My discovery this morning: Adobe made a submission to the Australian National Cultural Policy, calling for legal reforms that would see works "created using AI tools [being] eligible for copyright when there is meaningful human expression and creative judgment" (among other things)

He's still got it! He's STILL got it. He has still GOT IT folks. Folks,

AI is bullshit, and it comes first for the jobs that most resemble bullshit, like university senior managers writing thinkpieces to engage with the marketplace of ideas which circulates on LinkedIn

Close enough welcome back Atari Melbourne House

Oscar winner and San Francisco resident Marcia Lucas — the former wife of George Lucas who edited the original “Star Wars,” “American Graffiti” and “Taxi Driver” —  has died.

If I had a dollar for every time a Brisbane game dev made a satirical golf game with all the boring bits put back into it I’d have like four dollars which is quite surprising yada yada

Deeply disrespectful to the entire Australian cultural sector that the Office of the Arts can't be bothered actually reading all the submissions people are working very hard on for the National Cultural Policy, and instead will be asking genAI for a summary. www.arts.gov.au/have-your-sa...

Really hated seeing these “most wanted” cards in the Mandalorian movie, which are clearly inspired by those used by the USA in the illegal and immoral invasion of Iraq. Rare to see Star Wars - even under Disney - completely miss the vibe of its political metaphor.

✦ PARALLELS 2026 — THE CALL-OUT IS HERE ✦ Making a game, and wanna yap about it at Parallels 2026? Now is the time to let us know! Speaker submissions close on the 5th of June. That’s THREE WEEKS. Don't overthink it. Just apply here: forms.gle/j8NkrdqMnwoH...

Having seen the Mandalorian movie I am deciding to double down on this

This really is tremendous leadership from Freeplay, and the kind of thing that has been glaringly missing from the games sector. This stuff is really important, so games people, do not let this moment go to waste.

This should’ve been the end of it. It should still be the end of it.

Hello friends just an fyi that @emvdn.bsky.social’s account has been hacked, in case you weren’t sure if she was really into crypto all of a sudden

I think this is actually still mainstream opinion, but tv technology has changed and widescreens are the norm, so now it's 4:3 content that's commonly converted to widescreen formats. See the controversy over The Simpsons ratio on Disney+ for a good illustration. People don't want bars on screens.

Aside from any of the obvious points, the Jobs Ready Graduates Scheme that ushered this into being and continues to be is a great illustration of the Ratchet Effect in politics, where the establishment right ruins something, and the establishment left does nothing to fix it when they gain power

Rise of Skywalker? Not that bad, and certainly not the worst saga film

You love to see it

I feel unhinged and unmoored by the news at the best of times, but why every single politician in the world who isn't a member of his party (and even then, ugh) isn't out demanding his removal right away is just absolutely astonishing

I understand this is a big jump in context, and numbers like this take a while to turn around, but is it not still sort of staggering that 85% of buyers in March 2026 are looking at petrol prices and going hey yeah hook me right up fellas

Justice for Yumi Stynes

I have been personally slighted by Jack Black

My “please do not panic about petrol shortages” national address has people asking a lot of questions already answered by my national address

Extremely hyped that my MARS FIRST LOGISTICS expanded edition soundtrack got a couple of plays on the very first episode of @bandcamp.com's 'The Game Show' - and is described as 'super irresistible', no less! Thanks Bandcamp! bandcamp.com/radio?show=927

Victorians get free public transport for a month in bid to ease surge in fuel demand

In the spirit of having nothing to say if you can't say anything nice, I have beyond nothing to say about this

Said it on other platforms but want to express my solidarity with my MEAA colleagues at the ABC on strike today. ✊

ABC News: "We understand Pauline Hanson has been speaking at the One Nation event. Let's bring you some of that now." Pauline Hanson: [incomprehensible swamp monster noises] Yeah, sounds about right to be honest... #AusPol #SAParli #SAVotes

Perennial independent Dan Golding (no relation) seems to have run again in SA with a 5% swing against him. Bless.

Remembering the pitch I wrote for A Website in 2022 about it being the year tech ate its own entrails with metaverse, NFTs, and crypto turning dollars into discourse, a strategy that would inevitably fail. Rejected for publication, sadly.

This was the strongest year for original score I can remember in years. Sinners is a worthy winner, and probably would be my choice. One Battle, Hamnet, and Bugonia are also genuinely excellent and would’ve all been my frontrunner in other years. And as the “worst”, Frankenstein is also still good!

big post for a dude whose birthday is today

Hello I am going to be in the first issue of this! Despite this fact people seem to really like the idea and it is already funded in less than a day! Very good! Go support it more! Magazines good!

Bought! (and an Austin Wintory CD while I was at it, because, why not?) With about an hour left on #BandcampFriday

Just in time for @bandcamp.com Friday, I've finally released the Expanded Edition of the Mars First Logistics soundtrack. Featuring half an hour of new music for the full release of @ianmaclarty.com's wonderful game, and a generally sunny musical disposition. Free to all who bought the original.

Too easy

Is there anyone else in the history of the universe who could, in the moment of seeing a player take a heavy hit, come up with “Liberatore went into that last pack optimistically - and came out misty optically”

I’m old enough to remember the leader of the Australian Labor party telling the USA President, to his face, in an official parliamentary speech during his visit, that his invasion of Iraq was a mistake.

ha ha ha oh no

Probably the opinion I actually more or less hold that seems bonkers to most normal people is that they should really just add a third house made up of randomly selected people, like jury duty (and do an actually strong corruption commission alongside it).

Good story from @jacksonwryan.com with comments from me, @brkeogh.bsky.social, Katharine Neil and others.

I know he’s excommunicated but is he the most senior member of the royal family to be arrested since… Charles I? Anne Boleyn? Maybe Mary Queen of Scots? Good company lol

New book now coming out very soon. Next month!

“Australia’s peak body for the videogame industry, the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA), also confirmed that they’ve written to Creative Victoria and Colin Brooks, the Victorian state minister for creative industries, on this matter, urging reconsideration.”

Grateful to @harrisonpolites.bsky.social for letting me talk about the state of @free-play.bsky.social and funding. open.substack.com/pub/infinite...

QUT will take over famous literary magazine Meanjin, after the journal was closed by Melbourne Uni Publishing last year. This is a win for all who campaigned to save the masthead, but hardly makes up for the damage done last year www.smh.com.au/culture/book...

Incredible story

Catherine O’Hara was the Catherine O’Hara of comedy

This is so sad. With Schitt’s Creek and even The Studio recently you just expected another ten or fifteen years of brilliant performances from O’Hara, let alone the classics like Home Alone and Beetlejuice. You never really know an actor, but through her performances, she just seemed to get it.

I have thoughts on this, as a former director and a board member for six years, and for one time anyway, a keeper of the flame of Freeplay’s history. But first up I want to say how incredibly disappointing it is that Creative Vic hasn’t funded Freeplay.