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David Holmes

Senior Lecturer, Communications and Media Studies, Monash University

David is a political analyst, social theorist and media scholar. He completed a major in Media Studies at Swinburne University, a BA (Hons) in Politics and Social Theory and a PhD in Social Theory (Department of the History and Philosophy of Science) from the University of Melbourne, where he was awarded the Dwight prize for political science.

He is author or editor of four books in the sociology of communications including: Virtual Politics: Identity and Community in Cyberspace (Sage 1997) and Virtual Globalisation: Virtual Spaces, Tourist Spaces (Routledge 2001), Communication Theory: Media, Technology and Society (Sage 2005) and a Key Concepts in Media and Communications (Sage 2011) co-authored with Paul Jones (UNSW) Over eleven years, he has also co-authored four editions of an analysis of Australian society: Australian sociology (2003, 2007 and 2011, 2014) with Roberta Julian and Katie Hughes. For the last two editions he has written a new chapter on the sociology of climate change.

Fake news and god's wrath: extreme hurricane politics in the US

Sep 11, 2017 08:16 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics Nature

The devastating scenes of destruction and flooding in the Bahamas and the southern states of the US have captivated the world for many weeks now. Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, and Hurricane Jose soon to follow, have stolen...

With battery storage to the rescue, the Kodak moment for renewables has finally arrived

Mar 20, 2017 02:12 am UTC| Technology

Who would have thought that, scarcely five weeks after Treasurer Scott Morrison, paraded a chunk of coal in parliament, planning for Australias energy needs would be dominated by renewables, batteries and hydro? For...

Playing politics with renewables: how the right is losing its way

Feb 25, 2017 13:01 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

This summer has seen a concerted attack on renewable energy coming out of Canberra, featuring everyone from One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts to Coalition ministers channelling the far right of their party. So absurd and...

Climate Change Series

'We must keep the lights on': how a cyclone was used to attack renewables

Oct 04, 2016 08:17 am UTC| Nature

The mid-latitude cyclone with no name that hit South Australia last week, spawning two tornadoes and 80,000 electricity strikes, destroyed 22 massive transmission towers carrying electricity across the state. The...

AI Revolution Series

Climate Change Series

Climate change makes a comeback – with the help of social media

Jun 14, 2016 07:44 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

In what has been shaping up as the election that forgot climate change, there are signs emerging in the Coalitions election campaign that it is starting to listen to polls, its own focus groups and social media chat on...

Climate Change Series

Why has climate change disappeared from the Australian election radar?

May 23, 2016 09:33 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Two weeks into a protracted election campaign, it is looking ever-more likely that climate change is to be placed way down the order of business at least for the major parties. The contest over climate change that...

Economy

Gold Price Hits Annual Low as Fed Rate Hike Bets and Sticky Inflation Weigh on Bullion

Gold prices extended their decline on Tuesday, falling to their lowest level of the year as investors reacted to growing expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve could raise interest rates again amid persistent...

RBA Minutes Signal Australia Central Bank Remains Ready to Raise Interest Rates if Inflation Persists

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) remains prepared to raise interest rates again if inflation risks intensify, according to the minutes of its June policy meeting released on Tuesday. The central bank emphasized that it...

Asian Stocks End Strong Quarter as Dollar Surges, Yen Hits 40-Year Low Ahead of US Jobs Data

Asian stock markets traded cautiously on Tuesday as investors wrapped up a remarkably strong second quarter, while a stronger U.S. dollar pushed the Japanese yen to its weakest level in four decades amid shifting...

China Manufacturing PMI Edges Higher in June as Exports and AI Investment Boost Growth

Chinas manufacturing sector posted modest growth in June, with factory activity slightly exceeding market expectations as stronger export demand and continued investment in artificial intelligence supported production....

Gold Prices Drop as Fed Rate Outlook and Iran Tensions Weigh on Market

Gold prices declined sharply on Monday despite a weaker U.S. dollar, as renewed Middle East tensions and expectations for higher U.S. interest rates continued to pressure the precious metal. Investors also shifted their...

Politics

Trump Suspends Some Morocco Fertilizer Tariffs to Ease U.S. Supply Shortage

U.S. President Donald Trump has authorized the temporary suspension of certain duties on phosphate fertilizer imports from Morocco in an effort to ease fertilizer shortages affecting American farmers, the White House...

Sheinbaum Says No One Is Above the Law After Abuse Video of Ex-Pemex Chief Emerges

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her administration will not shield anyone from justice after a video surfaced appearing to show former Pemex chief Victor Rodriguez physically assaulting his wife, prompting a...

Russian Attacks on Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv Kill 10 as Ukraine Vows Response

Russian missile and drone attacks on three major Ukrainian cities killed at least 10 people and injured dozens on Monday, Ukrainian officials said, as strikes continued throughout the day and emergency crews searched...

Maria Corina Machado Vows Return to Venezuela After Earthquakes Despite Obstacles

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said on Monday that she is prepared to do whatever it takes to return to Venezuela and assist with recovery efforts following the devastating back-to-back earthquakes that...

Trump Signs Memorandum Backing Americans’ Right to Repair Their Own Vehicles

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a new memorandum on Monday supporting Americans right to repair their own vehicles, reinforcing efforts to expand consumer access to vehicle maintenance while highlighting ongoing debates...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Anthropic Brings Claude AI Models to Microsoft Azure Foundry With NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs

Anthropic announced on Monday that its Claude family of artificial intelligence models is now available through Microsoft Foundry on Azure, powered by NVIDIAs GB300 Blackwell Ultra GPU systems. The rollout marks the first...

Apple Challenges India Antitrust Probe, Says CCI Copied Rivals’ Claims in App Store Case

Apple has intensified its legal battle with Indias antitrust regulator, arguing that investigators relied on copy-pasted allegations from rivals instead of conducting an independent review in a case that could reshape the...

Super Micro Shares Slide After Taiwan Raids Over Alleged Nvidia AI Chip Smuggling Probe

Super Micro Computer Inc. came under renewed scrutiny on Monday after Taiwanese authorities raided its local offices as part of an investigation into the alleged smuggling of Nvidia AI chips to China through the companys...

Australia Sues Amazon Over Prime Video Ads and Subscription Terms

Australias competition watchdog has launched legal action against Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), alleging the company violated Australian consumer law by using unfair contract terms to introduce advertising on its Prime...

Baige Online Shares Soar 333% in Hong Kong IPO Debut as AI Insurance Demand Lifts Chinese Listings

Chinese insurtech firm Baige Online Digital Technology Co. (HK:2672) delivered an impressive debut on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Monday, with its shares surging as much as 333% in early trading. The strong performance...