Ben Eltham
@beneltham.bsky.social
Writer, journalist, researcher, trade unionist
Pinned
Ben Eltham
@beneltham.bsky.social
· Sep 8
RALLY TO SAVE MEANJIN
Thursday 11 Sep 9am
Outside the Melbourne University Publishing office, 715 Swanston St, Carlton.
A number of Australian writers and editors will speak in support of this vital cultural institution
Thursday 11 Sep 9am
Outside the Melbourne University Publishing office, 715 Swanston St, Carlton.
A number of Australian writers and editors will speak in support of this vital cultural institution
Reposted by Ben Eltham
The Transport Workers Union has reached an agreement with Uber Eats & DoorDash for minimum safety net pay rates & other conditions for delivery drivers & riders. The union says it is a "significant step" towards improving fairness in the gig economy.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11... #ausunions #auslaw
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11... #ausunions #auslaw
Uber Eats and DoorDash strike historic deal on pay 'safety net' and accident insurance
A deal between the Transport Workers Union and Australia's two largest on-demand delivery platforms looks set to rewrite the meaning of gig economy work, if it is approved by the Fair Work Commission.
www.abc.net.au
November 25, 2025 at 10:52 AM
The Transport Workers Union has reached an agreement with Uber Eats & DoorDash for minimum safety net pay rates & other conditions for delivery drivers & riders. The union says it is a "significant step" towards improving fairness in the gig economy.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11... #ausunions #auslaw
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11... #ausunions #auslaw
Clear, crisp night walk. The moon is a slender crescent, and there is a scent of rain on the west wind.
November 25, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Clear, crisp night walk. The moon is a slender crescent, and there is a scent of rain on the west wind.
Reposted by Ben Eltham
Founders on LinkedIn still seem to be struggling with the difference between telling people about their humble beginnings and admitting to straight up committing fraud.
November 24, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Founders on LinkedIn still seem to be struggling with the difference between telling people about their humble beginnings and admitting to straight up committing fraud.
Reposted by Ben Eltham
My review of Briony Hannell's brilliant book 'Feminist Fandom: Media Fandom, Digital Feminisms, and Tumblr' is now available in Feminist Media Studies ✨ @femmediastudies.bsky.social
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Feminist fandom: media fandom, digital feminisms, and tumblr
Published in Feminist Media Studies (Ahead of Print, 2025)
www.tandfonline.com
May 12, 2025 at 9:02 AM
My review of Briony Hannell's brilliant book 'Feminist Fandom: Media Fandom, Digital Feminisms, and Tumblr' is now available in Feminist Media Studies ✨ @femmediastudies.bsky.social
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Ben Eltham
My neighbourhood constantly has families roaming the streets looking for food. SAD
November 25, 2025 at 10:36 AM
My neighbourhood constantly has families roaming the streets looking for food. SAD
Reposted by Ben Eltham
"[Negativland] tell behind-the-scenes anecdotes about the U2 lawsuit, discuss the changes to copyright and sampling since the ’90s, and try to wrap their heads around how their fair use argument has been twisted in the AI era."
Tone Glow 200 — Negativland:
Tone Glow 200 — Negativland:
Tone Glow 200: Negativland
An interview with plunderphonic legends Negativland about copyright, fair use, the rise of AI, and yes, that thing with U2
toneglow.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:45 PM
"[Negativland] tell behind-the-scenes anecdotes about the U2 lawsuit, discuss the changes to copyright and sampling since the ’90s, and try to wrap their heads around how their fair use argument has been twisted in the AI era."
Tone Glow 200 — Negativland:
Tone Glow 200 — Negativland:
Reposted by Ben Eltham
I thought this was fairly well established, but: here's another new study showing that wind and solar complement each other and make for a more stable grid when combined.
Intermittent solar and wind complement each other for a more stable grid
A study finds combining wind and solar leverages their alternating peak periods, significantly boosting total generation capacity while providing a constant, predictable power curve critical for grid ...
pv-magazine-usa.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:53 PM
I thought this was fairly well established, but: here's another new study showing that wind and solar complement each other and make for a more stable grid when combined.
Reposted by Ben Eltham
Still think it’s pretty silly that the company involved here won’t say what their Miracle Particle is. Zero environmental impact? Cool!
My take on the general idea of having for-profit companies involved in the field:
Letting Silicon Valley Geoengineer the Atmosphere Will End Badly
We already have plenty of evidence of what happens when things better left to governments — which in this case might decide to never flip the switch at all — are ceded to private industry.
www.gravityisgone.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Still think it’s pretty silly that the company involved here won’t say what their Miracle Particle is. Zero environmental impact? Cool!
Reposted by Ben Eltham
“This is complete overkill by Victoria police to designate such a large area for six months... What it means is that a police officer or protective services officer can stop and search anyone, no questions asked, at any time in the CBD and its surrounds.”
‘Vast overreach’: police allowed to conduct warrantless pat-downs of people across inner Melbourne for six months
Search powers, usually reserved for protests, will be in effect in the CBD and beyond in a move criticised by human rights groups
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:55 AM
“This is complete overkill by Victoria police to designate such a large area for six months... What it means is that a police officer or protective services officer can stop and search anyone, no questions asked, at any time in the CBD and its surrounds.”
Reposted by Ben Eltham
Meg Mundell is on ABC Radio Melbourne tonight talking to @dontattempt.bsky.social about HOME TRUTHS: Postcards Unsheltered, a public art project showcasing handwritten messages from Melbourne residents who are/have been homeless. Catch her at 9.30pm! www.abc.net.au/listen/live/...
ABC Melbourne Live Audio - ABC listen
Listen live, whenever you want, wherever you are with ABC Melbourne.
www.abc.net.au
November 25, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Meg Mundell is on ABC Radio Melbourne tonight talking to @dontattempt.bsky.social about HOME TRUTHS: Postcards Unsheltered, a public art project showcasing handwritten messages from Melbourne residents who are/have been homeless. Catch her at 9.30pm! www.abc.net.au/listen/live/...
Reposted by Ben Eltham
Bit of advice I once got from a Colonel mentor of mine… “Colonels don’t solve problems in emails, and they never say “No” in an email; you do that in person or over the phone now.”
November 25, 2025 at 2:28 AM
Bit of advice I once got from a Colonel mentor of mine… “Colonels don’t solve problems in emails, and they never say “No” in an email; you do that in person or over the phone now.”
Reposted by Ben Eltham
I'm very happy to have published a chapter in this excellent, open-access collection, "Being Human in the Digital World:"
www.cambridge.org/core/service...
Kudos to expert editors Beate Roessler and Valerie Steeves, as well as fellow authors Julie Cohen, David Lyon, Helen Nissenbaum, & more!
www.cambridge.org/core/service...
Kudos to expert editors Beate Roessler and Valerie Steeves, as well as fellow authors Julie Cohen, David Lyon, Helen Nissenbaum, & more!
www.cambridge.org
November 25, 2025 at 1:23 AM
I'm very happy to have published a chapter in this excellent, open-access collection, "Being Human in the Digital World:"
www.cambridge.org/core/service...
Kudos to expert editors Beate Roessler and Valerie Steeves, as well as fellow authors Julie Cohen, David Lyon, Helen Nissenbaum, & more!
www.cambridge.org/core/service...
Kudos to expert editors Beate Roessler and Valerie Steeves, as well as fellow authors Julie Cohen, David Lyon, Helen Nissenbaum, & more!
Housing in Australia is unaffiordable mainly because it has been the official and explicit policy of every government for a generation that dwelling prices must always rise www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
'Extraordinary' housing values crush home ownership dreams
Home prices have risen by almost 50 per cent in the past five years, with more than a decade now needed to save for a standard 20 per cent deposit for a house in most capital cities, according to a ne...
www.abc.net.au
November 25, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Housing in Australia is unaffiordable mainly because it has been the official and explicit policy of every government for a generation that dwelling prices must always rise www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...
Reposted by Ben Eltham
It would’ve been cheaper to buy everyone in the country an umbrella, Sun hat, scarf & boots than renew the BOM website.
November 24, 2025 at 9:14 PM
It would’ve been cheaper to buy everyone in the country an umbrella, Sun hat, scarf & boots than renew the BOM website.
Reposted by Ben Eltham
Our "Nvidia is not Enron" memo is raising a lot of questions already answered by our meno
In the memo, “Nvidia also responds to claims that the ‘current situation is analogous to historical accounting frauds (Enron, WorldCom, Lucent) that featured vendor financing and SPVs [special purpose vehicles.)’”
@barrons.com $NVDA
@firstadopter.bsky.social
www.barrons.com/articles/nvi...
@barrons.com $NVDA
@firstadopter.bsky.social
www.barrons.com/articles/nvi...
November 24, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Our "Nvidia is not Enron" memo is raising a lot of questions already answered by our meno
Reposted by Ben Eltham
I'm literally just living a normal life while also experiencing a theophany via communication with the satellite called VALIS.
November 24, 2025 at 7:31 PM
I'm literally just living a normal life while also experiencing a theophany via communication with the satellite called VALIS.
Reposted by Ben Eltham
In certain domains, Palantir’s reputation as a shadowy, CIA-funded corporation staffed by ruthless bastards can really open doors, writes Mark Wilding. But notoriety can also be a liability...
How Palantir infiltrated the state
At a moment of national emergency, the government handed our data to Peter Thiel’s controversial company
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
November 22, 2025 at 12:46 PM
In certain domains, Palantir’s reputation as a shadowy, CIA-funded corporation staffed by ruthless bastards can really open doors, writes Mark Wilding. But notoriety can also be a liability...
Reposted by Ben Eltham
#Forests of any age are vital for wildlife and #climate, but they’re not interchangeable.
Destroying a mature, carbon-dense forest can’t be offset by vegetation thickening elsewhere, and releases up to 120× more emissions per hectare than newer forests can absorb. 🌳🌏
Destroying a mature, carbon-dense forest can’t be offset by vegetation thickening elsewhere, and releases up to 120× more emissions per hectare than newer forests can absorb. 🌳🌏
Researchers say real impact of deforestation being hidden in Australia’s official figures by ‘sleight of hand’
Report commissioned by conservationists suggests some recorded new growth is misclassified or otherwise not equivalent t
www.theguardian.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:26 AM
Reposted by Ben Eltham
It's funny to have to make this case but tbqh we don't make it enough: human efforts to counter fossil fuel use have had *at least some* effect on total greenhouse gas emissions since the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015, and there's some evidence to back up this position
A lil thread 🧵
A lil thread 🧵
a man is talking about being entirely successful .
Alt: a robot is is talking about not being entirely successful .
media.tenor.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:18 AM
It's funny to have to make this case but tbqh we don't make it enough: human efforts to counter fossil fuel use have had *at least some* effect on total greenhouse gas emissions since the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015, and there's some evidence to back up this position
A lil thread 🧵
A lil thread 🧵
Reposted by Ben Eltham
noah smith used to regularly DM me about the fact that his silicon valley venture capitalist buddies were going off the right-wing deep end because they were afraid they would get MeTooed for the fact that promotions for young employees at the startups they were funding were gated by sex
he once DM’d me and a couple of other people to tell us that we were wrong for calling him dumb about lab leak conspiracies and that some people he knew were working on a story that would make it crystal clear and it that was getting ready to drop soon, this was like, 2021, maybe earlier
October 10, 2023 at 5:38 AM
noah smith used to regularly DM me about the fact that his silicon valley venture capitalist buddies were going off the right-wing deep end because they were afraid they would get MeTooed for the fact that promotions for young employees at the startups they were funding were gated by sex
Reposted by Ben Eltham
116 legal and policy experts have now opposed Labor’s new powers for police to recommend cutting payments from people without them even having been convicted of a crime.
Cops shouldn’t be anywhere near welfare law and Labor should withdraw this amendment. www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/treat...
Cops shouldn’t be anywhere near welfare law and Labor should withdraw this amendment. www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/treat...
November 24, 2025 at 2:31 AM
116 legal and policy experts have now opposed Labor’s new powers for police to recommend cutting payments from people without them even having been convicted of a crime.
Cops shouldn’t be anywhere near welfare law and Labor should withdraw this amendment. www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/treat...
Cops shouldn’t be anywhere near welfare law and Labor should withdraw this amendment. www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/treat...
Reposted by Ben Eltham
Gas use for electricity generation in Australia is plummeting.
Down 50% over the past decade (!!!) in the NEM on the east coast.
Gas has a small role that's getting smaller and will be absolutely crushed by big batteries in the electricity.
Not a transition fuel, no matter what BS the PM pushes.
Down 50% over the past decade (!!!) in the NEM on the east coast.
Gas has a small role that's getting smaller and will be absolutely crushed by big batteries in the electricity.
Not a transition fuel, no matter what BS the PM pushes.
November 24, 2025 at 5:44 AM
Gas use for electricity generation in Australia is plummeting.
Down 50% over the past decade (!!!) in the NEM on the east coast.
Gas has a small role that's getting smaller and will be absolutely crushed by big batteries in the electricity.
Not a transition fuel, no matter what BS the PM pushes.
Down 50% over the past decade (!!!) in the NEM on the east coast.
Gas has a small role that's getting smaller and will be absolutely crushed by big batteries in the electricity.
Not a transition fuel, no matter what BS the PM pushes.
Reposted by Ben Eltham
Delia Derbyshire (1937- 2001) UK musician/composer, pioneer of electronic music, working at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop 1960s, she created the arrangement of the theme music for UK science-fiction TV series #DoctorWho
#WomensArt
#WomensArt
November 24, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Delia Derbyshire (1937- 2001) UK musician/composer, pioneer of electronic music, working at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop 1960s, she created the arrangement of the theme music for UK science-fiction TV series #DoctorWho
#WomensArt
#WomensArt
Reposted by Ben Eltham
A 25-person startup is developing technology to block the sun and turn down the planet’s thermostat.
The stakes are huge — and the company and its critics say regulations need to catch up.
Read more: politi.co/4iaojIc
The stakes are huge — and the company and its critics say regulations need to catch up.
Read more: politi.co/4iaojIc
November 21, 2025 at 7:38 PM
A 25-person startup is developing technology to block the sun and turn down the planet’s thermostat.
The stakes are huge — and the company and its critics say regulations need to catch up.
Read more: politi.co/4iaojIc
The stakes are huge — and the company and its critics say regulations need to catch up.
Read more: politi.co/4iaojIc
Reposted by Ben Eltham
OUT NOW: All you need to know about COP30, brought to you by @carbonbrief.org
Our 20k word explainer breaks down:
🛢️ What happened with the fossil fuel roadmap push?
💰 Who wanted (and got) what on climate finance?
🇨🇳 Did China step up as a climate leader?
Find out here ⬇️
Our 20k word explainer breaks down:
🛢️ What happened with the fossil fuel roadmap push?
💰 Who wanted (and got) what on climate finance?
🇨🇳 Did China step up as a climate leader?
Find out here ⬇️
COP30: Key outcomes agreed at the UN climate talks in Belém - Carbon Brief
A voluntary plan to curb fossil fuels, a goal to triple adaptation finance and new...
www.carbonbrief.org
November 23, 2025 at 4:23 PM
OUT NOW: All you need to know about COP30, brought to you by @carbonbrief.org
Our 20k word explainer breaks down:
🛢️ What happened with the fossil fuel roadmap push?
💰 Who wanted (and got) what on climate finance?
🇨🇳 Did China step up as a climate leader?
Find out here ⬇️
Our 20k word explainer breaks down:
🛢️ What happened with the fossil fuel roadmap push?
💰 Who wanted (and got) what on climate finance?
🇨🇳 Did China step up as a climate leader?
Find out here ⬇️