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

If Australian datacentres are going to power the AI revolution, we deserve a fair return

Tue, 9 Jun 2026 19:36:33 +1000

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

<https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/09/australia-datacentres-artificial-intelligence-ai-revolution-industry-fairness>

"Over the past few months, tens of thousands of Australians have emailed their
local MP calling for a 25% tax on gas exports. More than 2,200 people have even
chipped in their own money to fund billboards promoting the idea.

We desperately need skilled workers. So why is vocational education treated as the ‘back‑up plan’ for school leavers?

Tue, 9 Jun 2026 19:35:44 +1000

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

<https://theconversation.com/we-desperately-need-skilled-workers-so-why-is-vocational-education-treated-as-the-back-up-plan-for-school-leavers-284649>

"At the end of each school year, we see the same ritual play out. Year 12
results are released and newspapers publish league tables, ranking schools by
their exam results.

Australian homes lead the world in solar. But businesses are falling behind

Tue, 9 Jun 2026 19:35:06 +1000

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

<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/09/australia-rooftop-solar-panels-households-business>

"Australia’s revolution in rooftop solar has left behind commercial and
industrial buildings, where installations have lagged far behind homes,
according to new analysis.

Elusive gull drifts thousands of kilometres off course to Australia, turning birdwatching into ‘extreme sport’

Tue, 9 Jun 2026 19:34:01 +1000

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

<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/08/elusive-gull-drifts-thousands-of-kilometres-off-course-to-australia-turning-birdwatching-into-extreme-sport>

"A lone seabird has caused a stir in the nation’s birdwatching community after
landing on the Western Australian coast, thousands of kilometres off its usual
migratory flight path.

Seahorses and shark fins are illegally trafficked. An AI tool could help stop this crime

Tue, 9 Jun 2026 19:33:03 +1000

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

<https://theconversation.com/seahorses-and-shark-fins-are-illegally-trafficked-an-ai-tool-could-help-stop-this-crime-284448>

"Shark fins on a plane, seahorses in your bag and sea cucumbers in the post –
these are just a few examples of illegal marine wildlife trafficking.

Ok computer: Rare folk instruments and lost melodies find a digital future

Tue, 9 Jun 2026 19:32:02 +1000

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

<https://www.euronews.com/culture/2026/05/16/ok-computer-rare-folk-instruments-and-lost-melodies-find-a-digital-future>

"A thin, breathy note escapes from a bone flute. A surnay cuts sharply through
the air, while layered percussion echoes like distant footsteps across mountain
villages.

I’m launching Tech Influence Watch as AI follows crypto into politics

Tue, 9 Jun 2026 11:10:36 +1000

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

https://www.citationneeded.news/tech-influence-watch/

"I’ve been running my website Follow the Crypto since 2024, tracking the
cryptocurrency industry’s influence on our democracy. The industry spent more
than $130 million buying the 2024 elections, and the strategy worked.

China just put the world’s largest all-electric container ship into commercial service

Tue, 9 Jun 2026 11:08:35 +1000

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

https://www.autonocion.com/us/china-largest-electric-container-ship/

"Almost everything in your house arrived by boat. The phone, the couch, the
running shoes, the coffee maker. At some point most of it sat in a steel box on
a container ship crossing an ocean, and that ship was almost certainly burning

Russian drone hits building storing spent nuclear fuel near Chornobyl

Tue, 9 Jun 2026 11:07:29 +1000

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

<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/07/russian-drone-hits-building-spent-nuclear-fuel-chornobyl>

"A Russian Shahed drone has substantially damaged a building used to store
spent nuclear fuel close to the disused Chornobyl nuclear power plant, in what
Ukraine’s president described as a deliberate and “extremely vile” attack.

340 Local News Outlets Now Blocking The Internet Archive

Tue, 9 Jun 2026 11:05:27 +1000

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

<https://www.techdirt.com/2026/06/05/340-local-news-outlets-now-blocking-the-internet-archive/>

"Earlier this year Nieman Lab broke the story that major news publishers,
including The New York Times, The Guardian, and USA Today Co., had
started blocking the Internet Archive for fear that AI companies might scrape