The recent call by Peter Dutton telling his supporters to ignore certain media outlets rings eerily familiar bells. Standing at a podium, directing followers to disregard specific news sources while promoting others feels like a carbon copy of political tactics we’ve witnessed overseas - and not in a good way.

Living in the digital age means we have unprecedented access to diverse news sources. The ABC, The Guardian, and other independent outlets play crucial roles in our media landscape, providing necessary counterpoints to the dominant commercial narratives. When a political leader actively discourages engagement with these sources, it should concern every citizen who values democratic discourse.

The internet never fails to provide moments that make you simultaneously laugh and cringe. Today’s gem involves an air fryer that looks like it’s been excavated from an archaeological dig site. The image floating around shows what can only be described as a kitchen disaster - an air fryer basket so caked with grease and residue that it probably qualifies as a new form of polymer.

My wife bought our air fryer during one of those Boxing Day sales at David Jones, and initially, I was skeptical. Another kitchen gadget destined for the garage sale pile, I thought. But it’s actually become one of our most-used appliances, right up there with the coffee machine. The key to its longevity? Regular cleaning - something the owner of that viral air fryer clearly missed the memo on.

The decision by Melbourne Storm to cancel a Welcome to Country ceremony at AAMI Park has left a bitter taste in many mouths, including mine. The club’s explanation that they wanted to avoid a repeat of the disgraceful scenes we witnessed at the ANZAC Dawn Service feels like a paper-thin excuse that only serves to embolden the very people we should be standing up against.

Let’s be crystal clear about what happened here. A respected Wurundjeri elder, Aunty Joy, was prevented from performing a Welcome to Country on her own ancestral lands. Even more poignantly, she was there wearing her father’s WWI medals - a stark reminder that Indigenous Australians have fought and died for this country despite facing systematic discrimination and denial of basic rights.

Remember when browsers were just tools to access the internet? Those simpler days seem increasingly distant as I read about Perplexity’s latest announcement regarding their new browser that plans to track “everything users do online” for hyper-personalized advertising. The brazenness of this declaration is both shocking and sadly unsurprising.

The tech industry’s relentless push toward surveillance capitalism has reached a new milestone. Gone are the days of subtle privacy invasions buried in lengthy terms of service agreements. Now, companies proudly announce their intentions to monitor every aspect of our digital lives, packaging it as a feature rather than the privacy nightmare it truly is.

The tech industry never ceases to amaze me with its tone-deaf approaches to user privacy. Today’s exhibit: Perplexity’s CEO proudly announcing their new browser will track everything users do online to deliver “hyper-personalized” ads. Reading this news over my morning batch brew, I couldn’t help but wonder if we’ve entered some bizarre parallel universe where privacy invasion is now a selling point.

Let’s be clear about something - nobody is sitting at home thinking, “Gee, I wish my browser would track me more thoroughly so I can get better ads!” The sheer disconnect between Silicon Valley executives and actual users has reached new heights of absurdity.

The online discussion about someone ditching Google Photos caught my attention this morning. It resonated deeply with my own journey of reducing dependency on big tech services, though I must admit I’m still taking baby steps in that direction.

Reading through the thread, I was struck by how many people shared this person’s revelation about self-hosting. There’s this persistent myth that running your own server requires enterprise-level infrastructure or a computer science degree. The reality is far more accessible – you can repurpose old hardware and build something meaningful with it.

The AI world is buzzing with the release of a new physics-based reasoning benchmark, and the results are quite fascinating. While Gemini maintains its position at the top, there are some unexpected outcomes that have caught my attention, particularly regarding the performance of various models on physics problems.

Working in tech, I’ve seen countless benchmarks come and go, but this one from Peking University is particularly interesting because it focuses on physics problems that require both knowledge and reasoning skills. The benchmark tests models’ abilities to understand spatial relationships, apply physics principles, and perform complex calculations - skills that many of us struggled with during our high school and university days.

The phrase “gentle reminder” landed in my inbox again this morning, triggering a familiar eye roll and a deep sigh. It’s fascinating how these two seemingly innocent words have become corporate code for “mate, you’re seriously testing my patience here.”

Reading through various online discussions about this particular piece of corporate speak, it’s clear I’m not alone in my mild irritation with this passive-aggressive gem. The consensus seems to be that there’s nothing particularly gentle about these reminders - they’re more like a velvet-wrapped sledgehammer.

The other day, I came across an online discussion that really struck a chord with me. A young professional, fresh out of university, was grappling with feelings of frustration about their savings despite living with parents. Their situation painted a vivid picture of the challenges facing young Australians today.

Looking at their numbers - saving $27,000 annually on a $67,000 salary while living at home - my first reaction was actually quite positive. That’s an impressive savings rate that many would envy. But their frustration is completely understandable when you consider the current state of the housing market, especially here in Melbourne where median house prices continue to hover around the million-dollar mark.

The tech world is buzzing with Anthropic’s latest prediction that fully autonomous AI employees are just a year away. Working in IT, I’ve seen my fair share of bold technological predictions, but this one particularly caught my attention – not just for its audacity, but for what it reveals about our industry’s tendency to oversimplify complex transitions.

Sitting at my desk in the CBD, watching the steady stream of office workers flowing through the streets below, I can’t help but think about how automation has already transformed our workplaces. It’s been a gradual process – from the self-service checkouts at Coles to the automated trading systems running our financial markets. We’ve been automating tasks piece by piece, yet we’re still far from the sci-fi vision of fully autonomous AI workers.