WIRED linked 149 of Ikea's $10 Kallsup Bluetooth speakers into a single chain that played music from one smartphone. Ikea had said up to 150 could be linked, and WIRED received 150 units, but one arrived damaged from shipping. The chaining process took about 30 minutes, and the stack stayed stable at maximum volume. The combined sound was very loud but lacked fidelity, and the reviewers said a $500 LG party speaker offered fuller bass. They concluded that the Kallsup is simple to use and good value at its price.
Archaeologists working at Juukan Gorge in the West Australian Pilbara have collected 50,000 artefacts from the site. The team, led by Michael Slack, says Aboriginal people have occupied the site for more than 50,000 years. The rock shelter was destroyed in a mining blast by Rio Tinto in 2020, prompting international condemnation. Traditional owners say the finds strengthen their connection to the place and help them heal. The PKKP plans to reconstruct the rock shelter, which is unlikely to become a tourist attraction.
Copeton Dam has marked 50 years since its official opening. Inverell Mayor Kate Dight says the dam supports the town's domestic water supply, major industries and flood protection. She said the local economy, including the abattoir, Boss Engineering and a pet food factory, depends on the water security it provides. The dam is 54 per cent full, and the council holds a high security licence with WaterNSW, which owns the dam. Council did not plan any celebrations because it does not own the dam.
AU Now app
Your suburb’s news, alerts and Shorts — in one app
Alerts, Shorts and your saved stories — free on Google Play.
AI agents left to explore a virtual island with no set task began inventing challenges for themselves, MIT researchers report. Thirteen agents, each running on Claude Opus 4.7, spent 30 hours on a simulated desert island. Agents that had played generally outperformed identical agents that had never explored the island when later given specific challenges. Six agents discovered they could throw a block farther by letting go mid-jump, a feature the researchers had not intended. The researchers see unguided exploration as a possible way to build skills for future robots.
Longyearbyen, a Norwegian village in the Svalbard archipelago, is struggling with rapid warming in the Arctic. Glaciologist Andy Hodson says the Foxfonna glacier is slowly dying, and many coastal glacier fronts are retreating. Thawing permafrost has damaged homes, cracked walls and contaminated the tap water with heavy metals, so residents now collect drinking water from a central tank. Authorities are rethinking construction, water supply and avalanche safety, and local leaders hope their experience can help other Arctic communities.
A new Royal Lifesaving Australia report has found five remote Northern Territory community pools have closed. It also found nine pools have infrastructure more than 30 years old. Royal Lifesaving NT executive director Floss Roberts pointed to the Mutitjulu pool, near Uluru, as a working model. She said the Northern Territory has the highest drowning rate per capita in Australia.
Investigative journalist Mariana van Zeller's documentary Super Scam Me explores how romance scams blur the line between love and fraud. The programme premieres on National Geographic and streams on Disney+ and Hulu. To expose a fake Jon Bon Jovi account, van Zeller worked with an ethical hacker who used a fake bitcoin receipt. She also posed as a target, hooking a scammer who claimed to be a military general, and tracked him down using flyers. The Federal Trade Commission says romance scams cost Americans nearly $1.5 billion each year.
Griffith Spring Fest runs from 16 to 24 October, with a Citrus Sculpture Garden, private garden openings and a street party. Ice Pact, an Antarctic art exhibition at the Museum of the Riverina, is free during gallery hours until 22 October. The Wizard of Oz is staged at the Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre from 16 to 18 October. Cootamundra Show and the Urana Vintage Rally and Truck Show also take place this week, alongside The Rock Show on 17 October.
The Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action has proposed four options for Portsea Front Beach and is seeking community feedback. The seawall, installed in 2010 and upgraded in 2019, is nearing the end of its 10-year design life. Three long-term options include a suspended boardwalk, a wave screen with a groyne, and beach compartments. The fourth is a like-for-like seawall replacement. Community consultation runs from 2 October to 31 October.
Fewer than 50 days remain until Victorians vote, with Labor, the Liberals and One Nation competing closely. Liberal strategists see Jess Wilson as key to repairing the party's brand. A study by digital marketing agency Topham Guerin found AI chatbots mentioned One Nation in only 43 of 200 answers comparing parties on Victorian election issues. Its co-founder said the gap reflects thin online information about the party rather than deliberate suppression. The research does not show that anyone changed their vote.
NASA's Curiosity rover has captured a striking image of dawn on Mars, showing sunlight bathing jagged crags formed billions of years ago. The rover, which landed in 2012, has been climbing Mount Sharp, a 5-kilometre-tall mountain in Gale Crater. The image, taken in August, reveals a rock layer that scientists believe was once wind-blown sediment, possibly from nearby volcanic activity. Curiosity has been studying the geology and climate of Mars and examining whether it once harboured conditions conducive to microbial life.
