Nielsen's latest TV viewing survey has found that in the US at least, in July 2022 "for the first time, TV viewers watched more on streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ than they did on cable TV, making streaming the most popular way to consume content". 34.8% of people watched TV on streaming services, cable TV 34.4% and broadcast TV (free to air) 21.6%. This only includes stuff watched on an actual TV, not tablets/smartphones/computers. They reckon its because there's not as much sport on cable TV at the moment as there normally is and the streaming services are pumping out content at a phenomenal rate. Of those streaming services, Netflix and YouTube are the most popular.
TikTok got busted doing the same data snooping trick to modify and track pages opened with their app's built in browser on iOS as Facebook and Instagram. TikTok's even worse than Meta as they don't even let you use the device's default browser to open links. Every tap, every keystroke, every element you interact with is sent back to TikTok for analysis. They're probably for advertising purposes and to track what you do after you interact with the ads. What shits me is that if you or I had an app that did this, Apple would shut it down instantly. TikTok and Meta get a free pass because Apple is afraid of the fallout (media and legal) should they ban these Orwellian apps. But Apple care about my privacy, yeah? Cheers Tim, really earning that 30% bro.
Australia is the only OECD country except Russia that doesn't have fuel efficiency standards. It doesn't matter how much fuel your car uses, you can sell that old shit here and keep the good stuff for Europe and the USA. Car makers dumping their old tech in Australia might finally be coming to end with Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen saying today that a discussion paper will be released in September to "inform the development of a national electric vehicles strategy and the introduction of fuel efficiency standards". At the same event, VW's Australian boss said "if we had standards today, we could start bringing in (electric cars) tomorrow". At, fucking, last.
h5ai is a modern HTTP web server index. Remember those? This one is HTML5/CSS3 and has features like "file sorting, different view modes, localization, a breadcrumb, a tree view, custom headers and footers, file filter and search, folder sizes, auto refresh, packaged download, QR codes, thumbnails, file previews". I used to dump all my MP3s on a web server and serve them up like this for mates to download. Those were the days.
Here's five interesting discussions over on The Sizzle's paid subscriber forum for you to enjoy over the weekend. If you are not a paid subscriber but want to get involved, visit https://thesizzle.com.au/payme to get onboard.
eBay's Afterpay promo is still going. Here's some more stuff:
Deals not in that sale (but some still need Afterpay or are on eBay)
📻 Join the Chorus - Shinboned Version - Tim Rogers, The NMFC
😎 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.
🫂 Friends of The Sizzle is a small group of businesses or organisations operated by Sizzle subscribers. Support your fellow Sizzler!
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.