ALP wants free NBN for low-income families & NSW Dept of Education loans out Chromebooks
Despite working so well, Zoom is a really sloppy app with many security issues
Cloudflare launches 1.1.1.2 and 1.1.1.3 filtered DNS services & WARP betas for Mac & Windows
Streamlabs OBS is now on Mac so you can stream your antics to the world
Cheap Cities: Skyline for PC, Amazon Echo (3rd-gen), PS4 store sale, 2 months free Kindle Unlimited, Bose NC700 headphones, Blue Yeti USB mic
Looks like the rest of the school year will be done predominately online thanks to COVID-19, but many kids don't have computers or internet access at home. The ALP has wanted to make the NBN more affordable for years and reckon this is the perfect opportunity to give eligible households free NBN access for 12 months ASAP. The NSW Department of Education asked its 2200 public schools for details on what they need to support households without computers or internet access and will be loaning thousands of Chromebooks to those who need it. Deakin Uni has unlocked a bunch of courses from its Digital Learning Leadership degree so educators can get up to speed with this new reality.
Zoom has come under loads of scrutiny lately. In the last week or so we've heard about a bug in Zoom that can be used to steal Windows passwords (technically a problem with Windows but Zoom exacerbates it), was sending activity data to Facebook without user permission, claiming to be end-to-end encrypted but isn't and how Zoom "leaked" personal email addresses and photos by thinking everyone with the same email domain works for the same company. Now an ex-NSA hacker found that someone without admin rights can leverage Zoom to install stuff as the root user on a Mac. SpaceX has stopped using Zoom and New York's attorney general is investigating Zoom to check if its data privacy and security practices are up to scratch. That said, Zoom is still the easiest app for everyone to use to get a group video chat going without wanting to stab the other participants, so fuck it.
Cloudflare's launched 1.1.1.1 for Families - variants of their fast and secure public DNS designed to "protect" families from "nasty" stuff on the internet. If you use 1.1.1.2 instead of 1.1.1.1, URLs hosting known malware will be blocked. Use 1.1.1.3 and adult content will be blocked as well as malware. Just pop those IP addresses in as your new DNS servers, no config required. They do plan to roll out a portal in the future where you can whitelist/blacklist sites and other features in a very similar fashion to NextDNS. Apparently Cloudflare blocked safe-adult content (like LGBT support & advocacy stuff) unwittingly. Not thinking about this stuff prior to launch is just lazy as hell in 2020, no excuses. There's also a beta of Cloudflare's WARP for macOS & Windows.
There's never been a better time to stream your dumb face to Twitch, Facebook Live or YouTube now that Streamlabs OBS is now available for Mac. It's an alternative implementation of Open Broadcaster Software by the Logitech owned Streamlabs and is supposed to be easier to use than OBS but with a bit less functionality. It's been available for Windows for a while but now there's a Mac version. It's what all those pro Twitch and YouTube streamers use to get on-screen effects, switch between inputs (e.g: multiple desktops & cameras) and audio sources (mics, other apps, etc). Here's a tutorial from Streamlabs on how to get started.
Cities: Skyline on PC via Steam - $9.71 from Instant Gaming
Amazon Echo (3rd Gen) - $119 from Amazon AU
The Last of Us: Remastered, DOOM, Gran Turismo Sport and heaps of other classics for the PS4 are on sale on the PlayStation Store
Free 2 months unlimited Amazon Kindle subscription (new customers only)
Bose NC700 headphones - $443.57 from Allphone's eBay store using the code PBOLT15
Blue Yeti USB microphone - $177.61 from titan_gear's eBay store using the code PBOLT15
🎶 Beetlebum - Blur
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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.