Pelican Edition 2 - Electric

B o o l a d a r l u n g | E d i t i o n 2 | Vo l u m e 9 1 | 2 0 2 0 | E s t . 1 9 2 9

Show your guild card and grab a pickup pizza for

$13.95 offer applies to large pizzas only

adway BroPIZZA 165 BROADWAY, NEDLANDS 9389 8500

OPEN 5PM - 1AM FRI & SAT, 5PM - 12 MIDNIGHT SUNDAY, 5PM - 1AM WEEKDAYS WWW.BROADWAYPIZZA.COM.AU

WE WANT YOUR OLD

PELICAN MAGAZINES!

The UWA Student Guild wants to complete our collection (back to 1930) because there are gaps. If you, or your parents, or even your grandparents have copies stashed away – before you throw them away, please consider donating them to the Guild Archive!

Please contact the Guild Archivist, Melissa Hetherington for further information. melissa.hetherington@guild.uwa.edu.au +61 6488 2832 22

CONTENTS EDITION 1 - ARRIVE

PAGE SEVEN: CAMPUS NEWS ‘Campus Updates’ by Courtney Withers

PAGES TWENTY-SIX AND TWENTY-SEVEN: ART Untitled (WA Student Climate Strike Protest) by Ei Hnin

PAGE EIGHT: CAMPUS NEWS ‘The Façade of an Alpha and the Hack that Lies Within’ by Jeremy Hansen

PAGE TWENTY-EIGHT: ART ‘DNA’ by Ashley Browse

PAGE NINE: MUSIC ‘How the Sony Walkman Helped Music Break Free’

by Susannah Wong

PAGE TWENTY-NINE: LITERATURE AND CREATIVE WRITING ‘The City’ by Sophie Hunt

PAGES TEN AND ELEVEN: ECONOMICS AND FINANCE ‘Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is: Are You Funding Coal with Your Super?’ by Brook Lewis

PAGES THIRTY AND THIRTY-ONE: ECONOMICS AND FINANCE ‘Confessions of a Shocking Spender’ by Courtney Withers

PAGES TWELVE AND THIRTEEN: FILM ‘Lady, That’s My Pulp! Film in the Pulp Era’ by Lachlan Serventy

PAGE THIRTY-TWO: TECHNOLOGY AND GAMING ‘Thorium: Electrifying our Future’ by Janice Cheng

PAGES FOURTEEN AND FIFTEEN: POLITICS ‘Man, F*ck E-Voting’ by Mike Anderson PAGE SIXTEEN: TECHNOLOGY AND GAMING ‘The Unifi Experience’ by Caleb Cheng PAGE SEVENTEEN: FILM ‘Storage in the Clouds’ by Celeste Ong PAGES EIGHTEEN AND NINETEEN: LIFESTYLE ‘How Are You Wired’ by Francesca De Nuccio and others PAGE TWENTY: ART AND DESIGN ‘Pixel Dreams and Vibrant Screens: The Age of Electric Art’ by Abigail Macleod PAGE TWENTY-ONE: ART ‘Waterford Plaza’ by Stirling Kain PAGE TWENTY-TWO: ART, LITERATURE AND CREATIVE WRITING Untitled (Photograph of Hong Kong) by Charles Ng ‘Filament’ by Ellie Fisher PAGE TWENTY-THREE: ART Untitled (Photograph of Hong Kong) by Charles Ng Untitled (Photograph of Perth) by Charles Ng PAGE TWENTY-FOUR: COMEDY (CARTOON COMPETITION) Untitled (Cat at a Bar) by Holly Carter-Turner Caption by Rakin Khan PAGE TWENTY-FIVE: ART Untitled (Various) by Conor Levy

PAGE THIRTY-THREE: COMEDY ‘Far From Gruntled (Mr Electric: An Obituary)’ by Rupert Williamson PAGES THIRTY-FOUR AND THIRTY-FIVE: DIVERSITY ‘Queering the Quarantine: Thoughts on the Parallelism of Individual and Institutional Involuntary Isolation’ by Elanor Leman PAGES THIRTY-SIX AND THIRTY-SEVEN: POLITICS ‘Breaking Down Digital Walls’ by Jessica Rainford PAGE THIRTY-EIGHT: COMEDY ‘Costumed Hysteria at Local Kids Event’ by Faisal Hamza PAGE THIRTY-NINE: LIFESTYLE ‘Recognising Burnout: What We Can Do to Help’ by Cameron Carr PAGES FORTY AND FORTY-ONE: LIFESTYLE ‘Shocking Travel Stories’ by Francesca De Nuccio and others PAGE FORTY-TWO: LITERATURE AND CREATIVE WRITING ‘The Sky is Falling Down’ by Maya Taylor-Trenow PAGE FORTY-THREE: MUSIC ‘She Sings The Body Electric’ by Ava Cadee PAGES FORTY-FOUR AND FORTY-FIVE: LIFESTYLE ‘The Power of Minimalism and Productivity’ by Francesca Di Nuccio PAGES FORTY-SIX AND FORTY-SEVEN: TECHNOLOGY AND GAMING ‘The Electric Tale of Tesla’ by John Fegebank 3

CONTRIBUTORS EDITION 2 - ELECTRIC

4

Abigail Macleod

Abigail might look like she's listening, but she's actually re-watching car races in her head.

Ashley Browse

Ashley is here to learn about animals, and take all the photos ever while doing so.

Ava Cadee

Ava is a proud mother of two happy Tamagotchis

Brook Lewis

Brook’s mission is to help you live your best life.

Cameron Carr

Cameron thinks pay and go parking is terrible and he really likes busses.

Caleb Cheng

Caleb is wondering whether you've heard of Death Grips.

Celeste Ong

Celeste loves hot chocolate, knitted sweaters, dogs, and binge watching.

Charles Ng

Charles is a Chinese-Canadian architecture student who is based in Perth and Melbourne.

Conor Levy

Conor asks you to “do what you feel now. Electric feel now.”- MGMT

Courtney Withers

Courtney really wants to learn the renegade dance but doesn’t want to download TikTok.

Elanor Leman

Elanor is currently pretending she wasn’t like this before the quarantine hit.

Ellie Fisher

Ellie is a poet and English & History student from the Albany campus.

Faisal Hamza

Faisal is still looking for the muffin man.

Francesca De Nuccio

Francesca is either sipping on coffee, or some other caffeinated alternative.

Hnin Ei Kyaw Win

Ei is here to waste time and money for a degree. She hopes you enjoy her photos!

Holly Carter-Turner

Holly spends so much time at Uni that her GPS has set UWA as her home address.

Isabelle Yuen

Isabelle loves to stare blankly at empty word documents and call it writing.

Janice Cheng

Janice thought she was going to get paid for this.

Jessica Rainford

Jess is incapable of writing a twenty-word bio.

Jeremy Hansen

Jeremy tries to live his life by the prolific teachings of Michael Scott.

John Fegebank

John’s love of physics is the only thing stronger than his caffeine addiction.

Lachlan Serventy

Lachlan wears a lot of yellow.

Maya Taylor-Trenow

Mya is writer-at-heart who lost her way, and didn’t realise until half-way through a med-science degree.

Melody Ong

Melody is an animal whisperer, a ‘Disnerd’ and a person who paints.

Mike Anderson

Mike Anderson is five years into his three-year degree. Ask him to talk about elections if you're having trouble sleeping.

Millie Muroi

Millie is an Arts student camouflaged by an enthusiasm for economics.

Rakin Khan

Rakin Khan wants friends with benefits, where the benefit is being his friend.

Sophie Hunt

Sophie is an English major who loves Perth for its vibrance and cheap dumplings.

Susannah Wong

Susannah watches Antiques Roadshow for fun. She’s surprisingly available.

Rupert Williamson

Rupert Williamson admires Matthew Richardson's hygiene standards - great job Richo!

Tam Pinkerton

Tam is a wanna-be botanist who sometimes keep plants and small children alive.

Xander Sinclair

Xander is enjoying the publication life and designing this magazine with Stirling and Bayley.

SUB - EDITORS ARTS: Riva-Jean Lander and Abigail Macleod CAMPUS NEWS: Courtney Withers COMEDY: Rupert Williamson DIVERSITY: Elanor Leman ECONOMICS AND FINANCE: Millie Muroi FILM: Lachlan Serventy and Amy Papasergio LIFESTYLE: Cameron Carr and Francesca De Nuccio LITERATURE AND CREATIVE WRITING: Elena Perse and Isabelle Yuen MUSIC: Ella Fox-Martens and Susannah Wong POLITICS: Christine Chen SCIENCE: Paris Javid and Deni Campbell SPORTS: Campbell Williamson TECHNOLOGY AND GAMING: Caleb Cheng and Kyle Pauletto 5

ARRIVE PRESITORIAL BAYLITORIAL STIRLITORIAL

Hey! I hope your first few weeks back at uni have been great.

It’s been a pretty bumpy start to semester with concerns about coronavirus. If you’ve found that the virus has impacted your studies or you feel that you have been treated unfairly, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at president@guild.uwa.edu.au.

We want to ensure all students are treated equitably by the university so let us know if you need some help.

Being plugged in can be great, but don’t forget to take a minute to switch off every now and again.

This time of semester can be pretty stressful so find something you can use to take some time out. And if you’re ever in need of support, our Student Assist officers are here to help you out.

You know, if I had my time over again, I would’ve invested a ton of money into Zoom. It might be the only company that’s actually doing well at the moment. Or maybe Nintendo, after all, Animal Crossing is single-handedly keeping all of us sane during these turbulent times.

But I can only tend to my island for so long before I get bored. So recently, I been trying to combine old-school entertainment with new-school technology to keep myself occupied, which just led me to a website where I could make my own jigsaw puzzles.

It was only until I completed a jigsaw of my pet bunny that I thought that maybe I was incredibly lame.

Maybe I should stick to Animal Crossing.

Bayley

See ya soon!

Staying consistent with my desire to chat about the cover art of each issue, I’m going to delve into the photograph we chose - shot by resident photographer, Ashley Browse (@ashleybrowse) and Rebecca Cotton.

Cerebrating cover art for this theme felt both more difficult and easier than the first edition. I think it was harder because it felt like it could be easier, and when the easy way didn’t work out, I was stumped.

Ashley, stalwart and reliable as ever, came through with some test shots.

We gave him some batteries; a cheap neon rope we bought off the internet; and the freedom to run with anything that felt right to him.

And this is what he came up with.

To be perfectly honest, as I’m writing this, I don’t know what it is yet, because we are running to the deadline. But if I know Ashley’s work, he will have taken something as sedated as The Bell Tower, and electrified it.

Stirling

Bre Shanahan 107th Guild President

6

CAMPUS UPDATES

BY COURTNEY WITHERS

Yikes! That shock of going back to uni really did take me by surprise. Although I was fully prepared and bracing myself for impact, it really was a jolt to the system. See what I did there? Jolt? Shock? — and the edition’s called ELECTRIC? Ok, good.

Well anyway, enough about the ‘shocking’ return to uni and my over-explanation of puns. The real question is: what’s been happening on campus since last edition?

To start with, UWA had a very successful O-Day on the twenty-first of February, showcasing over two-hundred and twenty stalls. The day was loads of fun, and was well received by both Freshers and returning students (the free pizza might have partly contributed towards that).

UWA also introduced ‘Whoosh’, a bike- and carshare service that helps students get around campus in a giffy! Quite an interesting initiative, if I do say so myself. There are six mobility hubs around campus for students to hire bikes and e-bikes from, as well as from the Nedlands campus and QEII Hospital. No more using the “I just had a really long walk to the building” excuse for being late anymore, I guess!

UWA has announced that they are planning to remove parking permits from semester two and moving to an automated system, which will require students to use an app to register their car. This means that students will have to fight fellow students, as well as staff, for a parking spot. There’s going to be some real road rage at UWA! But honestly, life on campus (and in general) at the moment is a bit shocking and jolting. It’s hard to grasp the severity of Coronavirus when we have been inundated with cases and statistics, the unknown of this all still remaining. At the time of publication, the UWA Guild was forced to postpone the campus satire newspaper, PROSH and was instead released online; and attendance requirements were suspended for many units.

It’s very much a confusing time, and it all feels a little surreal. I think the best thing we can do is continue to go about our normal routines, and try to keep that undercurrent of electric fear under control. So, keep going about your business, and as Eric from Sex Education (2019) would say, “wash your hands you detty pig!”

- Courtney

There’s also been other developments on campus with the issue around pay-as-you-go parking. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then you clearly must A) not own a car; B) not park at UWA; or C) simply not care about the ever-present, underlying web of UWA politics… But, this really is something you should be caring about.

Pelifacts are back: FACT

7

THE FAÇADE OF AN ALPHA AND THE HACK THAT LIES WITHIN

BY JEREMY HANSEN

When I came to UWA I had a plan; put your head down, move through the crowd, and avoid doing ANY, and ALL club activities. I was coming here to work hard, get my expensive degree, and then leave to be unemployed, whilst my tradie mates swim in their bathtubs full of cash like Scrooge McDuck.

I’d done my fair share of co-curriculars at school, from productions (brag), to chorale (oh boy, watch out), to the pinnacle of private school egotism; head prefect (…cool). Hanging up my blazer filled with more embroidery than an eight-year-old’s summer project, I was surely set for my time at UWA. A time of stress-free weeks filled with wild weekends. Uni was coming and I was prepared for all of it. Then O-Day happened, and my god did things change.

Walking around with my group of high school friends (also referred to as ‘The Boys’), we had our guards up from getting sucked into all that club life. We were on a simple, but popular mission; get as much free stuff as you can without paying for memberships. When ‘hacks’ are using their silver tongues and voodoo magic, however, this became a far harder task.

Soon, sticker after sticker landed on our student cards.

But I thought to myself, one or two memberships can’t hurt, right? I wasn’t getting sucked into campus culture, no! Absolutely not! The University Dramatic Society tent was the next stop, and that, kids, was where it all went downhill.

A few days later, and it was the big Sundowner night.

Arriving fashionably late to give the impression I was cool and uninterested in the society, I soon learnt what UDS was all about. Two shows each semester, all student written, produced and directed. It was sounding really good, but I couldn’t fall headfirst into temptation.

But then I started to think that perhaps I could just audition for one show; how bad could it really be? I’ll just go in, get all the acting out of my system, and then be on my merry way to hang with ‘The Boys’ at the Ave. However, this was not the case.

was definitely not the ‘alpha’ look I was going for.

But there I was, singing a pitchy version of ‘Stars’ from Les Mis (don’t worry, as bad as I am at singing, it was still better than the Russel Crowe version), and it was electric.

The sparks were flying inside as all these nerves jumped out of me, in that indescribable energy you get whenever you perform. It was incredible to be back in the performance setting, something I thought I’d left behind in high school. But now, I was once again hooked on drama.

An audition here, a show there, and soon I found myself submitting a ‘Fresher Rep’ application, created with terrible photoshopping skills and particularly awful jokes. I had now destroyed that façade of the disinterested and blasé boy, who thought he’d spend every Saturday night living the highlife in Northbridge, running off nothing more than protein powder and a dream.

Who was I kidding - it was nothing more than a lie!

Once I submitted that application, I felt electric, as now I had finally emerged as my true self at UWA; a ‘hack’ with an egotistical desire for power.

So, to all those freshers out there, wanting to relax at uni because they did their hard yards in school, don’t lie to yourselves! Yes, I get harassed by ‘The Boys’ for hanging out with “Drama Friends”, and the collective groan when I mention UDS seems to get louder each time, but I wouldn’t change a thing!

Be proud of your love for wanting to get involved and do something incredible. And if you really do want to live the ‘alpha lifestyle’ but can’t because of all those weekend commitments you now have with various clubs, never forget that the Ave will always welcome you with open arms! Or at least, that’s what I tell myself.

A week later, I was auditioning for the musical, and man I was nervous. Singing in front of four people at a table, with dramatic lighting in the background,

8

I have all of the toilet paper, and no you can’t have any.

HOW THE SONY WALKMAN HELPED MUSIC BREAK FREE

BY SUSANNAH WONG

The first time I saw Sony’s Walkman cassette player was when I was just a kid. I was watching the perennial 80s classic Back to the Future, and the concept of listening to music while doing something else was completely alien to me; it blew my mind.

Since then, I’ve almost never left the house without my headphones.

That was really the magic of the Walkman. Sony’s landmark device was the first truly portable electric music player, and it let anyone listen to music anywhere. It provided a soundtrack for life. No longer was music physically tied to an unwieldy black disc or to live performances. It was convenient, and it was the future. Sony had lightning in a bottle.

Initially, consumers didn’t really understand the concept or what it would mean for them, but soon began to see the player’s potential, and sales skyrocketed a month after release. As the decade rolled on, the Walkman became a household name, and within eighteen months, two million units were sold. Its wild popularity saw the explosion of a copycat market, with almost forty portable cassette variants by the end of 1980.

This success continued well into the twenty-first century. By 2010, three-hundred and eighty-five million Walkmans had passed into the hands of music lovers, and its impact has been seen on every music player since.

But that wasn’t the end for the humble tape-chewer. In 2014, Marvel made what was old new again, featuring the original 1979 Walkman extensively throughout Guardians of the Galaxy, causing cassette releases to come back into vogue, and sparking a collecting frenzy that still goes on to this day.

Walkman collecting, however, is a tricky business. A general rule of thumb is that the older the model, the greater the price, with the 1979 model being highly prized. This combined with its major appearances throughout the MCU has made Peter Quill’s model something of a holy grail for collectors, with prices starting at around $500 USD, but going into the thousands depending on condition. The notoriously delicate nature of cassette players and their infamous tape chewing also makes your chance of getting your hands on a working model for a reasonable price extremely low.

I was lucky enough to get one last year at a vintage market for fifty bucks, and there’s something magical about that spine-tingling crackle, as the music bursts into life through my headphones. But it’s undeniable that the convenience of smartphone technology has deemed carrying around tapes obsolete.

So next time you find yourself on a long commute, headphones playing your music of choice, take a moment to think of Sony’s pocket-sized music machine, and how much better life is with a soundtrack.

The peacocks of UWA were originally reared by UWA alumni Kim Beazley.

9

PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS: ARE YOU FUNDING COAL WITH YOUR SUPER?

BY BROOK LEWIS

Once again, I find myself writing an article about superannuation. This may have some of you about to turn the page, but I aim to tell you why you should care, and how you could be using it to make the world a better place – or perhaps more importantly, ensuring the impact you’re having on the world is in line with your personal values.

YOUR IMPACT

SCREENING

Throughout my time at university, I have seen many takes on activism: attempts to “raise awareness”, or perhaps even petitioning for certain fossil fuel projects to be scrapped. Yet it is likely that many of the same people have a proportion of their pay contributing to the companies they perceive as evil.

The key here is how your super fund chooses which companies to invest your funds into. If the super fund you are in has no criteria to screen against companies which sell tobacco or coal, they may not discriminate against investing your money in them. This means your money is helping fund these companies.

If you don’t know how your superannuation is invested, there is an incredibly high chance that for every single paycheck you get, a proportion of it is providing funding to industries that many perceive as ‘unethical’, such as tobacco, mining and alcohol.

So, how do you make sure your money is invested in ways consistent with your values? Find a fund which has rules which match your values. Many are quick to point out that ethics are subjective and hence ethical investing may be highly inconsistent. However, most ‘ethical’ funds have clear environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) guidelines. By understanding a fund’s ESG guidelines, you will have a greater understanding of how the super fund chooses the companies into which your money goes.

First, a quick run-through on how your super works.

Typically, when beginning paid employment, you will provide your tax file number and either nominate a superannuation provider, or go with the employer nominated default fund. Every time you get paid, at least 9.5% of your pay is contributed to your super account. This money is then invested in accordance with the super fund’s rules. Some funds will, for instance, allocate a certain proportion of your super to shares in Australian or international companies, and property.

10

The fourth floor of Reid Library is lovely. Just don’t find yourself there on a Sunday.

DOES AN ETHICAL FUND LEAD TO POORER PERFORMANCE?

A key concern some might have is that choosing ethically will limit the performance of the fund, therefore costing you significant amounts over time. This idea ponders both whether you should choose to take less money to be morally consistent, and begs the question of whether ethical investing indeed leads to poorer performance.

The first consideration is one that only you can really answer. In 2019, the Responsible Investment Association Australasia published a report which indicated the performance, net of fees, of a

selection of “responsible investment” funds against benchmarks. Unsurprisingly, they reported that (based on their sample) responsible investments outperformed the market in most instances.

In January this year, the world’s largest fund manager, BlackRock, announced that it would divest its fossil fuel holdings. Perhaps if the benefits weigh up for the largest fund manager, they may weigh up for you, also.

Source: Responsible Investment Benchmark Report Australia 2019

HOW DO I KNOW IF AN ‘ETHICAL’ FUND IS ETHICAL?

Another pitfall may be funds which are branded as ‘ethical’ simply trying to cash in on a buzzword. The Sydney Morning Herald reported earlier this month that companies such as AMP and Hostplus offer ‘ethical’ alternatives that may not be up to your standards, citing: “Hostplus’s sustainable investment option launched in March 2017 includes at least eight oil and gas companies…,” and “AMP’s $117 billion portfolio also includes an ‘ethical leaders balanced fund’… However, AMP invests in at least nine oil and gas companies.”

Choosing an ‘ethical’ super fund which aligns with your perception of the term ‘ethical’ may come back to screening. By determining the rules the super fund uses to screen ethical investments, you can understand how the decision is made to invest your super. Also, funds may be transparent in publishing their holdings; perhaps it’s best you check these to ensure it’s what you would expect.

Perhaps next time you’re looking for tips to reduce your impact on carbon emissions, you can put your money where your mouth is, and look at your super fund.

The information in this article is general only and does not consider your specific circumstances or financial needs. You should seek advice from a licensed and trusted professional to obtain specific information for your circumstances and needs.

The Vice Chancellor has just unveiled his four-point plan to help UWA become the tree climbing powerhouse of Western Australia.

11

LADY, THAT’S MY PULP! LADY, THAT’S MY PULP!

BY LACHLAN SERVENTY

CW: SUICIDE, VIOLENCE Weasels Ripped My Flesh. Ooze. The Warlord of Mars. Bullet From Nowhere.

with the lack of easily accessible, more high-brow fiction had created yet another market.

Despite the clearly inspired and oh-so-cool titles, these were all once stories of the most reviled kind in the literary world. Pulp, baby, PULP.

Now, you might be wondering - what the hell does this have to do with film? Well, of course, what happens in literature is often followed by film. Pulp oozed its way into film quite quickly.

Smutty, usually of the shittiest quality (there are a few glaring exceptions), and full of the dumbest, most implausible stories you can imagine. The name came from the fact that the paper they were almostalways printed on was, again, of the shittiest quality.

“Pulpy”.

They sort of had their roots in the “penny dreadfuls” of the Victorian Era; short, sordid stories that ran counter to the cultural norms of contemporary society. But pulp was distinctly American.

The first true ‘pulp magazine’ was pretty tame.

Argosy was just a short story collection, really. It was almost respectable. Upton Sinclair, H. Rider Haggard, and H.P. Lovecraft (Respectable? Ha!) all wrote for Argosy and a few of the other early pulps.

By the end of the First World War, however, things had changed. The trench vets had seen some horrible, mind-bending things. The days of wonder that had carried into the new century from the “Gay Nineties” had been dragged into hellholes like The Somme or Ypres, and promptly beaten to death.

So now, there was a market for far darker literature that was easy to read. The pulps recognised this, and changed direction. This started the period that most people associate with pulp fiction. The heady, grotesque, violent, often bordering-onpornographic stories we recognise today.

From the late 1910s to the early fifties, pulp dominated the popular literature scene.

In fact, publishing houses like Vintage and Penguin were created as an almost direct response to the pulps. The popularity of the pulp format combined

12

In the twenties, the German expressionism of the Berlin art scene had a bastard child with the ideals of pulp, and produced films with increasingly darker themes. The most notable prodigy of this period was probably Fritz Lang and his vorticist-like settings. M, Metropolis, and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, while not pure pulp, definitely drew from the blunt-force dogmas of pulp fiction.

Across the pond, the decidedly shitty economic situation of the late twenties uncovered something dark in the American psyche. The Americans were angry. They needed a win. Like the generation before, they had found their trenches. This time, though, it was breadlines, and bankers raining from twelfth story windows. What better than shadowy stories about rough and tough detectives, and damsels in distress?

JUST LIKE THAT, THE SECOND CHILD OF PULP WAS BORN. “Film-Noir” took off in the States. These were basically stories ripped straight out of pulp magazines and filmed in the backlots of Paramount Pictures.

Slowly but surely, pulp themes pervaded the film industry. In fact, up until 1934 introduced the Hays’ Code to Hollywood, film gave pulp literature a run for its money at being the smuttiest medium.

Violence, interracial relationships, torture, sex, and homosexuality were all on the table for filmmakers, as long as they could get them past the local censorship board. After 1934, though, the pulp had to be toned down - much to the disappointment of Hollywood.

There is a giant inflatable Gough Whitlam statue in each corner of Bayliss.

FILM FILM IN IN THETHE PULPPULP ERA

Around this time, directors and writers like Otto Preminger, Billy Wilder, Orson Welles, and Alfred Hitchcock, following in the footsteps of the Germans, started adding an artistic touch to these films. But it was still pulp.

You could also argue that this marked the beginning of a split. Pulp-inspired films became more artistic and palatable for a wider audience, and the more pulpy stuff started going underground culminating in the infamous and horrific snuff films of the later 20th century.

Of this more culturally-acceptable first category, classics like Double Indemnity, Blackmail, and The Maltese Falcon all fell into the nearly-pure pulp thriller genre, or the more German expressionist-influenced film-noir. To this day, the thriller genre is profoundly influenced by these early models.

So, now what? Pulp is on top of the world. Successful in film and literature alike, at least financially, if not always artistically.

WELL NOW, IT’S TIME FOR ANOTHER WAR. Where the First World War had created a market for iconoclastic, nonsensical, sordid stories, the Second World War began a sort of cultural push back. The end of the war boosted the American spirit into a delirium of good times. Populations of poorer people began to shrink, and the growing middle-classes began to demand a more high-brow, less grungy form of popular entertainment.

ERA

as the “sweats,” filled the shrinking niche that pulp had once dominated. Still the same classic, dumbass titles - Man Hungry Hussy of She-Devil Island is one of my personal favourites. But they were kind of in the same cultural fringe that full-on porno mags were holding.

Pulp film became more of an homage to the old days.

The themes were still there, but were overshadowed by attempts to again introduce more cerebral concepts and stories.

Sam Fuller’s Shock Corridor is my favourite example of this. A story about an investigative reporter tracking down a killer in a mental hospital, it grapples with themes of bigotry, looming nuclear annihilation, patriotism, and personal identity. Yet there’s still this totally unnecessary, objectifying scene in which the main protagonist wanders into the wrong part of the hospital and is attacked by sex-crazed female patients.

ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS, OFFENSIVE, UNNECESSARY, INACCURATE, AND ADDING NOTHING TO THE STORY. JUST THERE TO GRAB YOUR ATTENTION. Film, for better or for worse, will forever owe a lot to pulp. Entire cinematic movements have to at least acknowledge the influence and legacy of the genre.

From the twenties, right on down to the god-awful “noir-inspired” student film your Tarantino-loving cousin makes, the legacy of pulp hangs around like a bad smell. It is, however, a bad smell that you just can’t fully hate.

Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments, with its emblematic religious fervour and family-friendly themes, became the symbol of a new form of mass cinema. It is, to this day, one of the most financially successful films of all time.

Pulp had its kick-ons, of course. The literary crown it had once held was handed to its spiritual successor - “men’s adventure” magazines, otherwise known

The Guild runs an illegal Bolivian cock-fighting ring.

13

MAN, F*CK E-VOTING

BY MIKE ANDERSON

Look, technology is great — the internet and computers have opened new channels for political organising and the spread of information although they do come with the risk of ‘fake news’, and enabling some less-than-savoury groups to organise. All of this being said, there are some places technology needs to butt out, one of which is our electoral system.

I’m all for some flashy reporting, cool graphics, and online results stations. I would be lying if I said I didn’t sit up all election night refreshing the ABC’s website. But using computerised systems or, heaven forbid, online voting, is not appropriate.

ELECTIONS NEED TO BE MANY THINGS, BUT ABOVE ALL, THEY NEED TO BE RELIABLE, VERIFIABLE, UNBIASED, AND SECURE FROM OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE OR COERCION (HENCE THE SECRET BALLOTS).

Yes, there are risks with every system—paper voting included—but paper voting and the paper trail it creates allows for better scrutiny and reliability.

14

Now while I’m largely discussing this from the context of a national or state election (which has greater stakes and more voters than, say, a club election or a company AGM), the inadequacy of electronic voting (also known as e-voting) can be seen across all levels. For instance, available e-voting systems are less reliable and potentially less secure for local or smaller-scale elections. Moreover, they are also usually third-party systems, which can create a disconnect in trust levels due to their opaque operating systems. This can also be observed at a national level, to an extent– the ability to understand and engage with that system is limited to the more tech savvy demographic, and it’s notable that even most computer experts generally are of the view that e-voting is not a good nor reliable system!

Further to that, online voting has seen issues that we, as university students, will know very keenly. During Guild Elections, I’m sure we’ve all had someone ask us to vote for them (or if you’re a first year, will have someone ask you to vote)—yeah it’s annoying but it’s fair enough, and they’re within their rights to solicit votes. However, in 2016, evidence was put forward

It is considered good manners to clap at the end of a lecture.

by the University of Sydney’s student magazine, Honi Soit, that showed a candidate standing over people with a laptop getting them to vote, which is a form of voter intimidation and coercion. I could always just walk into the voting booth and not vote for a particular candidate - that’s less easy to do when they’re standing over my laptop and watching.

A report in the newspaper Metro UK discussed the experience of Peter Golds, a councillor for the London borough Tower Hamlets in 2014, when one-hundred and sixty-four instances of electoral fraud were alleged, and the borough’s election was declared void. Golds maintained that electronic voting would have prevented the discovery of fraud.

So, if a purportedly more advanced system can’t detect voter fraud, or does not allow for a verifiable path of scrutiny, then it is not a good system. If an attempt of fraud occurs in a paper system, it is often discovered and its impacts are usually negligible.

Another argument in favour of e-voting is that it would increase voter turnout by encouraging young people to vote. I can’t say if young people are more likely to vote on an electronic voting or online system, and the evidence doesn’t suggest a marked change in turnout. According to studies by D. Bochsler, and M. Germann and U. Serdult, e-voting leads to fewer people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds voting, and more people from middle class backgrounds voting. This digital divide distorts

our representative democracy further to the interests of the middle class and away from any action to support working class people.

Now, what of people who can’t make it to a voting booth? Or who have difficulty in voting themselves?

Yes, online voting could certainly help there, but there are other methods existing in paper voting that work to assist these people—postal voting and proxy voting are both options available.

I’m not saying traditional paper voting is perfect or that more work doesn’t need to be done. Problems within our current voting system still exist: we need to do more to support those with disabilities and the elderly to participate in our democracy, and we need to increase the accessibility of our elections.

However, e-voting is not the solution to those problems. Electoral systems need to be reliable so that the people using them can feel secure and that their voice is being heard - and this is something e-voting cannot guarantee.

Talk of e-voting always will come up because there’s an obsession with the cost of elections. In the end, elections occur generally around every three years, and money is spent on ensuring a reliable and verifiable system that actively works to protect voters from coercion. We can certainly look to reduce the costs, but if that comes at the cost of our democracy, it’s a bit too steep a price to pay.

If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stop talking on the third floor of Reid Library.

15

UNIFI: AN INVESTIGATION

BY CALEB CHENG

Issues involving Unifi is, without a doubt, one of the most universal UWA experiences you can have. For me, such wireless connectivity complications evoke the textbook five stage grief cycle denial: “My lecture cannot be buffering right now”, anger: [redacted], etc. through to acceptance: “Hotspot time…”

Why the night before my exam? Why the lecture and not the Netflix episode? Why is this happening despite having paid my tuition fees?

The fact is that UWA is not the only institution with patchy WiFi coverage. Providing universal, highspeed internet access across an entire campus is a massive technical challenge. Students of colleges with significantly more resources and infrastructure still report having slow, unreliable internet.

One of the most probable reasons for this is the limitations of wireless communications themselves – interference. In an area like Reid, the lecture you’re streaming has to fight its way through bodies, concrete, and bookshelves, as well as hundreds, if not thousands, of devices connected to the same network - just to get to your laptop or tablet.

According to CISCO, a Silicon Valley technology conglomerate, user density is the critical factor in developing a wireless network – which explains why the internet grinds to a halt during exam season.

In a mesh system like Unifi, rather than have a few routers in every building, there are hundreds of nodes across campus that communicate with each other. This allows for greater scalability and flexibility, as nodes can be quickly added to extend the range to cover a dead spot. However, in such a network, speed is sacrificed for convenience as each request must travel further to reach its destination.

16

Bandwidth limitations could also be a potential bottleneck. Although the total bandwidth for the university is huge, video streaming and game updates can amount to serious download sizes. Those chumps binging Netflix on the third floor are sucking up millions of precious bytes every second. Too many of them, and your pre-exam study experience just got a whole lot worse. Also, for whatever reason, UWA hasn’t cracked down on torrenting, which probably constitutes another significant portion of non-educational bandwidth hogging.

The numerous firewalls that your traffic must pass through are more speed bumps for your connection.

In order for Big Brother UWA IT to protect our sweet innocence and ensure the websites you are visiting aren’t malicious, every website accessed in and out of the UWA network has to be given a green light. Firewalls are absolutely necessary for an organisation like UWA, but this process adds up during peak periods, potentially placing a strain on your connection speeds.

The solution to better internet? More wireless nodes might help – something the UWA IT department are continuously implementing quietly around the university. If you have an ethernet port in your laptop, you can access a direct internet connection at all libraries on campus (the list is on the UWA website). For now, one of the best ways you can help your own internet speed (and everyone else’s) is reducing unnecessary data usage – downloading Netflix episodes before arriving to university, and not updating your League client during exam season.

From personal experience, the best place to go when a solid internet connection is required is the EZONE. And if you are having any recurring issues, go talk to the tech support in the corner of Reid Library - they are very knowledgeable and friendly.

That was a great presentation. We make a good team lol. We should get coffee sometime.

STORAGE IN THE CLOUDS

BY CELESTE ONG

I used to think my parents were paranoid. They constantly told me to back up my computer onto my hard drive, and I never really saw the importance of it. I mean, I’m pretty damn sure my new laptop isn’t going to crash on me anytime soon, and I have plenty of storage. That was, until my mother got ‘The Cloud’. Now, everything is up on ‘The Cloud’, or Dropbox, or Google Drive - making hard disks a thing of the past.

Recently, I had to watch Blade Runner 2049 (2017) for a class (ENGL1401, if anyone is wondering), and it gave me an excuse to do further sleuthing, which led me to watching the three shorts that were released before Blade Runner 2049 was in theatres. I will be specifically referencing Black Out 2022’ (2017), which is available on YouTube.

Spoilers ahead, read at your own risk.

The destructive implications? All the data kept about the replicants was destroyed, meaning no one could hunt for replicants that had gone rogue, or access any data about them. They were as good as human, except for a code in their eyes.

In the Blade Runner universe (BRU), specifically, in the year 2022, an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) was released by the replicants (robots almost identical to humans in the BRU), and caused a global blackout.

This had “massive, destructive implications all over the world”.

Obviously, we live in a world where replicants do not walk and live among us, but we do live in a society where most of our information is stored and shared online. We share and access data so easily, with just a few clicks, but do we ever think about what happens when we lose that access? What happens if we fail to go back online? What happens if our data gets wiped out entirely?

Our reliance on electricity, and on these data storage platforms, is increasing exponentially; I fear to think about what would happen, if it happens.

It’s scary. When my laptop reaches zero percent, my access to my school notes, lectures, and online research...it’s all gone. In the real world, people could lose access to projects they’ve spent months on; the government could lose access to private information; and someone could lose their life on the operating table, just because of one magnetic pulse.

You can’t delete a printed book, but you can delete almost anything on your computer. Think about that.

Fresher tip: Raise your hand and ask your lecturer to go to the toilet - it’s the polite thing to do.

17

18

HOW YOU W

LEO

SCORPIO

JULY 24 – AUGUST 25

OCTOBER 24 – NOVEMBER 22

Take a deep dive this month, Leo! A dive into actually being a decent person for once. Humility and kindness tend to frighten Leos, which is why Jesus was a Capricorn and Buddha was an Aries. One way to become a better person this month is to stop stocking up on all the fucking toilet paper you selfish bitches. Express gratitude to your friends and family for feeding your excessive pride.

By Francesca De Nuccio

Everyone has had a rough start to the year, but not you Scorpio!

As the world descends into chaos by toilet roll shortage, you remain unfazed. Should you be part of the stockpile horde? Absolutely not! Your powerful energies are too precious a commodity to be wasted on such menial tasks. Now go be the boss ass bitch you are!

By Isabelle Yuen

TAURUS

CANCER

APRIL 21 – MAY 21

JUNE 22 – JULY 23

Being a bull without a herd is not what the stars have in mind for you this month! This is good luck because without your people, you would most likely to drop off the face of the earth and no one would even notice. You should keep in mind that stubbornness is not a virtue and change is a good thing.

Lighten the fuck up.

By Francesca De Nuccio

Listen up, Cancers! It’s time to snap out of being so damn sensitive.

Failure to do so will result in you copping a huge L this month. But keep those chins up, because now that all that retrograde bad juju is gone, we can blame everything on ourselves and our stupid mistakes again! Just cut off all emotion and don’t give a flying fuck about anything! Works every time.

By Courtney Withers

SAGITTARIUS

PISCES

ARIES

NOVEMBER 23 – DECEMBER 21

FEBRUARY 20 – MARCH 20

MARCH 21 – APR

Time to get yourself anchored, Sagittarius! Whilst we’re all aware of the adventure your zodiac sign seeks, stop being a stubborn shit and realise that your Europe, #goals 2020 trip will be cancelled.

The good thing is that everything always works out for you Sags’.

The worst part is that you are so charming it’s impossible to hate you. Fuck you Sags.’

By Francesca De Nuccio

It’s a time of discovery, Pisces!

Developing a sore throat? Runny nose? That’s right, you’re slowly transforming into a fish. But don’t worry, having gills and an inability to live above sea level is just another challenge for you to conquer. Now go make the most of life you sexy salmon fillet.

By Cameron Carr

This is your seaso forces predict sh fan three days aft This month is a life by your hor you do best – n other’s opinions your probably sh and drink your continue to be th in the zodiac.

By Francesca De

UWA IGA has the same energy as a Rottnest General Store. Feels kinda wrong that it’s there, but also kinda right.

W ARE WIRED?

LIBRA

VIRGO

SEPTEMBER 24 – OCTOBER 25

AUGUST 24 – SEPTEMBER 25

CW: Suicide

Oh Virgo, we all know you enjoy the finer things in life and there is nothing wrong with that! But for the love of God, you lazy bitches, stop buying lunch on campus. It’s not that hard, just pack a fucking muesli bar or something. You don’t need bubble tea every single day.

This is your star-vention.

By Stirling Kain

Libra, you saucy minx! This week you will have an intimate fling, and we aren’t talking about the kind where you land on someone after throwing yourself off the second floor of the Business School. It will involve a hairy stud with long legs and bedroom eyes. That’s right; you came here to fuck spiders.

By Stirling Kain

CAPRICORN DECEMBER 22 – JANUARY 20 April is for mingling, Capricorn!

Thanks to Jupiter in your relationships zone, you may decide to talk to that person you have been stalking for the past few months. However, with a ‘no touching’ policy in our midst, only elbows will initiate a cheeky flirt.

The stars would love to give you extra dating advice, but they know you will only nod your head and proceed to doing whatever you fucking please.

By Francesca De Nuccio

AQUARIUS

GEMINI

RIL 20

JANUARY 21 – FEBRUARY 19

MAY 22 – JUNE 21

on Aries! Cosmic hit won’t hit the ter your birthday. all about seizing rns, doing what not caring about s (even though hould). So boogie b’day away and he biggest pricks

You have finally found the one, Aquarius! Oh, wait nope, it’s just another lanky dude with a bowl cut and a fanny pack. A boy who smokes a pack a day and will only make love to you when Tame Impala is playing on their shitty free Spotify. Either make him buy premium, or it’s over.

By Bayley Horne

Climb that mountain Gemini!

No, not the mountain of life, but the mountain of humility. Stop believing you are a mixture of Socrates and Leonardo Di Caprio, because in reality it’s more like Kath and Kim. Unfortunately, that’s the problem with a dual personality disorder. But there is one positive; you are lucky you get on so well with yourselves because you annoy the hell out of everyone else, you hornbags!

By Francesca De Nuccio

Nuccio

Albany campus goes harder.

19

PIXEL DREAMS AND VIBRANT SCREENS: THE AGE OF ELECTRIC ART

BY ABIGAIL MACLEOD

Singapore. A place associated with wealth, grandeur, fast-paced living, and economic prowess. It’s also a hub for digital, electronic, and innovative art pieces.

At night, the huge towering Marina Bay Sands is lit up by hundreds of lasers – lights, sounds, and dynamic movements paint the sky and the bay with colour.

It’s immersive, breath-taking, uniquely Singaporean – and undeniably art. I was lucky enough to see this in person during my time living in the Lion City, and it captured my imagination with every surge of light and noise. Digital, electronic, and multi-modal works are fantastic pieces in their own right.

I began my digital art journey with a laptop, and a Wacom tablet bought from the Special Buys section of Aldi. Slowly, day after day, I practised my digital art, until I could look at the screen and see something that made me smile. I have always loved the feeling of pencil on paper, the feeling of opening a fresh sketchbook, and the grey graphite smudges on my fingertips as I finish a sketch. But the freedom of electronic art, the colours, the textures, the tools, was something else entirely.

It was art re-imagined; new life breathed into something so old and well-established. I shared my works around in the hopes of inspiring someone else – only to be bombarded with “well, it’s not really art, is it?” This crushed me, but made me think. Is it time we re-consider our perception of art as we hurtle into the digital age?

There is no denying that society has changed. We are glued to our mobile phones; we type more than we hand-write; and sometimes, a string of emojis can constitute something like ‘I love you’. This is not entirely a bad thing – these technological advancements mean that we have new opportunities to inspire and create art.

The nay-sayers may scoff, and claim that oldfashioned paint and canvas is the only true ‘art’. But art is anything that makes you think; that inspires you to create for yourself; that invokes emotions.

In Perth, we are just as lucky as Singapore – surrounded by incredible creative minds that harness the digital and the electronic to create incredible art. We have been graced with installations such as Guardians (2019), by art collective ololo, which featured huge, robotic monoliths that roved serenely around Yagan Square during last year’s Winter Fest.

The well-recognised Digital Tower, also in Yagan Square, lights up the city streets with incredible artwork, videography, and vibrant colour. It’s clear that these types of digital art, electronic installations, and technological creativity have been cemented into our artistic culture, and the avenues these mediums create for us are innumerable.

Pen to paper, or stylus to screen – all art is beautiful, and no matter how creative minds find creative outlets, let’s encourage them to keep making, creating, and filling the world with wonderful things.

20

Campus peacocks are reincarnations of successful UWA graduates. That’s why there’s only like, four of them.

IMAGES BY STIRLING KAIN

Left UWA thinking I had a valuable degree, realised the only thing I got was asbestosis.

21

PHOTOGRAPH OF HONG KONG BY CHARLES NG

FILAMENT

BY ELLIE FISHER

light me up. a candle. my hair is burning. the elocution of this electrocution is clean & precise. i can’t fault it. i can’t fault you. negation of the negative. eyes & tongue & heart & lungs. glint of metal. you strive for that electric purity. for that animation. your face is of that slant. in photographs it stills oddly. it looks unlovely. you are best in the flesh. compression. the filament dies out. ditched in favour of white. blue. black. what a thrill. i run straight through you. leaving so small a trace.

22

UWA is so old that the paths around the campus were originally built wide enough for horses.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHARLES NG

23

IMAGE BY HOLLY CARTER-TURNER

Cat: I’ll have a virgin White Russian, but please hold on the coffee.

Bartender: .... so, milk then?

CAPTION BY RAKIN KHAN

24

IMAGES BY CONOR LEVY

25

WA UNI STUDENTS CLIMATE STRIKE, BY EI HNIN 26

WA UNI STUDENTS CLIMATE STRIKE, BY EI HNIN 27

PERTH NIGHT BY ASHLEY BROWSE

28

THE CITY

BY SOPHIE HUNT

CW: SUICIDE Barefoot, ankle deep,

In a room overlooking the river,

the fisherman casts his line.

two bodies share a bed,

Midnight wind whispers with the rumble of trains, and the river laps at weathered skin,

bathed in the muted orange glow that pours in through half-closed curtains

and he looks out to the city.

while young teens strut across the cobbles,

The city where second shift office workers sit twenty stories up, high enough

wearing Adidas and Nike and expressions of cool nonchalance.

to jump.

Eyes avert from the gap-toothed men on the side of the road

Where nude-lipped women and silver-tongued men wait in line,

sharp-faced

trading honeyed words,

hollow-eyed

lit up by the neon girl above them

“You got a light?”

raising and lowering her leg.

A hundred meters away,

Where a janitor begins his long journey home,

a man in an ill-fitting suit steps onto an elevator,

slouched in the back bus seat,

contents of his desk in his arms.

indifferent to the passing wail of a police car

And somewhere,

invisible to the loud, drunken passengers ready to dance like they have sunlight in their veins.

in the impossible aliveness of the city,

At a street corner a woman picks at her meat pie, basking in the glow of the 7/11 and the warmth of four vodka lemonades.

Strobe lights and bass pulse in a nightclub patrons’ heads thrown back with a breathless vitality

in the warmth of the sweat-thick summer air, a stranger holds the doors for the train, a couple share a kiss and a fisherman looks to shore, seeing only a glimmer of lights.

that seems inches from death.

The old Business School Cafe salad bar had Coronavirus before it was a thing.

29

CONFESSIONS OF A SHOCKING SPENDER

BY COURTNEY WITHERS

I like spending money - it’s as simple as that. Doesn’t everybody? There’s something so nice about buying something for yourself, with your own, hard-earned money, that makes it seem worth whatever you’re buying. However, I would describe my spending habits in one word — shocking.

I like going to Bali with the gals on holiday, when I probably should be saving. I like the feeling of going out for brunch and buying ridiculously expensive avocado toast, that is most certainly not worth twenty-three dollars. I like watching theatre and am happy to spend forty-odd-dollars to watch a FRINGE WORLD Festival show I know nothing about — and, well, you get the idea.

I’ve always had an appreciation for money and budgeting, but have just never been very good at it in practice. I suppose when expensive coffee places begin knowing your order, you probably should consider how frequently you’re going there. Perhaps the five-dollar-fifty soy hazelnut latte on the secret menu at Blink isn’t worth it after all.

The problem is - and I know this sounds like a snobby comment to make - I like nice things. I like buying candles and indoor plants to put in my room, simply because they make me feel better. I laugh about the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic with one of my friends, because, honestly, some of the lines are just so relatable.

In a way, I think myself and poor Rebecca Bloomwood in this movie are quite similar: we both love to shop, and we also both love the feeling of spending.

the world is better; and then it’s not anymore, and I have to do it again!”, and “my heart never beats as fast as it does when I see a ‘reduced by fifty percent’ sign”.

I’m exaggerating for entertainment’s sake, but I do get where she’s coming from. When I’m feeling under the weather, buying a cute new top really does make me feel that little bit better. That feeling of someone wrapping up a garment and handing it to you across the counter, and it suddenly becoming yours, is an indescribable feeling.

But, of course, this feeling only lasts so long, then the garment doesn’t feel so shiny and new. Maybe I should employ Rebecca’s mantra in the film: “My will is strong. My wallet is closed. I don’t want to shop!”.

But the fact is, the economy needs and relies on people spending. With retail bleeding into redundancy at the moment, more than ever is the market relying on consumers and spending. I suppose the only way I can really justify my spending habits is that I’m helping Australia’s economy through feeding into its wavering market. Well, at least, that’s what I tell myself.

Australia is currently on the road to its first recession since 1991, due to one of the worst recent days on the stock market – it fell 7.33%, and coronavirus is partly to blame. Economists predict that Australia’s economy will contract for two successive quarters this year due to the health crisis. This has encouraged Treasurer Josh Frydenberg to write up a fiscal stimulus package, which will hopefully address the unsteadiness in the economy.

Rebecca says, “when I shop, the world gets better, People really do like to be ‘shocking spenders’ when

30

The ALVA Campus is really just ECU in disguise.

it comes to incoming viral infections - the ‘Great Toilet Paper War of 2020’ is testament to that. Why aren’t people buying canned food or long-life milk in bulk? That seems pretty 101 in terms of survival to me. But, I suppose that’s what happens when the public goes into a panic - and unfortunately, the economy tends to follow.

Thinking about everyone’s recent ‘excessive spending’ got me thinking about my own buying habits. Although I haven’t bought ten packets of toilet paper in one trip, I certainly have bought in excess – a fact which some people have tried to make obvious to me.

My Nanna bought me quite an interesting Christmas present a few years ago; from memory, I was seventeen at the time. I opened the gift to find that she’d bought me The Barefoot Investor.

“Ahhh, thanks, Nanna”, I tried to say appreciatively, as I stared at Scott Pape on the front cover, wondering if I would ever find this book useful. I opened it and flipped to a page, which read: “how to buy your home in twenty months…”, and immediately realised I was probably not the target audience for this book.

‘SMSF Lite shares’, but honestly, this all sounds rather confusing to a shocking spender.

I don’t understand why there’s the expectation of young people needing to have everything sorted about their lives and savings so urgently. I mean, we’ve all been down that rabbit hole of feeling stressed about our ‘life calendars’ before, but I still don’t think formulaic approaches to saving/ budgeting money are realistic. The way I see it is that it’s a conglomeration of elements; spending too much, making mistakes, learning from mistakes, and then finally learning to budget and save money. It’s a process, and it certainly can’t be perfected overnight.

So yes, I could have better habits when it comes to spending money, and maybe I splurge unnecessary amounts on expensive avocado toast, but I think it’s all about learning. Until the economy picks up, The Barefoot Investor will remain an untouched artefact in my book collection, gathering dust in my room.

Pape says that when it comes to saving money, “in your twenties you learn, in your thirties you earn” - I guess I should start to get my financial position in order, right? Pape throws around tips, like dividing your income and investing in something called

One man is responsible for keeping track of all of UWA’s finances. His name is Mr Gribble and he is perpetually sweaty and flustered.

31

THORIUM: ELECTRIFYING OUR FUTURE Nuclear power. Once the shining hope of futuristic dreams, powering cities, houses, and cars, soon became a cause of anxiety with the connotations of destruction and disaster that would follow. Any discussion of nuclear power will inevitably involve reminders about the tragedies of Chernobyl, Fukushima and the atom bombs used in WWII. All these disasters were powered by Uranium-235 as their fuel source. But with energy concerns over coal generated power reaching their peak, and renewable sources not able to keep up, we need a new option for power generation. The answer may be found in a radioactive isotope known as Thorium 232.

Thorium is a radioactive element, named after the Norse god of thunder, located two spots to the left of uranium on the periodic tables. It may also be may be the answer to our current energy crisis. While both uranium and thorium generate power through nuclear fission, the process of nuclear decay is unique to both, leading to vastly different power outputs, risks, and waste products. The most important part for any nuclear fuel is the decay chain, since that’s where the power of fission comes from - like a set of dominoes falling step by step, releasing energy along the way. Since each nuclear isotope has a unique chain, each isotope has its own properties vastly separating uranium-235 from thorium.

While it has always been known that thorium was more efficient during the time when nuclear research was really important (early 1900s), they were looking for something that could go ‘boom’ - which meant uranium (U-235) and plutonium (Pu-239) were seen

32

as the only viable candidates. Existing reactors using U-235 or Pu-239 require the exact same fuelenrichment technology that you need to make a bomb, giving cover for an illegal nuclear weapons program. Thorium, however, is hard to weaponise difficult enough that America shut down research into the isotope in the 70s. In our day and age, this property is considered a massive plus.

One metric tonne of thorium can produce roughly eleven million kilowatts of power. An educated guess suggests UWA uses around thirty kWh per year. You would only need two point seven grams of thorium to power the entire university for a year! And it’s not like it’s a particularly rare element - it is three times more abundant than Uranium in the Earth’s crust.

It also has benefits in safety - as it is not a selfsustainable reaction, but requires neutrons to be fired into it. This means we are able to shut off the reaction at any time, removing the possibility of a uranium-esque nuclear meltdown.

So why haven’t we used this miracle element, you may be rightfully asking? The answer is fear.While we have the designs for the reactor, and all the thorium we need, there have only been tests of the nuclear fuel with no currently working reactors.

Since the 1900s, the nuclear conversation has begun and ended with uranium. But if we are to solve the energy crisis while also remaining green, thorium may be the clearest answer yet.

If you’re upset about The Tavern’s choice of Guild burger, just you wait until you hear how they treat clubs.

FAR FROM GRUNTLED (A SEMI-REGULAR COLUMN) MR ELECTRIC: AN OBITUARY

BY RUPERT WILLIAMSON

I was supposed to write a light-hearted article about electroconvulsive shock therapy, but then on Thursday I received an urgent communiqué via WeChat. I was informed that Mr. Electric, secondary antagonist of major motion picture Shark Boy and Lava Girl, had died. Thankfully, this same person also sent me a fully written obituary. Due to time constraints, I have published this obituary in full with no amendments.

Graham Francisco Electric, renowned character actor and beloved public figure, died yesterday at his home near Tampa, Florida. He was 81.

Electric is most widely known for his semiautobiographical performance as Mr. Electric in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D, and for inventing the electric pencil.

Born on March the 5th 1939 in Pasadena, California, Electric was the third child of Gabriella Francisco, a housewife, and Herbert Electric, an inventor and stable hand.

His father was killed by a falling horse when Electric was just three years old, leaving his mother to seek out work and look after the family. “She was a wonder-woman,” he later recalled. “She was the kindest person I ever knew, but she was tough. You should have seen how she fought for us. We were lucky kids. Except for the fact a horse got dropped on dad.”

The young Electric had a passion for film, but was rejected from Fresno School of Fine Arts when he electrocuted a classmate while declaiming poorly written electricity themed puns. The classmate survived and grew up to be Ronald Regan, President of the United States.

Instead, Electric turned to independent filmmaking.

Teaming up with cinematographer and softcore porn icon H.G. Rection, Electric signed with Paramount to write, direct, and star in his coming of age story, originally titled Me and Mr Edison.

However, Paramount intervened to make the movie more family-friendly, citing concerns over the marketability of a movie about a giant purple man

with a circle face and electricity for arms. The film was renamed Sharkboy and Lavagirl as H.G. Rection took over as director, and Electric’s role was rewritten to a supporting part.

Despite creative difficulties, the movie was a critical and financial phenomenon, topping the box office and winning seven academy awards.

Privately, Electric was seething. A schism developed between him and Rection, and his behaviour became increasingly erratic. His three-month marriage to Jennifer Aniston ended in a messy divorce after Electric had an affair with a blender. He later married the blender and had two children, Celia and Hair Dryer.

After years on the sidelines, Electric returned to the public eye in Harold Ramis’ dramedy, Wish You Were Here, in which he played Walker, a middle aged man trying to reconnect with his daughter. Electric was nominated for an academy award, but lost to Rection for his performance as a giant dildo in Giant Dildo.

All through this time, Electric never stopped inventing.

His most notable invention, the electric pen, proved both wildly popular and totally impractical.

Vale Mr. Electric.

Once again, I apologise for not writing my own article. I promise that I will absolutely really write it myself next time. If you want to share your memories of Mr. Electric, please message the Pelican Facebook page. The admins would really like that.

More UWA students attend the Ave than their classes.

33

QUEERING THE QUARANTINE:

THOUGHTS ON THE PARALLELISM OF INDIVIDUAL AND INSTITUTIONAL INVOLUNTARY ISOLATION

BY ELANOR LEMAN

You’re probably reading this issue of Pelican online “electric”ally. At the time of writing, of course, I very much hope that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic will have ramped down by the time my words reach you, but its impact on society at-large, in even a best-case scenario moving forward, is undeniable.

For many, this may not involve experiencing the illness, per se, but rather, the effects of quarantine.

The suggestion that quarantine may be possessed of a certain inherent queerness, at least in some cases, has already been drawn within the zeitgeist - see the image accompanying this article. Though evidently tongue-in-cheek, the underlying thought process is worthy of examination.

It seems that the tweet in question signals two potential ideas; either that academia is willing to latch onto any piece of current affairs in order to maintain relevance (a thought which I wholly reject via the proof of the necessity of me writing this article), or that the coronavirus quarantine is reminiscent of a queer experience, now manifest on an abjectly global level. I wish to posit that in the latter case, reference to the common phrase of “being in the closet” may be of use.

Consider practices of self-isolation, not through the contemporary lens of coronavirus, but rather, from the perspective of the queer individual in the early stages of self-acceptance - one who is in the closet.

Similarities are abundant.

34

In the closeted case, although physical freedom to engage with the broader community is still present, there is a lack of connection on an individual basis with similarly-identifying members of the queer community, or such allies to it. There is a detachment from, and inability to, fully access the complete spectrum of social function that comes with the social distancing of being in the closet, and it is precisely this same loss that we are now seeing lamented on a much broader scale - as institutions of health demand that all of us (across the entirety of society, queer or tragically otherwise) engage in a much more literal form of social isolation. Quarantine, of one kind or another, sets in, and so do the thought processes leading to this article.

The terminology of ‘institutions’ is worth some further examination here. After all, is queer repression not typically driven by institutional authority? Such isolation - as the experience of being in the closet enforces - has historically, and quite often still presently, stemmed from both government and society, and often, we must wryly note, from health organisations. Hence the bitter irony to see such establishments, particularly those related to health, now pressing such measures onto the population at large.

Meanwhile, those networks that are purely societal, with no legal jurisdiction, enforce social distancing through the group-based pressures of shame and judgement. To see quarantine from the virus enforced by communal effort thus is uncomfortably reflective

You’re not a true UWA student until you’ve experience the unbridled joy of touristing in the city during a three hour gap between classes.

of the manner in which queer individuals are kept in the closet by the very same means. Of course, I do not for a moment suggest that there is some moral lesson to be taken from this, aside perhaps from witnessing the power of society to isolate, for better or for worse.

Let us take a moment to consider the brighter side of quarantine culture, both as it develops out of coronavirus and has already developed for the isolated queer individual. I refer to the connecting power of technology. See the innovations that have been either newly formulated or are only now seeing their time in the sun as a result of the global

pandemic that is upon us - from the online resources necessary to conduct work or watch lectures at home, to the ability to share movie viewing in real time from various scattered locations.

However, spare a thought also for those who might have benefited from such measures sooner than this moment. We should not deny the value of intersectionality against queerphobia and ableism, and note that it is only now that online work and study are needed for the majority that they become available on a large scale.

On the whole, though, we can take comfort from

IMAGE CREDIT: ELANOR LEMAN

the fact that we do have the capacity for such adjustments, and hope that they might become more widely available in the future.

Let us think also of the benefits that technology has brought to the queer isolation of the closet.

I wouldn’t call this article a terribly academicallyrigorous one, but I will make reference to a study. In 2017, The Telethon Kids Institute conducted a broad survey of young trans people (in Western Australia, no less), finding amongst a great deal of other data that 74.7% of trans young people used social media to improve their mental health. They were able, through the internet, to connect and communicate

with others, and express themselves more authentically. In the cases of both the coronavirus quarantine and the quarantine of the closet, then, technology has allowed personal interaction to continue despite various obstacles, be they legal or social. There is something warming about the fact that, though social distancing may be a very real and often challenging reality, people find a way to get through it.

Curtin students think their Uni is better. Little do they know, they’re right.

35

BREAKING DOWN DIGITAL WALLS

BY JESSICA RAINFORD

It is no surprise to any student that these days, we receive most of our news online. How many of you pick up your phone, first thing in the morning, and browse Facebook or Instagram? You are almost immediately met with another titbit about the latest climate protest, Trump tweet, or toilet paper shortage. Do you ever feel the need to further investigate these outrageous headlines, only to fall at the first hurdle when the publication in question asks for a ‘monthly donation’?

At a glance, it is reported that fifteen point seven million Australians in 2019 were consuming news electronically, whilst print readership is expected to experience a steady decline over the next few years.

Traditional outlets, of course, must have some sort of revenue to continue operations – so many have ‘built’ digital paywalls. This involves allowing access to some (or all) of a publication’s web-based articles and features on a subscription-only basis.

The surface benefits are clear. Prop up a paywall, and publications receive a relatively sustained income from readers paying a monthly or yearly subscription. Companies can invest this money back into resources and journalists, and subsequently writers should receive a good pay for their quality work. Ideally, fewer ads are needed, less outside influence is received from benefactors (including advertisers) or the government, and editors and journalists have more independence to report on

36

the stories they want, in the way they deem best.

Theoretically, news becomes driven by creators.

But does this result in better quality news? Is free access to news a fundamental right in a democratic nation, such as Australia? And how should reporters strike a balance between what audiences ‘want’ to hear and what they ‘ought’ to hear, regardless of whether it is comfortable?

Some have argued that paywalls are barriers to people seeking to actively gather varied sources of information and make informed decisions during election periods or times of crisis. It is a commonlyheld belief that a journalist’s value lies in their ability to report factual and unbiased information to the general public, and keep them informed on timely issues. Consequently, it is suggested that this is not possible where financial barriers are involved. Keith Grossman, President of the TIME corporation, spoke at Georgetown University in September 2019, and noted the following: “If all of the greatest, most premium news sources think that the right path forward is to put a paywall on their content, what they’re doing is they’re creating content for an affluent audience, not for the general public…,” Whilst commenting that in erecting paywalls, media outlets have the “potential to undermine democracy,”

Ukelele Studies is a real major under the Conservatorium of Music.

he also advised strategies such as these can work in certain contexts – especially in “niche areas” of publications. This, however, did not diminish his emphasis on keeping general news “open and free”.

In response to this issue, some outlets have moved towards a more flexible approach – dismantling these walls during election periods and times of crisis, such as the current Covid-19 pandemic. They aim to draw less affluent or more casual readers away from lessreliable free sources of ‘fake news’ and back towards more mainstream outlets. In turn, this fosters more informed decision-making on critical political and social issues.

This seems like a great solution; however, many people think that these more ‘trusted’ outlets do not allow free access to their most important content for a sufficient period of time. For example, The New York Times offered readers unlimited access to their reporting and analysis for seventy-two hours, beginning the day before the 2016 presidential elections. Other outlets made similar gestures, but only for the day of the election. Is this effective? How many people are realistically going to change their minds within a few days leading up to – or on – an election day? Are these publications truly motivated to fight disinformation on ethical grounds, or simply making half-hearted efforts to appear that way?

Another problem often raised regarding paywalls is that they can fuel the polarisation of the public relating to political issues. Subscribers will generally direct their valuable money and attention to sources which reinforce their pre-existing values and biases, rather than paying for opposing viewpoints. The multitudes of online media outlets, understandably, are then incentivised to produce articles which will keep a tight hold on their current subscriber base.

In doing so, they can become prone to partisanship, and can further strengthen the opinions already held by their readership.

In the current polarised political climate, this feedback loop between writer and reader can create comfortable echo chambers for people on each side of the political divide. As such, people become less likely to engage in critical thinking, healthy debate, and understanding or empathy for those with views which challenge their own. In this respect, news arguably becomes driven by audiences rather than creators.

Whilst paywalls are still associated with many fundamental problems, we must remember that they are still in their early days—only time will tell whether these issues will be resolved. In the meantime, people must be aware of the media they are consuming. Think about the publications you subscribe to, question sources, dig a bit deeper, and start discussions with people on the other side of the political divide. You never know what you might learn.

You’re allowed to sleep on campus if you’re wearing a graduation cap.

37

COSTUMED HYSTERIA AT LOCAL KIDS EVENT

BY FAISAL HAMZA

A costumed performer experienced a hysterical meltdown at a kids Pokemon GO promotional event whilst dressed as its beloved icon, Pikachu.

The actor (name redacted) had been playing the iconic character for years. “He was our go-to Pikachu. His recreation of the their sound effects and behaviours were second to none,” explained Nintendo representative Takashi Kimura. The actor shared this confidence, frequently bragging to his co-workers that “my moment is nearing,” and that “soon my grind will manifest.”

“It started when the kids talked during his ‘performance’.” explained concerned mother Rachel Rachella. Enraged, he berated them. “I swear to god, you fucks better stop ruining my Daniel Day-Lewis moment or I’ll iron tail your ass.” He then began to cry, lamenting that “Joaquin Phoenix doesn’t have to deal with this shit! He dresses up as some stupid clown and wins an Oscar. I live this shit every day, and for what?”

38

“Honestly, I thought he raised a fair point,” explained father Damian Lewis. “I wasn’t a fan of the Phoenix interpretation, more of a Nicholson man myself. Like seriously, since when was his name Arthur? Simply ridiculous. I’m just glad someone finally said it.”

Lewis affirmed that despite this, “my main concern was, obviously, the kids.”

“We should have stopped him, but we were worried he was armed,” explained press officer Emily Emilson.

The Actor had warned potential interveners that he would ‘thunderbolt’ anyone who came close to him to stop the performance. “We thought this was code for a gun,” Emilson explained, but as it turns out, the actor truly believed he could execute the technique.

Soon after, the actor explained his fury over the casting of the 2019 movie, Detective Pikachu. “I’ve been prepping for this role my whole goddamn lifetime and they cast fucking Deadpool!” He then launched into a fifty-five minute pitch about his more “film-noir and thriller inspired atmospheric direction for the film, featuring a bold vapourwave twist.”

Things took a bizarre turn when the actor demanded he meet the “CEO of cashmere.” “I have ideas for the betterment of cashmere. Do you kids even know what cashmere is? Didn’t think so. There’s why.

They won’t pick up my calls. Where’s my money Mark Zuckerburg?” Even the children attempted to explain that there was no CEO of cashmere, but the actor wouldn’t hear it.

Thankfully, a concerned parent was able to contact the police, and they arrested the actor on account of his threats to the children. When approached for a comment, the actor simply responded, “those who needed to hear have now heard.” When asked who, he silently nodded.

You know you’ve hit rock bottom when you start paying four dollars for tea at Quobba Cafe.

RECOGNISING BURNOUT; WE CAN DO MORE TO HELP

BY CAMERON CARR

When I think about electric as a theme, I’m reminded of my year eight physics class - that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed. One thing they never taught me about energy, however, was how to manage it effectively. As uni students and humans in general, we’re socialised to believe that being busy is a necessary part of our lives. We find new projects and set strict deadlines just to take up our spare time. Burnout is not healthy and praising busyness and a ‘I don’t know how s/he does it’ narrative is damaging to society on large.

Taking a step back; it’s important to look at what burnout is and what it’s not. Burnout is typically a by-product of extreme stress. Whether it’s physical hours or limited headspace, burnout is different for everyone. Working sixty-hour weeks could be just as harmful as worrying non-stop about an assignment.

Saying that you’re tired from study or work isn’t burnout. Burnout is a debilitating lack of energy causing an inability to function how you normally would. Often, burnout will contribute to mental health issues, and can even lead to abnormal anger or anxiety.

I’ve experienced burnout to an extent before. For me, the most significant aspect was subnormal performance in everyday tasks. I was struggling to have conversations with people and constantly creating (looking back, probably useless) spreadsheets and lists. I recall feeling useless and ineffective; feeling the weight of other people’s expectations, but most significantly, feeling responsible for things out of my control. I wasn’t eating or exercising properly, and couldn’t go five minutes without worrying about an assessment or project. I realised I had to take a step back; luckily, I was in a position where I could do this. This was not extreme burnout, but I’m glad I eventually saw the signs, and was able to alleviate some of the pressure

I felt.

The important thing is giving people the tools to deal with stress in their own way. Just like grief and joy, people express stress differently. Some people overwork themselves when they stress; others exercise furiously, or simply worry. What’s important here is that stress tends to be caused by feeling a lack of control.

CAN I PULL THIS OFF? WILL SHE LIKE ME? WHAT IF MY TUTOR HATES IT? These thoughts are pernicious and potentially inevitable. But as a society, we have a duty to put in anti-burnout measures that empower people, and don’t dictate how they should live their lives.

Incentivising corporations to create mandatory mental health days, having dedicated lunch hours every day at uni, and recognising burnout as a real health issue could help massively.

I think that we’ve made a good start in some ways, but the more we do and look into these issues, the more we realise how much farther we have to go. Celebrating small symbolic gestures from governments and institutions removes pressure and impetus for actual change. Sweeping reforms don’t just happen, and historically, it takes a crisis to cause revolution. But what will this inaction cost?

The organ in Winthrop Hall can reach sufficiently high frequencies to shatter the stained glass windows.

39

SHOCKING TRAVEL STORIES!

STREET SMARTS

BY MILLIE MUROI

When it comes to public transport, I’m not the most patient person. If there’s a faster way of getting someplace - whether it involves Whoosh bikes or not - I’ll take it. But I’m also a cheapskate; I’ll commit to solo-strutting through Northbridge after a night out over splitting an Uber. Put me in an unfamiliar city after dark, and things are about to go pear-shaped.

It all starts with a bid to save time.

Parc des Princes is buzzing after the quarter-finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. I’m still high off the stadium lights, effervescent cheering, and secondhand adrenalin of those last few minutes of gametime. Nonetheless it’s 11pm. I walk outside ready to hit the hay. One sticking point; there is no way I’m getting through the sardine-crowd jostling to enter the closest metro stop.

So, I figure a brisk promenade is no problem. There are still people around and I’m certain the next stop isn’t more than a stone’s throw away. But as I’m walking, the summer air feels nice, and I’m feeling pretentiously Parisienne. I can see the Eiffel tower sparkling in the distance and, decide I can save a couple of euros, and take a scenic detour by continuing on foot.

40

What seemed like a twenty-minute walk, soon morphs into a two-hour affair, as I realise objects in the distance appear closer than they are. The occasional street has me shrouded in shadows and trying not to think of those crime documentaries I’ve been binging.

Finally, I stand triumphantly at the Eiffel Tower, out of breath but notably unscathed. I am delighted at the lack of people at the metro station, until I notice the gates are closed, and an attendant tells me that the last train has left. I turn on my phone to see the time 2:15am flash in front of my eyes right before the battery dies.

For a good few minutes, I seriously consider setting up camp for the night. There’s no way I could walk on without navigation. Suddenly my saving grace appears. Never did I think I’d be so happy to see the Louis Vuitton of transport – a taxi – but I madly flag it down, ready to cop any absurd number of euros for the ride. The name of the hostel has escaped me, but I vaguely recall the neighbourhood.

When at last I walk through the doors of my hostel, the irony of the sign Smart Place is not lost on me.

Robert French is the ‘UWA Love Letters’ admin. New Vice Chancellor Tayyeb Shah runs ‘Yes/No’.

Francesca De Nuccio: Travel can open us up to many new experiences. A thrilling adventure that places you in a foreign place, essentially forcing you out of your comfort zone. Sometimes travelling just doesn’t go to plan; we may be faced with obstacles. However, often, these hurdles become the moments that make your holiday…

GRINGOS IN SEARCH OF A CAMPSITE

BY TAM PINKERTON

I’d never been camping before. Whilst in Santiago, Chile, my Argentinian friend insisted I take her camping gear and get out of the city. A local Chilean friend raves about a campsite up north they go to every summer. She said it’s privately owned by the military (first red flag), but anyone can go there.

Firstly, to put this in context, think Pinochet and military dictatorship. Chile is no longer governed by the military but they’re still intimidating. Secondly, as tourists, my partner and I stood out like sore thumbs, or Gringos as they called us, with our broad rimmed sun-smart hats, large rucksacks and hiking boots.

After a seven-hour overnight bus trip, the driver lets us out on the side of a highway. Turns out to be the Atacama Desert and looks like a scene from a bad B grade movie: mountains on one side of the empty road, and a vast sandy plain stretching out as far as the eye can see on the other.

The only thing in sight is a little red shed next to a giant Coca Cola bottle, where we find a fellow who’s surprised when we ask about a campsite. No, he’s never heard of it, but does know of a military base and points down a long track in the desert.

As we head off, the sound of gunfire becomes louder. I’m relieved when we finally see an oasis of

trees and buildings. But the relief vaporizes when we notice two heavily armed guards and a hundred army green one-man tents lined up in rows.

The guards are polite but don’t know about a campsite. The site has been a boot camp since March, they explain, and suggest maybe it was a campsite during summer break?

We start the long walk back to the highway, the tension compounded by our heavy ruck sacks. The atmosphere is electrified by the continuing gunfire, then a large group of army recruits running along the path towards us with war paint on their faces that looked way too much like Braveheart.

We finally get back to the little red shed where, thankfully, a passing taxi driver says he knows the campsite! He drives us around the other side of the base to a luxurious location with a swimming pool, showers, and private beach used by military officers and their families during summer.

Apart from ongoing ammunition training and daily runs past our tent by the cast of Braveheart in camouflage, we relaxed and enjoyed one of the most securely guarded and unforgettable camping trips ever.

80% of the Guild’s funding comes from bitcoin mining.

41

THE SKY IS FALLING DOWN

Minutes tick by, but the question remains unanswered.

Peter can’t be sure if it’s because of the all-consuming magnificence of the storm, or because he’d dropped physics after year ten. Either way, he decides to keep driving. It’s late and dark and the freeway is empty, save for the odd truck. He’ll be fine.

BY MAYA TAYLOR-TRENOW

Again, the night sky is illuminated the deep purple of a cloudy sunset, broken by blinding, deafening fissures of light, as though the stratosphere is splitting at its seams.

Breaking.

Crumbling.

In light of the outbreak, people are advised to be proactive in maintaining good hygiene, and to – A flash of light, accompanied by a crackling boom that rattles through him, loosening his teeth, quite possibly fracturing the tiny bones of his ears. The radio hisses, its coronavirus special report obliterated.

Oh well.

Peter is in a car, alone. The virus is unlikely to find him there. The lightning, on the other hand? Well, that’s a whole other kettle of fish.

He can almost hear the accumulation of electricity as the next strike brews, that not-quite-audible buzz tickling at the air. It creates a feeling, more than anything else. A hunch, or maybe a premonition. The storm’s own way of enthralling Peter and keeping him on edge.

He’s prepared for it this time, although the strike still jolts him. Steals his attention from the darkened freeway ahead.

It’s that rare sort of storm in which the lightning and the thunder are a close-knit, coupled unit; one and the same, the sound and light mingling and melding such that one can’t truly be sure of where light ends and noise begins. Peter’s eyes see noise, his ears hear light; he can taste a metallic tang prickling over his tongue, and wonders briefly if perhaps he had ingested some lightning particles. But surely storms can’t be eaten. Maybe he should just pull over. Compose himself. Check the weather forecast.

Afterall, things could be worse further down the road.

Is lightning more likely to strike a moving object, or a stationary one?

42

Or perhaps the hole in the ozone layer was bigger than Peter had thought.

He imagines the disintegration that must be due to happen at any moment, the explosion of sky, triggered by one-too-many strikes of lightning to that fragile ceiling. It would happen too quickly to process; one moment, the sky far above him, the next, down in front of him, on top of him. Shrapnel from the clouds engulfing him. Suffocating him. Perhaps the force of it would launch his car, with him inside it, upwards and outwards, beyond Earth’s periphery. He’d be hurtling through outer space. Nothing to cushion his upwards fall. Maybe he’d land in orbit and have to spend the rest of his days inside this small Honda hatchback, drifting aimlessly in circles and forced to watch a world he’ll never again reach. Always seeing, never touching. A world devastated by the explosion of its own atmosphere, obliterated in a single storm on a gloomy night all those years ago…

You’re fucking delirious.

Peter gives himself a mental slap, and when that proves ineffective at refocusing his mind, lifts his hand from the steering wheel for the real deal.

He probably should have stopped at that servo a few Ks back and bought a coffee. The only things exploding on this planet right now are weekly protests for climate justice, and a rapidly spreading viral epidemic. One filled with hope and promise, the other leaving a wake of panic and grocery shortages wherever its name is so much as whispered.

A final burst of thunder rumbles in the distance, its tone an ominous warning.

Maybe we’d all be better off if the sky did just fall down.

There is a five-hectare gap between Barry J and Business School and no one knows what goes on there.

SHE SINGS THE BODY ELECTRIC

BY AVA CADEE

In a world where contradicting perceptions and overwhelming standards govern the everyday existence of women, ‘womanhood’ can feel like an eternal conflict. The constant push and pull of being not too ‘this’ or not too ‘that’ is amplified in the public eye. Female pop stars consistently perform a complicated acrobatic act of femininity, scrutinised in a way that often seems absurd. Lana del Rey’s latest release, Norman Fucking Rockwell, feels like the antidote.

Lana Del Rey is a female pop icon that fulfils a unique brand of femininity that is both fascinating and delighting. It conforms totally with the notions of beautiful blonde bombshells whilst breaking open the dark underbelly of the female experience.

From her brooding and dreamy melodies, to her unpredictably whimsical or dramatic lyricism, Del Rey creates a persona of the ultimate female fantasy with a decisively dark undertone. Her relationship to the body and the female body in particular illuminates the complicated performance of gender and how her body is read by her audiences. Lyrics feature tropes of blonde wild children skinny dipping in ‘This is What Makes Us Girls’, or femme fatales like the ‘Carmen’ persona.

And of course, ‘The Body Electric’, named after Walter Whitman’s rambling poem, takes a striking bodily focus. As a fumbling teenage girl listening to these lyrics, I was presented with an idealistic and whimsical hyper-feminine dream world to escape to. By glorifying the female body and femininity, Del Rey pushes against the internalised misogyny that fuels the takedown of women in pop culture.

Despite such a female-centred focus in her work, Lana Del Ray’s stance, or rather her obvious lack of stance of feminism, is glaringly obvious. The controversial Ultraviolence lyric, he hit me and it felt like a kiss, comes to mind for its romanticism of gendered violence. There are plenty of female music writers rushing to justify how they are not ‘bad’ or ‘anti-feminist’ for indulging in Lana Del Rey’s music.

I would argue that there really is no such thing as a ‘bad feminist’, that this term is symptomatic of the confusion over feminism. I’m drawn to Del Rey’s music because it seems so secure and bold in its presentation of girlhood, whilst empowering women to give in to their emotions without being labelled as hysteric.

Over time, however, Del Rey’s girly fantasy has matured and come into its own, especially in its politics. This can be seen through her public criticism of Trump, or removing ‘Cola’ from her setlist in the wake of the #metoo movement. Her latest release, Norman Fucking Rockwell, touts the narrative of a hopeful and empowered woman. We can choose to read her songs not as anti-feminist, but rather a cunning commentary on how women are perceived in the public eye.

The feminine performance of Lana del Rey is electric in its spine-chilling imagery and at times, shocking portrayals of what womanhood can be. It is a bold reclamation of the female body in a sphere where it is often commodified, hyper-sexualised and exploited.

Del Rey takes ownership over this phenomenon by exposing the lamenting darkness and the exhilarating pleasure of being a woman.

We know you’re just flipping through the pages, only reading these.

43

THE POWER OF MINIMALISM AND PRODUCTIVITY

BY FRANCESCA DE NUCCIO

For many of us, when we think of a minimalist lifestyle, images of: abstaining from material goods and technology, going vegan, and moving in a tiny house start to appear. However, this is a stereotype that many have placed on minimalism for quite some time.

Rather than focusing on what you should get rid of, the minimalist mindset is all about focusing on what’s important and making room for the things you truly value. Minimalism has become increasingly trendy in the last few years, especially with the introduction of Marie Kondo and what “sparks joy.”

While there is a lot of content on how this lifestyle can assist your home and relationships, there is much less information on this ideology, and how it can benefit your productivity and navigating stressful workloads.

It is very easy to convince yourself that getting a lot of tasks completed means you are being productive.

Instead of investing your time in your critical tasks which are those that are aligned with the success of your goals, you tend to prioritise your general, low value tasks which make you feel ‘busy.’

But being busy does not actually mean that you are becoming more successful. People just like to say this because it makes them feel more important.

Basically, think of that one person who says they are so busy and overwhelmed but in reality, they are just checking emails all day long. With that in mind, here a few tips on how to use minimalist ideologies to improve your productivity.

Apply the Pareto Principle Around 1895, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto observed that eighty per cent of Italy’s wealth was being held by twenty per cent of its population. This is how he discovered the ‘Pareto’s Principle’ or the ‘80/20 Rule.’ This principle states that eighty per cent of your results tend to come from twenty per cent of your effort.

When deciding your critical and crucial tasks, think of choosing one priority. That priority then becomes your anchor task which means if things get crazy, there is no debate about which tasks need to be completed. In fact, the word ‘priorities’ cannot be found in the English dictionary; hence we can only have one, sole priority.

Learn the power of saying “no.”

As the saying goes; “You can do anything, but you cannot do everything.” People believe that by saying “no” to others, they feel as if they are letting others and themselves down. However, there is actually a lot more power and leverage in saying “no” to new commitments, unnecessary meetings, and any other tasks that do not add value to your life.

If you are never able to say “no” to certain tasks, you may never have the time or energy to focus on your critical tasks, and as a result, your productivity will suffer. Therefore, the next time a new commitment or task is offered to you just remember that saying “yes” to something new is like saying “no” to one of your previous commitments. So, channel your inner Simon Cowell, and learn the power of saying “no.”

44

People say Cameron Hall needs an elevator, but I disagree. It needs a bar. Can I get a hell yeah!

Take meaningful breaks

Practice gratitude

Try and resist the temptation of studying straight for hours on end without actually taking breaks in between to refocus. Taking breaks is not a sign of weakness but rather the opposite, as someone who rests will return to their work refocused, and clear about what needs to get done.

It can often be said that people do not reflect enough on things that they should be grateful for in their lives. Even if once a day you spend ten minutes writing down five things you are grateful for or write a simple “thank you” note or text, you can expect to notice a boost in morale, improvement in well-being and, increased happiness.

On the other hand, those who don’t believe in taking adequate breaks are ultimately going to burnout, and their ability to stay engaged will drop dramatically.

Experts recommend walking away from study every 60-90 minutes to take active and/or social breaks.

However, what is really important to keep in mind is you do not want to be on your phone for the entirety of your break. The reason for this is by going on your device, you are actually increasing your stress and mental workload because you are not fully detaching yourself from the system. Which leads me onto my next point…

Unplug your digital devices You need time to think and create for yourself and, whilst these devices can help you in many ways such as networking, their overuse may cut you off from real life, and may even lead to a number of psychological consequences.

Gratitude allows you to foster a more positive mindset. It separates your attitude from your circumstances so that your current reality does not drag you down, therefore allowing you to focus more on critical tasks and ultimately, become more productive.

In the words of Confucius; “life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” Life has a natural tendency to become filled with more.

People are rarely looking to simplify, to eliminate or to reduce. However, if you simplify your life by removing everything that distracts and detracts to make room for things that hold more value to you, it will lead you to becoming more productive, more focused and more purposeful.

Whilst this generation is the most interconnected, we are also the most likely to feel isolated, lonely and anxious. So, unplug your gadgets, at least once a day for a small period of time, and then extend that time period as your dependency on technology decreases.

Jon Rumens. (2018). How to Harness the Power of Minimalism to Become More Productive.

Retrieved from https://focusme.com/blog/how-to-harness-the-power-of-minimalism-to-become-more-productive/

Clubs lost the historic Masonic Hall to IQX, an “innovation venue” that seems to only appeal to Trump’s kids.

45

THE ELECTRIC TALE OF TESLA

BY JOHN FEGEBANK

In considering the eccentric geniuses of humanity, there is perhaps no name which comes to mind as swiftly as Nikola Tesla. The Serbian-American engineer played a major role in the history of electricity, as his development and advancement of AC power lead to major strides in how we utilise electrical energy today.

Born in modern day Croatia, Tesla moved to Austria for university. While studying there, he saw a demonstration of the gramme dynamo – a primitive device that could function both as a motor and a generator – which was what first set in Tesla’s mind the seeds of the Induction Motor, a crucial invention in the history of electricity. It wasn’t until 1883, however, that he would build his first prototype of it.

A year later he made his way to America, where he began working for the famous (or in some minds, the infamous) Thomas Edison.

46

There began one of the most well-known rivalries in human history. To understand what sparked the electric tensions between the two inventors, we must first understand what kind of man Edison was – that is to say, not a kind one. Perhaps best described as a cut-throat capitalist, Edison was not one to shy away from any profitable opportunity, no matter how exploitative. One particular incident which best explains Edison’s character is also the same incident which best explains his friction with Tesla. The story goes that Edison promised $50,000 to any man who could invent twenty-four different standard machines. Tesla, the insanely efficient inventor that he was, did so; but Edison refused to pay him, saying that the original statement was merely a practical joke. Beyond this, Edison was also known to not pay his staff properly, including Tesla.

Andrew Forrest to replace Dawn Freshwater as Vice Chancellor.

From here, it’s easy to see why Tesla left the company.

He went on to work for a man by the name of George Westinghouse in 1888, and that’s when the struggle between Edison and Tesla would truly begin ¬– a series of events known as the ‘War of the Currents’.

It may sound overdramatic, but that conflict played an important role in how we run and distribute our electricity today. In this ‘war’, Tesla played the advocate of alternating current (AC), contesting Edison’s belief that direct current (DC) was superior.

The distinction between these two types of power is not overly complicated, but it does have major repercussions in terms of their benefits. In a DC electric circuit, electrons travel in one direction, whereas in AC they vibrate back and forth.

There was great fear around AC power in terms of its potential danger, which Edison capitalised on greatly. More specifically, Edison, or those associated with him, would organise demonstrations which involved the electrocution of live animals to outline these dangers. To call such measures extreme is an understatement, but they did somewhat sway the public opinion. In an effort to alleviate the building fears, Tesla offered less psychopathic showings of AC current, where he would use his own body to light up bulbs via AC, thus countering Edison’s claims of its harm.

Realistically, despite the success of Edison’s propaganda, DC could never have won the war against AC. Without going into the mathematics, the major benefit of AC power is that you can use a transformer device to reduce a current by increasing its voltage. This is important because power plants produce high currents which, when travelling through wires in power lines, cause the wires to heat up. Across large distances this can cause the wires to melt and break, essentially cutting off power. On the other hand, high voltages are not very convenient when powering electrical devices. Hence,

a transformer allows a useful variation between current and voltage, and since DC power can’t be transformed, AC becomes vital in the transportation of electricity. This is why our homes today are powered by AC. Eventually, Tesla and his AC power won out – but this was not the end of his story. In 1891, he invented the Tesla Coil, a type of transformer used both in science shows and in radio technology. Though perhaps his most impressive creation of all, which truly showed just how far ahead of his time he was, was a small remote-control boat that he showed off to a crowd at Maddison Square Garden.

Not all of his ventures were triumphs. In 1900, Tesla devised a tower which would be able to wirelessly transmit electrical energy. Maybe too far ahead of his time, the project was a major money sink for investors, and financial issues lead to its abandonment years later.

As he aged, his eccentricities became more prominent than ever. At one point in the 1920s, he claimed that he had fallen in love with a pigeon, whose eventual death caused him great mourning. In 1934, he claimed to reporters that he had designed a super-weapon to end all wars, a ‘death ray’. Three years later he claimed that he had built a functioning prototype, though this was never found.

His advocacy for eugenics in the 1930s, unknown as it may be, further brings into question the character of this otherwise well revered man. Though likely a view that was a product of his time, it certainly emphasises the complicated individual that he was.

Nikola Tesla was an undeniable genius and a major figure in the history of technology and science. His story is one of not only triumph, but also questionable creations, worrying relationships with birds, and some downright abhorrent views.

I’m from the future - avoid Campus Kebabs at all costs.

47

ISSUE THREE

ECOLOGY

ART BY MELODY ONG

SUBMISSIONS DUE BY THE 28TH OF APRIL E-MAIL PELICAN@GUILD.UWA.EDU.AU FOR MORE INFORMATION