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One of the dangers of the ability to personalize everything on the internet is that we sequester ourselves in walled gardens. We get information that is not only tailored to our wants and needs but also actively blocks out and ignores even slightly “dissenting” opinion. This app can help combat that.

Did you know St. Patrick was “Roman”, not Irish? Or that there’s no such thing as a “Shamrock”? Do you know the Irish (and many of the rest of us) wear green today? Well, prepare to be better informed.

This is just too cute for words.

I can see this app being very useful for me. In a car, you can just call the other vehicle to find out where they are if you lose them. But, as a motorcyclist who often rides with others, an app like this would be a huge assist in allowing us to keep track of each other.

When this purchase was first news two years ago, a lot of people assumed it was for construction. It’s really interesting to read what Apple is doing with the land instead.

If this comes as a shock or a surprise to you, you haven’t been paying attention. Advertising is what Google does.

The tech media wants to portray this as “taking on Siri” but, because it’s buried inside an app, it’s unlikely to affect Siri usage at all.

This is one of those things you would have thought was blindingly obvious and should have been invented long before now. I’d buy one of these TVs.

This is a great story for the grammar nerds among us.

Be in peace, my friend.

This is definitely not safe for work, but damn it’s so funny.

The Guardian: In the plans that exist for the death of the Queen – and there are many versions, held by Buckingham Palace, the government and the BBC – most envisage that she will die after a short illness. Her … Continued

I recently picked up a new Baby Bottle Mic from Blue Microphones. I wanted a great quality, versatile mic, but I didn’t want to spend thousands of dollars—this mic is perfect.

Just look. Look at Zuck looking at things. Look, Zuck, look.

Why didn’t the people on the platform see all the snow on the tracks, see the speed of the train, and then use common sense to get the hell out of the way?

This is a great article by Jason Snell on some of the things that Apple may do in the future to help podcasting and those that make them. I honestly don’t think Apple will do anything to help the small podcaster, but they’ll do what they can to help the huge people in the business. In other words, exactly what they did with publications on Newsstand.

An homage to the lusted after, utterly mysterious Dumble Overdrive Special, the Fuchs Overdrive Supreme 50 Amplifier caught on with players nearly two decades ago, delivering smooth, complex overdrive, and deep, three-dimensional clean tones with endless headroom.

This new Brainworx amp plug-in made for Universal Audio sounds outstanding. I got it last night and will be giving it a go over the next few days. Watch the video and take a listen to the sound samples. Amazing.

When a group of Boston retirees learned that their feathered next-door neighbours were too cold to lay eggs, they busted out their needles and got to work.

I had to post this, I just had to. Much respect.

My thanks to Twocanoes Software for sponsoring The Loop with Winclone 6 this week.

Winclone is the award-winning Mac app used to backup, clone, restore, and migrate Windows installed on your Boot Camp partition. Winclone 6 adds in a bunch of new features, including full compatibility with the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros, ability to mount your Boot Camp partition as a writable volume, a fresh new look and much more.

Get 50% off all editions of Winclone 6 this week with coupon code THELOOP

Universal Audio updated its Apollo software and also released a number of new plug-ins including:

• SSL 4000 E Channel Strip Collection
• Moog Multimode Filter Collection
• OTO BISCUIT 8-bit Effects
• Fuchs Overdrive Supreme 50 Amplifier
• Brainworx bx_subsynth Subharmonic Synth

You can download the update from their Web site.

The accused men live in Russia and Canada, the source said, with the Canadian far more likely to face arrest. Russia has no extradition treaty with the United States.

Yahoo was awful in disclosing these hacks.

I’m pleased to announce that I’ve accepted a position with Apple’s Security Engineering and Architecture team, and am very excited to be working with a group of like minded individuals so passionate about protecting the security and privacy of others.

This decision marks the conclusion of what I feel has been a matter of conscience for me over time. Privacy is sacred; our digital lives can reveal so much about us – our interests, our deepest thoughts, and even who we love. I am thrilled to be working with such an exceptional group of people who share a passion to protect that.

I am mechanically incompetent and, while I’ve noticed this sound, I had no idea what created it. The explanation is actually kind of interesting.

The most egregious user of autoplay videos in the Mac community must be Macworld. The site has been taken over by marketing weasels and is a shadow of its (useful) former self.

I’m sure we all have our favorite cars and car companies but I’ve always lusted after and drooled over Ferraris.

I hate karaoke with a blinding passion but I love these two actresses and, if nothing else, I’ll watch this episode.

While the vast majority of us wouldn’t be scammed like this, it’s a good piece to pass along to those we know who may not be as technically proficient as we are.

There are just so many things to like about this new service from Pandora—first and foremost, they are focusing on the user.

I don’t fly enough anymore to have been able to use the “new” Wallet (nee Passbook) but I remember when I did many years ago, it was a PITA. Has it gotten better, as Engst says in this article?

I still have my child-like love of Muppets and an adoration of the work of these Muppeteers but Henson is irreplaceable and will always be missed.