A few weeks ago the federal and Queensland governments announced kinda out of nowhere they're giving/investing a billion dollars to a US startup called PsiQuantum to build a "useful" quantum computer in Brisbane - something IBM, Google and major universities haven't been able to do, but our government reckons some random US startup can achieve. Senate estimates last night revealed that the government's due diligence and negotiation with PsiQuantum began in early 2023, months before it established a secretive EoI process (had to be invited to participate and sign an NDA) for other quantum computing companies to throw their hat in the ring for the $1b that PsiQuantum ultimately "won". Very grubby process for what is an insane amount of taxpayer money for a private company in an extremely speculative business with a high chance of failure.
Bartender is a simple macOS tool to customise what goes up in the menu bar (those icons in the right top corner near the clock) and has been a faithful servant for many years from an honest developer - or so we thought. MacUpdater noticed that Bartender's app certificate changed, which then sparked a Reddit thread asking questions over who owns it. Someone popped up saying they're the new owner, but didn't say who they are or who they work for. Not long later, Ben Surtees the original developer of Bartender, posted on his blog that he sold the app to Applause three months ago. Applause are a bad company that shove apps they acquire full of spyware dressed up as analytics. Yet another example of technologists failing to understand the concept of consent and burning their reputation in the process.
Pretty sure I've mentioned Sam Floreani's story about online anonymity in the past, but it's worth mentioning and reading again. It argues that forcing people to use their "real name" and create social media accounts with 100 points of ID is a terrible idea and we lose more than we gain when implementing these reactionary ideas. They tried it in South Korea and it achieved nothing. We have a Real Name policy on Facebook and people still post death threats and run scams. Researchers have studied cyberbulling and reckon removing anonymity makes almost no difference to the level and severity of abuse. But requiring government ID to use social media makes it difficult for dissidents, activists and protestors to do their work anonymously. It makes life hard for members of the LGBTQ+ community who wish to remain secret. Is it really worth sacrificing these benefits of anonymity when its removal doesn't really solve the thing those in positions of power promise it will?
IBM CEO Thomas Watson Jr. and a System/360 computer in 1964. (IBM Heritage)
📻 Aneurysm - Brontez Purnell
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The Sizzle is created on Wathaurong land and acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, recognising their continuing connection to land, water and community. I pay my respect to them and their cultures and to elders both past and present.