australia

College Professors Demand Right to Be Mean

Hamilton Nolan · 03/26/12 12:50PM

A new "behavioural capability framework" proposed by the administration at RMIT University in Australia would require professors to be "positive" and "optimistic," as a rule. It would mandate niceness, in academia.

Random Person on Twitter Says You Should Go to This Comedy Show In Australia Tomorrow

Adrian Chen · 02/24/12 06:41PM

You may have noticed posting was a little sparse today on Gawker. That was mainly my fault: Today was my designated "Traffic whore" day, and I was supposed to post many cat videos and British tabloid stories about people being impaled in interesting ways, so that my colleagues could take time to concentrate on more in-depth stuff, like accurately predicting the reaction if various actors or actresses the day before the Oscars. Maybe Horse_ebooks cast a curse on me, or I ate a bad grape at breakfast. I just couldn't churn them out today.

Eight-Year-Old Girl Releases First Relevant Hardcore Song in Two Decades

Max Read · 01/19/12 10:25AM

It's pretty well-known that hardcore has been awful basically ever since Earth Crisis jocks started ruining shows in the early 90s. But out of Australia comes its savior: eight-year-old Juliet, who loves slam-dancing, half-time breakdowns, and her dog Robert, and hates hypocrisy, frat boys, and the smell of her pet fish. Talk about "youth crew," am I right? "Youth crew"? Right? [via @Alex_Ogle]

The U.S. Needs More Ads Like This

Max Read · 11/26/11 03:35PM

Here's a sweet Australian ad for—well, I don't want to ruin the surprise (you will probably be able to guess what's going to happen anyway), except to say that the United States could stand to see more campaigns like this.

Surprise Car Crash Doesn't Faze TV News Reporter

Lauri Apple · 10/27/11 05:14AM

While Australian TV news journalist Alison Ariotti reports from "the frontlines" of Perth or whatever, a black car rams right into the back of a red car and ha, the person who owns the red car will probably be surprised when they watch the news, eh? Focused Alison doesn't let the crash interrupt her reporting in any discernible way—she just keeps on talking about "the impressive crowds" of English people who are doing something somewhere that maybe involves tombstones. "Curiosity made me want to turn around but professionalism told me to just keep talking," she says. [YouTube]

Behold the Prohibition Splendor of the New Great Gatsby Movie

Brian Moylan · 10/24/11 02:36PM

Australian director Baz Luhrman, who never met a quick cut, flashing light, or Botox-deadened Nicole Kidman forehead he didn't like, started filming his adaptation of The Great Gatsby in September. But what is it going to look like?

Ultralight Plane Crashes Into, Gets Stuck Inside, Ferris Wheel

Max Read · 10/01/11 08:43AM

Meanwhile, in Australia, an ultralight plane has flown—quite literally—into a ferris wheel, requiring the rescue of four people—the plane's two passengers and two kids who were on the ride. No one was hurt, except for anyone who might have been wanting to go on the ferris wheel and now will not be able to do so.

Stupid Clothing Store Attacked for Being Stupid

Lauri Apple · 09/29/11 07:29AM

The Australian clothing store Gasp Jeans—which, if you're not familiar (or just some fashion-illiterate hobo), is "the brand behind fashion['s] newest genre 'Playful Couture'"—has become a total joke thanks to its completely idiotic way of handling a recent customer service complaint. Companies wishing to alienate the public, take note!

Okay, Who Drew a Penis on the Google Maps Camera?

Max Read · 09/07/11 10:35PM

Be honest: If you had a green marker, and you saw the weird-looking car-mounted camera used to take pictures for Google Maps Street View, what would you do? I'm thinking, you would probably not write out a situationist slogan. No, you would probably draw a dick, like the unidentified Australian prankster whose work will forever grace the Google Maps Street View of "Sparrowhawk Road" in "Maiden Gully," Victoria. What is it with the Antipodes and their quest to put as many crudely-drawn dicks as possible on Google Maps? [Google Maps via BuzzFeed]

Bodyboarding Tourist Ripped Apart by Shark

Max Read · 09/04/11 09:52AM

Looking to re-ignite your childhood fear of sharks? Look no further! A tourist bodyboarding off a beach in western Australia was killed in a gruesome shark attack on Sunday, the first in the area in some two decades.

Donald Trump Would Like to Meet You—For $10,000

Brian Moylan · 08/31/11 04:47PM

Donald Trump is going to Australia this September, and he's invited a select group of business leaders to meet with him while he's there. Oh, except he's expecting that they'll pay at least $10,000 just to hang out with him.

Australia Still Finds Blackface Hilarious!

Seth Abramovitch · 08/31/11 02:47AM

Australians are renowned for having contributed a great many things to the world, such as [TK/research intern], but cultural sensitivity is, alas, not one of them. For example, last June we noted one newscaster's lighthearted description of a Chinese lotto winner as having "slanty eyes and yellow skin." Reaching back further, in 2009, a variety show called Hey Hey, It's Saturday caused a bit of an international stir when a Jackson 5 tribute group came out in blackface, horrifying guest judge Harry Connick Jr. Well, it seems not much has changed, as Qantas has named the winner of its Twitter contest to send two lucky fans to an international rugby match, and it's...yet two more guys in blackface and afro wigs. Wait! Let them explain! They were actually paying lighthearted and respectful homage to...uh...Oh, never mind. If you have to explain it, it's already lost half the joke. Their teeth! So white! BLOL! [tracker.org.au]

Watching Television Is Actually Shortening Your Life

Brian Moylan · 08/16/11 01:29PM

A new study shows that watching one hour of television can shorten your life by 22 minutes. According to research done in Australia (so how trustworthy can it be?), sitting on your fat ass in front of the boob tube for an hour is deadly, not because you're watching TV, but because you aren't doing anything.