This is a little scary but not surprising. As they say, it’s a reminder that locks aren’t as secure as we think they are.
Uncategorized
The hidden oil patterns on bowling lanes
I used to be a competitive league bowler – I had my own custom fitted ball and everything – and had to learn these patterns. My problem was being terrible at adjusting to the changes over time.
How Apple’s secretive gym is shaping its activity-tracking algorithms
This is an all too short article.
Apple unveils smart home experiences in its retail stores worldwide
This is one of the primary reasons Apple created the Apple Retails Stores – to show off their products and technology.
AgileBits isn’t forcing 1Password data to live in the cloud
As usual, there is a lot of hair on fire reporting from the tech and Mac media on subjects they don’t understand and/or are too lazy to actually do any research or real reporting. Fleishman does a great job on both.
New Warren DeMartini and Jake E Lee Charvel guitars
Charvel continues its long-held partnerships with Warren DeMartini and Jake E Lee with the upcoming release of brand-new signature models. The Warren DeMartini USA Signature Frenchie and the Jake E Lee USA Signature Blue Burst will be unveiled this week at the Summer NAMM Show in Nashville, Tenn., and available to consumers in October 2017.
Both of these guys are among my favorite players.
Australia proposes law to access encrypted data from tech firms
Australia on Friday proposed new laws to compel companies such as U.S. social media giant Facebook and device manufacturer Apple to provide security agencies access to encrypted messages.
They don’t seem to understand that you can’t just let them have access to the information. Once access is grant, security is weaker for everyone.
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Mark Knopfler on guitars
I just love Mark’s guitar playing.
Postive Grid announces new amps, pedals
The BIAS Mini is a compact and portable size amplifier that comes in two versions, Guitar and Bass—each one specially designed to be the most versatile amplifier on the planet for the gigging musician.
And
The BIAS Twin Delay, Modulation, and Distortion pedals are Positive Grid’s new line of professional effects stompboxes designed for maximum tone versatility. All three pedals feature the same incredible tone of the award-winning BIAS Pro pedals in a compact 2-button pedal format.
I love Positive Grid’s software, but I haven’t tried their hardware gear yet. From what I’ve seen, it’s great sounding though.
Amazon to take on HomePod with next-gen Echo
Devindra Hardawar, writing for Engadget:
Amazon is working on a new Echo that will improve on the first speaker in practically every way, a source tells Engadget. And, not surprisingly, it’s aiming to take some of the hype away from Apple’s HomePod.
Massive iceberg breaks away from Antartica
Experts said a 5,800-square-kilometer (2,239-square-mile) section of Larsen C was confirmed to have broken away between Monday and Wednesday by NASA’s Aqua MODIS satellite.
Holy crap, that’s huge.
Verizon customer info leaked online
The security issue, uncovered by research from cybersecurity firm UpGuard, was caused by a misconfigured security setting on a cloud server due to “human error.”
The error made customer phone numbers, names, and some PIN codes publicly available online. PIN codes are used to confirm the identity of people who call for customer service.
Wow!
Fantastical 2.4 for Mac
Speaking of companies I respect, check out the new Fantastical for Mac. It’s just packed with great new features.
OmniGraffle 3 for iOS
Design, create, sketch, and diagram. An incredibly powerful app for both beginners and professionals.
There are very few companies I respect as much as The Omni Group.
Apple’s back to school promo
Get Beats wireless headphones when you buy an eligible Mac or iPad Pro for college. And save more with Apple education pricing.
Personally, I don’t like Beats headphones, but I guess it’s something free.
Screen recording in iOS 11
iOS 11, however, will let you record the screen directly on your device, keeping your Mac out of the equation entirely. Here’s how it works in the developer and public betas.
This is a really handy addition in iOS 11. I’ve recorded my iOS screen with my Mac before, but now I’ll be able to do it right on the device.
Tech firms protest net neutrality changes
Facebook Inc, Twitter Inc, Alphabet Inc and dozens of other major technology companies protested online on Wednesday against proposed changes to U.S. net neutrality rules that prohibit broadband providers from giving or selling access to certain internet services over others.
It’s hard to believe we’re still arguing about this.
How to stop autoplay videos in Safari for macOS High Sierra
I hope the irony of this tip being posted on a page with autoplaying video is not lost on Macworld.
Streaming TV apps grapple with password sharing
Twenty-one percent of streaming viewers ages 18 to 24 said they had accessed at least one digital video service such as Netflix Inc, HBO Now or Hulu by using log-in credentials from someone outside their household at some time. Overall, 12 percent of adults said they did the same thing.
There is no doubt this is a problem for these companies. I’m not sure what solution they’ll come up with, but I hope they don’t overreact and make it difficult for everyone.
Touch ID vs Face ID
Rene Ritchie:
Touch ID isn’t a feature. It’s a solution to a problem that can potentially be solved in a variety of other ways. Including Face ID.
I have no doubt that Apple’s been working on an advanced Face ID system for many years. Clearly a 3D recognition system would be much better than what’s on the market now, but it would need to be as convenient and secure as Touch ID in order to work for the masses. If there’s ever a time that I need to type in my passcode because Face ID failed to recognize me in a low light or dark setting, it failed.
I’m not opposed to Face ID at all. I’m opposed to taking a step back. I hope that doesn’t happen.
Fails at rock concerts
I will tell you this: Dave Grohl is a beast.
Dolby Atmos for Music debuts in the U.S.
Dolby announced today that its new technology, Dolby Atmos for Music will debut later this month at Sound-Bar, an upscale nightclub in Chicago. […]
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Jamf Now is an on-demand mobile device management solution for your iPad, iPhone and Mac devices at work. We make management tasks like deploying Wi-Fi passwords, securing company data and enforcing passcodes, simple and affordable, so businesses can support their users; no IT required. Get started for free today!
Use your own voice for Waze navigation prompts on iOS
You can see a lot of people will set up, “Turn left, dummy!” as their voice prompts.
Torching the modern day “Library of Alexandria”
This is such a sad story and a loss for all of us here and now but it will eventually happen.
Man falls off motorcycle
Most experienced motorcyclists know about “speed wobble”. It often happens with poorly balanced tires or some mechanical misalignment.
What I learned hanging out with corpses around the world
For many of us “in the West”, we are definitely weirded out by death in general and dead bodies specifically. This is a fascinating interview and I’m looking forward to checking out the book.
First Tesla Model 3 rolls off assembly line
Elon Musk was there to snap a pic of the first one.
Cat simulator
Now you can have customizable cat audio purring nicely, with the occasional meow, all on your phone or desktop.