The ACLU has published a trove of information detailing how various US government agencies like Customs, ICE and Homeland Security are "buying access to, and using, huge volumes of people's cell phone location information quietly extracted from smartphone apps". Venntel are the data brokers highlighted by the ACLU as collaborators with DHS and CBP, who promote the data as "100% opt-in", provided "voluntarily" and with "permission of the individual" - which we know is total bullshit as nobody is consenting to give their location info to this mob knowing it'll be sold to the cops.
Australia's getting a "renewable hydrogen highway". There's $20m of grants on offer from the VIC and NSW governments to build at least 4 hydrogen fueling stations for trucks (not necessarily cars) along the Hume Highway between Sydney and Melbourne. Hydrogen fueling stations are nothing new or unique - there's quite a few in California - but the catch here is the requirement for renewable/green hydrogen. The grant guidelines say they want "hydrogen produced from electrolysis using 100% renewable electricity or hydrogen produced from steam methane reforming using 100% responsibly sourced renewable biomethane".
Reviews of the new M2-based MacBook Air are out and everyone seems to love it. The perfect laptop, a superior design to the previous model, if a little pricey. But as predicted, it suffers from lower SSD read speeds and thermal throttling just like the M2 MacBook Pro. The Verge covers the Air's SSD "issues" and Max Tech explains the thermal throttling. It's unlikely to be a deal breaker for most people, but if you plan on extracting maximum performance out of the MacBook Air keep it in mind.
📻 Loser - Thick
😎 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 or change email address? Visit the customer portal.
📚 Browse The Sizzle Archive. A few issues are missing and it's not searchable, but it's better than nothing.
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.