The News

Australia is a gaming nation

Four in five Australians play video games, according to the Australian gaming industry’s annual survey (PDF). This year’s IGEA report found more or less the same results as last year: the average gamer is 34 years old, there’s about an even gender split, and most people are still gaming on consoles, followed closely by phones. This year’s edition also has some parent-specific findings: that parents play video games to hang out with their kids, to keep an eye on them, and generally report they’re aware of console and game-specific safety controls.

The Sizzle: Gaming remains pretty mainstream as a pastime and an expression of culture, but largely ignored outside of gaming circles. The last bit about parental controls seems like a response to the teen social media ban and the broader atmosphere. The reason that gaming escaped Australia’s ban is because it’s already regulated via the classification system, but there’s certainly a case that online gaming is a risk vector for kids — hence why platforms like Roblox are under a lot of pressure to beef up their safety features (CNBC).

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Who keeps cutting undersea cables?

Microsoft says all is now well after “multiple” subsea cables were severed, causing Azure problems in parts of Asia and the Middle East (Bloomberg, $). The company said it’s been able to optimise routing around the problem, but hasn’t yet explained how the cables were cut. Yemen’s Houthi rebels have previously denied claims that they are targeting cables to pressure Israel (AP).

The Sizzle: Sometimes I forget that all our little bits are going through tubes under the sea! Sometimes these are accidents (or intentional but by sharks) but it does seem like cables are a pretty easy target for anyone who wants to cause some big headaches.

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Elon to get eleventy gazillion dollars under proposed pay plan

Elon Musk could be paid $1.5 trillion if Tesla hits a number of stretch goals under a proposal from the carmaker’s board (WSJ, gift). Musk’s “unprecedented” new deal has performance incentives over the next decade including helping Tesla increase its market value by eight times, selling and delivering 20 million vehicles or a million robots, getting a million robotaxis on the roads and signing up 10 million subscribers for full self-driving. Shareholders will vote to approve the package in early November.

The Sizzle: Australia’s own Robyn Denholm continues to ignore Musk’s abhorrent extracurriculars and move to pay the world’s richest man even more — just as long as he can make the company more money. Some goals seem quite difficult but others not so much. Tesla moved 1.8 million cars in 2024, so doing 20 million in a decade isn’t out of the question.

However, there is one spicy little bit of the contract that caught my eye:

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Leftovers

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Oh, Also

Play your MacBook’s screen hinge like an instrument

Designer and engineer Sam Henri Gold discovered something curious about his MacBook. While not publicised, the laptop has a sensor that knows “the exact angle of your screen hinge”. So, naturally, he rigged it up to make a sound like an old wooden door when it closes, to play like a theremin and even released the code so you can play it for yourself (GitHub).

Discuss in the Sizzle Slack or forum.

Bargains

Electrical & electronics

Computing

Mobile

The End

😎 The Sizzle is written by Cam Wilson and emailed every weekday. It was created by Anthony “decryption” Agius.

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The Sizzle is created on 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.