Completely agree but sadly even if the war was to stop tomorrow the shut down of oil producing and refining facilities means that there will be a shortage for the next 6 months (apologies for not having a reference. I can’t find the statement which I think was made by the IEA but will add it if I can).

Hopefully the state and federal governments will start pushing for more subsidies for public transport.

This is a real step backwards, we all know that cage raised lobbyists have a far worse quality of life. I would beseech the government to rethink this approach for their wellbeing

Except that would mean forums like Steam or whirlpool would require people to verify their age is over 16 before posting but as far as I can tell they have no such requirements.

It seems to me that people can still quite easily set up forums for special interest topics and groups without issue from the government.

Well, considering 343 from what I understand hires contractors almost exclusively, UE5 is probably the only engine any of their devs will be familiar with as I don’t think the id tech engine is available for developers outside of Microsoft and I’d software? Though I might be wrong on that!

Oh amazing! Still hoping for native VR support!

Amazing! Sounds like it’s in a proprietary engine this time? Sadly means we won’t be able to use uevr to get vr working (though I hope they’ll add it natively).

A few things. Firstly, I don’t know how VPN usage has come into this discussion as I haven’t made mention of VPN usage. Secondly, I’ve just not had the same experience. I use a VPN for all my devices and have never had a single issue using Google and it’s services both with and without an account so it could be an issue on your end.

What I find fascinating about this whole thing is the almost universal simping that has occurred in defence of these large websites like Facebook, Twitter (X), Reddit etc. I find it amusing that people who would decry using these large websites suddenly need to defend them.

It’s pretty depressing to see how many people have been ignoring the genuine harm that can occur using social media. During recent filings in the US, Meta hid and defunded research that showed a causal relationship with mental health and social media usage in under 13’s along a myriad of other issues identified.

These new restrictions aren’t perfect and really should be reviewed in the future, however something does need to happen and asking the industry to self regulate has resulted in no meaningful changes occurring.

And yet in your own article it can be quoted:

“Search engines will not be required to implement age assurance measures for users who are not logged in to their services, according to the new rules.”

So I fail to see how you will be unable to use Google.

Please don’t spread misinformation.

Under 16’s can still access websites like YouTube and Google but will not be able to interact (i.e liking videos) and comment on content. They will still be able to view videos and publicly shared content.

Except as I’ve linked in another comment to this thread this is not supported by the peak medical bodies in New Zealand who primarily work with puberty blockers. Unless you’re suggesting that the colleges are “ideologically predisposed”.

This is not supported by RANZCP or the RACP. Both the peak bodies of experts in the Australian and New Zealand medical fields.

Oh I know! It’s the first line from the Clarke and Dawe skit “The Front Fell Off”.

I was just saying the next line!

Well, how was it un-typical?

No problem! Happy to post more if people want photos of Australian fauna!

Here’s a photo I snagged of some tawny frogmouths which had the misfortune of trying to sleep next to a construction site. Not the best photo but they are beautiful birds!

For myself? Definitely! But someone shouldn’t be prevented from playing a game because of a disability. Just like how Frostbite engine games have great accessibility options for colour blindness.

I think this discussion has more merit when framing this from an ableism viewpoint. Games having accessibility sliders to either slow down puzzles or enemies helps players who have a disability.

A game that comes to mind is Crosscode! You had options that could change the speed and damage for various things in the game. Was nice because sometimes I’d change the settings when I had been stuck and frustrated on a puzzle which made the game far more enjoyable.

Seems similar to Australia’s love for musk sticks! Thankfully I don’t think actual musk has been used for a long time!

I believe there are also cloth filters you can buy from them as well! Last through multiple washes and can be frozen to preserve them if you don’t use them every day!