# The Sizzle

### Issue 230 - Friday, 10th September 2016 - Oakley Makes The Shades That Transform A Tool

- Twitter introduces new IM-like features to DMs
- $500m electronic warfare lab to open in SA
- Volkswagen to explore making EVs in China with JAC Motors

- Flightradar chucks an autonomous boat in the ocean to improve plane tracking coverage

NEWS

Twitter introduces new IM-like features to DMs
Twitter has realised that direct messages should be more like an instant messaging app and introduced some new features to do that. You can now see when people are typing, get URL previews and read receipts, on top of the existing ability to DM multiple people at once and allowing yourself to get DMs from people you don't follow. These new features will be rolling out over the next few weeks. I wonder how long it'll be until Twitter splits DMs/instant messaging out to a separate app? Or even if they should do that?
Discuss

$500m electronic warfare lab to open in SA
The defence force will set up a $500m electronic warfare lab in Adelaide to train Army and Navy people to fight with and against electronic weapons. I don't really know what that means, but it's called the "Electronic Warfare Operations Support for Maritime and Land Forces". It sounds like a bunch of fancy weapons that use computers to be launched, will be tested at the Edinburgh Defence precinct, so Australian fighters will know how to use em properly. Sounds like a good idea to me.
Discuss

Volkswagen to explore making EVs in China with JAC Motors
Volkswagen has made a deal with Anhui Jianghuai Automobile (JAC) to explore the feasibility of a joint venture agreement to develop electric cars. There is incredibly little detail in the statement, but it appears that the main purpose of this whole thing is for VW to sell EVs in China, as if you wanna sell cars in China, you gotta hook up with an existing car maker. VW already partners with SAIC and FAW in China for petrol cars, but JAC are a "top seller" of EVs in China, so VW wants to leverage whatever they know, I guess. Wake me up when VW starts to actually ship some electric cars in Australia.
Discuss

COOL SHIT

Flightradar chucks an autonomous boat in the ocean to improve plane tracking coverage
ADS-B is a wonderful tech, that among all the air safety stuff, allows websites like Flightrader and Plane Finder to track all the planes circling the globe and show us via the internet where they are. But when a plane flies over the vast stretches of ocean, they go out of signal range and we can't see where they are. To fill in that gap, Flightradar has launched a wave glider with a radio on top and satellite backhaul to sit in the ocean. To get electricity for the gear and to maintain a position, it uses solar panels and wave energy capture. Awesome stuff, with enough of these, maybe shit like flight MH370 won't happen again.
Discuss

Here endeth the sizzle (until Monday & back at full size!)
--Anthony

The Sizzle is curated by Anthony "@decryption" Agius and emailed every weekday afternoon. Today's subject line is from Pork And Beans, by Weezer. Like The Sizzle? Tell your friends!