In Semiosis, You Have to Watch out for Alien Plants
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In Semiosis, You Have to Watch out for Alien Plants

Andrew Orr ·

Semiosis by Sue Burke has an interesting premise: When you land on another planet, what if instead of worrying about alien life forms or animals, you had to keep an eye on the plants? It’s a wholly unique book that I had fun reading. Instead of following the same characters, we’re presented with a new cast in every chapter. We start with the original colonists as they land on Pax, then follow each subsequent generation as they have to deal with the land, the flora, and the actions of the previous generation. Will the children of the Parents adhere to the rules, or will they rebel? I thought the book was great, and look forward to the second book coming later this year. Apple Books: US$9.99 | Kindle: US$9.99

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How to Break Into an iCloud-Locked iPhone

Andrew Orr ·

Hackers, thieves, and independent repair companies can find ways to break into iCloud-locked iPhones.

The iCloud security feature has likely cut down on the number of iPhones that have been stolen, but enterprising criminals have found ways to remove iCloud in order to resell devices…Making matters more complicated is the fact that not all iCloud-locked phones are stolen devices—some of them are phones that are returned to telecom companies as part of phone upgrade and insurance programs.

TL;DR: Phishing, mugging, and social engineering are methods. You can even remove the CPU and reprogram it by stealing an unused IMEI.

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Get Apple News Original URLs Using This Shortcut

Andrew Orr ·

A Mac app called StopTheNews has been making the news rounds lately. It lets you open Apple News original URLs directly in Safari. I wanted to share a shortcut that does the same thing on iOS.

Share an Apple news article to this shortcut, and get the original URL back. Prompt at the end lets you pick between copying the URL to your clipboard or sharing it somewhere else.

Unlike macOS, you can open an Apple News article in Safari on iOS. Then from Safari you can copy the URL. But this shortcut removes that step, so you can share the article to the shortcut, then copy the URL to the clipboard or share it elsewhere.

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New Federal Bill Would Outlaw Video Game Loot Boxes

Andrew Orr ·

Under federal legislation proposed by Republican Sen. Josh Hayley (Mo), video game loot boxes would be prohibited.

Hawley’s proposed bill, outlined Wednesday, covers games explicitly targeted to players under age 18 as well as those for broader audiences where developers are aware that kids are making in-game purchases. Along with outlawing loot boxes, these video games also would be banned from offering “pay to win” schemes, where players must spend money to access additional content or gain digital advantages over rival players.

I think this is a good move. Companies like EA would have to make good games again, instead of relying on a player’s “sense of pride and accomplishment.”

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BESTEK 200W Car Power Inverter With 2 AC Outlets and 2 USB Ports: $24.99

Bryan Chaffin ·

Check out the BESTEK 200W Car Power Inverter, a car charger that boasts 2 AC outlets and 2 USB ports, in addition to a 12V cigarette lighter socket to replace the the power port it’s using in the first place. That’s all pretty clever, but it gets better. While it will fit in a cup holder, as you see in the image we included, it also has a 24-inch cord that gives you more flexibility in where you put it. This device is $24.99 through our deal.