### Issue 1961 - Thursday 26th October, 2023

## In Today's Issue

- NBN tests FTTP speed increases, tells Senate they're cutting amount of FTTN to FTTP upgrades in ACT
- Sergey Brin's giant airship gets FAA approval to float around Palo Alto
- New Apple software updates, Apple TV+ & other Apple services go up in price, iLeakage is like the Spectre vuln but for Apple Silicon
- Netflix has open source content for you to muck around with
- Cheap refurb iPhone 12, Panasonic 4K Blu-Ray player, Dell 6K 32" monitor, Chromecast, Sennheiser headphones, Pixek 7 Pro, Bose soundbar & sub, Untitled Goose Game, TCL TVs, Telstra pre-paid, Anker USB charger

## The News

### NBN tests FTTP speed increases, tells Senate they're cutting amount of FTTN to FTTP upgrades in ACT

NBN and Nokia have been testing 20 Gbps speeds on the live FTTP network. The tests "used three generations of passive optical network (PON) technologies – GPON, XGS PON and 25GS PON, with speeds of 8 Gbps (symmetric) on XGS PON and 20 Gbps (symmetric) on 25GS PON", which is good news, unless you're in the ACT, where NBN has decided to downgrade the amount of "gigabit-capable premises" from 57% to 50%. NBN's CEO said that "when we've looked at the cost of building out in the ACT, unfortunately there are premises elsewhere in the country that are more cost effective for us to build to", hinting to the ACT government that a co-funding arrangement like in VIC (where VIC gives NBN a few hundred million dollars to pork barrel) is "available" to the ACT too.

⬆ Share or Discuss

### Sergey Brin's giant airship gets FAA approval to float around Palo Alto

Are you like me, wondering what the hell Google co-founder Sergey Brin, the 8th richest person in the world, is doing with his unfathomable fortune after exiting the day to day running of Google? Well, old mate is really into airships and the USA's FAA has given LTA Research (a company Brin founded in 2015) an airworthiness certificate for its 124-metre long Pathfinder 1. They have permission to test the "largest aircraft since the ill-fated Hindenburg" within "the boundaries of Moffett Field and neighbouring Palo Alto airport's airspaces" at an altitude of up to 460m, so not very high. Unlike the Hindenburg, Pathfinder 1 uses "non-flammable helium instead of explosive hydrogen as a lifting gas". Sounds like an excellent project for a reclusive billionaire.

⬆ Share or Discuss

### New Apple software updates, Apple TV+ & other Apple services go up in price, iLeakage is like the Spectre vuln but for Apple Silicon

- macOS 14.1, iOS 17.1, watchOS 10.1 and updates basically every Apple platform are out. If you were waiting for a patch before taking the plunge (like me with macOS), the time has come.
- The price of a range of Apple services have gone up. Apple TV+ is now A$13/m, Arcade is A$10/m and News+ is A$20/m. The cost of Apple One Premier is now $50/m. News+ has gotta be the lamest way to spend $20/m.
- iLeakage is a new vulnerability that allows an attacker to "induce Safari to render an arbitrary webpage, subsequently recovering sensitive information present within it using speculative execution". iOS 17.1 & macOS 14.1 patches this.

⬆ Share or Discuss

## Something I Saw On The Internet

### Netflix has open source content for you to muck around with

Did you know that Netflix has a bunch of "open source content"? It's professional video content that is available on Netflix to watch, but also available do download in various formats under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License. The files include the raw video off the camera, various HDR formats, different frame rates, bit rates, resolutions and encoding formats. Netflix says they make this available with the hope it will "encourage more experimentation, learning, and discovery that will benefit the whole industry".

⬆ Share or Discuss

## Bargains

- Refurb iPhone 12 64GB - $499 from Coles Best Buys
- Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-Ray player - $545 from Appliance Central
- Dell U3224KB 32" 6K monitor - $3561.55 from digiDirect
- Chromecast with Google TV 4K/HD - $63.20/$39.20 from JB Hi-Fi
- Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless Noise Cancelling Earphones - $119.20 from Sennheiser's eBay store
- Google Pixel 7 Pro 5G 128GB - $899 from JB Hi-Fi
- Bose Soundbar 900 & Bass Module 700 - $1679.17 from JB Hi-Fi
- Untitled Goose Game (Switch) - $15 from the Nintendo eShop
- TCL C845 98" Mini LED 4K TV - $6396 + delivery from JB Hi-Fi
- TCL C845 75" Mini LED 4K TV - $2220 + delivery from Appliances Central
- Telstra 365-day pre-paid SIM with 220GB data, unlimited calls & SMS - $254 from Auditech
- Anker 511 USB charger (GaN, 30W, USB-C) - $24.99

## Image Of The Day

A contraption I made with a few Raspberry Pis and 4G modems that goes in a backpack and constantly logs the signal strength, latency and bandwidth of each of the three 4G networks that were new at the time. (I took this photo!)

## The End

📻 Boy From School - Hot Chip

😎 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, change email address or cancel your subscription? Visit the customer portal.

🎁 Make someone's day and buy them a 12 month gift subscription to The Sizzle.

📚 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!

💔 Tired of my bullshit? Unsubscribe and I'll never speak to you again.

## 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.