Contact visits reduced at Tasmania’s prisons due to staff shortages
The ABC has heard of a five-year-old’s distress at being unable to speak with her father in a Tasmanian prison. Workers say that lockdowns due to staff shortages are to blame. ⌘ Read more
The online war for Australian visas and how much it costs to win
Thousands of young Indonesians want the chance to come to Australia to work, but first they have to win a visa application “war” that puts them in the sights of scammers and dodgy operators promising them what they want — for a price. ⌘ Read more
Fingerprints, fibres and DNA: Do you know forensic facts from fiction?
Forensics has provided the biggest breakthrough in criminal justice in the last century. It’s also become the perfect subject matter for TV crime shows. But do you know forensic facts from fiction? Take our quiz to find out. ⌘ Read more
How a daughter’s ‘puzzle’ inspired one of the world’s most popular cameras
On November 26, 1948, the first Polaroid camera was released commercially, changing photography forever. ⌘ Read more
Drowned boy was able to slip through ‘ineffective’ fence, lawsuit claims
The grieving parents of a four-year-old boy who drowned in a suburban lagoon are suing Melbourne Water and a council over the tragedy. ⌘ Read more
Mumbai Families Suffer As Data Centers Keep the City Hooked on Coal
Two coal plants in Mumbai (in India) that were scheduled to close last year continue operating after the state government of Maharashtra reversed shutdown decisions in late 2023 and extended the life of at least one facility by five years. The largest single factor the Indian conglomerate Tata cited in its petition for an extension was i … ⌘ Read more
Nvidia Claims ‘Generation Ahead’ Advantage After $200 Billion Sell-off on Google Fears
Nvidia pushed back against investor concerns about Google’s competitive positioning in AI on Tuesday after the chipmaker’s shares tumbled 4.4% and erased nearly $200 billion in market cap on fears that Alphabet’s tensor processing units were gaining ground against its dominance in AI computing. The company said … ⌘ Read more
Evidence from the One Laptop per Child Program in Rural Peru
The abstract of a paper on NBER: This paper examines a large-scale randomized evaluation of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program in 531 Peruvian rural primary schools. We use administrative data on academic performance and grade progression over 10 years to estimate the long-run effects of increased computer access on (i) school performance over time … ⌘ Read more
FBI set to interview Democrats who urged US military to ignore illegal orders
It comes after the six US politicians appeared in a social media video which Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described as “seditious”. ⌘ Read more
Adolescence Lasts Into 30s - New Study Shows Four Pivotal Ages For Your Brain
The brain goes through five distinct phases in life, with key turning points at ages nine, 32, 66 and 83, scientists have revealed. From a report: Around 4,000 people up to the age of 90 had scans to reveal the connections between their brain cells. Researchers at the University of Cambridge showed that the brain stays … ⌘ Read more
Recurring Events for Meetable
In October, I launched an instance of Meetable for the MCP Community. They’ve been using it to post working group meetings as well as in-person community events. In just 2 months it already has 41 events listed! ⌘ Read more
Unpowered SSDs in Your Drawer Are Slowly Losing Data
An anonymous reader shares a report: Solid-state drives sitting unpowered in drawers or storage can lose data over time because voltage gradually leaks from their NAND flash cells, and consumer-grade drives using QLC NAND retain data for about a year while TLC NAND lasts up to three years without power. More expensive MLC and SLC NAND can hold data for five and ten … ⌘ Read more
ProcessOne: Stop Telling Us XMPP Should Use JSON
We hear this too often: “XMPP uses XML. It should use JSON—it’s more modern.”
The logic seems straightforward: JSON came later, so it must be better. But better for what, exactly?
JSON became successful because it’s the standard serialization format for JavaScript. That made it convenient for browser-based applications.
Does that m … ⌘ Read more
Singapore Orders Apple, Google To Prevent Government Spoofing on Messaging Platforms
An anonymous reader shares a report: Singapore’s police have ordered Apple and Google to prevent the spoofing of government agencies on their messaging platforms, the home affairs ministry said on Tuesday. The order under the nation’s Online Criminal Harms Act came after the police observed scams on Apple’s … ⌘ Read more
Amazon Discounts USB-C AirPods Max to $399.99
Amazon today has the USB-C AirPods Max on sale for $399.99 in Starlight, down from $549.00. This is a match of the best price we’ve ever seen on the AirPods Max, and we expect more colors to match this price soon.
Microsoft To Preload File Explorer in Background For Faster Launch in Windows 11
In the latest Windows Insider beta update, Microsoft has announced that it is exploring preloading File Explorer in the background to improve launch performance. The feature will load File Explorer silently before users click on it and can be toggled off for those who prefer not to use it. Microsoft introduced a sim … ⌘ Read more
Four more arrested in connection with Louvre jewel heist
Four other people were already arrested and placed under formal investigation on October 29 and November 1. ⌘ Read more
Father Ted creator Graham Linehan cleared of harassing trans woman
The Irish co-creator of the British TV comedy show Father Ted has been found guilty of damaging the phone of a trans woman but cleared of harassing her by posting comments about her online. ⌘ Read more
US and Russia hold peace talks as further strikes pummel Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could also travel to the White House this week, amid a flurry of diplomacy over a US-proposed peace plan. ⌘ Read more
Lenovo Stockpiling PC Memory Due To ‘Unprecedented’ AI Squeeze
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: Lenovo is stockpiling memory and other critical components to navigate a supply crunch brought on by the boom in artificial intelligence. The world’s biggest PC maker is holding on to component inventories that are roughly 50% higher than usual, Chief Financial Officer Winston Cheng told Bloomberg … ⌘ Read more
Japan scrambles jets after suspected Chinese drone spotted near Taiwan
The incident comes amid an ongoing diplomatic spat between Tokyo and Beijing. ⌘ Read more
Government backtracks on default speed limit
The truck industry has welcomed a federal government decision to walk away from lowering speeds on unsigned roads, but road safety experts question the move. ⌘ Read more
EPA Approves New ‘Forever Chemical’ Pesticides For Use On Food
The EPA has approved new pesticides that qualify as PFAS “forever chemicals” (paywalled; alternative source), sparking criticism from scientists and environmental groups who warn these decisions could increase Americans’ exposure through food and water at a time when many states are moving to restrict such substances. The Washington Post reports: This … ⌘ Read more
next-20251125: linux-next
Version:next-20251125 (linux-next)Released:2025-11-25 ⌘ Read more
Two mountain climbers have been found dead on NZ’s tallest peak
Two climbers have died on Aoraki, New Zealand’s tallest mountain, and two others from the same group have been rescued. ⌘ Read more
Asbestos scare school bill tipped to exceed $1.5m in SA
SA’s Minister for Education, Blair Boyer, is calling on retailers to help pay the climbing clean-up bill for removing coloured sand products linked to the asbestos scare. ⌘ Read more
Heyman ‘uncomfortable’ with missing ALW for Matildas
Michelle Heyman is ‘uncomfortable’ with the A-League Women continuing without international players as the Matildas prepare for their last matches before the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. ⌘ Read more
‘No fight, no plan’: NSW slammed for Shield collapse as Tassie win
Former Australia batters Sam Konstas and Kurtis Patterson have been dismissed cheaply in NSW’s crushing innings and 58-run Sheffield Shield defeat to Tasmania. ⌘ Read more
Wangetti locals give evidence at Toyah Cordingley murder trial
A court has heard police asked locals to hand over knives for forensic examination as part of the investigation into the alleged murder of Toyah Cordingley in Far North Queensland. ⌘ Read more
Family of firefighter killed battling SA blaze pays tribute to ‘great bloke’
Tributes flow for a firefighter who was killed while attending a scrub fire on the Eyre Peninsula over the weekend. ⌘ Read more
Former ANU vice-chancellor Genevieve Bell paid more than $400,000 in severance
Former ANU vice-chancellor Genevieve Bell received a severance package of more than $400,000 after resigning in September. ⌘ Read more
Murder trial jury shown video of Darwin share house where student died
A man accused of murdering 23-year-old student is facing trial in the NT Supreme Court, with the jury shown video footage of the home where Md Isfaqur Rahman died. ⌘ Read more
Ozone Hole Ranked As 5th Smallest In More Than 30 Years
Scientists report that the Antarctic ozone hole in 2025 is the fifth-smallest since 1992, thanks largely to decades of global restrictions on ozone-depleting chemicals under the Montreal Protocol. ABC News reports: The ozone hole reached its greatest one-day extent for 2025 in early September, measuring 8.83 million square miles, about 30% smaller than the largest … ⌘ Read more
Copy of first Superman comic sells for $14m after being found in attic
The edition was found by three brothers while they were cleaning out their late mother’s San Francisco home. Now it has become the most expensive comic ever sold. ⌘ Read more
The Tulsa Race Massacre, in the words of its oldest survivor
Viola Ford Fletcher and her family were told to leave and never tell anyone of what happened. It would take 70 years for the massacre to be investigated. ⌘ Read more
ACT private schools announce fee increases, leaving some families ‘distraught’
Financial errors are being blamed for one school being hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and hiking school fees by 23 per cent. ⌘ Read more
Former worker recalls last interaction with pilot before helicopter crash
A former Sea World worker has appeared before a coronial inquest on the moments leading up to the fatal crash of two helicopters in 2023. ⌘ Read more
Cummins bowls with the pink ball in bid to play second Ashes Test
Injured Australian cricketers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have bowled in the nets as the pace stars attempt to return from injury for the Ashes. ⌘ Read more
Gold Coast man dies after alleged one-punch attack
The 62-year-old man died today after spending two days in an intensive care unit. A 32-year-old man has been charged over the incident. ⌘ Read more
Are hailstorms getting more frequent in south-east Queensland?
The region has been hit by another round of storms which brought large and even giant hailstones. Is this the new normal? ⌘ Read more
Service warns more people are seeking help when facing imminent risk
New data, released to coincide with the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, shows more people are seeking support when at imminent risk across central Victoria. ⌘ Read more
New 2026 Census questions the government wants to know about you
For the first time, Australia’s 2026 Census will ask participants to identify their sexual orientation and gender in a new topic in the population questionnaire. ⌘ Read more
Council merger floated again, but some wary of ‘diabolical’ public polling
Talk of councils merging is a long-running topic in Tasmania — and with Hobart councillors expressing an openness to merging with nearby Glenorchy, the issue is live again. ⌘ Read more
Menulog customers pushed to Uber Eats ahead of operations ceasing
Uber Eats says the partnership allows a “smooth transition” for Menulog customers before the service ceases operations in Australia on November 26. ⌘ Read more
Wild winds smash windows and cause dust storms across inland NSW
Wild winds of up to 100 kilometres per hour have battered inland New South Wales, with strong gusts knocking out the windows of a Service NSW building in Dubbo. ⌘ Read more
Hacker Conference Installed a Literal Antivirus Monitoring System
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: Hacker conferences – like all conventions – are notorious for giving attendees a parting gift of mystery illness. To combat “con crud,” New Zealand’s premier hacker conference, Kawaiicon, quietly launched a real-time, room-by-room carbon dioxide monitoring system for attendees. To get the system u … ⌘ Read more
Signal Private Messenger Rolls Out Secure Backups for iPhone
Encrypted messaging platform Signal now offers secure backups on iPhone, letting users save and restore messages if they lose access to their device.
There are free and paid versions of Signal’s secure backups. The free version lets users store up to 100MB of text messages, including photos, videos, and files from … ⌘ Read more
Mind-Altering ‘Brain Weapons’ No Longer Only Science Fiction, Say Researchers
Researchers warn that rapid advances in neuroscience, pharmacology, and AI are bringing “brain weapons” out of science fiction and into real-world plausibility. They argue current arms treaties don’t adequately cover these emerging tools and call for a new, proactive framework to prevent the weaponization of the human mi … ⌘ Read more
Trump Launches Genesis Mission, a Manhattan Project-Level AI Push
BrianFagioli writes: President Trump has issued a sweeping executive order that creates the Genesis Mission, a national AI program he compares to a Manhattan Project level effort. It centralizes DOE supercomputers, national lab resources, massive scientific datasets, and new AI foundation models into a single platform meant to fast track research … ⌘ Read more
Jony Ive and Sam Altman Say They Finally Have an AI Hardware Prototype
Sam Altman and Jony Ive say they’ve settled on a prototype for OpenAI’s first hardware device that could ship in “less than” two years. The Verge reports: In an interview with Laurene Powell Jobs at Emerson Collective’s 2025 Demo Day, they said they are currently prototyping the device, and when asked about a timeframe, Ive said it … ⌘ Read more