Enter the booth

These self-contained pods are equipped with VCube desk, seating, PC, power outlets and video conferencing software

Japan's airports, train stations and office foyers are making room for telecubes to help people who are working remotely. These self-contained pods were first reported about in 2019, when Mitsubishi Estate announced plans to start rolling them out.

The idea was to have micro-offices available everywhere, to make it easier for people to work near home or on business trips. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise in video conferencing over face-to-face meetings has fuelled the demand for making video calls on the go.

These soundproof boxes are approximately two metres high and one metre wide and are equipped with VCube desk, seating, PC, power outlets and video conferencing software. They can be set up indoors, as well as outdoors and come in both a solo format, and a model designed for multiple individuals, in cases where face-to-face meetings are necessary.

Each Telecube can be booked and accessed via a smartphone app, and there is a 24x7 support service for users. To register, you have to pay a minimum amount of 250 yen (Rs 173) for 15 minutes, which most people don't mind paying, if it helps them get the job done. After each usage, data and browsing history from the PC is cleared to maintain business confidentiality.

Rapper shows off his bindi

American rapper Lil Uzi Vert recently shocked his fans by posting photos of him with what he claims is a $24 million pink diamond embedded in his forehead. Lil Uzi Vert, whose real name is Symere Woods, had announced plans to have the ultra-rare and expensive pink precious stone embedded in his forehead last week.

An ancient sound

A large conch shell, which was overlooked in a museum for decades, is now producing a deep, plaintive bleat, like a foghorn from the distant past. The shell was found during the 1931 excavation of a cave with prehistoric wall paintings in the French Pyrenees and assumed to be a ceremonial drinking cup. Archaeologists from the University of Toulouse invited a French horn player to play it. The horn produced clear C, C sharp and D notes. The researchers estimate it to be around 18,000-years-old.

Ghost of my lover?
South Korean docu show is using VR to reunite people with the departed

A South Korean TV documentary is using state-of-the-art VR gear and software to reunite people with their loved ones, who have passed on. The show, I Met You, first made headlines when it enabled a reunion between a heartbroken mother and her young daughter, who had passed away of haemochromatosis. In the second season, 51-year-old Kim Jung-soo signed up as the protagonist of the show just to see his beloved wife one more time, even in the virtual space. The South Korean television network reportedly spent six months putting together the immersive VR experience, making sure that it was as convincing as possible. They hired an actress to best recreate the mannerisms of Kim's wife in VR. When Kim finally reunited with his spouse, his eyes were filled with tears. The man's children also got emotional, watching the reunion.

Man swallows earbud while sleeping

A man from Worcester, Brad Gauthier, accidentally swallowed his earphones while falling asleep, earlier this week. He realised that something had got stuck in his throat, when he couldn't sip water. An X-ray at a local emergency clinic revealed that the small plastic device had lodged itself in his lower esophagus. What's surprising is that Gauthier said he never experienced more than a minor discomfort.

Tot releases LP of jam session in womb

An American toddler, Luca Yupanqui, is getting ready to release her first music album, which is also the world's first-ever LP with sounds she created inside the womb. The 10-track album was produced with the help of Biosonic MIDI technology. Electrodes were placed on her mum's abdomen, and the vibrations of the foetus were translated into sound using synthesisers. The LP has been named Sounds of the Unborn.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever