Good morning and happy Federal Budget day to those who observe. Before we read through pages upon pages of government jargon, let’s see what happened overnight in the world of tech.
1. New Bankwest and CBA Perth Tech Hub
The Commonwealth Bank has unveiled its latest technology hub in Perth, which is part of its broader strategy to “contribute to Australia’s digital economy and support a diverse pipeline of technology talent”. CBA’s Tech Hub program has been stood up in an effort to make it not just Sydney CBD where you can get a tech career with the bank and its Bankwest subsidiary. It will offer employment opportunities across data science, cybersecurity, and software engineering, and deliver projects for both of the company’s banks. The Perth Tech Hub joins previously launched hubs in Melbourne, Adelaide, and Brisbane.
2. Digital driver’s licences for Victoria
From Perth down to Victoria where motorists in the state will have the option to carry their licence on their phone, with a digital driver’s licence trial in Ballarat before a statewide roll-out by 2024. From June, full licence holders in Ballarat will be able to sign up for the pilot through the Service Victoria or VicRoads websites before the trial begins in July. It’s understood that licence data will be protected by a “highly secure, timed QR code”, as the way to verify the authenticity of a licence. NSW first got digital driver’s licences in 2019 and it is a fantastic feature.
3. Elon’s Twitter is a mess
It’s time to say goodbye to inactive Twitter accounts, CEO Elon Musk said in a tweet on Monday, in yet another apparent attempt to bring users back to the platform. The number of active Twitter accounts has been steadily decreasing since Musk took over. But the man with too much money is also pushing users to have no regrets for the amount of time they spend on the app, in his newest push to make the app desirable and lure in advertisers. Oh, also, in emails sent to users, the company finally admitted its system for allowing users to share tweets to a select group of followers had been borked, calling it a “security incident”.
We’re purging accounts that have had no activity at all for several years, so you will probably see follower count drop
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 8, 2023
4. Patent filings look bleak
InnovationAus is reporting that gambling and alcohol giants beat out CSIRO and universities in patent and trademark filings last year. The report cites experts as saying the drop in local patent filings is due to a correction from record levels driven by COVID-19 and a law change last year, but it highlighted that it shows our continuous reliance on foreign tech innovation.
5. NASA launches cyclone-tracking satellites from NZ
NASA launched two small satellites designed to track tropical cyclones hour-by-hour from a base in New Zealand on Monday, in a project that could improve weather predictions on devastating storms. As reported by the ABC, the new storm trackers, sent into orbit on a rocket built by US company Rocket Lab, can fly over hurricanes or typhoons every hour, compared to every six hours with current satellites
BONUS ITEM: We finally got to review the apocalyptic chic Dyson Zone headphones/air purifier.
See you later tonight for the Budget.