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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

‘Clean Text’ From ApiMac is the Closest Tool to TextEdit for iOS
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‘Clean Text’ From ApiMac is the Closest Tool to TextEdit for iOS

Andrew Orr ·

I believe Clean Text is the purest expression of plain text editing for iPhones and iPads, like TextEdit on Mac. I’ve been gradually transitioning my notes into plain text. I still use Apple Notes for its rich text and support for images. But plain text is a great backup solution. Clean Text doesn’t try to force you into its own note-taking paradigm; in fact it’s not a traditional note-taking app at all. Unlike other note-takers I’ve used, Clean Text, as the name suggests, cleans your text. It has tools to fix line breaks, join paragraphs, remove empty lines, replace tabs with spaces, and lots more. When you’re done you can copy the text to another app or export it to Files. One note at a time without a subscription or in-app purchase. One up front purchase of US$0.99. I created a shortcut that copies text from the input (share a plain text file to it) and opens Clean Text where you can paste it. Good for quickly editing a text file from Files.

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Chrome OS Passes macOS to Become Second Most Popular Desktop OS

Andrew Orr ·

New data shows that Chrome OS has overtaken macOS to become the second most popular desktop OS. Chrome OS rose from 6.4% in 2019 to 10.8% in 2020.

Despite the fact that macOS landed in third, viewing this as an example of Google beating out Apple directly might not be accurate. Rather, it’s likely that Chrome OS has been primarily pulling sales and market share away from Windows at the low end of the market. Mac market share actually grew from 6.7 percent in 2019 to 7.5 percent in 2020.

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Email Spy Pixels are a Widespread Problem, Says BBC

Andrew Orr ·

At the BBC’s request, email service “Hey” analyzed its traffic and found two-thirds of emails sent to users contained a spy pixel.

Defenders of the trackers say they are a commonplace marketing tactic. This information can then be used to determine the impact of a specific email campaign, as well as to feed into more detailed customer profiles. Hey’s co-founder David Heinemeier Hansson says they amount to a “grotesque invasion of privacy”. And other experts have also questioned whether companies are being as transparent as required under law about their use.

These pixels are tiny 1×1 images embedded in photos that can track a variety of data points. You could turn off “Load Remote Images” automatically in Settings > Mail, but then of course they would load along with other photos when you want to see them.

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DNS Provider ‘Quad9’ Announces Move to Switzerland

Andrew Orr ·

Quad9 is a non-profit DNS provider, so called because of its 9.9.9.9 DNS server. It announced on Wednesday it has moved its headquarters from California to Zürich, Switzerland supported by Packet Clearing House and SWITCH.

Quad9’s move to Switzerland is being facilitated by SWITCH, one of Switzerland‘s centers of competence for internet security. The foundation operates several critical infrastructures and has been committed to greater cybersecurity for decades to make the internet a more secure place for its users. SWITCH is taking a seat on Quad9’s foundation council and contributing to Quad9’s governance.

Interesting move. For many people, private services and companies located in a country like the U.S. is a negative. This is because of the Five Eyes Alliance.

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LastPass to Restrict Free Users to One Device Type on March 16

Andrew Orr ·

LastPass announced a move to restrict free users of its password manager. Starting March 16 these users will be limited to one device type.

LastPass offers access across two device types – computers (including all browsers running on desktops and laptops) or mobile devices (including mobile phones, smart watches, and tablets). Starting March 16th, 2021, LastPass Free will only include access on unlimited devices of one type.

As alternatives I recommend 1Password as well as the open-source app, Bitwarden.

Microsoft Launches All-In-One Office App for iPad
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Microsoft Launches All-In-One Office App for iPad

Andrew Orr ·

Microsoft’s Office app for iPad and iPhone has officially launched. It combines Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and adds new capabilities. You can use it without a Microsoft 365 subscription, although having one will unlock the full app. Some features that work with your device camera: Snap a picture of a document and turn it into an editable Word file with the press of a button. Transform a picture of a table into an Excel spreadsheet so you can work with the data. Design a PowerPoint presentation by simply selecting the pictures you want to use from your device. Create automatically enhanced digital images of whiteboards and documents with Microsoft Lens features.

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‘For All Mankind’ Official Apple Podcast Launches

Andrew Orr ·

In a video uploaded to YouTube, Apple has announced its first original podcast in the form of “For All Mankind.” In For All Mankind: The Official Podcast, the space race continues. Fans of the series and its themes can hear host Krys Marshall (Commander Danielle Poole) discuss what really goes down beyond our atmosphere with guests from the series, space experts, and former astronauts — plus never-before-heard audio that shows how astronauts achieve the impossible.

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Pandora Announces ‘Artist Takeovers’ With Guest Artists

Andrew Orr ·

Pandora announced a new feature for its music stations called Artist Takeovers. It features music handpicked by a different artist with special audio commentary.

The new Artist Takeover series began rolling out in recent months with Shawn Mendes, Chris Stapleton, and more. Artist Takeover Modes are a pop-up experience on stations, and selections from each carry over into Pandora Stories playlists for continued listening.

Artist Takeovers are an extension of Pandora Modes, a feature allowing you to customize your listening experience on favorite Pandora stations by offering a set of selectable “modes” that give more control over the kinds of songs that are played.

I think this sounds like a great feature. It brings to mind guest stars on Apple Radio 1.

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David Goyer Hopes ‘Foundation’ Will Have 80 Episodes on Apple TV+

Andrew Orr ·

Lovin Malta has interviewed writer and show runner for “Foundation” David Goyer about the upcoming series on Apple TV+. After discussing using Malta as the basis for a water world in the show, he also drops a tidbit: “The audience is changing. The way that we’re consuming stories is changing. Game of Thrones was really the first of these big, giant novelistic shows, and now with Foundation we can tell the story hopefully over the course of 80 episodes, 80 hours, as opposed to trying to condense it all into two or three hours for a single film.” It makes sense given the enormous scope of Isaac Asimov’s trilogy. Sounds like they hope to give justice to the saga spanning one thousand years.