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21 August, 2017

Thousands of subscribers to the National Broadband Network will be refunded after the nation’s biggest telco launched an investigation into overcharging. In May, Telstra announced it would refund almost 8000 customers after it emerged they were being charged for internet speeds that could never be obtained under the fibre-to-the-node delivery system that was implemented by the federal Coalition in 2013. Optus yesterday said it was now “undertaking a similar process” and would work to ascertain how many customers had been affected and to refund those who had been short-changed.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/thousands-to-get-refunds-after-they-were-charged-for-highspeed-nbn/news-story/30124a68c3c29c46b70f12c56447c91f

Bregman's notion of a shorter work week is not designed to provide more time to sit on the couch massaging the remote control. "When I talk about the 15-hour work week, I'm talking about doing less paid work that we don't really care about so that we can do more things that are actually valuable," he said. "Whether it's volunteer work or caring for our kids or elderly. We need to update our idea of what work is." He said shortening the work week, in tandem with implementing a universal basic income, would offer people the freedom to decide what to do with their life while providing a level of financial security. Bregman said working fewer hours would reduce stress and workplace accidents. He also said countries with shorter working weeks had less income inequality and greater gender equality.

http://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace-relations/worklife-balance-why-we-should-only-work-15-hours-a-week-20170817-gxyfk2

Autonomous vehicles can add a new member to their ranks—the self-driving wheelchair. This summer, two robotic wheelchairs made headlines: one at a Singaporean hospital and another at a Japanese airport.

http://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/devices/selfdriving-wheelchairs-debut-in-hospitals-and-airports

THE BIG PROMISE of driverless cars is that they'll save lives by preventing crashes. Computers don't fall asleep, get drunk, or glance at that tweet. Robocar technology could save tens, even hundreds, of thousands of lives each year. Such cars remain years away, of course, but you can find an autonomous vehicle saving lives on the road right now, in Colorado.

https://www.wired.com/story/this-lumbering-self-driving-truck-is-designed-to-get-hit/

The Federal Court ruled in favour of film distributor Village Roadshow which brought legal proceedings against telco services to force them to block domain names for services used to illegally download movies and other programs. Federal Court Justice John Nicholas on Friday ordered internet providers, including Telstra, Optus, TPG and Vocus, to take "reasonable steps" to disable access to 42 websites that breach copyright laws, such as Pirate Bay, within 15 days.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/national/village-roadshow-wins-battle-over-illegally-downloading-in-australia/news-story/6df5328d1246d665e1ae5a73caf6de30