# In This Issue

- Coles to cut $1b of costs, and jobs, using technology and automation

- Samsung embarrasses itself telling people to do anti-virus scans on their TVs

- All of NSW can get a digital drivers licence as of August

- Twitch suing trolls streaming hateful garbage

- Facebook apparently launching their own cryptocurrency tomorrow

- Google’s Chromium browser engine is getting a bit too popular

- Lest we forget the sound of old technology

- Cheap Lenovo Smart Clock, DJI Spark drone, DJI Osmo Pocket camera, Nintendo Classic mini NES, Nintendo Switch, GL.iNet travel router, Google Pixel 3, wi-fi smart plugs, OVH dedicated server

# News

#### Coles to cut $1b of costs, and jobs, using technology and automation

Coles is going to cut $1b in costs over the next four years by "using technology and automation to do manual tasks". According to Coles, "technology will deliver savings in the form of warehouse and stockroom automation upgraded anti-theft systems, labour planning tools, and installing more self-service checkouts. That includes larger self-service checkouts that customers with trolleys will be able to use". Insert commentary about robots taking blue collar jobs and computers taking white collar jobs here. The 66 slides presented at the Coles Strategy investor day that the linked article is based on makes for interesting flipping.

#### Samsung embarrasses itself telling people to do anti-virus scans on their TVs

Samsung sent out a tweet saying you should check your TV for "malware viruses" regularly, with a little video explaining how to do so. The tweet was so heavily roasted, Samsung deleted it to avoid further embarrassment. If you're curious as to how you check for malware on your Samsung TV, there's an option buried deep in the settings where you can run a scan that takes like 5 seconds (what's it doing?!). Dunno why Samsung doesn't just run the scans automatically seeing as the functionality is built-in, or even display a message on the TV itself if doing this is so important.

#### All of NSW can get a digital drivers licence as of August

Citizens of NSW, get ready to enjoy the luxury/panopticon of digital drivers licences! After trials in Dubbo, Albury and the eastern suburbs of Sydney, the entire state will get to enrol for a digital licence in August. Legally they can be used anywhere a physical licence can. With this, plus mobile payment systems and mobile public transport ticketing, I think it's extremely feasible for a New South Welshman to throw their wallet off the Sydney Harbor Bridge and rely on their smartphone only when out and about.

#### Twitch suing trolls streaming hateful garbage

Twitch have had enough of trolls streaming porn, copyrighted movies and television shows, along with footage of the Christchurch massacre on their platform and have sued some in an attempt to unmask their identity. If Twitch is able to find out who these twats are (I assume via IP address and then asking the ISP to reveal the account owner, if the troll hasn't used a VPN or Tor or similar) they'll then be able to ask the court to legally ban them from creating a Twitch account and sue them for damages as a result of having to disable new account creation for two days to stop the trolls.

#### Facebook apparently launching their own cryptocurrency

Past few days have seen lots of rumours around Facebook launching its own cryptocurrency, Libra. According to the Wall Street Journal, dozens of companies like Visa, Mastercard, Uber and PayPal have chucked in $10m to develop and run nodes in the Libra Foundation, which would be kinda like Bitcoin without the stuff that makes a cryptocurrency interesting (anonymity & decentralisation). It's pretty much Zuck Bucks you can use via Facebook to pay for stuff and allows Facebook a way not only to control your personal data, but now a slice of your financial data too. Details about Libra will be formally released on Tuesday morning.

# Not News, But Still Cool

#### Google’s Chromium browser engine is getting a bit too popular

OzBargain has a new browser plugin and I was disappointed to learn it was Chrome only. When other browser users asked why it's Chrome only, they posted info of the site's traffic showing that the vast majority (70%+) of its users on desktop are Chrome. Whilst news of Chrome's dominance was news to me, it's been on the mind of web developers for a while now. Ken Bellows has a great blog post elaborating on why a monoculture in browsers is a bad thing and how hard it is for others to compete as Google's influence on standards bodies and development of the open source Chromium engine is so massive.

#### Lest we forget the sound of old technology

Soon there will be a generation of people that have no idea what a VCR, rotary telephone or even a car engine sounds like, so some Germans have started an internet museum to conserve the sounds of old things - "Conserve The Sound is an online museum for vanishing and endangered sounds. The sound of a dial telephone, a walkman, a analog typewriter, a pay phone, a 56k modem, a nuclear power plant or even a cell phone keypad are partially already gone or are about to disappear from our daily life. Accompanying the archive people are interviewed and give an insight in to the world of disappearing sounds".

#### Cheap Lenovo Smart Clock, DJI Spark drone, DJI Osmo Pocket camera, Nintendo Classic mini NES, Nintendo Switch, GL.iNet travel router, Google Pixel 3, wi-fi smart plugs, OVH dedicated server

- Lenovo Smart Clock - $103.20 at Good Guys using the code PGOODGUYS

- DJI Spark drone Fly More combo pack - $675.84 via Australian Camera Sales using the code PYLON

- DJI Osmo Pocket gimbal camera - $479 from Ted's on eBay with the code PYLON

- Nintendo Classic Mini NES console - $68 from Amazon AU

- Nintendo Switch - $339.15 from EB Games eBay Store with the code PLINK

- GL.iNet GL-AR750 travel router - $54 from Amazon AU

- Google Pixel 3 64GB - $763.30 from Mobileciti on eBay with the code PLINK

- Bunnings has wi-fi smart plugs (Google & Alexa compatible) with a built in 1.5A USB charger for $15

- OVH is offering AU hosted dedicated servers (Xeon E3-1245v5, 2x 2TB HDD, 32GB RAM, 5TB data) without a contract for $81/m

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😁 The Sizzle is curated by Anthony "@decryption" Agius and emailed every weekday afternoon. Join us on Slack and chat with other Sizzle subscribers.

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.​