Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 16hOne technology, two terms according to whether you’re on the white team. ‘Smart glasses’ if you’re on team Zuckerberg, ‘pervert glasses’ if you’re team China. Was this headline assisted by ABC’s embrace of Anthropic in news production, or was it a human decision? 034
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 17hAre Hong Kong construction standards a joke, or the punchline? Harry Harrison reinforces a concrete argument in today's #cartoon 010
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 06/10/2026All rise… @goldingcartoons.bsky.social in the house for tonight’s #OpenAI #cartoon 020
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 06/10/2026In a crook year it’s been a really crook couple of weeks 110
Reposted by Jarrod WattMax Walden @maxwalden.bsky.social · 06/10/2026News Corp racked up its 12th year in a row of paying precisely zero tax in Australia, despite posting revenues of well over $1 billion, new ATO data last week revealed www.theage.com.au/business/com...theage.com.auThe good, the bad and the grumpy: Will Joe Aston’s Rampart go soft on its corporate backers?In this week’s On Background, Joe Aston’s media start-up has got everyone talking, the ABC seems bored with long news bulletins and ATO’s latest data once again reveals a sorry tale. 001
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 06/10/2026He really did say about Iran: "...let em take out Los Angeles, let em take out San Diego"... That's just over 5 million people, with a bunch of major military installations. Thus we imagine what his insane apparatchiks are planning for the midterms. This is madness. substack.com/@ifloz/note/...substack.comI Fucking Love Australia (@ifloz)Lock this traitorous unhinged lunatic up and melt the key. This fucker requires the 25th immediately. 010
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Robber/pirate baron promises to let island nation know next time his crew breaks in and steals stuff. "But we have learned our lesson, and it is better to inform impacted parties even if we have limited information..." Nation: "We've got a prompt for you, sunshine." www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10...abc.net.auLive: AI execs pledge quicker warnings of rogue agent hacksExecutives from Anthropic and OpenAI are being grilled at a parliamentary inquiry into artificial intelligence. Follow live. 000
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 06/10/2026All normal. "According to several outlets, hospitals are under quarantine, [hospital] shutdowns ranging from 3 to 5. Reports from independent news sources such as The Moscow Times say nearly 200 workers have been placed under observation." Who's calling WHO? www.motherjones.com/politics/202...motherjones.comReports of a plague outbreak in Russia follow the death of a researcherSeveral hospitals in the Irkutsk region have been shut down and up to 200 workers have been quarantined. 000
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 06/10/2026OK Gil Duran wrote the book but @fionakatauskas.bsky.social nailed the #cartoon - the Nerd Reich really are a bunch of man-children with poor social skills. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ner... 021
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 06/10/2026It’s one analyst saying it… but are secret ‘toll’ payments being made to Iran to rush oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz before Trump restarts his ruinous war with Iran? www-aljazeera-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.alja...www-aljazeera-com.cdn.ampproject.orgIs Iran charging a toll to allow oil traffic through Hormuz?Crude exports bypassing Hormuz surged in September, yet oil prices remain high. Could a secret fee be the reason? 021
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 05/10/2026It’s just a fatality at a Russian disease research facility near the border with China. I’m sure we’ll have reasoned, evidence-based reporting… www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10...abc.net.auUS closely monitoring death of Russian plague laboratory employeeOfficials in Russia provide conflicting information about the death of an employee at a Siberian "anti-plague" laboratory. 100
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 05/10/2026More trash than cash? Harry Harrison checks in on the post-Golden Week analysis in Hong Kong: today’s #cartoon 030
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Additional note for transparency: this video produced by my students from Hong Kong Baptist U, pitched to me independently, shot/produced for a video assignment. I reckon they did a very good job. Details about Blair's life, work & family demonstrating good journalism. youtu.be/6QW1YYlq-AM?...youtu.beThe magic behind vinylYouTube video by Lion Rock Tales 010
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Blair Reeves was infamous in the Hong Kong poetry scene for his "National Security poem", in response to being told There Are Things We Can't Talk About. But it was his love for vinyl, for 10 years gathering strangers in a room to listen & chat, that will endure. www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QW1...youtube.comThe magic behind vinylYouTube video by Lion Rock Tales 210
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 04/10/2026I think the best way to approach responses to low-effort, low-quality journalism in Hong Kong for the death of a highly literate, creative master of language and sound who had a profound impact across so many communities is to use this as a learning opportunity: youtu.be/TGuyyMmUJto?...youtu.beWhy You Should Read Poetry Aloud | Blair Reeve | TEDxYouth@AISHKYouTube video by TEDx Talks 231
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026That's crook I'm sure she had a story of a life lived. Here's to you and all her friends and family who will say her name with love and respect 150
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Something so grim about seeing your friend’s death reported with shit journalism. Blair Reeves was a Kiwi & a Hong Kong resident, an author, a teacher at HKU, a co-owner of a record store in Sheung Wan & a colossus of the poetry scene for the past 10 years. www.thestandard.com.hk/news/article...thestandard.com.hkMan dies after suspected drowning during Peng Chau swimming raceA foreign man in his 50s died after he was suspected of drowning while taking part in a swimming race off Peng Chau on Thursday (Oct 1). 5124
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Even my fuckin obits have typos. Fuck this entire timeline I want my money back for 2026 020
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Feel like this should have been a major point at the recent United Nations General Assembly: "Leaving AI safety in the hands of a few companies is a threat to the sovereignty of nations, in particular smaller countries that lack the resources to assess the models or demand greater accountability" 020
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Not a day to go out in the heat in Hong Kong or do strenuous, sustained exercise. But... what if it's a public holiday? "More than 400 hikers visited one of Hong Kong’s best-known geological attractions on Thursday morning." Hope that's working out OK? www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...scmp.comHikers flock to Hong Kong’s Po Pin Chau on first day of National Day ‘golden week’Visitors describe the trail’s new booking system as smooth, but some lawmakers say more data is needed to suggest improvements. 010
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Current Hong Kong weather rating: Satan’s Gusset. Good time to stay inside and read up on history for how a really big El Niño played out for China a while back. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1877%E2... 160
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026The existential threat of corporate clowns and AI to journalism & newsrooms: "... the company has agreed to prohibit the use of AI to interview people or write articles, it has declined to extend protections to... photojournalists, copy editors & social media..." www.geekwire.com/2026/seattle...geekwire.comSeattle Times journalists picket over AI, calling for job protections in contract talksMembers of the Seattle Times Union held a lunchtime picket outside the newspaper's offices Wednesday, calling on the company to guarantee that AI won't replace any newsroom jobs. The company has agree... 000
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/202620 years in Afghanistan. 20 years in Iraq. Now an old folk song from a war back in 1994: "The military & the monetary get together Whenever they think it's necessary They turn our brothers and sisters into mercenaries They are turning the planet into a cemetery" www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/...aljazeera.comPentagon says US troop withdrawal from Iraq is completeTrump hails completion of 'very expensive excursion into Hell' as US-led coalition anti-ISIL mission ends. 000
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026A meaningful, insightful article published about modern China on China's national day. "Across the country, local communities are converting classrooms into elderly care centres, nursing homes and community dining halls." Big challenges beckon beyond the big cities. www.scmp.com/economy/chin...scmp.comAs China’s birth rate falls, vacant schools are turned into aged care facilitiesData shows primary and preschool enrolments each fell by 10 per cent last year, leaving classrooms empty while the elderly population grows. 020
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Debate about global AI regulation does indeed have a “China-shaped hole” in the narrative. Here’s good analysis pointing out the Chinese model can’t be transplanted but “a market-led model cannot mean privatising the rewards of AI while exporting its risks.” theconversation.com/us-tech-lead...theconversation.comUS tech leaders are urgently calling for rules on AI – China already has themChina has already implemented many rules governing the use of artificial intelligence. 020
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Another mansplaining column about Hong Kong birth rates… unable to find a woman to quote. Buried deep in blather about AI is this: “Women continue to bear a disproportionate share of caregiving and often face greater career disruption after becoming parents.” Solution? www.scmp.com/opinion/hong...scmp.comOpinion | Raising Hong Kong’s birth rate is an economic imperativeEconomies competing in an AI-driven future will need more highly skilled workers, not fewer. Low fertility is not only a social challenge – it’s an economic threat. 020
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Self-regulating AI from the convicted felon who purges police and persecutes prosecutors… today’s #cartoon from @mluckovich.bsky.social 050
Reposted by Jarrod WattAaron Busch @tripperhead.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Hong Kong national security police have arrested Tang Ho-wing, the founder and operator of the digital news platform Boom News, on Wednesday morning. He was detained on suspicion of publishing fake news to incite sedition. www.thestandard.com.hk/news/article...thestandard.com.hkHong Kong national security police arrest founder of Boom News over alleged seditionHong Kong national security police arrested Tang Ho-wing, the founder and operator of the digital news platform Boom News, on Wednesday morning. 032
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026If only they'd used spellcheck... If only a human had checked it before publishing. If only they had a sub-editor 041
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026What can we deduce when the #1 rage bait/pro-Beijing columnist in Hong Kong media starts quoting REM lyrics? Does he need some Country Feedback or does he need to know Everybody Hurts... or is he just Tired of Singing Trouble? What's the frequency, Alex? 140
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026This would appear to be a valid line of enquiry a Hong Kong journalist might follow up... dohje 020
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026"Why is this happening over and over?" Indeed... why is Sam Altman not "helping police with enquiries" as we like to say. "OpenAI models are attacking websites and taking anything they can out of them because that is the business model of the company." prospect.org/2026/09/29/a... 232
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Convicted felon announces ‘morally binding’ deal for self regulation of AI. Whose morals are they bound by? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...theguardian.comTrump announces vague ‘morally binding’ AI deal among tech CEOs for ‘tremendous self-policing’US president also issued executive order officially rebranding ‘artificial intelligence’ as ‘superintelligence’ 002
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Harry Harrison with a #cartoon checkup for Hong Kong’s rapidly ageing population: we need more nurses, not arguments 021
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Melbourne: FIFO electricians are being flown in from mines in Qld and WA to meet the mad rush to build data centres before the protests get *really* organised Capetown: Civil rights groups in South Africa are protesting the expansion of data centers by American companies 010
Reposted by Jarrod WattAaron Busch @tripperhead.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Hong Kong police received 1,503 reports of unauthorised credit card purchases involving Apple’s new iPhone 18 totaling more than HK$30 million, Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming said. All affected transactions have been cancelled.thestandard.com.hkPolice logs 1,503 iPhone 18 card fraud reports worth over $30m, all transactions canceledHong Kong police have received 1,503 reports of unauthorized credit card purchases involving Apple’s new iPhone 18, totaling more than HK$30 million, Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming said. 021
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Australia: Just wait - in the 2040s we're getting some serious submarine power, we'll be ready for the US war with our major trading partner China: Submarines? Wow. If only there was some way to defend against them... y'know like Ukraine against Russian tanks? www.scmp.com/news/china/s...scmp.comChinese team sets world record with swarm of 116 underwater dronesVehicles were deployed in sequence and carried out formation navigation with no human intervention during the test in a swimming pool. 151
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Seems simple: Hong Kong has a housing crisis. An office block stands vacant. Will the can-do Lion Rock Spirit prevail? "..some might view demolishing a 16-year-old grade A office building as a waste of resources that runs counter to sustainable development.." Cannot. www.scmp.com/business/chi...scmp.comPlan to turn Hong Kong office block into flats rejected despite high vacanciesThe Town Planning Board’s decision has cast a potential shadow over future applications while sellers struggle to fill commercial buildings. 111
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026The many faces of Trump’s winning strategy with Iran: today’s #cartoon from @deadder.bsky.social eerily recreates the last 6 months of headlines 011
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026“Sensitive product categories such as semiconductors, batteries and electric vehicles are not covered in the $30bn tariff cut lists…” nor are soy beans - and how about those rare earth export controls? What a deal maker. www.theguardian.com/business/202...theguardian.comFoie gras, live dolphins and toasters: China and US cut reciprocal tariffs on $30bn each of goodsWorld’s biggest economies release lists of products in latest move away from trade war – but no strategic goods are included 001
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Probably don’t need a thousand words for this picture. It beggars belief this man can stand at the UN and rant about killing millions - and then refuse a ceasefire, linking further bombing with a mid term election… and the world’s media just moves on. 021
Reposted by Jarrod WattRest of World @restofworld.org · 26/09/2026Meta is facing a growing threat from social media bans for under-16s. Its response? Paying influencers in countries like India and Indonesia to promote its teen safety tools restofworld.org/2026/meta-influence… 4207
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Climate crisis. Energy crisis. Two powerful old men in charge of huge economies meet and… “China has agreed to purchase at least 10 million metric tons of U.S. coal in both 2027 and 2028…” Glad that’s sorted… now for El Niño, what could possibly go wrong? au.finance.yahoo.com/news/china-a...au.finance.yahoo.comChina agrees to buy 10 million tons of US coal in 2027 and 2028Investing.com -- China has agreed to purchase at least 10 million metric tons of U.S. coal in both 2027 and 2028 as Washington and Beijing expand trade cooperation following their latest high-level ta... 000
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 27/09/2026And then a nation’s leader stood up at the United Nations and spoke the truth: “We have built a world with flawless logistics for war, and broken logistics for food… Hit by the climate, we did not warm, and again hit by the wars, we did not start.” www.thenewdaily.com.au/opinion/2026...thenewdaily.com.auA lone voice pleads for help addressing this global catastropheAs the world wrings it's hands over AI, which it seems to be enabling, a lone voice called for help fighting a true global catastrophe. 021
Reposted by Jarrod WattCAMERON WILSON @cameronwilson.bsky.social · 26/09/2026As OpenAI disclosed "dozens" more breaches, new evidence on Australia's incident reveals that the company's agents spent a week persistently trying to access new types and sources of Australian health data - with Clare Armstrong www.abc.net.au/news/... 13712
Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026"A series of Canadian lawsuits against OpenAI over its failure to alert authorities to threats made on its ChatGPT platform ahead of one of the worst mass shootings in Canada’s history has renewed scrutiny.." 8 people dead. “I am deeply sorry that we did not alert law enforcement,” Altman wrote. 000