Old school CDN provider Akamai (they probably do other things now, DDoS protection I guess?) has purchased indie server host darling Linode for US$900m. Akamai reckons "the opportunity to combine Linode's developer-friendly cloud computing capabilities with Akamai’s market-leading edge platform and security services is transformational for Akamai". I doubt Akamai would fuck with too much of the secret sauce that makes Linode popular - could even be a good thing. Linode services in Akamai's POPs? Yes please! They're usually very well connected, particularly in Australia. Hopefully they remain relatively affordable.
Google has released a beta of Chrome OS Flex, an official version of Chrome OS that works on PCs and Macs that were not originally branded as Chromebooks. You can use it standalone and log in with your personal Google account, or the device can be enrolled in Google's Chrome Enterprise Upgrade and managed like cattle on an outback station. An excellent way to breathe new life into an old computer (but check the compatibility list first) when all you need is a good web browser. I don't know what took Google so long to do this after buying Neverware and its CloudReady product in 2020, but here we are.
DKB argues quite successfully that Google's search engine has gone to shit. The first page of results is usually loaded with ads, artificial intelligence related bullshit that tries to guess what you want and misses the mark most of the time, or is pure SEO nonsense like a shop, blog spam, Pinterest or Quora. I also do the trick they mention of adding "site:reddit.com" to the end of my search query in order to find results that aren't from someone trying to sell me something. Seems to me like the time is ripe for someone to do to Google what Google did to Altavisa/Lycos/Yahoo when I was a kid.
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