NASA has doubled its estimate of the number of killer space rocks following orbits closely aligned with Earth’s in a paper accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal.
Culture
They’re The Voice, but understand it’s not just Nine cashing in
Nine finally has a runaway ratings freight train to rival all comers, with spinny-chair mega-hit The Voice dominating TV screens across the country. And Nine isn’t the only one cashing in.
‘Animals Being Dicks’ — a Best Of collection
If there’s one thing the internet loves, it’s hilarious animated GIFS involving animals. John Williams, creator of viral sensation Animals Being Dicks, cherry picks his top 12.
PHOTO GALLERY 
Vale Donna Summer, the Queen of Disco
Legendary Hot Stuff singer Donna Summer has died, age 63, leaving behind a colourful legacy of fashion, songs and tunes.
One (grown) man’s mauvelous crayon lament
Byron Bache doesn’t care if children today have no need for crayons because they’re too busy tending to pretend cows on Facebook. He’s lobbying Crayola to return a childhood favourite to the shelves anyway.
Dolphins, the Tea Party, Morgan Freeman and The Dark Knight Rises
What do dolphins, the Tea Party, Morgan Freeman and upcoming blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises have in common? Luke Buckmaster unravels a twisted plot involving money hungry marine mammals, misguided politics and bungled PR.
Why Sacha Baron Cohen should win the Nobel Peace Prize
Audiences may think they’re in the cinema simply for laughs, but Sacha Baron Cohen uses extreme parody to advocate tolerance and fairness — and deserves recognition for it, writes Gavin Polone.
travel Have we been scammed? Not for all the tea in China
It began with a simple request for a photograph. Then came the tea room. Then came the bill, and it wasn’t small. Anything is better than being a sucker, writes K Johnson, but was he actually scammed? You decide…
film reviews The Dictator — some smarts beneath the stains
Shape-shifting comedian Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest off-the-wall comedy The Dictator crosses the line and vomits on it, but there’s smarts beneath the stains, writes Luke Buckmaster.
Oz Council review: smart reform, but will Crean have the cash/courage?
Angus James and Gabrielle Trainor’s review of the Australia Council is a bold yet sensible reform blueprint for an organisation that badly needs reform. But can it really be implemented?
Introducing novelisation guru Peter David, author of the unappreciated
Peter David’s contributions to the literary landscape aren’t exactly widely respected works — but in the art of the novelisation he is an old and talented hand, writes Charlie Jane Anders.
video games The story of Fez and the ‘smart indie’
The animation in Fez, which resides in a category of video game known as the ‘smart indie’, is a pixel-perfect representation of nostalgic joy but the game itself is hollow, writes Dan Golding.
book reviews When the adaptation ruins the original, or how I began to hate Jane Eyre
When books are adapted for the screen, how is the original work impacted? January Jones explains why Jane Eyre adaptations caused her to dislike Charlotte Brontë’s classic source material.
Meet the Critics: Clint Morris — PR wiz turned film reviewer
In the latest installment of Cinetology’s Meet the Critics series, which examines the viewing habits of the country’s leading film critics, Luke Buckmaster interviews legendary web-based reviewer Clint ‘Moviehole’ Morris.
Australia Council review: artistic boards should be abolished
Arts Minister Simon Crean has released the findings of the Review of the Australia Council.
What makes a psychopath, and could this child be one?
“In the beginning, I thought it was us,” says the father of a 9-year-old child who exhibits many of the traits of being a psychopath. Jennifer Kahn explores an American family’s nightmarish predicament.
Nazis from the moon: an interview with Timo Vuorensola
Finnish director Timo Vuorensola will long be remembered for a single but spectacular achievement: he brought Nazis from the moon down to Earth. Luke Buckmaster interviews the brains behind Iron Sky, aka the ‘Nazis from the moon movie’.
DHS drop the ball on multilingual bureaucracy
Crikey linguists team Fully Sic have long rallied against the ‘Monolingual Mindset’, which argues it is uncommon and difficult to speak more than one language. A recent DHS investigation provides a telling case in point, writes Aidan Wilson.
Land v policy: determining the geography of wealth
Space and geography are important variables explaining how cities work, but there is a tendency in some circles to understate the importance of decisive economic and social variables, writes Alan Davies.
film reviews Dark Shadows — messy and mangled
Maybe Dark Shadows — the latest Johnny Depp film from once crazy-cool auteur Tim Burton — will one day be favourably remembered in the context of “what on earth was that?” But that’s a big maybe, writes Luke Buckmaster.
travel Wattle Glen: tree change to crack your heart open
If you’ve ever had delusions of tree change, landscape designer Sam Cox’s lush Melbourne hideaway will take your breath away, writes W H Chong.
podcast 
Parallax Podcast: has Tim Burton jumped the shark?
Has Tim Burton jumped the shark? Is the new Australian feature Wish You Were Here worth checking out? Luke Buckmaster and Rich Haridy discuss the latest cinema and DVD releases in Crikey’s The Parallax Podcast.
My Cup Of Tea: Cultural policy in limbo … which might give the space needed
The federal government’s decision to delay the National Cultural Policy is disappointing. But it is also an opportunity to deliver a better, broader policy.
theatre reviews Animal Farm — The Wharf, Sydney
Australian Theatre For Young People has produced an Animal Farm even George Orwell would be proud of. It’s a lucid and dynamic platform for emerging young talent, writes Lloyd Bradford Syke.
travel Observing morning prayer with rock star monks
He walks barefoot across the icy foyer, wearing a Foo Fighters t-shirt and faded designer jeans. It’s all part of morning prayer with ultra-stylish monks, writes Emma Koehn, who wonders whether they listen to rock music too.
