### Issue 1811 - Thursday 23rd March, 2023

## In Today's Issue

- Microsoft's Loop app is heavily inspired by productivity app Notion
- Counter-Strike 2, Coinbase gets more SEC heat, GitHub Copilot gains more features
- Cyber security minister hints at making companies responsible for crap infosec
- Little Snitch Mini is a very handy Mac application
- Cheap Nintendo Switch games, 42" LG C2 OLED TV, Sigma 200-500mm f/2.8 lens, Logitech MX Master 3S mouse, Samsung 49" 240Hz monitor

## The News

### Microsoft's Loop app is heavily inspired by productivity app Notion

Microsoft's got a new app called Loop - their take on Notion, the trendy organisational tool. Here's a 2 minute sizzle reel of what Microsoft thinks people will use Loop for. It really looks like Notion, but Microsoft, to me. I guess this is Microsoft's business model now (some would argue it's always been their business model)? Find a popular productivity app, shameless copy it and slap it into the 365 subscription almost every company in the western world is already paying for, wait for it to gain adoption then jack up the price of 365 while your competitor struggles for traction. Cool.

### Counter-Strike 2, Coinbase gets more SEC heat, GitHub Copilot gains more features

- A follow up to the classic first person shooter Counter-Strike is coming "this summer". It's more or less the same game but with a "technical overhaul". One of the headline features of CS2 is "physically rendered, malleable volumetric smoke that responds more naturally to lighting, geometry, and objects passing through it".
- According to Reuters, the USA's SEC has sent a "Wells notice" (formal declaration that SEC staff intend to recommend an enforcement action) to I think the world's largest cryptocurrency business, Coinbase. Something to do with Coinbase's "spot market as well as its Earn, Prime and Wallet products". Coinbase reckons the SEC is confused.
- GitHub has begun testing "Copilot X", a juiced up version of their existing AI-powered Copilot programming assistant feature. Copilot X is "a readily accessible AI assistant throughout the entire development lifecycle". There's a list of all the features (Copilot for pull requests, Copilot for docs, Copilot for CLI, etc) on GitHub's website.

### Cyber security minister hints at making companies responsible for crap infosec

In a keynote speech at the Australian Information Security Association's Cyber Conference, cyber security minister Clare O'Neil said that she's thinking about a law that creates "a legislative framework to shift cyber security risks away from our most vulnerable members of the community towards those who are best placed to manage it, including software and cyber security service providers, telecommunications firms and technology developers". Reading between the lines, that's penalties for making shit software or having shit cyber security practices. Let's see what happens with the currently in development cyber security strategy before getting too excited.

## Something I Saw On The Internet

### Little Snitch Mini is a very handy Mac application

Little Snitch is a very popular app on macOS that I've used regularly to deny or allow apps access to the internet. Every now and then it's alerted me to background processes sending stuff I didn't know where sending stuff! Over the years it got loaded with cool and useful features, but for most people it's unnecessary when all they want is "fucken stupid app, stop using internet please". If that's all you need, check out Little Snitch Mini. It's cheaper ($1.99/m or $20.49/yr) and also easier to use. I like it.

## Bargains

- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Odyssey, New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe, Super Mario Maker 2 or Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury for the Nintendo Switch - $53.10 each from EB Games eBay store
- LG C2 42" OLED 4K TV - $995 from The Good Guys eBay store
- Apple iPhone 14 Pro (128 GB) Gold - $1529 from Amazon (remember Officeworks price beat)
- Sigma 200-500mm f/2.8 APO Ex DG lens Canon EF mount - $24,735 + 9.95 delivery from Georges Cameras
- Logitech MX Master 3S Wireless Mouse - $126 from JB Hi-Fi
- Samsung LC49G95TSSEXXY 49" 240Hz 5120x1440 monitor - $1549 from Computer Alliance's eBay store

## Image Of The Day

A funny greeting card I saw at the ACMI gift shop in 2022 that I thought was funny.

## The End

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