Good morning. The ‘Tillies never disappoint. Let’s get into the tech news.
1. Transport NSW gets a fibre upgrade
NSW’s traffic network is getting an NBN-powered upgrade, with a $15 million project kicking off to modernise how the systems communicate with each other.
NBN fibre will be rolled out to 1,300 traffic lights and 700 CCTV cameras, with TPG and Vocus brought on board to roll out the NBN ‘Smart Places’ solution.
“Previously, we’ve been limited in our ability to unlock the benefits of fibre as the locations we want to connect aren’t premises; We’re talking about things like gantries and traffic lights that can be a considerable distance from the nearest home or workplace,” Transport for NSW Executive Director of Intelligent Transport Systems John Paul Ahern said. “Our team have collaborated with NBN Co on their Smart Places solution, which utilises full fibre to connect critical infrastructure, to ensure that we can meet our current and future needs for linking these assets.”
2. Samsung sues Oura (Galaxy Ring date also confirmed?)
Oura, a smart ring company, is facing a lawsuit from Samsung, which is gearing up to release its own rivalling product. Per Engadget, Samsung’s alleging that Oura uses its patent dominance in the smart ring space to keep out smaller businesses and that it may do the same for Samsung. “Oura’s immediate response to the announcement of the Galaxy Ring was to point to the purported strength of its intellectual property portfolio,” Samsung’s lawsuit reads. Also, the lawsuit specifies that the Samsung Ring will arrive in the U.S. in or around August. That’s a nice tidbit.
3. That sounds annoying
Instagram is gearing up to test ads that you can’t scroll past.
By way of Tech Crunch, new ad breaks have been spotted by users and posted via screenshots, with a countdown timer indicating how much longer the ad will show for before it can be scrolled away from.
“We’re always testing formats that can drive value for advertisers,” Meta told TechCrunch. “As we test and learn, we will provide updates should this test result in any formal product changes,”
4. Layoffs continue
About 1,500 employees of Microsoft’s Azure cloud department may be affected by incoming layoffs, per Reuters. The cuts come as nearly 2,000 employees of Microsoft’s Xbox gaming division lost their jobs earlier this year, with the Beast of Redmond seemingly keen to keep resizing going. “Organisational and workforce adjustments are a necessary and regular part of managing our business. We will continue to prioritise and invest in strategic growth areas for our future and in support of our customers and partners,” Microsoft told Reuters.
5. X allows XXX
X (formerly Twitter) is now officially allowing pornographic material on the website. Via Reuters, explicit sexual content won’t be allowed in banners or profile pictures, however, the new guidelines indicate that users can now “share consensually produced and distributed adult nudity or sexual behaviour”. An X Safety tweet reads: “We have launched Adult Content and Violent Content policies to bring more clarity of our Rules and transparency into enforcement of these areas. These policies replace our former Sensitive Media and Violent Speech policies – but what we enforce against hasn’t changed.”
BONUS ITEM: LMAO.
Have a lovely day.
Image: Oura/NBN Gizmodo Australia