Monkey business for the geek in you!
In 1874, a surgeon in South Australia sent wound care instructions to a patient 2,000 kilometers away through telegraph. A few years later, in 1879, The Lancet medical journal published a letter suggesting the use of telephone to reduce unnecessary patient visits. These early instances of telemedicine, or “healing at a distance,” sparked the imagination…
Australia has been experiencing freezing temperatures and extreme weather in the south and east this winter, while the rest of the continent and the globe continue to warm. One possible cause for these weather events is an event occurring high above Antarctica, which may have been triggered by a heatwave on the surface of the…
Tax time can be an exciting period for many individuals as it presents the opportunity for a tax refund. However, it is also a prime time for scammers who seek to deceive unsuspecting victims and steal their money. In Australia, scams result in significant financial losses each year. In 2023, Australians reported losses exceeding A$2.7…
In the realm of artificial intelligence (AI), there is an ongoing battle between companies that keep their datasets and algorithms private and those that believe in transparency. This battle is often referred to as open-source versus closed-source AI. Recently, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, made a significant move in favor of open-source AI by…
The Paris Olympics have been lacking in world records in swimming events, leaving athletes and officials puzzled. Only one world record has been broken so far, compared to six in Tokyo in 2021 and eight in Rio in 2018. Even the highly anticipated women’s 400m freestyle failed to surpass any personal bests from the previous…
Australia’s government has announced plans to invest A$18m over four years in a new centre aimed at protecting the undersea cables that power the country’s internet. The Cable Connectivity and Resilience Centre will safeguard critical undersea telecommunications cables in the Indo-Pacific region from deliberate interference or accidental damage. The internet contributes over $167bn annually to…
Automated facial recognition technology is rapidly spreading throughout Australia, with various sectors such as retail, sports stadiums, and casinos already utilizing it. The Australian government’s digital identification system is also set to expand in November, following the passing of new laws earlier this year. As the technology becomes more affordable and advanced, it opens up…
The growing demand for digital content and services is leading to an increase in energy-intensive data centers. According to the International Energy Agency, global data center electricity consumption could double by 2026, reaching 1,000 terawatt hours (TWh) – equivalent to Japan’s annual electricity generation. It is estimated that 8-10% of the world’s electricity production will…
Wing, a drone delivery company owned by Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has recently launched its operations in Melbourne, Australia. Around 250,000 residents in certain parts of the city can now order food from local cafes and restaurants through the DoorDash app and have it delivered to them within minutes by a small aircraft. This marks…
If you spend enough time looking up at the night sky, you’re bound to see a meteor streak across it. However, some nights are better than others for meteor sightings. During certain times of the year, Earth passes through areas of its orbit that are filled with debris from comets and asteroids. This debris collides…
The MV Noongah, a coastal freighter that disappeared in 1969, has been discovered by a team aboard the CSIRO research vessel RV Investigator. The vessel was on a research voyage to study submarine canyons off the New South Wales coast when it stumbled upon the shipwreck. RV Investigator is part of the Marine National Facility…
The internet, which is an essential resource for modern society, has a dark side where malicious activities thrive. Cyber criminals constantly come up with new scam methods, from identity theft to sophisticated malware attacks. The availability of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools has added complexity to the cyber security landscape, making online security more important…
Informa, a UK-based multinational company, recently signed a deal with Microsoft that grants the tech giant access to advanced learning content and data. As Informa is the parent company of Taylor & Francis, which publishes academic and technical books and journals, it is likely that the data includes the content from these publications. However, reports…
The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will mark the first implementation of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Olympic AI Agenda. This agenda aims to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance various aspects of the games, including athlete performance, fair play, event operations, and the spectator experience. The IOC’s goal is to embrace AI while preserving…
The recent global IT outage caused by a software update gone wrong has shed light on the interconnected and fragile nature of modern IT infrastructure. The incident serves as a reminder of how a single point of failure can have widespread consequences. The outage was triggered by a faulty update to Crowdstrike Falcon, a widely…
A widespread IT outage is currently impacting computer systems globally, including banks, media organizations, hospitals, transport services, shop checkouts, and airports in Australia and New Zealand. This unprecedented outage has been caused by a software called CrowdStrike Falcon, which is used by organizations to protect their computers from cyber attacks and malware. CrowdStrike is a…
Computer systems in Australia and around the world experienced a major IT outage this afternoon due to a faulty update from CrowdStrike, a global security software provider. The affected software is the CrowdStrike Falcon platform, which is used by businesses and organizations for security monitoring on desktop computers and notebooks. This outage has impacted major…
The Olympic Games bring together the world’s best athletes every four years to compete for top honors. These athletes endure rigorous qualification processes, overcoming injuries and travel fatigue, and facing various weather conditions to secure their spot on the team. In the pursuit of victory, athletes and coaches are constantly seeking any advantage they can…
The International Year of Quantum Science and Technology has been declared by the United Nations for 2025. The aim is to acknowledge the significance of quantum science and increase awareness of its past and future impact. Quantum science is known for its complexity and peculiarities, such as entanglement, the dual nature of light, and the…
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in research on animal sounds, thanks to advancements in recording equipment and analysis techniques. These developments have provided valuable insights into various aspects of animal behavior, population distribution, taxonomy, and anatomy. However, a new study published in Ecology and Evolution highlights the limitations of one of…