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The NTSB said that although Huang was a distracted driver, Tesla’s forward collision warning system did not provide an alert, and its automatic emergency braking system did not activate as his Model X SUV with Autopilot switched on accelerated into a highway barrier.

and

The NTSB also called out Huang’s employer, Apple, for failing to set a strict policy for its employees banning non-emergency use of mobile devices while driving.

That is just ridiculous. How is an Apple policy going to help when people get behind the wheel of a car and decide to game instead of watching the damn road like they supposed to do.

Apple’s response:

“We expect our employees to follow the law.”

Exactly.

There’s plenty to dislike and be annoyed at with Apple’s App store policies. It’s an easy argument for developers and others to say Apple has overstepped its boundaries and is squeezing for all its worth. But, for most consumers, the App Store is the safest, best place to get iOS apps for their devices. But Apple has a fine line to follow especially given increased governmental scrutiny. They need to do what is best (in its opinion) for its customers but it can’t afford to force the government’s hand and have them step in and force Apple into policies it doesn’t want to implement.

The Smithsonian is a literal national and international treasure and this release continues that reputation.

As a photographer, I get why some people like these shots but you’re likely not taking an “original” shot, you’re trespassing, it’s illegal, and you’re putting your life in danger. It’s not worth it.

I had the same Japanese experience the author did. While initially confused by my hotel’s toilets, the detailed instructions (!) in English helped and I “loved” using the toilet for the week I was there. We are in the market for a new toilet in our house and while there’s no way we’d splurge for a Toto, there is nothing similar to them on the market for a non-exorbitant price.

The justices rejected Apple’s appeal in the long-running case in which a federal jury in 2016 found that Apple had infringed VirnetX’s patents and awarded $302 million. A judge later increased that amount to $439.7 million including interest and other costs.

Patent cases are always difficult and this one is no different.

If it hadn’t been for the movie “Hidden Figures“, Johnson and the work of the other incredible Black women at NASA might have gone unnoticed.

This is an overly harsh view of my home and native land but it is mostly fair. In the most recent news, we have serious issues with our treatment of the Wet’suwet’en Indigenous people and their territorial sovereignty.

Fold phones are still breaking, which shouldn’t surprise anyone. Apple TV+ is releasing Amazing Stories and an Amazon vendor scams the system.

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I’ll be the first to admit I found The Mandalorian boring and juvenile but the effects and visuals are spectacular.

I’ve never had any interest in going to Disney theme parks but I’m always fascinated by stories of the behind the scenes workings of the facilities.

Many thanks to BBEdit for sponsoring The Loop this week. Bare Bones Software, makers of BBEdit, is one of my favorite software companies — in fact, I’ve been using BBEdit for more than 20 years. BBEdit has been updated to version 13, and is available in the Mac App Store as a subscription! Same great features. Same user experience. You can subscribe in the Mac App Store or purchase perpetual licenses directly from Bare Bones Software. Also, you can still get great merch, including Classic and Rebus T-shirts, enamel pins, and more in their merch store!

While I’m a big fan of D&D and would play again in a heartbeat, I’m completely unfamiliar with any other board game RPGs mentioned in this piece.

I played around with this today. Easy to set up, easy to use. Would take practice to get the movement down cold. I showed it to my wife who is an Occupational Therapist working with kids who have varying levels of disabilities and sh can see how this would be a real use to some of them.

Follow the link for details, but try this one simple thing to get a sense of what’s new:

• Launch the official iOS Twitter client
• Start a new, blank tweet
• In the new tweet, pull down (as if to refresh)

Your most recent tweet will appear, with the option to turn it into a thread. Useful!

When I moved to Nashville in 2002, many people made a point to tell me to visit this site. It seemed kind of silly to me (I’ve been to the actual Parthenon in Athens) but once I visited, I really loved and appreciated it and the beautiful park it was in.

This PBS Frontline documentary is available on Youtube but only for US viewers.

What an odd, silly looking design for a house.

This is simultaneously really creepy and utterly amazing.

This is a fascinating look at the top 100 languages and their origins from other languages. I figured Japanse wouldn’t have any branches but I was surprised to see Hungarian didn’t either.

I’ve been a big fan of Setapp since it launched. If you know of a new(ish) user of a Mac, this would make a great gift to help them navigate the ins and outs of their new computer. And even if you’re an old hand, at only $10 for the Kindle version, it’s not a bad thing to have on hand as reference material.

We do seem to agree that this is purely about “the marketing effect.” And for some, that’s a dismissive admission. They see that marketing is not core to defining or implementing technology. Some folks the CSSWG have argued this would take up a lot of time to figure out, and add little value to CSS itself.

On the other hand, if web developers are hesitant to adopt new technology, defining and implementing it is wasted time. How Authors perceive change, and judge when is the best moment to invest time to learn new technology — this has a huge impact on adoption.

If you had the money, would you go? I would in a New York minute.

Love it or hate it (there are arguments for both), there’s no denying Photoshop is one of the most powerful pieces of software many of us will ever use. But it’s also one of the most complicated and dense. I’ve been using Photoshop since v1 (Adobe used to give it away for free when you bought a scanner) and, while I’ve never been an expert at it, I’m always amazed by its possibilities.

They never figured out how the ring got to Finland. Wish it had some sort of GPS to track its journey. Curious story.

As the tech guy for our family of 12 macOS and iOS connected devices, I’m the one charged with managing all the storage, backup, and maintenance details. What a PITA.

Many of us have complicated feelings about death and dead bodies. Personally, I wouldn’t want to do this but I understand why some would.

I’m a “beginner cook” so I love little tips and tricks of cooking and baking. I’ve seen these “food hacks” all over Facebook and Twitter and many of them seemed suspect to me.

Bare Bones Software, makers of BBEdit, is one of my favorite software companies — in fact, I’ve been using BBEdit for more than 20 years. BBEdit has been updated to version 13, and is available in the Mac App Store as a subscription! Same great features. Same user experience. You can subscribe in the Mac App Store or purchase perpetual licenses directly from Bare Bones Software. Also, you can still get great merch, including Classic and Rebus T-shirts, enamel pins, and more in their merch store!

Bad news for Apple but not completely unexpected. The company will undoubtedly bounce back.