The Orion Browser is a really interesting product that I've been exploring in the past few days. Testing browsers is kind of fun for me.

Some thoughts:

• The built in content blocking is solid, it's awesome the browser just handles this for you and you don't need to use extensions, my classic test of visiting the Herald Sun home page shows a clear difference, the ads are removed correctly
• The Orion FAQ is excellent and tells you clearly why you should use it over other browsers, it also provides some context into their business model
• I like that it looks like Safari, it abides by the design guidelines set by Apple which IMO are good
• The controls accessed via a settings icon are convenient, it's an easy way to turn off JavaScript and block web fonts
• You can install Chrome extensions and it just works, I'm using this one for YouTube
• I'm also curious about their search product and might also give it a go

I'll still use Safari and Chrome but setting Orion as my default browser for a bit.

I think Theo did a great job contextualizing the history of Electron and how we got to this point where the majority of desktop apps are built with it.

The Theo video really is something that die hard Mac users should watch.

Really curious to hear more about the custom processor made by NVIDIA and the RAM.

I'm going to slowly build up a Harry and Emma Melbourne spots Google Maps list.

It'll comprise of places we've been to together to eat and drink.

It was worth staying up last night to watch the direct. There's so much news and makes for some very good blog content. I have thoughts:

• The prices are questionable, $114 (at JB Hi-Fi) for the new Mario Kart is way way too much, the console itself is also pretty expensive at $699 but also maybe around what I was expecting
• From Software doing an exclusive on the Switch is very interesting, there is a lot of disappointed PC only gamers right now
• The DK game looks like a lot of fun
• Hollow Knight: Silksong would have been a perfect launch game alongside Mario Kart and DELTARUNE, some time is 2025 is such a tease
• It was great to a younger generation of Nintendo employees leading the charge, the old guard is on the way out and it will be good for some new ideas
• Battery life seems to be a slight downgrade, see this IGN article

What was revealed, however, was the battery life. The Switch 2's internal battery is a Lithium-ion battery with 5220mAh, and this will allow for approximately 2 - 6.5 hours of battery life and a charge time of three hours when in Sleep mode. Nintendo noted these are "rough estimates" and that the "battery life will depend on the games you play."

This battery life is just about the same as the launch model Switch 1 as it boasted a range of 2.5 - 6.5 hours. On the other hand, the Switch 2's battery life is a downgrade from the three newer Switch models - Nintendo Switch (4.5 - 9 hours), Nintendo Switch - OLED Model (4.5 - 9 hours), and Nintendo Switch Lite (3 - 7 hours).

• The voice chat feature seems kind of basic but maybe it'll be good
• I think Elden Ring will be one of the first games I pick up
• I know its still a while off but I would have loved to see Haunted Chocolatier as a release game
• We seemingly got support from EA and Take-Two Interactive (with the 2K games), praying that the latest 2K golf game comes to the Switch 2

In just over an hour we'll have much more of an idea of what the Switch 2 is.

The Nate the Hate podcast had some excellent theories of games being released from each developer.

Some thoughts:

• From third parties I'd love to see Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077
• If GTA 6 appears it would break the internet
• A new Nintendo first party IP would be really interesting
• A new Mario Kart seems like a given at this point
• Better support from EA would be great, I want to be able to play the full FIFA (or whatever it's called now) in hand held
• Performance needs to be addressed in some regard, we need this system to have a fair bit of power
• Silksong won't break the internet like GTA but it would still be huge

This recipe was awesome. We had barramundi for the fish. Tasty and simple.

This guy is an absolute clown but he makes some good points.

See also this Reddit post:

The problem is on the demand side. Over the past 20 years there has been a big increase in investment demand for housing. Compared to first home buyers, investors are more likely to be richer and have higher incomes.

They have flooded into the housing market biding up the price and locking people out of the market.

What caused the rush of investors? It was the interaction of two tax concessions, negative gearing and the capital gains tax (CGT) discount.

In 1999 the then Howard Government introduced a 50% discount on the tax of capital gains. That means that if you owned an investment property for more than 12 months you got half the capital gain tax free.

This meant selling a house for more than you bought it was a great way to earn income. Negative gearing meant you could afford to bid up the price of houses and make a loss because you could write the loss off on tax.

Every home where an investor beats out an owner occupier means one less homeowner and one more renter. For people who can buy a home, the higher prices have meant bigger mortgages, paying more in repayments, and having less to spend on everything else.

The solution is to cut back negative gearing and the CGT discount. This will reduce investor demand for housing and make housing cheaper. It will also raise billions in extra revenue that can be used to build more houses, increasing supply.

The Labor Party know that cracking down on investor tax concessions will make housing more affordable, they took exactly this policy to the 2019 election. What they fear is the Coalition running a scare campaign against them.

But what both the major parties should fear is the growing anger of those trapped out of home ownership and those burdened with massive mortgages. More phony housing affordability policies that do nothing to fix the problem will only fuel voter disenchantment.

This is a road trip I'd love to do one day.

You might be concerned if you don’t have a 4×4.  The truth is, you don’t need a 4×4 for this epic outback road trip.  In this post you’ll see there is so much to see on the road from Darwin to Broome, even travelling with a 2wd vehicle.

I still feel like a 4x4 is the best way to do it.

This is not good for me.

I'm up to season 6 episode 13 and they rip the show away from me.

I might resort to just using the old school buy episodes on iTunes (or whatever it's called now).