Leigh :) Stark 🦄

Pickr adds a world first: personalised benchmarks – Pickr Pickr introduces a feature no other reviews website in the world offers: a way to personalise review benchmarks with devices you may already own and use.

I've been reviewing for almost 20 years, and there's one consistently misunderstood aspect: benchmarks. They say what's fast, but it's not always easy to relate to.

This week, Pickr launches a bit of a world first: a personalised benchmark you can add your phone to. And it stays as you browse.

I joked a while back that I'd like to try. Honestly have no idea where I'd begin.

Congrats!

Optus fixes outage, but more than phones need a restart – Pickr Following an Optus outage in February 2026, if you have more than just phones using Optus, you may need to literally turn it off and on again.

What went wrong when Optus went down? I decided to turn it into an animation for my news piece. Because I could.

Can't wait to join #channels again for those classic Star Wars IRC games.

Why do men send these pics to women? Let me tell you, it’s not attractive The vast majority of women and girls have received intimate photos from men. It’s a terrible idea.

This is a great column by @jennaprice.bsky.social. Surprised by LinkedIn's use in this type of messaging, but also concerned what life will be like for my girls. www.smh.com.au/national/why...

How to stay safe in the era of AI – Pickr AI is a part of life for many people, but it's also something scammers are using. How do you stay safe in a world where AI is present?

It's Safer Internet Day today, and today I have a custom passphrase generator in my article. Why?

Scammers are using voice clones to trick people into thinking their kids are in danger, extorting them with a scam. Even one word from this tool would be difficult to guess in an "urgent" scam call.

Australia's ad-free tech news and reviews – Pickr We're trying something different at Pickr starting from this week. You might to see us about town, because we want people to know Pickr is ad-free and proud.

I used this approach to advertise that my site is ad-free with ironic ad placements at random places around the country last year. It was my coffee money basically.

I wonder if one could have used the time to advertise on boards around the stadium. For fun. Clearly.

That was awesome. #badbunny #superbowl

That looks really good.

How anyone can protect an iPhone from unwanted pics – Pickr Most messages come from friends and family, but what happens when unwanted pics and texts arrive on an iPhone? There's a setting for that.

Ahead of Safer Internet Day this week, I decided to look into how folks can protect their phones from unwanted photos with a bit of interactivity.

I've definitely been inspired by the excellent work from ABC Story Lab in recent additions to stories, and this is the most advanced from me yet.

I get that trains need maintenance, but it is staggering that no one at Transport NSW thought to plan express buses to Sydenham for the still functioning metro line while the trains are down, and we're instead sitting on 1.5 hour bus rides without working AC.

Just a joke.

Will be curious to see how my ad-free page goes.

Does drawing a dinosaur count as fun at work?

What's that?

Such a fun way to describe an update on air. I just did it on ABC Melbourne!

Meta. I have made fun of how they look on me on air regularly at this point. Because they really do look ridiculous on me. I love the technology. The look, less so.

Send it to me. I'll run it through the transcription app I've been building to catalogue and learn from my radio appearances (bet it comes out the same).

I think I'm reviewing a pair.

The image preview made me think it was a skit in "Make Some Noise". But also, I have had clients ask what I can do to improve their AI pickup. My response is always "it's the same".

Do great SEO across content and technical -- holistic -- and you'll see results for both. It's not rocket science.

Beyond the blog: new features for Pickr – Pickr As Pickr turns ten, we're improving the features to make our award-winning publication better than ever.

Pickr turns 10 this year. To celebrate, I've added new features, including:
A Helpr tool to let you filter reviews quickly
Custom AI that not only reads the voice in the author's style, but uses solar and home energy
So many author additions for greater trust

...and more. Tell me what you think.

I suspect some of those terms will be in Bluey (alongside a great watch) if you want to skip the extra degree. :)

a man dressed as a king with a crown on his head stands on a stage ALT: a man dressed as a king with a crown on his head stands on a stage

Feels like a King George song moment:

We'll have war.
Soon you'll see.
Because you didn't give Nobel to me.

That's true, but for those of us who have left hearts in places, or even grew up there, I'd love to take my family when there's less risk of whatever this period of American life is.

I have actually turned down press trips for this reason. It's just not worth the risk.

Will be interesting to see how the graph looks post this administration. Which clearly is a loose term.

Sounds like a fun time. I'm on dad duty picking up the girls from school, otherwise I'd head in. Would love to have met other SEO folks I read!

I genuinely never understood SXSW in Sydney. It wasn't SXSW in Texas, and it's as @joshtaylor.bsky.social said: LinkedIn as a festival. For me, the nail in the coffin was them asking journos to write marketing ahead of the event in order to get credentials. No thank you.

I'm vaguely curious where the TGA would stand on this. It's a health technology. Surely it would be in their remit to allow.