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 at glasswings.com.au. Subscribe at https://glasswings.com.au/subscribe.html

Letters from an American: February 28, 2026

Tue, 3 Mar 2026 11:44:26 +1100

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

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/february-28-2026

"Early this morning, the U.S. and Israel launched a major military assault on
Iran. Early reports suggested that Israel targeted senior officials in Iran’s
government while the U.S. attacked military targets. The U.S. government named

Leave big tech behind! How to replace Amazon, Google, X, Meta, Apple – and more

Tue, 3 Mar 2026 11:43:28 +1100

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

<https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/feb/26/how-to-replace-amazon-google-x-meta-apple-alternatives>

"There’s not much to love about big tech these days. So many ills can be laid
at its door: social media harms, misinformation, polarisation, mining and
misuse of personal data, environmental negligence, tax avoidance, the list goes

Lost Science

Tue, 3 Mar 2026 11:42:23 +1100

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

https://ghostarchive.org/archive/bBRVP

"By most metrics, 2025 has been the worst year for the American scientific
enterprise in modern history.

What happens to a car when the company behind its software goes under?

Tue, 3 Mar 2026 11:40:26 +1100

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

<https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/02/what-happens-to-a-car-when-the-company-behind-its-software-goes-under/>

"Imagine turning the key or pressing the start button of your car—and nothing
happens. Not because the battery is dead or the engine is broken but because a
server no longer answers. For a growing number of cars, that scenario isn’t

As Data Centers Look to Rural New England, Maine Considers a Moratorium

Tue, 3 Mar 2026 11:39:11 +1100

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

<https://dailyyonder.com/as-data-centers-look-to-rural-new-england-maine-considers-a-moratorium/2026/02/23/>

"When local officials in rural Wiscasset, Maine, voted on November 4, 2025, to
pause a data center discussion in the community of around 4,000 year-round
residents, it may have been a sign of what’s to come. As the nationwide

Trump vies for Bush’s crown for worst foreign policy decision in history

Tue, 3 Mar 2026 11:38:13 +1100

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

<https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/28/trump-iran-analysis-us-foreign-policy-george-bush>

"It was another date that would live in infamy. But whereas Franklin Roosevelt
declared war in sombre tones to a joint session of Congress, Donald Trump did
it his way.

From Clicks to Cleanups: Juba’s Youth-Led Waste Revolution

Tue, 3 Mar 2026 02:57:16 +1100

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

<https://reasonstobecheerful.world/south-sudan-juba-youth-led-waste-revolution/>

"The first time Makur Majeng posted photos on social media of trash-clogged
drainage ditches along the White Nile in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, his
phone would not stop buzzing. “How can I help?” one message read.

Why in the world is Melania Trump leading a UN security council meeting?

Tue, 3 Mar 2026 02:56:15 +1100

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

<https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/28/melania-trump-un-security-council-europe-abortion-rights>

"“We ended DEI in America,” Donald Trump boasted during his State of the Union
(SOTU) address on Tuesday.

Trump’s unprovoked attack on Iran has no mandate – or legal basis

Tue, 3 Mar 2026 02:54:37 +1100

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

<https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/28/trump-unprovoked-attack-on-iran-has-no-mandate-and-no-clear-objective>

"The first war of Donald Trump’s Board of Peace era has begun – an unprovoked
attempt at regime change in collaboration with Israel, with no legal
foundation, launched in the midst of diplomatic efforts to avert conflict, and

Woolworths’ AI agent rambled about its ‘mother’. It’s a sign of deeper problems with the tech rollout

Tue, 3 Mar 2026 02:53:22 +1100

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

<https://theconversation.com/woolworths-ai-agent-rambled-about-its-mother-its-a-sign-of-deeper-problems-with-the-tech-rollout-277072>

"Recently some Australian shoppers got more than they bargained for when they
chatted with Woolworths’ artificial intelligence (AI) assistant, Olive.