Plus: Dune, Marina Abramović, Lou Reed, pesto, and lots of gay TV
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- Alyx Gorman and Michael Sun
We can't stop talking about...
Should we let them in our heads?
Bots  
Should we let them in our heads?
AI-powered brain chips are on the horizon. Although they show promise for treating neurological issues, they also have the potential to steal your literal dreams and sell them on to marketers.
Burger surge  
Wendy’s brave new vision of the future involves dynamic pricing, 'AI-enabled menu changes' and 'suggestive selling'.
Artist's urge  
Laurie Anderson is 'totally, 100%, sadly addicted’ to an AI chatbot she made of her late partner Lou Reed. She asked it to write us a song.
Image purge  
Google pulled the handbrake on some of AI tool Gemini’s drawing abilities, after a 'well-intended feature', designed to produce more diversity, was deployed 'too bluntly'. (It made pictures of Black people as Nazis).
Cook this
The great pesto testo
The great pesto testo
Can supermarket jars capture the magic of the classic Genovese sauce? Tristan Lutze tried nine in a row to find out. Then Alyx made the world's most basic dish (chicken pesto penne) with the winning jar. It was humiliatingly delicious.
Extremely online
Extremely online
The sign of the times is a nightmarish Wonka experience in Glasgow that promised the world and delivered a concrete warehouse with dollar-store decorations, a meth lab, and no chocolate. Police were called and children were scarred – but at least it gave us the internet’s best main character of the year, a forlorn Oompa Loompa who has spawned new artworks and new mashups.

Also in mashups: Monica Lewinsky x Reformation; Marina Abramović x skincare; balls x shoes. Wearing a silly little outfit is always a good idea and asking for advice online is not

Finally, in animals: a frog, a pig, and Flaco the owl, gone but not forgotten.
The funniest things on the internet
Nick White shows us his tabs
Nick White shows us his tabs
The TikTok comedian describes his favourite videos as 'hard watches'. Good luck.
Top of the list
A list – vast array  
Luke B has kindly watched every single show and film in Australia this month. His highlights: the grandiose 3 Body Problem adaptation; Judy Blume delights on screen; and a Patrick Swayze remake that no-one asked for.
Luke B has kindly watched every single show and film in Australia this month. His highlights: the grandiose 3 Body Problem adaptation; Judy Blume delights on screen; and a Patrick Swayze remake that no-one asked for.
Another list – gay gay gay  
It's gay szn in Sydney! Also Queer As Folk is 25. To celebrate: the best queer TV of all time, courtesy of our writers.
It's gay szn in Sydney! Also Queer As Folk is 25. To celebrate: the best queer TV of all time, courtesy of our writers.
A show - katana spray  
If you thought Game of Thrones would be better with more scheming, no magic and just as much blood, then Shōgun is for you. The period epic set in feudal Japan has lush visuals, complex politics and a lot of beheadings. On Disney+
If you thought Game of Thrones would be better with more scheming, no magic and just as much blood, then Shōgun is for you. The period epic set in feudal Japan has lush visuals, complex politics and a lot of beheadings. On Disney+
A film – Chalamet  
The saga of sandy Timothée and the giant worm continues. This might be the loudest movie of the year? Four stars from our critic! In cinemas now.
The saga of sandy Timothée and the giant worm continues. This might be the loudest movie of the year? Four stars from our critic! In cinemas now.
This week's weirdest story
Glampers rampage
Glampers rampage
The UK has shutdown a fancy campsite after complaints about loud sex and blaring karaoke sessions that featured “delusional” versions of the song Islands in the Stream.
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Lenore Taylor

Editor, Guardian Australia

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