We have a deal on the KOBRA Wireless Car Scanner. This device plugs into your car’s on-board diagnostics port to read data on your car’s performance. It then connects with a iOS, Android, or Windows device via Wi-Fi so you can make use of that data. It works on any car made after 1996, and it’s $14.99 through our deal.
Some Instragram Meme Accounts Want to Unionize
Left-wing memes are often very popular on Instagram. They have even made some of the people who share them quite well-off. Now some of those creators want to form a union, according to Vox.
The union, the first major organizing effort for professional meme creators on Instagram, is made up of that latter group, and now has thousands of followers on its official account and an open application process for new members. As Taylor Lorenz notes in the Atlantic, it will probably never be recognized by the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency that governs unions, but the organizing drive is still very real: Not only does it use traditional union organizing tactics, but the memers have concrete demands they want Instagram to agree to. And with growing membership, they’ll likely have a bit of leverage.
The 11 People Trying to Fight Fake News in the Indian Election
The Indian election is the world’s largest democratic exercise. There is, unsurprisingly, some concern that it could be undermined by fake news. Bloomberg News met Boom Live, an 11-strong team of fact-checkers that make up 1 of the 7 firms working with Facebook’s efforts.
Based on the early tallies, more than 60 percent of India’s 900 million eligible voters are expected to cast ballots between now and May 19, as the center-left Congress Party tries to seize power from the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party. As in other elections around the world, paid hacks and party zealots are churning out propaganda on Facebook and the company’s WhatsApp messenger, along with Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and other ubiquitous communication channels. Together with Facebook’s automated filters, Boom’s 11 fact-checkers and its similar-size fellow contractors are the front line of the social network’s shield against this sludge.
Joshua Cohen, Apple’s Philosopher, is not Available for Comment
Apparently, Apple employs a full-time philosopher named Joshua Cohen. But he doesn’t have permission to talk to the media.
The company hired Joshua Cohen, formerly a political philosophy professor at Stanford University to work at Apple University, an institution created by Steve Jobs in 2008 to offer employees the kind of training typically available at university programs. The specifics of this university are kept tightly under wraps.
Know Your Carbon Footprint With Carbon
Everything we do has an effect on the planet. Research shows that we’re causing devastating damage to the planet by releasing extravagant amounts of CO2 gas into the atmosphere. The only way to jump-start the solution is to take matters into your own hands. The aim is to inform and inspire people to minimize the carbon emissions caused by their energy use. You might not see it, but thousands of pounds of CO2 are being released into the air when you use energy in your home, or drive your car to work every day. The algorithm asks you some questions about your energy lifestyle and gives you a unique carbon footprint score. It determines which power plants your energy comes from and identifies how much CO2 they produce. It also knows how much CO2 your car produces, so it tallies those up to give you a good idea of how much CO2 your energy use produces. App Store: Free
4 Privacy Features Apple Should Add
Apple has made a good start when it comes to privacy, but there are more private features the company can add. Here are four.
…based on Apple’s marketing focus as of late, which has centered on privacy, it’s reasonable to assume that the company will unveil additional privacy protections for users and their data in its next operating systems. What those privacy protections might be is anyone’s guess–but here are my hopes.
End-to-end encryption for iCloud backups is definitely on my wish list. But it should remain optional, because people who forget their password would be unable to access this kind of backup.
Communal Head Scratching to Help Solve Your Problems – Mac Geek Gab Podcast 758
It’s true, your two favorite geeks have come together again to have a «communal head scratch» about all the questions and problems you’ve submitted. Then it’s on to some happy tips, including one about working around the new Dropbox limitations. Download, press play, and learn at least five new things… and get your questions answered, too!
Charge Six Devices at Once with this USB, USB-C, and Wireless Charging Hub: $59.99
We have a deal on the ChargeHub X5 Elite with Wireless Charging hub. It includes one USB-C charging port, four USB charging ports, and the top is a Qi wireless charging pad. That makes it a one-stop-shop for most of your charging needs, for $59.99.
News+ Efficiency is Aesthetically Pleasing
In Wired’s latest magazine, Clive Thompson writes that for some programmers, efficiency isn’t just a way to make a job easier. It’s aesthetically pleasing.
Many of today’s programmers have their efficiency aha moment in their teenage years, when they discover that life is full of blindingly dull repetitive tasks and that computers are really good at doing them.
I’m not a programmer, but I’m a big fan of efficiency and optimizing my life. I don’t go as far as the “optimized self” movement, but I like to automate whenever possible. The less time you spend doing repetitive tasks, the more you can spend enjoying life.
This is part of Andrew’s News+ series, where he shares a magazine every Friday to help people discover good content in Apple News+.
500M iOS Users Affected by Cyberattack via Chrome Bug
Roughly 500 million iOS users have been affected by a cyberattack that takes advantage of an iOS Chrome bug.
The attacks are the work of the eGobbler gang, researchers said, which has a track record of mounting large-scale malvertising attacks ahead of major holiday weekends. Easter is coming up, and the crooks are banking on consumers spending a lot more time than usual browsing the web on their phones.
Another research firm says this attack can also affect Safari users. Be careful this weekend.
