Dr. Mac is impressed with the latest release of Bare Bones Software’s venerable Mac text editor, BBEdit, saying it just keeps getting better and better, with the latest release (BBEdit 13), adding several extremely useful features.
10-Foot MFi-Certified Braided Lightning Cables 3-Pack: $15
We have a deal on a 3-pack of 10-foot MFi-Certified braided Lightning cables. The sheathing is braided nylon, and they’re available in Black, White, Silver, Pink, and Gold. You’ll find an option for a 6-pack of cables in the deal listing, too. The 3-pack is $15 through our deal.
New iPhone Displays Could be Thinner And More Power Efficient
Reports coming from Korea, picked up MacRumors, indicate that the 2020 iPhone will likely have thinner displays. They could also be more power-efficient too.
This mirrors a recent report from Korean website ETNews, which claimed that so-called iPhone 12 Pro models will adopt a technology that allows touchscreen circuitry to be directly patterned on the OLED panel without the need for a separate layer, resulting in a thinner display and lower production costs. ETNews said a lower-cost 6.1-inch model, presumably the iPhone 12, will stick with a traditional film-based display. It is unclear if thinner displays would translate to thinner iPhones as a whole this year.
AAPL Shares Hit Record High on First Trading Day of 2020
Apple stock hit a record high on the first trading day of 2020, closing at $300.35 per share and valued the firm at over $1.3 trillion.
Former Top Google Exec Gives Devastating Explanation of Why he Quit
Google has faced internal staff protests and criticism in recent times over its approach to human rights both at home and abroad. The firm’s former head of international relations, Ross LaJeunesse, revealed on Thursday his concerns in this area prompted him to quit.
Each time I recommended a Human Rights Program, senior executives came up with an excuse to say no. At first, they said human rights issues were better handled within the product teams, rather than starting a separate program. But the product teams weren’t trained to address human rights as part of their work. When I went back to senior executives to again argue for a program, they then claimed to be worried about increasing the company’s legal liability. We provided the opinion of outside experts who re-confirmed that these fears were unfounded. At this point, a colleague was suddenly re-assigned to lead the policy team discussions for Dragonfly. As someone who had consistently advocated for a human rights-based approach, I was being sidelined from the on-going conversations on whether to launch Dragonfly. I then realized that the company had never intended to incorporate human rights principles into its business and product decisions. Just when Google needed to double down on a commitment to human rights, it decided to instead chase bigger profits and an even higher stock price.
IKEA Tradfri Smart Blinds Add HomeKit Support
IKEA is now rolling out HomeKit support for its line of Tradfri smart blinds as a firmware update, after a delay into 2019.
Inside Big Tech’s Manipulation of AI Ethics Research
It’s a long read, but Rodrigo Ochigame, former AI researcher at MIT’s Media Lab, examined Big Tech’s negative role in AI ethics research.
MIT lent credibility to the idea that big tech could police its own use of artificial intelligence at a time when the industry faced increasing criticism and calls for legal regulation…Meanwhile, corporations have tried to shift the discussion to focus on voluntary “ethical principles,” “responsible practices,” and technical adjustments or “safeguards” framed in terms of “bias” and “fairness” (e.g., requiring or encouraging police to adopt “unbiased” or “fair” facial recognition).
Tim Cook Makes Charitable Donation of $2 Million Worth of Apple Stock
Tim Cook donated 6,880 Apple shares, worth around $2 million, to an undisclosed charity, according to his most recent SEC filing.
macOS: How to Display All Previously Installed Security Updates
macOS maintains a listing of all software updates. That list contains a list of all previously applied security updates. John shows how to display those entries.
Techno Artist Curtis Wallen Created a ‘Clandestine Communication Network’
Curtis Wallen’s latest project, called Proposition For An On Demand Clandestine Communication Network, tells people how to avoid surveillance and make a secret phone call.
This is not easy, of course. In fact, it’s really, comically hard. “If the CIA can’t even keep from getting betrayed by their cell phones, what chance do we have?” he says. Still, Wallen believes PropCom could theoretically keep users’ activities hidden. It’s hard, he emphasizes, but not impossible.
He basically uses a prepaid burner phone, a Faraday bag, and an encrypted phone number. I hope he bought the phone from a place that doesn’t use cameras or facial recognition, because that could help trace him.
