Good morning and welcome to the 5th of July, also known as the 4th of July in the U.S. – a day where the news cycle takes a day off. Mostly. Don’t worry, we’ve still got a few things happening in techland, courtesy, mostly, of everyone’s favourite* Tech Bro, Mr Musk.
1. The blue bird site gets worse
To kick things off, amid the flustercuck that is Twitter under Elon Musk, the latest move from the blue bird site is to restrict access to TweetDeck for unverified users. TweetDeck is a valuable resource for many people. We, for example, use it to schedule posts for Gizmodo Australia, and see notifications/comments for the sites under our brands, as well as our own personal Twitter account, without having to have multiple different browsers/tabs open. Anyway, as Tech Crunch is reporting, in 30 days, users will have to be verified to access TweetDeck.
2. But wait, there’s more
Over on 9to5Mac, they’re reporting that Twitter is blocking content from appearing in Google Search, though, as the report notes, it’s more of a side effect than a direct action. The change was first spotted by SearchEngineLand, which, per 9to5Mac, notes that Google Search is slowly removing search results from Twitter, starting with older tweets. Hundreds of millions of tweets dropped from Google Search over the course of the weekend, and a third-party tool also shows a steep drop too.
3. The consequences of AI
CNN is reporting that AI is linked to layoffs in the tech industry – in particular, some of the workers that have contributed to the boom of the technology. While tech companies like IBM, Dropbox, and Chegg are currently undergoing layoffs, the same companies have noted that AI would be used to enhance their workforces going forward. Despite the layoffs, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna believes that AI “is going to create more jobs than it takes away”.
4. Did Microsoft just announce a PS5 Slim and Pro?
Kotaku is reporting that PlayStation 5 Slim and Pro models may be around the corner – that is, according to Microsoft, which has reportedly revealed the new console versions in court documents. In court to defend Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard, which was blocked by the FTC, Microsoft revealed that it’s expecting the Slim model “later this year”, and a Pro model at a later point.
5. Business backs electric
Now for something super-dooper, hyper-local and Victoria’s Yarra Valley Water has announced plans to expand its electric fast chargers by more than 50 per cent at its head office in Mitcham. The chargers will use solar panels on the purpose-built car park to generate electricity. From a bird’s eye view, it looks pretty darn cool (that’s the hero picture of this article, FYI). To make it happen, the org received funding from the state government’s Business Recovery Energy Efficiency Fund. In addition, it clarified that it’s in the process of transitioning its vehicle fleet to electric, purchasing only electric vehicles (where fit for purpose) from 2026.
BONUS ITEM: Wait until they hear about Australia.
See you tomorrow!