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Australians researchers have built a better qubit
Qubits, the unit of information used by quantum computers, make use of a phenomenon known as "superposition" wherein they can exist in two separate quantum states simultaneously. Theoretically, they'd enable computers to perform a variety of tasks far faster than conventional desktops by performing simultaneous computations in parallel. The problem is that qubits tend to be very unstable which prevents the information the contain from being read. However, a team of researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia may have finally tamed the elusive qubit. They've coerced one into remaining stable for ten times as long as normal qubits.
DARPA's telescope will keep the military's satellites safe
DARPA is officially done developing the Space Surveillance Telescope (SST) and has handed it over to the US Air Force. Pentagon's most adventurous arm worked with the military division for over a decade to build the SST, which was designed to monitor space junk that pose a threat to satellites in orbit. It's been observing asteroids and near-Earth objects since 2011 in New Mexico, but now that it has officially changed hands, the SST will go through some big changes. Perhaps the biggest of which is its home: the Air Force plans to uproot the whole structure and ship it off to Australia.
Facebook isn't done trying to copy Snapchat
Facebook's Snapchat-alike Messenger Day app has expanded to a new test ground: The Land Down Under. "We know that people come to Messenger to share everyday moments with friends and family," a spokesperson told TechCrunch. "In Australia we are running a small test of new ways for people to share those updates visually."
Twitter picks horse racing for its first global sports stream
Twitter has made a big deal out of streaming sports in the US, but anywhere else? Not so much, unless you count a Wimbledon experience that avoided showing the live games themselves. However, that's changing today. The social network has unveiled a deal with the Victoria Racing Club to livestream Australia's Melbourne Cup worldwide -- its first streaming partnership beyond the US. You can watch the horse racing on Twitter's website or its official apps. You may need to set an alarm if you live on the other side of the planet, though, as the pre-event coverage kicks off November 1st at 2:30PM Australian Eastern Daylight Time (11:30PM Eastern in the Americas).
ICYMI: This power tool might save you from yourself
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Shaper's Origin is designed to use augmented reality and an on-screen display to guide you through cutting wood pieces. And Australian National University researchers developed the most efficient solar receiver in the world. The chopstick piano video is here and the airship crashing in what looks like slo-mo; here. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Facebook tests auto-playing News Feed videos with sound
It's no secret that Mark Zuckerberg wants Facebook to become a more video-centric social network, and the company has been conducting various tests to see how its users would react to new features. One of its latest mobile app experiments is auto-playing videos on the News Feed... with sound.
The Xbox Onesie is equal parts comedy and tragedy
For the folks who take their couch potato-ing very seriously, Microsoft has something up its rollable sleeves for you. It's called the Xbox Onesie, and, as you might expect, it's an adult-sized pair of zip-up pajamas packed to the seams with purpose-built, Xbox-themed accoutrement. We're talking oversized pockets for gamepads and remotes, an arm pouch for your phone and a giant hood that shouldn't interfere with even the bulkiest of headphones. That's in addition to "forearm grips to prevent slipping on those 'edge of your seat' moments" and the option to have your Gamertag embroidered on the getup. There is a catch, though.
Australia will track online money laundering and cyber fraud
Australia outlined its cyber security strategy earlier this year and now we have a better idea of what it entails. In an effort to figure out where funding for cyberterrorism comes from, the country has launched a program to keep track of money laundering and online financial fraud, according to Reuters. The key directive, at least at this point, is to intercept job listings that trick people into illegally moving money between one jurisdiction and the next.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: An impressive mobile home, and more!
Is the age of the flying car upon us? This week a new report revealed that Google co-founder Larry Page has secretly invested over $100 million in two aerial vehicle startups. Meanwhile, four major political parties in Norway have proposed a ban on all gas-powered cars by the year 2025. A team of Swedish students unveiled one of the world's most energy-efficient rail-bound vehicles. A young filmmaker transformed a boring Chevy van into an incredible solar-powered mobile home. And the Coboat is a sun and wind-powered catamaran for co-working freelance nomads.
Australia puts traffic lights in the ground to alert phone addicts
The German city of Augsburg has already tried putting traffic lights in the ground to keep cellphone-obsessed pedestrians from walking on to train tracks, but the Australian state of New South Wales wants to take things one step further. It tells Mashable that it's going to install ground-based traffic lights at key crosswalks in Sydney (likely in its central business district) as part of a trial starting in December. The aim, unsurprisingly, is to prevent an unpleasant encounter with a car while you're busy texting your friends.
Australia to auction off confiscated bitcoins this June
Australia has plans to sell off a considerable amount of bitcoins, the cryptocurrency favored by shady online folk, this June. 24,518 bitcoins confiscated by police will be auctioned off by financial services firm Ernst and Young in 2,000 blocks, an amount that equals just over a million US dollars given the current conversion rate. Australian authorities wouldn't specify where the bitcoins come from other than to say it was in conjunction with a crime. However, as the BBC points out, reports from 2013 indicate a similar quantity of bitcoins were seized in an online drug bust in Victoria. The upcoming auction will be open to bidders worldwide and could help set a precedent legalizing the currency for use in Australia, where it's still undergoing regulatory approval.
eBay has a virtual reality shop in Australia
eBay is giving Australians another high-tech way to spend their money. The e-commerce company has teamed up with Myer, a department store in the country, to launch a virtual reality shop. It can be accessed through existing headsets like Samsung Gear VR, though they also seem to be giving away 20,000 Google Cardboards called "Shopticals." The shop contains goods sold through Myer, complete with 3D models for the top 100 items in each category. Its most interesting feature, however, is a system eBay developed called "Sight Search."
LandCruisers create communication network in the outback
Companies are using balloons, planes and other high-tech apparatuses to provide WiFi in underserved areas. In the Australian outback, Saatchi teamed up with Flinders University to find a way to turn the massive fleet of Toyota LandCruisers into mobile communication hotspots using Wi-Fi, UHF and Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN). The solution is a small capsule-like device that attaches to the vehicle's window with suction cups, providing a signal range of up to 25 km (15.5 miles).
The After Math: Well, pay the man
This was not a good week for the major corporations of the world. Volkswagen's diesel scandal has curbstomped its bottom line, Uber paid buku bucks to settle a pair of class-action lawsuits, Apple threw a bunch of money at a patent troll to make it go away (but only for three years) and, I swear, the FBI might as well use the money it spent opening the San Bernardino iPhone to start dumpster fires, they're burning through cash so fast. Here's who paid what and why, by the numbers.
Australia is pouring $178 million into cybersecurity measures
Australia is spending AU$230 ($178) million over the next four years to beef up its cybersecurity measures. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has launched the new strategy in Sydney, where he also admitted that the country has offensive hacking capabilities. He didn't say whether Australia ever used it to spy on other countries or its own citizens. But he acknowledged that it exists, because it "adds to [Australia's] credibility as it promote norms of good behaviour on the international stage and, importantly, familiarity with offensive measures enhances [its] defensive capabilities as well."
Australian researchers developed a blood test for Parkinson's
By the time Parkinson's disease makes itself known in humans, it's already too late for treatment. But La Trobe University in Australia has developed a test that detects a biomarker present in blood cells in folks with the disease. The school describes the test as a means of detecting problems within cell mitochondria that cause an energy-and-stress-sensing protein, dubbed AMPK, to permanently activate and start damaging cells.
Australia tests mail delivery drones
If you needed any further proof that drones can be mail couriers, you just got it. Australia Post has successfully field-tested a drone system that would deliver small packages, particularly time-sensitive goods like medication. It was only a closed test this time around, but the move clears a path for trial deliveries to real customers later in the year -- this isn't just a preview of long-term plans, like you've seen with other services.
Australian carrier lets customers win prizes with unused data
Unless you roll it over, the unused mobile data you paid so dearly for is lost in time, like tears in ... rain. For a limited time, however, Virgin Mobile customers in Australia can transform those dead digits into phones, drones and other swag. To be sure, the "data auction" is a publicity stunt that mostly benefits Virgin, since there's but a single prize each day over the month-long promo. In addition, you have to bid all your remaining data, so you can only win once.
Elon Musk says this is 'part 1' of the Tesla Model 3 reveal
If you're ready for Tesla's $35,000 electric vehicle and have $1,000 ready to put down, then your day has dawned -- at least in Australia. Elon Musk tweeted a pic of the Model 3 pre-order line down under where it's already March 31st, while the rest of us get ready for the company's LA event tomorrow night at 11:30PM ET. Of course we'll be on hand for what he says is just "part 1 of the Model 3 unveil," with a part 2 scheduled for closer to its production in late 2017. In yet another tweet, Musk promised a follower we will "see the car very clearly, but some important elements will be added and some will evolve." Update: Check out all the details from the Model 3 unveiling (like news that there were 115,000 pre-orders before any had even seen the car) right here.
Australia: Steam's old no-refund policy broke the law
Were you unhappy that Valve didn't offer refunds on Steam until last June? Neither was Australia. The country's Federal Court has ruled that Valve violated consumer law by denying Steam gamers refunds under any conditions. You're entitled to get your money back on shoddy products, the court says, whether they're digital or physical. The penalty has yet to be determined, but it may be muted given that Valve has already changed its tune.