Google got caught red-handed admitting it "used data about historical bids made through Google Ads to adjust its clients' bids and increase their chances of winning auctions for ad impressions that would have otherwise been won by rival ad tools". They called this conniving practice Project Bernanke and of course, never told anyone about it. This action generated "hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for the company annually". How did they admit this? Their submission to a Texas antitrust lawsuit "wasn't properly redacted when uploaded to the court's public docket". What a self-own.
Logitech has decided to no longer manufacture its popular range of Harmony universal remotes. Even though they'll no longer be made, there's still stock in the retail channel and Logitech plans to "support our Harmony community and new Harmony customers, which includes access to our software and apps to set up and manage your remotes. We also plan to continue to update the platform and add devices to our Harmony database. Customer and warranty support will continue to be offered" - I give it 12-18 months before Logitech shuts it all down entirely.
The FBI arrested terrorist Seth Pendley last week, alleging that he concocted "a plot to destroy an Amazon Web Services data center in northern Virginia with C-4 plastic explosives" because he was pissed off with Amazon refusing to host Parler. We've all wanted to blow up a datacentre or two in our time, but this guy posted on forums explaining his plot constantly (which is what tipped off the FBI), built "special boxes that would direct the force of the blasts", purchased maps of where the AWS datacentres are located and was ultimately busted purchasing C-4 off an undercover FBI agent he detailed his plan to on Signal.
Tageslicht is a very simple iOS app which costs $6.99 that'll stream your device's camera direct to an external display (either plugged in via a cable, or over AirPlay) without any borders or UI junk with low latency and the correct orientation so the image fills the screen. That's it. That's all it does. Strap it to a tripod with a horizontal arm and you've got a makeshift document camera like in a lecture theater so people sitting far away can see a physical object up on a big screen.
📻 The Other Black Dog - Genesis Owusu
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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.