kim

[kim]

The campaign launches have been and gone.

So the Coalition really are going to the election without any incentives for home batteries, huh?

[kim]

Formula 1:

Paolo Barilla, Vice President of Barilla Group and former F1 driver, also commented: “A lightning‐fast F1 car and a delicious plate of pasta: what do they have in common? At first, it may not be obvious, but behind both, and the effort that goes into making them, are skilled professionals, passionate and determined, driven by the desire to keep improving. “Our greatest satisfaction is being able to offer all the men and women of F1, after an intense competition, a well‐deserved plate of pasta.”

Uh, yea, the connection was not obvious. I was confused when I saw the brand in the background during Bahrain qualifying.

[kim]

Tony and Alex brought up Destiny 2 recently, actually, so I did go back in for a quick look and see what's up. And even as a returning player rather than a new player, I have to say: it also felt overwhelming to me.

So many waypoints in the Tower for people who want to tell me things that I can't retain all in one go. So many flashes in the Director screens for quests and milestones. Why do I have so many quests? Where do I go? And with everything reset to the same base power levels since I last played, I need to go through my inventory to reassess all my gear, which is quite a bit of admin. What are aspects? What are champions?

And I really don't like the four extra random digits added to user names.

(I also found out that Bungie did stop removing main story content from the game! Now put back the stuff I paid for please.)

[kim]

Royce Kurmelovs, RenewEconomy:

Smith previously held the seat of Wollondilly as a state‐Liberal MP between 2019 and 2023, where he served as the party whip, but was beaten by an independent candidate, Judy Hannan, who was supported by Climate 200. The former MP has also reportedly been a long‐time admirer of Donald Trump and his “Make America Great Again” movement. Multiple sources toldRenew Economythat during his tenure in state parliament, Smith kept a large stuffed bear made in the image of Trump, and other paraphernalia. Stickers on Smith's office fridge read “All aboard the Trump train!” and “Let's go Brandon”, an internet meme and political slogan that is a euphemism for “Fuck Joe Biden” used to attack the former US President. A Trump bumper sticker also adorned the door in his parliamentary office. […] [In the role of CEO of Master Plumbers NSW] Smith appeared to keep up his enthusiasm for the current US President, ordering a red MAGA‐style baseball cap with the words “Make Plumbing Great Again” printed on the front in March 2023. Smith posted photos of himself wearing the hat at workplace BBQs and during a Menzies Institute presentation by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in December 2024. A post to the official Master Plumbers NSW Facebook page said: “Even Boris Johnson wants to make plumbing great again! Our CEO, Nathaniel Smith, had the privilege of meeting Boris Johnson last night and convinced him to don the hat!”

The Liberal Party learns the lessons of Katherine Deves from the 2022 federal election by running a different Katherine Deves (in a different seat) in 2025, before replacing that Katherine Deves with a third Katherine Deves.

[kim]

Oh. I should've/could've been more cautious if I paused and thought about it for a sec, but I didn't consider the possibility that purchases from GOG.com — being a Polish company — could be treated as international/overseas even if paid in Australian dollars, and card fees therefore apply. (I'm usually pretty good about this sort of thing, and switch to my Revolut card to dodge foreign exchange charges.)

Ah well. AU$0.49. Probably better to let this one go.

[kim]

"intermission" is a pretty good name for the stretches of road between courses in mario kart world, like it's both an intermission in the sense of a break between races and literally "inter-mission" in the sense that it's between two "missions".

but really since an individual race track is a "course" not a "mission" it should be called an

[kim]

Australian Labor Party:

Through our scheme, households will be able to purchase a typical battery with a 30 per cent discount on installed costs — saving around $4000 on a typical battery. […] Small businesses and community facilities will also be able to access the subsidy, with support for up to 50 kWh of batteries sized up to 100 kWh eligible.

Labor's claimed AU$2.3 billion for this program is similar to the AU$2 billion claimed by the Greens for their plan, but given out differently.

It's happening!

[kim]

We unexpectedly found ourselves doing a quick visit to Lorbek in Melbourne today. And as soon as I walked through the doors, I pretty much ignored all the other rare, rare, rare cars there — like the Miura parked in front of this — because I was absolutely shocked to spot…a static model of the ARES S1 concept car‽ I thought this thing was vaporware!

(Though it does seem to have been here since at least 2023.)

The S1 is the only way I can be interested in a Corvette, I think.

[kim]

Eight years of the Switch, and I've not actually played either Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom. I've watched friends and Alex play, but not myself personally.

Maybe after Mario Kart World, BotW can also be my Switch 2 launch game.

[kim]

I doubt it — and we'll find out very soon — but I am still hoping that the Switch 2 will have 4G/5G. Not just for on‐the‐go multiplayer, but also to allow Pokémon GO to come to the Switch.

In my head, Pokémon GO on a landscape 8″ screen with a UI reworked to suit — as opposed to the mobile UI stretched out, à la on the iPad — could be amazing.

(I'm gonna stay up to watch the Direct tonight.)

[kim]

Well, it's official official. My first federal election — as opposed to first vote — is happening while I'm out of the country.

I wanted my democracy sausage(s)… And to watch Antony Green live…

[kim]

Wait. I didn't know zappi had a firmware update to support OCPP?

Only found out because Alex's brother just had one installed, and I was poking through the menus on his.

[kim]

The Greens:

Under the Parliamentary Budget Office‐costed plan, households and small businesses would receive financial assistance to disconnect from gas appliances and install electric alternatives. Households would be able to access a grant of up to $10,000 and low‐interest loan of up to $20,000 to install eligible technologies such as induction cooktops and heat pumps, while small businesses would be offered grants of up to $25,000 and low‐interest loans of up to $100,000. Similar financial assistance would be offered to install battery storage as well, to maximise the benefits of rooftops solar. Households would be able to access grants of up to $5,000 and low‐interest loans of up to $10,000 to install household storage technology, while small businesses would be offered grants of up to $10,000 and low‐interest loans of up to $50,000. Over the forward estimates, helping households and small businesses get off gas would cost $5.1b, and support for households to install batteries will cost $2b, and support for small businesses to install batteries will cost $1b.

Ooh ooh ooh! It's (finally) starting.

[kim]

Dr Emma Shortis, Director of International and Security Affairs at the Australia Institute:

…Australia actually often tends to underestimate our power and our agency. We have an economy roughly the same size as Russia's, but we don't act like we have as much power as a country like Russia.

And we shall start acting like Russia by forcefully inviting New Zealand to become part of Australia — as already allowed for in our constitution — so that we may install Jacinda Ardern as prime minister!

[kim]

Louie Mantia:

A few years ago I wanted to make custom cartridge labels for Pokémon. I started with my own version of the Pokémon logo, which reimagines it with some of its quirks, but not all of them. I make no claim that it's “better”, because the only goal was to satisfy my own brain, which it does.

Ignoring the colours — because it doesn't have to be yellow‐and‐blue; see Legends: Arceus — I'm much more in favour of this than the current, actual Pokémon logo. It might need energy and cheerfulness to appeal to children, but the real one just feels too haphazard for my liking.

[kim]

I don't remember the last time a music video stayed in my mind like this.

This will be quite something to see live in person.

[kim]

Dominic Preston, The��Verge:

The Washington Postreports that the secret order, issued last month, is based on rights given under the UK's Investigatory Powers Act of 2016, also known as the Snoopers' Charter. Officials have apparently demanded blanket access to end‐to‐end encrypted files uploaded by any user worldwide, rather than access to a specific account.

Exactly what people were warning and fearing could happen. Thanks, Theresa May.

Reminder too: the discovery of the Salt Typhoon hack via backdoors put in place by lawmakers was only four months ago.