Chaos & Amazement #2447 Australia’s Social Media Ban, Perplexity’s AI Device, and Fish Porn

This week in Chaos & Amazement: surprising bans, ambitious AI gadgets, and stories that blur the line between the peculiar and the profound.

Tech News

• Australia’s social media ban for children under the age of 16 will become law after passing the Senate, the upper house of Parliament, even as questions linger over how the new restrictions will be implemented. By the way, since 2018, Belgium has required children to be at least 13 years old to create a social media account without parental permission. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-28/australia-senate-passes-world-s-first-social-media-ban-for-children-under-16

• Podcasting is mostly video now, especially for listeners under 30: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/how-podcasting-became-the-new-tv.html

• Zoom shifts their focus from video calls to becoming an "AI-first work platform for human connection." AI Companion will play a central role, offering smarter tools and automated actions. The goal? Make work faster, easier, and even reduce the workweek to 4 days. https://www.zoom.com/en/blog/introducing-zoom-communications-inc/

  

Fresh AI

• Earlier this week Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas hinted at a new affordable AI device: A $50 gadget that can answer your questions out loud. The idea's gaining traction, so we might see it soon.

• Achaemenid Persia brought back to life. Made with Kling AI https://www.reddit.com/r/aivideo/comments/1h2a0ie/achaemenid_persia_brought_back_to_life/

From my blog

• What am I doing on Bluesky? https://bnox.be/2024/11/what-am-i-doing-on-bluesky.html

  • “The company plans to launch a paid subscription model by the end of this year, which will include features such as customizable aesthetics, avatar frames, and more video uploads or high-resolution images.” (Bluesky Blue?) https://businessinsider.com/bluesky-user-growth-social-coo-servers-twitter-elon-musk-x-2024-11

  • “Bluesky offers a solid Twitter alternative, built by caring people and meeting a clear demand. But it’s not truly decentralized or federated by traditional standards. But its focus on ‘credible exit’ is promising”. — Christine Lemmer-Webber” https://dustycloud.org/blog/how-decentralized-is-bluesky/

Weird and Wonderful

• Now & Then Photos: People recreating their cherished old family photos in the exact same spots years later. Each photo pair tells a story of time, change, and memories that last. dearphotograph.com

• If you ever wondered where the word freelancers comes from, here’s your answer

• Finn, a moving short film in Norwegian about insecurity, self discovery and fish porn.

• Here I Go (ft. Charli xcx) - Uncensored Version

  Lonely Island being back is easily one of the best things that’s happened in 2024.