Do es naming things make the world around us less terrifying? Yes, says David Robson, an awardwinning science writer who specializes in brains, bodies, and behavior. His article for BBC Future, wherein Robson explores the human tendency to anthropomorphize non-human entities, especially diseases and natural disasters, comes hot on the heels of hurricanes Lee and Margot in the US, the tragic earthquake in Morocco, and the tropical cyclone in Libya. Robson posits that this phenomenon is a function of human cognition, and affects our understanding of the world. According to a study, the personification of death, diseases, and destructive natural forces is a psychological reaction to unpredictable, and often incomprehensible, events.

This is part of a trend of humanizing… well… anything. We gave the moon a face, see facial expressions on houses and even on cars, and even in shoes. This phenomenon is called pareidolia, and according to philosopher David Hume, is part of a pattern of behavior that “ascribes malice and good will to everything that hurts us or pleases us.” There is a popular theory that anthropomorphism may have played a role in the development of religious deities and stories throughout human history, in an effort to explain or understand natural phenomena. Sometimes, attributing human traits to natural/statistical events to provide a sense of control may lead to irrational behavior, especially financially, allowing gamblers, for example, to blame Lady Luck for their losing streak rather than probability or their own recklessness.

Mobile phone manufacturers — with the exception of Apple — are seeing a light at the end of the market slump tunnel, looking to foldable phones to drive their growth,reports Bloomberg. The smartphone market has been sluggishas sales have dropped by 7.8% in the past three months, along with successive y-o-y decline over the past couple of years, according to a report by the International Data Corporation (IDC) quoted by Bloomberg. It also doesn’t help that fewer iPhone users are rushing to upgrade their phones as consumers see that new models don’t offer significant changes from their predecessors.

Foldables are the future? Companies like Samsung, Oppo, and Huawei Technologies sure think so. According to an Oppo executive, not only do they offer a more immersive experience, they allow for better multitasking among other advantages which make up for concerns like durability. While the sale of foldable phones remains a niche market, it is slated to expand considerably — up to doubling — over the coming year alone with companies like Honor Device Co. investing USD mns in R&D per phone generation. Apple — experts speculate — is expected to join the bandwagon by 2025, the article quotes Counterpoint Research as saying.

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