### Issue 2233 - Monday 9th December, 2024

## In Today's Issue

- Court rejects TikTok's appeal, must be sold to US company or will be kicked out of country
- Senate recommends further access to encrypted comms for cops to combat kids being radicalised in video games & social media
- auDA's WHOIS has a privacy whoopsie, Microsoft discontinues Surface Studio, Adelaide hosts national Responsible AI Research Centre
- Alchemy Charge looks like a practical sollution for apartment EV charging
- Cheap Superlux headphones, Anker USB charger, SVS subwoofer, Amazon Echo Show 5, Fire TV 4K stick, Boost Mobile, SanDisk 512GB microSD

## The News

### Court rejects TikTok's appeal, must be sold to US company or will be kicked out of country

Courts in the USA have upheld a law forcing TikTok's owner Bytedance to sell TikTok to a US-based company. Bytedance sued the government a while ago, saying it was "an unconstitutional infringement on free speech", but the court didn't buy the argument. The judges decided that "the First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States. Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary's ability to gather data on people in the United States". I reckon in a few weeks we will see an announcement that TikTok's US operations have been purchased by one of Trump's mates for an undisclosed sum.

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### Senate recommends further access to encrypted comms for cops to combat kids being radicalised in video games & social media

A Senate inquiry into Australian rightwing extremist movements has recommended "the Australian government considers introducing legislation that would enable Australian law enforcement and intelligence agencies to access encrypted communications if there is a well-‍founded threat to national security and a warrant has been issued by a judicial officer to access those communications". I thought Aussie spooks already have this power via The Assistance and Access Act 2018?? The inquiry also wants "research into violent extremism in the online environment, including on: social media platforms; gaming platforms; and gaming-adjacent platforms" to examine how those platforms "may be used by extremist actors to spread propaganda and recruit members, particularly in relation to young people".

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### auDA's WHOIS has a privacy whoopsie, Microsoft discontinues Surface Studio, Adelaide hosts national Responsible AI Research Centre

- auDA (the folks responsible for .au domain names) put out a statement on Friday arvo saying there was "a software error in a tool on the WHOIS page of its website" that "meant it was possible to view additional registrant information contained within the domain name record (postal address, phone and fax number)" via "developer tools, available within web browsers". Cool.
- Microsoft's discontinued the Surface Studio. Remember? The desktop PC with a touch screen you could use like a drawing board? Yeah I forgot they still sold it too. I got a Surface Studio to review back in 2017 for PC & Tech Authority (RIP) and said at the time "a few executives will buy it as desk candy, but for the rest of us, unless you're a creative professional whose software of choice has good multi-touch support, it’s difficult to recommend this expensive, but beautiful computer".
- Adelaide now has a "groundbreaking new research centre" to "tackle the challenges of AI adoption". The Responsible AI Research Centre (RAIR) is backed with $20m from CSIRO, the SA state government and the University of Adelaide to "embark on world-leading research that will ensure AI implementation addresses misinformation risks, considers diverse perspectives and can explain its actions". Yes, I'm sure it will.

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## Something I Saw On The Internet

### Alchemy Charge looks like a practical sollution for apartment EV charging

Neerav Bhatt's got a nice story about Alchemy Charge over on the Solar Quotes blog. It's a practical and cheap way to get EV charging going anywhere, but in particular, apartment buildings. The product itself is essentially a bog standard 10A 3-pin power outlet with a power meter and wi-fi or a 4G modem built-in that monitors how much power is used so it can be billed/reimbursed back to the owner. The reason it's so practical is that it doesn't need a lot of power (just 10A) versus 30A or more on a "normal" EV charger, which most apartment building car parks aren't capable of, a problem that compounds should multiple people want a 30A car charger. Yeah, it'll take longer to charge, but topping up each night should be more than adequate for most apartment dwellers.

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## Bargains

- Superlux HD681 AIR headphones - $39 from Artist Guitars
- Anker 323 33W Dual Port USB-C Charger - $18.99 from Amazon
- SVS PB4000 Subwoofer - $4099 from CHT Solutions
- Amazon Echo Show 5 - $99 from Amazon
- Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K - $49 from The Good Guys
- Boost Mobile 365-day SIM with 265GB data, unlimited calls & SMS - $208 after cashback via TopCashback
- SanDisk 512GB Extreme microSDXC - $69 at MSY (can get Officeworks to price beat)

## Image Of The Day

Go behind the scenes at Apple, as they showcase their state-of-the-art Audio Lab, where Genelec monitors are helping to develop the world’s first endtoend hearing health experience. (Apple)

## The End

📻 Radiohead - Polyethylene (Parts 1 & 2) - Remastered

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