ajsadauskas

And another one bites the dust — this time it's Rex.

It's a real shame, because (at least from my experience) their staff were far friendlier and more accommodating. And their prices were reasonable.

(They also never seemed to sell all their business class seats, so a seat up the front could be yours for $50 extra if you wanted it.)

I wonder whether Qantas or Virgin will pick up the regional routes?

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-30/rex-airlines-enters-voluntary-administration/104155898

#airlines #Rex @australia #business #auspol #airline #bankrupt

The new Alessia Cara single "Dead Man" is finally out today, and it officially slaps!

Also, I'm all for the return of a good brass solo breakdown in popular music!

https://youtu.be/IXjYdcYX7qk?si=xjXwAqJY_0BCZFUe

Full links to the track on Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming apps here: https://alessiacara.lnk.to/DeadMan

#music #Top40 #pop #PopMusic #MusicVideo #NewRelease #news #Alessia #AlessiaCara #Spotify @popheads #musica #MusicSocial #NewMusic #Song

Looks like a new Alessia Cara album is finally on its way 🥳

Dead Man is coming 19 July 😸😸😸

Via Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C9QLlFSvQiu/?igsh=MWV2azZsdng0cDhleA==

#music #AlessiaCara #IndiePop #Pop #PopMusic #Canada #Spotify #Song #Album @popheads #Brampton #Toronto #Ontario

Adam Neely makes a really insightful point about the limitations of "generative AIs"/LLMs and music.

LLMs can mimic the output of music, but they can't handle the process of making music.

I think his insight applies to many other creative fields as well. LLMs mimic the output, but not the process:

https://youtu.be/N8NyEjB_XeA?si=sUgCV6aeITBqas5E

@music #LLM #music #GenAI #generativeAI #tech #technology #chatGPT

It's time to call a spade a spade. ChatGPT isn't just hallucinating. It's a bullshit machine.

From TFA (thanks @mxtiffanyleigh for sharing):

"Bullshit is 'any utterance produced where a speaker has indifference towards the truth of the utterance'. That explanation, in turn, is divided into two "species": hard bullshit, which occurs when there is an agenda to mislead, or soft bullshit, which is uttered without agenda.

"ChatGPT is at minimum a soft bullshitter or a bullshit machine, because if it is not an agent then it can neither hold any attitudes towards truth nor towards deceiving hearers about its (or, perhaps more properly, its users') agenda."

https://futurism.com/the-byte/researchers-ai-chatgpt-hallucinations-terminology

@technology #technology #chatGPT #LLM #LargeLanguageModels

Time for an ICQ for the Fediverse?

Looks like ICQ is finally shutting down, just as interest in retro internet tools is growing.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/25/24164579/icq-shut-down-june

@fediverse #ICQ #Fediverse

A vital step forward for Parramatta as Sydney's second CBD.

The old Riverside Theatre is frankly starting to show its age.

Having a modern venue for theatre, concerts, and live music in Western Sydney is an important investment for the arts.

https://www.smh.com.au/culture/theatre/broadway-comes-to-parramatta-new-188-million-theatre-for-western-sydney-20240522-p5jfoh.html

@sydney #Parramatta #Art #concerts #theatre #nsw #nswpol #sydney

I'm thinking seriously about getting Google out of my life, and trying NextCloud.

Looking to get a personal account through a managed provider.

Does anyone have any experience with it?

How does it compare to ownCloud?

Any hosts I should look at or avoid?

Any apps I should get for it, or avoid?

Any issues I should be aware of before I switch?

@asklemmy #NextCloud #OpenSource #Linux #Cloud

A huge congratulations to @philipthalis on his well-deserved award.

Philip is undeniably both one of Australia's most respected architects and a tireless advocate for good urban design.

More importantly, he's not afraid to speak up publicly against bad state government planning decisions, as he did with Barangaroo, even when there's a personal cost.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/architect-philip-thalis-paid-the-price-for-being-outspoken-now-he-s-won-the-profession-s-gold-medal-20240510-p5jcjb.html

@urbanism #Planning #UrbanPlanning #Cities #Urbanism #Buildings #Architecture #Transport #Architect #Walking #Walkability

So despite climate change, Australia's federal government has just committed an extra $3.25 billion into building a toll road and a 20-lane freeway widening.

For those who wonder why Aussies think toll roads are a scam (https://aus.social/@[email protected]/112405373613706682), here's a great example of why.

"Pouring an extra $3.25 billion worth of federal funds into Melbourne’s North East Link is a good use of taxpayer money, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has insisted, despite the project’s cost doubling just a few months ago.

...

"The North East Link – which includes 6½ kilometres of tunnels – will stretch from Bulleen to Greensborough. It will widen the Eastern Freeway by up to 20 lanes.

"Allan revealed in December that the 10-kilometre toll road had more than doubled in cost since it was first announced.

"The toll road was initially budgeted at $10 billion and reassessed in 2019 at $15 billion. But the government revealed last year that the updated cost estimate was $26 billion."

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/federal-funding-to-boost-victorian-road-link-by-3-25-billion-20240509-p5ii7b.html

@fuck_cars #Urbanism #Auspol #Vicpol #roads #UrbanPlanning #transport #cities #Melbourne #Naarm #Victoria #Australia

Hornsby is the fifth best place to live in Australia, apparently.

At least, according to a study SGS Economics and Planning:

"Sydney's Northern beaches ranks as the highest in the nation for wellbeing, with only one Queensland city making it to the top 10, the annual index revealed today.

"The Australian Capital Territory came in second due to its low gender wage gaps, climate change risks and the division of wealth."

The study assessed 518 local council areas on seven indicators:

* economy
* income and wealth
* employment, knowledge and skills
* housing
* health
* equality, community and work-life balance
* environment

The top 10 local government areas are:

1. Northern Beaches (Greater Sydney)

2. Australian Capital Territory

3. North Sydney (Greater Sydney)

4. Ku-ring-gai (Greater Sydney)

5. Hornsby (Greater Sydney)

6. Lane Cove (Greater Sydney)

7. Mosman (Greater Sydney)

8. Sutherland (Greater Sydney)

9. Sydney (Greater Sydney)

10. Brisbane (Greater Brisbane)

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-08/sgs-cities-regions-wellbeing-index-wage-gaps-environment-health/103815302

#sydney @sydney #livability #nsw #planning #UrbanPlanning

The toll road scam: A government-made monopoly you pay for.

Here's a funny-because-it's-true take on Transurban and the poor tax it imposes, from Punter's Politics:

https://youtu.be/FlKBakPAtiw?si=G39_0GcJzSB0SSA8

#cars #roads #fuckcars @fuck_cars #tolls #tollroads #memes #funny #urbanism #UrbanPlanning #auspol #vicpol #nswpol