The Age

The Booklist is a weekly newsletter for book lovers from Jason Steger. Get it delivered every Friday.CRYPTOCURRENCYThe Mysterious Mr NakamotoBenjamin WallaceAtlantic, $45In 2008, a white paper was published entitled Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System. It explained how existing technologies like proof of work, public key encryption and peer-to-peer network …

While scrolling on Instagram recently, I saw John Adamo Pearce – the purple Wiggle – teaching kids how to sing Bahay Kubo, the Filipino song I sang as a child that names vegetables growing in a backyard. Pearce, a proud Filipino-Australian, often showcases his culture through fun Instagram reels with …

MEMOIRSource CodeBill GatesAllen Lane $55It was a raw March morning when the first hint came that I might not be as smart as I thought. Through the chalk-dust fog, the lecture’s 200 students were fidgeting on perilously tiered benches. Each seat was occupied by another student who had just finished …

As I was walking my dog this morning, I looked into my local cafe and saw every single person wearing black puffers. For a moment, I thought about pulling my phone out to snap a photo. But then who would need evidence? This is Melbourne.It’s the cliche Melbourne scene; people …

Underworld figures and bikies have infiltrated major Victorian and NSW construction projects, with some securing jobs as CFMEU delegates and secret surveillance exposing the involvement of notorious gangsters in the industry. A months-long investigation by The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, AFR and 60 Minutes has uncovered unprecedented details of senior …

I’ve never considered hiring a life coach, but if I did, they wouldn’t be hard to find. It seems you can’t swing a cat without hitting one these days. They’re everywhere, jacked up on positivity and self-love, pimping out their programs. Friends and acquaintances pop out of the woodwork to …

I’m watching the new Ashley Madison documentary on Netflix with my husband (who was not on the list). We hadn’t yet met when the infamous list of aspiring adulterers was released in 2015, but I remember feeling the weird guilt you feel when a police car is driving behind you, …

When Dr Vincent Hurley sat in the audience of the ABC’s Q+A program on Monday 29th April, the last thing he expected was to deliver a speech that would go viral on social media.

There’s an irony in the small-screen adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel The Sympathizer being a hit with viewers and critics alike, as Hollywood has long been one of his targets. “The Unofficial Ministry of Propaganda for the United States” as he calls Hollywood in the book is “a part …

Scarcely signposted, tucked behind a yacht squadron car park and accessible via an overgrown grass track lies one of Australia’s most significant urban fossil sites. Beaumaris Bay, a quiet pocket of pebbled beach between Black Rock and Mentone, can easily be missed. But fossil hunters who slip past the red-lettered …

Scarcely signposted, tucked behind a yacht squadron car park and accessible via an overgrown grass track lies one of Australia’s most significant urban fossil sites. Beaumaris Bay, a quiet pocket of pebbled beach between Black Rock and Mentone, can easily be missed. But fossil hunters who slip past the red-lettered …

Anyone who has walked down an aisle or stood under a 50-year-old gum to affirm a legally binding, lifelong pact has probably asked themselves at some point in the intervening years: “Should I have done that?″⁣ It’s normal to question the big stuff. Hell, these days it’s pretty standard to …

“Oh, you’ve just had your thyroid removed? I’m so glad you’re feeling better.” Venturing out just days post-op, I hightailed it to my favourite almond-chai haunt and soon found myself in a pleasant chat with an old acquaintance. She continued: “My sister had her thyroid out. She used to be …

SaveLog in, register or subscribe to save articles for later.Save articles for laterAdd articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.Got itNormal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text sizeThe Age has once again scooped the pool at the annual Melbourne Press Club Quill Awards for Excellence …

Most of the time I’m simply cosplaying as a responsible adult. Like many Millennials, I’m increasingly startled by the suggestion that I’m now genuinely a grown-up, though seeing my childhood 90s fashion return to vogue renders it pretty hard to ignore. There are myriad ways in which I fall short. …

I grew up in the Philippines, where 86 per cent of the population is Roman Catholic. During my first stint in Australia, I lived in a Catholic dorm at my university in Perth. Each block segregated males from females. I never really asked the priests why that was the case. …

Of all the pointless things to ever be invented (blankets with sleeves, umbrella shoes, appendixes), the most pointless surely has to be alcohol-free booze. You could be forgiven for thinking you’d stumbled into a bottle-o in the soft drink aisle of your local supermarket, with alcohol brands like Carlton, Wolf …

I’m picking up a $1.50 coffee from the servo, and the lady asks if I would like to donate $2 to kids with cancer. I squirm awkwardly before saying “no thanks”. I imagine she must be wondering how this degenerate demon clawed its way out of the seventh circle of …

On Mother’s Day, as I struggled with the cold autumn morning in Melbourne, I walked my dog Spark to the nearby garden. A fellow dog owner smiled at me with her pug in tow, saying, “Happy Mother’s Day, Fur Mum.” I was surprised by the greeting. It was the first …

When I moved to Melbourne, I was thrust into a community of yogis who were all younger than I was, including my teacher. In their 20s and 30s, they lived their lives freely following their passion. One was a contortionist who left yoga training to join the circus to showcase …

Australia’s large Croatian community openly celebrate fascist anniversaries while displaying emblems, flags and maps of the murderous Ustasha regime of World War II.

In this age of Instagram, people have tons of photos of their meals on their phones. I have no doubt this is the most documented generation that has ever lived, with an insane number of photos of latte art, oatmeal bowls, and egg porn – yolks oozing – as proof …

I am 36 and feel like I’m on the cusp: cosmetic injectables or not? It’s so normal now: my hairdresser casually handed me a business card for the place she gets Botox. Friends openly talk about their fillers. In the cold light of day, I can see age creeping on …

It’s not yet officially winter. But Mother Nature insists it is. Melbourne began the month with its coldest May weekend in 23 years. There was widespread rain, hail and snow. It seems like we skipped autumn altogether. The single-digit temperatures have arrived. It means waking up to 6- or 7-degree …

The increase in hybrid working arrangements post-COVID has given rise to a new meaning for “WFH” – now it’s all about “working from hospo”. Whether it’s cafes, restaurants or hotels, people are increasingly taking their laptops and settling in for a coffee and a meal rather than raiding the snack …

It sounds ideal – holographic wives can giggle, give you compliments and code a new computer game where necessary. Johansson’s voice provides a sultry backdrop to Theodore’s life in Her, able to chat and make jokes; a constant companion in his ears. Real human relationships are hard. They are constantly …

When I moved to Melbourne some three and a half years ago, I wasn’t fully aware of the depth of the city’s coffee culture. I had previously lived in Adelaide in 2005-06. At that time Starbucks opened three outlets, which quickly closed in July 2008. Australians take their coffee seriously, …

When I lived in Singapore, “auntie” was the respectful term for an older woman. We often fondly called the vegetable vendor in the market or our favourite laksa hawker “auntie.” They are the women pulling their shopping trolleys to the market. While shopping for shoes in Singapore, I tried on …

You’re at a party, scanning the room for canapes, when someone approaches and you realise you’re about to engage in small talk. You chug the rest of your Bollinger (sorry, your Brown Brothers) and prepare yourself. You might begin by asking each other how they know the host. A comment …

In case you’ve been living under a yoga mat these past few years, hydration is back in vogue, only this time it’s super-sized. If you cast your eyes around at cafe tables, your colleague’s desk or the perimeter of your boutique gym class, you might have noticed a growing trend. …