Who Killed FCAS?
FCAS (Frequency Control Ancillary Services) prices in Australia’s NEM have plummeted since late 2023, falling to well below $2/MW h after a multi‑year decline. The collapse coincides with a rapid expansion of registered FCAS capacity, driven largely by utility‑scale batteries, demand‑response aggregators, and virtual power plants. AEMO’s 2019 rule changes boosted procured volumes, but the market depth remains shallow, with only a fraction of the gigawatts of registered capacity actually called upon. Consequently, abundant low‑cost bids have driven prices to historic lows.
Zyphra Releases ZUNA: A 380M-Parameter BCI Foundation Model for EEG Data, Advancing Noninvasive Thought-to-Text Development
Zyphra unveiled ZUNA, a 380‑million‑parameter foundation model for EEG signals that uses a masked diffusion auto‑encoder to fill missing channels and boost spatial resolution. The model leverages a novel 4D rotary positional encoding to treat EEG data as spatiotemporal points,...
Shahbandr and Tabby Partner to Bring BNPL to 20,000 Online Stores
Shahbandr, a Saudi e‑commerce enablement platform, has teamed up with fintech app Tabby to embed its Buy‑Now‑Pay‑Later solution across the network. The integration will cover more than 20,000 online stores in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, allowing shoppers to split purchases...
Aero Systems West Supports Parasafe Integration for High-Altitude UAVs
Aero Systems West (ASW) has supplied its Parasafe ballistic parachute recovery system to Rainmaker for integration into the company’s high‑altitude unmanned aircraft that operate between 10,000 and 15,000 feet. The parachute system is now part of Rainmaker’s FAA‑approved aircraft architecture,...
Advantest Cyberattack Triggers Ransomware Investigation Across Internal Network
Advantest Corp., a Tokyo‑listed semiconductor test equipment maker, disclosed a cyberattack that surfaced on February 15, when unusual activity triggered its incident‑response protocols. Preliminary analysis suggests an unauthorized third party infiltrated parts of the internal network and deployed ransomware, prompting...
Sport, Trade and Visa
Visa Consulting & Analytics reports that the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan boosted overseas Visa cardholder visits by more than 60%, with U.S. travelers up 160% year‑on‑year. European visitors, especially from Germany, also surged, driving average spends of €297, €267...
Elsevier ClinicalKey AI Adds NEJM, The Lancet, and HIPAA Compliance
Elsevier has upgraded its ClinicalKey AI platform by adding full‑text access to more than 130 top‑tier medical journals, including NEJM and The Lancet, and by integrating clinical guidelines from leading societies. The new version introduces real‑time traceability, linking AI‑generated answers...
Mozilla Firefox Issues Emergency Patch for Heap Buffer Overflow in Firefox V147
Mozilla released an out‑of‑band update, Firefox v147.0.4, to fix a high‑severity heap buffer overflow in the libvpx video codec (CVE‑2026‑2447). The flaw, discovered by researcher jayjayjazz, could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code by delivering crafted VP8/VP9 video streams. Parallel patches...
TV Set Is Most Popular Way to Watch YouTube in UK, Study Finds
A Barb Audiences review shows that TV sets now capture more than half of all YouTube viewing on UK home Wi‑Fi networks, overtaking laptops, tablets and smartphones across every age cohort. The transition unfolded gradually, with over‑55s leading in October 2023,...
4 Ways to Automate Plaud with Zapier
Plaud, an AI notetaker with wearable hardware, captures in‑person and virtual conversations and generates transcripts and summaries. By linking Plaud to Zapier, users can automatically route those outputs to file storage, note‑taking apps, task managers, and communication platforms. The integration...
8 Ways to Automate X (Formerly Twitter)
Zapier now offers eight pre‑built Zaps that automate key X (formerly Twitter) workflows for businesses, from archiving brand mentions to turning tweets into support tickets. The templates let marketers log every mention in a spreadsheet, push real‑time alerts to Slack,...
The Voice on the Other End.
In this episode, hosts Maria Varmazis, Dave Bittner, and Joe Carrigan examine a wave of social engineering attacks, including a sophisticated phishing campaign that dupes Apple Pay users via fake emails and voice calls, Australia’s ClickFit initiative exposing romance scams,...
New Digital Tool to Report River Pollution
The UK Environment Agency has unveiled BluePrint, a new smartphone‑based platform that lets anyone report real‑time observations of rivers, lakes and beaches across England. Building on the WaterWatch pilot, BluePrint uses geolocation instead of QR codes, allowing data collection from...
BLOG: Inside Modern Conveyancing – the Extra Steps Agents and Vendors Don’t See
Modern conveyancing now involves extensive behind‑the‑scenes work that extends beyond the legal milestones agents typically see. Pre‑exchange depends on continuous identity, sanctions and source‑of‑funds checks, while lender criteria evolve throughout the deal. Conveyancers act for both buyer and lender, adhering...
Bringing Together PPC and SEO for Agents
The Negotiator article urges estate agencies to integrate pay‑per‑click (PPC) advertising with search engine optimisation (SEO), arguing that combined data and testing can sharpen messaging, boost keyword intelligence, and stretch limited budgets. It highlights rapid ad‑copy testing via PPC, leveraging...
Labour MP Calls for More Tracking of Short Lets
Labour MP Rachel Blake has forced a Commons debate using the Ten Minute Rule to demand tighter tracking of short‑term lets in London. She argues that the existing 90‑night annual cap is ineffective because councils cannot verify rental frequency, and...
The Digital Backbone of MoD’s Technology Foundations
The UK Ministry of Defence has solidified its Digital Backbone and Technology Reference Model (TRM) over the past year, launching the digital.mod.uk portal to centralise standards and guidance. By aligning the TRM with the Defence Capability Hierarchy, the MoD is...
AI Breakthrough Could Replace Rare Earth Magnets in Electric Vehicles
Scientists at the University of New Hampshire used artificial intelligence to compile a searchable database of 67,573 magnetic compounds, uncovering 25 previously unknown high‑temperature magnets. The AI system extracts experimental data from literature, predicts magnetic behavior, and records temperature thresholds....
Master Bond Debuts UV26DCMed Dual-Cure Adhesive
Master Bond introduced UV26DCMed, a single‑component, dual‑cure adhesive for medical device assembly that combines UV light for rapid fixturing with a heat bake for full polymerization. The formulation tolerates repeated sterilization methods—including steam autoclave, ethylene oxide, glutaraldehyde, and hydrogen‑peroxide—while meeting...
Ericsson Strikes Microsoft, AWS Deals for Enterprise 5G
Ericsson announced strategic deals with Microsoft and Amazon Web Services while unveiling a new telecoms innovation R&D centre in Yokohama, Japan. The Microsoft partnership embeds AI‑driven 5G laptop management into Windows 11, using Intune and Ericsson Enterprise 5G Connect to automate connectivity, eSIM...
Shape‑conformal 3D Frameworks Enable Full‑surface Neural Organoid Electrophysiology
If you’re interested in organoid biology and/or 3D bioelectronics, then check out our paper published today in Nature Biomedical Engineering, titled ‘Shape-conformal porous frameworks for full coverage of neural organoids and high-resolution electrophysiology,’ at https://t.co/Y7MzvRQKTm. This work introduces a technology...
Scottish Government Runs Open Data Workshops
The Scottish Government is hosting two online workshops on 12‑13 March to co‑create a shared vision for open data in Scotland through 2036. Led by Martin Macfie, the initiative follows a 2024 independent report and builds on progress with the statistics.gov.scot...
Extending Scientific Rigor From Bench to Boardroom
Researchers who launch biotech startups often abandon evidence‑based decision‑making once they enter the boardroom, falling prey to technology myopia, base‑rate neglect, and confirmation bias. Their lack of formal training in commercialization, financial modeling, and competitive analysis amplifies these pitfalls, leading...
Find the Sweet Spot Between Overly Broad and Narrow ICP
One of the Goldilocks problems in B2B startups is defining who you are selling to. On one extreme is the entrepreneur that says "we sell to everyone." That could be every company, every role or both. The challenge is how do...
Brisbane Battery Innovator Gets First Chunk of Funds Towards Giga-Scale Production Plans
Li‑S Energy, a Brisbane‑based battery innovator, has received the first $1.9 million tranche of a $7.86 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). The funding will support engineering work and a feasibility study for a gigawatt‑scale factory capable of producing...
DBT Increases Adoption of Data Hub
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has lifted adoption of its central CRM platform, Data Hub, through a focused digital‑adoption programme. By aligning the tool with user workflows and delivering on‑demand training, email guidance and a performance dashboard, the...
Blackstone’s “Defensive Pivot” Week: Home Services Deal + AI Infrastructure:
Blackstone announced the acquisition of Champions Group, a leading home‑services provider, while Odyssey and its management retain a minority stake. Simultaneously, the firm is leading a financing round of more than $1 billion for Neysa to build India’s premier AI‑infrastructure platform....
Make in India, Think in Dialects: Why Sarvam’s AI Bet Feels Personal
At the India AI Impact Summit, Sarvam AI unveiled two indigenous large language models—30 billion and 105 billion parameters—trained from scratch on Indian languages. Both models employ a Mixture‑of‑Experts architecture to boost efficiency while keeping performance across reasoning, coding, and tool use....
New Sodium Ion Battery Stores Twice the Energy and Desalinates Seawater
University of Surrey researchers discovered that retaining water in sodium vanadium oxide dramatically boosts sodium‑ion battery performance. The hydrated nanostructured sodium vanadate (NVOH) stores nearly twice the energy of conventional cathodes, charges faster, and remains stable for over 400 cycles....
Brookfield “Top-Performing Alternative Firm” Unshaken in 2026 by AI or Private Credit:
Brookfield Asset Management has emerged as the top‑performing alternative firm in 2026, outpacing peers as AI and private‑credit turbulence reshape the industry. Its portfolio is anchored in global infrastructure, renewable power, and essential services that generate contracted, inflation‑linked cash flows....
Singapore Warns That Vulnerabilities Span the Entire Space Value Chain
Singapore has launched its National Space Agency and warned that cyber‑vulnerabilities permeate every stage of the space value chain, from satellites to ground networks. The February 2022 KA‑SAT attack, which knocked out communications and energy services across Europe, underscored the systemic...
Scientists Develop the World’s Tiniest Wireless Brain Implant
Scientists at Cornell University have created a wireless brain implant so small it can sit on a grain of salt, yet still record and transmit neural activity. The device uses light‑based optics for power and data, eliminating bulky wires and...
AI in M&A: McKinsey, For One, Welcomes Our New Gen AI Overlords
McKinsey’s latest survey shows generative AI is reshaping M&A, delivering roughly 20% cost savings and accelerating deal cycles by 30‑50%. While 42% of respondents believe AI can transform the transaction process, only 30% are using it at moderate to high...
How Clarins Reached 70% Conversion and Doubled Its Basket Size in Brick-and-Mortar Test of Shade-Matching Tech
Clarins piloted its AI Shade Finder in 20 French and UK stores, using an iPhone‑based spectroscopic tool to match foundation shades. The trial lifted conversion to 70% and doubled average basket size, while boosting associate confidence and prompting cross‑selling of...
Japan To Ban Power Bank Use Inflight From April 2026
Japan’s transport ministry will ban the use and charging of power banks on all domestic and international flights operating to, from, or within Japan starting April 2026. Passengers may still bring up to two power banks, each capped at 160...
TikTok Shop Reverses U.S. Shipping Policy Amid Merchant Concerns over Costs and Fulfillment Challenges
TikTok Shop has scrapped its planned deadline to force U.S. sellers onto TikTok‑managed shipping, keeping seller‑fulfilled logistics unchanged for now. The reversal follows merchant backlash over anticipated higher fulfillment costs, tighter margins, and inventory challenges tied to TikTok’s own warehouses....
Balloons Over Venus…It Really Happened!
In 1985 the Soviet Vega program deployed two helium‑filled balloons that became the first free‑floating probes to operate on another planet. The aerostats floated for roughly 46 hours at about 54 km altitude in Venus’s middle cloud layer, where a global...
Customers Have New Expectations. Is Your CX Ready?
Customer experience is evolving as technology delivers practical benefits through better design, integration, and intent. Modern voice bots, unified CX platforms, and structured knowledge bases enable faster, more consistent service while reducing pressure on agents. Proactive, AI‑first approaches shift support...
Roy Morgan Survey Reveals 2.5M Young Aussies Watch YouTube
Roy Morgan’s Young Australian Survey finds that 2.5 million children aged 6‑13 – roughly 89 percent of the cohort – regularly watch YouTube. Gaming and animation dominate the platform, with 1.33 million viewers for gaming and 930,000 for animation. Boys drive gaming and sports...
Law Firm Introduces AI Chatbot for Job Interviews
London boutique Mishcon de Reya has deployed an AI‑powered chatbot to conduct first‑round graduate interviews. The tool, built by Bright Network, pulls data from each applicant’s submission to generate a customized conversation and produces a transcript for the firm’s early‑careers...
JioHotstar, OpenAI Launch ChatGPT Content Search
JioHotstar announced a partnership with OpenAI to embed ChatGPT‑powered voice discovery into its streaming app. The new multilingual cognitive search lets users speak natural language queries to receive context‑aware recommendations for both on‑demand and live sports content. The assistant also...
.webp)
One More Spitball Idea for Apple’s March 4 Media Event ‘Experience’: Immersive F1 on Vision Pro?
The FIA has published the official start times for the 2026 Formula 1 season, a 24‑race calendar that runs from the Australian Grand Prix in early March to the Abu Dhabi finale in early December. The schedule spans five continents and introduces...
EGI Innovations Hires Jon Hatchuel as First Aussie Country Manager
eG Innovations, a US‑based software vendor, has appointed Jon Hatchuel as its first country manager in Australia, marking the firm’s first dedicated employee in the market. Hatchuel, who brings over 20 years of senior IT experience, will focus on expanding...
Tailor and Sync Prompts per Model for Success
Since I now use multiple models, I customize all of my prompt files (soul, identity, skills etc) for each model. This critically important. For example, Opus 4.6 prompt best practices says don’t use ALL CAPS to emphasize things. GPT5.2 explicitly...
AI-Generated Deepfakes Threaten Authenticity in Hiring
#Deepfakes in the #talentpool: How #AI is reshaping hiring @HR_Exec https://t.co/fnus5j0LpD #HCM #HRM #HumanResources #HRTech #CHRO #CPO #Hiring #Recruitment #PeopleManagement #Culture #Change #FutureofHR #HRCurator
South Africa’s Cybersecurity Challenge Is Not a Tool Problem
South African enterprises are pouring significant budgets into cybersecurity tools, yet breach rates keep rising. The core issue is execution: security teams are overwhelmed by data and lack the capacity to turn visibility into action. Unified platforms like Rapid7’s Command...
Automated GuardDuty Feature Audit and Enablement in Hours
Vibe coded 🤖 a script to list which AWS GuardDuty features are enabled in minutes. Took 15-30 minutes to correct it. The script to enable disabled features, sub features, and create an s3 malware scan plan took about two hours. See blog...
Fintech Digitizes 2,000‑year Red Packet Tradition
🌏🧧How #Fintech is transforming the 2,000-year Red Packet tradition: Technology is not only transforming how business is done within the industry but even culture itself. Today, an increasing number of red packets are being shared via online solutions at banks during...
Figma's Answer to the AI Software Sell-Off
The episode examines Figma’s latest AI integration with Anthropic’s Claude Code, exploring how the partnership emerged organically and what it means for the design‑to‑code workflow. Host discusses Figma’s steep stock decline amid a broader SaaS AI sell‑off and probes CEO...
Agentic AI Era: Cloud Security Shifts From Asset Protection to Identity-First Zero Trust
At the ETCIO Cloud Summit, leaders from Starbucks India and Jio argued that cloud security must shift from protecting static assets to continuously validating identities, especially as AI agents and autonomous workloads proliferate in hybrid environments. They emphasized that bots,...
