Thomas-M. Stein

Thomas-M. Stein

@tmsstein.com

Interests include science, research, nature and IT, with the occasional foray into politics, human rights and social justice. Humour appreciated. Retired, by the way. No DMs. Dr.-Ing, MSc, BSc. Wiradjuri Country, NSW, Australia. https://tmsstein.com

176 followers218 following188 posts

Thomas-M. Stein reposted

Tanya Janca | SheHacksPurple
@shehackspurple.bsky.social

**Not everything needs to be a damn AI agent.** There. I said it. And I will keep saying it. Warning: hot takes ahead. Recently, I was teaching a secure AI class, and one of my students was telling me about an AI agent they were building. 1/14

Thomas-M. Stein reposted

Scott Helme
@scotthelme.bsky.social

Quite a few people have sent me the "Passkeys are a trap. Do not use them." post on Substack. The post recommends people abandon passkeys and stick to passwords + TOTP, citing what appears to be concerns with attestation. I’ve written a rebuttal: scotthelme.co.uk/passkeys-are...

scotthelme.co.ukPasskeys Are Not a TrapA post called Passkeys are a trap. Do not use them. has been doing the rounds over the last few days, making it pretty high on Hacker News, and I've had it sent to me many times with an 'is this…

Thomas-M. Stein reposted

Tanya Janca | SheHacksPurple
@shehackspurple.bsky.social

Yesterday, someone commented on my LinkedIn asking when the law was going to get involved with AI agents accessing systems they aren't authorized to access. I said I thought it was only a matter of time. Apparently, that time was about 24 hours. 😳 1/5

Thomas-M. Stein reposted

Troy Hunt
@troyhunt.com

Just blogged: It's very easy to pull email addresses from a data breach and make claims about scope that are completely wrong. Like - MASSIVELY wrong - for example: www.troyhunt.com/a-cautionary...

troyhunt.comA Cautionary Tale About Data Breach Claims, Verification and CarharttYou're not going to believe this, but turns out you can't always take criminals at their word. Actually, I'll walk that back a bit as it may not even be the cybercrime guys who got this wrong, but it…
Thomas-M. Stein
@tmsstein.com

'Cyber security expert Troy Hunt criticised the latest update from Origin on Friday, saying it and other large corporations are taking too long to inform and update customers potentially affected by a hack.'

Thomas-M. Stein
@tmsstein.com

... information accessed included some combination of name, address, date of birth, contact phone number, account and other information about the customers' personal circumstances, as well as the last four digits of a credit card, or the last three digits of a bank account.

Thomas-M. Stein
@tmsstein.com

The results of a study by the Universities of Milano-Bicocca and Brescia ‘show a causal link between the age of entry into social networks and cognitive development in adolescence, which should give pause to concerned parents and educational policymakers.’ www.heise.de/en/news/Soci...

heise.deSocial media use: Early own accounts reduce school performanceA study from Italy shows that children with early access to TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat & co. perform worse in math and their native language later on.
Thomas-M. Stein
@tmsstein.com

Many people are kidding themselves by believing that it could never happen to them... "People say that I'm only two pay cheques removed from coming out here," Mr Hutchinson said.

Thomas-M. Stein reposted

BleepingComputer
@bleepingcomputer.com

Authorities in Poland have arrested four members of an organized cybercrime group accused of breaching telecommunications partners and hijacking email accounts to carry out SIM-swapping attacks.

bleepingcomputer.comPoland busts SIM-swapping gang tied to millions in crypto theftAuthorities in Poland have arrested four members of an organized cybercrime group accused of breaching telecommunications partners and hijacking email accounts to carry out SIM-swapping attacks.

Thomas-M. Stein reposted

The Cathy Wilcox
@cathywilcox.bsky.social

Amazing story this morning on AM about a conservative legal organisation, the Samuel Griffiths Society, lobbying the govt on High Court judge appointments. AG Michelle Rowlands refused to comment. Lobbying govt for judicial appointments should be illegal.

Thomas-M. Stein
@tmsstein.com

Shirtloads of Science: Deepfakes Online and The Future of Truth with Dr. Anna Broinowski (464) Episode webpage: shirtloadsofscience.libsyn.com/deeepfakes-o... Media file: traffic.libsyn.com/secure/shirt...

shirtloadsofscience.libsyn.comShirtloads of Science: Deepfakes Online and The Future of Truth with Dr. Anna Broinowski (464)I’m joined by Dr. Anna Broinowski - Senior Lecturer and Director of the Master of Film and Screen Arts at Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney - to unpack the rise of deepfakes and synthet...
Thomas-M. Stein
@tmsstein.com

How to spot psychopaths and narcissists, with Leanne ten Brinke @leannetenbrinke.bsky.social, University of British Columbia, Canada. Podcast and interview by Adam Grant @adamgrant.bsky.social (ReThinking), March 10, 2026 (Transcript and listen) www.ted.com/podcasts/ted...

ted.comHow to spot psychopaths and narcissists, with Leanne ten Brinke (Transcript)TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading - through TED.com, our annual conferences, the annual TED Prize and local TEDx events.
Thomas-M. Stein
@tmsstein.com

"Additionally, we found no statistically significant differences in prevalence of dependence between non-smoker current vapers and non-vaper current smokers in either fixed or random effect model;".. "indicating that e-cigarettes are as addictive as cigarettes"... Kundu et al., 2025

Thomas-M. Stein@tmsstein.com

Evidence update on e-cigarette dependence: A systematic review and meta-analysis Extensive review by Kundu et al., 2025 "... indicating that e-cigarettes are as addictive as cigarettes..." www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

sciencedirect.comEvidence update on e-cigarette dependence: A systematic review and meta-analysisWe conducted this review to examine the risk of e-cigarette dependence in different populations by updating the review on this topic by the National A…
Thomas-M. Stein
@tmsstein.com

Evidence update on e-cigarette dependence: A systematic review and meta-analysis Extensive review by Kundu et al., 2025 "... indicating that e-cigarettes are as addictive as cigarettes..." www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

sciencedirect.comEvidence update on e-cigarette dependence: A systematic review and meta-analysisWe conducted this review to examine the risk of e-cigarette dependence in different populations by updating the review on this topic by the National A…
Thomas-M. Stein
@tmsstein.com

"I have become my mother’s IT help desk" ... "Turn on MFA. Sign this PDF. CRN number? Password incorrect. Swipe up. Scroll down … For many elderly Australians, dealing with today’s digital world has become a nightmare." Great piece by Stephanie Wood www.smh.com.au/national/i-h...

smh.com.auI have become my mother’s IT help desk, like millions of other adult children around the countryTurn on MFA. Sign this PDF. CRN number? Password? Swipe up. Scroll down. For many older Australians, dealing with today’s digital world has become a nightmare.

Thomas-M. Stein reposted

Dave Karpf
@davekarpf.bsky.social

Replying to @davekarpf.bsky.social

That’s not, y’know, GOOD for Bluesky. But it also suggests that it isn’t primarily a culture problem. (Though it’d still suggest we kind of need to be perfect just to beat the broader trend.) It’s worth comparing now to last year, but also compare here to comparable sites.

Thomas-M. Stein reposted

Reuters
@reuters.com

Big Oil to reap billions from Iran war windfall after a month of soaring energy prices reut.rs/4theflf

reut.rsBig Oil to reap billions from Iran war windfall after a month of soaring energy pricesAs Big Oil executives gathered this week and discussed the biggest-ever disruption to global energy supplies due to the war in Iran, there was one impact they did not address publicly: the multibillion-dollar windfall they will make because of soaring prices for the energy they sell.

Thomas-M. Stein reposted

The Saturday Paper
@thesaturdaypaper.com.au

Exclusive: New FOI documents reveal the university regulator's concerns about ANU's governing council's ability to oversee key decisions, including major organisational reforms under the university's "Renew ANU" restructuring program. satpa.pe/skQLGJS

satpa.peExclusive: Regulator threatened independent observer at ANUDocuments released under freedom of information reveal the university regulator was so concerned about governance at ANU it froze key decisions and considered installing an independent observer on council.
Thomas-M. Stein
@tmsstein.com

It is always a matter of choice and what your objectives are. There is no law of physics which says that you should exploit people to become insanely rich. If you submit yourself to the stock market to raise capital, then you're governed by the profit-maximisation paradigm. [1/x]

The Cathy Wilcox@cathywilcox.bsky.social

Remembering how Mike Cannon-Brookes went on 7.30 and told Sarah Ferguson how artists should be happy to give up their IP for free. Reminds me of that troll flagrantly stealing my cartoon. AI depends on theft. www.smh.com.au/national/atl...

smh.com.auAtlassian cuts 1600 jobs in AI pushAustralian software giant will cut 1600 jobs, around 500 of which are in Australia, as it moves towards artificial intelligence.
Thomas-M. Stein
@tmsstein.com

Build your company with your people. Let your people grow with the company and secure their future — then they will secure yours. It is a lifelong and cross-generational endeavour, not governed by quarterly profit margins but by long-term vision. [2/x]

Thomas-M. Stein reposted

Guardian Australia
@australia.theguardian.com

Australians will have to verify their age to watch pornography from Monday. Here’s what you need to know

theguardian.comAustralians will have to verify their age to watch pornography from Monday. Here’s what you need to knowMeasures could include photo ID, facial age estimation, credit card checks and confirmation of age by a parent * Australia social media ban explained: everything you need to know * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Australians will need to verify their age in order to access adult content on a range of places across the internet, with pornography sites and other sites hosting adult content required to have age assurance in place from Monday. How will it work, what will we need to do, and can we avoid it? Continue reading...

Thomas-M. Stein reposted

Eldritch kcarruthers
@kcar.me

Hmmmm where did good job Angus store the Australian fuel reserve again? It might come in handy pretty soon.