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This is frighteningly well done.

Speculation is that this will kill any bundling options Apple has for Music.

A bit of good news amongst all the bad.

This popped up on my phone as I was reading “Why hasn’t America canceled sports yet?” Maybe they will.

Following a call with the 30 clubs, and after consultation with the Major League Baseball Players Association, Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. today announced that MLB has decided to suspend Spring Training games and to delay the start of the 2020 regular season by at least two weeks due to the national emergency created by the coronavirus pandemic. This action is being taken in the interests of the safety and well-being of our players, clubs and our millions of loyal fans.

MLB will continue to evaluate ongoing events leading up to the start of the season. Guidance related to daily operations and workouts will be relayed to Clubs in the coming days. As of 4 p.m. ET today, forthcoming Spring Training games have been cancelled, and 2020 World Baseball Classic Qualifier games in Tucson, Ariz., have been postponed indefinitely.

Events are falling like Dominos. I still believe this is the most prudent action for everyone.

National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman:

“In light of ongoing developments resulting from the coronavirus, and after consulting with medical experts and convening a conference call of the Board of Governors, the National Hockey League is announcing today that it will pause the 2019-20 season beginning with tonight’s games.

“The NHL has been attempting to follow the mandates of health experts and local authorities, while preparing for any possible developments without taking premature or unnecessary measures. However, following last night’s news that an NBA player has tested positive for coronavirus — and given that our leagues share so many facilities and locker rooms and it now seems likely that some member of the NHL community would test positive at some point — it is no longer appropriate to try to continue to play games at this time.

“We will continue to monitor all the appropriate medical advice, and we will encourage our players and other members of the NHL community to take all reasonable precautions — including by self-quarantine, where appropriate. Our goal is to resume play as soon as it is appropriate and prudent, so that we will be able to complete the season and award the Stanley Cup. Until then, we thank NHL fans for your patience and hope you stay healthy.”

It’s the best policy right now.

Good luck. I’ve always been a fan of TAG Heuer’s design but I can’t afford an Apple Watch let alone a TAG Heuer with prices starting at £1,495 ($1,883 US) for the stainless steel model and £1,950 ($2,456 US) for titanium. But they do look good.

The NHL has also suspended its season. With the 2020 Major League Baseball season scheduled to begin on March 26, what do you think the odds are of Opening Day actually happening on that date?

I was never a Beastie Boys fan but I’ll definitely watch this documentary about them.

And it’s not just tech workers. Give a thought to the folk working in the service industries – hotel staff, fast food workers, waiters – people who rely on not only hourly wages but are required to show up in physical locations to receive those wages. And many of them have little to no benefits, medical or otherwise.

We’ve gone from “Hey would you mind….” to “please do this…” to “Holy crap just stay home!”

I had no idea there was any such thing as “ideal glass” and the line, “Glass is a liquid in suspended animation” kind of blew my mind. It’s one of those things you know but didn’t know.

I never give up accurate data without getting something in return. You want me to fill out your survey? Pay me. No, not enter me into a draw. Straight up PAY ME.

This is an awesome and terrifying responsibility. Granted, it’s a puff piece but there are interesting tibits in it.

The cat and mouse game between Apple and law enforcement continues.

Apple has been very clear on its stance with regard to this issue.

Italy has been devastated by the spread of the virus.

Lots of information here including models and forecasting, fighting misinformation, and tools for scientists.

As usual, the New York Times makes pronouncements and assumptions not applicable to “most people.” I’ve worked from home for 26+ years. No, it’s not for everyone but many, many people can and should make it work.

Saying the best pixel editor on the Mac isn’t Photoshop is a bold statement.

More good news/bad news. Airfare out of Vancouver is often ridiculously expensive but right now, flights to NYC are under $230. Very tempting.

As always, it depends on your needs. Personally, I could certainly do 50% of my editing on an iPad Pro in the field but I’d still have/want to come back to a 27″ iMac to finish. YMMV

If AirPods Pro actually worked like this, I’d never turn Transparency mode off.

This is a real good news/bad news situation for Apple – sales are up but they can’t meet demand for the same reason sales are up.

Hopefully, real action can come out of this meeting and not just photo ops.

Is this only for US-based users of Apple News (not Apple News+)? I don’t see any such banner at the top of my News app on the desktop or on iOS.

I’ve always loved watching glassblowing but had never thought about the need for specialty scientific glass.

This is the tip of a global iceberg. More bad news will come.

Take a look at some of these live cam shots of Italian tourist hotspots. The Roman Colosseum, the Piazza San Marco in Venice, Florence’s Piazza della Signoria, the Trevi Fountain. Tourist locations that are normally packed, even in late winter, are almost empty. This summer may well become known as “The Summer without Tourists.”

As a motorcyclist, this is an event we would say had a “very high pucker factor”! The rider filming was going more than 96mph when he saw the oncoming bikes. The oncoming bikes were likely at that speed or higher. All were very lucky to get through it alive.