Rohan Pearce
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rohan-p.bsky.social
Rohan Pearce
@rohan-p.bsky.social
730 followers 690 following 980 posts
Tech journo and managing editor at Communications Day. I write about telecommunications, critical infrastructure and such things so you don't have to. Also I like cats. In the Blue Mountains (Dharug and Gundungurra country). Recovering Tasmanian.
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rohan-p.bsky.social
Rohan Pearce @rohan-p.bsky.social · 14d
close enough, you can all have the rest of 2025 off as a little treat
rohan-p.bsky.social
The Digital Transformation Agency is consulting on a 'Digital Seller Underperformance Policy' that is "designed to enable fair and transparent management of digital seller underperformance information and drive improved digital project outcomes across Government." www.digital.gov.au/consultation...
www.digital.gov.au
November 24, 2025 at 4:22 AM
Reposted by Rohan Pearce
molly.wiki
tech companies continually learning people don't want these things
Posters advocating Worldcoin eyeball-scanning orbs coming to San Francisco. They've been graffitied with orange spray paint: "Orwell was right" "Smash the orbs"
November 24, 2025 at 12:08 AM
rohan-p.bsky.social
Victoria has become the first state in Australia to make it free for trans and gender diverse people to update their gender on their birth certificate
Victoria has become the first state in Australia to make it free for trans and gender diverse people to update their gender on their birth certificate following regulation changes made by the Allan Labor Government. Minister for Government Services Natalie Hutchins today announced updates to the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act (Fees) Regulations 2019 – making it free to update a record of sex on a birth certificate. Previously, trans Victorians paid $140.40 to be issued a new birth certificate while people born outside Victoria paid $122 for a recognised details certificate. These fees have now been abolished.
November 23, 2025 at 9:54 PM
rohan-p.bsky.social
Microsoft makes Zork I, II, and III open source under MIT License arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/...
Microsoft makes Zork I, II, and III open source under MIT License
Microsoft’s Open Source Programs Office worked with Jason Scott to do it.
arstechnica.com
November 21, 2025 at 8:54 AM
rohan-p.bsky.social
lotta fishy regulatory stuff going on at the moment
November 21, 2025 at 4:26 AM
Reposted by Rohan Pearce
seamusbyrne.me
It’s funny and also a textbook reminder that the system prompts always mean a corporate agenda decides to push a language model toward specific kinds of outputs. Never objective. Always framing. Always serving an industrial purpose beyond the typical user’s control.
November 20, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Reposted by Rohan Pearce
joshtaylor.bsky.social
lol, PM&C released a low-res version of the king's flag but refused to release a high-res one under FOI. www.righttoknow.org.au/request/his_...
Document 4 is a high resolution copy of The King’s Flag for Australia. The Honours and Symbols Section of the Department is responsible for ensuring the use and reproduction of Royal Imagery and Symbols is only undertaken with express permission from the Royal Household. The release of the material would have a substantial adverse effect on the proper and efficient conduct of the operations of the Department as it would undermine the integrity of Royal Imagery and Symbols, which are managed according to the requirements of the Royal Household. The King’s Flag for Australia is a Royal Symbol and is reserved for the exclusive use of His Majesty The King while he is visiting Australia. It is used to depict His Majesty’s presence in vehicles, boats or aircraft he travels in, and buildings or premises His Majesty visits or stays in, while in Australia. Disclosure is expected to increase the risk of the King’s Flag for Australia being misappropriated or misused. This is because publishing a higher resolution file would allow for uncontrolled and unrestricted reproduction of The King’s Flag for Australia, which could reasonably be expected to diminish the significance of the Flag as a mechanism to denote that The King’s presence whilst in Australia. This, in turn, has the potential to risk Australia’s relationship with The Sovereign and the Royal Household.
November 20, 2025 at 1:47 AM
Reposted by Rohan Pearce
esghound.com
oh my god i take it back, grok is amazing
November 19, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Reposted by Rohan Pearce
benjamino.bsky.social
quick question wtaf is wrong with you
But it is Wilson’s sex, rather than her generation, which invites a different sort of scrutiny. A confession. During Wilson’s first press conference as opposition leader, I couldn’t help but observe and take detailed notes about her shoes until an angry voice on my shoulder – let’s call it my feminine side – angrily pointed out that I’d never taken much of an interest in Brad Battin’s boots. In my defence, Your Honour, I would submit that we can learn things about a woman politician from her choice of shoes that we can’t from the ubiquitous RMs of male parliamentarians. In Wilson’s case, her blue suede slingbacks – adorned with a slightly punkish buckle and studs – was the only break from the customary, pantsuit uniform that gave an inkling of personality. Her brand of her shoes, Bared Footwear, is well known among busy women for offering orthopaedic support without compromising on style. This suggests there is a practical streak to Wilson and a willingness to spend long days on her feet, if that is what it takes, to prosecute her case. Or maybe, I’m just an ageing bloke whose eyes are having trouble adjusting to an important, overdue change in the Victorian Liberal Party and our state parliament. Chip Le Grand is state political editor.
November 19, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Reposted by Rohan Pearce
stevevladeck.bsky.social
My “my 17 references to George Soros aren’t political” footnote is raising a lot of questions answered by my footnote.
taniel.bsky.social Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 4d
But worry not, he has a footnote explaining why his fixation on Soros "is not political."
I suppose someone will say that in making these comments about the Soros connections, I’m expressing a political view, not the proper role of a federal judge. To the contrary: As I say above, the political branches engage in policy and politics. It’s our job as judges to let that happen, but it’s also our duty to recognize the societal and political effects of what we do, regardless of whether we approve of those downstream results. Today’s ruling has dramatic political consequences by meddling in the orderly processes of a duly-elected state government. It’s not “political” for me to point that out by describing the political dynamics that are inherent in the litigation of redistricting cases.
November 19, 2025 at 10:37 PM
rohan-p.bsky.social
edition.cnn.com/2025/11/19/t...
Sales of AI-enabled teddy bear suspended after it gave advice on BDSM sex and where to find knives
November 19, 2025 at 11:41 PM
rohan-p.bsky.social
mark speakman just pining for the fjords
November 19, 2025 at 11:23 PM
rohan-p.bsky.social
via Senator Lidia Thorpe's office: Gunpoint apprehension of Aboriginal boy shows institutional police racism.
POLICE POINT GUN AT AN ABORIGINAL BOY IN CASE OF RACIAL PROFILING The ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body (ATSIEB), the Acting ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children & Young People Commissioner, and Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service and Yeddung Mura are outraged following a shocking incident in which ACT Policing officers pointed a gun at the Aboriginal boy travelling on a public bus to visit family before realising he was the wrong person. This act of racial profiling is outrageous, unacceptable, and a devastating breach of safety and trust. The Aboriginal boy was travelling alone to visit family when police cars stopped the bus he was on. Police came onto the bus with weapons drawn, immediately approaching the Aboriginal child. They did not ask his name, did not request any identification, and gave no explanation for their actions. The boy confused, frightened, and unsure what was happening complied with police orders. Police forced the child off the bus and put him on the ground, handcuffed him face down whilst a number of other officers had their knees on his back causing him pain and difficulty breathing. This use of excessive force on a child is not acceptable. Police then compared a photo on their phone before declaring that they had the wrong person. Even after confirming that this was not the correct child, Police proceeded to search him. The police then placed the Aboriginal child back on the bus without any proper apology. The boy is now experiencing significant trauma and distress because of the ordeal. This incident has also caused considerable concern for the family and right across the local Aboriginal community. The family were not even contacted following this critical incident to check on this child’s wellbeing.
November 19, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Reposted by Rohan Pearce
nickfeik.bsky.social
Major news breaking down south:
November 19, 2025 at 4:26 AM
rohan-p.bsky.social
NZ government has said it will ban prescriptions of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues for new patients suffering from gender dysphoria "pending the completion of the United Kingdom's clinical trial on their use in this context." www.beehive.govt.nz/release/new-...
www.beehive.govt.nz
November 19, 2025 at 4:31 AM
Reposted by Rohan Pearce
joshtaylor.bsky.social
that's how you write a twist
November 18, 2025 at 2:35 AM
Reposted by Rohan Pearce
ddsd.dolsen.net
I'm not sure what this is but it's definitely a 'post-peak' signal.
mattdpearce.com Matt Pearce @mattdpearce.com · 6d
I don’t want to seem out of touch but I don’t actually understand the economy anymore.
A LinkedIn ad showing Jensen Huang shaking hands with some vague fashion executive: L'OREAL 6,204,444 followers Promoted We're thrilled to announce a collaboration with NVIDIA to supercharge beauty with next-gen Al. WELCOME TO NVIDIA L'ORÉAL GROUPE
November 18, 2025 at 4:37 AM
rohan-p.bsky.social
wonder if anyone ever had a chief blockchain officer* (currently enduring an AI briefing)

(*I obviously don't give enough of a shit to search)
November 18, 2025 at 4:39 AM
rohan-p.bsky.social
TPG has revealed details of a person with a Lebara service not being able to make a call on their Samsung handset because of its firmware
TPG Telecom Statement on Triple Zero Incident TPG Telecom Limited (ASX:TPG) has today issued a media release reminding customers to ensure that older mobile devices can access Triple Zero in an emergency, after a tragic loss of life following calls from a Samsung device that was operating out-of-date software. A copy of the media release is appended to this announcement. At the time of the tragic incident referred to in the media release, Triple Zero services on the TPG Telecom mobile network were operational, and no outages were occurring. Further, in accordance with its regulatory obligations, TPG Telecom had notified customers using older Samsung devices to update software on impacted devices to allow emergency calling. TPG is providing this information to the market for transparency because of heightened public awareness of Triple Zero related matters at this time, noting the Company is currently undertaking the institutional component of the Reinvestment Plan announced on 17 November 2025. The institutional component of the Reinvestment Plan received strong demand. TPG intends to complete the raising process over the course of today, at which point the Company expects to release an announcement regarding the completion of the process and request that the Trading Halt in place since yesterday morning is lifted. Authorised for lodgement with ASX by the TPG Telecom Continuous Disclosure Committee
November 17, 2025 at 10:11 PM
rohan-p.bsky.social
Another shithouse day in the Blue Mountains
It's the Blue Mountains.
November 17, 2025 at 7:06 AM
rohan-p.bsky.social
pro-tip: don't cite Deloitte as a great AI case study
November 17, 2025 at 2:24 AM
Reposted by Rohan Pearce
amutepiggy.bsky.social
(spending 9 billion dollars to make a robot say "i have always loved you") hard times create strong men
November 16, 2025 at 9:35 PM
rohan-p.bsky.social
good to see the government investing in what matters (pies) www.nrf.gov.au/news-and-med...
pies
November 17, 2025 at 12:06 AM
rohan-p.bsky.social
Google's AI overview is astonishingly* bad

(*Maybe it's not astonishing, but it's really, really bad)
November 16, 2025 at 10:47 PM
rohan-p.bsky.social
important journalism from @theconversation.com theconversation.com/how-do-you-f...
Article headline: How do you fire someone into the Sun?
November 16, 2025 at 10:01 PM