Facebook is making more money than ever. Despite the measurable harm it's doing to society, Apple's ask for iOS users to allow tracking and impending government regulation around the world, revenue grew 56% and profit grew 101%. Even daily users across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp grew 12%. People are using Facebook more and more due to the pandemic apparently. Facebook expects demand to drop a little over time, but in the meantime, ka-fucking-ching. Also interesting from Facebook's financials - video accounts for "almost half" of all time spent on Facebook and that Zuck's metaverse plan is gonna take years of loss-making investment until eventually it turns into a river of gold.
If you need to change the battery in your Apple AirTags, Apple's recommendation is to NOT use CR2032 batteries that have bittering agents that try and prevent kids swallowing them. According to an updated support document, "CR2032 batteries with bitterant coatings might not work with AirTag or other battery-powered products, depending on the alignment of the coating in relation to the battery contacts". Combined with the ACCC's beef that the mechanism used to secure the AirTag's battery is too easy for kids to open, you probably really wanna keep these things away from children.
1Password scored a fresh US$100m of investment, on top of a $200m investment made back in 2019. Accel, the VC fund that threw em the cash, 1Password will use this money to "be even more aggressive about winning this market". Over on the 1Password blog, their CEO said they "did not need the money" but took Accel's cash because it'll get them "smart folks invested in our success who can help and guide us", like the CEOs of Shopify, Slack, Atlassian and Squarespace. I can't begrudge them for taking money that's shoved in front of you, but I give 1Password 3 years until it's a bloated piece of shit that costs more every year when all I want or need are my logins sync'd across multiple devices.
When the massive Kodak factory in Melbourne closed back in 2004, loads and loads of products, marketing material, documentation and general ephemera relating to Kodak's 100+ year manufacturing history in Australia were donated/rescued by Museums Victoria - over 40,000 items all up. 15 years later and they've cataloged and digitised most of it and have made a little online exhibition of the most interesting bits. It's easy to forget how much of a behemoth Kodak was in the imaging industry, but this exhibit gives you a great overview of the scale they operated at, even in Australia. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
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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.