NBN has run it up the flagpole with ISPs that it wants to change the Home Fast (100/20), Home Superfast (250/25) and Home Ultrafast (1000/50) speed tiers available to HFC and FTTP connections. Instead of 100/20, you'll get 500/50. Instead of 250/25, you'll get 750/50 and instead of 1000/50, you'll get 1000/100 - all without a price increase. So that means the 100/20 plans you see now for like $70-90/m will actually be 250/25 for the same price. The 50/20 plan will still be there, but there will be a 450mbit gap between it and the next speed up (500/20). What I'm excited about is 1000/100. That bump in upload speed for the same as what I'm paying now would be welcome. It's not symmetrical gigabit for $100/m like in NZ, but I'll take it. ETA for the change is around the end of 2024/early 2025.
Apple got slapped with a 1.8 billion euro fine by the EU because "Apple bans music streaming app developers from fully informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services available outside of the app and from providing any instructions about how to subscribe to such offers". Apple had an epic whinge about it in this press release, painting Spotify as a music streaming juggernaut that freeloads on Apple's hard work. Cut the shit Apple - you make giant sums of money selling iPhones and iPads and a big chunk of it is because of 3rd party apps like Spotify. They provide Apple with just as much value as Apple provides them with an SDK and a store to sell on. Leave some crumbs for the rest of us! Also Apple related, the MacBook Air got a spec bump to the M3 SoC and can now run dual monitors if the lid is closed.
As I was doing my post-dinner routine of mindlessly scrolling Facebook Marketplace on the iPad last night, I stumbled across a "riso machine" for $550 - a thing I have never heard of. It looks like a photocopier but instead of using toner and fusing it to the paper with heat or spraying microscopic droplets of ink onto paper, it uses a technique called risography. It's like a mini version of offset printing used for newspapers and other high volume print runs where the paper passes over a drum of ink that lays the desired contents onto the paper. The process is super quick, reliable, cheap and I had no idea it existed until last night. Riso printers are pretty niche but I like that they exist and would love to try one out.
A Risograph is a digital duplicator from Japan manufactured by the Riso Kagaku Corporation. It was launched in Japan in 1986 and was designed for high-volume photocopying and printing, however in recent years it has become a medium in its own right. (peacock & the worm)
📻 It Doesn't Matter - The Chemical Brothers
😎 The Sizzle is curated by Anthony "decryption" Agius and emailed every weekday afternoon.
💬 Checked out the paid subscriber only forum? It's a tidy little place to discuss tech with like minded Aussies.
👋 Forums not your thing? The Sizzle has a Slack group you can procrastinate in and chat with other nerds bored at work.
💳 Paid subscriber looking to manage your billing info, change email address or cancel your subscription? Visit the customer portal.
🎁 Make someone's day and buy them a 12 month gift subscription to The Sizzle.
📚 Browse The Sizzle Archive. A few issues are missing and it's not searchable, but it's better than nothing.
🫂 Friends of The Sizzle is a small group of businesses or organisations operated by Sizzle subscribers. Support your fellow Sizzler!
💔 Tired of my bullshit? Unsubscribe and I'll never speak to you again.
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.