Plus: A web browser extension for those of us who can't get enough ads ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

February 03, 2026 | Read online
# Elon Musk creates SpaceXai, Notepad++ hacked and Raspberry Pi AI price spikes Plus: A web browser extension for all of us who can't get enough ads
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Edition 2493
"Accord Computer Europe office06" by Someone Not Awful is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Mentioned in today’s edition: Elon Musk, Starlink, Kevin Beaumont, OpenAI, Notepad++, the iPhone Fold, Volkswagen, DOOM, Claude Code and the Chinese government. Plus, deals on Samsung Galaxy watches, HP laptops and Fujifilm cameras.
# The News
### Elon Musk merges SpaceX and xAI
Elon Musk has successfully mashed his playthings together with SpaceX acquiring xAI (SpaceX). The deal — which brings together X, SpaceX rockets, Starlink, Grok — reportedly values it all at AU$1.8 trillion, ahead of a planned IPO mid-year.
[SpaceX acquired xAI to] form the most ambitious, vertically-integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth, with AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile device communications and the world’s foremost real-time information and free speech platform.”
- SpaceX statement
The Sizzle: You probably have some idea about how I feel about this guy consolidating so much power. There are just so many stories about his recklessness and myopic desire to dominate and control. Like, just today: xAI intentionally loosened its Grok safeguards so it would become more popular (WaPo, gift link), Grok still undresses men (Verge) and Musk lied about his closeness to Jeffrey Epstein (Verge). That's one day of stories.
So, let me surprise you: there's no denying that Musk's bets on industries of the future have been incredibly prescient. Even if you don't buy all his bluster about solar powered AI data centres in space in 2 years — and, given his track record, why would you — the fact that one guy controls the rockets, the satellites that beam internet everywhere, the AI used by governments and people, and a social media platform that remains the public forum of choice for world and business leaders... That's an insane amount of power for anyone to hold. Let alone this guy.
Discuss in Slack or Forum.
### Notepad++ reckons Chinese hackers put a backdoor in its app
Popular Windows tex editor Notepad++ was cracked by suspected Chinese government-backed hackers (Ars Technica). The Notepad++ team said that their systems were compromised in June, and hackers used that to reroute some users' updates requests to malicious servers which introduced a backdoor in the application (Notepad-plus-plus). The team caught this in November, and pushed an update to stop this, but didn't actually say anything at the time — but goated researcher Kevin Beaumont noticed it happening and called it perfectly (Medium).
Discuss in Slack or Forum.
### The AI RAM shortage has forced Raspberry Pi to bump prices twice in 2 months
Raspberry Pi is pushing up prices for the second time in two months because, you guessed it, the AI-fuelled RAM shortage (The Register). Raspberry Pi Foundation CEO Eben Upton wrote about the price bump, saying that prices for some parts have "more than doubled" since last quarter (Raspberry Pi). What's even cooler about this is that SSD prices are also increasing by about as much, and GPU prices aren't far behind (Ars Technica). Not a great time to be building a computer. Or to be building anything electronic, really.
Discuss in Slack or Forum.
# Leftovers
Australia:
Australia's National Reconstruction Fund has put $20 million into another homegrown quantum company, Diraq (SmartCompany) Australia's laws around image-based abuse have loopholes (SBS) Why should renters like me have to trade away our privacy just to get a roof over our heads? (The Guardian) banger from friend of the Sizzle Sam NSW launches new cyber security strategy (ARN) TPG Telecom says a universal service obligation will mean less money for metro coverage (iTnews) Regulators are worrying about AI agents, Treasury isn’t (InnovationAus, $) Plenty of EVs companies cutting Australian prices: Volkswagen announces more price cuts for ID. Buzz electric vans in Australia (The Driven) and BYD slashes drive-away prices on its best-selling EV in Australia (The Driven). Internet Australia's CEO shares some of the org's plans for this year (Internet Australia) GAME ON: Limited Edition Xbox Crocs have arrived (techAU)
Rest of World:
Just about every spec of the iPhone Fold may have just been leaked (AppleInsider) The world is trying to log off U.S. tech (Rest of World) These Rural Americans Are Trying to Hold Back the Tide of AI (The Wall Street Journal, $) OpenAI has launched a new native desktop coding app to try catch up with Claude Code (OpenAI) Running DOOM And Super Mario 64 Inside A PDF File (Hackaday) Removing Tahoe’s Unwanted Menu Icons (Rogue Amoeba) Summing up "Moltbook" (Reddit)
Discuss in Slack or Forum.
# Oh, Also
### A web browser extension for people who can't get enough ads
Do you hate yourself? If so, I'm sorry to hear that but I've got just the thing for you: Adboost is the Chrome extension that adds even more web advertisements onto webpages. It's a perfect product for pranks. Or if you simply just want to make sure you never get to enjoy a smooth, uninterrupted web surfing experience without the opportunity for a trusted partner to share an exclusive offer with you ;)
Discuss in Slack or Forum.
# Bargains
Electronics
Zemismart WiFi Smart Lock Double Side Fingerprint Security Door Lock - $88.60 at Zemismart (Down from ~$150) UHFTP2400 Handheld 2 Watt UHF CB Radio Trade Pack - $149 at Oricom (Down from $249) Reolink Elite Pro Floodlight PoE, Smart 16MP Dual-lens Camera with 180° Panorama - $305 at Reolink AU (Down from $400) Samsung Galaxy Watch8 (40mm, Bluetooth) + Bonus Athleisure Band - $364 at Samsung (Down from $549) Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic 46mm (LTE) - $699 at Telstra (Down from $998) Fujifilm Camera Deals at Amazon Fujifilm X-S20 Mirrorless Digital Camera + XF 16-50mm Lens for $1918 (Down from $2,799) Fujifilm XH2 Body for $2174 (Down from $3,399)
Computing
Razer DeathAdder V2 X HyperSpeed Ergonomic Gaming Mouse - $59 at Amazon (Down from ~$110) MagicRaven 15.6" 1080p IPS 60hz Portable Monitor - $84.99 at Amazon (Down from ~$150) ASUS RT-BE57 TUF Wi-Fi 7 Gaming Router (China Version) - $118 at AliExpress (Down from ~$260) TP-Link EAP723 BE3600 Ceiling Mount Wi-Fi 7 Access Point - $119 at PC LAN (Down from $199) HP EliteBook X360 1040 G9 Laptop: Intel i5-1235u, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Win11 Pro (Refurb) - $750 at CLS (Down from ~$3,000 New) PowerColor Radeon Reaper RX 9070 XT GPU - $944 at Centre Com (Down from $1,050) Samsung 49" Odyssey G9 G91F DQHD 144Hz Gaming Monitor - $1099 (Down from $1,599) XFX Radeon RX 7900 XTX Speedster Merc 310 24GB GDDR6 GPU - Black Edition - $1180 at Centre Com (Down from $1,400) Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Solid SFF OC GPU - $1262 at Centre Com (Down from ~$1,380) Palit GamingPro GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GDDR7 Graphics Card - $1726 at Centre Com (Down from $2,600)
Mobile
Optus repaid SIM cards 6 months sim for $110 (Down from $180) 300GB 365 Days SIM for $217 (Down from $350)
# The End
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