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IRL
Made possible byPIJF Logo

Image: Archi Banal
24th May, 2022

You can donate to charities without spending money – but what’s the catch?

How do services like Ecosia and Tab For a Cause work? And what do they say about the charity landscape?
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By Shanti Mathias
Staff Writer
Image: Tina Tiller
18th May, 2022

Robots are becoming fashion designers now

A clothing company is claiming it's AI-driven. But how much can artificial intelligence really do?
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By Josie Adams
Staff writer
Image: Tina Tiller
6th May, 2022

For God’s sake, change your password

No, 'password', 'iloveyou' and '123456' won't cut it.
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By Josie Adams
Staff writer
Image: Bianca Cross
5th May, 2022

Why do NFTs look like… that?

They're pitched as digital art, but they usually look like ugly gamer avatars. How come?
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By Josie Adams
Staff writer
Image: Tina Tiller
5th May, 2022

Why online anonymity is important to me, a trans teen

When you're not out IRL, internet anonymity can be a safe haven.
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By Guest Writer
Guest Post
Image: Archi Banal
28th April, 2022

Why millions of people watch Mama Doctor Jones demystify sexual health online

IRL speaks to YouTube star and science communicator Danielle Jones about why her work matters.
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By Shanti Mathias
Staff Writer
Image: Tina Tiller
27th April, 2022

Elon Musk is buying Twitter. Here’s what that means

Everything you need to know about the world's richest person buying the bird app.
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By Josie Adams
Staff writer
Image: Bianca Cross
26th April, 2022

I’m a gardening YouTuber with 235,000 subscribers. Here’s how I got here

Kalem Berntsen, aka The Kiwi Grower, tells us why plant content like his is so hot right now.
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By Guest Writer
Guest Post
Image: Bianca Cross
21st April, 2022

Will BeReal solve all our social media woes?

The much-hyped new social platform promises to herald the future of social media – just like every other app before it.
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By Shanti Mathias
Staff Writer
Image: Archi Banal
20th April, 2022

The rise and fall of 'Karen'

RIP to a legendary insult. 
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By Madeleine Holden
Senior writer/editor - IRL
Image: Archi Banal
19th April, 2022

Doomed by design: why you can’t stop scrolling

Phone addiction is often cast as a personal failing, but how much control do we really have?
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By Josie Adams
Staff writer
Image: Archi Banal
14th April, 2022

Is it a game? Is it a book? With online interactive fiction, the answer is: yes

The internet is providing novel ways to tell stories where readers shape the outcome.
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By Shanti Mathias
Staff Writer
Image: Archi Banal
12th April, 2022

I tried getting high on binaural beats so you don’t have to

Videos on YouTube claim to mimic the effects of psychedelic drugs. Do any of them really work?
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By Josie Adams
Staff writer
Image: Archi Banal
11th April, 2022

No one in tech gets the semi-ironic tilde

Who asked for strikethrough auto-formatting? Nobody.
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By Madeleine Holden
Senior writer/editor - IRL
Image: Archi Banal
6th April, 2022

Remembering iPredict, the website where you could cash in on MPs resigning

If you put a couple of bucks on 'NZ Minister to go in 2013', you could still be owed money.
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By Josie Adams
Staff writer
Image: Archi Banal
6th April, 2022

No more brass hammers

An interview with the creator of the controversial New Zealand NFT auction accused of encouraging 'cultural vandalism'.
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By Dylan Reeve
Contributing writer
Image: Archi Banal
30th March, 2022

I tried to track my cat’s movements with GPS. It didn’t go well

The Petrek 3G lets you keep an eye on your pet's secret movements. In theory, anyway.
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By Dylan Reeve
Contributing writer
Image: Archi Banal
29th March, 2022

Why I talk about my chronic health conditions online

Social media helps me feel less alone.
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By Guest Writer
Guest Post
Image: Archi Banal
24th March, 2022

The ‘RealMe of the metaverse’ might stop you getting scammed

Avoiding fraud in the metaverse is a new problem – and a business opportunity.
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By Josie Adams
Staff writer
Image: Archi Banal
23rd March, 2022

Inside the Dunedin studio making a ‘nice’ video game

It’s a 'non-violent, slow and chill' city-building game, and it's a big hit.
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By Shanti Mathias
Staff Writer

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The Spinoff is subject to NZ Media Council procedures. A complaint must be first directed in writing, within one month of publication, to info@thespinoff.co.nz. If not satisfied with the response, the complaint may be referred to the online complaint form at www.presscouncil.org.nz along with a link to the relevant story and all correspondence with the publication.

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