Short & Curly

Is it okay to use technology to help you sing better?

June 26, 2018 02:00 - 24 minutes - 55.7 MB

Molly Daniels thinks she has what it takes to be a superstar pop singer. The only trouble is, she’s out of tune and can’t hit the notes properly! Eek. But wait, there’s a program many musicians use which "fixes" their voice. Is it wrong to use technology to make you sound better than you are?

INTRODUCING — Short & Curly update!

May 28, 2018 06:00 - 1 minute - 33 MB

We’ve got exciting news for you — Short & Curly is coming back soon! Molly, Carl and Matt haven’t just been lazing around at the beach eating lollies, they’ve been super busy making you brand new episodes. And they’re awesome! Hit play for a sneak peek. And tell your friends to subscribe now, so you can all hear the new shows as soon as they come out.

PRESENTS — Fierce Girls

March 07, 2018 23:00 - 2 minutes - 33 MB

Your pals at Short & Curly have something very special for you: a preview of the new ABC podcast Fierce Girls! It’s a show about the brave, adventurous, and mighty girls and women of the world — including our very own Molly Daniels. Who is a girl. And is always brave and mighty. Anyway, go check it out!

Life, death and a runaway train

December 12, 2017 17:00 - 22 minutes - 33 MB

An out-of-control train is heading straight for a group of people who don’t know they are about to be hit. You, as the driver, have some life and death decisions to make. What will you do? Hop on for a journey into one of the world’s most famous thought experiments.

When is it okay to dob on someone?

December 12, 2017 16:00 - 27 minutes - 33 MB

Kids dob to parents and teachers for all kinds of reasons. It often feels bad when someone tells on you.

Were the Ancient Romans bad people?

December 12, 2017 15:00 - 27 minutes - 33 MB

The Ancient Romans were a bloodthirsty lot. As entertainment they headed down to the local arena, to watch people and animals fight to the death.

What sort of life should an elephant have?

December 12, 2017 14:00 - 24 minutes - 33 MB

Elephants are extremely intelligent and highly social creatures who traditionally live in large family herds. But their traditional natural world isn't perfect.

How to make the best kind of friends

December 12, 2017 13:00 - 26 minutes - 33 MB

Making friends and keeping friends can be hard. Sometimes you like someone a lot and then one of you changes and your friendship ends.

INTRODUCING — Short & Curly Goes To America

December 05, 2017 04:00 - 2 minutes - 33 MB

While Molly stays at home to fight crime and breed endangered lizards, Carl packs his toothbrush and some clean underwear for Short & Curly’s big adventure to New York City.

Should we kill feral cats?

September 13, 2017 05:00 - 27 minutes - 33 MB

Australia is on the war path, pledging to kill two million feral cats by 2020. They felines are biologically the same creatures as the kitties people have as pets at home, but most were born in the wild.

Is your classroom fair?

September 13, 2017 04:30 - 23 minutes - 33 MB

That’s not fair! How often have you heard that said at school?

Would you donate your kidney to a stranger?

September 13, 2017 04:00 - 23 minutes - 33 MB

They cut a small hole in your abdomen, blow some carbon dioxide into your tummy so it puffs up like a balloon, then carefully take out a perfectly healthy part of your body. Yikes.

Can robot soldiers make armies better?

September 13, 2017 03:30 - 25 minutes - 33 MB

Is it possible for an army to do the right thing? After all, armies destroy buildings and neighbourhoods, they kill and severely injure people, including children.

What would you risk to get to the top?

September 13, 2017 03:00 - 26 minutes - 33 MB

Take a cold and windy journey with Molly and Carl as they gather their ropes and ice picks, lace up their climbing boots and head out into the wild for some high altitude curly questions.

Should pugs exist?

December 20, 2016 23:20 - 24 minutes - 33 MB

Carl thinks they have the cutest squashiest faces and biggest googley eyes of the entire canine world. He definitely wants to buy one.

Who wants a virtual life?

December 20, 2016 23:15 - 23 minutes - 31.8 MB

Let’s say you can hook your brain up to a machine which feels 100 per cent real and offers you the kind of life you’ve always wanted. The catch is, this perfect world isn’t real.

Why can’t children vote?

December 20, 2016 23:10 - 20 minutes - 28.6 MB

Kids have to live by the rules of the society they are born into but don’t get a say on what those rules are. Unfair, right?

Are some people just unlucky?

December 20, 2016 23:05 - 23 minutes - 29.7 MB

Many cultures believe it’s good luck if a bird poos on your head, like what happened to Carl (eww!). Others say it’s bad luck if you break a mirror.

The ethics of invisibility

December 20, 2016 23:00 - 19 minutes - 27.2 MB

What would you do if you had the power of invisibility? Would you sneak around, spy on people, commit crimes, pull practical jokes, or find out what other people really think about you?

Should we ban lollies?

September 13, 2016 05:31 - 17 minutes - 24.4 MB

Lollies are a colourful and magical and very sweet part of many children’s lives. But can you say no when faced with a bowl of jelly beans or sour worms or other types of candy? With so much concern nowadays about the amount of sugar in our diets, this show looks at self control and what we should do if people don’t have any.

Is Pokemon Go playing you?

September 13, 2016 05:30 - 20 minutes - 28.4 MB

Walked into any traffic lights lately as you stare manically at a screen? Maybe you’re one of the millions of people playing Pokemon Go, the augmented reality game which sends its players out into the streets to catch weird little imaginary creatures. Is it an annoying disruption of public spaces? And, because it’s cleverly designed so you never want to stop playing, we ask: Are you playing the game or is the game playing you?

Should celebrities keep it real?

September 13, 2016 05:29 - 23 minutes - 31.9 MB

Images of movie stars and pop singers are everywhere we look – album covers, concert posters, t-shirts, Instagram feeds and other social media. Photos and videos are a big part of how famous people present themselves. But, how honest and accurate are they? Do they look anything like they do in real life… and should they? When do small changes to an image turn it into a lie? And does it even matter?

Who gets saved first in a fire?

September 13, 2016 05:28 - 20 minutes - 28 MB

For professional fire and rescue workers, it’s not all sirens, cool trucks and running red lights. They often have to make really hard and terrible decisions in moments of heat, smoke and danger. Their job is to be there to help on the worst day of your life. So, if you were a firefighter, who would you save first?

Do you have to love your sibling?

September 13, 2016 05:25 - 22 minutes - 31.1 MB

We’re often told we have a special responsibility to our brothers and sisters just because they are family. But, do we really? And what kind of duty is it? What if you found out the annoying new kid at school was your long lost brother or sister? Would you feel any differently about them? And, if you really didn’t like them, is it somehow worse to kill a sibling than to kill anyone else? Yep, some murderously tricky questions!

Should you eat your pet?

June 22, 2016 03:30 - 18 minutes - 16.9 MB

Unless you’re a vegetarian, there are some animals you probably eat regularly. But how would you cope if your next dinner was some stir-fried dog? Why is it okay to eat a baby cow (veal) or sheep (lamb) and not a cute little puppy? Are our ideas about eating animals a bit of a mess? And does this matter?

Is Dumbledore as great as he seems?

June 22, 2016 03:00 - 22 minutes - 20.2 MB

He is wise and old and learned and kind, but the Principal of Hogwarts is not perfect. He deceives, he holds back really important information about issues of life and death, and is willing to sacrifice Harry Potter for the good of the many, leading him (as Professor Snape says) “like a pig to slaughter”. So, is Dumbledore an ethical person? How flawed are we allowed to be and still be counted as “good”?

Should you move to Mars?

June 22, 2016 02:30 - 21 minutes - 19.3 MB

There are 1,000 people currently shortlisted for the trip of a lifetime, from which they will never return! They want to be the first stage in the human habitation of the red planet. But do humans have a right to inhabit other planets, and which humans specifically? Would colonizing Mars be a chance to create a better world from scratch, or will it become an environmental and ethical nightmare? Would you want to go?

Is it ever okay to lie?

June 22, 2016 02:00 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MB

Kind lies. White lies. Little lies. We take a trip to the fun park to look at all sorts of lies we tell for all sorts of reasons. Like what if your parent asks you to pretend to be younger than you are to get a cheaper entry fee? What’s the right thing to do? Amidst the rides and games, junk food and excitement, we explore a few stories about lying, a subject which has divided some of the greatest thinkers in history.

Children under the microscope — the ethics of science

June 22, 2016 01:30 - 19 minutes - 17.3 MB

In the 1950s, a group of young boys took part in a now famous experiment to find out how easy it would be to turn two groups of children into enemies. The boys didn’t know they were in a scientific study, and many later regretted the things they did to each other. Is the knowledge we might get from such an experiment worth the pain it might cause to get it?

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