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MacVoices #26192: Road to Macstock – Michael D.J. Eisenberg

By: Chuck
25 June 2026 at 02:19
The Road to Macstock takes us to Michael D.J. Eisenberg. whose presentation will focus on podcasting, sharing how he plans to help attendees understand what makes a show work, from concept and preparation to recording, production, and audience connection. The conversation also highlights the value of learning from experienced creators in person and the community energy that makes the event special. 

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A Blood Test Years Before Cancer May Reveal a Hidden Warning Sign

10 August 2026 at 11:42
Blood Test Tube DNA Genetic TestingA blood test taken years before cancer appears may hold a warning sign for men’s long-term health. A large international study found that men with very low testosterone were more likely to be diagnosed with cancer and more likely to die from it later in life. The link was broad, but it came with an [...]

‘Extremely effective’ organised campaigns against wind and solar undermining support for renewable energy

Clean Energy Council calls for a national, legislated scheme to funnel benefits of hosting renewables projects back to local councils

Organised campaigns against wind and solar energy have proved “extremely effective” in undermining community support for renewable energy but enthusiasm for electric vehicles has jumped after Donald Trump’s attack on Iran, according to a detailed snapshot of Australian attitudes to the clean energy transition.

The survey found levels of “deep support” for clean technologies were highest for home batteries and rooftop solar and also improving for major infrastructure projects such as transmission lines, which have been a target for critics of renewables.

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© Photograph: David Kelly/The Guardian

© Photograph: David Kelly/The Guardian

© Photograph: David Kelly/The Guardian

Mooted WA oil refinery ‘dinosaur technology’ amid clean energy transition, experts say

A feasibility study for the Western Australian project will show the project is uneconomic and requires government subsidies, experts say

Leading Australian climate policy experts say a new oil refinery in Western Australia would be an investment in “dinosaur technology” that would require public subsidy and do little to solve the country’s fuel security.

The Albanese government announced a $4m early-stage feasibility study with the WA government for a new oil refinery in the Pilbara region on Tuesday, but experts said the money would be better spent on green technology to reduce Australia’s reliance on fossil fuels.

Experts told Guardian Australia doing the feasibility study was not a bad idea, but would ultimately show the project would be uneconomic and would require government subsidies.

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© Photograph: Darren England/AAP

© Photograph: Darren England/AAP

© Photograph: Darren England/AAP

Early Miocene Fossil Rewrites Family Tree of Little Carnivorous Marsupials

24 July 2026 at 21:40
An artist’s reconstruction of Miyumba chrisdickmani in the Early Miocene rainforests of northern Australia. Image credit: Nellie Pease.

Paleontologists at the University of New South Wales have described a new genus and species of dasyurid marsupial from the Early Miocene of Australia, offering the first solid evidence that the family Dasyuridae -- which today includes quolls, Tasmanian devils and tiny antechinuses -- existed long before scientists had proof of it in the fossil record.

The post Early Miocene Fossil Rewrites Family Tree of Little Carnivorous Marsupials appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Australia To Put Environmental Brakes On AI Data Centers

By: BeauHD
18 July 2026 at 04:30
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the New York Times: Australia will require large data centers powering artificial intelligence to generate as much power as they consume, and ensure that creative professionals retain control over work that may be used to train A.I. systems, as the government sets up guardrails over the rapidly growing industry. The announcements on Wednesday in a speech by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese came as Australia draws significant interest from A.I. companies because of its size and the availability of renewable energy, and as resistance to data centers builds in many parts of the United States and Europe. Major A.I. companies have opened offices or announced investments in Australia in recent months. The Australian government is trying to balance capitalizing on the A.I. boom with setting parameters on a fast-changing industry that has sparked backlash over environmental impacts, energy use and lack of contribution to local economies. "Every country on earth is grappling with these challenges right now. Australia will be the first country in the world to bring these issues into a single, national framework," Mr. Albanese said Wednesday, laying out the standards his government will pursue. The details of what exactly the requirements will look like and how they will be enforced remain to be seen, and the government will need to secure the backing of individual states for its plan. The government said it would introduce legislation on the standards early next year, and establish an "Office of A.I." directly reporting to the prime minister to coordinate implementation. The "Australian Standards for A.I." will include a "legal obligation" for companies to ensure they do not drain the power grid and be as water efficient as possible, the government said. Mr. Albanese also said creators of books, music, art or news in Australia should retain control of the price and value of their work when used to train artificial intelligence systems. "Anything less is theft," he said. "No country has got this right yet."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Mick Murray’s hybrid haulers move more freight with fewer fumes

17 July 2026 at 13:39

No matter how you slice it, there just aren’t enough drivers to move all the freight (and autonomous just isn’t ready). In the US, the industry is chasing higher payloads to bridge the gap, but in Australia, they’re taking a different approach: massive, multi-trailer hybrid road trains.

L'Australian Space Agency (ASA), in collaborazione con le autorità di gesti…

14 July 2026 at 16:50
L'Australian Space Agency (ASA), in collaborazione con le autorità di gestione delle emergenze, ha isolato Forrest Beach nel Queensland dopo il ritrovamento di sei sfere metalliche argentate. Gli oggetti si sono rivelati essere "space balls", ovvero serbatoi a pressione in leghe di titanio utilizzati nei vettori spaziali, precipitati in mare a causa del rientro incontrollato di un razzo e spinti a riva dalle correnti. Alice Gorman, archeologa spaziale della Flinders University, ha ipotizzato che i serbatoi si siano staccati prima del raggiungimento delle orbite più alte, data l'assenza di bruciature termiche evidenti. L'intervento di messa in sicurezza ha richiesto l'uso di tute protettive speciali per scongiurare contaminazioni da idrazina, un propellente altamente tossico e infiammabile potenzialmente rimasto all'interno dei contenitori.

Australia’s 7 best-selling EVs are now all Chinese — even Tesla’s

10 July 2026 at 15:34

Australia just posted its biggest month ever for electric car sales, and for the first time seven different EVs each cleared 1,000 units in a single month.

Every one of them is either Chinese-owned or Chinese-built — and that includes the Tesla Model Y that topped the chart, which rolls off the line in Shanghai.

Aussie gov't tells volunteers to throw out thousands of functioning test routers

8 July 2026 at 19:10

Last week, thousands of SamKnows routers were bricked after a government program ran its course.

In 2020, as part of a program conducted by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), the Australian government's chief competition regulator, thousands of volunteers received routers to help test and report on the typical speed and performance of broadband plans in Australia. (More specifically, the Measuring Broadband Australia (MBA) program targeted fixed-line broadband services provided over the NBN, Australia's government-owned wholesale open-access broadband network, as well as services delivered over other access networks.)

According to the final report that the ACCC distributed, the routers are whiteboxes that were “supplied by SamKnows” and that “perform tests to measure internet performance using test servers maintained by SamKnows and hosted in Australia.”

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© Getty

Aussie gov't tells volunteers to throw out thousands of functioning test routers

Last week, thousands of SamKnows routers were bricked after a government program ran its course.

In 2020, as part of a program conducted by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), the Australian government's chief competition regulator, thousands of volunteers received routers to help test and report on the typical speed and performance of broadband plans in Australia. (More specifically, the Measuring Broadband Australia (MBA) program targeted fixed-line broadband services provided over the NBN, Australia's government-owned wholesale open-access broadband network, as well as services delivered over other access networks.)

According to the final report that the ACCC distributed, the routers are whiteboxes that were “supplied by SamKnows” and that “perform tests to measure internet performance using test servers maintained by SamKnows and hosted in Australia.”

Read full article

Comments

© Getty

Keir Starmer’s Doomed Social Media ‘Ban’

16 June 2026 at 19:00

The evidence from Australia is clear, says Dr Reuben Kirkham, Director of the Free Speech Union of Australia: Sir Keir Starmer's social media 'ban' is doomed to fail. And it targets the wrong things anyway.

The post Keir Starmer’s Doomed Social Media ‘Ban’ appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

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