The latest breakthrough in water filtration technology using modified graphene oxide should be cause for celebration. Finally, a solution to remove those pesky forever chemicals from our water supply! But scrolling through various online discussions about this development left me with a familiar sinking feeling in my stomach.

Reading about this revolutionary filter immediately transported me back to the countless tech announcements I’ve witnessed over my decades in IT. The pattern is depressingly familiar: a groundbreaking solution emerges, promises are made, and then the reality of implementation hits - usually right in the wallet.

The other day, while scrolling through various online discussions about AI art and ChatGPT, something caught my eye - a fascinating metaphor about AI being like a mirror maze in a forest. The imagery struck a chord, particularly as someone who’s spent decades in tech watching various innovations come and go.

The metaphor itself is beautifully crafted: an ever-expanding mirror maze built in the heart of a forest, where humanity enters with wide-eyed wonder, only to find itself increasingly lost among the reflections. What’s particularly interesting isn’t just the metaphor itself, but the discussions it sparked. Some saw it as Orwellian commentary, while others pointed out something far more intriguing - that AI might simply be reflecting our own anxieties back at us.

Living through these times of rising costs has turned many of us into amateur economists, constantly calculating and comparing prices. The recent discussions about unit pricing and food-saving apps have got me thinking about how shopping strategies have evolved beyond the simple “buy in bulk” mentality of previous decades.

The Too Good To Go app has been making waves lately, particularly with Bakers Delight joining the platform. While picking up some heavily discounted sourdough from their Carlton store last week, I chatted with the staff about how much food typically gets wasted at closing time. It’s heartbreaking to think about perfectly good food ending up in landfill, especially when so many people are struggling with grocery bills.

The internet never forgets, and it certainly has a way of catching out politicians who haven’t quite mastered the art of social media. Today’s serving of political comedy comes from the Young Nationals, who seem to have taken a page from the “How Not to Use Social Media” handbook by accidentally praising themselves from their own account.

This gaffe immediately reminded me of similar incidents we’ve seen before, including that memorable moment when another politician congratulated himself on Facebook. It’s like watching someone trip over their own shoelaces – embarrassing, but you can’t look away.

Reading through an online discussion about a nail polish disaster on rental carpet brought back memories of similar panic-inducing moments that many of us renters have experienced. There’s something uniquely terrifying about accidentally damaging someone else’s property, especially when your bond money is on the line.

The sight of that bright red nail polish on beige carpet would make anyone’s heart skip a beat. But what really caught my attention wasn’t just the stain itself - it was the incredible outpouring of support and practical advice from the online community. From acetone applications to creative carpet-surgery solutions, people shared their hard-won wisdom from similar mishaps.

The scene unfolded right in front of Leeds Street near Footscray Station yesterday - a delivery driver had parked their car directly on the tram tracks, bringing the route 82 service to a complete standstill. Today’s follow-up footage showed the driver sprinting back to their vehicle, probably realizing the magnitude of their inconsiderate decision.

This incident perfectly encapsulates a growing issue in our city: the “me first” mentality that seems to be taking over our streets. It’s particularly frustrating because it impacts hundreds of commuters who rely on our public transport system. The tram driver, showing remarkable patience, was forced to wait while this individual apparently thought their temporary parking needs superseded the movement of an entire tram full of passengers.

The tech world is buzzing with Microsoft’s latest announcement about reintroducing the Recall feature into Windows, and not in a good way. Having spent decades in IT, watching the evolution of Windows from a simple operating system to what it’s becoming today has been quite the journey - and not entirely a pleasant one.

Remember when we actually owned our computers? When the operating system was just that - a system to operate our machine? Those days seem increasingly distant as Microsoft continues its march toward turning Windows into a data-harvesting platform disguised as a helpful tool.

The tech industry is reeling from the latest round of tariffs, and the ripple effects are far more severe than anyone anticipated. Sitting here in my home office, looking at quotes for new work laptops that seem to change by the hour, I’m struck by how quickly things have spiraled out of control.

Industry professionals are reporting price fluctuations that would have been unthinkable just months ago. One IT supplier described watching laptop prices jump by tens of thousands of dollars within a single day. A project quoted at $240,000 in the morning could balloon to $270,000 by lunch, only to settle at $250,000 by close of business. This isn’t just market volatility – it’s chaos.

The tech world is buzzing with news of Tailscale’s latest funding round, and my notification feeds are lighting up with concerned users discussing what this might mean for the future of the service. Sitting here in my home office, watching the autumn leaves fall outside my window, I can’t help but feel a familiar sense of dread.

Remember when Reddit was just a gathering place for communities? Or when LastPass was the password manager everyone recommended? The pattern is dishearteningly familiar - a beloved service gains popularity, attracts investor attention, and then begins the slow descent into what’s now termed “enshittification.” It’s like watching a slow-motion train wreck, and many of us in the self-hosted community are bracing for impact.

The tech industry has a peculiar relationship with the word “open.” Remember when Google’s “Don’t be evil” motto actually meant something? Well, it seems we’re watching a similar semantic drift with “open” in real-time, and frankly, it’s getting a bit tiresome.

The latest buzz surrounds OpenAI potentially making moves toward open-sourcing some of their technology. While this might sound promising, my decades in tech have taught me to approach such announcements with a healthy dose of skepticism. The company that started with a noble mission statement about being open and beneficial to humanity has become somewhat of a poster child for corporate pivot.