TGIF. Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?
1. Don’t F**k the planet, part 2
Australian unicorn Atlassian has unveiled the second part to its ‘Don’t F&*! The Planet’ resource, outlining ways that businesses can take progressive steps on climate action. Atlassian claims that nearly 1,000 businesses downloaded the first edition, and with the release of this second part, the company has claimed that it will move to an industry-leaving carbon offsetting strategy, including historical offsets since the company was founded. Atlassian has also joined the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance, hoping to reduce the costs for airlines switching to sustainable fuel sources.
2. Senate inquiry calls for new tech giant watchdog
The Guardian is reporting that a Senate committee is recommending the foundation of a new standalone agency that would function as a place where both consumers and platforms can direct complaints. “With all Australians interacting with at least one big tech platform daily, it is important that regulations reflect this market concentration and influence,” committee chair Senator Andrew Bragg said.
3. OpenAI Aussie board member breaks silence
Yesterday afternoon, former OpenAI board member Helen Toner broke her silence about that chaos that was last week, and The Australian Financial Review has the story. “To be clear: our decision was about the board’s ability to effectively supervise the company, which was our role and responsibility. Though there has been speculation, we were not motivated by a desire to slow down OpenAI’s work,” Toner said on Twitter (X). She wished the new board the best, though mentions of Altman were notably absent from her thread.
4. Microsoft wants Game Pass on everything
As reported by Gamespot, Microsoft wants Game Pass on everything – including PlayStations and Nintendo devices. “It’s a bit of a change of strategy. Not announcing anything broadly here, but our mission is to bring our first-party experiences [and] our subscription services to every screen that can play games,” Xbox CFO Tim Stuart said during the Wells Fargo TMT Summit. “That means smart TVs, that means mobile devices, that means what we would have thought of as competitors in the past like PlayStation and Nintendo.” The company just finished the biggest acquisition in video game history, and is already looking to make its mark elsewhere. Woof.
5. It’s finally Cybertruck day
Is it coming to Australia? It’s highly unlikely. Do we know what the specs are? Finally. Tesla has finally completed the first deliveries of the new Cybertruck EV, and as reported by The Verge, the company just released official specifications for the truck. The truck is set to start at $US60,990 with a RWD model set to launch in 2025, while two AWD models will be made available in 2024, starting at $US79,990 and $US99,990. Musk originally claimed back in 2019 that the Cybertruck would start at $US39,900. According to the official Tesla page, the Cybertruck ‘Cyberbeast’ trim has a near 5,000kg towing capacity and a 0-100km/h speed of 2.6 seconds, with an EPA-estimate range of 340 miles (547km). I’ll never get over how silly this expensive rhombus is.
BONUS ITEM: New isopod just dropped.
#NewSpecies!
— Plazi Species (@plazi_species) November 30, 2023
New freshwater isopod from Japan just surfaced:
Gnorimosphaeroma rivulare
Holotype: @museum_kahaku
Treatment: https://t.co/C0CvS0khBz
Publication: https://t.co/eQKfZgOquY@Zoosyst_Evo @CrustaceanSoci @britishmigroup#FAIRdata#nature #biodiversity #conservation pic.twitter.com/EkkQ4DJDop
Have a wonderful weekend.