Happy Monday, the last working one of the year (my thoughts go out to those of you rostered on for Boxing Day). Let’s jump into tech news, there isn’t much doing this time of year so it’s going to be a little different this week. Let’s dive in.
1. Twitter bans not Twitter
This morning, Twitter announced it would no longer be allowing accounts that promote other social platforms on its platform. In the tweet announcing the change, Twitter said it will no longer allow free promotion of certain social media platforms. Per TechCrunch, who has read the Ts & Cs, Twitter will ask you to delete tweets if you link out your handles and multiple violations of this policy will result in a temporary account lock. The company said if you have links to any of these platforms in your bio, it will temporarily suspend your account and ask you to change your bio.
Specifically, we will remove accounts created solely for the purpose of promoting other social platforms and content that contains links or usernames for the following platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Nostr and Post.
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) December 18, 2022
2. Self-driving cars go live in the U.S.
Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona will be the first U.S. state to offer the self-driving ride-hailing service Waymo. Per AP, a test group has been using Waymo vehicles from the station, which connects to the airport terminals, to downtown Phoenix since early November. The cars are electric Jaguar models. The airport is getting the self-driving vehicles in place in time for the Super Bowl. Waymo is the autonomous vehicle unit of Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc.
3. World’s largest free-standing aquarium bursts
The AquaDom, the world’s largest cylindrical aquarium, burst on Friday morning in Berlin, releasing more than almost one million litres of water onto the premises, which also house a hotel, museum, and cafes. On Twitter, the Berlin police said that there had been “unbelievable maritime damage.” Videos and photos posted to social media by hotel guests on Friday show absolutely jaw-dropping damage, with dead fish, bent support beams, and broken glass clearly visible. German authorities and rescue personnel said that there had been no human casualties, although two people had been injured by glass shards.
Not too sure what’s happening but there’s a lot of emergency services doing their best #radissonblu #berlin #hotel #aquadom #aquarium pic.twitter.com/EUzEjaE5MM
— Larissa (@lararimmer) December 16, 2022
4. Aussie car breaks world record
The Sunswift 7, an Australian-designed solar-powered car from UNSW, has broken a Guinness world record by travelling 1000km on a single 12-hour charge. It broke the record while maintaining an average speed of 85km/h, securing the ‘Fastest EV over 1000km on a single charge’ title.
5. Drone rules reminder
The Australian Federal Police, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and Airservices Australia have found a cute way to remind us all of the country’s drone rules. They said they’ve been “busily clearing airspace for Santa” on Christmas Eve and reminding the public about drone safety rules ahead of his big Operation Present Drop. “While Santa’s sleigh is not a traditional aircraft, Airservices Australia has allocated Santa the call sign Sleigh Rider One and designed a clear path through Australian airspace that needs to be kept free of drones so he can deliver presents safely.” It’s very sweet. But also, if you get a drone from Santa, make sure you adhere to the rules.
BONUS ITEM: Due to copyright reasons, we can’t show footage of the game, but here’s a tweet to tie a bow on the World Cup that was riddled with awfulness and a tonne of controversy and simultaneously a vessel for a lot of Aussies to care more about the sport.
World Champions 🏆🇦🇷#FIFAWorldCup | #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/TGLbXxRFLc
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 18, 2022
Have a great week, folks.