Hong Kong residents devastated by mega blaze in blocks of flats
Locals are in shock after fire destroyed apartment blocks home to thousands of people, as questions remain about the suitability of building materials and a lack of fire alarms. ⌘ Read more

Twelve years ago, Frozen flipped the script on the Disney princess narrative
It wasn’t just a box office success — Frozen introduced a new type of Disney princess: one who was strong, flawed and uninterested in romance. ⌘ Read more

Weekly news quiz: The G20 summit, a cyclone and a very famous pub
Think you’ve had your ears to the ground? It’s time to test your knowledge of the week that was. ⌘ Read more

Tasmania faces ‘compound interest trap’ over Hobart stadium, panel warns
An expert planning panel has defended their scathing assessment of Hobart’s proposed Macquarie Point stadium while speaking to the politicians who will ultimately decide the project’s fate. ⌘ Read more

Tasmanian man jailed after two ‘inexcusable’ police chases
During sentencing, a Supreme Court Justice told Patrick Lee Brown he “completely disregarded the safety of anyone else” during two different police pursuits, including one in a stolen rental truck with blown-out tyres. ⌘ Read more

Student paramedic wins battle with Ambulance Victoria over beard policy
A student paramedic who accused Ambulance Victoria of discrimination on the grounds of race and religion is “ecstatic” to have won his battle to allow cultural beards on the job. ⌘ Read more

UK To Tax Electric Cars by the Mile Starting 2028
The UK government will levy a pay-per-mile tax on electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles starting April 2028, UK’s finance minister Rachel Reeves announced, a measure designed to offset some of the fuel duty revenue that will disappear as drivers shift away from petrol and diesel cars. Electric vehicles will be charged 3 pence per mile and plug-in hybrids 1.5 pence per mile, pa … ⌘ Read more

Physicists have worked out a universal law for how objects shatter
Whether it is a cube of sugar or a chunk of a mineral, a mathematical analysis can identify how many fragments of each size any brittle object will break into ⌘ Read more

How the ABC uncovered the dangers lurking in Australia’s childcare centres
This story is about something deeper than policy or profit. It’s about the trust parents place in childcare every morning when they hand over their children, believing they will be safe — only to find they’re not. ⌘ Read more

Emergency response needed to prevent climate breakdown, warn experts
Scientists sounded the alarm on the dire consequences of continued inaction at a briefing in London, warning that we could be heading for “unprecedented societal and ecological collapse” ⌘ Read more

Intel Battlemage Graphics Enjoyed Nice GPU Compute Performance Gains In 2025
In addition to Intel Arrow Lake desktop performance evolving nicely on Linux over the course of 2025, the Intel Arc B-Series graphics that launched last December with the Arc B580 have evolved quite nicely too with their open-source driver stack. With it coming up on one year since the Arc B580 launch, here is a look at how the GPU compute performance has evolved since that point. Similar Intel Arc B580 Linux graphics comparisons ar … ⌘ Read more

Troops critically injured in Washington shooting named as FBI launch terror probe
Authorities identify the two National Guard members shot just blocks from the White House, as the FBI carries out searches of two properties on the US west coast. ⌘ Read more

Android’s New Dual-Band Hotspot Mode Pairs 6 GHz Speed With 2.4 GHz Compatibility
Google is testing a new Wi-Fi hotspot configuration in the latest Android Canary build that pairs the 6 GHz band’s superior throughput with the 2.4 GHz band’s broad device compatibility, eliminating the trade-off users previously faced when choosing between speed and legacy support. Android’s default hotspot sett … ⌘ Read more

Putin says US-Ukraine text could form basis for peace agreement
The US and Ukraine are set to hold further talks about a draft peace deal to bring to an end the conflict. ⌘ Read more

Defense Contractors Lobby To Kill Military Right-to-Repair, Push Pay-Per-Use Data Model
A bipartisan right-to-repair provision that would let the U.S. military fix its own equipment faces a serious threat from defense industry lobbyists who want to replace it with a pay-per-use model for accessing repair information. A source familiar with negotiations told The Verge that there are signifi … ⌘ Read more

Warming and droughts led to collapse of the Indus Valley Civilisation
Hotter temperatures and a series of droughts in what is now Pakistan and India fragmented one of the world’s major early civilisations, providing a “warning shot” for today ⌘ Read more

Zlib-ng 2.3.1 Released With More CPU Performance Optimizations
Zlib-ng 2.3.1 is out today as the first stable release in the v2.3 series for this Zlib replacement that carries a variety of performance optimizations for speedier compression/decompression… ⌘ Read more

“Alle bruger LLM’er forkert, undtagen mig” - siger alle der bruger LLM’er forkert, inklusiv mig. ⌘ Read more

Better Technology, Worse Motivation: GenAI’s Mediocrity Trap

While generative AI (GenAI) promises productive efficiency, it can paradoxically lead to lower-quality work. We conducted an experiment with professional illustrators and found that AI assistance flattens the quality curve—it accelerates initial gains but sharply diminishes the returns on sustained effort. Faced with this, a significant number of professionals made a strategic choice: they sacrificed the final quality to save time.

From http://www.jin-li.org/uploads/1/1/4/5/114595093/ai_and_motivation.pdf

I haven’t read this and can’t vouch for it; seems vaguely AI-boostery. Still, the conclusions are interesting. This seems to be the picture that is emerging about generative AI generally: most people don’t like it and find that degrades the quality of work. Coders seem to like it and think that it helps them, but in fact it makes the slower, less productive, and more bug prone.

By all measures it’s a bad technology. We should just be honest about it. There is no need to make excuses for multi-trillion-dollar corporations.

‘Offensive and unjustified’: Iran condemns Australia’s listing of IRGC as sponsor of terrorism
The Iranian Government has condemned Australia’s formal listing of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a state sponsor of terrorism as “offensive and unjustified”, accusing the Albanese government of doing Israel’s bidding. ⌘ Read more

@prologic@twtxt.net I remember reading a blog-post where someone has been throwing redirects to some +100GB files (usually used for speed testing purposes) at a swarm of bots that has been abusing his server in order to criple them, but I can’t find it anymore. I’m pretty sure I’ve had it bookmarked somewhere.

NASA Reduces Flights on Boeing’s Starliner After Botched Astronaut Mission
An anonymous reader shares a report: NASA has slashed the number of astronaut missions on Boeing’s Starliner contract and said the spacecraft’s next mission to the International Space Station will fly without a crew, reducing the scope of a program hobbled by engineering woes and outpaced by SpaceX. The most recent mishap oc … ⌘ Read more

Deadly fungus makes sick frogs jump far, possibly to find mates
Chytrid fungus is a scourge to global amphibian populations, but before it kills some frogs, it can produce symptoms that may help the infected animals find mates and spread the fungus further ⌘ Read more

AI Can Technically Perform 12% of US Labor Market’s Wage Value, MIT Simulation Finds
Researchers at MIT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have built a simulation that models all 151 million American workers and their skills, then maps those skills against the capabilities of over 13,000 AI tools currently in production to see where the two overlap. The answer, according to their analysis: 11.7 … ⌘ Read more

When I run npm install for my tiny project ⌘ Read more

UK Police To Trial AI ‘Agents’ Responding To Non-Emergency Calls
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: Call-handling agents powered by AI are to be trialled by Staffordshire Police in a bid to cut waiting times for the non-emergency 101 service. The force is set to become the third in the country to take part in the scheme testing the use of artificial “agents” to deal with calls. Under the system, t … ⌘ Read more

Valve-Backed Color Pipeline API For Linux Is Finally Ready For Upstream
For those Linux desktop users in the US needing another reason to be thankful this Thanksgiving, a huge and long-awaited accomplishment is ready for merging to the kernel: the Color Pipeline API that is important for HDR is ready for merging! As of last night the code is queued in DRM-Misc-Next for this years-in-the-making effort… ⌘ Read more

IN MEMORIAM: Dušan Kvas
S hlbokým zármutkom oznamujeme, že nás 25. novembra 2025 navždy opustil Dušan Kvas (28. január 1940, Boľovce), vo veku 86 rokov. Posledné roky svojho života prežil v Novom Sade, kde sa aj uskutoční posledná rozlúčka – v piatok 28. novembra 2025 o 10.30 h na Novom cintoríne. Dušan Kvas pochádzal zo známej rodiny slovenského pôvodu. Jeho otec Kornel Kvas (20. mája 1900, Kulpín – 27. apríla 1945, Boľovce), bol výraznou osobnosťou duchovného a spoločenského života Sriemu. J … ⌘ Read more

GNU C Library Sees Up To 12.9x Improvement With New Generic FMA Implementation
Just a few days ago I wrote about the Glibc math code seeing a 4x improvement on AMD Zen by changing the used FMA implementation. Merged overnight was a new generic FMA implementation for the GNU C Library and now yielding up to a 12.9x throughput improvement on AMD Zen 3… ⌘ Read more

Ubuntu 26.04 “Resolute Raccoon” Snapshot 1 ISOs Published
Canonical announced today the Ubuntu 26.04 “Resolute Raccoon” Snapshot 1 images as their first monthly ISO snapshots of the upcoming Ubuntu 26.04 LTS release… ⌘ Read more

When I try to fix the intern’s bug even though I don’t understand it myself ⌘ Read more

NT parliament pushes through banned drinking register changes on urgency
In the final hours of NT parliament for the year, the government has extended the time a person issued with a Banned Drinker Order is prevented from drinking alcohol. ⌘ Read more

Apple Asks Indian Court to Block Antitrust Law Allowing $38 Billion Fine
Apple is challenging a new Indian antitrust law that would let regulators calculate penalties based on global revenue – a change that could expose the company to a fine of roughly $38 billion in its dispute with Tinder owner Match. The 2022 antitrust case centers on accusations that Apple abused its power by forcing developers to u … ⌘ Read more

Hong Kong fire kills at least 55, hundreds missing as buildings smoulder
Authorities say the apartment complex  blaze may have been caused by a “grossly negligent” construction firm using unsafe materials. Three men have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. ⌘ Read more

When I manage to dodge the blocking bug during my demo ⌘ Read more

Man who bashed prison guards to serve jail time following appeal
A NSW inmate who bashed four prison guards will serve extra jail time, after a judge quashed his non-custodial term on appeal, calling it “an affront to the administration of justice”. ⌘ Read more

When a client calls us first thing in the morning to report a bug ⌘ Read more

L-plate hit-and-run driver, 52, who hit schoolgirl on pedestrian crossing jailed
A 52-year-old L-plater who kept driving after ploughing into a 12-year-old as she walked to school in suburban Perth, causing serious injuries, is jailed for 16 months. ⌘ Read more

Breaking: CCC releases its findings on former Townsville mayor Troy Thompson
The Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission has released its findings on former North Queensland mayor accused of misleading voters about his military, education, health and business background. ⌘ Read more

China’s Giant Underground Neutrino Observatory Releases Its First Results
China’s new JUNO neutrino observatory has delivered world-leading measurements after just 59 days, offering the most precise readings yet of two key neutrino oscillation parameters. “The physics result is already world-leading in the areas that it touches,” says particle physicist Juan Pedro Ochoa-Ricoux of the University of C … ⌘ Read more

Murray Watt has just cemented his reputation as a ‘fixer’
In his deal with the Greens, Environment Minister Murray Watt has just scraped off one of the biggest barnacles clinging to parliament. ⌘ Read more

Son accused of killing father with crowbar had mental issues, court told
A NSW court is told heard Milenko Snjegota had limited capacity for reason when he allegedly murdered his 74-year-old father in their home near Wollongong. ⌘ Read more

New Zealand launches inquiry into case of father who hid children in forest for years
Tom Phillips disappeared with his children in late 2021, in a case that drew global attention for his ability to evade arrest. ⌘ Read more

Gold Coast mayor defends third business trip to Europe in two years
Mayor Tom Tate plans to travel to Italy in February next year to take part in the Winter Olympics torch relay. ⌘ Read more

P-plater avoids jail for hit-and-run
A 21-year-old woman has been sentenced for being the driver involved in a hit-and-run incident which killed Albany woman Bronwyn Clark in July. ⌘ Read more

ABC Classic’s curated Christmas list has music for everyone
ABC Classic’s Christmas music selection has everyone covered, whether you’re a fan of choirs, orchestras, Christmas movies, operas, musicals or video games. ⌘ Read more

Anderson expects England to pick same side for second Ashes Test
England are unlikely to tinker with their side for the second Ashes Test against Australia starting in Brisbane next week despite being thumped in the opening match, former fast bowler James Anderson has said. ⌘ Read more

Hanson’s high steaks dinner didn’t get Joyce over line
In the end, it turns out not even a Wagyu steak from Gina Rinehart’s cattle company cooked on a sandwich press was enough to lock in Barnaby Joyce’s defection to One Nation. ⌘ Read more

SA house speaker joins departing MPs ahead of March election
Leon Bignell has announced he will retire from politics at the next state election bringing an end to his 20-year reign as the MP for Mawson. ⌘ Read more

Gold Coast developer under investigation taken to court over continued spending
ASIC alleges businessman David McWilliams has continued to spend money in frozen bank accounts on cruises, gambling and a trip to Disneyland. ⌘ Read more