Issue 124
Bizarro Devs is a monthly newsletter with the weird and wonderful tech news, tools, and websites.
🚿 WHAT ARE NETFLIX'S NEFARIOUS PODCAST PLANS?
Heya,
This month, I will handle the duties. A lot happened in May, so let's get to the big news:
💥 The largest DDoS attack in Belgium's history knocked the government offline.
⚒️ Police looking to bust harmless pot growers find malicious BitCoin miners.
💸 How many TV shows did Amazon get for around $8 bn?
Enjoy,
Chris.
📰 From the Newsroom
Belgium’s government network goes down after massive DDoS attack 🪓
Usually, a Belnet is a slang term describing an enchanted prince who can be put "on the hook," but in early May, we became aware that it was also the name of the Belgium government's IT network. The government-funded ISP provides the infrastructure for around 200 government agencies like parliament, various ministries, and genuinely essential things like educational institutions.
On Tuesday, 4 May, the ISP was hit with a DDoS attack that took everything offline for most of the day. Although, some services still hadn't returned the following day after what was called "the largest DDoS attack the country has ever seen." Fortunately, the cookie notices still work.
Most experts agreed that it was an attempt to disrupt the network rather than make off with data.
Traffic flowed through networks housed in 29 countries, but the source of the attack remains a mystery.
Traffic spikes pushed traffic nearly 45% higher than normal levels.
The whole event was made worse as the attackers changed their tactics to frustrate Belnet's attempts at implementing effective mitigation rules.
therecord.media
Not content with being your couch-binge-buddy, Netflix are moving into podcasts.
Just a few weeks after the password-sharing scare, Netflix showed us what's really happening in their quest for world domination.
They couldn't be drawn on what plans they have for podcasts, but if you've listened to one of their 30-odd podcasts, then you know they ran the gamut from long ads through propaganda to spin-offs. It does look like Netflix is expanding production rather than building a new subscription model.
Or, does it? Netflix has also been testing a new learning feature called "N-Plus". But don't be alarmed; the learning is really just delivering more Netflix content through video playlists, behind-the-scenes production "info," and podcasts.
Either way, if you've been holding off making your oral history of Boss Baby, then continue to hold off. If you've got a good idea for a podcast, this is probably the best time ever for making it.
In other Netflix-Quest-to-Dominate news: They might move into gaming.
They also developed a "play something" feature, which will kill at least 97% of family dinner conversations.
yoursun.com
Valve is making a Switch-like portable gaming PC (maybe). (but also maybe not). 🍜
If you're over a certain age, you would fistfight gravel if it claimed Half-Life didn't spawn the most incredible series of games ever known. But Gordon Freeman could soon be the second coolest Valve invention if Valve does move towards console gaming.
The product is code name "SteamPal" potentially, no one really knows.
Gabe Newell did make vague comments about potentially entering the console market while visiting a New Zealand school. But they were vague enough to make the quote "it won't be the answer you expect" mysterious.
Valve does have a history of canceling products when the existing technology cannot match their vision. Half-Life 3 is the example that makes real grown men weep
arstechnica.com
⛓️ Ten Must See Links of the Month
High, Ho, High, Ho, it's not what you think, officer, oh no. Police try to raid pot growers but find BitCoin mining operation instead.
Just a cool video of the sounds ice makes when dropped into a deep hole.
Unlike MySpace profiles, blogs are full of things we're proud of. Posthaven is a cheap blogging platform built to last.
Seriously trippy images made for a United Airlines ad campaign. Think Mc Escher meets himself in one of his drawings.
James Clear has put together a useful guide to motivation.
Smart people like this one. A tool for generating ids from integers.
People like me tend to enjoy this one more. Shady URL will make your URLs shorter and suspiciouser.
Finally! An update to Snake. Avoid the red stars in Sinuous.
New type of Aurora Borealis discovered. The amazing thing is that you can see it without entering the kitchen.
🎤 It’s How They Said It
🧮 The numbers game
17,000 - The number of TV shows Amazon acquired as part of the deal to buy MGM.
200 - Hours it took to build the first house 3D-printed from raw earth.
25 - Years it took for Internet Explorer to come to an end. Makes sense.
0 - The number of nonverbal cues that give away a liar when they're in the process of liaring.
Outro
That's it for the week.
It turns out that the reply-to address was wrong, so I wasn't receiving any emails. I am not sure that's what they meant by move fast and break things, but there are no wrong interpretations.
Starting today, if you have links to share, then my emails are now open. Simply reply to this email to land in my inbox.
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Have a great month,
Chris.
