The Elephant Queen is one of the best Nature stories you will ever watch. John gives it a 10 out of 10.
WT:Social is a New Social Network From WikiTribune
WT:Social is a new social network from Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia. He promises it will never sell user data and rely on donors.
BONDIC Pocket 3D Liquid Plastic Welding Kit: $14.99
We have a deal on a different kind of product today, the Bondic Pocket 3D liquid plastic welding kit. This liquid plastic that only hardens when you apply an included UV light to it, allowing you to cure it only when you want. The company says it’s a four step process: clean, fill, cure and shape to fix almost anything. Check out the promo video below to see it in action. It’s $14.99 through our deal.
Dr Mac and the New Logitech Mouse – TMO Daily Observations 2019-11-19
Bryan Chaffin and Doctor Mac join host Kelly Guimont to discuss their deep abiding love for Logitech mice, including the new MX Master 3.
Apple Partners With 100cameras for iPhoneography
Apple is partnering with the nonprofit organization 100cameras to teach Chicago students photography with iPhones.
Need the Tor Browser on iOS? Try Onion Browser
Need a Tor browser on iOS? Onion Browser is the only iOS app recommended on the Tor Project’s website. Starting out at the U.S. Naval Research Lab, Tor is a special network that helps people browse the internet with as much privacy as possible. You should note there are a couple of security advisories on its website: WebRTC/Media leaks: Due to iOS limitations, WebRTC and media files leak outside of Tor and are routed over the normal internet. This will reveal your real IP address to sites using these features. (If you are using a VPN, the VPN IP address is revealed instead.) To defend against this, you may set Strict security mode in Host Settings, which will disable Javascript. More information here. OCSP leak: Visiting EV “Green Bar” HTTPS sites may leak information that can be used to reveal the domain name of the website you are visiting. This is handled within iOS and cannot be changed by Onion Browser. There is no known workaround. A detailed report can be found here. App Store: Free
Apple's Very Parental App Store Decisions
When Apple banned 24 vaping apps from the App Store recent, lots of people were happy. The Macalope wasn’t. He explained why in his Macworld column.
For now those who have installed the apps can continue to use them, but in the long term developers have no way to deliver updates that could provide bug fixes or firmware updates. It’s worth pointing out that the canisters that did contain cyanide were counterfeit. The Macalope just checked his local liquor store and we haven’t banned alcohol sales because prison wine blinded some people. He also checked the App Store and we haven’t banned mixology apps, either. But one of the apps Apple banned actually checked canisters to see if they were counterfeit. (Tip o’ the antlers to Ben Thompson’s piece on this subject.) It’s very temping to make lifestyle judgements. We have waged a long war with the tobacco industry (which stands to benefit from banning vaping, by the way), so seeing young people vaping nicotine is concerning. But lots of choices adults make can be concerning.
The EU's Battle With Big Tech is Only Just Beginning
The EU’s executive, the EU Commission, has increasingly turned its attention on Big Tech in recent times. It fined Apple $14.5 billion in 2016, and is looking at alleged competition issues around the Walle App. At the center of it all is competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager. The New York Times has a really good profile of her, picked up by Cult of Mac. It shows’ that the EU’s battle with Big Tech is only just beginning.
A New York Times article writes that Vestager “envisions a more aggressive agenda” for moderating the tech industry. It notes that: “Ms. Vestager, a 51-year-old former Danish lawmaker, is doubling down. She has signed on for a rare second five-year term as the head of the European Commission’s antitrust division, and assumed expanded responsibility over digital policy across the 28-nation bloc…” There are few specifics in the article, aside from the overall sense that Vestager is looking to double-down on her moderating of tech companies. The European Commission is already looking into a number of tech giants. This includes the question of whether Apple is abusing its marketplace position with the App Store.
Did Apple Maps Forget Michigan’s Upper Peninsula?
The upgraded Apple Maps has been slowly rolling out across the United States this year. The team recently added some western and midwestern states to the redesign, including the lower peninsula of Michigan. But I live in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and don’t see the upgrade. No surprise there, because people often think the U.P. is part of Canada or Wisconsin. There’s even an entire subreddit dedicated to it. Since it looks like Wisconsin hasn’t gotten the upgrade either, I’m assuming Apple is in the latter camp.
In terms of area, this latest expansion is Apple’s largest yet……and it’s the second largest in terms of population. It also has arrived faster than almost all of the others.
Thousands of Disney+ Accounts Hacked and Being Sold Online
Streaming glitches aren’t the only tech problems to have beset Disney+, it seems. ZDNet found that almost immediately thousands of users’ credentials were being sold online.
Two users who spoke with ZDNet on the condition we do not share their names admitted that they reused passwords. However, other users said online that they did not, and had used passwords unique for their Disney+ accounts. This suggests that in some cases hackers gained access to accounts by using email and password combos leaked at other sites, while in other cases the Disney+ credentials might have been obtained from users infected with keylogging or info-stealing malware. The speed at which hackers have mobilized to monetize Disney+ accounts is astounding. Accounts were put up for sale on hacking forums within hours after the service’s launch. As of this article’s writing, hacking forums have been flooded with Disney+ accounts, with ads offering access to thousands of account credentials.
Apple Pay Belarus Begins With BPS-Sberbank
Apple Pay Belarus begins its rollout starting with BPS-Sberbank, one of the oldest and biggest banks in the Republic of Belarus.
Mimeo Photos Launches Photo Prints for Individual Shots
I know I just wrote about Mimeo Photos yesterday in a review but they’re already back with a new product. Photo prints lets you print out individual photos as an alternative to making a photo book, card, or calendar.
21 Print sizes available in glossy and matte finishes. Standard, Large Format, and Panoramic options available. Available for delivery to North America. Europe coming soon.
Claris Connect Invite-Only Beta Now Open
Apple subsidiary Claris has launched an invite-only beta of its Connect product, which it unveiled its 2019 Developers Conference.
Apple Rebrands WWDC App to ‘Apple Developer App’
Apple has taken the old WWDC app and turned it into the Apple Developer app. It will still have the same developer news, videos, and more.
All Teens Want For Christmas is AirPods (And Nike And Louis Vuitton)
Apple is the most mentioned consumer brand amongst teens when asked about their Christmas gift wishes, according to a new survey.
DuckDuckGo Smarter Encryption will Serve You HTTPS Sites
The DuckDuckGo Smarter Encryption feature will automatically give you the encrypted HTTPS version of websites as they are available.
It’s available on DuckDuckGo’s mobile browser for Android and iOS, and through the company’s desktop browser extension for Firefox and Chrome. DuckDuckGo is also open sourcing the code behind the feature so other sites and platforms can adopt it as well. First up? Pinterest.
I especially like how they’re open-sourcing it for others to use.
Apple Hosting App-Focussed Event in New York on December 2nd
Apple is going to host a media event on December 2nd in New York focusing on the best and most successful apps of the year.
Former Apple Director of Federal Sales David Sobotta - TMO Background Mode Interview
David Sobotta joined Apple in 1984. His career there lasted until July 2004. During that time David went from being an entry-level sales representative based in Halifax, Nova Scotia covering Atlantic Canada to the Reston, Virginia, based director of Apple’s federal sales group. He has gained an intimate knowledge of Apple, its culture and the leadership of Steve Jobs.
David tells a story that started with the Apple II, learning the technology, going to work for a mini computer shop in Canada, growing the business so much that he got to know the Apple rep and then the serious attention of Apple. David evolved through business and then education, working with resellers, and eventually rose to the position of Apple Director of Federal Sales. We also chatted about Apple’s brief foray into selling supercomputers in 2004.
I Got Caught ... Learning! – Mac Geek Gab 789
Searching Safari’s history, running macOS Catalina 10.15 on an unsupported Mac, previews in Finder’s list fit, and a creative use for Chrome profiles are just a few of the tips shared in today’s episode. Listen as John and Dave answer listener questions and share even more tips right here. Press play and enjoy learning at least five new things!
FBI Draft Resolution Calls for End-to-End Encryption Ban
An FBI draft resolution for Interpol calls for a ban on end-to-end encryption. It’s for Interpol’s 37th Meeting of the INTERPOL Specialists Group on Crimes Against Children.
A draft of the resolution viewed by Ars Technica stated that INTERPOL would “strongly urge providers of technology services to allow for lawful access to encrypted data enabled or facilitated by their systems” in the interest of fighting child sexual exploitation. Currently, it is not clear whether Interpol will ultimately issue a statement.
Remember when I mentioned the Four Horses of the Infocalypse? Terrorists, drug dealers, pedophiles, and organized crime. Four fears to use as a way to push their agenda. I know it’s a delicate issue. These groups are definitely ones that the majority of society would want to stop. But removing end-to-end encryption for everyone isn’t the way to do that.
