### Issue 1706 - Wednesday 5th October, 2022

## In Today's Issue

- Elon Musk changes mind and will buy Twitter if they drop lawsuit against him
- EU makes USB-C charging mandatory on most devices by 2024
- G4S data breach, VLC upset they're still banned in India, Matter smart home protocol gets a v1.0 release
- Briar is a secure messaging app that can work offline
- Cheap RX6600 GPU, GoPro dual battery charger & batteries, Logitech MX Keys Mini, Crucial PCIe SSDs, eBay "eligible items" sale

## The News

### Elon Musk changes mind and will buy Twitter if they drop lawsuit against him

Elon Musk told the SEC today that he will buy Twitter for the US$44b they agreed on months ago, but only if Twitter drops its lawsuit against him. Sounds like an obvious decision for Twitter and its shareholders, but what made Elon change his mind after all the bullshit he whipped up to not buy Twitter? Musk hasn't said why he changed his mind, but tweeted this morning that "Buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app" - likely a reference to X.com, his startup that evolved into PayPal. Reading between the lines however, it's likely Elon is shitting himself at the prospect of the discovery process for the lawsuit digging up more dirt, the planned deposition for next week that will inevitably be made public and of course, the trial itself.

### EU makes USB-C charging mandatory on most devices by 2024

The EU has inched closer towards making USB-C charging mandatory for all "new mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld videogame consoles and portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigation systems, earbuds and laptops that are rechargeable via a wired cable" overnight. The laws will start being enforced by 2024, so Apple will have to put USB-C on the iPhone 17 at the latest. The iPhone is pretty much the only thing on that list of products that isn't USB-C already so in practice, it's just Apple that'll be dragged kicking and screaming. Thank you European Union!

### G4S data breach, VLC upset they're still banned in India, Matter smart home protocol gets a v1.0 release

- Evil security firm G4S, who also runs a few prisons in Australia, has been the victim of a ransomware attack. Their employee database was leaked - "employee names, addresses, dates of birth, contact details, police and medical checks, tax file numbers, bank account details, superannuation information, Medicare numbers and licence details" and even payslips and health information are now in the wild.
- VLC, the best video playback app, has had its website blocked in India since March and nobody is telling VLC why. VLC is now threatening to sue the Indian government to get answers. There's a theory that VLC was blocked because Chinese hackers were using fake versions of VLC filled with malware, but that was revealed after India started blocking VLC's website, so who the fuck knows.
- Matter, the "a royalty-free home automation connectivity standard" devised by Apple, Amazon, Google, Samsung, the Zigbee Alliance and dozens of other companies as members of the Connectivity Standards Alliance, has finally released version 1.0 of its specification. This will mean all those smart home gadgets will be able to talk to each other via a common standard. Expect to read a lot more about Matter and how it works in the coming months.

## Something I Saw On The Internet

### Briar is a secure messaging app that can work offline

Briar is an interesting secure messaging app. Unlike Signal, "Briar doesn't rely on a central server - messages are synchronized directly between the users' devices. If the internet's down, Briar can sync via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, keeping the information flowing in a crisis. If the internet's up, Briar can sync via the Tor network, protecting users and their relationships from surveillance". Keep this one handy for when society collapses and/or you're somewhere with a bunch of people but there's no internet.

## Bargains

- ASUS RX6600 8GB graphics card - $324.72 from Computer Alliance's eBay store
- GoPro Dual Battery Charger and 2 Enduro Batteries - $79.20 from DigiDirect's eBay store
- Logitech MX Keys Mini Wireless Keyboard - $127.20 from DigiDirect's eBay store
- Crucial P5 Plus PCIe 4.0 SSD 1TB/2TB - $155.95/$292.95 from Shopping Square
- 20% off "eligible items" at DigiDirect's eBay store
- 12% off "eligible items" for eBay Plus members

## The End

📻 Everlong - Greta Stanley

😎 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 or change email address? Visit the customer portal.

📚 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!

## 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.