brisk

I'm not much of a musician, but I've used MilkyTracker for some chiptune work

A string has two ends

What level are your students (primary school, high school, technical college, university)?

You said it's not a core skill, so what is their core skill? IT? Machinist? Electronics engineer?

C is an excellent "fundamentals" language that anyone with a software engineering and maybe computer science should have exposure too, but if their programming is purely practical (e.g. scripting for IT?) C is essentially irrelevant.

Javascript is very narrow in scope but if they're web designers then it's essential.

I'll back the other commenters that if they need a language they can do useful things in (e.g. simple automations, calculations), Python is hard to pass over.

For me streaks are a double edged sword; if I break a streak then the stat becomes a disincentive

This graph is pretty good too

I have absolutely no idea how comprehensive it is, but Calibre has a book search that shows DRM free as a filterable column.

Three cueing peaked in the 90s.

School is the real world. It's just their world, not yours. It's where they spend a huge fraction of their day and year. School needs to be a livable place regardless of what comes after. "Preparation" if necessary at all, can come at the end or be taught explicitly instead of implicitly.

That does make it sound better, but that change was already a more than a decade overdue

Here's the part most Australians don't know. For years, our petrol would have been illegal in almost every country we'd consider a peer. Europe hit 10ppm sulphur limits back in 2009. The United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, China, even India all got there before us.

Global consultancy Stratas Advisors ranked Australia's fuel quality 85th in the world. We sat between Argentina and Tanzania. A 2017 Commonwealth review put us 70th globally and dead last among the 35 OECD countries.

And what are we going back to?

Air pollution causes approximately 5,000 premature deaths in Australia each year. Vehicle emissions account for a significant chunk of that figure. Research from the University of Melbourne and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare linked dirty fuel directly to heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and asthma. Emerging studies suggest connections to Alzheimer's, dementia, and ADHD.

The annual health cost? Around $17.8 billion, with another $4.5 billion in welfare losses and lost productivity. That exceeds the national burden of obesity.

The International Council on Clean Transportation estimated that proper fuel standards could reduce premature deaths from vehicle emissions by up to 75 per cent. For years, Australian policymakers had that research sitting on their desks.

Similar level to "improve housing availability by freezing housing standards". Hurts the same people it purports to help.

DUBAI, March 11 (Reuters) - Three more vessels have been hit ​by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, maritime security and risk firms said on Wednesday, bringing the number of ships ‌struck in the region since the Iran conflict began to at least 14.

Shipping along the narrow strait has come to a near standstill since the United States and Israel began strikes on Iran on February 28, preventing exports of around a fifth of the world’s oil supply and sending global oil prices surging to highs not seen since 2022.

Iran's ​Revolutionary Guards have warned that any ship passing through the Strait will be targeted. U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to ramp ​up U.S. attacks on Iran if it continues to obstruct the strait.

The Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree dry bulk vessel ⁠was struck by "two projectiles of unknown origin" while sailing through the Strait on Wednesday, causing a fire and damaging the engine room, the ship's Thai-listed ​operator Precious Shipping (PSL.BK) said in a statement.

"Three crew members are reported missing and believed to be trapped in the engine room," Precious Shipping said.

"The company ​is working with the relevant authorities to rescue these three missing crew members," it said, adding that the remaining 20 crew members had been safely evacuated and were ashore in Oman.

Images provided by the Thai navy showed smoke pouring out of the back of the ship.

Iran's Guards said in a statement carried by the Tasnim news ​agency that the ship was "fired upon by Iranian fighters", suggesting the first direct engagement by the Guards who have previously fired missiles or drones.

The ​U.S. Navy has refused near-daily requests from the shipping industry for military escorts through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war on Iran, saying the ‌risk of ⁠attacks is too high for now, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Trump has said the U.S. is prepared to provide naval escorts whenever needed.

TWO OTHER SHIPS SUSTAIN MINOR DAMAGE

Earlier on Wednesday, the Japan-flagged container ship ONE Majesty sustained minor damage from an unknown projectile 25 nautical miles (46 km) northwest of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates, two maritime security firms said.

Its Japanese owner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (9104.T) and a spokesperson for Ocean Network Express (ONE), ​its charterer, said that the vessel ​was struck while at anchor in ⁠the Gulf and an inspection of the hull had revealed minor damage above the waterline.

All crew are safe, they said, adding that the vessel remains fully operational and seaworthy. The owner said the cause of the incident ​remained unclear and was under investigation.

A third vessel, a bulk carrier, was also hit by an unknown ​projectile approximately 50 miles ⁠northwest of Dubai, maritime security firms said.

The projectile had damaged the hull of the Marshall Islands-flagged Star Gwyneth, maritime risk management company Vanguard said, adding that the vessel's crew were safe. Owner Star Bulk Carriers said the ship was hit in the hold area whilst anchored. There were no crew injuries and ⁠no listing.

The ​Guards' statement included a reference to another ship, which it said was hit by projectiles - ​usually a reference to drones - on Wednesday morning. Reuters was not immediately able to confirm that report.