### Issue 1911 - Wednesday 16th August, 2023

Look, this may be a tech newsletter and all, but Anthony's left me (Raj) in charge again and the Matildas are taking on the Poms tonight in a World Cup semi-final for the ages. Get behind them! Install that horrid Seven+ app to watch it free. Kick off is at 8pm. C'arn the Tillies!

## In Today's Issue

- DoorDash paid a A$2m fine for spamming Aussies
- X (Twitter) is slowing links to sites Musk doesn't like
- HP's All-In-One printers require ink to scan documents
- How the iMac saved Apple
- Bargains, bargains, bargains

## The News

### DoorDash paid a A$2m fine for spamming Aussies

The Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA) have fined US headquartered DoorDash for sending over a million texts & emails that were not compliant with Australian spam rules. 566k emails went out to people that had previously unsubscribed from DoorDash emails, meanwhile 515k texts were sent to prospective drivers without an option to opt-out. DoorDash have paid the fine and now have to go through the equivalent of sensitivity-training for spammers, reporting on their behaviour for 3 years. It's nice to see ACMA show some teeth when it comes to enforcing spam rules for a change. I'll give them a solid tip where to look next, every bloody realestate agent and property developer in the country!

⬆ Share or Discuss

### X (Twitter) is slowing links to sites Musk doesn't like

I'm so tired of reporting on Musk and his incessant need to be in the news cycle, but here we are again. The most recent one, he's reportedly had Twitter engineers slow down load times for any links to platforms that have said nasty things about him. The free speech warrior is being a tad hypocritical no? Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, Reuters and The New York Times are all affected. First reported on Hacker News, when a user clicks on a Twitter shortened t.co URL they'll then face a 5+ second delay before the page loads. This in turn can heavily affect a site's page ranking with search engines where links from social media and load times are a major factor.

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### HP's All-In-One printers require ink to scan documents

HP has been embroiled in a class-action law suit since 2022 due to their all-in-one printers requiring that you have ink in them to use other non-printing functions like scanning documents. Makes total sense right? The latest update sees HP's request for dismissal being denied and the case continuing, much to their chagrin. They aren't the only ones running the scheme either. Canon was doing the same thing, but settled out of court while HP fights on despite their support staff literally telling customers that's how they were designed to operate. Epson are the only ones that actively state their models will work with depleted ink cartridges, but even still they sting you with the fact that "genuine Epson cartridges must be installed".

⬆ Share or Discuss

## Something I Saw On The Internet

### How the iMac saved Apple

Mac journalism stalwart Jason Snell has penned an interesting read about how the iMac served as the catalyst behind Apple's greatest gear change. As someone who used to sell Apple hardware around the release of the iMacs I can attest whole-heartedly as to how much of a shift it was. There weren't people lining up around the streets to buy them like we've since seen with the iPhone, but there were people actually coming into the store! That was a big effin' deal, trust me. If you were selling any of Apple's beige beasts like the Quadra pre-iMac, you'll know how rare it was to see a real person in your showroom!

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## Bargains

- Skyrim - Switch - $39.95 from Nintendo eShop
- LEGO Super Mario - Bowser - $287.20 from Big W
- Xbox Series X + Diablo IV bundle - $799 from Big W
- 10% off Apple Laptops & Desktops, 8% off iPads & Watches -Amazon
- Google Pixel Buds Pro - $149 from Telstra (Telstra ID required)
- # Sony 55" X90K Bravia XR 4K TV - $1099 from Sony/eBay
- Travel eSIM with 1GB data - FREE from Red Bull Mobile
- 20% Letterboxd Pro - $20 from Letterboxd

## Image Of The Day

Datafall by Ray Manta, made with his custom charset in Retrospecs. (text-mode.org)

## The End

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## 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.