By Leah Mercer, Associate Professor of Theatre Arts, Curtin University
The Shepherd’s Hut arrives on stage fully formed: a relentless, bristling realisation of Tim Winton’s 2018 novel of the same name, in an adroit adaptation by Tim McGarry.
Director Matt Edgerton’s self-contained, clear-eyed accomplishment makes the most of its literary roots while also piecing together a unique theatrical language, to underpin the work’s visual and emotional bona fides.
The Shepherd’s Hut focuses on the story of Jaxie Clackton (Ryan Hodson), a teenage boy on the run, facing the extreme heat, hunger, dehydration and isolation of the outback. Elevated by Hodson’s…
(Full Story)
|
By Yang Xiang, Professor, Computer Science, Swinburne University of Technology
You’re trying to book concert tickets before they sell out. You click the link and before you can make the payment, you’re asked to identify traffic lights, bicycles or blurry crosswalks in a grid of tiny images.
Again.
For many people, this has become a routine part of life. Logging into financial apps, shopping online or creating accounts increasingly involves “proving you are human”.
These systems are known as CAPTCHA. Why are they everywhere?
The short answer is that websites are fighting a rapidly escalating war against bots:…
(Full Story)
|
By Clive Schofield, Professor, Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), University of Wollongong
I Made Andi Arsana, Lecturer and Researcher, Department of Geodetic Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada
Rebecca Strating, Director, La Trobe Centre for Global Security, and Professor of International Relations, La Trobe University
Both countries claim overlapping parts of the Gulf of Thailand with potentially lucrative oil and gas reserves. There is a peaceful path to resolve the dispute.
(Full Story)
|
By Matthew Ricketson, Professor of Communication, Deakin University
London Falling is well worth reading – but could have matched this star reporter’s masterpieces if it had ranged more widely.
(Full Story)
|
By Oscar Vorobjovas-Pinta, Senior Lecturer in Business Services, Edith Cowan University
70 years on, Eurovision voters are driven by identity, politics and national alliances – and the juries and public often don’t agree.
(Full Story)
|
By Jamie Voyles, Professor of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno
Qurrat Ul Ain, Master's Student, Department of Journalism, Writing and Media., University of British Columbia
In crowded events like the FIFA World Cup, a single imported measles case can spread rapidly due to visitors from areas with varying vaccination coverage.
(Full Story)
|
By Wayne Peake, Adjunct research fellow, School of Humanities and Communication Arts, Western Sydney University
Rugby league today is almost unrecognisable to the sport’s early days. A key reason is the controversial move away from unlimited tackles.
(Full Story)
|
By Adam Brown, PhD Candidate, School of Science, University of Waikato
Dave Frame, Professor of Physics, University of Canterbury
Luke Harrington, Senior Lecturer in Climate Change, University of Waikato
Analysis reveals some of NZ’s worst droughts occurred before 1950 – meaning recent experience may not reflect the full scale of future risk in a warming climate.
(Full Story)
|
By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne
US President Donald Trump’s ratings has slid further to a new record low. But two recent court decisions will assist Republicans in using gerrymandering to avoid losing their majority in the House of Representatives.
In Australia, a former crossbench senator has defected to Labor. There are updated results from recent electoral events.
In analyst Nate Silver’s aggregate of US national polls, Trump’s net approval has dropped 1.4 points since my April…
(Full Story)
|
By Bret R. Shaw, Professor of Life Sciences Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Only about 1 in 5 of the Americans surveyed shop at farmers markets because they care a lot about food and enjoy buying, preparing and eating fresh food.
(Full Story)
|