Author | Lightnews

MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 1d

www.afr.com/technology/g.... I”t also ran 13,000 times faster than possible on the world’s best supercomputer, said Google, adding that taken together, the advances point to a broad range of potential uses in medicine and materials science.” #quantum

Google unveils quantum computing breakthrough on Willow chip

The “Quantum Echoes” algorithm, detailed in the science journal Nature, is verifiable, meaning it can be repeated on another computer.

www.afr.com

MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 3d

www.thenerve.news/p/cory-docto... “..decay follows a recurring pattern: platforms start by offering great service, then degrade once users are locked in… those businesses are…squeezed for profit until all that remains is just enough value to keep everyone stuck.” #enshitiffication

‘The platforms got worse because we let them!’: Cory Doctorow on his fight to save the internet from enshittification

The author and cyber-activist argues that the tech giants have ruined life online. The only thing that can save the virtual world now, he tells Zoë Corbyn, is its users

www.thenerve.news

MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 3d

“Across settings, one pattern recurs: local actors write the rules, test them in real-time, iterate quickly, and share lessons upward once national bodies are ready.”

MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 3d

oecd.ai/en/wonk/from.... In other words, the same plain-language interface that enables teams to build AI helpers also allows them to embed guardrails, monitor usage, and escalate problems—governance at the speed of adoption.” #ai #globalsouth

From risk to resilience: No-code AI governance in the Global South

No-code AI governance empowers the Global South to build local guardrails, bridge skills gaps, and enable inclusive, resilient adoption.

oecd.ai

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MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 3d

www.cirsd.org/en/horizons/.... “…although these challenges are so existential, Europe has rarely remained so silent, its voice so hollow, its actions so lacking..when the world cries out for clear leadership..Europe hides behind rhetoric, reports without follow-up, and sterile debate.” #EU #global

Europe’s Choice in the Face of Global Reckoning - CIRSD

CIRSD

www.cirsd.org

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MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 3d

www.niskanencenter.org/conways-law-.... “If the architecture of the system and the organization are at odds, the architecture of the organization wins.” Communication. Incentives. Feedback. Yes, we know. So why don’t we? #organisations #orgdesign

Conway’s Law at Government Scale - Niskanen Center

When government agencies are siloed, or poorly coordinated, the services they deliver carry the same flaws.

www.niskanencenter.org

MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 4d

app.thenewworld.co.uk/story/144199... “The Welsh Conservatives are not worth the length of this sentence.” What a brilliant line😂

The Caerphilly vote shows Farage won’t be the next prime minister

Reform’s lack of a ground game and vulnerability to tactical voting were exposed on what was also a disastrous night for Labour

app.thenewworld.co.uk

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MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 5d

www.smh.com.au/business/wor.... “But underneath this shiny surface is the sad reality that some of the output is actually unhelpful, misleading, incomplete or not properly understood by the person creating it.” #ai

AI isn’t taking our jobs, it’s just giving us more work

Consistently, we’ve heard that no job is safe from AI disruption. But what if instead of making us more efficient, it is actually doing the opposite?

www.smh.com.au

MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 6d

www.afr.com/technology/o.... “Genuine reasoning that pushes the frontier of scientific knowledge shouldn’t be confused with ChatGPT’s ability to remix the world’s knowledge, especially by the company’s own researchers.” #ai

OpenAI’s latest ‘breakthrough’ is a sobering reality check

The company’s leading scientists claimed GPT-5 had solved a famous set of math problems. Turned out it had basically “Googled” the answers.

www.afr.com

MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 7d

www.afr.com/technology/t.... “Already, neurotechnology companies are selling direct-to-consumer devices that collect brainwave data…A recent study found that 24 out of 30 neurotech companies producing consumer products could sell users’ neural data under their existing privacy practices.” #privacy

The next hack target isn’t your phone, it’s your mind

Neurotechnology poses a question that sounds like science fiction: how do we protect human rights when technology can decode our thoughts?

www.afr.com

MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 8d

“Getting policymakers to take redlines seriously …will be a difficult fight, but without it, we risk..our ability to fight for all the other things that are necessary for our individual and common good. We can have mass surveillance, or we can have political self-determination. We can’t have both.”

MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 8d

techpolicy.press/to-have-demo.... The nub: “When governments can no longer provide the public with essential services without access to digital products that are the intellectual property of megacorporations, that’s a degree of leverage to turn any redline into a punchline.” #ai #regulation

To Have Democracy, We Must Contest Data | TechPolicy.Press

Emily Tucker makes the case for redlines for data, not AI—real limits on corporate data collection to protect democracy and political self-determination.

techpolicy.press

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MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 9d

“In the past two decades, since the advent of the reading surveys…, there has been a 36 per cent fall in the number of children who say they enjoy reading in their spare time. The number of children who read outside school every day has halved in 20 years.”
www.thetimes.com/article/3c64...

There is a silver bullet for childhood happiness: a love of reading

Bestselling children’s author Katherine Rundell says to reverse the reading crisis we must let young people rediscover the enjoyment of books — whatever they may be

www.thetimes.com

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MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 13d

www.ft.com/content/e8aa....
”MOFs are…versatile, scalable, customisable fixes for atmospheric and industrial challenges: mopping up pollutants, including carbon and so-called forever chemicals; snatching water from desert air…and converting toxic substances into benign ones” Blimey☺️💪

Can molecular Lego save the planet?

The Nobel Prize-winning MOFs could be used to mop up pollutants, turn toxic substances benign and make water from desert air

www.ft.com

MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 15d

www.smh.com.au/politics/fed.... . “We currently export raw materials for China to refine, and we lack the capacity to produce batteries. That means we’re essentially ruling our nation out of being an integral part of the global clean energy transition.” #energy #transition

Dirt-rich nation: Australia’s big test to plug in to the future

We’re blessed with the critical minerals that will power the world, but can Australia rise to the many challenges?

www.smh.com.au

MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 18d

www.wsj.com/opinion/trum...
“…counsel caution—it could all fall apart, joy may be premature. But I’ll take my joy premature, bartender. If it turns out progress was illusory we will at least have reacquainted ourselves with optimism..energetic, something that can get you through the next day.”

Opinion | Trump’s Big Beautiful Gaza Peace Plan

If it strikes you as foolish, consider how well the serious people’s ideas have turned out in the Mideast.

www.wsj.com

MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 18d

www.afr.com/work-and-car.... “In the West, there’s a social contract. You operate on the basis that the government is here to support the society – it’s basically there to service your needs,” he reflects. “In Russia, you’re the property of the government.” Gosh, that’s worth a moment’s reflection

‘Run towards fires’: How a maths whizz fled Russia and built DroneShield

Oleg Vornik fled his homeland and the security service to escape conscription. Now he leads a 400-staff rocket ship of a company whose stock is up 300 per cent.

www.afr.com

MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 22d

“We have now witnessed the transformation of social media into anti-social media with the progressive disappearance of most people from active participation on the platforms and the steady displacement of real-world interactions by scrolling.” The dream is over?

MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 22d

www.afr.com/technology/h.... “..we may look back on Sept 2025 as the point social media ..began rapidly accelerating its transition from the place to be seen (through a flattering Instagram filter), to a gaudy backwater of the internet inhabited by those with nothing better to do.” #socialmedia

Have we passed peak social media?

It has gone largely unnoticed that time spent on the various algorithm-driven platforms peaked in 2022 and has since gone into steady decline.

www.afr.com

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MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 23d

www.cirsd.org/en/horizons/... “..it is once again Europe’s task not to slow down progress, but to ensure [it] remains human. …Its regulations classify risks,set boundaries, prohibit surveillance dystopias, affirm that some technologies, however efficient, have no place in a democratic society..” #ai

Europe’s Choice in the Face of Global Reckoning - CIRSD

CIRSD

www.cirsd.org

1

MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 23d

budgetlab.yale.edu/research/eva.... “While genAI looks likely to join the ranks of transformative technologies, it is too soon to tell how disruptive [it]will be to jobs..lack of widespread impacts..is not unlike the pace of change with previous technological disruption.” #ai #labourmarket

Evaluating the Impact of AI on the Labor Market: Current State of Affairs

budgetlab.yale.edu

MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 23d

www.themandarin.com.au/299752-ai-ar...
“We didn’t start from scratch. We already had two layers. Firstly, the digital layer: Estonia has been a digital society for 20 years. And secondly, cybersecurity. For AI to be successful in Australian govt or society, these two layers need to be there.” #ai

Been there, done Kratt: An AI lesson from Estonia

Estonia’s approach to embedding AI into government processes and service delivery can teach Australia some valuable lessons.

www.themandarin.com.au

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Reposted by MartinSW

Felicity Hammah Horror @felicityhannah.bsky.social · 25d

This article manages to name her husband before it names… her.

Article reads:
Woman named as Archbishop of Canterbury in historic first

The 63-year-old archbishop-designate is married to Eamonn Mullally, with whom she has two children. Originally from Woking in Surrey, she was the UK's chief nursing officer from 1999 to 2004.

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MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 25d

www.smh.com.au/politics/fed.... “Albanese’s speech was a reminder that politics is about more than winning elections. It’s about governing well. That takes time, patience and a willingness to confront hard truths. It means building coalitions, not just collecting votes..”

Albanese’s learnt how to win elections. His next challenge? To win trust

The prime minister says measures to rebuild trust in government are not only good public policy, but also good politics. So, how is he doing?

www.smh.com.au

MartinSW @msw0355.bsky.social · 27d

Frances Fukuyama agrees…https://open.substack.com/pub/persuasion1/p/our-coming-plutocracy?r=2xchs&utm_medium=ios