Podcast

Director, Vatican Observatory Br. Guy Consolmagno - TMO Background Mode Interview

John Martellaro · · 2 Comments

Br. Guy Consolmagno earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Planetary Science from MIT and his Ph.D. in Planetary Science from the University of Arizona. He’s been at the Vatican Observatory since 1993 and is currently the director there where his research explores connections between meteorites, asteroids, and the evolution of small solar system bodies. Br. Guy has co-authored two astronomy books as well as popular books such as Would you Baptize and Extraterrestrial?” He is a Jesuit Brother.

We chatted about Br. Guy’s post-graduate work, how he came to be at the Vatican Observatory—and then become the director. He explained why the Vatican has an observatory and how the Catholic Church is not anti-science. Actually he is just part of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences that advises the Pope. And there was much, much more.

Link

Leak Claims 2019 iPhone Will Have Rectangular Logic Board

Andrew Orr ·

The iPhone X and XS had an L-shaped logic board and battery. A leak claims to show that the 2019 iPhone will move back to a rectangular shape. This could mean bigger batteries.

Sadly we can’t gain any information from the PCB design. Questions about the iPhone XI’s port of choice are still looming. We already know what the iPhone XI and XI Max will look like, but hardware info is rather limited at this point.

News

40,000 Households in Kentucky Don't Have Internet Access

Andrew Orr ·

A study of data from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the U.S. Census Bureau shows internet access across America. Kentucky is the worst state with 40,000 households without internet access. America’s Internet Divide The data is from 2017, which is the most recent information. Income and education both played a role in…

News

Apple Texas Hold'Em App is Back for 10 Year Anniversary

Andrew Orr ·

In celebration of the 10 year anniversary of the App Store, the Apple Texas Hold’em game is back. Apple Texas Hold’em Apple released its game in 2006 for the iPod and eventually the App Store. Now it’s back: Apple’s Texas Hold’em is back! To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the App Store, we’ve brought…

TMO Deals

Do Smarter Genius Fit Band (Black): $55

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on the Do Smarter Genius Fit Band, a fitness tracker that tracks your steps, calories, sleep, and activity. It will also track menstrual cycles and features reminders. Check out the details in the deal listing—you can get this device through our deal for $55.

News

Huawei CEO Says Apple is His Model for Privacy

Andrew Orr ·

Huawei CEO and founder Ren Zhengfei says he takes inspiration from Apple, saying his company won’t share user information with others (via CNBC). Huawei’s Privacy Mr. Zhengfei says that users control their data, not his company: Data is owned by our customers, not us. Carriers have to track every user, otherwise no phone calls could be…

Link

Bill Gates Said Steve Jobs Was a Master of 'Casting Spells'

Andrew Orr ·

In an interview, Bill Gates talked about Steve Jobs, saying he was a master at “casting spells” to keep Apple from dying. Kind of odd to see a businessman like him use language like “casting spells” but I guess that’s analogies for you.

While it’s really easy to imitate the bad parts of Steve, Gates said, “I have yet to meet any person who in terms of picking talent, hyper-motivating that talent,” who could match him. “He brought some incredibly positive things along with that toughness.”

Jobs was a singular case, Gates said, where Apple was on a path to die and goes on to become the most valuable company in the world. There aren’t going to be many stories like that, he said.

News

Apple Tests Biometric Login for iCloud.com

Andrew Orr ·

Apple is testing biometric login for iCloud.com. If you’re a beta tester for iOS 13, iPadOS, or macOS Catalina, you can go to beta.icloud.com and login with Face ID/Touch ID. Web Login So far, iPhone and iPad users haven’t been able to access iCloud web apps. If you navigated to the website you couldn’t use…

Link

Huawei Working With UK Mobile Providers Rolling Out 5G Network

Charlotte Henry ·

Huawei’s presence in the UK 5G network has long been controversial. The Observer reported that mobile operators are ignoring security fears and working with the Chinese firm.

The Observer understands that Huawei is already involved in building 5G networks in six of the seven cities in the UK where Vodafone has gone live. It is also helping build hundreds of 5G sites for EE, and has won 5G contracts to build networks for Three and O2 when they go live. The decision to use Huawei in the “non-core” parts of their networks – chiefly the radio systems allowing wireless communication – is a gamble for UK telecom operators. They may be left counting the cost if the government bans the Chinese company from any involvement with 5G.