### Issue 2156 - Tuesday 20th August, 2024

## In Today's Issue

- Popular iOS art app Procreate declares AI "is ripping the humanity out of things"
- Ampol blames grid connection red tape for failing to meet EV charger targets
- Geek related museum news
- Westpac has some low interest loans to make your house more energy efficient
- Cheap Sony lens, MSI & Dell monitors, Lenovo cashback, Gamesir controller, Anker USB chargers, Xiaomi OpenWRT router, Ryzen 7500F CPU, Vodafone & Kogan pre-paid SIMs, AirPods Pro

## The News

### Popular iOS art app Procreate declares AI "is ripping the humanity out of things"

Procreate - the developers of one of the best drawing apps on iOS - has published a statement saying "Generative AI is ripping the humanity out of things. Built on a foundation of theft, the technology is steering us toward a barren future. We think machine learning is a compelling technology with a lot of merit, but the path generative AI is on is wrong for us". They committed to not adding generative AI to their products, refusing to track user activity in their apps and that all work you create in their apps belongs to you. Common sense stuff from good people (Procreate is Australian!) - a stark contrast to Adobe's AI-shenanigans and confusing terms and conditions.

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### Ampol blames grid connection red tape for failing to meet EV charger targets

Ampol's CEO said in a conference call yesterday that they won't hit their target of 300 charging bays operational by 2024 (they're stuck at 92 so far) because "the progress of the EV fast charging network development is slower than we expected, given the difficulties in connecting to the grid in Australia in particular". Ampol currently has "a pipeline of approximately 100 bays either awaiting grid connection or under construction in Australia and New Zealand". Sure, yes, DNSPs are slow and expensive, but Ampol is so far off their target I'm reluctant to blame every DNSP in the entire country for their failure. Sounds like a convenient excuse trotted out to naive investors.

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### Geek related museum news

- The National Communications Museum in Hawthorn, VIC - formerly a Telstra volunteer run museum - finally has an opening date! Saturday the 21st of September, 2024. Really looking forward to this.
- Nintendo's set a date for the opening of their new company museum in Kyoto, Japan - the 2nd of October. The preview pics look great. I love it when companies appreciate their history and celebrate it.
- The University of Melbourne's Science Gallery just opened a new exhibit called SCI-FI: Mythologies Transformed, that "uncovers new perspectives on science fiction by highlighting connections between the genre and Asian philosophy and mythology".

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## Something I Saw On The Internet

### Westpac has some low interest loans to make your house more energy efficient

You know how I mentioned that Tesla Powerwall yesterday? If you have a Westpac mortgage and feel like buying one, they've teamed up with the CEFC to offer "a variable interest rate of 4.49% p.a. for a loan to improve a home's energy efficiency or climate resilience. Customers will be able to apply to borrow from $4,000 up to $50,000 with a loan term of up to ten years". There's a list of all the stuff the loan can be used for, like the obvious reverse cycle air conditioning, solar panels, heat pump hot water and the not so obvious like improved insulation and double glazed windows. At 4.49% it's worth borrowing instead of using your cash and keeping it in ETFs/whatever or even a term deposit (currently at 5%+).

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## Bargains

- 15% cashback at Lenovo's online store via Cashrewards
- Sony SEL50F18F 50mm f/1.8 lens - $234.26 from Amazon UK
- MSI MP275Q 27" 2560x1440 100Hz IPS monitor - $208 + delivery from Centrecom, Umart/MSY or Scorptec
- Dell G2724D 27" 2560x1440 165Hz IPS monitor - $370.35 from Dell
- Gamesir G8 Plus smartphone game controller - $87 from Aliexpress
- 2x Anker 543 65W GaN USB-C chargers - $87.99 from Anker
- Xiaomi AX3000T wi-fi 6 router (can run OpenWRT) - $46 from Aliexpress
- AMD Ryzen 5 7500F CPU - $176 from Aliexpress
- Vodafone 365-day pre-paid SIM, 240GB data, unlimited calls & SMS - $147 from Officeworks
- Kogan Mobile 365-day pre-paid SIM with 120GB data, unlimited calls & SMS - $99 from Kogan
- Apple AirPods Pro - $324.99 from Costco (if you're not a member but want these, send me the cash and I'm happy to buy for you and get them shipped to your place)

## Image Of The Day

Die Hackerbibel - Teil 2 (retroGfx / Internet Archive)

## The End

📻 The Sluts - Starting Again

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