We've got new Basic Online Safety Expectations (BOSE). It's part of the Online Safety Act that the eSafety Commissioner uses to regulate "online service providers" (i.e: the internet). On top of the pile of rules the service providers already have to adhere to, there's new "expectations" that feel like common sense such as considering user safety when designing and operating generative AI and making sure that "recommender systems" don't "amplify unlawful or harmful material". But then there's weird ones like like making sure any service kids might access is designed with kids as the "primary consideration in the design and operation" of that service. Either way it doesn't really matter as the eSafety Commissioner won't do anything except make a few angry press releases or hand out pissweak fines.
Google's made a smartwatch for kids - the Fitbit Ace. There's cute little animations and games that try and get kids more physically active, as well as the ability for parents to "see their child's real-time location, call, send and receive text and voice messages, add contacts they trust, and manage settings like School Time to eliminate distractions during class". They're gonna add "Tap to Pay" soon too. I would never even dream of strapping a GPS receiver and LTE modem to a kid's wrist and burden them with adult nonsense like "smartwatches", but that's just me. Looks to be US only for now. How much thought to the BOSE and eSafety Commissioner do you reckon Google gave during the development of this product?
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner recently wrapped up a report looking into TikTok's data harvesting practices and it found "no clear and obvious breach of Australian privacy law". Well the commissioner fronted a Senate estimates hearing yesterday and when asked if they did the same tests as the Sydney Morning Herald did regarding TikTok's tracking pixel, which found TikTok does breach privacy laws, the commissioner said "we were basing our inquiries on information provided by TikTok" and is "not doing a forensic examination of the technology at hand". The OAIC is so toothless it can't even do its own tests and relies on TikTok's word for it when publishing a report if TikTok is up to anything dodgy. Fuck me dead, what's even the point?
Everyone has that one thing they could probably afford now, but can't justify unless they had a shitload more cash in the bank. Near the top of that list for me is a pair of Genelec 8361A speakers. For $16,000 you get perfect frequency response at +/- 3dB from about 34Hz up to 18,000Hz. If perfect frequency response isn't enough for ya, they also include Genelec's industry leading room-correcting DSP and a built-in transparent DAC. Hook it up to a source with 24-bit 192KHz output, run the DSP config and you're getting the best sound possible using something like Apple Music or Tidal (which have pretty big libraries of 24-bit audio!). Audio Science Review calls the 8361A "the most perfectly executed speaker both objectively and subjectively" and reckons you can "buy a pair and you are done with your journey as an audiophile". Anyway, I bring this up because I saw a post on Reddit where some lucky bastard got a pair of 8361A speakers and I am jealous.
Six-car carriage set SSH22 at Southern Cross (Wongm's Rail Gallery)
📻 The Only Thing They Fear is You (From "Doom: Eternal") - FamilyJules
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