http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/jason-tin/ Jason (@jasonthetin) is a journalist with The Courier-Mail. He writes a weekly column for the Radar section. He is passionate about listing things he is passionate about. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/ive-rocked-out-of-my-generations-lalaloop/ Earlier this week - having heard three consecutive songs on the radio that I didn’t recognise - I realised I haven’t properly listened to new music in quite some time. With the exception of one or two albums and the odd track, new additions to my regular playlist over the past year have been extremely rare. In fact, the last album I downloaded was a Christmas carol compilation - because I thought it was a nice way to celebrate my 91st birthday. This isn’t some deliberate hipster thing where I only seek out bands who play at venues that exist inside the walls of other venues and whose names are never spoken aloud - save for the whispers of only the most enlightened Tibetan monks and that guy with the sweet scarf you see at gigs sometimes. I’ve just gradually, for whatever reason, drifted out of the loop. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Jason Tin) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/ive-rocked-out-of-my-generations-lalaloop/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/ive-rocked-out-of-my-generations-lalaloop/#item8573 Wed, 23 May 2012 19:40:39 +0000 Jason Tin | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/life-after-masterchef-will-there-be-a-new-reality/ By the year 2014, scientists - meaning my brain - predict that four out of every five Australians will have participated in a televised cooking, singing or renovation competition. Unable to find anyone over the age of six who hasn’t ruined a batch of macarons, covered an ‘80s ballad or panicked about tiling patterns on national TV, producers will be forced to resort to the construction of an army of immortal robots tasked with endlessly installing water features and preparing fusion dishes until civilisation crumbles and George Calombaris becomes ruler of the rag-tag group of rebels who patrol the Earth’s shattered highways. For years, our screens have been dominated by accountants and architects in aprons, couples having domestics on building sites and bubbly teens with floppy fringes sacrificing themselves to Kyle Sandilands - the human-shaped God of Patronising Rage. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Jason Tin) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/life-after-masterchef-will-there-be-a-new-reality/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/life-after-masterchef-will-there-be-a-new-reality/#item8512 Wed, 16 May 2012 19:35:21 +0000 Jason Tin | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-best-big-action-flicks-dont-dabble-in-social-commentary/ The recently released trailer for The Expendables 2 is undeniably simple. It contains one-liners such as “I now pronounce you man and knife”, close to 10,000 individual explosions, gunfire, montages of people loading weapons, people back-flipping, unnecessary martial arts and motorbikes smashing into helicopters. Its principle stars are men who spent most of their careers hurling stuntmen off jet skis and other, fast-moving objects, and screaming profanities at underpaid extras. Yes, there’s every chance this fiery, tumbling mass of adrenalin syringes will disappoint those seeking a multi-layered exploration of violence’s role in shaping the human condition. But its ageing heroes were arguably much more focused on the noble pursuit of crafting a multi-explosioned exploration of punching dudes in the face with comically-oversized fists. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Jason Tin) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-best-big-action-flicks-dont-dabble-in-social-commentary/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-best-big-action-flicks-dont-dabble-in-social-commentary/#item8448 Wed, 09 May 2012 19:35:05 +0000 Jason Tin | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/ok-old-people-enough-of-this-physical-prowess-caper/ “I don’t want to alarm you”. That’s what people say whenever they’re about to unload some panic attack-inducing horror on you. It follows, then, that what I’m about to tell you is very alarming indeed. There is something strange and terrifyingly confusing happening in our world. Two weeks ago, 104-year-old British woman Peggy McAlpine hurled herself off a Cypriot cliff in a bid to reclaim the record she lost to then 101-year-old Mary Hardison some five years ago. She is, once again, the world’s oldest paraglider. Meanwhile, Chinese grandmother Sun Fengqin, 60, has become became famous for regularly attending pole-dancing classes. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Jason Tin) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/ok-old-people-enough-of-this-physical-prowess-caper/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/ok-old-people-enough-of-this-physical-prowess-caper/#item8386 Wed, 02 May 2012 19:50:43 +0000 Jason Tin | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/I-dont-want-a-lover-I-just-need-a-nemesis/ An unfortunate side-effect of civilization and the development of agriculture and industry is that people often have to live near other people. Sometimes, these people are warm, friendly folk who watch your house while you’re away, say good morning in cheery tones and resist the urge to viciously puncture every spherical object that lands over their fence as a result of your children’s poor coordination. Sometimes, however, they are like Paul Hayward of South Wales (in the UK, NOT New South Wales), who spent a decade tormenting his neighbours by throwing eggs, stones and rubbish at their houses, sending hundreds of cabs and take away orders to their homes and even having two tons of coal delivered to their door. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Jason Tin) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/I-dont-want-a-lover-I-just-need-a-nemesis/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/I-dont-want-a-lover-I-just-need-a-nemesis/#item8328 Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:50:18 +0000 Jason Tin | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Theres-no-need-to-lie-when-we-lay-loved-ones-to-rest/ Michael “Flathead” Blanchard’s obituary in last week’s Denver Post was less than flattering. “Weary of reading obituaries noting someone’s courageous battle with death, Mike wanted it known that he died as a result of being stubborn, refusing to follow doctor’s orders and raising hell for more than six decades,” it read. “He enjoyed booze, guns, cars and younger women until the day he died.” Flathead’s memorial service, held on April 14, had a “no children under 18” policy due to the amount of “adult material” contained in the service. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Jason Tin) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Theres-no-need-to-lie-when-we-lay-loved-ones-to-rest/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Theres-no-need-to-lie-when-we-lay-loved-ones-to-rest/#item8270 Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:40:19 +0000 Jason Tin | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-salute-to-the-incredible-work-ethic-of-mediocre-stars/ One day, Eddie Murphy will launch into space in a dazzling emerald rocketship powered by ‘80s anecdotes and melted copies of The Adventures of Pluto Nash. Jim Carrey will also be on board reading scripts for movies about animals finding love by doing people things and Sean William Scott rocks back and forth muttering: “I’m not Stifler, I’m a real person named Sean”. And that ship will punch through the atmosphere and take them to a world beyond the reaches of time, where middle-aged stars grappling with relevancy issues are free to make sequels without feeling the scorn of the Internet drilling into their brains. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Jason Tin) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-salute-to-the-incredible-work-ethic-of-mediocre-stars/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-salute-to-the-incredible-work-ethic-of-mediocre-stars/#item8210 Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:55:24 +0000 Jason Tin | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/those-ridiculous-fools-in-their-flying-machines/ Aeroplanes will always be a mystery to me. Every time I see one sailing smoothly through the clouds, I wonder how this thing - this giant lump of hollow steel filled with rumpled clothes and people and vacuum-sealed trays of “braised lamb and mushrooms” - can possibly stay in the air. I am absolutely convinced that if you found the Wright brothers’ original blueprint, it would be a picture of a stick man riding a bird, followed by a question mark and the word “magic”. Even more baffling, however, than the physics enabling these crazy machines to propel themselves through the skies, is the idea that people still manage to get thrown off them. UK rugby bad boy Gavin Henson is the latest victim of mid-flight silliness. The 30-year-old was this week sacked by the Cardiff Blues following a spot of drunken behaviour on a flight from Glasgow. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Jason Tin) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/those-ridiculous-fools-in-their-flying-machines/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/those-ridiculous-fools-in-their-flying-machines/#item8169 Wed, 04 Apr 2012 19:45:24 +0000 Jason Tin | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Billions-of-reasons-for-rich-people-to-dream-big/ It was at the bottom of the ocean that James Cameron felt alone, distant from humanity. But it was there that he was, perhaps, closer to us than he had ever been. Earlier this week, the acclaimed director became the first person to solo-dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench - one of the darkest, quietest places on the planet. As the world applauded Cameron, billionaire Clive Palmer was holding court at a press conference in Brisbane, speaking about spooks and conspiracy theories and strange political follies. There were no submarines, blueprints or audacious concept drawings behind him. Just a man who had made enough money to say whatever he liked whenever the mood struck. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Jason Tin) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Billions-of-reasons-for-rich-people-to-dream-big/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Billions-of-reasons-for-rich-people-to-dream-big/#item8118 Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:55:26 +0000 Jason Tin | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/twitter-for-racist-dummies/ When Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch during Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final, many people audibly gasped. Some spoke words of concern, while others simply held their breath. Liam Stacey - a 21-year-old Welsh biology student - saw it as the perfect opportunity to alienate the entire world by openly mocking the unconscious player and posting a string of racist and sexist comments in response to criticism from other Twitter users. Obviously, the lad isn’t the first to haphazardly press a bunch of keyboard keys in a decidedly racist order. But being the most most recent to do so probably makes him more idiotic, in many ways. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Jason Tin) Lightweight http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/twitter-for-racist-dummies/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/twitter-for-racist-dummies/#item8055 Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:50:04 +0000 Jason Tin | Author bios | The Punch