Science Friction

9 May 2014 #458

Cover Story: Science Friction

Never in history have there been so many scientific breakthroughs. Yet, somehow, the gap between science and our understanding of it is growing. This edition Ginger Briggs asks: how do we sift the scientific facts from the fiction? And we find out how English pop star turned physicist Brian Cox is making science cool, with his Wonders of the Universe TV series.

Maxine Beneba Clarke discusses her new short-story collection, Foreign Soil; Richard Ayoade of The IT Crowd explains how he tackled Dostoyevsky in his latest film, The Double; Helen Razer pays tribute to a mentor and friend from her Triple J days; and, in a feature on American synth-pop band Future Islands, Anthony Carew describes how three minutes on a chat show introduced the obscure Baltimore indie band to a mainstream audience.

The star of this edition’s ‘Vendor Profile’ is Julie from Brisbane. And we have ‘Streetsheet’ contributions from Ken and Stephen B in Melbourne and Michael S in Sydney. It’s an especially romantic edition this time, with vendors Bianca in Canberra and Megan in Brisbane both contributing pieces on true love! ‘Streetsheet’ also gets The Big Issue version of ‘Vogue treatment’ this edition. We’re featuring a truly superb photograph of Sunshine Coast vendor Stephen G exchanging his trademark cowboy hat for an elaborate high-fashion hairpiece.