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Shoppers spent $3.45 billion on Cyber Monday on Samsung 4K TVs, PlayStation 4s and Barbie dolls among other products, marking the largest online sales day in U.S. history.

Top-selling electronics by units on the day include Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox gaming consoles as well as Samsung 4K TVs, Apple iPhones and Amazon’s Fire tablets.

Wow, that is a lot of money. I find it interesting that many of the electronic items are in the high-end category, but yet Amazon’s Fire tablet made the list. It makes me wonder how consumers view the tablet category.

Remember, “obsolete” doesn’t mean “will stop working”.

Some fun from The New Yorker.

It is probably the most famous picture of construction workers ever taken. It’s an amazing shot, not just for the photograph itself but for who these men were, what they were doing and their utter fearlessness. I can’t look at the photo without feeling a little queasy and yet they had lunch on a steel beam 800 feet in the air.

I haven’t been able to find a list of channels the new service will offer, but it seems clear they are going after PlayStation Vue and Sling TV.

Secrets is now Free on the App Store! Secrets is a simple, secure password manager for Mac and iOS. It leverages industry standard encryption algorithms to provide secure storage and macOS and iOS native features to facilitate automatic filling of logins in the browser.

Version 2.0 is the culmination of months of testing in the real world. Bugs have been squashed, important features have been added and polish has been applied throughout. With this new version you can use Secrets and all of its features for Free with up to 10 items.

Download it now on the App Store or the Mac App Store.

I don’t know about irresistible but there are several tools on this list that some of you may be able to use to help your blogging in the New Year.

Dave Hamilton, writing for The Mac Observer, explains the basics of WiFi Mesh Systems and compares three popular solutions.

If you manage a network (even a home network) with a lot of devices, this is worth reading.

If this video doesn’t make you smile, then you’re having an incredibly bad day.

I remember the first demos of this system when it came out and being blown away by the possibilities it opened up to those of us in desktop publishing.

I’m seeing a lot of reports of this. Hopefully, this can put an end to it.

MY thanks to Hullo for sponsoring The Loop this week.

This Holiday season, give the gift of good sleep with Hullo buckwheat pillow. Hullo is a unique and thoughtful gift that even the most discerning sleeper can appreciate.

Hullo buckwheat pillow:

• allows air to move freely through the pillow’s buckwheat hull fill, preventing uncomfortable heat build up.
• is manufactured in the USA with organic and all-natural materials.
• is biodegradable.
• has a high level of customer satisfaction.

Avoid the Black Friday crowds and save money—every Hullo order ships fast and free. Order today at hullopillow.com.

The pedant in me wants to remind everyone that “Frankenstein” was the creator’s name. The monster didn’t have a name. Don’t worry – I’ll see myself out.

I love watching these videos and would love to see this in person.

The non-removable nature of the SSDs in the new MBPs is a huge pain for tinkerers and those who have issues but it’s good Apple is at least looking for ways to make it a bit less so.

Caution: Some of these are so awful, it may put you off your Thanksgiving turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Hope your travels are safe, you end up someplace warm, and your day is filled with peace, love, and plenty to eat.

Thanks for your support and for making the Loop a part of your lives.

This is hilarious and sad all at the same time. An entire generation that expects everything to be handed to them.

Those of us who “love” our Macs or need them to make a living certainly have tre[idation with the seeming lack of direction Apple is showing with the Mac. I don’t think it’s all doom and gloom or that the Mac is going away any time soon though.

I’m pretty sure Tim Cook doesn’t care about helping Trump in the way he describes. But very few people believe it would ever be possible, incentives or not, to build iPhones stateside. There are too many moving parts in Apple’s supply chain.

This is one of those things that fascinated me as a kid and when I found the solution, I thought it was an utterly brilliant use of technology.

I would strongly disagree with my colleague, Mr Snell. I think Apple will eventually do this. But not for at least 5 years.

I love movies but anyone who knows me knows I can be a real PITA when it comes to historical accuracy. This website is a data gold mine for pedantic bastards like me.

I see why some people think Designed by Apple in California could be Ive’s goodbye to Apple. But it feels to me like Ive’s heartfelt goodbye to his best friend and colleague, five years gone. I don’t think Jony Ive is going anywhere.

I agree with Gruber on this. Although, I do think Jony is taking a higher level view of design for Apple these days.

According to industry sources on Nov. 21, the Korean tech giant plans to launch a new glossy black version of the flagship smartphone early next month.

Of course they will.

These comments from Schiller point very clearly to Apple’s focus and direction when it comes to their laptops.

This post is from a few years ago but, in honor of the upcoming US Thanksgiving Day festivities, I thought some of you might want to read this oral history of one of the funniest TV episodes of all time.

This is very cool. I need one of these.

This Holiday season, give the gift of good sleep with Hullo buckwheat pillow. Hullo is a unique and thoughtful gift that even the most discerning sleeper can appreciate.

Hullo buckwheat pillow:

• allows air to move freely through the pillow’s buckwheat hull fill, preventing uncomfortable heat build up.
• is manufactured in the USA with organic and all-natural materials.
• is biodegradable.
• has a high level of customer satisfaction.

Avoid the Black Friday crowds and save money—every Hullo order ships fast and free. Order today at hullopillow.com.

Brilliant.