Apple released a teaser video for For All Mankind to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch.
How the Spacecraft, Kepler, Discovered Over 4,000 Exoplanets
CNET writes:
In just a few decades, we’ve gone from knowing of no planets beyond the solar system to thousands. Here’s how it happened.
The now retired spacecraft, Kepler, has been instrumental in the discovery of over 4,000 planets beyond our solar system. Referenced here: CNET article and NASA video.
SuperTank 27,000mAh Portable Charger: $134.99
We have a deal on a beast of portable battery, the 27,000mAh SuperTank. This device can charge up to four devices at a time with 2 USB-C and 2 USB-A ports—plus one of those USB-C ports can put out 100 watts of power. It’s TSA-compliant and is crush-proof, too. The SuperTank is $134.99 through our deal.
Get eero Mesh Wi-Fi for up-to-50% Off for Amazon Prime Day
eero, one of our favorite consumer mesh Wi-Fi systems, is available for up-to-50% off Monday and Tuesday as part of Amazon Prime day. Deals include:
- eero Pro – $99. Normally US$199, this is the tri-band, flagship model in the eero lineup.
- eero Pro and 2 Beacons – $199. Normally $399, and is probably what most homes need.
- eero Pro and 1 Beacon – $149. Just spend the extra $50 and get the 2 Beacon bundle.
- eero Pro 3-Pack – $299. Normally $499, this is a great deal. But you can save $2 if you buy three standalone units.
All of these deals are only available for Amazon Prime members, and only while supplies last, of course. Go now!
Science Fiction Author Darren Beyer (#2) - TMO Background Mode Interview
Darren Beyer is a former NASA Space Shuttle engineer at Kennedy Space Center who worked on launching and recovering more than a dozen missions. He also conducted astronaut training and had the honor of working onboard every Space Shuttle orbiter except Challenger. In late 1998, he left NASA to become an author.
The result was the Anghazi series of novels, Casimir Bridge, released in 2016 to rave reviews thanks largely to his commitment to putting the science back in science fiction. The second installment, Pathogen Protocol was released in October, 2018. In this second show with Darren, we continue our previous discussion: Back to the Moon first or off to Mars first? With robot companions? Industrializing the Moon. Plus: Darren’s approach to the third novel in the Anghazi series and an explanation of how his characters achieve interstellar travel.
2019 MacBook Air Has Slower SSD Than 2018 Model
The 2019 MacBook Air released last week has a slower SSD than the 2018 MacBook Air. The 128GB and 256GB models were tested.
Twitter Web Redesign Rolls Out For All Users
A Twitter web redesign is rolling out for all users, simplifying navigation, a sidebar, profile switching, and more.
The update is designed to make it easier to move around Twitter. Before, you’d have to click on your Profile icon to access features like Lists, Themes, Settings, and other options. Meanwhile, getting to Moments was available both in this Profile dropdown menu and in the main Twitter navigation at the top of the screen, next to Notifications and Messages.
Air Force Might Defend Area 51 With Force
Over the weekend a Facebook event page to raid Area 51 has had over 400,000 people signing up. This is because of the belief that aliens or alien technology are held there. But the Air Force is prepared.
“[Area 51] is an open training range for the US Air Force, and we would discourage anyone from trying to come into the area where we train American armed forces,” McAndrews said. “The US Air Force always stands ready to protect America and its assets.”
Waze Update Willl Show Toll Road Prices
An update for Waze rolling out today will show toll road prices along your driving route for users in the United States and Canada.
Apple's Security Evolution, iCloud VPN – TMO Daily Observations 2019-07-15
John Martellaro and Andrew Orr join host Kelly Guimont to talk about Apple’s balance of security and user freedom, and a new iCloud VPN idea.
macOS Mojave 10.14.6 Developer Beta 5 Available
Apple has released the fifth developer beta of macOS Mojave 10.14.6 today, one week after developer beta four came out.
Lawmakers Want Apple to Turn Privacy Talk into Action
Although Tim Cook vocally supports privacy laws in the United States, Apple doesn’t actually support many of them.
A number of privacy advocates and U.S. lawmakers — who did not attend the meeting — say Apple has not put enough muscle behind any federal effort to tighten privacy laws. And state lawmakers, who are closest to passing rules to limit data sharing, say Apple is an ally in name only — and in fact has contributed to lobbying efforts that might undermine some new data-protection legislation.
This is something I’ve noticed as well. I think Tim and co should do more to support privacy legislation.
Library App Libby Now Works With CarPlay
Libby is an app that lets you read ebooks and listen to audiobooks from libraries, and it recently announced support for CarPlay.
8 Days: To the Moon and Back - a Film Based on Unheard Apollo 11 Recordings
The BBC released a new film as part of marking the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 and the moon landing. 8 Days: To the Moon And Back is based on classified cockpit audio recorded by the astronauts. It reconstructed the journey, from take-off, landing on the Moon, and the return to Earth. It is stunning, giving an intimate new perspective on the historic events. The film is available on the BBC iPlayer.
Apple Stops Shipping iPhone SE, 6, 6 Plus, 6s Plus to India
Apple has stopped shipping the iPhone SE, 6, 6Plus and 6sPlus in India, leaving the iPhone 6s the entry-level device available there.
Amazon Prime Changed How we Shop online
To mark Amazon Prime Day, Recode looked at the origins of the next-day delivery service. It outlined the dramatic effect it had on how people perceived online shopping.
The service, which launched in February of 2005, was a first of its kind: For an upfront payment of $79, customers were rewarded with all-you-can-eat two-day delivery on their orders. At the time, Amazon charged customers $9.48 for two-day delivery, meaning if you placed just nine of these orders in a year, Prime would pay for itself. “[E]ven for people who can afford second-day shipping, this feels sort of like an indulgent luxury,” Bezos said of Prime, on a call with Wall Street analysts when he introduced the service in February 2005. Jeff Bezos’s letters to customers on the Amazon.com homepage announcing the Amazon Prime and Prime Video launches. With it, Amazon single-handedly — and permanently — raised the bar for convenience in online shopping. That, in turn, forever changed the types of products shoppers were willing to buy online.
Democrats Draft Bill to Get Big Tech Out of Finance
The Democratic majority on the House Financial Services Committee unveiled a Bill aimed at getting big tech firms out of finance.
Apple VPN as the Company's Latest Privacy Service
Michael Grothaus argues that an Apple VPN should be the company’s next privacy service.
The obvious existing bundle this VPN could slip into would be iCloud. Apple could offer an “iCloud VPN” service to all paid iCloud subscribers. And because Apple controls all the hardware and operating systems of the devices it makes, its VPN setup could be dead simple: if you’re signed into iCloud on your device, iCloud VPN is set up, running, and protecting your browsing activity from outsiders without you having to click a single button.
I’m not so sure I want an Apple VPN. Remember, this would mean that Apple could potentially know all of your network traffic unless they had a no logging policy.
Swiper, More Swiping! – Mac Geek Gab 770
Your questions answered, including migrating photos, syncing movies, moving to a new Mac, which earbuds to get, smart bulbs, and much more. Plus, there’s never a lack of things to swipe. And on your iPhone and Mac, that’s a good thing. Come learn five new things with John and Dave!
Computing Pioneer Alan Turing the Face of New British Banknotes
Alan Turing will be the new face of the Bank of England’s £50 notes, BBC News reported. His codebreaking was crucial to the Allies victory in the Second World War. The new notes will enter circulation by the end of 2021.
The note was once described as the “currency of corrupt elites” and is the least used in daily transactions. However, there are still 344 million £50 notes in circulation, with a combined value of £17.2bn, according to the Bank of England’s banknote circulation figures. “Alan Turing was an outstanding mathematician whose work has had an enormous impact on how we live today,” said Bank of England governor Mark Carney. “As the father of computer science and artificial intelligence, as well as a war hero, Alan Turing’s contributions were far ranging and path breaking. Turing is a giant on whose shoulders so many now stand.”
