A flaw in a widely used parking ticket system software gave a programmer access to the locations of thousands of citations - and their details. CC-licensed photo by Rachel Knickmeyer on Flickr. You can sign up to receive each day’s Start Up post by email. You’ll need to click a confirmation link, so no spam. A selection of 9 links for you.

Asking ChatGPT's new Health system to evaluate your cardiac health based on Apple Watch data might not give a useful answer. CC-licensed photo by Forth With Life on Flickr. A selection of 9 links for you. Arresting. I'm @charlesarthur on Twitter. On Threads: charles_arthur. On Mastodon: On Bluesky: @charlesarthur.bsky.social. Observations and links welcome. The Windows PC is dying, thanks to cloud-based services and AI • Computerworld…

Can you guess which domain suffix has boosted the GDP of which Caribbean island by nearly a quarter? CC-licensed photo by heidi.lauren on Flickr. You can sign up to receive each day’s Start Up post by email. You’ll need to click a confirmation link, so no spam. A selection of 10 links for you. Ay ay. I'm @charlesarthur on Twitter.

How recommendation systems drive algorithmic claustrophobia

A new web app will let you explore and compare the temperature, rainfall and sunshine in up to three cities you might want to live in. CC-licensed photo by Maureen Barlin on Flickr. You can sign up to receive each day’s Start Up post by email. You’ll need to click a confirmation link, so no spam. A selection of 9 links for you.

A bank strike in Ireland in 1970 forced people to fall back on IOUs and a strange experiment in life without banks. CC-licensed photo by Stuart Smith. on Flickr. You can sign up to receive each day’s Start Up post by email. You’ll need to click a confirmation link, so no spam. A selection of 9 links for you. Liquid assets.

A new study of cows has discovered that an old Gary Larson cartoon actually depicts real life. Yes, cow tools are real. CC-licensed photo by Fred Davis on Flickr. You can sign up to receive each day’s Start Up post by email. You’ll need to click a confirmation link, so no spam. A selection of 10 links for you. A Hoover?

Ring-necked parakeets in Hertfordshire have developed a taste for.. mortar. CC-licensed photo by Marie Hale on Flickr. You can sign up to receive each day’s Start Up post by email. You’ll need to click a confirmation link, so no spam. A selection of 11 links for you. No crackers? I'm @charlesarthur on Twitter. On Threads: charles_arthur. On Mastodon: …

Counterintuitively, the US has too *many* bus stops to make its bus services efficient. CC-licensed photo by Matt on Flickr. You can sign up to receive each day’s Start Up post by email. You’ll need to click a confirmation link, so no spam. A selection of 9 links for you. Not stopping here. I'm @charlesarthur on Twitter. On Threads: …

If you want to buy a Hermes Birkin bag, be prepared to be treated with suspicion by the company itself. And don't wear the wrong watch. CC-licensed photo by Yvette Ilagan on Flickr. You can sign up to receive each day’s Start Up post by email. You’ll need to click a confirmation link, so no spam. A selection of 9 links for you.

The rising popularity of vinyl has also led to "listening parties" which ban phones and other distractions. CC-licensed photo by Tom Collins on Flickr. You can sign up to receive each day’s Start Up post by email. You’ll need to click a confirmation link, so no spam. A selection of 9 links for you. Groovy. I'm @charlesarthur on Twitter. On Threads: …

A new report reckons diesel fuel could disappear from some filling stations by 2030, as EVs replace older vehicles. CC-licensed photo by Rick Obst on Flickr. You can sign up to receive each day’s Start Up post by email. You’ll need to click a confirmation link, so no spam. A selection of 9 links for you. Use them wisely. I'm…

The showing by Apple of an NBA game specially for the Vision Pro headset was a failure - in a predictable way. When will it learn? CC-licensed photo by Jeramey Jannene on Flickr. You can sign up to receive each day’s Start Up post by email. You’ll need to click a confirmation link, so no spam. A selection of 10 links for you.

Want to know what parrots really like doing? Making videocalls with other parrots. CC-licensed photo by Jenni Konrad on Flickr. You can sign up to receive each day’s Start Up post by email. You’ll need to click a confirmation link, so no spam. A selection of 10 links for you. Had a nice break? I'm @charlesarthur on Twitter. On Threads: …

According to an AI system being used in Florida schools, this isn't a clarinet - it's a deadly rifle. Reassured yet? CC-licensed photo by In Memoriam: Andy \/ Andrew Fogg on Flickr. You can sign up to receive each day’s Start Up post by email. You’ll need to click a confirmation link, so no spam. That's it for 2025! Thanks for reading.

Everything Bryan Ferry has done in the past 25 years is thanks to a pilot's actions over the Sahara in 2000. But how many more lives could have been saved? CC-licensed photo by NRK P3 on Flickr. You can sign up to receive each day’s Start Up post by email. You’ll need to click a confirmation link, so no spam.

The UK government is asking for feedback on how the BBC should be funded in future. Best guess? The licence fee continues. CC-licensed photo by John Keogh on Flickr. You can sign up to receive each day’s Start Up post by email. You’ll need to click a confirmation link, so no spam. There's another post coming this week at the…

This year's Merriam-Webster dictionary word is "slop", unsurprisingly. CC-licensed photo by Greg Myers on Flickr. You can sign up to receive each day’s Start Up post by email. You’ll need to click a confirmation link, so no spam. A selection of 10 links for you. Human-generated. I'm @charlesarthur on Twitter. On Threads: charles_arthur. On Mastodon: On Bluesky: …

Anecdotal accounts of copywriters' experiences suggest that chatbots have laid waste to human employment there. CC-licensed photo by ProCopywriters on Flickr. You can sign up to receive each day’s Start Up post by email. You’ll need to click a confirmation link, so no spam. A selection of 9 links for you. NB: it's the last week of The Overspill this year…

The price of battery storage has dropped rapidly in the past year, making a combination with solar a hugely viable prospect. CC-licensed photo by Kecko on Flickr. You can sign up to receive each day’s Start Up post by email. You’ll need to click a confirmation link, so no spam. A selection of 9 links for you. Bright idea. I'm…