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40 Days of Russian Darkness With iPhone Night Mode

Andrew Orr ·

Amos Chapple bought an iPhone 11 Pro and traveled to Russia’s Murmansk, the biggest city in the Arctic circle. From December to January the sun never rises in the city, and Mr. Chapple went there to test the iPhone Night Mode feature in a photo essay.

On the first morning I woke up in Murmansk, it really hit me what a revolution this generation of phone represents…As I walked down the corridor I remember thinking I’d just had more trouble organizing the equipment I needed to brush my teeth, than I had preparing for a 12-hour day of professional photography. No SD cards to check, no stacks of batteries to charge, no bag full of lenses… Total freedom.

These photos are gorgeous.

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YouTube Calls Cryptocurrency Videos ‘Harmful Content’

Andrew Orr ·

In a crackdown called ‘The Crypto YouTube Carnage’ the company has been deleting cryptocurrency videos en masse, labeling them as “harmful or dangerous.”

As years’ worth of videos started disappearing from several crypto YouTubers’ channels, many began speculating about the giant’s motivations. Some believe that YouTube is sensing a rise of new, blockchain platforms that can compete for creators both by offering them better “job security” and a higher cut of earnings.

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Happy Holidays from The Mac Observer!

Bryan Chaffin ·

It doesn’t matter if you’re into Christmas, Hanukkah, Festivus, Solstice, or any end-of-the-year holiday. The Mac Observer hopes this weekend is a wonderful time for you, and that you get to take a day or two off to relax. We’re taking (the rest of) Tuesday and Wednesday off, but we’ll be back on Thursday, December 26th, with iPhone, iPad, and Mac coverage, along with a fresh TMO Daily Observations episode, too.

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What Are the Privacy Implications of iPhone 11 Ultra Wideband?

Andrew Orr ·

The iPhone 11 models have a new chip called U1 to enable ultra-wideband (UWB). It allows for precise location tracking. Apple says it lets these phones have “spatial awareness” so the iPhone 11 Pro can figure out its location in relation to other U1 chips. A use-case is pointing your iPhone at another iPhone so AirDrop will prioritize that device when it comes to sharing files. But what happens when retail stores can track your chip?

Essentially, the new chip is a marketer’s dream in a box. Shops already track your purchases, leading to cases like the infamous 2012 case where Target unintentionally divulged a teen’s pregnancy to her father. When a store has UWB-enabled access points, it will be easy to monitor a phone’s location indoors and track what you considered purchasing in addition to what you actually purchase.

Track Santa’s Journey Around the World
Cool Stuff Found

Track Santa's Journey Around the World

Charlotte Henry ·

It’s that time of year ago – to follow Santa and Mrs. Claus on their journey around the world! Google’s Santa Tracker is ready and waiting for Santa to take off on his journey delivering presents around the globe. You can follow that journey as Christmas day begins.

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Uber Founder Travis Kalanick Quits Company Board

Charlotte Henry ·

Uber’s controversial founder and former CEO, Travis Kalanick is leaving the company’s board, Techcrunch reported. It appears Mr. Kalinick has sold all of the stock he had in the ride-hailing service

Kalanick, who was forced out as Uber CEO and eventually replaced by Dara Khosrowshahi through shareholder action, with support of the board, in 2017, has been in the process of selling off his considerable ownership stake in the company through successive sales of his shares. Just last week, Kalanick sold around $383 million in shares and reduced his overall stake to less than 10%, per an SEC filing. UPDATE 7:35 AM PT: In fact, it looks like Kalanick has actually sold all his remaining stock, with the SEC filings to show up on the web likely after the Christmas holiday, per the FT. The share sales started when Uber’s restriction on the sale of stock for private investors and employees expired six months after the company’s IPO.