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iPad Pro Finally a Capable Computer for Everyday Consumers

Andrew Orr ·

Jesus Diaz writes how he replaced his MacBook Pro with a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and hasn’t looked back since.

I’m able to do everything I used to do with my MacBook on my 12.9-inch iPad Pro…If you are thinking that an iPad with a keyboard is a laptop, you are wrong. The iPad is better than a laptop. Better than any other computer I’ve used before. And I’ve been looking for the perfect computer for a long time.

I’d love to get my hands on the new 11-inch iPad Pro, and my plan will be the same. I only ever use my MacBook Pro for writing and web browsing, and an iPad would be the perfect replacement for me.

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Private Messages from 81,000 Hacked Facebook Accounts for Sale

Charlotte Henry ·

The BBC Russian Service has learned that at least 81,000 Facebook accounts have been compromised. Private messages have been published online and the perpetrators are trying to sell account login details. Facebook insists that its security has not been comprised and that it was likely the data had been obtained via malicious web browser extensions. The full details of the hack and the BBC’s investigation shed light into how our data is traded online.

The BBC understands many of the users whose details have been compromised are based in Ukraine and Russia. However, some are from the UK, US, Brazil and elsewhere.

The hackers offered to sell access for 10 cents (8p) per account. However, their advert has since been taken offline.

“We have contacted browser-makers to ensure that known malicious extensions are no longer available to download in their stores,” said Facebook executive Guy Rosen.

“We have also contacted law enforcement and have worked with local authorities to remove the website that displayed information from Facebook accounts.”

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It’s Not Your Imagination: Smartphone Battery Life is Getting Worse

Charlotte Henry ·

Smartphone users have long insisted that their device’s battery life is getting worse. Now the Washington Post’s Geoffery A. Fowler, along with colleagues at other tech sites, have found that really is the case. Last year’s top smartphones mostly all out performed this year’s versions. One of the exceptions to this was the iPhone XR, which lasted for three hours more than a top-of-the-range iPhone XS.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been performing the same battery test over and over again on 13 phones. With a few notable exceptions, this year’s top models underperformed last year’s. The new iPhone XS died 21 minutes earlier than last year’s iPhone X. Google’s Pixel 3 lasted nearly an hour and a half less than its Pixel 2.

The report confirms that improvements in battery technology just aren’t keeping up with the high resolution OLED screens, processor heavy apps, and how much we use our phones each day. In other words, don’t look for battery life to improve any time soon.

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Proposed Bill Would Jail Executives Who Mishandle Customer Data

Andrew Orr ·

Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) proposed an early draft of a bill that would create harsher penalties for companies that mishandle customer data.

Wyden’s draft proposal, called the Consumer Data Protection Act, would give the FTC more authority and resources to police the use of data by adding a total of 175 new staff. Under the proposal, the FTC would also be allowed to fine companies up to 4 percent of revenue for a first offense.

The legislation would also create a centralized Do Not Track list meant to let consumers stop companies from sharing their data with third parties, or from using it for targeted advertising.

I think this sounds fantastic. Companies like Equifax that put Americans in danger by not properly securing our data should be heavily fined. Having the executives jailed is a bonus.

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This 2MB Image Contains Entire Works of Shakespeare

Andrew Orr ·

A man named David Buchanan fit the entire works of William Shakespeare in a 2MB image. It’s an example of steganography, and it’s quite cool.

“So basically, I wrote a script which parses a JPG file and inserts a big blob of ICC metadata,” he said. “The metadata is carefully crafted so that all the required ZIP headers are in the right place.” This process was quite fiddly, he added, saying it took a few hours to complete, although he wrote the script itself over a span of a couple of months.

Since it’s a JPG image, you’ll have to unzip it via Terminal. Open Terminal, type unzip then drag and drop the image in. Unless you opened Terminal inside a specific folder, it will extract everything to your home directory.