We have a deal on the Chargerito, which the company claims is the world’s smallest iPhone charger. It’s a plug, charging connector, and iPhone stand, all in one device. We’re linking to a deal on just one of them for $29.99, but there’s also an option for a 2-pack ($49.99) and a 3-pack ($66.99).
SETI Finds 72 Mysterious Signals from 3 Billion Light Years Away
Scientists from SETI have found 72 mysterious signals from a galaxy 3 billion light years away. They did this by using AI to examine 400 terabytes of data.
The signals they spotted – fast radio bursts (FRBs) – are bright and quick pulses which were first discovered in 2007 and are believed to come from distant galaxies, although it is not yet know what causes them.
The nature of the object emitting them is unknown. There are many theories, including that they could be the signatures of technology developed by extraterrestrial intelligent life.
Aliens are possible, but not probable. More likely candidates for these signals include pulsars, quasars, and maybe even black holes or neutron stars.
The Case for Not Upgrading to a New iPhone - TMO Daily Observations 2018-09-11
Adma Christianson from the Maccast and Andrew Orr join Jeff Gamet to talk about why they are—or aren’t—interested in upgrading to Apple’s soon to be announced new iPhone and Apple Watch models.
LCD 6.1-inch iPhone Could See Shipping Delay
If you’re planning on getting Apple’s 6.1-inch LCD iPhone on launch day, good luck with that. A Bloomberg report says Apple could delay its release because of manufacturing issues related to the LCD panels. The report says,
Apple has faced tight supply of the new low-cost model due to minor complications fitting backlights for the LCD screen, according to people familiar with the matter. That could mean the lower-cost device ships in limited quantities initially, they said. Apple may be tempted to delay availability of the LCD version to gauge demand for the more expensive largest new iPhone.
That means there’s a good chance that Apple will announce the 6.1-inch iPhone model on Wednesday, but only the 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch OLED models will ship this month. We could have to wait several weeks before the 6.1-inch model is available. If you want a new iPhone right away you’ll have to get the higher end OLED models.
Apple Buys Global Rights to 'The Elephant Queen' Documentary
Apple has purchased the global rights to documentary The Queen Elephant, according to Deadline. This film is about an elephant clan led by Athena. That’s her with the giant tusks. ? The documentary was filmed by Victoria Stone and Mark Deeble, who spent years with Athena’s family, as she coped with a drought. It sounds amazing, and I can’t wait to see it. Apple hasn’t said when it will be released, but one might imagine it will be part of whatever original streaming service the company has been cooking up for the last few years.
Skip the Dongle, Learn about Cruft! – Mac Geek Gab 726
It’s time to fully embrace the USB-C interface, folks, at least according to listener Zack. Todd helps us understand Cruft, Phil needs to know about storing IDs when traveling, Felix is curious about storing archives, and that’s just the half of it. You’ll have to listen to hear Dave Hamilton and John F. Braun talk all about this and more!
Star Gazers Can Now Sleep Comfortably Under the Stars
Have you ever wanted to sleep, comfortably, under the stars? From Digital Trends: «…’head in the stars’ may sound like a Coldplay lyric but it’s a pretty good description for this tiny house in France being manufactured by a company called SCOP Optinid.» Plus it’s transportable. It’s a star gazer’s dream trailer, with all the amenities, for just US$54,000. Binoculars not included.
TMO Background Mode Interview with Academic Director of IT Bradley Chambers
Bradley Chambers has been managing Apple devices in an education environment since 2009. Currently he’s the IT director at a school in Chattanooga, and he’s also a contributor to 9to5Mac via his weekly column: «Making the Grade.» Bradley told me about his work as an IT administrator, how iPads and Macs are deployed, configured and repaired. There are some good tools for doing that, but they’re also supplemented with Google docs and JAMF tools. His kids are taught programming at an early age with Swift Playgrounds, and it turns out that the iPad offers just what his students need for a K-5 curriculum. We finished with a discussion of a few of his recent columns, including why digital textbooks generally failed in the market as well as thoughts about the state of Apple’s iBooks Author app.
How to Use 'Right to be Forgotten' as a Censorship Tool
A French data regulator is asking for more powers to remove out-of-date or embarrassing content from the web. This effectively turns the ‘right to be forgotten’ rule into a censorship tool.
In the latest ECJ case to be heard in Luxembourg on Tuesday, the French data regulator is seeking to extend that power so that it applies universally. That would permit national regulators to hide articles deemed unacceptable not only from their own cyberspace such as google.fr, but also from global domains including google-com and from those of other countries.
Google of course is resisting this, saying it would create a precedent for authoritarian governments to limit free speech. We don’t need a Ministry of Truth, thanks.
Corporations Use Our Data in Part to Train AI
Besides advertising, corporations use our data to train AI systems. And now the companies are deciding how AI will affect our future.
The ethical use of AI is a matter of public discourse but Google (and others) seem unfazed by the potential dark side of their products and practices. We know this because they keep pressing forward to implement their visions of the future – visions they may not necessarily see a need to reveal to the public.
Companies, especially those in the tech industry, move faster than governments. And we need governments to create ethical guidelines on how AI should be used. Because if we leave it up to corps like Google, every single facet of our lives will be collected for monetization, even more so than now.
