The News

Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Is Now In Full Force

Today's the day folks! Teens will start respecting their parents, put away their machetes and stop laughing at you from across the street now that they're off their damn phones - all thanks to the government banning them from social media. The day is playing out as you expect: many kids are still able to access their digital drugs, families of kids that took their lives due to bullying shamelessly used as props on the lawn of Kirribilli for a BBQ to celebrate, banned kids migrating to other platforms, and the PM saying the law is already a success because "we're having this discussion, parents are talking to their children around the breakfast table". If you want a glimpse into what the normies think of all this, turn on a talkback radio station this afternoon. It's been a topic they're all discussing and the takes are wild.

Discuss in the Sizzle Slack or forum.

Another 000 fail, this time due to Samsung firmware & 3G network shutdown

TPG has informed the ASX and an inquiry into Triple Zero outages that a person that may have died because their phone couldn't contact emergency services. Details aren't fully confirmed, but it is known that the issue lies with a "Samsung device that was operating out-of-date software". Apparently there's 71 Samsung phone models that require a software update to "camp on" to another telco should the home network be unavailable when calling 000, due to there no longer being a 3G network in Australia and the phones assuming a 3G network can be falled back to if there’s no LTE network. Samsung has released updates to 60 out of the 71 models, but not everyone has installed the update. This is a prime example of how rushed the whole 3G phase-out was. Totally unnecessary IMHO and was pushed so hard because it was in the telcos interest to open up more spectrum and perhaps, sell a bunch more phones.

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Sam Altman goes on USA TV to lift his profile and sell ChatGPT to the masses

Late night talk shows in the USA are an institution and used by celebrities to promote themselves in the public consciousness - which is why Sam Altman appearing on the The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon yesterday is so fascinating/scary. It's an 8 minute video, but in the first 150 seconds he says it's a tool you can use for health care that "cures people", that ChatGPT is a "general purpose life advisor" and that "I can't imagine figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT". Of course, Jimmy Fallon isn't pushing back on any of this because he doesn't have any critical thinking skills at the best of times, let alone during this submarine PR effort from OpenAI, but for those of us who actually know how these AI tools work, it's pretty crazy seeing it promoted like this to the general public. No mention of the suicides, the made up legal cases, or any of the other horrible externalities of LLMs.

Discuss in the Sizzle Slack or forum.

Oh, Also

Nothing’s Phone 3a Community Edition was designed by forum dwellers

You all know I'm so far up Apple's arse I can't find my way out even with ground penetrating radar and GPS - but if I did manage to escape Tim Cook's rectum, the path out would lead towards Nothing's range of smartphones and in particular, the Phone 3a Community Edition. It's a special phone that Nothing designs in collaboration with their forum members and biggest fans. People are really into the Y2K "transparent" aesthetic lately, that ironically, Apple was responsible for. I think the phone looks awesome, I hope the specs are good to match! Nothing also recently opened up a crowdfunding investment round for the general public, so their community can own a piece of the company. I love this and I'm kinda tempted to invest, but I would be a hypocrite if I also didn't use a Nothing phone, which I don't because the whole Apple's got me by the balls thing.

Discuss in the Sizzle Slack or forum.

Bargains

The End

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The Sizzle is created on Wadawurrung Gadigal 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.