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Lawyers: Turn off Alexa and Google Home Before Confidential Meetings

Andrew Orr ·

Lawyers who are working from home are encouraged to turn off devices like Amazon Alexa and Google Home because these products may eavesdrop.

“Perhaps we’re being slightly paranoid, but we need to have a lot of trust in these organizations and these devices,” Hancock said. “We’d rather not take those risks.”

The firm worries about the devices being compromised, less so with name-brand products like Alexa, but more so for cheap knock-off devices, he added.

It’s definitely not just cheap knock-offs.

Podcast

TMO Contributor Kelly Guimont (#10) - TMO BGM Interview

John Martellaro · · Add Comment

Kelly Guimont is a long-time podcaster, Contributing Editor for The Mac Observer, the host of the Mac Observer’s Daily Observations podcast, and a tech support guru.

In her 10th appearance, Kelly and I chat about our favorite streaming TV shows of late. I open segment #1 with a critique of Amazing Stories: “The Cellar” (Apple TV+), then rave reviews for a shared favorite, Star Trek: Picard and a Kelly favorite: Westworld S3 (HBO). In segment #2: Kelly: The Expanse (Amazon), Wynonna Earp (SyFy). John: Outlander (S3) (Netflix) and Night on Earth (Netflix). Join us as we explore together what’s great (and not great) about these shows.

TMO Deals

Boost Focus and Productivity By Turning To-Do Lists into an Organized Schedule: $50.15

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on Focuster, a web-based productivity app that turns your to-do lists into an organized schedule. It syncs with Google Calendar, which means it requires a Google account, and it prioritizes tasks, can auto-schedule them in your calendar, utilizes smart reminders, tracksyour progress, and much more. A lifetime subscription to this service is $59 through our deal, but coupon code SPRINGSAVE15 brings the checkout price down to $50.15.

Check Out ‘Big Library Read’, an Online Book Club
Cool Stuff Found

Check Out ‘Big Library Read’, an Online Book Club

Andrew Orr ·

Big Library Read is an online book club from OverDrive. It connects readers from around the world with one eBook at a time and offers a place to share your thoughts, comments, and questions of the book with other readers.

This round’s title is Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic, a memoir written by stand-up comedian Michael McCreary who shares his experiences of living on the spectrum and dealing with trying situations as someone who doesn’t “look” autistic.

I think it’s a great idea, and be sure to download the Libby app so you can borrow books from your local library.

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Tim Cook: Apple is Donating 'Millions' of Masks to Help Healthcare Workers Fighting Covid-19

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted on Saturday that the company is donating “millions” of masks to help protect healthcare workers in the U.S. and Europe who are treating those with Covid-19. The Verge noted that this followed a statement made earlier in the day by Vice President Mike Pence.

Cook’s tweet appears to confirm a statement earlier in the day by Vice President Mike Pence. “The president and I literally heard directly from Apple that they’re donating 2 million industrial masks to this effort around the country and working with our administration to distribute those,” Pence said at a White House press briefing. How (and if) Apple was able to get the two million masks Pence referenced isn’t clear — The Verge has reached out to the company for more information. Globally, masks are in high demand, but supplies are running low.

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Are Camera Apps Worth the Expense?

Andrew Orr ·

Alex Coleman writes about camera apps and why they’re probably not worth the purchase.

After shooting extensively with the latest versions of some of these apps, including an in-depth comparison against the stock camera app, I don’t believe there’s much value in keeping them installed. Put simply, the phone manufacturers have added enough “secret sauce” to their imaging pipeline that an app just won’t create a better quality image, in most cases.

You know, I have to agree with this. Just based on my own experience, I’ve used a ton of different camera apps over the years, and eventually stopped using every single one, until now I stick with Apple’s built-in camera app.