Teens are leaving social media platforms for... old public radio episodes? ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

November 03, 2025 | Read online
# Linux is coming for Xbox, spreadsheet leak deaths and Aussie crypto casino sued Teens are leaving social media platforms for... old public radio episodes?
{{OPEN_TRACKING_PIXEL}}
Edition 2452
(Flickr: Bjørn Rosell)
# The News
### Steam’s Linux handhelds are getting more popular as Xbox looks like it’s becoming Windows for Gamers
Linux users on gaming platform Steam have hit an all-time high as giant stink lines continue to radiate off Xbox (Phoronix). 3% of Steam users were using Linux in October 2025 — a 50% year-on-year increase. This comes as Xbox’s first handheld device has underwhelmed and leaks continue to hint at a dim future for Microsoft’s in-house hardware building ambitions. Reviews seem to suggest that the Xbox Ally and Ally X are good devices held back by Windows (The Verge), and actually run better with Linux (Tom’s Hardware). Meanwhile Microsoft is very loudly saying it will continue to release Xbox hardware (WindowsCentral) despite tanking sales (Verge).
The Sizzle: What is an Xbox? I’m trying to get philosophical here. Like, what is the definition of an Xbox? How is it different to a computer, or a phone, for gaming?
It's a question because the latest Xbox — the handheld Xbox Ally — isn’t made by Microsoft, can’t play every Xbox game, but does run Windows. The next Xbox sounds like it will be a Windows Gaming Device (Windows Central). So, is Xbox just a platform now? Is Xbox just the gaming version of the Microsoft preferred “Windows Copilot+ PCs”. Obviously, Linux gaming remains an enormous underdog but they certainly seem to be better positioned for the future of handheld gaming. Meanwhile Microsoft is increasingly acting like it’s looking for the exit as it’s been unable to transform Xbox consoles from being a money-losing pit (Kotaku)…
Discuss in the Sizzle Slack or forum.
### Spreadsheet leak linked to nearly 50 deaths
49 Afghans say family members and colleagues were killed after they featured on a leaked list of 19,000 people who had worked with the UK government prior to the Taliban takeover, according to research submitted to a government inquiry (Arab News). In 2023, UK’s Ministry of Defence found out via screenshot shared to a Facebook group that a British official had mistakenly shared a spreadsheet of Afghans who applied to be relocated because of their work with the UK government. A court injunction gagged reporting on it for two years — even prohibiting mentioning that there was an injunction — until this year when people on the list were informed and the leak was made public.
The Sizzle: As funny as it sounds to bring it back to this, this story shows the real world harm that can be caused by poor information security. And it’s so grim. I mean, listen to some of these quotes from people whose names were on the list:
My father was brutally beaten to the point that his toenails were forcibly removed, and my parents remain under constant and serious threat. My family and I continue to face intimidation, repeated house searches, and ongoing danger to our safety.
An ex-Afghan special forces officer who was on the list
Discuss in the Sizzle Slack or forum.
### Australia’s crypto casino Stake sued in US over Drake’s alleged deceptive practices
Australia’s cryptocurrency casino Stake has been named alongside brand ambassador/rapper Drake as the defendants in a US class action lawsuit for allegedly deceiving people while promoting gambling (Gambling Harm). A Missouri lawsuit claims that Drake and another well-known online influencer Adin Ross faked betting their own money on Stake when they were actually fronted the gambling money by the company, which was co-founded by Australian Ed Craven.
| Daniel Wallach @WALLACHLEGAL |
BREAKING: Canadian rapper Drake and online influencer Adin Ross have been sued along with sweepstakes casino website Stake.us for promoting illegal online gambling in Missouri. The class action seeks to hold Drake and Ross liable for class members' gambling losses.
11:54 PM • Oct 27, 2025
1.44K Likes 255 Retweets
68 Replies
This, according to Gambling Harms, brings Stake’s slate of US lawsuits to 7! But don’t worry, the company claims to have revenues of more than $7 billion so they can afford a few lawyers
Discuss in the Sizzle Slack or forum.
#### Leftovers
Australia:
Discord data breach proves risks teen social media ban id checks (Crikey, $) Australian boards caught up in global hack after portal breach (The Australian Financial Review, $) eSafety boss hits back at Trump ally over claims Australia threatens US free speech (The Australian, $) Knee-jerk corporate responses to data leaks protect brands like Qantas — but consumers are getting screwed (The Guardian) Cost of BoM’s website revamp revealed after deluge of public criticism (The Guardian) NSW auditor: 'extra agency-led AI policies needed' (ITNews) Australian influencer family move to UK to avoid social media ban (BBC) this is so dumb Leaked emails show NBN Co fast-tracked upgrade for Sky News host (ABC News) Australia's cheapest EV is now available to order, meet the BYD Atto1 (TechAU) AI features rank low on Australian phone preferences, Oppo says (GadgetGuy) Aussie YouTuber DankPods tears down some shitty robots (YouTube) someone at the ATO wants to do some vibe coding (Cam Wilson on Bluesky)
| mike @phantomdiorama.bsky.social |
BoM website really only needs to be this
1:58 AM • Nov 1, 2025
37 Likes 9 Reposts | 3 Replies
Rest of the world:
Google pulls Gemma from AI Studio after Senator Blackburn accuses model of defamation (TechCrunch) UK regulator threatens tech giants with algorithm audits to protect children (Financial Times, $) ‘Grand Theft Auto’ Studio Accused of Union-Busting After Firings (Bloomberg, $) Progress Update: Building Healthier Social Media (Bluesky) Meta, xAI Starting Trend for Billions in Off-Balance-Sheet Debt (Bloomberg, $) "Research by SAP in July found that nearly 70 per cent of chief financial officers believed their employees were using AI to attempt to falsify travel expenses or receipts” (Financial Times, $) Why do AI models use so many em-dashes? (seangoedecke.com) A prison of my own making (jsteuernagel.de)
Discuss these links in the Sizzle Slack or forum.
# Oh, Also
### Teens are leaving social media platforms for… old public radio episodes?
With the teen social media ban just a few weeks away, you might be wondering where kids will flock to so that they can get around the ban. One option: the comment sections of old NPR radio segments.
it’s so nice they’re being such good friends to carmen
According to NPR and reshared by Techdirt, teens are co-ordinating to appear in the Spotify comments of podcasts. In a very clever bit of thinking, these teens apparently co-ordinate using a playlist. One teen will choose which old episode to appear on, then puts that episode into a playlist to send a signal that they should all congregate there. Oh, kids.
Discuss in the Sizzle Slack or forum.
# Bargains
Electrical & Electronics
Xiaomi DUKA Atuman TH1 Temperature Humidity Meter - $20.46 at Banggood DJI Mavic 3 Genuine 4/8/16/32 ND Filters & Others Models - $28 at Tanvry eBay (Used) Uppåtvind Air Purifier - $49 at IKEA Philips Hue Solo Light Strip 3m - $59 at JB Hi-Fi (Down from $109) Monimoto 7 - Plus 3 Edition - $139 at Monimoto (Down from $279.00) Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2 in-Ear Headphones – Midnight Blue - $298 at WestCoast Hifi Garmin Forerunner 965 Carbon Grey DLC Titanium/Black/Grey - $699 at Amazon AU Voltx M2000 1536wh Portable Power Station | - $844 at Fablivingebay TCL 65" C8K 4K UHD Premium QD-Mini LED Google TV (2025) (Excl. TAS) - $1650 at Appliance Central
Computing
SanDisk Extreme Pro sdcz880 SSD USB Drive 256GB - $59.98 at PocketShop Australia eBay ADATA XPG Core Reactor II 850W Gold ATX Modular PSU - $129 at PLE Lenovo Legion Y700 2025 (8.8" 165Hz, 12GB/256GB, Snapdragon 8 Gen3) - $399 at Goldway Store AliExpress Seagate IronWolf 12TB NAS HDD CMR 3.5 Inch 7200 RPM (ST12000VNZ008/ST12000VN0008) - $424 at Amazon US via AU Ubiquiti Cloud Gateway Fiber (UCG-Fiber) - $466 at Digilifeonline eBay Ubiquiti Unifi Dream Machine Special Edition - $849 Galax GeForce RTX 5070 Ti EX Gamer 1-Click OC Graphics Card - $1189 at Centre Com eBay Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Solid SFF OC Graphics Card - $1299 at Centre Com
Mobile
50% off 5G Mobile Plans for 6 months at Tangerine Mobile Redmi K80 12GB/256GB (CN Model) - $444 at MEI-ZU Store AliExpress
# The End
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