Happy Friday eve. Here are five things (plus a little extra) happening in the tech world this morning.
1. AFP expands cyber efforts to Medibank customers
First up, the Australian Federal Police has expanded Operation Guardian to protect Medibank Private customers whose personal information has been unlawfully released online by ransomware criminals. The AFP said it is aware that distressing and very personal information has been released on the dark web and has immediately taken measures, including covert techniques, to identify further criminal activity. Operation Guardian, a joint initiative with state and territory police, was set up in September in the wake of the Optus data breach.
2. Another delay for Artemis
November 15 was supposed to be the day that NASA’s Space Launch System finally takes flight, but with Tropical Storm Nicole approaching the Florida coast, the space agency has opted to bump the launch back. Thankfully, not by a whole lot. NASA opted to leave SLS on the launch pad, saying it’s designed to withstand storms of this magnitude, but it will attempt launch again, two days later.
As teams continue to monitor Tropical Storm Nicole, we’ve decided to re-target the launch for the #Artemis I mission to Wednesday, Nov. 16, pending safe conditions for employees to return to work. https://t.co/08yHOd2a17 pic.twitter.com/QfWhjyTlE7
— NASA (@NASA) November 8, 2022
3. Streaming services are spending big on Aussie content
The Guardian is reporting that the number of Australian dramas produced by subscription and streaming services has tripled in a year to 29 titles, with a total budget of $446 million. Per the report, this figure eclipses, for the first time, the amount spent by free-to-air broadcasters. Free-to-air TV spent $208 million in the same period. Foxtel, Amazon Prime, Binge, Disney+, Netflix, Paramount+ and Stan are all competing for subscribers by offering new local dramas, with an average budget of $3.3 million an hour. The figures come from Screen Australia’s 2021-22 drama report.
4. Mark (staff) Cutterberg
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company would be laying off 11,000 employees, 13 per cent of its workforce. The cuts are part of an effort to become leaner after the company reported a decline in revenue for two straight quarters, encountered stagnating user growth and a sluggish pivot to “the metaverse,” and saw its stock lose 70 per cent of its value this year. The company is expecting another decline in revenue for the fourth quarter.
5. A small quantum step for IBM
TechCrunch is reporting that IBM wants to scale up its quantum computers to over 4,000 qubits by 2025. Big Blue today announced the launch of its Osprey quantum processor, which features 433 qubits, up from the 127 qubits of its 2021 Eagle processor. It’s quite a big deal, as it signals the slow, but steady, march toward a quantum processor with real-world applications.
BONUS ITEM: A glitch in Ticketek’s mobile system left many furious. Dua Lipa apparently stalled as long as she could.
Chaos for concert-goers in Sydney last night, after a glitch in Ticketek’s mobile system left thousands of people unable to get in to the arena to see pop sensation Dua Lipa. @Gabrielle_Boyle #9News pic.twitter.com/6dVWEGvJM3
— 9News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) November 9, 2022
See you tomorrow.