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Andrew Orr

Since 2015 Andrew has been writing about Apple, privacy, security, and at one point even Android. You can find him most places online under the username @andrewornot.

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Articles by Andrew Orr

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What Phone Tethering is, And How to Use It

Andrew Orr ·

You might have heard of the term “phone tethering” before. In case you didn’t know what it meant, David Nield put together a guide explaining the term and how to use it.

We’re going to focus largely on wifi tethering here—creating a wifi hotspot from your phone or tablet—but you do have other options. If you’ve got a spare USB cable you can create a more stable connection between laptop and mobile device, or you can tether via Bluetooth, which is significantly slower but less taxing on battery life.

I’ll put an addendum here. Tethering depends on your carrier, and some carriers don’t allow it, like prepaid carriers. I used to use Net10 and I couldn’t use create a Wi-Fi hotspot.

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A Spy Linked to Black Cube Was Caught

Andrew Orr ·

DJ Pangburn tells the story of how a spy linked to Black Cube was caught by Associated Press reporters and Citizen Lab.

Black Cube, which is based in Tel Aviv and London, has used undercover agents to approach women who had accused movie producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct, and dispatched operatives to probe Obama national security aide Ben Rhodes and another White House staffer involved with the Iran nuclear deal.

It’s a long read but a fascinating story.

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This Website Exposes Apple Censorship in China

Andrew Orr ·

A new website called AppleCensorship.com exposes how the company censors apps in China at the behest of the government.

A new website exposes the extent to which Apple cooperates with Chinese government internet censorship, blocking access to Western news sources, information about human rights and religious freedoms, and privacy-enhancing apps that would circumvent the country’s pervasive online surveillance regime.

I’m a fan of Apple, privacy, and Apple’s stance on privacy. That being said I think whenever Apple mentions privacy on its website there should be an asterisk with fine print saying: “We believe privacy is a fundamental human right except in these cases.”

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You Can Download the National Parks' Typeface

Andrew Orr ·

National Parks use a distinct typeface, featuring round edges in all caps carved into wooden signs. And now you can download it.

Shellhorn, who was on sabbatical from his current job as an associate professor of design at the University of Kansas, was redesigning the park’s newspaper and wanted to include the type found on National Park signs. But he soon discovered there was no digital typeface because the letters are simply formed with a CNC router in the park’s sign shop, chiseled into wood. The shape of the letters were determined by the size of the router bit.

Although it sounds like the typeface wasn’t intentionally designed, it’s a good choice for signage because of the legibility due to all capital letters and wide kerning.

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Your Health Data is Turned Into a Risk Score and Sold

Andrew Orr ·

Yet another reason why we need privacy laws. Companies collect your health data and turn it into a “risk score” which gets sold to doctors, insurers, and hospitals.

Over the past year, powerful companies such as LexisNexis have begun hoovering up the data from insurance claims, digital health records, housing records, and even information about a patient’s friends, family and roommates, without telling the patient they are accessing the information, and creating risk scores for health care providers and insurers.

There is no law against collecting and using this data.

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5 Mistakes Everyone Makes When Buying New Tech

Andrew Orr ·

David Nield wrote about five mistakes we all make when we buy new tech. It’s a good list to reflect upon when you’re in the market for new gadgets.

Prying open the packaging of your new gadget should fill you with excitement, not second thoughts. To avoid the sinking feeling that you have, once again, spent $80 on a device you don’t need, take note of these common pitfalls before you buy.

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How to Watch Super Bowl LIII on iOS or tvOS

Andrew Orr ·

Roger Fingas shares some ways to watch Super Bowl LIII on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV.

The Super Bowl kicks off Sunday, Feb. 3, at 6:30 p.m. Eastern, 3:30 p.m. Pacific. The game will be played from the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

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iOS 12.1.4 Delayed Until Next Week, Apple Apologizes

Andrew Orr ·

Apple issued an apology to MacRumors, saying that a software update to fix the Group FaceTime bug won’t arrive until next week.

We have fixed the Group FaceTime security bug on Apple’s servers and we will issue a software update to re-enable the feature for users next week. We thank the Thompson family for reporting the bug. We sincerely apologize to our customers who were affected and all who were concerned about this security issue. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we complete this process.

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Should Apple Have its own Debit Card?

Andrew Orr ·

John Detrixhe argues that Apple should release its own debit card to prepare for the wave of contactless cards.

But consumers typically avoid moving their financial accounts and tend to be faithful, even when they dislike the service. An Apple debit card is a chance for the Silicon Valley-based company to give customers what they want—for God’s sake—before someone else does.

I’m not sure I’m sold on this idea. For a debit card maybe Apple could work with the bank it uses for device financing. I think what would be nice though is for Apple Pay Cash to work more like its own bank.

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This Playboy Model's Image Was Used to Create the JPEG Format

Andrew Orr ·

In 1973 a photo of a Swedish Playboy model was used to create the JPEG image format. Linda Kinstler tracked down Lena Forsen.

Among some computer engineers, Lena is a mythic figure, a mononym on par with Woz or Zuck. Whether or not you know her face, you’ve used the technology it helped create; practically every photo you’ve ever taken, every website you’ve ever visited, every meme you’ve ever shared owes some small debt to Lena. Yet today, as a 67-year-old retiree living in her native Sweden, she remains a little mystified by her own fame.

A fascinating story that I had never heard of before.

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iOS 12.1.4 Could Fix FaceTime Bug and will Drop Soon

Andrew Orr ·

Apple should fix the group FaceTime bug in iOS 12.1.4 which the company says will appear later this week. If we don’t see it today then that means tomorrow (via Macrumors). [Apple Sued Over Group FaceTime Eavesdropping Bug] Group FaceTime Bug As was widely reported, the FaceTime bug was originally discovered by a teenager, whose…

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Apple Fifth Avenue Store to Reopen This Year

Andrew Orr ·

The Apple Fifth Avenue store in New York City is set to reopen in the first half of 2019, says management of the company that owns the property.

Apple shuttered the Manhattan store in 2017 in order to renovate and increase the size of the store, but it has been unclear exactly when to expect it will reopen to the public. According to John Powers, CEO of Boston Properties, the re-opening is not far off.

The cube store is iconic so it will be good to see it up and running again.

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This Planned Parenthood Chatbot Can Answer Your Teen's Sex Questions

Andrew Orr ·

Planned Parenthood has a chatbot called Roo that can answer questions about sex your teens may have.

Many teens search for answers online, but the internet is rife with misinformation. As a result, reproductive health organization Planned Parenthood is releasing a chatbot that will provide teens ages 13 to 17–or anyone who has a question–with accurate information about their bodies and sexual health.

I wish I had had a tool like this. When I was a young’un I took out a library book to figure out what that weird puberty thing was all about.