Items of Interest

Car Free Cities

WIRED published an interesting article looking at the advantages of car-free cities for people's health and the environment. The piece touches on how the interwoven nature of identity and car ownerships puts people off car-free cities, until they are experienced.

Podcast Of The Week: Francis Huagen on RCP

The Rhodes Centre Podcast (RCP) published a fascinating interview between Francis Haugen, the Facebook whistleblower, and economist Mark Blyth. The interview goes beneath the surface of the practices highlighted by Francis Haugen's testimony to congress, and discusses the long term impact that the lack of oversight on social media content delivery algorithms can have on democracy.

Sand Battery

Researchers in Finland have commercialised sand battery technology that can store heat energy from excess generation. The excess electricity is used to heat air, and energy is then transferred from the air to the sand using a heat exchanger. The sand battery has been deployed in the town of Kankaanpää in western Finland and is used to power the central heating system for the district.

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