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I just opened up sponsorships for April on the site. Sponsorships are exclusive–there is only one sponsor per week. If you want to get your product or service in front of the wonderful readers of The Loop, send me an email and let’s talk.

Daniel Eran Dilger:

You can contact the Obama White House online to comment on strong encryption.

You can contact your state Senators and Representatives via the contact information supplied by ContactingTheCongress.org.

You can specifically contact Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to express concerns about their bill intended to force companies to weaken or work around encryption under court orders.

I was going to write a similar story, but Daniel summed up my thoughts in his piece. You can make a difference in this debate, but you have to stand up and be heard. Do it.

In this two part series, Adam Engst and Josh Centers take you through a masters class in using your Mac’s built-in Preview program to work with images and PDFs.

It’s always interesting (and even soothing) to listen to Ive talk.

Jim and Merlin are back this week, talking about George Martin and the importance of collaboration, the highs and lows of Apple Pay, and voice user-interfaces.

We’re fighting the wars again because, like most rights and freedoms, they have to be constantly protected from those who would want to restrict them.

I’ve been reading these stories and their different angles with fascination. There’s the “Game of Go” stories (a game I tried to learn in college but literally could never figure out), the AI story angles and the “Man vs Machine” stories.

Well, at least now we know that the government’s stance comes from the top.

The text of the toasts given by President Obama and Prime Minister Trudeau are actually quite funny.

I’ve always been a fan of Ten One Design’s aesthetic and functionality. I think this is a brilliant idea and one I’d (sadly) expect Apple to “borrow” soon. The only downside is I wish the Blockhead’s prongs folded inside itself, similar to some of Apple’s chargers. That would make it perfec

I highly recommend Flickr to all my photography students but, as the article says, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. And, if you are looking for a Flickr batch uploader without having to pay for a Flickr Pro account, I’ve used F-Stop for years.

The relationship between Canada and the US may be one of the most important in the world and it’s crucial the two countries work together on many things. That starts at the top and it’s good to see that it seems Trudeau and Obama have a close personal relationship.

But that was a cheap shot about the Stanely Cup, Obama.

Apple may top the list but they and so many other companies have a long way to go in order for women to feel like they are being treated fairly across of the board.

This is obviously a market share grab that will likely only be moderately successful but it’s another battle line in the war between users and advertisers. Most of us don’t mind advertising in general. But most of us hate the direction the advertising industry has chosen with pop-ups, auto-playing commercials and slow page load times.

Nice take on March Madness where you pick your favorite smartphone. The first round is the iPhone vs the Acer Liquid Jade 2 (whatever that is).

With Apple’s source code, the FBI could, in theory, create its own version of iOS with the security features stripped out. Stamped with Apple’s electronic signature, the Bureau’s versions of iOS could pass for the real thing.

This has to make you think twice. It just has to.

Graham asks some great questions.

Thanks to Igloo Software for sponsoring The Loop this week.

What if you could get 5% of your day back? What would you do?

You already have enough work to do today and shouldn’t have to waste time looking for the things you need to do your job.

Igloo makes it easy to find what you need, when you need it. And it’s not just for locating your traditional intranet stuff like HR policies and expense forms. It also helps you find experts, talk about problems and share content with your team. So stop digging through your inbox for that file from 3 months back and give yourself the tools you need to do your best work.

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

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.

I saw this really cool picture last year and wondered about the story behind it. The lesson of the shot is, “Always carry your best camera”.

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 used to live in the general area and I wish I had know about Lodge Manufacturing back then. It sounds like a fascinating place and company. I now own a couple of their cast iron skillets and love using them.

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.

I am way more excited than a grown man should be to see this next season of GoT.

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.

Except for the “big games”, I rarely watch any college basketball until this time of year. Then I’ll watch every game broadcast. This could be a really great way to feed my March Madness addiction.