"There are no passengers on spaceship Earth. We are all crew." - Marshall McLuhan Artificial intelligence runs on real infrastructure: data centres, electricity, water, land and transmission lines. A new report on Australia’s AI data centre boom raises several questions worth taking seriously: - Are new data centres being matched with genuinely new clean energy, storage and transmission? - Are “100% renewable” claims backed by additional generation, or mostly by certificates and accounting? - Could on-site gas power lock in new emissions while bypassing grid constraints? - Are governments fast-tracking approvals before communities understand the energy, water and emissions impacts? - Is the “critical infrastructure” label being used too broadly, especially for non-essential AI workloads? Australia should embrace AI, yet progress must be built on honest foundations. Technology and conservation are not enemies. The test is whether we can power the industries of the future without weakening the natural systems, energy security and public trust on which prosperity depends. Stewardship means asking the foundational questions before the concrete is poured. View the full report, written by Ketan Joshi and commissioned by @GreenpeaceAP - greenpeace.org.au/greenpeace…

The principles of appointment should follow the advice of the Centre for Public Integrity. publicintegrity.org.au/wp-co…

Some 40+ years ago I was a member of a special Commonwealth committee set up to examine and review water-use policy for this vital system of waterways. The crucial importance of the Murray-Darling Basin must not be overlooked in setting policies for sustainability.

Valuable contributions to the debate. #climate #change #energy #sustainability

Strong whistleblower protection regimes deter corruption. Protecting whistleblowers is a matter of public interest. Today I’ll be representing the Whistleblower Justice Fund at an SA ICAC hosted forum focussing on the SA whistleblower protection regime. #saparli #auspol

FROM THE HANGAR TO THE SKY: a "feel-good" story about a mission to save a legend. The restoration of the 1955 Champion 7EC stored for more than 50 years is nearly finished. tinyurl.com/456bz637 Taxi video facebook.com/100002401220802…

NASA shuts down Voyager 1 instrument to keep probe exploring interstellar space space.com/space-exploration/…

Senator McLachlan has it right. Any party that aspires to govern Australia must lead for all. theguardian.com/commentisfre…

Federal politics: Ley backers demoted from shadow cabinet as Taylor unveils new front bench. abc.net.au/news/2026-02-17/f…

In his new book, the incomparable Geoffrey Robertson argues the UN Security Council can no longer defend democracy and proposes a new alliance of democratic states. Geoffrey Robertson AO is a prolific writer with a compelling intellect. I loved his hypothetical programs.

The current state of Australian (alternative government) politics chatgpt.com/s/m_698fcb26dbe4…

Imagine being on this Concorde flight into Kai Tak... heart racing as you bank hard over rooftops 😳 BA Concorde did the checkerboard multiple times. Pilots called it thrilling; passengers got the best views of Hong Kong ever. BA ran these Hong Kong trips as charters. Treasure this footage. Show me the Coolest rare aviation clip you've got?

Roger Penrose was awarded the 2020 physics prize "for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity." His paper 'Gravitational collapse and Space-time singularities' was published on 18 January 1965: bit.ly/388OECM

Statement from the Nobel Foundation One of the core missions of the Nobel Foundation is to safeguard the dignity of the Nobel Prizes and their administration. The Foundation upholds Alfred Nobel’s will and its stipulations. It states that the prizes shall be awarded to those who "have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind," and it specifies who has the right to award each respective prize. A prize can therefore not, even symbolically, be passed on or further distributed. For additional information, please refer to the Norwegian Nobel Committee: nobelpeaceprize.org/press/pr…

It seems the UK is fed up with X and its content. For why, see bbc.com/news/articles/c99kn5… It seems ironic that I'm posting this information on Twitter (X). In any case, I may be leaving this increasingly toxic channel soon.

A great thread on authoritarianism. Well worth the read and reflection on current events.