This Month
Will early voting cook the democracy sausage?
More people will have voted before election day than on the day itself this year. What does that portend for our snag-related traditions?
April
How do I make those Trumpet of Patriots spam texts stop?
Everybody’s doing it, and everyone hates them. So why are political parties allowed to send you so many texts?
‘A bouncy castle of idiocy’: The top political TikToks reviewed
We asked two advertising veterans to review the major parties’ highest performing TikToks. Here’s their verdict.
Tariff memes are trending. See our favourites
Social media users have spent the past 24 hours grinding Trump’s tariffs into meme hamburgers. Here are some of our favourites.
David Rowe draws an election
As we head into the 2025 election season, editorial cartoonist David Rowe explains what he looks for – artistically – in a political leader.
March
How Ozempic and other GLP-1s are transforming much more than just waistlines
We don’t yet know how many Australians are taking the jab, but we’re certainly seeing the effects.
You can’t unsee this terrifying ‘man-suit’ android
The inventors of the Protoclone hope it can be a skin for future AI applications. In the meantime, it is hanging around looking scary.
January
What does ‘cute winter boots’ mean on TikTok?
Since the Trump inauguration, conversation about “cute winter boots” has been trending on TikTok. What are they really talking about?
We asked DeepSeek, ChatGPT about the AFL. Here’s what they said
How does China’s artificial intelligence competitor compare with its big Silicon Valley rivals? We asked them questions, and compared the answers.
December 2024
Five streaming Christmas movies that are so bad, they’re good
“Brain rot” was the Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year. Here’s some holiday drivel to help you join the trend.
Why is my teen talking about ‘ocean aliens’?
A rumour has been circulating online that recent US congressional hearings uncovered the existence of aliens living in our oceans. Could it be true?
October 2024
Why this Gen Z TikTok megastar won’t endorse Kamala Harris
The songwriter’s ambivalence is the perfect avatar for the Harris campaign’s problem with the Gen Z electorate – and it’s a problem that could cost her the election.
Once the future of the internet, the metaverse is largely empty
Two years ago, the world’s biggest brands couldn’t get enough of virtual worlds. Now, only the most hardcore users are left.
Why next month’s US vote is the TikTok election
While Trump’s Twitter persona loomed large over 2016, and 2020 was dominated by the pandemic, Facebook and lockdown, 2024 is the TikTok election.
September 2024
LinkedIn has (quietly) announced it scrapes your posts for AI
LinkedIn has quietly launched new policies outlining how it scrapes posts and personal data to train AI models. What you need to know (and how to turn it off).
Why Trump says immigrants are eating cats and dogs
In the US presidential debate, Donald Trump repeated a bizarre and false claim circulating in right-wing circles on social media.
August 2024
How to use AI in unis – and spot ‘very bland’ cheats
Banning AI was an understandable knee-jerk response, says ANU vice chancellor and tech expert Genevieve Bell. But it won’t work.
June 2024
Do view this at home: How the video art market works
Gone are the days when you needed a gallery-sized space to view digital art.
May 2024
December 2023
Is a $3745 app-controlled mattress topper a sound sleeping investment?
The Eight Sleep Pod Cover is great at collecting data but is missing a trick on helping you make sense of it all.