The history of the electric drill in Australia

Editor's note

Has the electric drill’s time arrived? Thomas Lee and Berto Pandolfo argue that this device, usually ignored by academics and museums, deserves our attention. It was once a key part of Australian manufacturing, and starred on radio shows titled, appropriately enough, That’s The Drill.

Even our most anonymous technologies are part of our cultural history, and they should not be overlooked.

Ariel Bogle

Editor

Science + Technology

A half inch heavy duty drill made by Australian company, Sher. Dieu Tan

Powerful and ignored: the history of the electric drill in Australia

Tom Lee, University of Technology Sydney; Berto Pandolfo, University of Technology Sydney

Even our most anonymous objects, like the portable electric drill, are sources of cultural expression. It's time to learn their history.

Lida Ajer cave - a small but well decorated front entrance. Julien Louys

Old teeth from a rediscovered cave show humans were in Indonesia more than 63,000 years ago

Kira Westaway, Macquarie University

The evidence of a much earlier presence of humans in Indonesia was found more than 100 years ago. But only now has the age of the fossil teeth been accurately dated.

Arts + Culture

Saturday is Love Your Bookshop Day – but bookshops face many challenges. Shutterstock

Love of bookshops in a time of Amazon and populism

Nathan Hollier, Monash University

Despite dire predictions, bookstores are doing well: they are curators of taste and community hubs. But their challenges are many – from the arrival of Amazon Down Under to a 'post-truth' climate that devalues knowledge.

A wonderful evocation of the horrors of last year’s long election campaign by David Rowe in the Australian Financial Review. Amid industry turmoil, newspaper cartooning is increasingly becoming a niche activity.

Friday essay: political cartooning – the end of an era

Robert Phiddian, Flinders University; Haydon Manning, Flinders University

One of the great satirical achievements of the mass media era, the editorial cartoon, is losing its centrality in the digital age. Yet the 'visual terrorism' of cartoons can cut through the verbiage of political commentary.

Politics + Society

This is a potent slogan, although there is a deeply conservative undertone to the idea that love always requires marriage. AAP/Joel Carrett

Conservatives prevail to hold back the tide on same-sex marriage

Dennis Altman, La Trobe University

The marriage equality movement could still back the plebiscite on condition that its results are binding.

Perceptions of the levels of both income and wealth inequality are derived from our day-to-day experiences. AAP/Dean Lewins

Egalitarian or Edwardian? The rising wealth inequality in Australia

Jennifer Chesters, University of Melbourne

If the gap between the wealth of the billionaires and that of the average residents continues to widen dramatically, there is likely to be discontent.

Health + Medicine

Women’s immune systems mount a significantly stronger response against invaders. wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock

Man flu is real, but women get more autoimmune diseases and allergies

Gabrielle Belz, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute; Cyril Seillet, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute

Women have evolved to have stronger immunity than men. But this comes with downsides - women are more likely to have autoimmune diseases due to their "reactive" immune systems.

Walking is free, easy and can get you from A to B - but does it “count” in terms of how much exercise we need? from www.shutterstock.com.au

Health Check: in terms of exercise, is walking enough?

Megan Teychenne, Deakin University; Clint Miller, Deakin University

Fitness, strength and mobility are important for us to live happy and healthy lives, how much does walking improve these measures?

Education

Men often leave teaching because of the gender-related challenges they face. shutterstock

Primary schools are losing more and more male teachers, so how can we retain them?

Vaughan Cruickshank, University of Tasmania

The continuing decline in the numbers of male primary school teachers suggests more attention needs to be placed on retaining those already in the profession.

Where to next on higher education reform? AAP/Paul Miller

Fee increases still on the table after Senate committee reports on higher education changes

Tim Pitman, Curtin University

Though more moderate than the 2014 version, the new higher education reform package represents groundhog day for the major political parties.

Environment + Energy

Sssssssnakes and humansssssss make an ssssss noissssse in two totally different waysssssssss. Flickr/JanetandPhil

Curious Kids: How do snakes make an 'sssssss' sound with their tongue poking out?

Timothy N. W. Jackson, University of Melbourne

The way humans make an 'ssss' noise is different to the way a snake does it. We put our tongue behind our teeth when we hiss, but for a snake the tongue isn't involved at all in making sounds.

Avoiding fires in Indonesia’s peatlands should be a common goal of everyone involved. Antara Foto/Jessica Helena Wuysang/ via REUTERS

People, palm oil, pulp and planet: four perspectives on Indonesia's fire-stricken peatlands

Samantha Grover, La Trobe University; Linda Sukamta, La Trobe University; Robert Edis

Indonesian peatlands are important to many people: farmers, bureaucrats, businesspeople, and conservationists. But preserving this value for everyone will mean listening to everyone's concerns.

Cities

Melbourne’s ambitions to be a ‘20-minute city’ aren’t likely to be achieved by its recently updated planning strategy. Nils Versemann / shutterstock.com

A 20-minute city sounds good, but becoming one is a huge challenge

Carolyn Whitzman, University of Melbourne

While many talk about 30-minute cities, some aim for residents to be able to get to most services within 20 minutes. But cities like Melbourne have an awful lot of work to do to achieve their goal.

Early intervention via education and training is a proven way to stop unemployed youth becoming unemployable adults. Tom Sodoge/Unsplash

A closer look at jobless youth in Western Sydney points us to the solutions

Phillip O'Neill, Western Sydney University

Early intervention via education and training will cost money straight up. But it makes no sense to watch young people drift through unemployment and disengagement and turn into unemployable adults.

Business + Economy

Does more convenience mean less security? Shutterstock

Banking with a chatbot: a battle between convenience and security

Kate Letheren, Queensland University of Technology; Paula Dootson, Queensland University of Technology

Banks are experimenting with chatbots, but research shows we may not be ready to give them a go.

Healthcare workers tend to think that women are better than men at the job and that there is a bias in favour of women. Julian Smith/AAP

Gender quotas can work but it depends on how employees feel about them

Edwin Ip, University of Melbourne

The effect of gender quotas on an organisation's performance depends on employee's attitude towards quotas, which in turn depends on the labour market environment.

Podcasts

The Danish Choir “Gangstativerne”, singing. at a conference launching the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity Between Generations in 2012. DG EMPL/ flickr

Speaking with: Nancy Pachana on planning for an active and engaged ageing population

William Isdale, University of Melbourne

William Isdale speaks with Nancy Pachana about why we should stop thinking about ageing as a time of decline, and focus on engaging and leveraging the experience of our elders.