### Issue 2159 - Friday 23rd August, 2024

## In Today's Issue

- EU iPhone users will get to change loads of default apps
- It's now a crime to make & spread sexual deepfakes without consent
- A Neuralink human tester likes using it to play Counter-Strike 2
- A Wired feature article about TSMC
- Cheap Dell & LG monitors, iPhone FineWoven cases, 8BitDo controller, WD portable HDD, Samsung portable SSD, GL.inet travel router, Chromecast 4K

## The News

### EU iPhone users will get to change loads of default apps

When iOS 18 drops in a few weeks, those lucky folks in the EU will have a "Default Apps" section that'll allow users to change the default app used by their iPhone for "dialing phone numbers, sending messages, translating text, navigation, managing passwords, keyboards, and call spam filters". They'll also be able to remove the App Store, Messages, Photos, Camera, and Safari apps. The "Browser Choice" screen has been a thing for a while in the EU, but it's gonna get updated so there's more browsers and more info about each browser too. I'm jealous. I wish we could change all those default apps and remove Apple's apps.

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### It's now a crime to make & spread sexual deepfakes without consent

I missed this during the week, but Australia has new anti-deepfake laws. The just passed Criminal Code Amendment (Deepfake Sexual Material) Bill 2024, "introduces a new aggravated criminal offence to target those who use technologies to artificially generate or alter sexually explicit material (such as deepfakes) for the purposes of non-consensual sharing online". You can get up to six years jail for sharing "non-consensual deepfake sexually explicit material" and if the deepfake itself was created without consent, you could get up to seven years jail. So yeah, don't do that. Now we wait and see if the cops bother to investigate this sort of crime.

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### A Neuralink human tester likes using it to play Counter-Strike 2

The second person to get a Neuralink brain implant, Alex, loves using it to play Counter-Strike 2. He says "just running around is so enjoyable because I can look side to side, and not need to move Quadstick left and right... I can [think about where to] look and it goes where I want it to. It's insane". Here's a video of him playing CS2. Alex also uses the brain-computer interface to design stuff in Fusion 360, a CAD software package, managing to make a "custom mount for his Neuralink charger, which was then 3D printed and integrated into his setup". Impressive stuff.

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## Something I Saw On The Internet

### A Wired feature article about TSMC

Wired has a cool article from 2023 about visiting a TSMC factory in Taiwan. If you haven't been paying attention to TSMC and the semi-conductor scene the last decade or so, it's a great overview of how important TSMC is not only to the technology industry and computing progress, and how impressive their cutting edge manufacturing is, but also TSMC's importance to Taiwan's national security. How the hell did us humans, decedents of monkeys, managed to achieve such things on our relatively short time on Earth??

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## Bargains

- Dell S2725DS 27" 2560x1440 100Hz IPS Monitor - $277.26 from Dell
- LG 32ML600M-B 32" 1080p IPS monitor - $189 + shipping ($0 MEL) from Landmark Computers
- Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max FineWoven Case with Magsafe - $29 at Officeworks
- 8BitDo Ultimate 2C Wireless Controller - $36 from Aliexpress
- WD My Passport 5TB USB 3.0 2.5" Portable Hard Drive - $169 from Centrecom
- Samsung T7 Shield Portable 4TB USB 3.2 Gen.2 External SSD - $383.15 from Amazon UK
- GL.inet GL-MT3000 Beryl AX Wi-Fi Travel Router - $114.87 from Amazon
- Chromecast with Google TV 4K - $75 from Amazon

## Image Of The Day

An expanded view of the Gateway space station showing its elements, international partner contributions, and visiting spacecraft. (NASA Johnson)

## The End

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