life
technology
technology July 15, 2023
AI’s existential threat to humanity
Australia must join a globally co-ordinated campaign to ensure the safe development of AI, which is reaching a critical phase that could have disastrous consequences.
technology June 17, 2023
Insect studies evolve AI consciousness
Neuroscientists are increasingly convinced insects have subjective consciousness. The findings are meaningful for the evolution of artificial intelligence and raise serious ethical questions.
technology April 1, 2023
The costs of becoming a digital nomad
The tens of thousands of online workers who call Thailand’s Chiang Mai their base are a boon for the local economy, but their lifestyle has its costs, both for the city’s social fabric and the ‘digital nomads’ themselves.
technology February 18, 2023
Blockchain could revolutionise the marriage contract for non-traditional unions, provided it can surmount legal hurdles and marketing hype.
technology December 3, 2022
How Twitter pulled us together (and apart)
The future of Twitter under Elon Musk is deeply uncertain, leaving its tight-knit communities of users searching for new platforms to talk across boundaries and encounter new ideas.
technology November 12, 2022
Elon Musk and the fate of Twitter
Just weeks after his takeover, Elon Musk is already transforming Twitter in ways that will likely hasten the platform’s slide into a cesspit overrun by trolls.
technology August 13, 2022
The future of cryptocurrency regulation in Australia
Despite all their problems, digital currencies are a rapidly expanding part of the financial universe. Now it’s time for national and international agencies to set some hard rules.
technology August 6, 2022
The enormous environmental cost of crypto mining
Crypto’s mines-to-ledgers technology has roots as far back as early Micronesian society, though today’s energy-intensive process is a far greater threat to the planet, requiring urgent solutions to reduce its carbon footprint.
technology July 30, 2022
The dark side of the crypto market
The second part of our series on cryptocurrency examines how the market’s explosion opened new vistas for grifters and scammers, and sinkholes for investor cash and developer expertise.
technology July 23, 2022
The genesis of bitcoin: how the crypto market started
Cryptocurrencies promised to change the world of finance, but then came a massive reality check. Whether it’s a vision of a bold new future or a disaster remains an open question.
technology December 11, 2021
What you need to know before signing up to Elon Musk’s Starlink
With alarming amounts of space junk already in orbit, Elon Musk’s Starlink will launch as many as 42,000 mini-satellites. These could bring improved broadband to remote Australians but at a significant environmental cost.
