Talk Fuse

    Culture

    Culture covers the stories that shape how we express ourselves and connect with one another. From film festivals and entertainment to social movements and artistic endeavour, these stories reflect the values, conversations and creativity that define our communities. Whether it's a new film project breaking ground, a performer taking their work to new audiences, or society grappling with important questions about identity and behaviour, culture encompasses the ways we live and the narratives we tell.

    This topic matters because culture is often where change begins. The entertainment industry responds to shifting tastes whilst simultaneously influencing them. Artists and creators challenge conventions, spark conversations, and hold up mirrors to society. Social and cultural movements highlight the issues that resonate with people's lives and futures.

    Culture also reflects broader trends in how we consume and engage with content and ideas. From streaming platforms to live performance, from traditional institutions to emerging voices online, the stories documented here chronicle the evolving landscape of how we entertain, educate and challenge ourselves.

    • Anker’s MindBase is a smart home hub, NAS and security guard

      Anker has unveiled MindBase at IFA 2026, an AI-powered home hub that combines network-attached storage, smart home control and security monitoring in a single device. It is designed to sit at the centre of a connected home, using onboard AI processing to manage smart devices, store family data and act as an automated security watchman,…

    • Anker’s sleep speaker uses radar and flower power to help you relax

      Anker has unveiled the SleepLab, a bedside speaker designed to monitor and improve sleep quality without requiring a wearable device. Instead, it uses 60GHz millimetre-wave radar to detect tiny movements in the chest and body from a nightstand, continuously tracking heart rate and breathing in order to tailor its output to whichever sleep stage the…

    • Anker’s new MindBase is an AI-powered brain for your smart home

      Anker has unveiled the Eufy MindBase, a local AI hub for its home security cameras that runs an on-device large language model, allowing footage to be processed without ever leaving the household network. Unveiled alongside several other smart home security products at the IFA tech show in Berlin, the MindBase is being pitched by Anker…

    • Anker put a display on the case of its new sleepbuds

      Anker has unveiled two new sleep-focused earbuds, the Soundcore Sleep Earbuds 4 and 4 Pro, aimed at side-sleepers. Both models build on the noise-masking technology from last year’s A30 buds, designed to muffle sounds such as a snoring partner, while adding longer battery life, improved active noise cancellation and a 20% smaller contact area for…

    • Philips Hue adds Nanoleaf’s light panels to its ecosystem with a $40 module

      Philips Hue is launching a $39.99 module that lets owners of Nanoleaf’s Hexagon, Triangle and Mini Triangle wall panels integrate them into the Hue smart lighting ecosystem, marking Hue’s first move into modular wall panels without building its own. Rather than compete, the two rival companies have partnered, letting Hue users control Nanoleaf panels via…

    • Philips Hue adds plain-English smart lighting automations

      Philips Hue has added a natural-language automation feature to its app called Custom AI Behaviors, letting users describe in plain English how they want their smart lights to behave rather than building automations through the app’s limited menu system. Announced at IFA, the feature marks a significant expansion of what’s possible in the Hue app,…

    • Philips Hue launches cheaper TV light-sync devices

      Philips Hue has launched cheaper ways to sync its smart lights with television screens, lowering the barrier to entry for its entertainment lighting system. The new Sync Box 4K starts at $150, a significant drop from the $385 8K model, while the brand has also introduced its first camera-based option, the Play Screen Sync, priced…

    • Philips Hue launches Liane colour-changing rope lights

      Philips Hue has unveiled a new range of architecturally focused smart lights, including its Liane 360-degree Rope Lights, launched at IFA in Berlin this week and now available via Philips-Hue.com. The move addresses a common gripe with smart lighting design, where colour-changing fixtures often look more suited to a dorm room than a stylish living…

    • Finland drills civil defence against simulated Russian strikes

      Finland has staged the largest civil defence exercise seen in Europe since the Second World War, involving more than 2,000 volunteers, students and conscripts in the city of Kuopio. The drill simulated cyberattacks disrupting power and water supplies alongside the threat of missile strikes from Russia, testing how authorities and ordinary citizens would respond to…

    • Watch: BBC travels in self-driving Uber around London

      Uber has launched the UK’s first robotaxi service in London, becoming the first company to operate self-driving minicabs in the capital. Passengers can now book rides via the Uber app, though the rollout is small and cautious, reflecting the early, closely monitored stage of autonomous vehicle deployment on British roads. The service began operating with…