### Issue 2140 - Monday 29th July, 2024

I'm back! Thanks Kathy for updating the punters while I had a small break.

## In Today's Issue

- Intel's 13th & 14th-gen CPU microcode update won't fix already busted chips
- Tony Burke is now Australia's cyber security minister
- ACCC's final digital platforms report will focus on dark patterns, online gaming & LLMs
- You can use Apple Maps on the WWW now
- Cheap microSD cards, mini USB flash drive, Apple gift cards, Surface Pro 11th-gen, Tamron E-mount lens, Poly Studio webcam, Boost Mobile SIM, Detroit: Become Human PS4 game, Moto G84 phone

## The News

### Intel's 13th & 14th-gen CPU microcode update won't fix already busted chips

Last week I wrote that Intel's 13th and 14th-gen CPUs are a bit fucked and a microcode update should fix it, but over the weekend we learned that's not quite the case. That microcode update will prevent the issue of incorrect voltages damaging the CPU from happening in the first place, but if the CPU already experienced weird voltages thanks to an oxidization manufacturing issue, too bad, your CPU is permanently damaged. The question now is will Intel do the right thing and do a recall on these CPUs, offering customers a replacement or refund? Or are they going to make the customers put in all the effort to figure out why their computer is randomly crashing and go through the RMA process?

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### Tony Burke is now Australia's cyber security minister

We got a new cyber security minister - Tony Burke, who had the portfolio handed to him after a cabinet reshuffle that saw Clare O'Neil lose it and a bunch of others. So yeah, the government will wheel this bloke out instead of Clare whenever there's a data breach, he will wobble around saying hackers are bad, but do nothing to implement legally binding frameworks to force companies to do stuff to prevent a breach, or criminally punish those that don't take the appropriate steps to prevent them either. As an aside, Tony Burke is now minister for home affairs, minister for immigration and multicultural affairs, minister for cyber security, minister for the arts, and leader of the House. That's fucked.

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### ACCC's final digital platforms report will focus on dark patterns, online gaming & LLMs

The ACCC is gonna have a crack at "potential or emerging competition and consumer issues in digital platform services in Australia which have not previously been examined", like online games, deceptive distribution and subscription models, and "the potential for large digital platforms to strengthen and expand their market power through the integration of Large Language Models". This is also the final report as part of the ACCC's multi-year Digital Platform Services Inquiry. It was always going to be a limited time thing, but it's been so valuable to get an independent overview of the global technology sector's influence in Australia and how it impacts our society, even if politicians didn't do much with those insights unless it aligned with their brain farts. I'll miss these reports.

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## Something I Saw On The Internet

### You can use Apple Maps on the WWW now

Apple popped up out of nowhere and launched a web version of its Maps. Hit up beta.maps.apple.com in Safari or Chrome (no Firefox, oof) and off you go. It's missing stuff like 3D buildings, Look Around (Apple's equivalent of Google's Street View) and the directions are just for driving or walking, but it's a beta and Apple said that stuff is coming eventually. It's great that there's an alternative to Google Maps on the web as while it's probably still the best thing Google does (I'm torn between Maps & YouTube) and my go-to map, there's going to be a day Google does something that'll fuck it up to a point where I can't use it. Open Street Map is cool but Apple's front end to that beautiful collection of cartography is better than anything else out there.

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## Bargains

- SanDisk 256GB Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Flash Drive - $21.57 from Amazon Germany
- SanDisk 1TB or 512GB Ultra microSDXC Card - $83.61/$32.69 from Amazon Germany
- 20x Flybuys points on Apple gift cards at Coles
- Microsoft Surface Pro 11th-gen (Snapdragon X Plus, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) - $1999 from Emporium Electronics
- Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD APS-C Sony E-Mount lens - $797.61 from Amazon Germany
- Poly Studio P5 1080p USB webcam - $73.14 from Amazon USA
- Boost Mobile 365-day SIM with 170GB data, unlimited calls & SMS - $190 from Lucky Mobile
- Detroit: Become Human for PS4 - $19.97 on the PlayStation Store
- Motorola Moto G84 smartphone - $270 from Big W

## Image Of The Day

SONY BNE3VBPJ2 2x Japan 2013 (juri.su)

## The End

📻 Custard - Monkey

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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.