Not so long ago, life was packed with solitary activities - or, at least, the potential for them: watching television, reading, going for a long walk with no one to talk to. Just you and your thoughts.
Today, we've become used to the idea that we're never truly alone. For most of us, mobile connective technologies mean that wherever we are, we carry in our pocket the distant whisper of a billion voices, just a touch screen tap away.
Hasn't this changed the way we think about what it means to be alone? That beautiful countryside vista that we might once have simply have noticed and remembered now presents a whole matrix of options to be negotiated. Should we Facebook the moment? Tweet it, Instagram it, turn it into yet another piece of content to feed the digital/social machine? Even the choice to not do those things is, in the end, a social decision. We've enabled always-on connectivity and there's no going back.
Not that going back is, for many, the preferred option. Now, increasing numbers of services aim to ensure that whatever we're doing, we have instant access to others around the globe doing the same. Those technologies are bringing into being a whole new kind of social connection, one that transcends geography and instead arranges social connection around real-time shared activity.
Television is at the forefront; the US talk show Conan now makes available an app that allows viewers to connect with one another and chat while they're watching the show. Meanwhile, last year's US presidential debate in Denver was the most tweeted event of all time, racking up 10.3 million tweets in 90 minutes as the vast television audience discussed what they were seeing with one another while it unfolded.
Activity-based social connection is also being fuelled by mobile internet. Here on Biz (available in the Apple Store), for example, is an app that allows business professionals to connect in real-time with others in their LinkedIn network. At a business conference or stuck at the airport waiting for that flight? Why not strike up a conversation with another executive in the same position? Meanwhile in Brazil, the Spotwish Go! app (spotwish.com/go) lets users broadcast their current activity and connect with others nearby who are doing the same.
Human beings are social animals. When we talk about the digital technologies that are transforming our lives, we often observe that they allow us to watch endless Justin Bieber videos, buy Louboutins from our smartphone, negotiate group discounts or a million other things. But all of those are really just a way of saying that these technologies allow us to connect with one another in new ways. How long will it be before even the definitive solitary activity - reading a book, ideally a long, dense novel - becomes social, so that iPad readers of page 457 of War and Peace across the globe are chatting in real time about the plot turn they've just encountered?
These technologies have reconfigured the boundaries between alone and together, private and public. Soon enough, we'll find out what that really means. And we'll tweet about it.
David Mattin is lead strategist at trendwatching.com
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8
Power: 503hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 685Nm at 2,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Price: from Dh850,000
On sale: now
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
If you go
The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.
The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).
When to go
Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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Company%20Profile
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
RECORD%20BREAKER
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Director: Shazia Iqbal
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Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
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Torque: 390Nm
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Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
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Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
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Rating: 2.5/5
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
