It’s a cross between a bus and light rail, a new form of transport that promises greater flexibility and a reduction in costs – it’s called the trackless tram. Online bots are getting better at sounding human, because humans online are sounding more like bots. Media academic Charles Seife ponders the future of digital discourse...

Public discussion about the dramatic rise of UBER is often themed as a titanic struggle between old-fashioned expensive taxi companies and a new digital upstart. UBER usually comes out on top because it's new, cool and part of the ‘sharing economy’. But legal academic Frank Pasquale offers a very different perspective. Companies like UBER, he...

Imagine a city where everything from the cars to the street lights to the traffic bridges are connected. Where censors and beacons pepper the urban environment. Imagine a city where all of those internet-connected objects are networked, giving the metropolis a second layer of infrastructure – a digital skin. The 'Smart city' of tomorrow promises...

Summary Americans have a long history of predicting the demise of their nation, only to be proven wrong. However, with a gridlocked government and the rise of China, some observers believe the United States may actually be entering a period of long-term decline.

In the flurry of post-election book launches, there’s been much analysis of what’s gone wrong with Australian politics. The newDemocracy Foundation argues that it’s not better politicians we need, but a better democracy. Melanie Christiansen investigates their proposal for citizen’s juries. • Campaigning in the September 2013 election which installed him as prime minister, Tony...