Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Jetstar and Virgin Australia fined over prices
Jetstar and Virgin Australia airlines have been fined hundreds of thousands of dollars after being found to be misleading consumers. On the 7th of March the Federal Court ordered Jetstar Airways to pay $545,000 and Virgin Australia Airlines to pay $200,000 for breaches of Australian Consumer Law. The way that the two companies were misleading…
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Intel buys Mobileye in a $15.3billion deal
Intel, the technology company best known for their processors, have acquired Mobileye in a $15.3 billion deal. Mobileye are leaders when it comes to computer vision for autonomous driving, so the purchase will advance Intel’s strides into driving cars. Mobileye are proud developers of software called the Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) which aims to make roads safer, ease traffic…
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Julian Assange offers leaks to tech firms
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has openly offered further leaks regarding the CIA’s cyber-warfare programme exclusively to technology firms. Assange alleges that providing tech companies with the leaked information will help people to get their data secured faster. After Wikileaks released the first volume of classified files about the CIA’s cyber-security arsenal on Tuesday, Mr Assange has come…
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Gold hit a five week low with further losses expected
Gold has sunk for the sixth straight session, reaching a five week low with more losses expected in the coming days. U.S. gold futures settled at $1,203.20 on Friday. Gold futures were at the lowest level since February 1st at $1,202.90 with the February level being $1,199.70. Spot gold didn’t fair much better, as it was down by 0.32% at $1,203.58 per…
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Visa is changing how people pay
Payments technology has changed significantly over the last twenty years, with traditional cash payments being slowly outmoded by other methods of payment. This is due in large part to Visa, which, along with other credit card companies, has driven and revolutionised payment technology. Their latest payment innovation is a wearable pay band. According to Visa, the payment…
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Airbus unveils Pop.Up passenger drone in Geneva
Airliner manufacturer Airbus has launched its concept for a passenger drone capable of morphing into a car at the Geneva Motor Show. The conceptual model, titled the Pop.Up, envisions a transport option made up of a 2.5m x 1.4m x 1.5m pod. The capsule can both attach to a chassis on roads to transform into a two-seater…
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ACCC rejects insurers’ car commission deal
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has rejected the combined effort of insurance companies to cap the commissions they pay to those that sell their add-on policies. The insurance companies attempted to cap the commissions of car dealerships that that sell their add-on policies to 20%, after it was determined that the market was failing…
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Qantas among airlines fighting airport fees
Australasian airlines, including Qantas and Air New Zealand, have made moves to fight excessive airport fees for consumers by setting up a new advocacy group for the aviation industry. The move comes after a report from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which claimed Australian airlines and airline passengers had paid up to $1.6bn…
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Turnbull declares Australian ‘energy crisis’
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has today warned of an impending “energy crisis” as tensions rise surrounding a dramatic shortfall in gas-powered electricity production. Speaking to a conference hosted by the Australian Financial Review this morning, teh Prime Minister warned that the findings of Wednesday’s report by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) were concerning. He argued…
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Centrelink overpayment errors ‘not counted’
The Senate inquiry into Centrelink’s automated debt recovery system has found that the system has not kept track of how many overpayment errors were caused by the agency itself. Greens senator Rachel Siewert has called for greater clarity from the government service on the functionality and reliability of the new automated system. “I think it…
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