Do you really know?

November is synonymous with Black Friday, great deals but what cost? Over consumption is endangering our already fragile planet. Is it time to change our ways? This week Do You Really Know is highlighting concepts and initiatives about reducing our consumption. Giving Tuesday is a worldwide initiative which encourages people to do good. The movement was created in the United States in 2012, and ha...

November is synonymous with Black Friday, great deals but what cost? Over consumption is endangering our already fragile planet. Is it time to change our ways? This week Do You Really Know is highlighting concepts and initiatives about reducing our consumption. According to the World Wildlife Foundation, roughly a third of all produced in the world goes to waste. What’s more the United Nations’ Fo...

November is synonymous with Black Friday, great deals but what cost? Over consumption is endangering our already fragile planet. Is it time to change our ways? This week Do You Really Know is highlighting concepts and initiatives about reducing our consumption. As you most likely know, today - the 25th of November 2022 - is Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year. It's an occasion which...

November is synonymous with Black Friday, great deals but what cost? Over consumption is endangering our already fragile planet. Is it time to change our ways? This week Do You Really Know is highlighting concepts and initiatives about reducing our consumption. Degrowth advocates believe that if we continue prioritising economic growth, political, environmental and geopolitical crises will only in...

November is synonymous with Black Friday, great deals but what cost? Over consumption is endangering our already fragile planet. Is it time to change our ways? This week Do You Really Know is highlighting concepts and initiatives about reducing our consumption. ‘Tis the season to spend, spend, spend! In the lead up to Christmas we are bombarded with adverts trying to make us buy but this year migh...

November is synonymous with Black Friday, great deals but what cost? Over consumption is endangering our already fragile planet. Is it time to change our ways? This week Do You Really Know is highlighting concepts and initiatives about reducing our consumption. The circular economy is an economic system where all resources are continually used and nothing is wasted. Goods and services are produced...

November is synonymous with Black Friday, great deals but what cost? Over consumption is endangering our already fragile planet. Is it time to change our ways? This week Do You Really Know is highlighting concepts and initiatives about reducing our consumption. If you thought Britney Spears shaving her head in 2007 marked the end of the flared jeans era, think again. In 2022, youngsters are huntin...

November is synonymous with Black Friday, great deals but what cost? Over consumption is endangering our already fragile planet. Is it time to change our ways? This week Do You Really Know is highlighting concepts and initiatives about reducing our consumption. All week long we’ll be discussing anticonsumerist trends as an alternative to Black Friday. Zero waste is a good example of one that has b...

November is synonymous with Black Friday, great deals but what cost? Over consumption is endangering our already fragile planet. Is it time to change our ways? This week Do You Really Know is highlighting concepts and initiatives about reducing our consumption. You might not be able to afford a Balenciaga coat, a Prada bag or a Chanel suit, but you could probably stretch to a branded baseball cap,...

November is synonymous with Black Friday, great deals but what cost? Over consumption is endangering our already fragile planet. Is it time to change our ways? This week Do You Really Know is highlighting concepts and initiatives about reducing our consumption. Fast fashion is to fashion what fast food is to dining. That is to say a poor-quality imitation, which everybody criticises but still neve...

November is synonymous with Black Friday, great deals but what cost? Over consumption is endangering our already fragile planet. Is it time to change our ways? This week Do You Really Know is highlighting concepts and initiatives about reducing our consumption. When talking about the economy, two terms always seem to come up: consumption and GDP. Consumption is seen as an important data point when...

It’s not uncommon to hear ringing, buzzing, humming or hissing sounds that can’t be heard by anyone else. The medical term for these symptoms is tinnitus. The sounds may affect both ears, or just one. If you’re lucky, they’re a temporary or intermittent problem, but for some people they can be more severe, affecting their daily lives.  2019 figures from the British Tinnitus Association suggested t...

Just like with body shaming or slut shaming, mom shaming is another example of how women are often subjected to disproportionate criticism, and made to feel guilty about their choices, in this case specifically about parenting methods. The term refers to how mothers are criticised or even humiliated, for the way they bring up their children and fulfil their role as a mother. Such comments often co...

On 26th October 2022, Elon Musk walked into Twitter’s San Francisco offices carrying a sink. He was there to complete a deal to acquire the company and later tweeted an image along with the corny caption “Entering Twitter HQ; Let that sink in”. Within two days, the $44bn acquisition was confirmed, following months of speculation. And it’s fair to say that Musk’s first weeks as head of Twitter have...

If you drink alcohol, the chances are at some point you’ve had to deal with a nasty hangover, due to drinking too much. The associated headache, nausea, fatigue and other symptoms can make it a real challenge to get through the day after a night out.  There’s actually a scientific term for the unpleasant symptoms that come with a hangover; it’s veisalgia. According to Ted.com, between 3 and 23% of...

Surely it’s every football fan's dream to watch the world cup live and support their team.  Imagine then being offered free tickets, accommodation and even a daily allowance to do so. For some fans heading to Qatar this November that is exactly what has happened. But like all deals that look too good to be true, here too, there is a catch. Paid fans will be expected to be ambassadors for the tourn...

The world of cinema is full of films and sagas which leave their mark on a generation, sometimes becoming cult films. And another phenomenon is becoming more and more common: that of the spin off.  Spin-off films involve the creation of a new work based on the original, focusing on the story of a secondary character. There are a number of reasons why directors and screenwriters have chosen to carr...

Also known as woodcraft, bushcraft culture is somewhere between a hobby and a philosophy. It’s a minimalist approach to surviving in nature, without disturbing it. It’s the use and practice of certain skills in a natural environment, like a forest.  Many bushcraft skills were common throughout the history of humanity, but aren’t so necessary in the towns and cities where most people live in this d...

The year’s biggest climate event is underway, with a number of challenges making it difficult for countries to deal with ever-increasing global warming. 2022 has seen a number of severe weather disasters, and issues like energy costs, food insecurity and debt aren’t making things easier. What’s more, there’s tension in the air as Egypt hosts COP 27. The 2022 edition of the UN’s climate summit brin...

The average British household usually puts on their central heating by October 24, according to British Gas. But this year, thanks to soaring energy costs, and a mild winter it may well be later. Turning down your heating can have real savings. The Energy Saving Trust calculates that turning your thermostat down from 20c to 19c should cut your energy bill by around 10 per cent. But as well as savi...

These pulsing headaches are known for affecting quality of life in a high number of people. They’re one of the most common disorders in the world, with the WHO suggesting at least 1 in 7 people have migraines across the world. If you’re lucky enough not to get migraines, don't underestimate how debilitating they can be for some people. They’re far from being simple headaches. Migraine symptoms can...

Cellulite is a regular source of insecurity among women. That’s been especially true since women’s magazines came along, pretty much labelling it public enemy number one. In our collective minds, it’s become inextricably linked to being overweight or having gone through pregnancy. In reality, cellulite is the result of a number of factors, and hormonal changes in particular. The first thing to kno...

In past episodes of Do You Really Know, we’ve talked about a number of Scandinavian lifestyle trends, like death cleaning and hygge for example. Both of those are inspired by similar sentiments; to do with feeling good in surroundings that aren’t overflowing with useless items. And yet, in recent months, we’ve been hearing more and more about a home decor trend that’s the complete opposite. Maxima...

“Good vibes only”, “Everything happens for a reason”, “When life gives you lemons..." You’ve almost certainly been told these mantras at some point in your life, whether in a professional or personal context.  Toxic positivity is a belief that people should maintain a positive mindset no matter how difficult their situation is. Though they might seem comforting and well-intentioned, experts have s...

To this day, consumption of wireless data just keeps on growing as we use the internet more and more every year. Now it might be difficult to comprehend but we could eventually get to a point where WiFi simply can’t cope with that ever-growing demand for data. The radio-frequency space that wifi relies on is gradually getting saturated, which could lead to something called spectrum crunch. That wo...