Yanny or Laurel Explained

Are you hearing Yanny or Laurel in the recording that’s zipping around the internet? The short answer is “Yes.” The longer answer involves a little audio knowledge.

Apple Wants $1 Billion from Samsung for iPhone Patent Infringement

Apple and Samsung are back in court for the next round in their years-long legal fight over copying the iPhone’s design. This new trial is to determine how much money Samsung owes Apple for patent infringement. Apple is pushing for US$1 billion in damages, and of course Samsung is balking. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out considering Apple was originally awarded over $1 billion, but that was cut back dramatically over the years in the ongoing legal fight. Maybe now Apple can get that number pushed back up. Bloomberg has more about the new damages trial.

Here's an Easy Way to Check Website Cookies for GDPR Compliance

The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, goes into effect on May 25th, 2018, and it can impact websites that aren’t hosted in member states. If you want to see if the cookies on your website are GDPR-complaint, Cookiebot is a great place to start. You’ll get a quick audit of site cookies in a PDF showing how compliant—or not—they are. It’s free to try, and offers a little insight into how GDPR impacts websites.

Apple's Helpful Video on Using 2FA for Apple Devices

Check out this Apple video on using 2FA to secure your Apple devices. I won’t pass up an opportunity to promote device and service security. For instance—and while I’m here—DON’T REUSE PASSWORDS! So, anyway, Apple has this short (only 6 seconds) how-to video that gives you the quick run-down on using 2FA to protect your Apple ID. Really, it’s a pointer to a more in-depth piece on using 2FA, and that article has a lot of good information. TMO has some great articles on 2FA, too, and too, and too, and too. Many of our readers already know this stuff, but we all have friends and family who don’t. Pass it to them. Post a link in social media. Help the people who count on you for tech stuff learn more about protecting their digital #^%$!

Watch Susan Kare Talk about Working on Original Mac Icons and Typography

Check out this wonderful presentation from Susan Kare, a member of the original Mac team who designed the icons and typography for those early Macs. This movie has been around for years, but I just saw it in a piece at Tested about the Command Key icon. That story is part of the presentation and involves Steve Jobs. In fact, it includes all kinds of anecdotes and lore, and if you’re interested in Apple or Apple products, you will enjoy watching this presentation. And the reality is if you use a modern computing device, you owe Susan Kare a debt of gratitude. She’s done a lot of work for many other companies, too, and she touches on that in this preso. It’s great!