# In This Issue

- Neuralink outlines plans for an implantable human-computer interface

- EU to investigate Amazon’s potentially unfair advantage against Marketplace sellers

- Google tells the US Senate that project Dragonfly is dead and buried

- A podcast episode explaining why YouTube struggles to moderate its platform

- Cheap GoPro Hero7 Black, Sonos One, Nokia 9 PureView, Scribd subscription, University of Newcastle basic computing course

# News

#### Neuralink outlines plans for an implantable human-computer interface

Elon Musk went on stage in front of reporters last night and said his startup Neuralink has a plan "to drill four 8mm holes into paralyzed patient's skulls and insert implants that will give them the ability to control computers and smartphones using their thoughts". He went on to say that "we will achieve symbiosis with artificial intelligence" and that "this is not a mandatory thing. It is a thing you can choose to have if you want. This is something that I think will be really important on a civilization-level scale". Right now Neuralink have it working on a rat, but there's no timeline for when it'll work in humans. I've been around enough computers to know that sticking one in my brain is a Bad Idea.

#### EU to investigate Amazon’s potentially unfair advantage against Marketplace sellers

Amazon's getting investigated by the EU's Competition Commission to "assess whether Amazon's use of sensitive data from independent retailers who sell on its marketplace is in breach of EU competition rules". Most of the consternation comes from how Amazon is allegedly using the data it exclusively gathers as the operator of the Amazon Marketplace (sales stats, buyer demographics, etc.), to then make and sell products that compete with independent sellers on the Marketplace. All evidence so far as been anecdotal, so the EU digging around Amazon's business practices will be very interesting indeed.

#### Google tells the US Senate that project Dragonfly is dead and buried

Google's vice president of public policy, Karan Bhatia, as told a US Senate Judiciary Committee that its plans to launch a search engine in China (codenamed Dragonfly) has been "terminated", that Google "have no plans to launch Search in China and there is no work being undertaken on such a project". Stuff said in a Senate Judiciary Committee is supposed to be under oath, so you'd hope Karan isn't bullshitting. If you've forgotten, Dragongly was the project that Google employees cracked the shits over as it goes against Google's claim to never operate in China until they can do so without censorship.

# Not News

#### A podcast episode explaining why YouTube struggles to moderate its platform

You might remember Carlos Maza as the person who blasted YouTube for being hollow on its promises to care for and protect the LGBTQ creators, after creating a highlight reel of all the homophobic abuse he copped from a particularly nasty bloke on YouTube called Steven Crowder. For all its pride statements, YouTube ultimately did pretty much nothing to punish Crowder, piss scared of upsetting "conservatives" and being perceived as biased. The latest episode of Reply All has a solid 30 minute summary of the shit sandwich YouTube eats daily, using the story of Carlos Maza and Steven Crowder to clearly illustrate how thick and meaty that sandwich is.

# Bargains

- GoPro HERO7 Black - $420 from Videopro's eBay store with the code PILOT

- Sonos One smart speaker with Alexa support - $239 delivered from Zumi-X

- Nokia 9 PureView smartphone (Android One) - $699 at JB Hi-Fi

- 6m subscription to Scribd (includes Blinkist, MUBI & Pocket Premium as well as Scribd) - USD$35

- University of Newcastle has a free basic computing short course delivered online

🎶 Turn You Inside Out - R.E.M.

😁 The Sizzle is curated by Anthony "@decryption" Agius and emailed every weekday afternoon. Join us on Slack and chat with other Sizzle subscribers.

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.​