The tech industry just got a lot more complicated. China has announced a ban on exports of rare earth metals to the United States, specifically gallium, germanium, antimony, and superhard materials. This move comes as retaliation to the US chip ban, and it’s sending ripples through the global technology supply chain.

Reading through various online discussions about this development, I’m struck by how many people are rushing to “future-proof” their tech purchases. While panic buying might seem like a logical response, the reality is more nuanced. These materials aren’t just about our gaming PCs and smartphones - they’re crucial components in military equipment, semiconductor manufacturing, and various critical technologies.

Geoffrey Hinton’s recent comments comparing open-source AI models to selling nuclear weapons at Radio Shack have stirred quite a debate in the tech community. The comparison is dramatic, perhaps overly so, but it’s sparked an important conversation about who should control advancing AI technology.

Sitting here in my home office, watching the rain patter against my window while pondering this issue, I’m struck by how this debate mirrors other technological control discussions we’ve had throughout history. The nuclear analogy isn’t perfect – I mean, you can’t exactly download a nuclear weapon from GitHub (thank goodness for that).

The recent DoorDash and Amazon Prime collaboration has been creating quite a buzz online. Two years of free DoorDash Pass sounds brilliant on paper, but like many digital deals these days, it’s turning out to be a bit of a digital obstacle course for some users.

Let’s be honest - food delivery services aren’t exactly synonymous with frugal living. The markup on menu items, combined with service fees and delivery charges, can turn a simple meal into quite an expensive affair. However, there are times when convenience trumps cost, like those late nights working from home in Brunswick when cooking feels like climbing Mount Everest.

The internet has once again revealed a fascinating cultural divide. While pulling Christmas crackers and donning paper crowns might seem as natural as a Boxing Day barbie to us, apparently this beloved tradition draws blank stares from many around the world, particularly our American friends.

Reading through online discussions about Christmas crackers sparked memories of countless family gatherings around the dining table. The satisfying snap of crackers being pulled, the groans at terrible jokes, and the inevitable debate over who actually won the larger half. Then there’s that moment when everyone adjusts their paper crowns, trying to find that sweet spot where they won’t immediately slide off.

The other day, my parents handed down their vintage cocktail shaker during their downsizing effort. It’s a beautiful piece - heavy, substantial, with that classic design that speaks of countless martinis and memorable evenings. There’s just one small catch: the inside looks like it’s seen better days.

Looking at this tarnished beauty sitting on my kitchen counter, I’m struck by how objects like these carry stories. The slight wear marks, the patina of age - they’re not imperfections but chronicles of family gatherings and celebrations past. Still, that scuzzy interior definitely needs addressing before I mix my next Manhattan.

The other day, scrolling through social media, I stumbled upon a photo that perfectly encapsulates our city’s uniquely dark sense of humour. Someone had spotted a hearse, painted completely in matte black, parked outside what appeared to be a goth-themed café. The comments section exploded with typically Melbourne wit, from Monty Python references to quips about “ride or die” relationships.

Living in a city that embraces both the gothic and the absurd, this kind of sight barely raises an eyebrow anymore. We’re the same people who turned our ‘Yellow Peril’ sculpture controversy into decades of jokes and transformed a simple public art installation of upside-down purple rain poles into a beloved landmark. Dark humour is practically woven into our cultural DNA.

Looking for a new job has always been stressful, but recent developments in hiring practices are taking things to an unsettling new level. While scrolling through tech forums during my lunch break at a cafe near Flinders Street, I stumbled upon numerous discussions about HireVue, an AI-powered interview platform that’s becoming increasingly prevalent in government recruitment.

The concept is straightforward but troubling: instead of speaking with an actual human being, job candidates record themselves answering predetermined questions. The system then analyses everything from voice patterns to facial expressions, supposedly determining if you’re a “good fit” for the role. It’s like something straight out of Black Mirror, except it’s happening right now.

The gaming world just witnessed something remarkable - No Man’s Sky has achieved a “Very Positive” rating on Steam, eight years after what many consider one of the most controversial game launches in history. Sitting at my desk in Carlton, watching this unfold, I find myself reflecting on what this means for the gaming industry and us as consumers.

Remember 2016? The hype was astronomical. The promises were grand. The disappointment was crushing. Yet here we are, with Hello Games having transformed their initial stumble into something genuinely impressive through sheer persistence and dedication.

Standing in my home office, staring at the humming server rack tucked away in the corner, I reflected on how much things have changed over the past year. The journey into self-hosting started innocently enough with a simple Raspberry Pi running Pi-hole to block ads across our home network. Now, that modest beginning has snowballed into what my wife lovingly calls “that computer thing you’re always tinkering with.”

The online self-hosting community has been buzzing lately about various setups and must-have applications. Reading through different configurations, it’s fascinating to see how people approach their digital independence differently. Some focus on media management, others on productivity tools, and quite a few on privacy-focused alternatives to popular cloud services.

The tech world never ceases to amaze me with its rapid developments. Just yesterday, while sipping my flat white at my favourite café near Flinders Street, I stumbled upon an fascinating discussion about LLaMA-Mesh - a new AI tool that generates 3D models directly within Blender using language models.

The concept is brilliantly simple: type what you want, and the AI creates the 3D model for you. It’s like having a digital sculptor at your fingertips, ready to manifest your ideas into three-dimensional reality. The current implementation uses LLaMA3.1-8B-Instruct, and while that might sound like technobabble to some, it represents a significant step forward in making 3D modeling more accessible.