We got our first proper look at the latest installment of my favourite video game franchise, Civilization VII. The main change from previous Civ games is an "Ages" system, that breaks the game up into three segments: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern and you kinda get to reset between each age, choosing a new leader/civ and other stuff. Players that loved to stack military units might like a new feature that lets you stack them and move them around the map, then deploy the units to surrounding tiles. You can check out the 25-min video of Civ 7 game play up on YouTube. Civ 7 gets released Feb 11, 2025 (Feb 6 if you pre-order) and will be on consoles as well as Windows, Mac and Linux via Steam and the Epic Game Store.
The government confirmed they won't introduce the much awaited Privacy Act updates until later in September, which due to the fact the updates will certainly be referred to a committee for review before voting, means the Act itself won't be passed until early next year at best (possibly even longer if the review highlights stuff lacking in the bill and the Libs & Greens don't like it). Meanwhile, the OAIC has dropped taking any further action against Clearview AI, "despite no sign from the company it has complied with a ruling ordering the images to be deleted". Maybe if we had a stronger Privacy Act passed by now, the OAIC would have a longer rope to whip these privacy invading bastards with.
Some good news for SunCable's wild, but very plausible idea to run a 4,200km power cable from Australia to Singapore to sell them our sun - the federal environment minister has approved a bunch of permits. The first stage "will provide an initial 900 MW of continuous power into Darwin, growing to 4 GW, from the solar and battery arrays that will be built on a former pastoral station between Elliot and Tennant Creek". The approval also includes permission to build a subsea cable from Darwin out to Australian waters, which forms part of the long term plan for up to 12GW of solar and 12GW of wind now that Andrew Forrest has extracted himself and the plan to manufacture hydrogen gone with it. Suncable expects a "Final Investment Decision" by 2027.
Looking for a book as a gift for a nerd in your life? Maybe you just like looking at pretty pictures of electronics? Open Circuits - The Inner Beauty of Electronic Components by Windell Oskay and Eric Schlaepfer may be the book you're looking for. It's a "photographic exploration of the beautiful design inside everyday electronics. Its stunning cross-section photography unlocks a hidden world full of elegance, subtle complexity, and wonder". I bet the vast majority of you would enjoy flicking through its 304 pages of cut up electronics. I know I would.
Robert Elz, the computer programmer who managed the Computer Science servers, suggested to his colleagues that they needed a new system for naming the servers. Preferably it should be sufficiently distinctive and Australian, relate to Melbourne University, and be able to generate multiple names. James Thom, a masters student and tutor in the department, went to the library and looked up a dictionary of Aboriginal words, to see if there were sufficient words starting with "mu", to link it to Melbourne University. The first two words used were "mulga" and "munnari" (for a short-tailed goanna, as there had already been the suggestion to name a server after the popular band, Goanna). James Thom, now at RMIT, notes now that there was no consultation with Aboriginal communities regarding this cultural appropriation. The system stuck, and for decades the Computer Science servers would be named from the list. (The University of Melbourne Engineering and Information Technology Collection)
📻 Pope Dingo - Love Me Like You Hate Me
😎 The Sizzle is curated by Anthony "decryption" Agius and emailed every weekday afternoon.
💬 Checked out the paid subscriber only forum? It's a tidy little place to discuss tech with like minded Aussies.
👋 Forums not your thing? The Sizzle has a Slack group you can procrastinate in and chat with other nerds bored at work.
💳 Paid subscriber looking to manage your billing info, change email address or cancel your subscription? Visit the customer portal.
🎁 Make someone's day and buy them a 12 month gift subscription to The Sizzle.
📚 Browse The Sizzle Archive. A few issues are missing and it's not searchable, but it's better than nothing.
🫂 Friends of The Sizzle is a small group of businesses or organisations operated by Sizzle subscribers. Support your fellow Sizzler!
💔 Tired of my bullshit? Unsubscribe and I'll never speak to you again.
The Sizzle is created on Wathaurong land and acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, recognising their continuing connection to land, water and community. I pay my respect to them and their cultures and to elders both past and present.