Crowns and gowns: British royal fashion

Fri, 06/07/2019 - 15:52

Imagine a time when only certain people were allowed to wear purple. That time was the Elizabethan period, when your clothes defined who you were infinitely more than today. If you were a peasant or commoner then earth tones were your bag, and a penchant for purple could get your neck stretched. This was decreed by English laws known as the Sumptuary Laws. Only royalty were allowed to wear purple, for a variety of reasons including an association with Roman Emperors’ purple togas and the fact that the dye of that colour was incredibly expensive.

Popular Culture degree proves, um, popular

Fri, 04/05/2019 - 19:55

Is popular culture the frivolous fluff floating on the surface of human existence, or the very glue that binds societies together? Well, it’s both, really. You can watch The Simpsons just for laughs or analyse it as a serious social barometer. However you choose to consume it, though, the show sprang up spontaneously without intervention from the Establishment and is not highbrow, so it’s part of popular culture.

Sustainability in the fashion industry: new course

Mon, 02/26/2018 - 18:41

International luxury goods group Kering owns brands such as Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Boucheron, Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen. Possibly stemming from the company’s origins in the timber industry – or perhaps in spite of them – since 2012 it has been committed to a sustainability plan that aims to minimise its impact on the environment. This includes avoiding PVC in manufacturing operations, sourcing gold from ethical providers, and purchasing its leather from responsible and verified sources.

4 Creative Breakthroughs

Sat, 07/16/2016 - 21:12
Those involved in the creative process know how hard it can sometimes be to open the floodgates of their creativity when required. If they wait for inspiration, they might find themselves waiting a long time. The old adage about creativity (or was it success?) being 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration definitely applies here.

A chip on your shoulder: wearable tech

Fri, 04/08/2016 - 20:40
In 2010, Katy Perry walked into the MET Costume Institute Gala wearing a dress that constantly changed colour. 3000 shimmering LEDs created the effect, with Perry lighting up like a rainbow in the couture dress designed by wearable tech company CuteCircuit.

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  • Understanding Greek and Roman Technology: From Catapult to the Pantheon
    Understanding Greek and Roman Technology: From Catapult to the Pantheon
    Technology / 15 Jun 16

    What did the Romans ever do for us? Well, they gave us roads, sanitation, a legal system, and lots of cool gadgets. The Greeks weren’t half bad either. Some of the great engineering feats of history were accomplished two millennia or so before our own era, which we tend rather arrogantly to consider the pinnacle of technology.

     

  • What do dogs think about?
    What do dogs think about?
    Living Well / 15 Apr 16

    The Open College in the UK is offering a course in Dog Psychology. Upon completion you will have earned the right to have after your name the designatory letters Dip.Dog.Psy and will be awarded with a Diploma Certificate bearing the title.

     

  • Art for art’s sake, money for God’s sake
    Art for art’s sake, money for God’s sake
    Creative / 11 Aug 16

    It’s a cruel fact that the world’s call centres and fast food restaurants are full of workers who have an arts degree but don’t know how to capitalise on it. World famous Central Saint Martins arts and design college aims to change this. It doesn’t just train people to be arty and then release them into the wild to fend for themselves – it also offers a trio of courses in business skills aimed at helping students live their dream and make a living from it.

  • Project Management is the art of keeping projects on track in the face of changing requirements, deadlines and budgets.
    Making headway: Certificate in Project Management
    Business / 04 Oct 16

    Project Management is the art of keeping projects on track in the face of changing requirements, deadlines and budgets. It is an ‘art’ because it bears many similarities to conducting an orchestra: the brass section has to come in on cue and the strings have to play in time. Even the guy on triangle has to go ‘ding!’ at precisely the right moment to make the whole production work. A more realistic definition might be that Project Management is like conducting an orchestra on board a ship in rough seas.

  • The university without any teachers
    The university without any teachers
    Technology / 28 Nov 16

    There are hotels in Europe without any staff. You drive up and check in via a machine that issues your room key, the door unlocks and you go up to your room. Then you eat from vending machines, stay the night and check out, all without any human contact.

    This concept has now been brought to classroom education. There’s a coding school – started in Europe, just like the hotels – that offers programming courses without any teachers, and does not issue any diploma or degree qualifications. It’s open 24/7, and it’s very popular.

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