The tone of the brief reads like an indictment. We’ve all heard director Comey and Attorney General Lynch thank Apple for its consistent help in working with law enforcement. Director Comey’s own statement…that there are no demons here? We certainly wouldn’t conclude it from this brief. In 30 years of practice, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a legal brief that was more intended to smear the other side with false accusations and innuendo, and less intended to focus on the real merits of the case. For the first time ever, we see an allegation that Apple has deliberately made changes to block law enforcement requests for access. This should be deeply offensive to everyone that reads it. An unsupported, unsubstantiated effort to vilify Apple rather than confront the issues in the case.

To do this in a brief before a magistrate judge just shows the desperation that the Department of Justice now feels. We would never respond in kind. But imagine Apple asking a court whether the FBI could be trusted because, there is this real question about whether J. Edgar Hoover ordered the assassination of Kennedy. See ConspiracyTheory.com as our supporting evidence. We add security features to protect our customers from hackers and criminals. And the FBI should be helping to support us in this because it keeps everyone safe. To suggest otherwise is demeaning. It cheapens the debate and it tries the mask the real and serious issues. I can only conclude that the DoJ is so desperate at this point that it has thrown all decorum to the winds.

Look, we know there are great people in the DoJ and the FBI. We work shoulder to shoulder with them all the time. That’s why this cheap shot brief surprises us so much. We help when we’re asked to. We’re honest about what we can and can’t do. Let’s at least treat one another with respect and get this case before the American people in a responsible way. We are going to court to exercise our legal rights. Everyone should beware, because it seems like disagreeing with the Department of Justice means you must be evil and anti-American. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I wasn’t on the call, so I can’t really comment on the tone… other than the obvious.

Apple has said the government’s request would create a “back door” to phones that could be abused by criminals and governments, and that Congress hasn’t given the Justice Department legal authority to make such a demand.

In the court filing on Thursday, federal prosecutors said Apple’s stance was “corrosive” of institutions best able to safeguard “our liberty and our rights.” The government also said Apple “deliberately raised technological barriers” to prevent the execution of a warrant.

I’m assuming the government means that Apple increased security on its devices and they don’t mean they raised technological barriers, as in, brought up arguments in court. I don’t see any proof that Apple “deliberately raised technological barriers” just to prevent the government from getting into this phone or any other phone. Apple has been steadily increasing the security of its devices for many years, and will most likely continue to do so with future versions of its devices and operating systems. As they should.

Former Google CEO and current Alphabet Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt was in South Korea for a press event this week, where he was spotted taking pictures of the event using an Apple iPhone instead of a Google Android handset.

That is one bizarre man.

Apple events at its Cupertino headquarters are my favorite. The venue is intimate and you feel like you’re part of the event. The company will have a live stream that you can watch on March 21.

Apple on Thursday sent out invites for an event to be held at its Cupertino headquarters on Monday, March 21, 2016. The event will take place at 10:00 am—I’ll be there covering the news.

I use Siri a lot on my Apple TV, but there’s some things here that I didn’t know.

Very good article with a lot of photos for comparison.

AC/DC are forced to reschedule the 10 upcoming dates on the U.S. leg of their “Rock or Bust” World Tour. AC/DC’s lead singer, Brian Johnson, has been advised by doctors to stop touring immediately or risk total hearing loss.

Tomorrow’s show in Atlanta through Madison Square Garden in New York, NY in early April will be made up later in the year, likely with a guest vocalist. More information regarding these rescheduled shows to come. Current ticket holders can hold on to their tickets for the rescheduled dates or receive a refund at point of purchase.

Very sad news for AC/DC. Personally, I don’t want to see a show with a guest vocalist.

A magistrate judge in Brooklyn last week ruled that the Justice Department could not compel the tech giant to unlock the phone. The government on Monday resubmitted its arguments to a higher judge overseeing the matter.

Not a surprise that they would try.

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Try it yourself or send your IT guy to investigate Igloo, an intranet you’ll actually like.

Emoticons are everywhere, but what if we could create emoticons with ourselves – our own smiles, shrugs, sighs, rages and laughs?

Get this handy, .gif creating app, which will turn your three photos into a moving image. You’ll be surprised how much you can say and how creative you can get with Moodroll. Oh yes, you can share your rolls via messages or email, on Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter or anywhere else you wish.

This is a cool free app.

If you want to see what guitar playing is all about, watch this. Holy shit, I love this guy.

Thanks to Pixelmator for sponsoring The Loop this week. I’ve used this app since the first version and still use it everyday.

Pixelmator is a powerful and easy-to-use image editor for Mac. It lets you enhance your photos, create advanced image compositions with layers, shapes and text, or even draw vector grapchics, and a lot more. Pixelmator is built from the ground up for Mac, taking full advantage of the latest OS X features and technologies.

Philip Elmer-DeWitt compiled a list, with links to the supporting documents, of those in favor of Apple or the FBI in the iPhone encryption case. It’s pretty one-sided.

I’m kind of ambivalent about this, to be honest. I’d rather see Apple do something else for Apple TV than to stream NFL games that are already available to watch elsewhere.

Carruthers isn’t messing around when he says he’s done a lot of concert movies—the director, who spoke with us from his home in the United Kingdom, has more than 60 credits to his name and has worked with acts as varied as Led Zeppelin and Usher. It’s fair to assume he knows a well-done live performance when he sees one.

The folks at Dolby interviewed Carruthers about the new film and posted it, and a 30 second trailer, to their site.

I find these things fascinating and a bit scary.

These are cool, although I’m not sure if I would use them or not. Merlin Mann and I have talked about these products quite a bit on The Dalrymple Report Podcast, and he loves them.

Apple posted these to its Web site.

Kaye — who is responsible for monitoring free speech issues around the world, including the speech rights of individuals, vulnerable communities, journalists, and political dissidents — highlighted the benefits of encryption from a human rights perspective.

The support for Apple keeps coming.

I have this camera and love it. Click on the “What’s New” link on the page to see the newest features.

The American Civil Liberties Union, Access Now and the Wickr Foundation laid out arguments in amicus briefs released on Wednesday ahead of a March 22 hearing in which Judge Sheri Pym will review Apple’s appeal of a court order demanding it help unlock a phone used by Rizwan Farook.

Certainly not a surprise considering what’s at stake, but it’s important that these groups stand up and be heard.

The Pentagon is turning to Silicon Valley. On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced plans to create a new “innovation advisory board” for the bellicose department and appointed Alphabet chairman and Google CEO emeritus Eric Schmidt to lead it.

So now the screens on the M1 Abrams tank will have ads on them?

I just love Zakk.

Google said in a statement on Monday that “we clearly bear some responsibility, because if our car hadn’t moved, there wouldn’t have been a collision. That said, our test driver believed the bus was going to slow or stop to allow us to merge into the traffic, and that there would be sufficient space to do that.”

Certainly not a major issue and a reasonable explanation from Google.

Jim and Merlin talk about how automated technology can benefit or harm daily life, the Apple v. FBI case, and a slew of great #HeyTDR. .

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links

• The Talk Show ✪: Ep. 147, With Special Guest Jim Dalrymple
• Thom Zahler on Twitter: “I, too, would see this movie. @hotdogsladies #heytdr #toomuchtime https://t.co/f3prY9KYrv”
• Huffduff Video (v1)
• Lin Manuel Miranda performs “Alexander Hamilton” at The White House – YouTube
• Hamilton (musical) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• What Intersections Would Look Like in a World of Driverless Cars
• Jasmine Thompson – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Richard Thompson – 1952 Vincent Black Lightning – YouTube
• Ozzy Osbourne – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Ozzy Osbourne – No More Tears – YouTube

This is very cool.

BIAS Head represents an entirely new concept in guitar sound. Its engine has the most authentic tube modeling. Seamlessly integrated with desktop and mobile apps, BIAS Head makes it possible for guitar players to edit more deeply to create the tones that before they could only have imagined. Amp Match Technology allows users to capture their golden tube amplifier, then share that amp and download other amp models on ToneCloud.

I’m a fan of Positive Grid’s guitar products. I haven’t used this, but it’s intriguing.

Pixelmator is a powerful and easy-to-use image editor for Mac. It lets you enhance your photos, create advanced image compositions with layers, shapes and text, or even draw vector grapchics, and a lot more. Pixelmator is built from the ground … Continued

Sources in position to know tell BuzzFeed News Apple has settled on March 21st as the day it will show off a handful of new products…

This sounds right to me.