### Issue 1341 - Monday 12th April, 2021

Everyone give a big thanks to Pete for sending out The Sizzle while I took a break! If you like the cut of his jib, be sure to check out his podcasts - The Helpdesk and Meta.

## In Today's Issue

- Google accidentally admits to anti-competitive behaviour in the ad market
- No new Logitech universal remotes, but support to continue indefinitely
- Man angry about Parler getting booted off Amazon arrested for planning to bomb AWS datacentres
- Tageslich is the pro way to stream your iOS device's screen to an external display
- Cheap AirPods Pro, Halo: Master Chief Collection, Yamaha amp, Netgear 5G modem, Lexar 64GB USB drive, Google Nest Hub, Age of Empires Definitive Collection, Telstra 4GX modem, Samsung 49" monitor

## The News

### Google accidentally admits to anti-competitive behaviour in the ad market

Google got caught red-handed admitting it "used data about historical bids made through Google Ads to adjust its clients' bids and increase their chances of winning auctions for ad impressions that would have otherwise been won by rival ad tools". They called this conniving practice Project Bernanke and of course, never told anyone about it. This action generated "hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for the company annually". How did they admit this? Their submission to a Texas antitrust lawsuit "wasn't properly redacted when uploaded to the court's public docket". What a self-own.

### No new Logitech universal remotes, but support to continue indefinitely

Logitech has decided to no longer manufacture its popular range of Harmony universal remotes. Even though they'll no longer be made, there's still stock in the retail channel and Logitech plans to "support our Harmony community and new Harmony customers, which includes access to our software and apps to set up and manage your remotes. We also plan to continue to update the platform and add devices to our Harmony database. Customer and warranty support will continue to be offered" - I give it 12-18 months before Logitech shuts it all down entirely.

### Man angry about Parler getting booted off Amazon arrested for planning to bomb AWS datacentres

The FBI arrested terrorist Seth Pendley last week, alleging that he concocted "a plot to destroy an Amazon Web Services data center in northern Virginia with C-4 plastic explosives" because he was pissed off with Amazon refusing to host Parler. We've all wanted to blow up a datacentre or two in our time, but this guy posted on forums explaining his plot constantly (which is what tipped off the FBI), built "special boxes that would direct the force of the blasts", purchased maps of where the AWS datacentres are located and was ultimately busted purchasing C-4 off an undercover FBI agent he detailed his plan to on Signal.

## Something I Saw On The Internet

### Tageslich is the pro way to stream your iOS device's screen to an external display

Tageslich‪t‬ is a very simple iOS app which costs $6.99 that'll stream your device's camera direct to an external display (either plugged in via a cable, or over AirPlay) without any borders or UI junk with low latency and the correct orientation so the image fills the screen. That's it. That's all it does. Strap it to a tripod with a horizontal arm and you've got a makeshift document camera like in a lecture theater so people sitting far away can see a physical object up on a big screen.

## Bargains

- Apple AirPods Pro - $310 at Officeworks & JB Hi-Fi
- Halo: The Master Chief Collection for Xbox One - $24.97 from the Microsoft Store
- Yamaha RX-V4A 5.2ch receiver - $655 delivered from CHT Solutions
- Netgear Nighthawk M5 5G modem - $699 outright from Telstra
- Lexar 64GB M35 JumpDrive USB 3.0 - $10 delivered from CentreCom
- Google Nest Hub (2nd-gen) - $148 at Harvey Norman (or get Officeworks/Bunnings to price match)
- Age of Empires Definitive Collection for PC - $32.58 from Steam
- Telstra MF910Y Wi-Fi 4GX modem - $49 at Coles
- Samsung LC49RG90SSEXXY 49" gaming monitor - $1439 + delivery from Bing Lee

## The End

📻 The Other Black Dog - Genesis Owusu

😎 The Sizzle is curated by Anthony "@decryption" Agius and emailed every weekday afternoon.

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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.​