CNET has produced a fairly detailed comparison chart that shows the similarities and differences of last year’s iPhone X and this year’s iPhone XR, iPhone XS and XS Max. See “What’s new and different.” However, the similarities may surprise you. Missing? System RAM, 4K frame rates and stereo sound nuances. Still, it’s worth a gander.
TMO Background Mode Interview with Science Fiction Author Darren Beyer
Darren Beyer is a former NASA Space Shuttle engineer at Kennedy Space Center who worked on launching and recovering more than a dozen missions, including the Hubble Space Telescope. He also conducted astronaut training and had the honor of working onboard every Space Shuttle orbiter except Challenger. In late 1998, he left NASA to become an entrepreneur, and, lately, an author.
The first result was the Anghazi series of novels, Casimir Bridge, released in 2016 to rave reviews thanks largely to his commitment to putting the science back in science fiction. The second installment, Pathogen Protocol was released in October, 2018. We chatted about Darren’s early life inspirations, his NASA career, an interesting experience with an astronaut, his scientific approach to SciFi writing, and how private industry may well send manned missions to Mars before NASA.
iPad Pro and a Proper Keyboard, Your iPad as a 2nd Mac Screen - ACM 489
Bryan Chaffin is joined by Bob LeVitus to discuss the iPad Pro, whether it can replace a Mac, and the importance of having a quality keyboard. They also talk about two ways Bob has been testing for using your iPad as a second Mac display, which is way cool.
BentoStack Charge Holds Apple Accessories, with Qi Charger on Top: $72
Check out our deal on the BentoStack Charge. It’s a compartmentalized case for Apple accessories, and it has a Qi wireless charger on top. Cool, yeah? The video gives you a nice overview of this device, and you can get it through us for $89.99. [Update: Stack Commerce gave us a coupon code—CMSAVE20—that brings the price down to $72!]
Reported Apple Partner AC Global Risk Criticized for 'Voice Risk Analysis' Tech
Voice analytics firm AC Global Risk, which has claimed that Apple is one of its clients, faces serious criticism from academics and experts
LinkedIn Privacy, Laws on GitHub – TMO Daily Observations 2018-11-26
Kelly Guimont chats with Andrew Orr and Dave Hamilton about keeping your LinkedIn Privacy settings current and using GitHub to manage laws.
Elon Musk 'Might Move' to Mars
Space X CEO Elon Musk has said that there is a 70% chance he will go to Mars and that he might even move there.
Apple Patent Shows System to Keeps the 'Click' Even in Covered Buttons
Apple has filed a patent for a magnetic system that means buttons on an iPhone could still deliver a tactile click even when they are covered.
Ohio Firms can Pay their Taxes Using Bitcoin
Starting this week, businesses in Ohio will be able to pay their taxes using Bitcoin. Engadget reported that the service could eventually be expanded to accept payment of personal taxes. According to the Wall Street Journal: “Ohio businesses will be able to go to the website OhioCrypto.com and register to pay everything from cigarette sales taxes to employee withholding taxes with Bitcoin.” Ohio is the first state to allow taxes to be paid via Bitcoin. The change was pushed forward by Ohio state Treasurer Josh Mandel.
This doesn’t eliminate the regulatory concerns around cryptocurrency, and it’s doubtful that more than a handful of businesses will use it. It’s happening in Ohio precisely because state Treasurer Josh Mandel says he can do it without requiring help from the legislature or the governor. It could be considerably more difficult to implement this by passing a bill.
UK Parliament Seizes Internal Facebook Documents
LONDON – The UK Parliament has exercised its legal powers and seized a number of internal Facebook documents. The cache of papers is alleged to contain revelations surrounding the data and privacy controls that resulted in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Furthermore, The Observer reported that, “they include confidential emails between senior executives, and correspondence with [Mark] Zuckerberg.” Damian Collins, Conservative MP and chair of the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, sent a parliamentary official to the London hotel where Ted Kramer, the founder of Six4Three, a software company that is suing Facebook, was staying. Mr. Kramer was eventually compelled to hand over the documents. Facebook has denied all the allegations made and demanded the return of the papers. The Observer has the full details:
The documents seized were obtained during a legal discovery process by Six4Three. It took action against the social media giant after investing $250,000 in an app. Six4Three alleges the cache shows Facebook was not only aware of the implications of its privacy policy, but actively exploited them, intentionally creating and effectively flagging up the loophole that Cambridge Analytica used to collect data. That raised the interest of Collins and his committee.
