### Issue 2196 - Wednesday 16th October, 2024

## In Today's Issue

- Seek takes user data, pumps it into AI/ML systems, no opt-out
- iPad mini gets a bump, as does the Sonos Arc & Sub
- New standards to allow passkey portability
- Raj's favourite indie games from PAX 2024
- Cheap Sennheiser headphones, Boost Mobile SIM, Anbernic handheld console, HomePod, refurb Samsung Watch, Behringer XLR mic

## The News

### Seek takes user data, pumps it into AI/ML systems, no opt-out

In a quiet update to its privacy policy, Seek did the bare minimum to let users know that "we may use your information within artificial intelligence and machine learning systems to tailor features and personalise your experience" - and there's no way to opt-out. Some of those features include "ranking candidates against each other for job listings, scoring how likely a candidate would be approachable for a specific job, and suggesting questions to ask a candidate". I think at this point it's easier to say which companies do not take every scrap of data they have about me to feed it into a black box of algorithms just to see what happens.

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### iPad mini gets a bump, as does the Sonos Arc & Sub

Apple updated the iPad mini last night. It's got an A17 Pro SoC, support for Apple Intelligence, more storage options, support for the Apple Pencil Pro, new colours, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. That's about it. No higher refresh rate display, same camera (but with Smart HDR 4), no Face ID. Price is a little bit cheaper - $799 for the entry level 128GB. Sonos also did a minor product update, releasing a new version of its flagship Arc soundbar and a new subwoofer. The Arc Ultra has fourteen drivers in it using "unique transducer technology from Mayht, a startup that Sonos acquired in 2022", has an "advanced version of Speech Enhancement", Trueplay EQ gets Android support and can be paired with the Ace headphones.

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### New standards to allow passkey portability

The FIDO Alliance published draft specs of the the Credential Exchange Protocol (CXP) and Credential Exchange Format (CXF). These two specs "define a standard format for transferring credentials in a credential manager including passwords, passkeys and more to another provide in a manner that ensures transfer are not made in the clear and are secure by default. Once standardized, these specifications will be open and available for credential providers to implement so their users can have a secure and easy experience when and if they choose to change providers". Thank fuck for that. My main beef with passkeys is being locked-in to a specific vendor (i.e: Apple or Google, or even 1Password), so CXP and CXF makes me a lot more comfortable to start migrating accounts to passkeys where available.

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## Something I Saw On The Internet

### Raj's favourite indie games from PAX 2024

PAX Australia has come and gone and going by my social media accounts, lots of people had lots of fun nerding out for a few days! Raj attended and wrote a little blog post about his favourite 5 indie games he played at the PAX Rising part of the expo - My Arms Are Longer Now, OnOrbit: Virtual Space Lab, Hexaquest, Spies and Soliders and The Drifter. Interestingly, they're all on Steam. All the cool games are there now.

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## Bargains

- Sennheiser HD599 SE Open Back Headphones - $126.65 from Sennheiser's eBay store
- Boost Mobile 365-day SIM with 170GB data, unlimited calls & SMS - $182 from OzTechBiz
- Anbernic RG556 handheld gaming console - $284.99 from Anbernic's eBay store
- Apple HomePod 2nd-gen - $397 from Officeworks
- Refurb Samsung Watch5 Pro LTE 45mm - $219 from Phonebot
- Behringer XM8500 Ultravoice XLR microphone - $30 + delivery ($50+ free delivery) from Better Music

## Image Of The Day

Outside 1 Infinite Loop, April 1st 2016 (Mohammed Jisrawi / X)

## The End

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