Dear Google. I just opened up Google Classroom to find the redesigned homepage. Just wanted to let you know that there are a few rows of spare pixels on the right hand side of the screen that you forgot to cram Gemini into. Not sure how you missed that.
How I plan to be spending the first week of October. Hunting down some of the best motorcycling roads in Tasmania. 🏍 Planning to motovlog the whole thing.
Here's a terrific article from the good people at @theguardian.com about the universal language of Esperanto. It's a long read but comprehensive and fascinating. www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
Nudists, peaceniks and freeloading travellers: the people keeping the Esperanto dream alive
Esperanto had always seemed to me like an idealistic movement that had failed. So why was its annual congress so vibrant and full of young people?
theguardian.com
I don't really eat fast food, and gave up on McDonald's, Hungry Jacks, etc years ago. But very, very occasionally I give in and have some, thinking maybe it's not that bad. Every single time it tastes like disappointment seasoned with regret.
I sometimes see things online that I consider buying or subscribing to, but if the prices don't clearly indicate "AUD$" then I usually assume it's "USD$" and don't proceed. I wonder how many total sales are lost because of this? Come on advertisers! Include the currency please!
So now if I fly from Fukuoka, Japan to Palm Beach, Florida, to Sioux City, Iowa, the airport codes on my tickets will be FUK-DJT, then DJT-SUX. Cool.
Quick microphone test. 🎤 I think I know which mic I prefer. How about you? Which do you prefer? youtu.be/HPIEzjGeU1A
Mic Test
YouTube video by Chris Betcher
youtu.be
I don’t like to speak ill of the dead…so I’ll just say that right now Lindsey Graham is doing more for democracy than he ever did as a Senator. #SheShed
Trump should not have asked for Balogun's red card to be overturned. And FIFA should never have overturned it. But the US team should have simply not allowed Balogun to play. They should have done the right thing and voluntarily elected to keep Balogun off the pitch.
Seeing the US Football team beaten by Belgium is sweet schadenfreude after Trump's corrupt interference in the red card fiasco. Also, the look of disbelief on the US player's faces that they were actually beaten. This is what it looks like when a "world series" involves the rest of the world.
I ran a Pre-Learner Licence Course for senior students today and we were talking about speed vs stopping distance. While the course had some good examples, it got me thinking of other ways to visualise this, so I made this in Google AI Studio residual-braking-analyzer-973432846473.us-west1.run.app
My Google AI Studio App
residual-braking-analyzer-973432846473.us-west1.run.app
What AI means for the process of learning share.google/5tKHHFAPhFQa... "Those using LLMs showed the weakest brain connectivity... Most couldn’t recall what they’d just written and yet the task was completed. But fundamentally, the learning never happened"
AI doesn’t just help us think, it thinks instead of us: what this means for the process of learning
When AI hands us an answer, we risk bypassing the process through which learning happens.
share.google
Watched the movie Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die yesterday. While it's a bizarrely different kind of film, I enjoyed it. Interesting storyline, engaging characters and plenty of surprises. And quite the statement on humanity and its obsession with AI.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2... I've read this book and highly recommend it. It's a scathing exposé of the appalling lack of ethics within Meta. And now Meta are doing all they can to silence it. For that reason alone I think as many people as possible should read it. #fuckzuck
Meta legal action forces Facebook whistleblower to sit in silence at Hay festival
Sarah Wynn-Williams did not speak during event after lawyers warned of possible sanctions from tech firm
theguardian.com
If I have to tell AI how I want it to write my emails, I may as well write my own emails. Also, when did we get so lazy that we have to outsource the writing of our emails to an AI. Also, if you can't be bothered to write it, why the hell should I be bothered to read it?
More than 1 in 3 Australian adults are functionally illiterate. How can we fix this? share.google/y8Hei3ZIYSwO...
More than 1 in 3 Australian adults are functionally illiterate. How can we fix this?
Functional literacy describes the skills needed for everyday life in our complex society. Improving it for adults may be Australia’s biggest challenge.
share.google
Like most of the world, I used Microsoft Word for many years, until I made a permanent move to Google Docs about 15 years ago. I've had to return to using Word occasionally for some work things, and all I can say is, what a truly awful piece of crap it is. And don't even get me started on Outlook.
Next time you hear someone wanting to stop more immigrants coming into Australia, let them know we can do that just as soon as we change the second verse of our national anthem - "for those who've come across the seas we've boundless plains to share" - so we aren't being a bunch of hypocrites.
I just got an email with a special deal from Qantas, offering me a $500 discount on flights to the US. It's a good deal, but you could not even pay me to visit the US right now. Like so many around the world, I'm disgusted by what's happening there, and don't want to be anywhere near it.
Honestly, who gives a fuck if Trump is happy or not. share.google/tMz6Pq5olC0C...
Trump repeats he is 'not happy with Australia' as Hormuz crisis continues
Donald Trump again accuses Australia of refusing to help the US in the Strait of Hormuz, but the Australian government maintains there has been no formal request from the US.
share.google
I just signed @australiainstitute.org.au's petition: Tax the gas industry its fair share! Will you join me? nb.australiainstitute.org.au/gas_export_t...
✍️ PETITION: Help take on the gas industry
Tax the gas industry its fair share! Australia Institute research shows a 25% tax on gas exports could solve the gas crisis – and raise $17 billion every year at the same time. ✍️ Add your name now...
nb.australiainstitute.org.au
As an Esperanto (EO) learner, I built this language learning tool in Google AI Studio with EO flashcards, EO Chat, EO Image generation and more. Here is "Du hundoj kaj kvin katoj vestitaj per buntaj vestaĵoj sidantaj kune ĉe mortfesto." esperanto-practice-hub-973432846473.us-west1.run.app
For nearly a half century, trickle-down economic policies have resulted in a tax system rigged in favor of the rich. This is not only bad for our economy, but it’s leading to a billionaire takeover of our democracy as well. Watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkiO0_uSJAk
Can We Fix Our Rigged Tax System?
For nearly a half century, trickle-down economic policies have resulted in a tax system rigged in favor of the rich. Thi
youtube.com
It is THE fundamental problem. To survive and prosper we must make billionaires history. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
At the root of all our problems stands one travesty: politicians’ surrender to the super-rich | George Monbiot
There are many excuses for failing to tax the ultra-wealthy. The truth is that governments don’t tackle the problem because they don’t want to, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
theguardian.com
I like tools that can be used in creative ways they weren't necessarily designed for. The Google Vids Screen Recorder Extension includes some neat virtual backgrounds and characters from Google Meet, so it opens up a bunch of interesting creative possibilities for students. youtu.be/gpNBb7K_aLs
Google Vids Screen Recorder Extension
YouTube video by Crux Learning
youtu.be
Join my leaderboard in The New York Times Games app. We’ll be able to follow each other’s daily scores, ranks and solve times for multiple games.: www.nytimes.com/crosswords/a...
Download the New York Times Games App
Play Wordle, Spelling Bee, Sudoku, The Crossword and more on iOS and Android. You'll find new puzzles daily.
nytimes.com
