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ScienceBiology
Australia Once Had Giant Marsupials With ‘Scimitar-Like’ Claws and Extremely Freaky Elbows
Australia currently hosts some of the most upsetting animals known in the world. But researchers this week are keen to point out that incredibly strange animals have lived there for thousands of years—namely a group of extinct giant marsupials that likely weighed over a ton, wielded long claws, and had weird-ass elbows that couldn’t bend. … Continued
By Ed Cara -
Tech NewsNews
Australian Internet Providers Ordered to Block Eight Sites Found Hosting Christchurch Footage
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner ordered the country’s internet service providers to block eight sites for purportedly hosting footage of the Christchurch massacre, the Guardian reported Sunday, protocol officials recently outlined at this year’s G7 leader’s forum. Australian telecommunications companies and internet providers voluntarily blocked 43 sites hosting similar content shortly after the incident in March, according … Continued
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Earther
The Scientists Training Australia’s Native Critters How to Survive Feral Cats
How do you solve a problem like an invasion of feral cats? No, it’s not a scenario from a sci-fi dystopia but a real conundrum for scientists, authorities, and conservationists in Australia. No one is exactly sure at what point the felines arrived down under with European settlers, but they sure have made themselves at … Continued
Greg Norman -
io9Movies
In the Short Film Colony, a Worker Goes to Great Depths for Her Sister
Imagine if The Colonies from The Handmaid’s Tale were in outer space, and June’s idea of revenge involved some kind of magical angler fish. You’d have Colony, an Australian science fiction short film released by Dust about a woman struggling to keep herself and her sister alive—until things go too far. Written and directed by … Continued
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Tech NewsNews
Australia Plans to Block Domains That Host Terrorist Material During Crisis Situations
Australia laid out some of the country’s first concrete steps to make good on its promise of combating the spread of extremism online at this year’s G7 leader’s forum, Reuters reported Sunday. Officials said the government intends to cut off all access to any internet domain that fails to block terrorist material during a crisis … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
Politician Says Cattle Prods Should Be Used on Climate Protesters, Gets Suspended From Twitter
Australian politician Pauline Hanson has been suspended from Twitter after posting a video earlier this week saying that cattle prods should be used on climate protesters. The suspension, first reported by SBS, will be lifted if she deletes the offending tweet, but Senator Hanson says it’s an example of how conservative voices are being censored … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsNews
Google and Facebook May Have to Cough Up Their Algorithms if Australian Proposal Lands
Facebook and Google could be forced to give up the deets about their secret sauce algorithms thanks to an Australian proposal for increased regulation of the tech giants. If implemented, these measures could set a precedent for how global lawmakers curtail these companies’ influence amid increasing privacy and antitrust scandals. The companies were among a … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
Domino’s Tests Cashless Stores in Australia as the World Ditches Paper Money
Cash isn’t dead yet, but we’re getting close. Domino’s in Australia announced that it will trial cashless stores at five locations in the country starting today. Customers will be able to use credit cards, debit cards, ApplePay, Android Pay, PayPal, and Domino’s Instagift gift cards. But cash will no longer be an option for both … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsNews
Drone Captures Car Bursting Into Flames During Gender Reveal Video Shoot
It’s a boy! It’s a girl! It’s a… fire? Police in Australia have charged a 30-year-old man with reckless driving after his car caught fire during a gender reveal video. The video, which was captured by drone, shows the man doing burnouts as a thick plume of blue smoke emerges from behind his car. The … Continued
By Matt Novak -
io9Trailers
The Battle Against Mobile Demonic Possession Rages in the Trailer for Nekrotronic
Have you ever wondered what would happen if demons could possess you through your phone? Of course you haven’t! It’s a ludicrous idea that borders on parody. And yet, the film Nekrotronic takes that idea and runs with it, hoping to create something wild and surprising. Directed and co-written by Australian filmmaker Kiah Roache-Turner, Nekrotronic … Continued
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Tech NewsNews
Australian Court Rules Media Orgs Are Liable for Defamation Posted to Facebook by Random Users
An Australian Court has ruled that media organizations are liable for anything defamatory that’s published to the public Facebook pages of those media companies, even if it’s just posted by a random Facebook user. The Supreme Court of New South Wales ruled today that Facebook pages controlled by the Australian media companies Fairfax, Nationwide News, … Continued
By Matt Novak -
ScienceBiology
Spider Eating a Pygmy Possum Is Obviously Australian
That’s a photo of a huntsman spider eating a pygmy possum. Yikes! A woman named Justine Latton posted this photo in a public Facebook group dedicated to discussing the invertebrates inhabiting the Australian island of Tasmania. Her husband, Adam, spotted the brutal meal at a ski lodge in the island’s Mount Field National Park a … Continued
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EartherConservation
The Sydney Opera House’s New Artificial Reefs Look Like Works of Art
The Sydney Opera House is a dope-ass work of architecture. Nestled along the Sydney Harbor in Australia, the building is a sight to see. Now, the sea wall at Bennelong Point, where the opera house sits, features 18 hexagonal-shaped steel frames meant to serve as artificial coral reefs. The University of Technology Sydney led this … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
Even Under a Coal-Loving Leader, Australia Is Leading the Charge for Renewables
In Australia, record-breaking rooftop solar installations are helping the country increase its renewable energy generation. By 2030, renewables could make up more than half the electricity generated in the land down under, according to an analysis out Wednesday from a team of researchers. Currently, coal makes up half of Australia’s energy generation. However, as Australian … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
Australia’s New Encryption Law Is Forcing Tech Companies To Help With Surveillance
We still don’t know the full impact of Australia’s big, bad encryption law. Criticizing the law’s vague and broad dictates, some tech companies now storing data in the country say they may soon have one foot out the door of Australia. The country’s domestic tech industry has for months pushed and failed to pass amendments … Continued
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Tech NewsPolitics
Why Australians Are Tweeting About the Prime Minister Shitting His Pants at McDonald’s
If you follow any Australians on Twitter, you might have seen some really strange references on the social media platform lately—references that don’t make much sense to Americans. People are talking about Prime Minister Scott Morrison, a place called Engadine, pants filled with shit, and something called Maccas. What’s this all about? We’re here to … Continued
By Matt Novak -
EartherConservation
An Estimated 414 Million Pieces of Plastic Have Piled Up on Australia’s Best Beaches
Human trash continues to pile up on every corner of the Earth at an alarming rate. And new research published on Thursday in Scientific Reports chronicles yet another frontier in our increasing plastic pollution crisis. Researchers looked at the Coco (Keeling) Islands, two small islands to the west of Australia with some of the best … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
World’s Oldest Rainforest Is Being Cooked to Death by Climate Change, Authorities Warn
Australia can’t seem to catch a break. The Great Barrier reef is still limping along after being ravaged by heat waves two to three years ago, while the people of Australia just sweated through their hottest summer on record. Now, authorities are warning that the endless heat has placed a world-class rainforest in grave danger. … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
Tech NewsNews
Lime Scooters Hacked to Say Sexual Things to Riders in Australia
At least eight Lime e-scooters have been pulled from the streets of Brisbane, Australia this week after they were hacked to say sexual and otherwise offensive things. Lime calls the hack “disappointing.” “Okay, if you’re going to ride my ass then please pull my hair, okay?” one of the scooters said after being unlocked, according … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsFacebook
Facebook Run by ‘Morally Bankrupt Liars Who Enable Genocide,’ New Zealand Privacy Chief Says
At the risk of making the understatement of the century, the global conversation about Facebook has changed. When the New York Times first talked about the site in 2005, founder Mark Zuckerberg was a literal “whiz kid” ambitiously recruiting high schoolers to his web site. Earlier this weekend, New Zealand privacy commissioner John Edwards called … Continued