All events like Glastonbury should have virtual and physical elements

The proposed Glastonbury live stream is not far removed from the televised BBC screenings we’re used to. That might satisfy some people – but given how much innovation we’ve seen in the virtual events arena this year I’m surprised that such a world-class event isn’t taking things further.

What about leveraging AR, VR, apps, interactive live streams, polls, prizes and virtual communities to elevate the experience further for fans, for instance? More opportunities for audience feedback would also help performers shine too.

The fact is, all events will need to have both a virtual and physical element from now on, so we need to stop thinking about the digital element as a stopgap, and start leveraging these tools to deliver impactful, interactive experiences to people at home.

Unless Glastonbury is working on this behind the scenes, this seems like a wasted opportunity.

Rob Nash, MD of intelligent self-service agency, 4 Roads

Regarding Chris Packham's welcome piece on intensive farming. It has also always struck me how little we care about farm animals compared to our pets. We lavish love and care on our dogs and cats but think nothing of buying cheap meat due to the impersonal nature we have with the animals we eat. Can we not show them a little compassion and give them a bearable life before they make the ultimate sacrifice? A little less meat but higher welfare has always seemed to be a good compromise for those who have to consider the higher cost of more ethically produced meat.

Lynn Brymer

Kent

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Kate Hughes’ article regarding “green electricity production/use” was very illuminating, leading me to investigate our own provider.

Some seem to fit my impression of a “green provider” in as much as they produce as much green energy as they supply. They also encourage both commercial and private entities to supply green energy to the grid through wind farms and solar in conjunction with their own generating facilities.

As Ms Hughes suggests, providers of electricity ought to clarify exactly what percentage of green power they are inputting to the grid and what is consumed by their customers. In this way, consumers can make a direct comparison between green energy packages.

One last point, consumers ought to be rewarded for selecting greener energy suppliers by the reduction of cost. Coupled with better, more efficient insulation of homes and workplaces greenhouse gas emission will reduce immensely and, hopefully, in a shorter time frame. And let’s face it, if we don’t get to move on we will be exacerbating the dire consequences of greenhouse gas on the environment.

This government regularly shoots itself in the foot by not having a cohesive, firm policy to reduce our reliance on fossil fuel usage to even an acceptable neutral level. It also disenfranchises those who strive to help the planet to reduce the warming effects of fossil fuels.

The government over the past few years has reduced its support for home isolation, manufacture of solar and wind unites and by allowing other greenhouse gas producing activities. Building HS2, major road extensions, new coal mines and airport runways all give the impression of confused thinking.

There is a short time to achieve at least a carbon-neutral environment, but better is needed, and the need is to stop using fossil fuels to begin with. Surely, suppliers and users ought to be encouraged to change to more beneficial methods of electrical power generation instead of fossil fuels and improvement of insulation to safeguard the future of the world?

Keith Poole

Basingstoke

Oh, what a joy to see so many people out enjoying the sunshine in parks and on beaches as lockdown is finally started to be eased. 

The scientists have given the all-clear and the people have finally got a taste of their own freedom back.

Now let’s just stick to the guidelines, especially indoors, and avoid messing it up.

Well done, scientists, health workers and police officers and thank you so much for your patience fellow citizens.

Geoffrey Brooking

Hampshire

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who was adamant that there was no voter fraud in GA in 2020 and the results were valid, signed a new voting law that was created in response to the fraud he denies was real. If so, what is the need for the new law?

Republicans lost presidential and senatorial elections in Georgia so they changed the rules to make it harder for black people to vote. It’s no more complicated than that. The law doesn’t make it harder to cheat – it is a form of cheating.

Governor Kemp said he is proud to sign SB 202 into law because it tightens voting rules in the state. One provision of the law makes it a crime to give food and water to voters waiting in line to cast ballots? This is unheard of and un-American. Even senator Lindsey Graham, a conservative and a staunch Trump loyalist, pressed on the voter restrictions in an interview with Fox News said it “doesn’t make a whole lot of sense”.

To add insult to injury, when black representative Park Cannon peacefully attempted to view Governor Kemp’s closed-door signing of the “voter suppression” bill, she was arrested.

When I think of this law, two pictures remain stuck in my mind. One is of a white governor signing the law while surrounded by five white GOP officials and the other is of a black lawmaker being dragged by several white sheriff’s deputies while she is in handcuffs. 

Before the Peach State and the rest of the south rise again, they should start first by rising above racism, bigotry, and intolerance. Georgia’s new voting law is un-American.

Mahmoud El-Yousseph

Ohio

Retail staff have worked extremely hard to keep the country fed.

With this in mind, the retail companies would gain a lot of respect by wholly closing their doors on Easter Sunday to allow retail workers and their families to celebrate Easter, reflect, and just chill out. Not just the supermarkets as required by law but also the chains of small shops and online deliveries. And to do so across the United Kingdom as a whole.

This also makes commercial sense as more goods would be bought before a whole one day closure.

A win win.

John Barstow

Sussex