This article demonstrates many things. 1) Teenagers spend too much time on Facebook. 2) They are subject to psychological manipulation. 3) Those who create channels into teenage minds will do anything to make money. 4) Few realize this is happening. And 5) If Facebook can do this to youngsters, so can others with more unpleasant motives.
Book By Ex-Apple Employee Talks About iPhone Keyboard
Ken Kocienda worked at Apple from 2001 to 2016. He wrote a book called Creative Selection that talks about Apple’s design process and more from an insider’s perspective, including the iPhone keyboard.
Scott didn’t clue me in on the politics in play between him and Phil or why he had scheduled the demo. I imagined that Scott was eager to show off the results of the keyboard derby, which must have been a topic for discussion up at the executive level. In any case, my job was to prepare my demo so it worked as it did for the demo derby, so that’s what I did.
You can preorder the book, called Creative Selection, on Apple Books for US$14.99.
Couch Potato App Tracks How Many Times You're Sitting
Couch Potato app is the world’s first sit-tracker, a one of a kind app that measures and celebrates your inactivity. The more you sit, the more your couch potato will grow. Once the app is downloaded, all you have to do is relax. The tracker will monitor how much time you don’t move. At the end of each day, you’ll get a couch potato score. The longer you sit, the better you do. All you have to do is download the app, authorize movement tracking, and lounge around all day. The more you couch, the more levels you advance. Unlock and redeem rewards along the way. App Store: Couch Potato – Free
Apple Versus Infowars, Pachinko TV Series - TMO Daily Observations 2018-08-08
Kelly Guimont and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to look at Apple delisting the Infowars podcasts while leaving the app on the App Store, plus they share their thoughts on Apple’s deal for the Pachinko TV series and diversity in programming.
Apple Lands Min Jin Lee's Pachinko for TV Series
Apple’s latest addition to its original television lineup is a series based on Min Jin Lee’s best selling book Pachinko. The book chronicles the lives of a Korean that immigrated to the U.S., and Apple signed it into what Hollywood Reporter calls «a sizable script-to-series commitment.» HR adds,
Soo Hugh (who oversaw on season one of AMC’s The Terror) will pen the script for Apple as well as executive produce and serve as showrunner on the likely series. Pachinko hails from Michael Ellenberg’s Media Res, which is behind Apple’s upcoming Reese Witherspoon-Jennifer Aniston morning show drama and was the tech giant’s entry into the scripted space. Author Lee will also be credited as an executive producer on the Apple take.
I love how Apple is bringing diversity to its original TV show programming and is turning its back on the old-school white male-dominated television world.
Ariana Grande Tweets About Being on Carpool Karaoke
Ariana Grande and Carpool Karaoke fans can rejoice because she just finished spending the day in the car with James Cordoe. Grande tweeted about how much fun she had and said she can’t wait for everyone to see what they recorded. She didn’t say if they recorded a segment for the Late Late Show, or if this was for Apple’s Carpool Karaoke series. I’m guessing it’s the former, which means we’ll get to see it pretty soon.
that was the best day ever @JKCorden thank you so much to you and your incredible crew and band and writers ! sm fun. can’t wait for y’all to seeeee what we been up to.
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) August 8, 2018
ProtonVPN Plus Subscriptions with Swiss Legal Protections
We have a deal on ProtonVPN Plus, a VPN based in Switzerland, complete with Swiss legal protections. The service uses AES-256 encryption to protect your data, and it supports Mac, Android, Windows, and Linux. iOS support is available through the OpenVPN Connect app. A two year subscription is $79.99 through us, 66% off retail. A one year subscription is also available.
The Science of Plant Intelligence Emerges
Plant biology is an interest of mine, and recent scientific research suggests that plants could have a basic form of intelligence, with memory and learning capabilities. Monica Gagliano talked with Forbes about her research on plant intelligence:
If Gagliano’s interpretation of the data is correct, the scientific community may have to reckon with intelligent organisms independent of the traditional brain and nervous system model. If her interpretation of the data is correct, we may be in the early stages of waking up to a world long-populated by considerably more intelligent, sentient beings than previously acknowledged. It would be a major paradigm shift.
Ms. Gagliano has a book coming out later this year, called Thus Spoke the Plant.
Silicon Valley Created an Ethical Guide
An ethical guide was recently created by think tank Institute of the Future and the Tech and Society Solutions Lab. The guide—called Ethical OS—aims to serve as a bridge between researchers who study tech’s societal impact, and the companies that impact society.
The first section outlines 14 near-future scenarios, based on contemporary anxieties in the tech world that could threaten companies in the future. What happens, for example, if a company like Facebook purchases a major bank and becomes a social credit provider? What happens if facial-recognition technology becomes a mainstream tool, spawning a new category of apps that integrates the tech into activities like dating and shopping? Teams are encouraged to talk through each scenario, connect them back to the platforms or products they’re developing, and discuss strategies to prepare for these possible futures.
In my opinion, it should be a requirement for business majors to take ethical classes, if they already don’t. Starting a company in a garage with no knowledge of societal quandaries doesn’t cut it anymore.
Facebook Wants Your Bank Account Data, TSMC's Chips Problem - TMO Daily Observations 2018-08-07
John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on Facebook asking banks for account information, plus the explore TSMC’s temporary chip production shut down for the WannaCry virus.





