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Tech News: 5 Things to Know in Australia Today

Zachariah Kelly Avatar
Zachariah Kelly
Tech News: 5 Things to Know in Australia Today

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, January 11, and we’ve got five things for you to catch up on in the world of tech. Today’s a special five things, because it’s our 100th installment of our daily morning news roundup. So, from Asha Barbaschow (Gizmodo Australia’s editor) and Zachariah Kelly (myself, Gizmodo Australia’s writer), thanks for sticking with us.

 

 

1. Tesla causes an eight-car pile-up in San Francisco

A full self-driving Tesla is alleged to have caused an eight-car pile-up on the Bay Bridge in San Francisco. The crash occurred on November 23, 2022, on Thanksgiving Day, and injured nine people, including a two-year-old child. Tesla’s full self-driving feature has been subject to heavy criticism, with it found that its tech can’t detect some oncoming obstacles, such as toddlers.

2. Logan Paul’s pig found abandoned with ripped ears and a uterus infection

A pig once owned by the Viner-turned-YouTuber-turned-boxer-turned-cryptobro Logan Paul was discovered abandoned in a field near Santa Clarita, California earlier this week. Yesterday, the nonprofit Gentle Barn, posted a video to TikTok explaining that its staff found an injured pig named Pearl in the middle of a field beside a dead pig. Gentle Barn says that the pig’s ears were maimed and her uterus was infected and that she had originally been purchased by an influencer from a breeder and was, at some later point, abandoned in the field where she was then found by Gentle Barn. TMZ reported that Paul is claiming he is not responsible for the injuries to Pearl while thanking Gentle Barn for their work.

3. Meta abandons the original Quest VR headset

With only one iteration ahead, Meta has declared that its first Meta Quest VR headset won’t be receiving any more love or TLC. In an email sent to Meta Quest 1 users and later posted to Twitter, the company spelled out how it will be dropping support for its original, cheaper virtual reality device. Most importantly, the device will no longer receive future content updates. By 2024, the device will no longer get any bug fixes or security patches.

4. Microsoft may invest in OpenAI

Semafor is reporting that Microsoft is looking into a $US10 billion ($14.5 billion in Australia) investment in OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, a AI writing program that has gone viral. People familiar with the matter have said that Microsoft is in talks with OpenAI to invest, as part of a complicated deal involving Microsoft getting 75 per cent of profits until its investment is recouped, according to sources. It could be Microsoft’s latest push into the AI space, with the company just recently showing off a tool that can mimic your voice after only three seconds.

5. The Surface Duo could be dead

Still on Microsoft and Windows Central is reporting that Microsoft may have given up on its weird form factor Android device. The report indicates that the Duo 3 may never come, however a new foldable design could be on the way (still running Android). The Surface Duo range wasn’t widely loved, and in our review we disliked it, with an awkward form factor, laggy response time and an attempt to do everything. It’ll be interesting to see what Microsoft does next in the phone space.

BONUS ITEM: web3 is going great.

We’ve loved writing our daily 5 Things article over the past 100 working days, so again, thanks for reading. Have a terrific day.

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