Summer fire outlook puts Victoria at high bushfire risk
Dry conditions dogging Victoria put the state at a high risk of bushfires this summer, according to the latest summer fire outlook. ⌘ Read more

What the social media ban means for rural boarding school students
Regional and remote students are being encouraged to learn old-school ways to stay in contact as social media bans for those under 16 come into effect over the summer holidays. ⌘ Read more

Banking regulator APRA to impose home loan caps amid housing boom
The banking regulator will impose restrictions on home loans from early next year to limit the number of “high-risk” large loans being issued to customers, which could have major implications for home prices. ⌘ Read more

Floods leave at least 50 dead across Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia
The Thai city of Hat Yai received its heaviest rainfall in 300 years, while mudslides killed dozens on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. ⌘ Read more

Newegg Sparks Debate With New PayPal-Integrated AI Shopping Push
BrianFagioli writes: Newegg’s new partnership with PayPal is another sign that mainstream e-commerce is shifting control from users to AI-driven intermediaries. Instead of shoppers visiting Newegg directly, PayPal’s agentic commerce system pushes product discovery through AI platforms like Perplexity where recommendations, checkout, and fraud che … ⌘ Read more

Ballarat mine operators charged over fatal rockfall
The operators of Ballarat Gold Mine have been charged over a rockfall that killed 37-year-old miner Kurt Hourigan and seriously injured a 21-year-old workmate in March 2024. ⌘ Read more

Liverpool crashes to 72-year first after shocking Champions League loss
Liverpool’s nightmare run of form continues after being humbled at home once again as Arsenal flexes its muscles in a heavyweight clash to go top of the Champions League. ⌘ Read more

Chinese Pharma is On the Cusp of Going Global
China’s pharmaceutical industry has quietly evolved from a hub for generics and clinical trials into something more ambitious – a genuine competitor in drug discovery that Western giants are now courting to fill gaps left by looming patent expirations worth over $300 billion by 2030. In the first half of 2025, nearly a third of global licensing agreements signed by big pharma inv … ⌘ Read more

Contender for Khawaja’s Test spot calls him one of Australia’s best ever
Matt Renshaw is gunning for a spot in Australia’s Test side, but does not want it to come at the expense of Australia’s veteran opener Usman Khawaja just yet. ⌘ Read more

How ‘Stranger Things’ Defined the Era of the Algorithm
As Stranger Things releases the first four episodes of its final season today, nearly a decade after its July 2016 premiere, the Netflix series has come to represent something broader than its own popularity – the embodiment of streaming television’s algorithmic philosophy. When the show first appeared, streaming was still finding its footing. Netflix had be … ⌘ Read more

Mother horrified to see needle thrown into backyard on CCTV
A mother is in disbelief after a needle she believes was used to inject drugs was thrown into her Karratha backyard. ⌘ Read more

Varroa mite detected in bee hives in two more SA locations
Beekeepers are being urged to monitor their hives more frequently after further detections of the deadly bee parasite varroa mite in South Australia. ⌘ Read more

Labor strikes deal with Greens to end environmental reform stalemate
The years-long stalemate over reforms to environmental laws is set to clear in the final week of the parliamentary year. ⌘ Read more

Government threatens to shut down ‘illegal’ street charity
Queensland’s transport department has threatened to penalise residents who set up street-side charity cupboards without filling in the requisite paperwork. ⌘ Read more

The ‘concerning’ link between childhood maltreatment and suicide risk
Suicide Prevention Australia says there’s an “urgent” need for action to stop the “significant and lasting” impact of childhood trauma. ⌘ Read more

European Lawmakers Seek EU-Wide Minimum Age To Access AI Chatbots, Social Media
The European Parliament has passed a non-binding resolution urging an EU-wide minimum age of 16 to access social media, video-sharing platforms, and AI chatbots, with parental consent allowed for ages 13-16 and a hard ban for anyone under 13. “It also proposes additional measures, including a ban on addictive design f … ⌘ Read more

Thousands still without power, schools closed after freak storm
Thousands of residents in Western Sydney are waking up without power and some schools across NSW will be closed after a freak storm on Wednesday. ⌘ Read more

More Than Half of New Articles On the Internet Are Being Written By AI
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Conversation: The line between human and machine authorship is blurring, particularly as it’s become increasingly difficult to tell whether something was written by a person or AI. Now, in what may seem like a tipping point, the digital marketing firm Graphite recently published a study sho … ⌘ Read more

Live: ASX to rise as Wall St extends rally on growing bets of Fed rate cut
A rally on Wall Street is likely to send Australian stocks higher as revived tech strength and the growing probability of a December interest rate cut from the US Federal Reserve put investors in a buying mood the day before the Thanksgiving holiday. Follow the latest updates in our live blog. ⌘ Read more

Drought down south sends potato prices soaring up north
Potato growers in Queensland’s far north are suddenly in hot demand as drought-stricken paddocks in the country’s south fail to deliver. ⌘ Read more

Concerns SA’s ‘best agricultural land’ being taken up by battery projects
One of Australia’s largest battery energy storage systems would be built on farmland in South Australia’s south-east in a proposal that the developer says will lower electricity costs. ⌘ Read more

Staggs reveals one condition to ensure he continues playing for Australia
Kotoni Staggs must decide between representing Australia or Tonga at the international level, and says there is one key factor that will tip his decision either way. ⌘ Read more

Heatwave sweeps south-east Queensland as temperatures climb into high 30s
South-east Queensland is set to swelter through the next few days, with forecast temperatures way above average and more storms on the way. ⌘ Read more

SEC Must Not Let Crypto Companies ‘Bypass’ Rules, Stock Exchanges Say
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s possible plan to grant crypto companies relief from regulation to sell “tokenised” stocks risks harming investors, a group of stock exchanges said in a letter to the U.S. regulator this week. From a report: Several crypto companies plan to sell crypto tokens linked to listed equities to retail investors … ⌘ Read more

Breaking: Two National Guard members shot in Washington DC
Two National Guard soldiers have been shot near the White House. Their conditions were not immediately known, according to a law enforcement official who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity. ⌘ Read more

Her 8yo son was killed in an e-motorbike crash. Now she wants new rules to protect kids
Kloe Weedon’s son Zeke William Hondow, a schoolboy with a sharp wit and even sharper haircuts, was farewelled at a funeral last week. ⌘ Read more

Anglican Diocese of Ballarat under financial strain from abuse payouts
An Anglican bishop says regional dioceses around Australia are facing financial pressure and potential closure due to having to pay millions of dollars to abuse victim-survivors. ⌘ Read more

Bamboo scaffolding, flames and wind. Here’s what we know about the Hong Kong fire
The blaze in Tai Po that engulfed multiple high-rise apartment blocks is still burning, and authorities say it likely began in bamboo scaffolding that encased the buildings. ⌘ Read more

Optus customers trapped in complaint ‘merry-go-round’ over network issues
Optus has been under intense scrutiny after a network outage in September left hundreds of people unable to call Triple Zero and was linked to three deaths. ⌘ Read more

Pentagon Cited Alibaba on China Military Aid in Oct. 7 Letter
An anonymous reader shares a report: The Pentagon concluded that Alibaba Group, Baidu and BYD should be added to a list of companies that aid the Chinese military, according to a letter to Congress sent roughly three weeks before Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to a broad trade truce.

Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg informed lawmakers of t … ⌘ Read more

The way Rockliff will be remembered inextricably tied to Hobart stadium’s future
With the vote to decide the fate of the Hobart stadium a week away, Premier Jeremy Rockliff’s political legacy is in the balance. ⌘ Read more

Military seizes control and arrests president in Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau’s military says it has seized control of the country and arrested its president following the discovery of a plan to destabilise the coup-prone west African nation. ⌘ Read more

SA woman suffered permanent brain injury after hospital failed to diagnose stroke, court hears
An Adelaide woman is suing a southern suburbs hospital for $1.5 million in damages alleging she suffered a “permanent neurological injury” when doctors failed to diagnose her with a stroke, court documents reveal. ⌘ Read more

Black Friday sales ‘pressure’ pushing some Australians into debt binge
With millions of Australians tipped to spend record amounts this Black Friday, the value of personal credit and charge-card balances accruing interest has hit its highest level since 2021. ⌘ Read more

Peace plan or ‘dead cat’? Inside Trump’s Epstein files distractions
What does a dead cat have to do with Donald Trump and the Epstein files? Everything, according to some experts. ⌘ Read more

OpenAI Needs At Least $207 Billion By 2030 Just To Keep Losing Money, HSBC Estimates
OpenAI will need to raise at least $207 billion in new funding by 2030 to sustain operations while continuing to lose money, according to a new analysis from HSBC that models the company’s cloud computing commitments against projected revenue. The bank’s US software team updated its forecasts after OpenAI ann … ⌘ Read more

Think you know Aussie music? Prove it in our quiz
Celebrate Ausmusic T-Shirt Day with our Australian music trivia quiz. How well do you know your local legends? ⌘ Read more

Before his assassination, California’s first openly gay official taped his last words
Harvey Milk had been elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977 — a little over a year later, he would be dead. ⌘ Read more

Why a second job is a joy for Ash Riddell in the lead-up to grand final
Roos star — and grade 6 teacher — Ash Riddell has an entire school behind her ahead of this Saturday’s AFLW grand final. ⌘ Read more

China’s Dual Squeeze on European Industry Intensifies
European manufacturers are facing a two-front assault from China that has German industry associations warning of deindustrialisation: on one side, artificially cheap Chinese goods are flooding into Europe, and on the other, Beijing has demonstrated its willingness to abruptly cut off access to critical inputs like rare earths and semiconductors.

The alarm intensified in O … ⌘ Read more

Labor is celebrating the year but tough economic choices loom
The level of the prime minister’s reform appetite has been discussed and debated since roughly 9pm on election night in May, when Labor’s massive win became clear. ⌘ Read more

Judge dismisses 2020 election interference case against Donald Trump
The abandonment of the Georgia case is the latest reflection of how the US president has emerged largely unscathed from a spate of prosecutions that once threatened to imperil his political career. ⌘ Read more

NASA Rover Makes a Shocking Discovery: Lightning on Mars
An anonymous reader shares a report: It is shocking but not surprising. Lightning crackles on Mars, scientists reported on Wednesday. What they observed, however, were not jagged, high-voltage bolts like those on Earth, arcing thousands of feet from cloud to ground. Rather, the phenomenon was more like the shock you feel when you scuff your feet on the carpet … ⌘ Read more

Dell Says Windows 11 Transition is Far Slower Than Windows 10 Shift as PC Sales Stall
Dell has predicted PC sales will be flat next year, despite the potential of the AI PC and the slow replacement of Windows 10. From a report: “We have not completed the Windows 11 transition,” COO Jeffrey Clarke said during Dell’s Q3 earnings call on Tuesday. “In fact, if you were to look at it relative t … ⌘ Read more

Indonesia launches probe into exports of radioactive goods. Here’s what we know
Authorities in the US and Europe have recalled goods as Indonesian authorities investigate the source of radioactive contamination. ⌘ Read more

Apple Set To Become World’s Top Phone Maker, Overtaking Samsung
Apple will retake its crown as the world’s largest smartphone maker for the first time in more than a decade, lifted by the successful debut of a new iPhone series and a rush of consumers upgrading devices, according to Counterpoint Research. From a report: The iPhone 17 models introduced in September have been a hit both domestically in the US and … ⌘ Read more

Sound of lightning recorded on Mars for the first time
Microphone recordings from NASA’s Perseverance rover have turned up more than 50 instances of lightning on the red planet over the past four years, a new study finds. ⌘ Read more

World’s Central Banks Are Wary of AI and Struggling To Quit the Dollar, Survey Shows
An anonymous reader shares a report: AI is not a core part of operations at most of the world’s central banks and digital assets are off the table, according to a survey released on Wednesday by the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum. The working group of 10 central banks from Europe, Africa, … ⌘ Read more

The Underwater Cables That Carry the Internet Are in Trouble
The roughly 500 fiber-optic cables lying on the ocean floor carry more than 95% of all internet data – not satellites, as many might assume – and they face growing threats from natural disasters, terrorists and nation-states capable of disrupting global communications by dragging anchors or deploying submarines against the infrastructure.

The cables a … ⌘ Read more

https://fokus.cool/2025/11/25/i-dont-care-how-well-your-ai-works.html

AI systems being egregiously resource intensive is not a side effect — it’s the point.

And someone commented on that with:

I’m fascinated by the take about the resource usage being an advantage to the AI bros.

They’ve created software that cannot (practically) be replicated as open source software / free software, because there is no community of people with sufficient hardware / data sets. It will inherently always be a centralized technology.

Fascinating and scary.