### Issue 1524 - Wednesday 12th January, 2022

## In Today's Issue

- Intel caught between a rock (China) and a hard place (United States) about Xinjiang
- Google complaining that Apple's iMessage lock-in bullies teens via peer pressure
- FTC approved by judge to have another shot at proving Meta is a monopoly and be broken up
- Apps that are new to me I think you might like
- Cheap Amaysim & Boost pre-paid SIMs, Telstra 5G Wi-Fi Pro, B&O headphones, Razer webcam, Xiaomi smarthome sensors, JBL studio monitors, Mirabella smart LED bulb

## The News

### Intel caught between a rock (China) and a hard place (United States) about Xinjiang

Intel is knee deep in geopolitical shit that kicked off late last year when they asked suppliers "not use any labour or source goods or services from the Xinjiang region". Xinjiang is the epicentre of the ongoing Uyghur genocide and US sanctions require US companies ensure none of their produts contain stuff from Xinjiang. This upset the Chinese government, which forced Intel to apologise to China for the "trouble" it caused and remove all mentions of Xinjiang from its supplier terms. Intel's groveling to China then upset US politicians who accused Intel of "cowardice". All Intel is trying to do here is have its cake and eat it too. Poor multi-billion dollar corporation now has to take a position on human rights. It's not fair, they're just trying to make money!

### Google complaining that Apple's iMessage lock-in bullies teens via peer pressure

A Wall Street Journal story about "the lock-in and social pressure Apple's walled garden is creating among US teens" (apparently American kids are bullied/teased/ostracised if their messages in an iMessage group chat aren't blue), had a comment from Google SVP Hiroshi Lockheimer saying that "Apple's iMessage lock-in is a documented strategy. Using peer pressure and bullying as a way to sell products is disingenuous for a company that has humanity and equity as a core part of its marketing. The standards exist today to fix this" - RCS, which is really just glorified SMS, not a modern multi-platform messaging platform. Have a sook Google. Perhaps if you didn't drown all your messaging platforms at birth, you'd be a contender.

### FTC approved by judge to have another shot at proving Meta is a monopoly and be broken up

The US FTC has permission from a judge to have another crack at breaking up Meta/Facebook. The FTC alleges that "Meta holds an unlawful monopoly in personal social networking services and maintained it by acquiring the competitors Instagram and WhatsApp". When it tried to file the suit about 18 months ago the case was dismissed, but an updated complaint is getting allowed because according to the judge, "In stark contrast with its predecessor, this complaint provides reinforcing, specific allegations that all point toward the same conclusion: Facebook has maintained a dominant market share during the relevant time period" and that "Facebook's market share comfortably exceeds the levels that courts ordinarily find sufficient to establish monopoly power". Get the popcorn out mates, this is gonna be a juicy one for 2022.

## Something I Saw On The Internet

### Apps that are new to me I think you might like

- I don't know who needs this, but Retro Dither is a Mac app with five different algorithms (Atkinson Dithering, Floyd-Steinberg Dithering, Minimized Average Error Dithering, Sierra Dithering, and Threshold Dithering) to make different dithered versions of your images. Enjoy.
- Also on the topic of dithered images, Sizzle subscribers Rustling Broccoli have a new iOS app, Photo.exe. It's kinda like Instagram, but old. Has a public feed and everything. I think it's loads of fun. Very "aesthetic" as the kids would say.
- My wife has been thoroughly enjoying a game called Toem on the Nintendo Switch. Easiest way to describe it is like Pokemon Snap, but colourless and hand drawn. Looks boring to me (not enough guns imho) but she loves it.
- StickerDoodle is a cute little app for iOS that turns pictures and drawings into stickers for iMessage, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, and Slack. Perfect for mocking your mates with in the group chat.
- Firefox's containers feature is great, but when combined with the Temporary Containers extension it becomes even more useful. Perfect for when you want to crack open a browser session like you've never visited a site before.

## Bargains

- Amaysim 365-day prepaid SIM (unlimited calls/SMS to 28 countries, 120GB data) - $119 & 1000 Everyday Rewards Points from Woolworths
- Telstra 5G Wi-Fi Pro - $359 from Telstra
- Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H9 (3rd-gen) - $499 from David Jones
- Razer Kiyo X webcam - $69 + delivery from Wireless1
- Boost 365-day prepaid SIM (unlimited calls/SMS, 300GB data) - $228 from Oz Tech Biz
- Xiaomi Aqara temp & humidity sensor 2-pack - $34 from GeekBuying
- JBL LSR-305 MKII studio monitor speaker - $400 for a pair from Belfield Music
- Mirabella LED Genio wi-fi dimmable LED warm white globe - $10 at Big W

## The End

📻 Black Hot Soup (DJ Shadow “My Own Reality” Re-Write) - King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard & DJ Shadow

😎 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 or change email address? Visit the customer portal.

📚 Browse The Sizzle Archive. A few issues are missing and it's not searchable, but it's better than nothing.

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.