileaks Guy”.

The interview showed us Snowden in a different light, as he was exposed to questions far harder and more aggressive than he may have expected from an ‘entertainer’, and at times during the programme he looks visibly uncomfortable and shocked. It’s been suggested that Snowden’s handlers are “losing their touch”, by exposing ‘the real Snowden’ to an interviewer who may not be sympathetic to his cause.

Oliver’s success is in his ability to simplify complex topics with humour and engaging metaphors, and raising awareness of difficult but important issues. He’s made millions reconsider the issue of surveillance through his dickpic anaology… which you can watch in a tiny box here if you are worried about who can see your ‘junk’.

Though Oliver’s footage showed that many Americans may not know who Snowden is, his image is still revered in many circles. Most recently in a park in Brooklyn where a statue in his image was illegally erected this week, only to be taken down after three hours by the police. It was installed by four artists, who similar to Oliver, wish to get people talking about surveillance and freedom again, and fight against apathy.

#JimSpeaks

Check out our ongoing series from MB Co-Founder Jim Bull that gives his opinion on creativity and his learnings from 16 years of running an independent creative business. We'd love to hear your responses or any questions you want to throw at Jim. Stay tuned for his responses over the coming weeks. Check out more on Twitter using #JimSpeaks.

You may have missed

Director Asif Kapadia follows hit doc ‘Senna’ with a look at Amy Winehouse’s life.

The court that serves divorce papers through Facebook.

Can you recognise a website when it’s reduced to coloured blocks of content?

Germany has opened its first zero-waste store.

A photo collection of Belgium’s ugliest houses.

Screw aluminium or gold, try grass for your next phone upgrade.

Snapchat gets all emoji-nal and tells you who to love.

FetchMe anything you want.

Adult colouring books top bestsellers list.

EE launches wifi calls and texts.

Less awkward cab chat, as Uber invests in developing driverless taxis.

LOLS

Man named Burger is marrying a woman called King, and Burger King is paying for the wedding.

Can you speak Werewolf with Hoxton Street Monster Supplies?

Apple can master the watch but not the arm?!

Moving Brands is an independent, global creative company. We partner with established and emerging businesses to design and transform their brands and experiences to thrive in the moving world.

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