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This Playboy Model's Image Was Used to Create the JPEG Format

Andrew Orr ·

In 1973 a photo of a Swedish Playboy model was used to create the JPEG image format. Linda Kinstler tracked down Lena Forsen.

Among some computer engineers, Lena is a mythic figure, a mononym on par with Woz or Zuck. Whether or not you know her face, you’ve used the technology it helped create; practically every photo you’ve ever taken, every website you’ve ever visited, every meme you’ve ever shared owes some small debt to Lena. Yet today, as a 67-year-old retiree living in her native Sweden, she remains a little mystified by her own fame.

A fascinating story that I had never heard of before.

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Apple Fifth Avenue Store to Reopen This Year

Andrew Orr ·

The Apple Fifth Avenue store in New York City is set to reopen in the first half of 2019, says management of the company that owns the property.

Apple shuttered the Manhattan store in 2017 in order to renovate and increase the size of the store, but it has been unclear exactly when to expect it will reopen to the public. According to John Powers, CEO of Boston Properties, the re-opening is not far off.

The cube store is iconic so it will be good to see it up and running again.

TMO Deals

Connect with a CPA Who Will Do Your Taxes and Optimize Your Returns for You: $89

Bryan Chaffin ·

Our friends at Stack Commerce have put together a deal for us with Visor, for a basic tax filing that includes one «complication,» specifically stock sales, cryptocurrency-related issues, or self-employment income. Visor pairs you with a dedicated tax professional to guide you to maximum tax savings and prepare your tax return. Our deal is for $89. Check the deal listing for details.

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This Planned Parenthood Chatbot Can Answer Your Teen's Sex Questions

Andrew Orr ·

Planned Parenthood has a chatbot called Roo that can answer questions about sex your teens may have.

Many teens search for answers online, but the internet is rife with misinformation. As a result, reproductive health organization Planned Parenthood is releasing a chatbot that will provide teens ages 13 to 17–or anyone who has a question–with accurate information about their bodies and sexual health.

I wish I had had a tool like this. When I was a young’un I took out a library book to figure out what that weird puberty thing was all about.

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Looking at Apple Job Hiring For Streaming Video

Andrew Orr ·

Joshua Fruhlinger put together a great deep dive into Apple’s job hiring for positions involving streaming video for its service.

Apple job listings data tracked over time reveals hiring efforts to build out the company’s «Interactive Media Group» (IMG), which, based on job descriptions, is busy building out the base for the company’s upcoming streaming service. Apple is also busy hiring for its retail operations where it hopes to beat concerns that iPhone and hardware sales will continue to wane.

Rumors point to a mid-April launch for Apple’s streaming video service.

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Facebook Research Broke the Rules. Now it Faces the Consequences

Andrew Orr ·

Casey Newton wrote a defense of Facebook/attack of Apple, because of the Facebook Research app that got banned.

But for all the attention we’re paying to Facebook’s moves here, I hope we spare at least as much for Apple. If Tim Cook can wreak this much havoc on Facebook’s day, however justified, just imagine what power Apple holds over the rest of us.

That power is App Store rules, which Facebook willfully ignored. We should be glad that big companies have to follow the same rules as small companies. If you’re a Facebook employee unable to use internal apps, don’t be mad at Apple. Instead, be mad at your employer who was willing to throw it all away in order to take advantage of children.

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Ex-ESPN President John Skipper Wants to Build the Netflix of Sports. But Don't Call it That.

Charlotte Henry ·

John Skipper left ESPN abruptly in December 2017, just days after he announced a contract extension. In March 2018, he revealed he had been had been suffering from substance abuse issues and the victim of an extortion plot. Now he’s well and truly back, with an ambitious digital venture called DAZN. Bloomberg Business Week spoke with Mr. Skipper and discussed the prospects for the service as it begins to expand.

Skipper won’t call DAZN a “Netflix for sports,” at least not publicly, but it’s useful shorthand. DAZN offers live sports on the internet for a monthly fee. It started in Germany and Japan in summer 2016 and now also operates in Canada, Italy, and the U.S. The German service (which is also available in Austria and Switzerland) offers four of the top European soccer leagues plus the NBA and NFL for about $10 per month. In Japan, subscribers get domestic soccer and baseball, plus MLB, the NFL, three European soccer leagues, and UEFA Champions League, for about $15. U.S. service began in September, offering boxing and mixed martial arts at $10 a month.

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How IoT Devices Can Bite You Even From the Trashcan

John Martellaro ·

TechCrunch writes: «But it’s not just while they’re plugged in that these slapdash [IoT] gadgets are a security risk — even from the garbage can, they can still compromise your network.» Scavengers taking a discarded one apart can discover all kinds of secrets about your network. OMG. Trash talk. (Image credit: TechCrunch.)