Jarrod Watt
@jaywatt.bsky.social
Australian journo in Hong Kong; podcast editor/producer; Aus news correspondent RTHK3; journalism lecturer HKBU; ex SCMP, ABC, PBSFM, RRR; reformed music journo and bartender - https://jarrodwatt.com/
One in, all in: happy new year from Harry Harrison and the cartoon regulars in Hong Kong
January 1, 2026 at 12:43 AM
One in, all in: happy new year from Harry Harrison and the cartoon regulars in Hong Kong
Investigation from the Hong Kong based team of the NYT find a damning paper trail of inaction and warnings: “Records show how government departments played down residents’ warnings about corrupt practices and substandard materials that fueled the deadly blaze.” www.nytimes.com/2025/12/26/w...
What Went Wrong Before Hong Kong’s Apartment Inferno
www.nytimes.com
December 28, 2025 at 2:10 AM
Investigation from the Hong Kong based team of the NYT find a damning paper trail of inaction and warnings: “Records show how government departments played down residents’ warnings about corrupt practices and substandard materials that fueled the deadly blaze.” www.nytimes.com/2025/12/26/w...
Please insert your own pithy morality tale/lesson for humanity and tech in 2025… I see no finer interpretation of our relationship with technology. Bring on the 2026 think pieces asking ‘was it right to put guns on robots before figuring out what robots might do?’
another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls
December 28, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Please insert your own pithy morality tale/lesson for humanity and tech in 2025… I see no finer interpretation of our relationship with technology. Bring on the 2026 think pieces asking ‘was it right to put guns on robots before figuring out what robots might do?’
Impact of the Tai Po fires aftermath continues in Hong Kong: “around 5,000 workers involved in plastering, painting, pipe work and other facade repairs might not be able to return to their jobs until February or even March” - how to survive unpaid for three months?
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
5,000 Hong Kong workers idle as new scaffold net safety regime hits 200 projects
Development Bureau says it will consider amending a law to strengthen supervision over external works involved in major building repairs.
www.scmp.com
December 28, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Impact of the Tai Po fires aftermath continues in Hong Kong: “around 5,000 workers involved in plastering, painting, pipe work and other facade repairs might not be able to return to their jobs until February or even March” - how to survive unpaid for three months?
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
So nice to see Chinese AI systems have passed an American Christian purity test. Somewhere, a ouija board spells out a Bill Hicks quote about “let’s figure out this food/air deal, ok?”
www.scmp.com/tech/article...
www.scmp.com/tech/article...
China’s Qwen and DeepSeek edge out US AI models in Christian values benchmark
US start-up Gloo’s Flourishing AI Christian benchmark tested how the output of AI models ‘help people flourish’, CEO Pat Gelsinger said.
www.scmp.com
December 28, 2025 at 12:40 AM
So nice to see Chinese AI systems have passed an American Christian purity test. Somewhere, a ouija board spells out a Bill Hicks quote about “let’s figure out this food/air deal, ok?”
www.scmp.com/tech/article...
www.scmp.com/tech/article...
Harry Harrison bunks in with the budget holiday arrivals as most of Hong Kong heads over to Shenzhen for cheaper everything: today’s cartoon
December 28, 2025 at 12:24 AM
Harry Harrison bunks in with the budget holiday arrivals as most of Hong Kong heads over to Shenzhen for cheaper everything: today’s cartoon
Cliff Buddle unpacks the first court case over a common but illegal Hong Kong practice known as “to ding”: where developers collude with indigenous villagers to abuse the city’s “small-house” policy… and it’s a wild ride that shocked the judges for its brazen audacity
www.scmp.com/opinion/arti...
www.scmp.com/opinion/arti...
My Take | Eye-opening court judgment a snapshot of issues that have plagued city for years
Case involved a common but illegal practice in which developers collude with indigenous villagers to abuse the city’s ‘small-house’ policy.
www.scmp.com
December 28, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Cliff Buddle unpacks the first court case over a common but illegal Hong Kong practice known as “to ding”: where developers collude with indigenous villagers to abuse the city’s “small-house” policy… and it’s a wild ride that shocked the judges for its brazen audacity
www.scmp.com/opinion/arti...
www.scmp.com/opinion/arti...
Was this the best Hong Kong could do for the Tai Po fire survivors at Christmas? “I see that most of the Wang Fuk Court residents that are staying in the youth hostel aren’t in any mood to celebrate… more concerned about having a roof over their head and a meal…”
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
‘Holding on to hope’: Hong Kong fire survivors make New Year wish for a home
Fire-hit residents wish for long-term resettlement, saying they ‘are more concerned about having a roof over their head’.
www.scmp.com
December 25, 2025 at 7:02 AM
Was this the best Hong Kong could do for the Tai Po fire survivors at Christmas? “I see that most of the Wang Fuk Court residents that are staying in the youth hostel aren’t in any mood to celebrate… more concerned about having a roof over their head and a meal…”
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
Harry Harrison looks for the appropriate port: happy Christmas from Hong Kong
December 25, 2025 at 6:53 AM
Harry Harrison looks for the appropriate port: happy Christmas from Hong Kong
Harry Harrison illustrates Hong Kong's new boost in competitiveness with the opening of the Central Kowloon bypass: today's cartoon
December 21, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Harry Harrison illustrates Hong Kong's new boost in competitiveness with the opening of the Central Kowloon bypass: today's cartoon
Reposted by Jarrod Watt
Latest commentary from me about how the design of social media platforms incentivise and fail to moderate the spread of false and misleading information about the #Bondi massacre. As usual, X is the ringleader.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
X payments incentivised misinformation in wake of Bondi shooting, expert says
US social media platform X incentivised the spread of inflammatory misinformation in the wake of the Bondi Beach shootings, a digital media expert has said.
www.abc.net.au
December 18, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Latest commentary from me about how the design of social media platforms incentivise and fail to moderate the spread of false and misleading information about the #Bondi massacre. As usual, X is the ringleader.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
There's a bigger story yet to drop on the level of AI-fuelled scams on (not only) Chinese social media, but start here: "..widespread availability of AI is making it increasingly difficult to operate under the assumption that the majority of people are honest actors." www.wired.com/story/scamme...
Scammers in China Are Using AI-Generated Images to Get Refunds
From dead crabs to shredded bed sheets, fraudsters are using fake photos and videos to get their money back from ecommerce sites.
www.wired.com
December 21, 2025 at 12:47 PM
There's a bigger story yet to drop on the level of AI-fuelled scams on (not only) Chinese social media, but start here: "..widespread availability of AI is making it increasingly difficult to operate under the assumption that the majority of people are honest actors." www.wired.com/story/scamme...
Reposted by Jarrod Watt
Internet Archive 💯 Undefeated World Heavyweight Champion
Wayback Machine grabbed the original Epstein files dump before that photo of Trump got pulled.
You can't get to the individual PDF page for the missing image, but if you click "download all files" and download it locally you can find the now-deleted file in: IMAGES / 0001 / EFTA00000468.pdf
You can't get to the individual PDF page for the missing image, but if you click "download all files" and download it locally you can find the now-deleted file in: IMAGES / 0001 / EFTA00000468.pdf
Data Set 1 Files
web.archive.org
December 21, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Internet Archive 💯 Undefeated World Heavyweight Champion
Oh, the shock and surprise.
BREAKING: At least 16 files from the Epstein release disappeared from DOJ's webpage, including a photo of Trump, with no explanation.
At least 16 files have disappeared from the DOJ webpage for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein
The Justice Department’s webpage for documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is missing at least 16 of its files a day after they were released.
bit.ly
December 21, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Oh, the shock and surprise.
Gosh it's quite the cavalcade of celebrity snaps coming through in the Epstein files coverage... all with the disclaimer "there is no suggestion of wrongdoing related to Epstein’s crimes" www.theguardian.com/us-news/live...
December 19, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Gosh it's quite the cavalcade of celebrity snaps coming through in the Epstein files coverage... all with the disclaimer "there is no suggestion of wrongdoing related to Epstein’s crimes" www.theguardian.com/us-news/live...
Harry Harrison takes to the streets in search of the “collective wisdom" the Hong Kong government has requested for its new budget: today's cartoon
December 19, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Harry Harrison takes to the streets in search of the “collective wisdom" the Hong Kong government has requested for its new budget: today's cartoon
There it is - no ‘outside’ manipulation, just Trump’s tiny hands on the TikTok algorithm: “the US venture would oversee algorithm security by “retraining the content recommendation algorithm on US user data to ensure the content feed is free from outside manipulation”
www.scmp.com/news/china/d...
www.scmp.com/news/china/d...
December 19, 2025 at 9:38 PM
There it is - no ‘outside’ manipulation, just Trump’s tiny hands on the TikTok algorithm: “the US venture would oversee algorithm security by “retraining the content recommendation algorithm on US user data to ensure the content feed is free from outside manipulation”
www.scmp.com/news/china/d...
www.scmp.com/news/china/d...
Reposted by Jarrod Watt
Press freedom groups warn that UK plans to break end-to-end encryption, affecting tools like Signal and Whatsapp, would pose "extreme danger" to "investigative journalism and even to the lives of journalists" www.nuj.org.uk/resource/nuj...
NUJ signs joint letter opposing plans to break end-to-end encryption
The NUJ has signed a joint letter to Liz Kendall, UK technology secretary, highlighting the threat of breaking end-to-end encryption on journalists and journalism.
www.nuj.org.uk
December 19, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Press freedom groups warn that UK plans to break end-to-end encryption, affecting tools like Signal and Whatsapp, would pose "extreme danger" to "investigative journalism and even to the lives of journalists" www.nuj.org.uk/resource/nuj...
I know a bloke who knows a bloke who took the 800+ pages of the Jimmy Lai judgement and put it through Google LLM to create an AI podcast (not available in Hong Kong)... meanwhile the Washington Post persists with its AI podcast experiments, to the anger of journalists futurism.com/artificial-i...
Washington Post Says It Will Continue AI-Generating Error Filled Podcasts as Its Own Editors Groan in Embarrassment
The Washington Post said it will continue deploying its error riddled, AI-generated podcasts, because "this is how products get built."
futurism.com
December 19, 2025 at 1:46 AM
I know a bloke who knows a bloke who took the 800+ pages of the Jimmy Lai judgement and put it through Google LLM to create an AI podcast (not available in Hong Kong)... meanwhile the Washington Post persists with its AI podcast experiments, to the anger of journalists futurism.com/artificial-i...
A great deep-dive into China and the CCP's ambitions after the DeepSeek moment earlier this year: don't just say "robots", say "embodied AI"... and how Beijing is channeling investment into local companies working on AI systems far beyond autonomous cars. carnegieendowment.org/research/202...
Embodied AI: China’s Big Bet on Smart Robots
Beijing believes that true AI dominance will come from systems capable of autonomous operation in the physical world—AI-powered robotics, or embodied AI.
carnegieendowment.org
December 19, 2025 at 1:43 AM
A great deep-dive into China and the CCP's ambitions after the DeepSeek moment earlier this year: don't just say "robots", say "embodied AI"... and how Beijing is channeling investment into local companies working on AI systems far beyond autonomous cars. carnegieendowment.org/research/202...
TikTok deal done: the (other) historic Handover happens in January. “The new TikTok US joint venture will be 50 per cent held by a consortium of new investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX with 15 per cent each.” - will Trump demand control of the algorithm? www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
TikTok to sell US unit to American investors, including Oracle
The deal with Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX ensures the social video platform can continue operating in the US.
www.abc.net.au
December 19, 2025 at 12:21 AM
TikTok deal done: the (other) historic Handover happens in January. “The new TikTok US joint venture will be 50 per cent held by a consortium of new investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX with 15 per cent each.” - will Trump demand control of the algorithm? www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
Harry Harrison checks in on the locals as John Lee announces Hong Kong will become "Asia's aviation recycling hub" - today's cartoon
December 19, 2025 at 12:19 AM
Harry Harrison checks in on the locals as John Lee announces Hong Kong will become "Asia's aviation recycling hub" - today's cartoon
The eternally brilliant @cathywilcox.bsky.social carves through the noise of opinionistas and irrelevant former politicians reduced to rent-a-quote hackery in the wake of the Bondi mass shootings
December 17, 2025 at 10:14 PM
The eternally brilliant @cathywilcox.bsky.social carves through the noise of opinionistas and irrelevant former politicians reduced to rent-a-quote hackery in the wake of the Bondi mass shootings
Reposted by Jarrod Watt
A man who has abjectedly failed the test of leadership at the first hurdle.
In the past, trying to revive your political career off the back of a massacre might be viewed as tasteless...
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
In the past, trying to revive your political career off the back of a massacre might be viewed as tasteless...
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Frydenberg claims Albanese should accept ‘personal responsibility’ for Bondi attacks in escalation of rhetoric
PM condemns ‘perversion of Islam’ that police allege may be behind the attack
www.theguardian.com
December 17, 2025 at 11:06 AM
A man who has abjectedly failed the test of leadership at the first hurdle.
In the past, trying to revive your political career off the back of a massacre might be viewed as tasteless...
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
In the past, trying to revive your political career off the back of a massacre might be viewed as tasteless...
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
"Detrimental" to Hong Kong national security: "The film... shot and premiered in Taiwan last month, blends elements of suspense & horror. Set in an elite private school, it explores the structural problems and human darkness that arise under a high-pressure education system." sc.mp/s57qa?utm_so...
Hong Kong bans screening of Kiwi Chow’s new film over national security concerns
Kiwi Chow, director of Revolution of Our Times and Ten Years, calls ban on Deadline ‘painful and unfair’.
sc.mp
December 17, 2025 at 4:16 AM
"Detrimental" to Hong Kong national security: "The film... shot and premiered in Taiwan last month, blends elements of suspense & horror. Set in an elite private school, it explores the structural problems and human darkness that arise under a high-pressure education system." sc.mp/s57qa?utm_so...