### Issue 2021 - Tuesday 6th February, 2024

## In Today's Issue

- TVs sold in Australia will need to come preloaded with iView, SBS On Demand, 7plus, 9Now and 10 Play
- Gmail's strict email server policies are in effect now
- Apple Vision Pro hot takes and random info from around the internet
- Indulge me in this rant about lack of free access to Australian Standards
- Cheap AirPods, USB-C OLED monitor, UniFi Express, EV charging cable, ASUS gaming laptop, Ultimate Him gift cards, Halo Master Chief Collection

## The News

### TVs sold in Australia will need to come preloaded with iView, SBS On Demand, 7plus, 9Now and 10 Play

We got a draft legislation for a framework that'll make "manufacturers of connected television devices will have to meet minimum prominence requirements for new devices supplied to the Australian market". Translated into normal person talk, that means new TVs sold in Australia will have to come with the free to air streaming apps (iView, SBS On Demand, 7plus, 9Now and 10 Play) pre or auto installed and "present separate tiles, tabs or links to provide easy access to each free-to-air video-on-demand television service". Unlike what the FTA networks wanted, TV makers won't have to put a physical "Free TV" button or whatever on the remote next to a Netflix or Amazon button.

⬆ Share or Discuss

### Gmail's strict email server policies are in effect now

After months of warnings and updates and heads ups, the day has finally come where Google is mandating a bunch of email security requirements that if you don't do them, your emails won't get into Gmail inboxes. They're all extremely common sense things that you should be doing anyways, like SPF and DKIM authentication, PTR records for server IP addresses, sending emails in the Internet Message Format standard (RFC 5322) and keeping spam rates below 0.10% in Google's Postmaster Tools. If you aren't doing this stuff I don't know how you've been able to get email working the last few years. I do everything by the book and still have issues with the gronks at Microsoft! Those sending 5,000 or more a day have even more requirements.

⬆ Share or Discuss

### Apple Vision Pro hot takes and random info from around the internet

The Apple Vision Pro has been in the hands of cashed up USA nerds (who else is buying them???) for a full weekend, resulting in some content I found interesting as a cashed up Australian nerd that cannot buy one of his own:

- This 1:11 video from Himels Tech is a quick demo of how you can use the entire room as a desktop with multiple windows pinned around the place, along with a Mac, keyboard and mouse. This is probably the most compelling thing I'd want to use the headset for.
- MacRumours has a list of cool apps to check out. I can't say any particularly call out to me as "wow I gotta buy a headset to use this!" but many of them look like fun demos. I would have thought there'd be more games.
- iFixit did one of their usual tear downs and while the device is incredibly unrepairable, it is an incredible feat of engineering to shove an M2 SoC and 4K OLED displays into a pair of ski goggles.
- Not specifically Apple Vision Pro related, but the Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest Pro can now play back those fancy spatial videos shot on the iPhone 15 Pro.
- There currently isn't a way to play back 180-degree VR videos popular with porn, nor WebXR based VR porn which is supposed to be supported in Safari. Come on Apple, give the people what they want.
- To make sure someone doesn't pop on your headset and get access to all your private stuff, there's Optic ID, a new form of biometrics using iris recognition. There is a 1 in 1,000,000 chance "a random person in the population" could unlock the headset using Optic ID.
- If any of you are importing one from the US and live in Victoria, please take note of this article on how to let someone else use your Apple Vision Pro in Guest Mode so that I may have a brief glimpse into the future of computing.
- Traveling to the USA soon? You can make an appointment up to 7 days in advance at an Apple Store to get a 30-min demo of the Apple Vision Pro. They have a range of lenses too if you wear glasses!
- James Cameron tried out the Vision Pro - "I would say my experience was religious" and "I was skeptical at first. I don't bow down before the great god of Apple, but I was really, really blown away". Avatar 3 in spatial vision??

⬆ Share or Discuss

## Something I Saw On The Internet

### Indulge me in this rant about lack of free access to Australian Standards

I got a new dryer yesterday and saw on the energy label that it was tested against AS/NZS 2442.2 to come up with the 115kWh/year figure on the sticker. I wanted more details, so searched for AS/NZS 2442.2 on the internet and like every standard for the past 20 years, it's not free to read and also isn't in Standards Australia's new Reader Room. I don't have an urgent need to know what's in AS/NZS 2442.2 and if I did for my job, my employer should pay for it or it's a business expense. If I'm a student, my university probably has access to AS/NZS 2442.2 if I'm studying something relevant. I got some info via the Energy Rating Registration Database but I'd still like to read the standard to learn more about this for no reason in particular because that's the kind of nerd I am. Hiding standards behind a paywall kills any curiosity about how the world works and why we do the things we do. It's a shame the documents written by volunteers most of the time, are monetised by an organisation that's supposed to be a not for profit!

⬆ Share or Discuss

## Bargains

- Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C) - $339 at Costco
- Bimawen 13.3" OLED 1080p USB-C monitor - $187 from Aliexpress
- Ubiquiti UniFi Express UX Wi-Fi 6 Router - $269 at Wireless1
- Type 2 22kW 5 meter EV charging cable - $209 from EVSE
- ASUS ROG Flow X13 laptop (Ryzen 9 6900HS, 13.4" 1080p 120Hz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) - $1397 at Officeworks
- 20x Everyday Rewards Points on Ultimate Him gift cards (Timezone, EB, JB, Jaycar, Kayo, Roblox, Xbox) at Woolworths
- Halo: The Master Chief Collection for PC - $12.48 from Microsoft

## Image Of The Day

Arduino is an Italian open-source hardware and software company, project, and user community that designs and manufactures single-board microcontrollers and microcontroller kits for building digital devices. Its hardware products are licensed under a CC BY-SA license, while the software is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) or the GNU General Public License (GPL), permitting the manufacture of Arduino boards and software distribution by anyone. (Sahand Babali/Unsplash)

## The End

📻 Seneca - Tortoise

😎 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.