### Issue 1902 - Thursday 3rd August, 2023

## In Today's Issue

- Meta bans the linking of news in Canada, sound familiar?
- China to introduce even stricter device & internet restrictions for children
- Hide the shame of paying Elon Musk for a blue tick on X
- Sony's LSPX-S3 glass Bluetooth speaker is Sony at its weird best
- Cheap Sony headphones, Boost Mobile SIM, Pro-Ject & Rotel hi-fi pack, Age of Empires 3, refurb Seagate 18TB HDDs, 10% off Macs at JB, Xbox Series X & Diablo IV bundle

## The News

### Meta bans the linking of news in Canada, sound familiar?

Remember in 2021 when Facebook banned linking to Australian news articles on their platform because the media companies got the government to make up a law (News Media Bargaining Code) saying Facebook had to pay them a fee when users link to their articles? Then Facebook said that's fucked, we'll just ban the links so we don't have to pay, then after only a few days the media companies realised they need Facebook's traffic to remain relevant, so told the government to weaken the code to the point Facebook was okay with it, then cobbled together undisclosed agreements with Facebook to save face? Yeah, so that exact same thing has been happening in Canada the past few months and today they're up to the "Facebook banned links to news" stage. Good luck Canucks.

⬆ Share or Discuss

### China to introduce even stricter device & internet restrictions for children

The Cyberspace Administration of China is proposing that "device makers and app store operators" (i.e: Apple, Tencent, Baidu etc.) create something called "minor mode" and make it mandatory. It would limit device usage based on a user's age (max of 40 min/day under 8yo to a max of 2hrs/day for 16-18yo), ban them from using the device between 10pm and 6am, plus limit app stores to only allow apps to be downloaded with parental guidance (i.e: parents have to approve all downloads) for kids under 12 and for older kids, only download apps specifically rated by the government for minors. As horrific as it sounds to me, I bet if you floated this idea in a series of vox pops in the street without telling them its what they're doing in China, the vast majority of parents would love it.

⬆ Share or Discuss

### Hide the shame of paying Elon Musk for a blue tick on X

Twitter/X is so aware that buying a blue tick is so pathetic and sad - sorry to the readers that pay for it, you know it's true - that they've added a feature to Blue that lets you hide the "verification" (there isn't any verification going on besides verifying your credit card works) symbol. You know your product sucks when you have to implement a function to obscure the fact your customers paid for it. It could also be that there are very useful and cool browser extensions that look for the verification symbol locally and block accounts featuring the graphic and/or reference to it in the HTML for you automatically. Really cleans up your timeline as you also need to be verified to advertise, so it has the added bonus of expunging advertisers too.

⬆ Share or Discuss

## Something I Saw On The Internet

### Sony's LSPX-S3 glass Bluetooth speaker is Sony at its weird best

Check out this weird glass speaker from Sony. The LSPX-S3 (classic Sony naming) is a US$350 Bluetooth speaker that went on sale late-2021 that looks like a candlestick. It has "three actuators in the speaker" that are "attached to the end of the glass and vibrate the entire glass tweeter when audio is playing" to "spread sound in every direction". There's an LED built in to simulate a nice warm flame from a candle. Dunno if it ever made its way to Australia, but it looks cool. Would love to hear how it sounds. The Verge reckons it has "no muddiness whatsoever to the sound" and is great for vocals and other string instruments. Definitely more aesthetically pleasing than most Bluetooth speakers.

⬆ Share or Discuss

## Bargains

- Refurbished Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones - $279 from Sony's eBay store
- Refurbished Sony WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones - $378 from Sony's eBay store
- Boost 365-day pre-paid SIM with 260GB data & unlimited calls/SMS - $230 after cashback via Cashrewards
- Pro-Ject E1 Turntable, Rotel CD11 Player, Rotel A10 Amplifier & Monitor Audio Bronze 50 Speaker pack - $1629 from CHT Solutions
- Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition for PC - free on Steam
- Refurbished Seagate ST18000NM000J-FR Exos X18 18TB SATA HDD - $349 from Pongobyte Computers
- 10% off Macs at JB Hi-Fi again
- Xbox Series X Console + Diablo IV Bundle - $799 from David Jones, EB Games and The Gamesmen

## Image Of The Day

Some Internet Archive servers in an alcove at their HQ in San Francisco (Quinn Dombrowski / Flickr)

## The End

📻 The Cynic - Kashmir

😎 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.

## Always Was, Always Will Be Aboriginal Land

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.