Plus: a tip from the Sizzle’s India correspondent ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

April 02, 2025 | Read online
# Trump targets news bargaining code, did streaming kill theatres? And bye to BSOD! Plus: a tip from the Sizzle’s India correspondent
Issue 2304 - Wednesday 2 April 2025
# The News
### News media bargaining code officially a Trump target but Albo and Dutton say they’re sticking with it
Australia’s news media bargaining code and local content requirements are officially on the US’s radar as trade grievances (SMH, $). Yesterday, the US trade office listed the two tech policies as “trade issues” with Australia, ahead of the Trump administration’s plan to impose tariffs on — aka tax US citizens who are buying goods from — pretty much the whole world starting tomorrow lmao (Reuters). Both Albanese and Dutton have dug in their heels on the news media bargaining code (ABC News) so we’ll see just how committed they are to the policies. Also on the election front: auspol content is turning up on Rednote, the Chinese TikTok clone that briefly became a meme just before the short-lived US TikTok ban (The Guardian Australia). (BTW, that TikTok ban? It’s set to come back into effect this Saturday). And Clive Palmer has spent $175k to show a debunked 2004 anti-climate change documentary to 10 million Australians on YouTube over two weeks in March (ABC News).
### Has streaming killed movie theatres? Amazon bets no, Netflix says yes
Fresh off clinching the rights to the James Bond franchise, Amazon says it’s plans to release 14 of its MGM movies in actual movie theatres each year (Engadget). Currently sitting at about 5-8 a year now, the tech giant says these movies will only be made available on pay-per-view and Prime after 45 days. It’s also planning on releasing about the same number of movies straight to streaming. This somewhat bucks the trend of other streamers moving away from physical distribution, like Netflix whose CEO literally publicly declared today that theatres are dead (Semafor). I assume the logic behind streamers doing theatrical releases is that a wide theatrical release for a movie gives it an imprimatur of credibility that boosts the film’s profile for streaming later. My take? Nothing beats seeing a certain kind of movie in a packed theatre. I hope we don’t lose that. (On Netflix, I found this Six Colours write-up of using Netflix ads to be spot-on. It is not a good experience)
### Say goodbye to the Blue Screen Of Death that we know and loathe!
A few days back, Microsoft quietly wrote on their blog that they will be redesigning the Blue Screen Of Death (Microsoft).
Proposed new BSOD
The company proposed a design that removes the oddly corny enormous :( and the QR code. Don’t worry, though, we’re not necessarily ending up with a GSOD — green is just the colour used in Windows preview and so may not end up being the colour they choose (The Register).
#### Leftovers
The rules for power banks on flights are changing. Here's what to know (ABC News) Data uploads to generative AI apps surge thirtyfold in just 1 year. Source code, passwords, and intellectual property are all finding their way into GenAI, fuelling a growing risk of data breaches and IP theft. (CyberDaily) LibGen dataset of pirated books used for AI training (Copyright Agency of Australia) Roblox players are going to start getting paid to watch ads (The Verge) NaNoWriMo shut down after AI, content moderation scandals (TechCrunch) Arkansas social media age verification law blocked by federal Judge (Engadget) Tinder’s new AI-powered game assesses your flirting skills (TechCrunch) How Meta’s Upcoming $1,000+ Smart Glasses With a Screen Will Work (Bloomberg, $) DeepMind is holding back release of AI research to give Google an edge (Ars Technica) Andreessen Horowitz in talks to help buy out TikTok’s Chinese owners (FT) Larry Fink says Bitcoin could replace the dollar as the world’s reserve currency because of national debt (Fortune) BYD sales soar as Tesla continues to struggle in Europe (FT, archived) It’s the moment of truth for Zuckerberg’s Trump bet (The Verge)
# Oh, Also
### An update from the Sizzle’s India correspondent
I’m really surprised to be writing this, but I received this tip from my father-in-law — currently serving as the Sizzle’s India correspondent — about what is making tech news in the subcontinent.
Source: my father-in-law on WhatsApp
I have so many questions.
# Bargains
Electrical & Electronics
ANYCUBIC Kobra 2 3D Printers at Amazon AU Neo for $159 Pro for $179 Max for $299 Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 Hazel - $239 at BecexTech eufy S1 Pro Rolling Mop Robotic Vac with Uniclean Station - $1518 at JB Hi-Fi Roborock Qrevo Edge Vacuum Cleaner (White) - $2032 at The Good Guys Commercial (Membership Required)
Computing
Kogan Articulating Triple Monitor Arm for 17" - 27" Monitors - $12 at Kogan Logitech K780 Multi-Device Wireless Keyboard - $75 at Amazon AU MSI PRO MP275Q 27" WQHD 2560x1440 IPS 100Hz Monitor with Built-in Speakers - $189 at Amazon AU GL.iNet Flint 2 (GL-MT6000) AX6000 Dual Band Wi-Fi 6 2.5G Multiport Router - $207 at GL.iNet via Amazon AU HP OmniBook 7 Aero AI PC 13.3" WQXGA 50 TOPs AMD AI 5 340 16GB 512GB SSD AMD 840M - $1299 at HP eBay Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5070 Ti WINDFORCE 16GB Video Card - $1509 at Mwave HP Omen Transcend 14, Intel Ultra 9 185H, 32GB RAM, RTX 4070, 3K OLED - $2559 at HP Official eBay Store
Mobile
[iOS] Budget Finance Expense Tracker - Lifetime Premium - $0 at Apple App Store Boost Mobile 290GB 12-Month Expiry Prepaid SIM for $255 (Ongoing 240GB for $300) plus $60 cashback - $255 at TopCashback AU
# The End
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