In this week’s our take, Millennials discover the joys of packaged holidays, a 3D printer that’s Garbage In, Genius Out, a pig gets the royal treatment (not that pig), and AI-powered headphones that think you’ve never appreciated music before.
FROM BACKPACKING TO BUFFETS
Remember when millennials scoffed at package holidays? They preferred slumming it in hostels, Instagram-bragging about “authentic experiences.” They wouldn’t be caught dead at a resort where the biggest cultural challenge was choosing between poolside piña coladas.
Plot twist: they’ve got toddlers now, and suddenly Club Med looks less like surrender, more like salvation.
Previous generations treated package holidays as budget escapes – cheap sunshine for penny-pinchers. But millennial parents aren’t choosing all-inclusives to save money. They’re paying premium prices to outsource their entire existence. Boomers went on package holidays to escape their lives. Millennials go to reclaim theirs. They’ve gone from seeking adventure to seeking the radical luxury of doing absolutely nothing. The same people who once train-hopped through Spain now weep with gratitude when someone else cleans the toddler’s lunch carnage.
It’s not wanderlust – it’s restoration therapy with unlimited cocktails; travel as expensive adult day-care. And we’re absolutely fine with it.
Garbage IN, Genius OUt
Wood, steel, plastic, spinach? Not your usual materials list, but that’s kind of the point. The Foodres AI Printer is a new design that re-imagines what we consider waste. Literally
Designed by Yiqing Wang and Biru Cao, this award-winning machine uses AI and 3D printing to transform your kitchen scras into useful, durable objects. Your leftovers could become a coaster. Mouldy bread? A wall hook.
Where traditional recycling still hinges on systems and separation, Foodres invites a more immediate shift: treat waste as material, not mistake. That subtle difference signals a bigger cultural one. We’re not just trying to do less harm, we’re learning how to make more meaning from what’s already there.
Sustainability is evolving from a responsibility into a creative driver. As climate-consciousness matures, we’re seeing a move away from guilt-led greenwashing to innovation that feels genuinely imaginative, and useful. Designing from waste isn’t niche anymore. It’s the new starting line.
THIS LITTLE PIGGY WENT GLOBAL
When we say we’ve been glued to the latest news about a famous pig, you might not expect us to be talking about a fictional one.
Over the past few months, Peppa Pig fans have been treated to Mummy Pig’s pregnancy reveal on morning TV, a gender reveal at Battersea Power Station, and a royal-style birth announcement outside the Lindo Wing.
This wasn’t just a storyline – it was a full blown cultural moment. And we loved every ridiculous minute of it – the photoshoot, the magazine spreads, the formal announcements. It was over the top, completely unnecessary, and perfect.
It’s rare for children’s TV to break into the real world in such a dramatic way, but this felt more like a royal baby than a cartoon subplot.
So welcome Baby Evie. And long may you be a pig who brings a touch of innocent joy to the world.
TONE DEAF HI TECH AI HI FI
VIAIM, a premium audio brand, has teamed up with the China Philharmonic Orchestra to create the Philharmonic Signature Sound – headphones tuned by AI to mimic the experience of hearing a live orchestra. The pitch? You’ll hear emotional depth, spatial nuance, and all the richness of a concert hall like never before.
And while we’re sure the tech is fantastic – we’re believers – can you lay off with the BS? This is music we’re talking about! Some of us found emotional depth listing to Adam and the Ants on a mono tape recorder in 1981.
To be fair, the China Philharmonic is a serious outfit, and great audio tech optimised for classical music is an interesting idea.
Those earbuds? We’d stick those in our ears. That press release? Might end up somewhere else.