Great to see that Pia and Jeffrey Waugh have been awarded the NSW Pearcey Award 2007 for their collaboration within the open source software sector and their sustained contribution to the Linux movement in Australia (more at LinuxWorld)
via Aide-mémoire
On ANZAC Day 2026 I remember the ordinary diggers behind the legend and reflect on Australia’s place in an emerging multipolar world, from Gallipoli to today’s conflicts.
Software and AI are never neutral; they can quietly lock in existing systems of control and power. To avoid surrendering autonomy to a few proprietary platforms, we need open, community‑governed institutions that keep AI accountable and share its benefits more fairly.
In history I saw how the English working class responded to upheaval of the industrial revolution by building new institutions Today’s AI disruption raises a similar question: what new institutions do we need for the AI age?
Etsy witches, AI, & young people quietly returning to the Catholic Church might look unrelated, but they all signal a crisis of trust in institutions.
