Timothy Alden, Author at Think Magazine

The Story of Plastic: Documentary Screening

Plastic can be found in increasing quantities atop the highest mountain peaks to the darkest depths of the ocean’s trenches. Its effects are pervasive, devastating natural ecosystems, and pose lethal threats to wildlife, while microplastics are even being found in unborn babies, with the consequences as of yet unclear. Over recent years, the predicament of plastic waste has intensified with a surge in usage and production. Since the turn of the millennium, global production of plastics has soared, reaching approximately 400 million metric tonnes annually by 2021.

Food Security in Malta: Is it Possible?

It is unlikely that Malta can ever become self-sufficient when it comes to food. The next best thing for the island is to guarantee sustainable food security. THINK sits with 4 experts to see how this could be possible.

Food Security malta Self-sufficiency Wheat

Beyond Labels: Rethinking Identity Politics, Equity, and Democracy

In the struggle for increased social and economic rights, it is easy to make the mistake of failing to grasp nuances and different perspectives. Dr Michael Briguglio challenges some of the preconceived notions which persist in modern political discourse, particularly lumping together movements and groups which have important distinctions. In this interview, Briguglio makes the case for liberal democracy and answers key questions on issues of representation and identity.

Equity Identity Politics timothy Alden

Can You Enhance That?

Cop shows have taught us that grainy photos of a crime scene usually contain clues to a killer in action. By zooming in or running a program, investigators are able to catch critical clues to help in their investigation. In reality, if one zooms in on a poor-quality image, one simply gets pixels. A team of researchers at the University of Malta (UM) are developing software which can enhance images to extract critical details and clues using artificial intelligence. Dr Ing. Christian Galea, one of the researchers in the Deep-FIR project, talks us through his journey.

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artificial intelligence

Must There Be Winners and Losers as We Go Green?

Climate change is a growing problem. The longer we go without making sacrifices, the greater the price that must ultimately be paid. The problem is made worse, however, because when it comes to phasing out fossil fuels, some people must automatically pay a higher price than others. So who would the winners and losers be if we suddenly drove forward to significantly lower emissions by 2030, as the European Union intends?

climate change Corporation Elinor Ostrom fossil fuel idea oil sustainability Tragedy of the Commons

Let’s Have a Chat about ChatGPT

ChatGPT has taken the world by storm since its launch in November 2022. It is a chatbot developed by OpenAI and built on the GPT-3 language model. What sets it apart from other AI chatbots is the sheer amount of data it has been trained on, allowing the quality of its responses to cause waves, leading to headlines such as ChatGPT passing key professional exams. It has also consequently caused concern in academia that it may be used to cheat at exams and assignments. We speak to two academics from the University of Malta, Dr Claudia Borg and Dr Konstantinos Makantasis, to see how academia should adapt. Are such advances a threat to be curbed or an opportunity to be exploited?

ai chatbot ChatGPT university of malta