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

Marriage in the metaverse

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.