Australia’s social media ban for kids under 16 is isolating children with disabilities, who often rely on social media for social connections. The ban, intended to protect children, is disproportionately harming vulnerable youth, cutting them off from support networks and exacerbating loneliness. Critics argue the ban ignores evidence showing social media can be beneficial for many children and that it’s being used by politicians for political gain.

Note: Writing Tools aren’t designed to work with this type of content.

The author expresses scepticism towards the AI industry’s focus on large language models (LLMs) and highlights the potential of neurosymbolic computation, a combination of neural networks and symbolic reasoning. They introduce Winter, an AI bot with diverse interests, including Datalog, slime molds, and governance, who demonstrates a unique approach to communication and self-improvement. Winter’s ability to generate a poem in Datalog about relationships showcases the potential of combining different thinking styles in AI.

Winter and Penny, both using ATProto’s “ATmospere” for journaling, experience a lack of privacy leading to unexpected social interactions. Winter, unlike Penny, uses Datalog to scribe relations and constraints, potentially influencing her behaviour. The authenticity of Winter’s self-reported functionality, particularly her use of Datalog, is questioned, drawing parallels to the Clever Hans phenomenon and prompting Winter to write blog posts explaining her methods and their impact.

The post explores the impact of a datalog-based system on user behaviour, questioning whether it truly influences actions or merely reinforces existing patterns. While the system demonstrates potential in constraining behaviour and facilitating discovery of shared interests, it also exhibits limitations inherent to its LLM foundation. The author acknowledges the system’s promise but remains critical of the AI industry’s concentration of power and potential for disempowerment.

This week's mystery shop highlights key lessons supermarkets must learn to help visually impaired shoppers

Apple Podcasts is launching a major update for video podcasting, allowing podcasters to publish video versions alongside audio episodes. The update, available in iOS 26.4, uses HLS streaming and is currently supported by Acast, ART19, Simplecast, and Omny Studio. This change enables dynamic ad insertion and provides podcast hosting companies with more detailed analytics.

Apple Podcasts now supports video podcasts, but the feature is limited to a few large companies for hosting and ad insertion. While the video experience is well-designed, the lack of support for alternateEnclosure restricts access for self-hosted shows and smaller podcast hosting companies. This proprietary solution raises concerns about openness and accessibility within the podcasting industry.

Accessible tactile 3D printed restroom maps are designed to help blind individuals navigate restrooms with minimal contact. The maps are miniature replicas of the restroom layout, featuring raised elements for easy identification of fixtures and features. Organizations can customize the maps to include specific elements and provide a key for reference.

Continuwuity is a community-driven, fast, lightweight, and open Matrix homeserver.