Latest Story
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How COVID-safe Santa can save Christmas
Nathan Grills | December 25, 2020Given how depressing 2020 has been, Santa’s sleigh run needs to be classified as an essential service, so here is how Mr Claus (and his reindeer) can be a super spreader of goodwill and not COVID-19.
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Aged care residents enter virtual reality
Open Forum | December 24, 2020A new trial of virtual reality headsets with aged care residents show how the technology can help help stimulate interest and overcome apathy in older people.
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The Twitter war over Dan Andrews
Open Forum | December 24, 2020A QUT study of two interrelated Twitter hashtag campaigns regarding Dan Andrews’ handling of the COVID-19 second wave found the activity was driven by a “small, hyper-partisan core of highly active participants” rather than bot accounts.
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Fish get a helping hand
Lachlan Gilbert | December 24, 2020Engineers and scientists at UNSW Sydney have come up with an ingenious way to get fish past dam walls, weirs and other barriers blocking their migration in Australian rivers.
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“Nomophobia” prompts motorists illegal use of mobile phones
Fareed Kaviani | December 23, 2020Some people’s obsessive attachment to their phones still prompt them to use them while driving, placing themselves and other road users at risk.
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The web of life
Open Forum | December 23, 2020An international collaboration reveals a new definition of sustainability that expands the concept to non-human species and their needs.
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Fixing Australia’s energy strategy through green hydrogen
Sung-Young Kim | December 23, 2020It is time the federal government ditches its ideology of ‘technology neutrality’ and throws all its weight behind where real money is to be made in the near future — green hydrogen.
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NSW unveils new seniors strategy
Open Forum | December 22, 2020With almost one in four people to be aged 60 or over by 2031, the NSW Government has committed to a decade-long ageing strategy, addressing four focus areas identified by seniors including resilience and safety.
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Battening down for another solar hurricane
Tom Uren | December 22, 2020Russia’s hijacking of solarwinds software to penetrate a host of Western governments and companies underlines the need for better cyber-security across the whole of society.
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Chinese whispers
Robert Wihtol | December 22, 2020A new book by Roger Faligot on the history and extent of Chinese espionage is essential reading for both intelligence professionals and generalists wanting to understand the reach and power of China’s hidden hand.
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Counterpoint by Mark Nicol – Music for the festive season
Mark Nicol | December 22, 2020Open Forum regular Mark Nicol offers a selection of music “to soothe the savage soul” over the festive season.
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A heretical view of energy ‘indulgences’
Max Thomas | December 21, 2020Policy makers should guard against a ‘Tragedy of the Commons’ in the vexed area of energy policy, where individuals acting in their own interest cause significant collective harm.