Glass Wings Blog

The Glass Wings mailing list and blog is for general idle chit-chat about things we find interesting, especially humor, animation or other subjects relevant to the Glass Wings web site.

Electric trucks demonstrate megawatt charging in sub-zero temperatures

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 19:16:20 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://thedriven.io/2026/02/17/electric-trucks-demonstrate-megawatt-charging-in-sub-zero-temperatures/>

"Finnish electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging solutions manufacturer Kempower
recently hosted three of Europe’s biggest commercial vehicle manufacturers to
test out its megawatt charging system (MCS) in the sub-zero temperatures of

How Bad Bunny’s power pole dance spotlighted the colonial legacy of energy poverty

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 19:15:23 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://theconversation.com/how-bad-bunnys-power-pole-dance-spotlighted-the-colonial-legacy-of-energy-poverty-275794>

"When Bad Bunny and his dancers scaled power poles during his Super Bowl
performance, he wasn’t just entertaining millions. He was spotlighting how
Puerto Rico’s chronic power outages are a legacy of its colonisation.

Algorithm-based tool for home support funding is cruel and inhumane, Australian aged care workers warn

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 19:14:28 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/feb/17/australian-aged-care-algorithm-tool-home-support-funding-packages>

"Aged care clinicians and carers say an algorithm-based assessment tool that
determines federal home support funding packages is “cruel” and “inhumane”,
stripping away clinical expertise and leaving elderly people with inadequate

Beyond the beaches, Wellington’s catastrophic sewage spill could be bad news for coastal ecosystems

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 19:13:13 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://theconversation.com/beyond-the-beaches-wellingtons-catastrophic-sewage-spill-could-be-bad-news-for-coastal-ecosystems-276013>

"Public concern over the total failure of the Moa Point wastewater treatment
plant on Wellington’s south coast has been growing, despite this week’s
announcement of an independent review.

Violet Blue’s Threat Model - Cybersecurity: February 17, 2026

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 19:12:08 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

https://www.patreon.com/posts/cybersecurity-17-150965892

"This week: An AI bot attacked a human by publishing a hit piece on him (all
resulting in an Ars Technica retraction), Microsoft let AI steal and write
its GitHub flow training guide, a terrifying “smart” sleep mask vuln, Meta to

Warming winters are disrupting the hidden world of fungi – the result can shift mountain grasslands to scrub

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:19:15 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://theconversation.com/warming-winters-are-disrupting-the-hidden-world-of-fungi-the-result-can-shift-mountain-grasslands-to-scrub-274087>

"When you look out across a snowy winter landscape, it might seem like nature
is fast asleep. Yet, under the surface, tiny organisms are hard at work,
consuming the previous year’s dead plant material and other organic matter.

HungryPanda riders say Chinese police intimidating families in China over Sydney protests

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:18:15 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-18/hungrypanda-riders-chinese-police-threats-sydney-australia/106353996>

“Riders embroiled in a dispute over pay and conditions with food delivery
company HungryPanda in Sydney say Chinese police have summoned family members
back home and even threatened to have them arrested upon return as part of a

Fix The News: 99 Stories of Progress from the Year of the Wood Snake

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:16:43 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

https://fixthenews.com/p/99-stories-of-progress-from-the-year

"2026 may feel like it has already delivered a year’s worth of upheavals, but
in the traditional Chinese calendar, the year has only just begun. To honour
that turning, as the last skins of the ‘wood snake’ fall away, here are 99

Atrocities take place in democratic nations as well as autocratic ones – our database has logged them all

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:15:54 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://theconversation.com/atrocities-take-place-in-democratic-nations-as-well-as-autocratic-ones-our-database-has-logged-them-all-272879>

"Thousands of people were killed by Iranian security forces in days of protests
in January 2026. Meanwhile, in the same month, the killing of two protesters in
Minneapolis shone a light on the use of fatal force by American law enforcement

'Students Are Being Treated Like Guinea Pigs:' Inside an AI-Powered Private School

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:14:14 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://www.404media.co/students-are-being-treated-like-guinea-pigs-inside-an-ai-powered-private-school/>

"Alpha School, an “AI-powered private school” that heavily relies on AI to
teach students and can cost up to $65,000 a year, is AI-generating faulty
lesson plans that internal company documentation find sometimes do “more harm