### Issue 1858 - Thursday 1st June, 2023

## In Today's Issue

- Bank that invested in Twitter values business at US$15b, down from US$44b Elon paid for it
- 3rd-party Reddit app Apollo gets enormous quote for access to Reddit API
- eSafety Commissioner approves some industry codes, knocks back others & will make their own
- Doco about Apple dumping 2,700 Lisas in Utah, a good AI op-ed, a YouTube video about how YouTubers make money
- Cheap Amazon Fire TV, Lenovo ThinkStation P910, Razer gaming mouse, Ergotron monitor arm, TP-Link gigabit switch, Philips 32" 4K monitor, Elgato Stream Deck, Bose NC700, Ultimate eGift cards, Kayo/Binge gift cards, Nintendo gift cards, Sony PS5 controller, Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom, Nokia G60 smartphone, Google Pixel 7 Pro

## The News

### Bank that invested in Twitter values business at US$15b, down from US$44b Elon paid for it

Fidelity, one of the banks that stumped up cash to Elon Musk so he could buy Twitter, has downgraded its valuation of the business from US$44b down to US$15b - that's a 65% loss. It's the equivalent of taking $100,000 of my life savings in October 2022 and investing it in an emu farm or whiskey barrels, then trying to sell them to a fresh idiot in June and the best I can get is $35,000. It's unknown how Fidelity came to that number, but I assume they have access to data the public doesn't as Twitter is a private business and they own a chunk of it. Beats me how Twitter will ever triple it's value to be worth $44b again so Elon can break even, let alone exceed that.

### 3rd-party Reddit app Apollo gets enormous quote for access to Reddit API

Christian Selig, developer of popular 3rd-party Reddit app Apollo is getting stung with a US$20m/year bill to continue to access Reddit's API. It's unclear what will happen next for Apollo or other 3rd-party Reddit apps, as Christian explains that "the average Apollo user uses 344 requests per day, which would cost $2.50 per month", double the current subscription price and 20x times the revenue even Reddit themselves get from users. Seems obvious to me that Reddit doesn't want anyone using the API and is trying to funnel everyone into using their very average first party app and thinks they can get away with it because Twitter is doing the same thing. The enshittification continues.

### eSafety Commissioner approves some industry codes, knocks back others & will make their own

The eSafety Commissioner has decided "not to register the Designated Internet Services (DIS) code, covering apps, websites, and file and photo storage services like Apple iCloud and Microsoft One Drive; and the Relevant Electronic Services (RES) code, covering dating sites, online games and instant messaging". According to the commissioner, "the Designated Internet Services code still doesn't require file and photo storage services like iCloud, Google Drive, or OneDrive to detect and flag known child sexual abuse material" and "the Relevant Electronic Services code also doesn't require email services and some partially encrypted messaging services to detect and flag this material either". As a result, the commissioner is going to "develop mandatory and enforceable industry standards for Relevant Electronic Services and Designated Internet Services".

## Something I Saw On The Internet

### Doco about Apple dumping 2,700 Lisas in Utah, a good AI op-ed, a YouTube video about how YouTubers make money

- The Verge has an interesting 30 min doco up on YouTube about Apple's Lisa desktop computer and what happened to it once the Mac went on sale and thousands were sent to a landfill in Utah. I haven't watched it yet.
- Samantha Floreani has had another excellent opinion piece published, this time in the Guardian, explaining how AI is harmful, but not in the nuclear war/master intelligence race/humanity becomes slaves to machines way.
- Benn Jordan has an interesting video outlining all the ways YouTubers make money off their videos. Lots of circumventing regulations around social media advertising. Layers and layers of middle men and obfuscation.

## Bargains

- Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max - $69 from Amazon
- Refurb Lenovo ThinkStation P910 (2x E5-2687W V4 CPU, 64GB RAM, 2x 512GB NVMe SSD & 1x 2TB HDD, GTX 1080 8GB GPU) - $1259.10 from MetroCom's eBay store
- Razer DeathAdder V2 Pro wireless gaming mouse - $65.10 from Amazon
- Ergotron LX Single Monitor Arm (11.3kg rated) - $186.40 from Amazon
- TP-Link LiteWave Gigabit Switch 5-port/8-port - $16.50/$26.50 from Amazon
- Used Philips 328P6V 32" 4K monitor - $174 from Australian Computer Traders
- Elgato Stream Deck 15 Keys Mk. 1 - $135 from Amazon
- Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 - $349 from Amazon
- 8% off Ultimate eGift Cards (includes Officeworks, JB, Good Guys) & 10% off Binge/Kayo gift cards at Amazon
- Sony PS5 DualSense Controllers - $79 at Big W
- Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom for Nintendo Switch - $69 from Big W
- 10% off Nintendo eShop gift cards at Big W in 14 days time
- Nokia G60 Android smartphone - $300.60 from The Good Guys
- Google Pixel 7 Pro 128GB/256GB/512GB - $1049/$1199/$1349 from the Google Store

## Image Of The Day

In the mid-1950s IBM hired prominent designers to rebrand the company, to develop a corporate image that matched its vision for the future. This textile pattern by Angelo Testa and Company features the graphic designer Paul Rand's IBM logo. As just one more aspect to a coordinated corporate identity, this fabric was made for a fully branded IBM environment. (The Henry Ford)

## The End

📻 The Door is Closing - Spirit of the Beehive

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