Latest news with #Theia
Fashion United
27-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion United
Bloobloom secures three million pounds funding to bolster expansion
Bloobloom has announced the closing of a three million pound follow-on funding round which it said it would use to aid the roll out of European stores. The British eyewear brand also noted that it had its eyes on expanding its online presence in the US. The funding was led by Pembroke VCT, which had initially invested 2.5 million pounds into Bloobloom as part of a 4.8 million pound fundraise in 2022. For this latest round, the venture capital trust contributed two million pounds, alongside an additional one million pounds from Social Impact Enterprises. Through the fundraise, Bloobloom said it was 'well-positioned to scale its operations', expand internationally and grow its retail presence in the UK, where it currently operates seven stores across London. Founded in 2017, Bloobloom is dedicated to a tech-focused approach to eyewear, utilising its proprietary AI technology platform, Theia, to perform readings and interpretations of prescriptions in order to select the correct lenses for customers and analyse their eye health. The company has continued to grow since its inception, reporting over 100,000 active customers with a sales retention rate of 90 percent. Bloobloom further stated that it welcomed a revenue growth of 2.3x from FY23 to FY24. In a press release, co-founders of the brand, Fares and Abbas Manai, said in a joint statement: 'We are both excited and grateful as we embark on this next phase of growth, in partnership with some of the finest investors in the UK. This latest round of funding will enable us to continue enhancing our technology platform and to maintain the outstanding service we provide to our customers online, in store, and beyond, thanks to our Pair for Pair programme.'
Scoop
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Winners Announced At Country Music Honours
23 May 2025 2025 APRA Best Country Music Song Award winner – Holly Arrowsmith MLT Songwriting Award winner – Nicola Mitchell, Em-Hayley Walker & Byllie-Jean Zeta Tami Neilson recipient of inaugural award Top country music artists from across Aotearoa gathered in Gore this evening for the prestigious Country Music Honours, celebrating finalists and winners with the presentation of the 2025 APRA Best Country Music Song Award, Country Music Honour for the MLT Songwriting award and the inaugural Country Music Honour for Contribution to Country Music in Aotearoa. The glamorous red-carpet event marked the official opening of the Bayleys Tussock Country Music Festival — a 10-day celebration of all things Tussock Country. The audience was treated to performances by special guest Tami Neilson, alongside finalists Holly Arrowsmith, Mel Parsons, and Nicola Mitchell and more. APRA Best Country Music Song Award winner Country Music Honour for the MLT Songwriting Award Country Music Honour for Contribution to Country Music in Aotearoa Tami Neilson South Island songwriter Holly Arrowsmith was presented as the winner of the 2025 APRA Best Country Music Song Award for the title track from the 2024 critically acclaimed album ' Blue Dreams '. Having won first in 2019 with ' Slow Train Creek', and most recently in 2024 with ' Desert Dove', the Aotearoa Music Award finalist & Taite Music Prize nominee, won with the moving song ' Blue Dreams ', that delves into life as a first-time parent, surviving those early days of chronic exhaustion while managing the huge burden of responsibility, bringing life into such a turbulent world. The prestigious Country Music Honour for the MLT Songwriting Award, which celebrates unreleased original songs from Aotearoa, was awarded to Nicola Mitchell, Byllie-Jean Zeta, and Em-Hayley Walker (Theia, Te Kaahu) for their waiata 'Wā/Time' performed by Nicola Mitchell. All three are wāhine Māori with distinctive musical styles. Their collaboration on 'Wā/Time' reflects a powerful fusion of their unique voices and a shared cultural vision. Lachie Hayes was named runner-up for his heartfelt song 'A Short Time', earning recognition for his songwriting talent in a highly competitive field. In a special addition to this year's awards, audiences witnessed the emotive debut of the Country Music Honour for Contribution to Country Music in Aotearoa. The inaugural recipient of this award was the acclaimed Tami Neilson, recognised for her outstanding impact and unwavering dedication to the country music scene in Aotearoa New Zealand - with particular focus on the opportunities Tami has selflessly created for the emerging artists around her. As Neilson stood on stage to receive the surprise Honour, a video celebrating her career moved many in the theatre to tears — featuring audio tributes from Jesse Mulligan (RNZ), fellow New Zealand country artists, her Canada-based brother Todd Neilson, and Willie Nelson.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The moon: Facts about our planet's lunar companion
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Quick facts about the moon How far away it is: An average of 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers) from our planet How big it is: 2,159 miles (3,475 km) across, or about one-fourth our planet's size How old it is: About 4.4 billion years old The moon is our constant companion and the only natural object that always orbits Earth. It's about four times smaller than Earth and its gravity is much weaker, which is why astronauts bounce around on it like a trampoline. But even though our moon is relatively small, it still has a big effect on our planet. The moon is why our oceans have tides, and it may even help stabilize Earth's tilt and rotation, keeping the lengths of our days and seasons the same. Read on to learn more fascinating facts about the moon. The moon's orbit isn't a perfect circle. Instead, it's more stretched out, kind of like an oval, which means its distance from Earth varies by about 30,000 miles (48,000 km). The surface of the moon is rusting. It's turning redder as Earth's atmosphere interacts with iron in the soil. NASA has spotted water on the moon. The same side of the moon always faces Earth. Scientists have grown plants in moon dirt from the Apollo missions. The leading theory is that the moon formed about 4.4 billion years ago, not long after the solar system was born. Many enormous space rocks were flying near the early Earth at that time. Astronomers believe a massive object called Theia crashed into early Earth. The crash would have melted part of our world and destroyed our planet's atmosphere, but the collision created the material that eventually formed the moon. Some astronomers have different versions of this theory, such as the possibility that a baby Earth was turned into a doughnut of molten rock called a synestia after Theia vaporized our planet. According to this idea, as the space doughnut cooled, material at its outer edges combined into small "moonlets" and, eventually, the moon itself. An even stranger theory suggests that Earth's gravity allowed the planet to steal the moon from Venus. Whatever its origin story, the moon has been with us throughout human history, as evidenced by its many names. The Latin word for the moon is "luna," and the English word "lunar" is derived from it. In Greek, Selene is the name of a mythical moon goddess, which gives us the word "selenology," or the study of the moon's rocks. The moon is made mostly of rocks that are rich in iron and magnesium. The moon's face is covered in craters, which were left by various space objects that slammed into the moon over billions of years. And because the moon doesn't have wind to wipe away these scars, or plates of crust that sink and carry different surface features into the planet's core, the scars stick around. On the far side of the moon is the South Pole-Aitken Basin — a giant hole 1,550 miles (2,500 km) wide and 8 miles (13 km) deep. Scientists are still scratching their heads over how it formed. The moon also has large, dark features called "maria," or "seas" in Latin, since they were once believed to be bodies of water. Today, researchers know these areas were carved from the moon's crust billions of years ago, when lava flowed over the lunar surface. Although we know that maria aren't actually bodies of water, trace amounts of water may exist in dark regions at the moon's poles. Much like a comet, the moon also has a long tail. It's made of sodium atoms blasted out of the moon's soil by meteor strikes and then pushed hundreds of thousands of miles away by the sun's rays. Earth sometimes wears this tail like a scarf. The moon has an atmosphere, but it's much different from Earth's atmosphere. An extremely thin layer of gas blankets the moon. In comparison, Earth's atmosphere at sea level has around a billion billion times more molecules in the same space. The moon's atmosphere contains many types of atoms, including oxygen, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, helium and even tiny amounts of water. It also has weirder chemicals, such as argon, radon and polonium. Some of these chemicals came from the moon itself, which "breathed" them out as it cooled. Others were delivered by comets. Although there is oxygen on the moon, there's not enough for humans to breathe. The moon is also full of dust. Moon dust is made from extremely sharp and tiny pieces of volcanic glass that have been smashed out of the lunar soil by tiny meteorites. The thin atmosphere means these fragments hardly ever get worn away, so dust on the moon is toxic and dangerous; it even clogged the equipment and zippers Apollo astronauts brought to the moon. Humans have worked to explore the moon since the beginning of the Space Age. It's the only place in the solar system, besides Earth, that humans have set foot upon. NASA's historic Apollo program first brought astronauts to the moon's surface on July 20, 1969, winning the space race for the United States. Instruments placed on the moon during the Apollo missions are still being used by scientists today. Measurements from these missions have shown that the moon is moving away from Earth by about 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) per year and that quakes on the moon spread from cliff-like cracks on the surface. Apollo astronauts also brought back 842 pounds (382 kilograms) of moon rocks with them that are still being studied today. China's Chang'e program and India's Chandrayaan program have both landed spacecraft on the moon. Soviet probes have also landed on the moon, and the Russian and Japanese space agencies have sent spacecraft to circle the moon. Israel tried to land on the moon's surface, but the lander crashed. NASA also wants to revisit the moon. As part of its Artemis program, the space agency wants to place American astronauts back on the moon's surface as a launching point to Mars. Image 1 of 4 Humans landed on the moon for the first time on July 20, 1969. Image 2 of 4 A total lunar eclipse happens when the full moon passes directly through Earth's shadow. This makes the moon appear red and is often called a "blood moon." Image 3 of 4 A supermoon occurs when there's a full moon during the moon's nearest point to Earth in its orbit. This makes the moon appear bigger and brighter than usual. Image 4 of 4 An image of the Apollo 17 moon rock troctolite 76535. This study was focused on sample 79221. Will Earth ever lose its moon? Why can't we see the far side of the moon? Why can we sometimes see the moon in the daytime?
South China Morning Post
18-05-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Discover the moon's secrets during Hong Kong's total lunar eclipse on September 8
Have you ever wondered how Earth's moon could have been created? Some scientists think the moon formed about 4.5 billion years ago after a collision between an early version of Earth and a small planet called Theia. It released a huge amount of debris, eventually forming the moon we see today. This is known as the giant-impact hypothesis. What's on the moon? Decades of research have found that the moon has layers. On the outside is a crust. A mantle is below that, and a core is at the centre (see graphic). Dark skies all day When sunlight reaches Earth, it is scattered by gases and particles in Earth's atmosphere. Blue light is scattered more than other colours because of its short wavelength. That is why our sky looks blue. However, the moon has only a thin layer of air. Even when it is daytime there, the sky looks black. Because the sky is pitch-black, you can see the stars during the day. Lunar eclipse A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth is between the moon and the sun, blocking the sunlight that usually shines on the moon. This makes its surface appear darker. A total lunar eclipse can be seen from Hong Kong on September 8. If you miss it, you will have to wait another three years for the next one.
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
My daughter has such a unique name most people can't pronounce it - but I hope she grows to love it
People the world over must go through life with a name they didn't choose - and while it's said that children 'grow into' their given moniker, some inevitably end up resenting their parents' choice. One mother, who thought it would be 'nice' to give her daughter a 'memorable' name, may have reason to worry. Writer Catherine Lamb, 36, admits that many people have trouble pronouncing her little girl's unusual first name - but she hopes 14-month-old Theia (pronounced Thay-ah) will grow to love it. The mother, from Kent, told The Telegraph that she had originally planned to call her daughter Thea and only opted for Theia - after the Greek titan goddess - when she heard another mother talking to a young Thea. Catherine, who resented having the same name as two other girls in school, said it 'immediately' put her off the moniker Thea - which is actually more popular than people think. Her decision to do away with the name was finalised when she and her husband, Nathanial, learnt that distant relatives in New Zealand also had a daughter named Thea. The moniker was the 63rd-most popular girls' name in the UK, according to Office for National Statistics data, in 2023. During that year alone, it was given to 716 baby girls. Eager to find something that was original but not a million miles away from the name she had once loved, Catherine took to Google. 'I immediately started Googling similar names, and found that the origin of the name Thea is actually from Theia, pronounced slightly differently, the Greek goddess of light,' she told The Telegraph. 'I loved that it was a strong and elegant name that had some history and mythology behind it.' Fearing that others would either try to dissuade them from using Theia - or, worse still, use the name themselves - Catherine and Nathanial refrained from sharing their discovery with anyone else. But while the couple's friends and family were enthusiastic about the name when Theia was born, Catherine regrets that 'people do forget how to say it.' Even Nathanial's mother initially said Thea when her son told her that Theia had arrived. 'I've still only met two people who have known how to pronounce her name from seeing it written down, Catherine added. 'They usually plump for Thea, or sometimes 'Thee-ay-ah', or 'Thigh-ah'.' Catherine is open about the fact that she finds it 'frustrating' having to correct people all the time. Yet, while she sometimes wonders if her little Theia might find it equally annoying when she's older, Catherine hopes that her daughter grows to love the unusual name. Earlier this year, new data by BabyCenter revealed which names are being abandoned by modern parents - with some dropping a staggering 433 spots in just one year. For girls, 'Jamie' leads the charge of disappearing names, plummeting a massive 320 spots on BabyCenter's annual name analysis list. 'Katie' follows closely, dropping 290 spots, while 'Remy' falls 277 positions. The list follows with 'Liv' and 'Analia,' followed by 'Karina,' 'Belle' and 'Erin.' The comes 'Bristol' and 'Lilia' completing the list. On the boys' side, 'Jamal' has emerged as the most 'extinct' name, falling a whopping 433 spots in a single year. Then comes the name 'Esteban,' dropping 283 spots, followed by 'Cannon' and 'Emery.' The list continues with 'Taylor,' 'Kareem,' 'Idris,' 'Camilo,' 'Matthias' and 'Danny' rounding out the last six names. Each year, BabyCenter highlights the most popular baby names, analyzing trends from hundreds of thousands of parents who register their newborns. Experts point to major shifts in naming trends, with entire generations of names facing 'extinction.' Last year, experts spotted the beginning of the end for '-aden' boy names, a trend that continues this year. Jaden, which peaked at No. 62 in 2002, is now continuing its decline, falling 162 spots from its former glory. Royal-inspired names are experiencing a particularly brutal culling, with Catherine plunging a staggering 221 spots, accompanied by a decrease of names like Anne, Phillip, Albert, and Edward. Millennial-era names are also seeing a drop. Names that once dominated playgrounds in the '80s and '90s now facing complete extinction like 'Jamie' which dominated name charts from 1974 to 1996. Even beloved nicknames are not immune to this naming massacre. Liv, a popular shortened version of Olivia, has been brutally dropped 257 spots, while Billy has seen a 167 spot drop. 'One thing that makes a name go out of fashion is that it's been in fashion for too long,' Pamela Redmond, whose books on baby names led to the creation of her site Nameberry, told The Guardian in June. A previous study revealed there has seen a decrease in common names chosen in the US since the 1980s when parents wanted to select novel names that would make their children stand out. 'The Baby Boomers were the first parents who wanted to be cool, and who wanted their children to be cool as well,' Redmond told the BBC. The way parents used to name their children was more about fitting in and choosing a simple and practical name, baby name expert Laura Wattenberg told NPR. 'That was what was realistic. That was what was expected,' she said, adding: 'Today, the culture is more about standing out instead of fitting in, and the options are limitless. Everyone is pushing to be unique, to be creative.'
