Certainly a growing and contentious policy debate on the role and purpose of autonomous robots in the "workplace". The potential of existential challenges to what we understand the "middle-class" to be [ in the context of a 20th Century definition of a "labour-force], coupled with genuine and profound advances in autonomous and now artificial intelligence, gives one a moment [at…
Posts By Me
Mathieu Mongin from CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere and his collaborators published a paper in Nature Communications yesterday, February 23, stating The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) ecosystem, described as one of the seven natural wonders of the world, is under increasing pressure from local and global anthropogenic stressors1. Coral calcification has continued to decline over the last few decades at rates similar to less…
The Lowy Institute Interpreter has highlighted a new video from Vox giving a simple, quick and easy breakdown of Iran's government and upcoming parliamentary elections that will be held on 26 February. They say: Often Western media portrays Iran as just another top-down dictatorship with 'no politics to speak of', but there is real ideological 'tussle' within the Islamic Republic and its complex institutions. Iran…
There's nothing like evidenced-based public policy... News that the CSIRO plan to cut over 100 jobs from the agency’s climate science staff. Wide-spread opinion fears cuts to the CSIRO’s climate modelling and measuring research will breach Australia’s obligations under the recent Paris agreement and will result in huge costs to the economy. News reports here, here, here, here and here . Australia’s Climate Council has published…
The United States government has demanded that Apple take an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers. We oppose this order, which has implications far beyond the legal case at hand. This moment calls for public discussion, and we want our customers and people around the country to understand what is at stake.
Hearing the Universe We have detected gravitational waves. We did it. - David Reitze, executive director of LIGO At a time when reason and evidence appear under siege, and "belief" and "opinion" have a seeming privileged status in civil discourse unknown since the enlightenment, I am reminded of the words of the 17th Century Dutch Philosopher, Spinoza: The highest activity…
From the University of Melbourne [@UniMelb] A group of paralysed patients will soon undergo a revolutionary procedure that could allow them to walk with the power of thought. The key to returning mobility is a tiny, matchstick-sized device called a stentrode. It will be implanted into a blood vessel next to the motor cortex, the brain’s control centre –…
Innovation Five frogs sitting on a log, four decide to jump in, how many are left? The answer? Five! ... because deciding and doing are two very different things... The Wendelstein 7-X fusion device at Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) in Greifswald produced its first hydrogen plasma on 3 February 2016. This marks the start of scientific operation.…
Innovation The term "innovation" has been embedded in Australian public policy discussions for many decades, in many domains of activity, from Education, to Science, Health, Manufacturing, Agriculture and yes, even Mining. We hear this term a lot... Unfortunately, we seem to conflate genuine innovation, [which in my view requires the interdisciplinary approach of many groups, supplemented by visionary legislative and…