• Culture

    Room to dream


    Alexander Howard |  January 19, 2025


    Best known for films such as Eraserhead, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive and the hugely influential television series Twin Peaks, American director David Lynch has died at the age of 78.


  • Politics and Policy

    Preparing for Trump


    Malcolm Davis |  January 19, 2025


    How should Australia react to the likely geo-political priorities of Donald Trump’s second term in power?


  • China

    The shape of things to come


    Bill Sweetman |  January 19, 2025


    In the past Chinese military aviation relied on crude copies of Soviet planes. Today’s Chinese airforce fields large numbers of modern aircraft based on stolen Western designs. Tomorrows Chinese airforce may take the lead, just as China has in other areas of techology, and the “J-XX” may be the shape of things to come.


Latest Story

  • Oligarchy in the USA

    Benjamin Jones     |      January 18, 2025

    Outgoing US President Joe Biden warned “an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy” in his farewell address.

  • Freedom of speech v freedom from deception

    Tanisha Shah     |      January 18, 2025

    Disinformation threatens Australian democratic processes and the failure of the proposed Disinformation and Misinformation bill highlights the urgent need for balanced regulation ahead of the 2025 elections.

  • Alien opinions

    Sean McMahon     |      January 18, 2025

    The discovery of alien life seems closer than ever – just as it has for the last 100 years – so what do astrobiologists, terrestrial biologists and physicists think about the possibility of extraterrestrial life being discovered?

  • Looking forward from the past

    Simon Rogerson     |      January 17, 2025

    Insights from scientific and social thinkers in the past could offer clues about tackling the implications of AI in the future.

  • Meta-reality

    Rafael Weber Hoss     |      January 17, 2025

    Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement that Facebook will replace fact checkers with “community notes” has as much to do with Meta’s embrace of AI as the re-election of Donald Trump.

  • Out of the ashes

    Mike Copage     |      January 17, 2025

    The factors which drove the calamitous fires sweeping Los Angeles – from climate change to over-development and a lack of preparation – offer important lessons for Australia.

  • The rise of AI agents

    Uri Gal     |      January 16, 2025

    The rise of generative artificial intelligence has captivated public attention over the last couple of years, but the future may be dominated by the rise of AI agents – autonomous systems that can make decisions and take actions on our behalf without direct human input.

  • Triple-J turns 50

    Liz Giuffre     |      January 16, 2025

    JJJ is turning 50, so what does it mean when the national youth broadcaster hits middle age?

  • On the road again

    Paul Williams     |      January 15, 2025

    Anthony Albanese’s pledge of $7.2 billion to revamp the Bruce Highway looks like an early bid to buy votes in Queensland in what may be a tight Federal election campaign.

  • Surveillance state

    Kiley Seymour     |      January 15, 2025

    From self-service checkouts to public streets to stadiums – surveillance technology is everywhere and a recent study suggests it’s unconsciously altering how our brains process information, as well as our conscious behaviour.

  • The many lives of Yukio Mishima

    Alexander Howard     |      January 14, 2025

    Yukio Mishima is remembered as much for the absurd theatricality of his death as his outstanding literary achievements, but, on the centenary of his birth, he remains one of the most compelling and controversial figures of post-war Japan.

  • The drinks don’t work

    Open Forum     |      January 14, 2025

    Retirees show more signs of depression than older people still in work, according to a major US study, but while binge drinkers are more likely to be depressed, those who drink in moderation have fewer depression symptoms than people who don’t drink at all.