AI psychosis is real. My account-level instructions to Claude include: “Prioritise accuracy over agreement. Correct factual errors directly. Push back on weak reasoning or misread evidence. Don't reinforce misunderstandings by omission.” www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05...

Been watching Jin on Netflix. Second episode is about epidemiology: a present day neurosurgeon wakes up in the Edo period of Japan & has to deal with a cholera outbreak. It’s pretty good (maybe a little over-acted) www.netflix.com/au/title/817...

Alan Kohler on insiders pointing out that if we tied immigration to housing line Angus Taylor wants, we’d have to increase immigration 😵🪦 (Taylor might’ve been thinking we need one house for every person, but the average number is 2.4)

Trump talks about Taiwan’s security like it’s a casino chip on a poker table. That's really bad news.

“The problems could be traced… to reforms during the Howard era, where staff and student representation on university councils was slashed, to be replaced mainly by members from the business sector.” Amazing how many deep problems began with Howard www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/educati...

Peter Hartcher is calling this the first reform budget in 26 years (I think the emissions trading scheme was a major reform, but it obviously didn’t survive. I also think the energy transformation is undersold. But it’s mostly been tinkering + crises management) www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...

Very interesting discussion about how the CCP embassy in Philippines went after a journalist who wrote about their use of disinformation influencers Of course they unleashed the chauvinistic & misogynistic disinformation influencers on her, too. podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/w...

Time for the U.S. folks to read up on the Hongmen Banquet (鸿门宴) btw the two competitors eyeing the Qin Dynasty throne (206 BC). Liu Bang made strategic concessions to flatter his opponent, Xiang Yu, who repeatedly gave up his strategic advantages, leading to defeat by Liu, who founded Han Dynasty.

SBS Philipino covered our AI & Work report, which is fantastic because so many of the workers who are facing unfair use AI to get around fair work regulations are migrants who have weaker bargaining power or less awareness of their rights www.sbs.com.au/language/fil...

“Confucius had three thousand disciples, yet only seventy-two were deemed ‘worthy sages’ [贤人]; thus, our head-up rate might also not be that high.’” I feel that quote so hard 🧐 (Horrifying article on China’s approach to AI in education) open.substack.com/pub/chinai/p...

The IRGC announced their own 9-dashed line ground.news/article/irgc...

The energy transition is at least as big of a reform as floating the dollar, privatising the banks, or opening to international trade www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...

Excellent commentary by Matthew Kroenig in Foreign Policy, considering ‘what if China wins?’ foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/22/c...

I joined the ANU National Security College conference recently to discuss how Australia can be prepared for more frequent & intense climate disasters (without falling back on the ADF every time) Short version: we need a National Disaster Reserves youtu.be/pvQ79D26ETI?...

Some of the concerns about NDIS confuse me: if eligibility is needs-based, then not being eligible implies not having the need. People that obviously do have a need are going to have more sustainable support.

Great to see Australia willing to voice these concern. It’s so ludicrous & shameful how much we all act as if isolating Taiwan is normal or acceptable www.afr.com/world/middle...

Viktor Orban conceding is almost as important as that he lost I didn’t expect it, but it’s a huge rebuke to Putanism/Trumpism. They just lost their biggest foothold in Europe ground.news/article/vikt...

Very interesting but not shocking survey by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute: The State of Southeast Asia 2026 Survey asia.nikkei.com/politics/int...

A great conversation with authors at the Canberra Writers Festival about life as an Australian diplomat. Lots of focus on Indonesia & Solomon Islands missions. podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/b...

“We need to have a serious conversation with the Americans about what happens next.” Good on Don Farrell. The US is still an ally, but instead of making healthcare better for Americans, they’re trying to wreck ours. That’s not gonna fly. www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...

The biggest thing that’s going to stop me writing using AI is reading everyone else’s AI-generated commentary. It’s so transparent & boring I’d just be embarrassed to let anyone see me produce something like that in public.

A lot of people claim that Labor doesn’t stand up for workers, but how many workers actually join their union? Because that’s *how* you get people standing up for you www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw...

At least future historians will have fun looking back on this era 😅

Excellent column from Peter Hartcher on Australia’s fuel & food security. He draws on work by the ANU NSC that shows how well Australians get the issues & want the government to act www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...

What a time to be a company selling the world’s first fully solid state battery electric vehicle. They claim 5-10min charging, 10x more cycles, 500km+ range/charge And they sell it as a skateboard chassis, so car/truck makers can build their own model over the skateboard youtu.be/Y-aPS2AwMbc?...

Great to see Channel 7 talking about electric trucks. It’s the only way to break our dependence on middle eastern oil, & it’s way cheaper youtu.be/xUy9GTmYZlU?...

Andrew Hastie says some sensible things but as soon as the issue gets near climate, he gets everything completely backwards. I still don’t understand how this mentality develops.

Really interesting discussion about the Falepili Union between Australia & Tuvalu - the world’s first climate migration deal. It guarantees Tuvaluans have a country even when the ocean rises above their land. podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/7...

Congratulations to Indonesia on beginning the u16 social media ban. Social media is brain rot for adults, but it’s a disaster for kids ground.news/article/indo...

Andrew Hastie, at the ANU NSC conference, opens with a vivid description of Russia’s invasion of Andriivka, which completely destroyed the town they were trying to capture. It was documented in the film, 2000 metres to Andriivka. One thing clear about Hastie: he doesn’t lust for war. At all.

And we also agreed to launch negotiations on Australia’s accession to Horizon, Europe’s flagship innovation programme!

After almost a decade of work – we can say: we did it. We have concluded the EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement. And it is such a win for both sides ↓ link.europa.eu/x33M9C

The ANU National Security College conference is hugely reassuring: many issues the community has been concerned about are actually being engaged on a serious level. Panel with George Brandis & state officials covering infrastructure, climate disasters, violent extremism, community safety & cohesion

I’m at the ANU National Security College’s ‘securing our future’ conference. Rory Medcalf is discussing what Australians are concerned about. He mentions national media literacy to deal with disinformation.

Q: What will be your focus tomorrow when you form government again? A: “Housing. That’s what’s causing the breakdown in trust. We need to throw the kitchen sink at this.” - Tom Koutsantonis, SA Treasurer No hesitation. Great answer.

Congratulations to SA Labor! Brilliant leader & a great team. OneNation is a symptom of broken trust. Rebuilding that: - The Libs need to re-embrace science. - We need to rebuild the middle class & make life workable again.

The Coalition’s core problem is that rejecting climate science puts them against the entire system of scientific knowledge. And it’s just much easier for people to agree with reality, because as they say: ‘everyone can find the truth independently, but no one can independently find the same lie’

Apparently you can’t be a foreign citizen, but you can be a foreign criminal. (To be fair, even One Nation disendorsed him when they found out he was *wanted in the UK for rape* under a different name… but maybe find that out before election day) www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

As always, Peter Hartcher is worth reading: the fuel crisis is a reform opportunity, not a moment for caution. “A new tax on Australian coal and gas exports could be set as a carbon export tax at $38 per tonne… This would generate over $40 billion a year.” www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...

“About 23 million records of household registration data” for a country of about 23 million people seems quite comprehensive.

Eminently sensible discussion on Australia’s housing policy: podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/w...

I’m sure a lot of people are hanging out for a better explanation of this www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...

Amazing. Actual reporting of the war in Sudan

Anyone wishing the Trump administration would give a good legal basis for the war to at least wink at the idea that they cared about such things... the new Homeland Security Secretary makes it clear that such people would be looking for competence in the wrong place.

Incredibly Kristi Noem was fired not for any of the reasons you'd think - not even for giving a $100m advertising contract to a mate(?) without a competitive tender. No. Her real sin was that when she was grilled about that corrupt contract, she throw Trump under the bus by saying he knew about it.

When it comes to learning, effort *is* the algorithm. AI can be useful, but not if it substitutes for effort. In tbt case, you’re not learning at all. Great if you already know stuff & just want speed - not great if you’re trying to prepare for the future.

'The fear of dying pushes you to live' - stories from Ukraine's children living through war news.sky.com/story/the-fe... #Ukraine #Putinswar #Russia

Very clear & sensible comments from Albanese after the National Security Committee of Cabinet meeting this morning www.youtube.com/live/bCWaFTf...

AI summary of official positions taken by heads of government or foreign ministers in response to the situation in Iran: 5 support theUS/Israel 4 support Iran 9 condemn both 10 condemn Iran but are silent on US/Israel

Both fear & celebrations across Iran today, people calling it the best day of their life. No doubt especially true for women & LGBT People rushing to condemn should consider standing with Iranians, not one of the world’s most murderous & repressive terrorist empires ground.news/article/chee...?