The problem with bullbars

The proliferation of large utes and 4x4s sporting massive bull bars to protect themselves and intimidate other road users in Australia’s cities is contributing to an increasing road toll among pedestrians and cyclists.

Bring back the buttons

Most new cars over the last decade have replaced physical levers and buttons with large touchscreens in an effort to appear modern and save money, but their lack of useability is forcing manufacturers to bring the buttons back.

Why the house always wins

Gambling is a mug’s game, as the house gives itself an edge – twice as big in Australia as elsewhere when it comes to roulette – so counter-intuitively, the best way to win – after not playing – is to play big and go home.

Turn it down

It isn’t just your imagination, loud music blaring from cars isn’t just annoying to passers by, but tends to be associated with speeding and bad driving.

Just add batteries

Tapping into Australia’s growing fleet of household batteries could supply electricity at local scale for hours or days, even if the grid goes down due to weather or other emergencies.

Invasion of the monster trucks

The cars and trucks on Australia’s roads are getting bigger and bigger, inviting more aggressive driving and greater danger to other road users.

Where’s my wave?

From a friendly wave to a hostile honk of the horn, it might be worth developing a standard “road language dictionary” to sit alongside formal road rules and feature as a small but important part of driver training.

Misunderstanding the butterfly effect

Over the next 50 years, the so-called “butterfly effect” captivated the public imagination. It has appeared in movies, books, motivational and inspirational speeches, and even casual conversation but most of its users misunderstand the point it is making.

The gambler’s fallacy

We always want to find patterns in sequences of events – but often they aren’t really there. Understanding randomness can free us from unnecessary worry or false hope, allowing us to focus on decisions grounded in reality.

Electric car sales are slumping

Far from increasing exponentially, the sales of electric cars in Australia and elsewhere in the world are flatlining or falling due to reduced government incentives and concerns about resale values and fires.

Road wars

After decades of decline, more people are dying on Australia’s roads as traffic congestion increases and more people speed, distract themselves with phones, ignore road rules and conventions and drive with alcohol or drugs in their system.