“She was so unpleasant I called her priMadonna.” “People say that he kept rejecting Donald Trump from coming into Danceteria.” “There was no better place for Run DMC to first play than Danceteria.” Plus WW2 bombs, piss wands, the wildest of antics & more. Amazing story by @joypress.bsky.social!

Joy Press@joypress.bsky.social · 3mo ago

This Danceteria oral history is one of the most fun stories I’ve worked on. The club was a home for artsy misfits, incubating future stars like Madonna and Beastie Boys, Keith Haring, and Karen Finley. New wave, drag and hip hop rubbed up against each other. Enjoy! www.vanityfair.com/story/dancet...

RIP to Sam Neill: his wide-ranging roles included playing the Pope, the Antichrist, a cat burglar on The Simpsons and real-life winemaker, where he dealt with the "heartbreak grape". Loved interviewing him many years ago about all of the above and more. www.gourmettraveller.com.au/dining-out/c...

How I eat: Sam Neill

The actor and winemaker on pinot noir, on-set catering and hurricane shelters.

gourmettraveller.com.au

hilarious and thought-provoking www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

I tried to live for 24 hours without using oil-based products. It was ridiculously impossible

The world’s economy is completely dependent on petrochemicals. Is there any way to avoid them?

theguardian.com

The Wikipedia article “Meaning of life” has been edited 10,713 times in its 25 year existence, and 23% of those edits have been reverted as vandalism. One common pattern is for vandals to delete the entire article and replace it with a single line. I collected some examples from the old days:

I love how Milo has been so thoroughly embraced worldwide, from Nigeria to the Philippines. I've talked to many people who grew up overseas with such foundational Milo memories, they assumed the choc-malt powder was a local creation. Unlike Vegemite, they had no idea it was an Aussie invention!

Annie Hariharan@anniehariharan.bsky.social · 5mo ago

I grew up thinking Milo is a Malaysian drink so imagine my surprise when I moved to Melbourne and found out it was created in AUSTRALIA?! www.theguardian.com/food/2026/ap...

Yasuo Yamamoto is a 5th-generation soy sauce maker who brews the condiment the traditional way: in wooden kioke barrels (some over 150 years old)! Only 1 per cent of soy sauce is made this way in Japan - which is why visiting his brewery is so special. Here's my story www.sbs.com.au/food/article...

Inspiring to see @weareravenous.com emerge: it's run by "award-winning journalists fed up with the conversation around food being reduced by AI slop, 'best of' lists, and influencer-driven trends" I especially liked what @jayasaxena.com was doing at Eater and bet Ravenous will be brilliant.

Ravenous@weareravenous.com · 6mo ago

We are Ravenous — food media with teeth. Ravenous is worker-owned food and culture media company founded by @francesdoingthings.bsky.social, @aemccarthy.bsky.social, @jayasaxena.com, @shokdiesel.bsky.social, and @thecourtneyesmith.bsky.social.

When I interviewed a Sydney cafe owner who showcases Viet coffee culture in inspired ways (exhibit A: his iced brûlée-style egg coffee!), I didn’t expect him to tell me he was repeatedly blown up in Furiosa and also battled alongside Michelle Yeoh in Shang Chi. www.smh.com.au/goodfood/syd...

Review: Try Vietnam’s viral egg coffee at Canley Vale’s coffee-fuelled Tina & Po

Michael Tang was repeatedly blown up in Furiosa, but now torches his popular beverage until brulee-like.

smh.com.au

OpenAI ”acknowledged in its own research that LLMs will always produce hallucinations due to fundamental mathematical constraints that cannot be solved through better engineering, marking a significant admission from one of the AI industry’s leading companies.” You can’t trust chatbots.

OpenAI admits AI hallucinations are mathematically inevitable, not just engineering flaws

In a landmark study, OpenAI researchers reveal that large language models will always produce plausible but false outputs, even with perfect data, due to fundamental statistical and computational limi...

computerworld.com

Amen

Carly Lane-Perry@carlylane.bsky.social · 7mo ago

I know journalism is a rapidly deteriorating industry, but it also feels like fighting a losing battle when folks on here are mostly sharing articles to dunk on them, rather than solid pieces from journos and critics out here trying our best every day to stay working and writing

David Chang called it back in 2018: “The best pizza in the world is in Tokyo.” And one of its best pizzerias opens soon in Sydney. PST (run by “one of the most talked-about pizzaioli in the world”, according to @nytimes.com) arrives here in May. My story here: www.smh.com.au/goodfood/syd...

One of Tokyo’s best pizzerias, Pizza Studio Tamaki, is opening in Sydney’s CBD

It’ll be its largest global location to date and will sell its famous five-cheese pizza sweetened with honey, plus local-inspired options.

smh.com.au

I cheered when I recognised @praddenkeefe.bsky.social in Industry’s S4 finale (finally, some sound journalism on the show!); it led me to his new book, which aptly shares the murky, false glitz of Industry’s universe. Say Nothing was unputdownable, am excited/impatient for London Falling’s release!

Kristen Radtke@kristenradtke.bsky.social · 8mo ago

I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com

“To plant is to believe in tomorrow,” my father said, as he pressed them gently into the soil. Taqwa Ahmed al-Wawi on gardening in Gaza as bombs fall. Corn is a highlight: "30 kernels, bought as popcorn seeds, grew into proud green stalks up to my chest" www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

As the Israeli bombs fell, my family committed an act of rebellion: we planted a garden in Gaza | Taqwa Ahmed al-Wai

Amid constant danger, each planted seed was a tiny act of resistance. As they grew, they offered us food – and a sense of achievement amid the devastation, says Taqwa Ahmed al-Wai, a writer, poet and ...

theguardian.com

We stand in solidarity with all those who are calling for accountability, transparency, and the reinstatement of Dr Abdel-Fattah to the Adelaide Writers’ Week program: diversityarts.org.au/diversity-ar...

Even during a heatwave, the first Australian outpost for a Kyoto vegan ramen restaurant is attracting queues. I wrote about Sydney's Towzen noodle joint (which I liked better than the original in Japan). www.smh.com.au/goodfood/syd...

Review: Japanese vegan ramen restaurant Towzen opens first Australian outlet in Sydney

Japanese vegan restaurant Towzen is pushing boundaries at its third international offshoot, with ramen that incorporates Thai- and Sichuan-style flavours.

smh.com.au

What is it about movies that turns everyone into number-crunching accountants? We don’t talk about books or other art forms this way. This year, I wrote about how box office talk is ruining movies (via @sydmorningherald.bsky.social's Spectrum) www.smh.com.au/culture/movi...

Putting the gross in ‘gross earnings’: Box office talk is ruining the movies

When did we all become voluntary bean-counters for Hollywood studios?

smh.com.au

If you have a moment I’d be very grateful if you read this.

"This promise of an AI future, is really just a collective anxiety that wealthy people have about how well they're gonna be able to control us in the future." - @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit. Incredible words. Listen to all of it!

Here’s my Spotify Wrapped 🎵✨

According to @usc.edu data reported on @james.crid.land's @podnews.net, 64% of the most popular US podcasts were hosted by men. Such shows are far less diverse than the top movies, TV or music. Worst gender gap? Business & tech shows: men host 92% of 'em! More stats here: podnews.net/update/woefu...

Podcast diversity is ‘woeful’, says new report

We are much worse for diversity than film, TV, or music.

podnews.net

Six people died from tampered Tylenol and the company pulled 30 million bottles off the market. ChatGPT is accused of urging seven people towards suicide, and OpenAI just assures us they’re still working out the kinks. Billions in investment, zero accountability.

OpenAI faces 7 lawsuits claiming ChatGPT drove people to suicide, delusions

OpenAI is facing seven lawsuits claiming ChatGPT drove people to suicide and harmful delusions even when they had no prior mental health issues.

apnews.com

At Sydney's only full-time Mexican bakery, you'll find coffee spiked with horchata (it's creamy, cinnamon-sweet & delicious!), an ancient hot chocolate that predates Euro-style cocoa by thousands of years and other rarities. Here's my write-up on Pancho Bakery: www.smh.com.au/goodfood/syd...

Review: Sydney’s only bricks-and-mortar Mexican bakery specialises in hard-to-find treats

Pancho Bakery’s busy location means it’s easy to overlook, but its conchas, coyotas and molletes mean this one-of-a-kind shop deserves to be noticed.

smh.com.au

Taylor Swift releasing (needing?) 30+ variants of her new album in 1 WEEK to knock off Adele’s sales record feels cynical. Should a billionaire really squeeze her fans this way? @defector.com on how ‘good art doesn’t come from greed’ is the BEST piece I’ve seen on TLOAS defector.com/taylor-swift...

If you have a ‘difficult ethnic name’, you might know this feeling. Do you give your real name for your takeaway order - only for it to be misspelt or butchered? Or do you give a fake name for convenience: a “coffee name”? I've wanted to write this for YEARS! www.theguardian.com/food/2025/oc...

Strong flat white for Batman: should I use a ‘coffee name’?

Some people go undercover when ordering takeaway – here’s what baristas think of the practice

theguardian.com

The NSW edition of Good Food Guide comes out next week. This is a pretty big development. www.smh.com.au/business/wor...

Merivale dropped from Good Food Guide

Australia’s largest hospitality company has been excluded from the Good Food Guide following claims it exploited workers and prioritised VIP treatment over staff safety.

smh.com.au

I once read just 4 books in a year. In 2025, I’ve read more than 60 – a lifetime record for me! Recreational reading has declined throughout Australia, but I hope this story might inspire people to turn some pages. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...

I've read 63 books so far this year. Here's how I did it

Research shows Australians are reading fewer books than ever before. One writer shares her advice on how to make reading a daily habit.

abc.net.au

FYI, FBi radio's supporter drive ends soon – if you can support it, that'd be amazing. It's been showcasing Sydney's music, arts & culture scence for 20+ years (it played The Kid Laroi and Flume when they teens; I recall playing Flume's demo as Harley when he was 15)! www.fbi.radio/support

Support Us | fbi.radio

The beating heart of Sydney music.

fbi.radio

I'll never understand how companies who use AI tools in recruitment to 'streamline the process and increase efficiency' are complaining that applicants are also doing the same www.theage.com.au/national/nsw...

Strange behaviour is being observed in job interviews. It’s a sign of the times

The explosion of AI has turned recruitment into a minefield, where it is difficult to assess if candidates have the skills they might appear to be able to demonstrate.

theage.com.au