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Virgin plans to allow small cats and dogs to fly inside the cabin

Virgin plans to allow small cats and dogs to fly inside the cabin

Virgin Australia plans to become the first Australian airline to allow small cats and dogs to fly inside the passenger cabin on certain routes.
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Titans respond as captain Tino prepares to test market
Titans respond as captain Tino prepares to test market

The Advertiser

time2 hours ago

  • The Advertiser

Titans respond as captain Tino prepares to test market

Gold Coast captain Tino Fa'asuamaleaui will speak with the Perth Bears in the off-season as he prepares to test the market. Fa'asuamaleaui has a clause in his contract that allows him to speak to other clubs from November 1 for the 2027 season. Titans chairman Dennis Watt has told AAP the club is determined to keep the inspirational Test and Queensland prop. The 25-year-old's manager Simon Mammino told AAP that ideally he wants to stay at the Titans and help take the club to a premiership, but the uncertainty over the coaching future of Des Hasler and overall club direction has led to him deciding to explore other options. Perth Bears coach Mal Meninga, formerly the Titans' head of performance and culture, was a major factor in the 2020 premiership winner joining the club from Melbourne in 2021. Former Titans recruitment boss Ezra Howe, now in the same role at Perth, was also influential. "We will have a look around (on November 1), but that's because we don't really know what's going on at the club at the moment," Mammino said. "Tino would probably prefer to stay. We just want to see some decisions made that the club is stable."He has got time to make a decision, so hopefully they will resolve where the club is at with the coaching situation for 2027. "That's not to say he doesn't want Des there. He gets on well with Des. It's also about where the club is heading with the re-signing of a couple of players."It gives us time to look at what the club is doing. I have got confidence in the chairman Dennis Watt, (CEO) Steve Mitchell and the owner Rebecca Frizelle. "It's just a recheck clause that we put in there to see where the club is at and where he is at and what options are there to consider." Watt said the Titans had stability on the coaching front and wanted Fa'asuamaleaui to stay. "The owners put out a statement recently saying Des is here for 2026," Watt told AAP. "Tino is very much part of our future plans. He is an inspiring leader and we want to keep him here." Fa'asuamaleaui's parents live in Gympie and his in-laws live on the Gold Coast, so he is settled off-field, but the Meninga factor at Perth has them in prime position to make him an offer for their 2027 entry. "With Perth it is about being part of a new franchise that has history with the North Sydney Bears, which is attractive to any player," Mammino said."Mal being part of a new franchise is attractive like it was to players going to the Dolphins (under Wayne Bennett). "It's not all about money, but at some stage in the off-season we will speak to Perth, who will have a full salary cap to spend. The Dolphins targeted Tino, but he stayed at the Titans after (former coach) Justin Holbrook was sacked." Meninga was previously a magnet for Fa'asuamaleaui. "Mal and Ezra are the two that got him there to the Titans," Mammino said. "Mal was the Australian coach and has a fair aura about him. He was there to improve the culture at the Titans, and the words Mal had with Tino and his family gave him confidence the club was rebuilding and heading in the right direction. "Tino was a key figure in that and was confident to go to the Titans with Mal there." Gold Coast captain Tino Fa'asuamaleaui will speak with the Perth Bears in the off-season as he prepares to test the market. Fa'asuamaleaui has a clause in his contract that allows him to speak to other clubs from November 1 for the 2027 season. Titans chairman Dennis Watt has told AAP the club is determined to keep the inspirational Test and Queensland prop. The 25-year-old's manager Simon Mammino told AAP that ideally he wants to stay at the Titans and help take the club to a premiership, but the uncertainty over the coaching future of Des Hasler and overall club direction has led to him deciding to explore other options. Perth Bears coach Mal Meninga, formerly the Titans' head of performance and culture, was a major factor in the 2020 premiership winner joining the club from Melbourne in 2021. Former Titans recruitment boss Ezra Howe, now in the same role at Perth, was also influential. "We will have a look around (on November 1), but that's because we don't really know what's going on at the club at the moment," Mammino said. "Tino would probably prefer to stay. We just want to see some decisions made that the club is stable."He has got time to make a decision, so hopefully they will resolve where the club is at with the coaching situation for 2027. "That's not to say he doesn't want Des there. He gets on well with Des. It's also about where the club is heading with the re-signing of a couple of players."It gives us time to look at what the club is doing. I have got confidence in the chairman Dennis Watt, (CEO) Steve Mitchell and the owner Rebecca Frizelle. "It's just a recheck clause that we put in there to see where the club is at and where he is at and what options are there to consider." Watt said the Titans had stability on the coaching front and wanted Fa'asuamaleaui to stay. "The owners put out a statement recently saying Des is here for 2026," Watt told AAP. "Tino is very much part of our future plans. He is an inspiring leader and we want to keep him here." Fa'asuamaleaui's parents live in Gympie and his in-laws live on the Gold Coast, so he is settled off-field, but the Meninga factor at Perth has them in prime position to make him an offer for their 2027 entry. "With Perth it is about being part of a new franchise that has history with the North Sydney Bears, which is attractive to any player," Mammino said."Mal being part of a new franchise is attractive like it was to players going to the Dolphins (under Wayne Bennett). "It's not all about money, but at some stage in the off-season we will speak to Perth, who will have a full salary cap to spend. The Dolphins targeted Tino, but he stayed at the Titans after (former coach) Justin Holbrook was sacked." Meninga was previously a magnet for Fa'asuamaleaui. "Mal and Ezra are the two that got him there to the Titans," Mammino said. "Mal was the Australian coach and has a fair aura about him. He was there to improve the culture at the Titans, and the words Mal had with Tino and his family gave him confidence the club was rebuilding and heading in the right direction. "Tino was a key figure in that and was confident to go to the Titans with Mal there." Gold Coast captain Tino Fa'asuamaleaui will speak with the Perth Bears in the off-season as he prepares to test the market. Fa'asuamaleaui has a clause in his contract that allows him to speak to other clubs from November 1 for the 2027 season. Titans chairman Dennis Watt has told AAP the club is determined to keep the inspirational Test and Queensland prop. The 25-year-old's manager Simon Mammino told AAP that ideally he wants to stay at the Titans and help take the club to a premiership, but the uncertainty over the coaching future of Des Hasler and overall club direction has led to him deciding to explore other options. Perth Bears coach Mal Meninga, formerly the Titans' head of performance and culture, was a major factor in the 2020 premiership winner joining the club from Melbourne in 2021. Former Titans recruitment boss Ezra Howe, now in the same role at Perth, was also influential. "We will have a look around (on November 1), but that's because we don't really know what's going on at the club at the moment," Mammino said. "Tino would probably prefer to stay. We just want to see some decisions made that the club is stable."He has got time to make a decision, so hopefully they will resolve where the club is at with the coaching situation for 2027. "That's not to say he doesn't want Des there. He gets on well with Des. It's also about where the club is heading with the re-signing of a couple of players."It gives us time to look at what the club is doing. I have got confidence in the chairman Dennis Watt, (CEO) Steve Mitchell and the owner Rebecca Frizelle. "It's just a recheck clause that we put in there to see where the club is at and where he is at and what options are there to consider." Watt said the Titans had stability on the coaching front and wanted Fa'asuamaleaui to stay. "The owners put out a statement recently saying Des is here for 2026," Watt told AAP. "Tino is very much part of our future plans. He is an inspiring leader and we want to keep him here." Fa'asuamaleaui's parents live in Gympie and his in-laws live on the Gold Coast, so he is settled off-field, but the Meninga factor at Perth has them in prime position to make him an offer for their 2027 entry. "With Perth it is about being part of a new franchise that has history with the North Sydney Bears, which is attractive to any player," Mammino said."Mal being part of a new franchise is attractive like it was to players going to the Dolphins (under Wayne Bennett). "It's not all about money, but at some stage in the off-season we will speak to Perth, who will have a full salary cap to spend. The Dolphins targeted Tino, but he stayed at the Titans after (former coach) Justin Holbrook was sacked." Meninga was previously a magnet for Fa'asuamaleaui. "Mal and Ezra are the two that got him there to the Titans," Mammino said. "Mal was the Australian coach and has a fair aura about him. He was there to improve the culture at the Titans, and the words Mal had with Tino and his family gave him confidence the club was rebuilding and heading in the right direction. "Tino was a key figure in that and was confident to go to the Titans with Mal there."

Computing icon to return as Commodore 64 gets a makeover
Computing icon to return as Commodore 64 gets a makeover

Sydney Morning Herald

time3 hours ago

  • Sydney Morning Herald

Computing icon to return as Commodore 64 gets a makeover

While Simpson was cautious in his YouTube video announcing the deal to point out that the funds ('somewhere in the low seven figures') were not yet secure, he announced soon after that it had been finalised. Thanks to the help of unnamed angel investors, the new Commodore was born. Released in 1982, the Commodore 64 is recognised as the all-time best-selling model of a desktop computer. Many Australians will remember it as their first computer, whether they used it to run business and accounting software, to learn programming, as a word processor or as a games machine. The easy accessibility of software on the Commodore 64 kept it relevant in Australia long into the ′90s, despite the rise of more impressive home video game systems. Like many ′ 80s computers, the Commodore 64 has all its hardware in a single unit under the keyboard, so you only needed to plug it into a monitor or TV to get started. There was also a range of disk drives, printers, modems, joysticks and other devices you could plug in. The simple and tactile nature of the machine compared with the computers of today has given it major nostalgic appeal, and there remains a demand for compatible parts, systems and software. That's how Young came to be involved in the scene. He has worked full-time in retro computing for the past five years, after leaving his job in the renewable energy sector and establishing a company called Retro Fuzion in 2020. 'After COVID hit, we had a shift in government subsidies for renewable energy systems, we couldn't go out and meet with clients and do our ordinary consultations. It kind of shut down the entire industry,' he said. 'Being a little bit of a tinkerer, and having quite a large vintage computer collection myself, I started doing some work for local enthusiasts. Restoring systems and doing upgrades. It's just kind of grown organically from there.' Early on, Young identified a gap in the market for certain reproduction parts; things that break on 40-year-old computers but are impossible to replace unless you harvest them from another unit. Retro Fuzion now focuses on engineering and producing these parts, and has been able to expand to hire additional staff and secure property for an office space and warehouse. Last year, the company completed a successful Indiegogo campaign to produce replacement casings for the Commodore 64, in the original 'breadbin' shape. Young sent some to Simpson to feature on his YouTube channel, and that's where their business relationship began. Also on board is fellow Australian Leo Nigro, who previously created a custom Linux operating system used by Commodore for its 2011 Intel-based Commodore 64x PC, to allow old games to be played on the modern hardware. He's joined the new company as lead engineer. The company's first order of business is to ship something called the Commodore 64 Ultimate. Using hardware emulation to get performance as close as possible to the original machine while leaving room for options like more memory or extra sound channels, the nostalgic computer can replace the original but also supports modern standards like HDMI, USB and Wi-Fi. It even works with modern printers. It comes in the original beige design, or translucent plastic with RGB lighting, and starts at $462. Loading 'It supports your original disk drives and monitors, your datasette, you name it. Pretty much all peripherals are compatible, as well as the vast majority of games and programs that we've tested,' Young said. 'We're saying at least 99 per cent compatibility, but it might be much more than that.' Users who don't have a collection of original Commodore 64 stuff to plug in can still use the Ultimate with a modern screen, storing programs on USB and SD card, or even downloading them over the internet. The company plans to bundle the machine with a collection of games and software, both old and new. But while Young is confident of strong demand for the new version of the Commodore 64, the resurrected company also has an eye to the future. In his press release, Simpson said Commodore would be an optimistic digital detox brand, aiming to fulfil the ′90s-era promise of future technology that served people, which had been stolen by addictive screens and greedy corporations. 'We want to take a step back to when tech was much simpler. It was more friendly, more inviting, and there was an excitement about the future. I don't think we have that same feeling today,' Young said.

Computing icon to return as Commodore 64 gets a makeover
Computing icon to return as Commodore 64 gets a makeover

The Age

time3 hours ago

  • The Age

Computing icon to return as Commodore 64 gets a makeover

While Simpson was cautious in his YouTube video announcing the deal to point out that the funds ('somewhere in the low seven figures') were not yet secure, he announced soon after that it had been finalised. Thanks to the help of unnamed angel investors, the new Commodore was born. Released in 1982, the Commodore 64 is recognised as the all-time best-selling model of a desktop computer. Many Australians will remember it as their first computer, whether they used it to run business and accounting software, to learn programming, as a word processor or as a games machine. The easy accessibility of software on the Commodore 64 kept it relevant in Australia long into the ′90s, despite the rise of more impressive home video game systems. Like many ′ 80s computers, the Commodore 64 has all its hardware in a single unit under the keyboard, so you only needed to plug it into a monitor or TV to get started. There was also a range of disk drives, printers, modems, joysticks and other devices you could plug in. The simple and tactile nature of the machine compared with the computers of today has given it major nostalgic appeal, and there remains a demand for compatible parts, systems and software. That's how Young came to be involved in the scene. He has worked full-time in retro computing for the past five years, after leaving his job in the renewable energy sector and establishing a company called Retro Fuzion in 2020. 'After COVID hit, we had a shift in government subsidies for renewable energy systems, we couldn't go out and meet with clients and do our ordinary consultations. It kind of shut down the entire industry,' he said. 'Being a little bit of a tinkerer, and having quite a large vintage computer collection myself, I started doing some work for local enthusiasts. Restoring systems and doing upgrades. It's just kind of grown organically from there.' Early on, Young identified a gap in the market for certain reproduction parts; things that break on 40-year-old computers but are impossible to replace unless you harvest them from another unit. Retro Fuzion now focuses on engineering and producing these parts, and has been able to expand to hire additional staff and secure property for an office space and warehouse. Last year, the company completed a successful Indiegogo campaign to produce replacement casings for the Commodore 64, in the original 'breadbin' shape. Young sent some to Simpson to feature on his YouTube channel, and that's where their business relationship began. Also on board is fellow Australian Leo Nigro, who previously created a custom Linux operating system used by Commodore for its 2011 Intel-based Commodore 64x PC, to allow old games to be played on the modern hardware. He's joined the new company as lead engineer. The company's first order of business is to ship something called the Commodore 64 Ultimate. Using hardware emulation to get performance as close as possible to the original machine while leaving room for options like more memory or extra sound channels, the nostalgic computer can replace the original but also supports modern standards like HDMI, USB and Wi-Fi. It even works with modern printers. It comes in the original beige design, or translucent plastic with RGB lighting, and starts at $462. Loading 'It supports your original disk drives and monitors, your datasette, you name it. Pretty much all peripherals are compatible, as well as the vast majority of games and programs that we've tested,' Young said. 'We're saying at least 99 per cent compatibility, but it might be much more than that.' Users who don't have a collection of original Commodore 64 stuff to plug in can still use the Ultimate with a modern screen, storing programs on USB and SD card, or even downloading them over the internet. The company plans to bundle the machine with a collection of games and software, both old and new. But while Young is confident of strong demand for the new version of the Commodore 64, the resurrected company also has an eye to the future. In his press release, Simpson said Commodore would be an optimistic digital detox brand, aiming to fulfil the ′90s-era promise of future technology that served people, which had been stolen by addictive screens and greedy corporations. 'We want to take a step back to when tech was much simpler. It was more friendly, more inviting, and there was an excitement about the future. I don't think we have that same feeling today,' Young said.

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