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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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Using Open Source Software to Extend Apple’s HomeKit

Andrew Orr ·

Simon Bisson wrote a cool story for ZDNet. It involves using an open source tool called Homebridge that can be used to integrate smart home devices that don’t natively support HomeKit.

The plugin ecosystem is where Homebridge really excels. By having its own defined APIs, it’s possible for anyone with access to developer documentation to build a simple translation layer that links devices to HomeKit and to Home (and to Siri). Most of the plugins are on GitHub, so if you want additional features or support for alternative hardware, you can fork existing code and start to add your own features.

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Epic Games Submits Complaint Against Apple in UK

Andrew Orr ·

The latest move in the Epic v Apple legal battle involves the former expanding its complaint to other countries. This was made public [PDF] by the Competition Appeal Tribunal of the UK.

This is an important argument to make on behalf of consumers and developers in the U. K. and around the world who are impacted by Apple and Google’s misuse of market power. Epic is not seeking damages from Apple or Google in the U. K., Australia or the U. S., it is simply seeking fair access and competition that will benefit all consumers.

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AirPods Spatial Audio Could Arrive on Netflix

Andrew Orr ·

As I noted last year in my AirPods Pro editorial, Spatial Audio is a great audio experience. It can be found on Apple TV+ and Disney+, but not Netflix. But a recent rumor claims Netflix is testing it.

The iPhoneSoft report doesn’t include specific information on when Netflix will roll out spatial audio report, instead only vaguely suggesting a spring release with a “limited” catalog.

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Pixelmator Shares Free Photo Presets From Professional Photographers

Andrew Orr ·

Pixelmator wrote on Thursday that it will share three collections of color adjustment presets. These have been each designed by a photographer and shared for free. Paolo Baretta’s style is “characterized by cold delicate colors and a nostalgic, intimate mood, uniting my empathy with the loneliness of the human being.” Oladimeji Odunsi’s style is “more of people and portraits because I get to represent the part of the community I’m from and my style tries to include more vibrant colours/tones, contrasts and shadows.” Finally, Lan Nguyen’s style is “I don’t have a particular style since I’m very versatile, but the photos that I post on social media can fit in categories like: magical / dreamy / fantasy.”

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Apple Apps No Longer Bypass macOS Big Sur Firewalls

Andrew Orr ·

In macOS Big Sur, Apple deprecated third-party kernel extensions including Network Kernel Extensions (NKEs). NKEs are used by apps like firewalls to monitor network traffic. Apple’s new user-mode Network Extension Framework had a side-effect: Apple’s own apps wouldn’t be routed through it and thus could bypass third-party firewalls. But now that has changed.

I of course also wondered if malware could abuse these “excluded” items to generate network traffic that could surreptitiously bypass any socket filter firewall.  Unfortunately the answer was yes! It was (unsurprisingly) trivial to find a way to abuse these items, and generate undetected network traffic.

Cool Stuff Found

Meditation App ‘Calm’ Introduces Calm Puzzles with Spin Master Games

Andrew Orr ·

Calm is a popular sleep and meditation app. It recently partnered with Spin Master Games to create Calm Puzzles. These are jigsaw puzzles featuring zen, tranquil landscape scenes (Calm Coral, Foggy Mountains, Hidden Waterfalls, Jasper Lake, Sunflower Fields and Waterfall Mountain). These Mindful Puzzles are available to purchase on Amazon and in stores at Target and Walmart. You can listen to peaceful audio in the Calm app while you work on the puzzle. Each 300-piece puzzle includes a FREE 30-day subscription to the Calm app, which allows you to listen to sounds of nature and peaceful audio content that corresponds to your mindful puzzle as you work on putting it together.

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Mozilla VPN Arrives on macOS and Linux

Andrew Orr ·

After rolling out on platforms like Windows, Android, and iOS, the Mozilla VPN arrives on macOS and Linux for US$5/month.

The Mozilla VPN isn’t the cheapest option on the market. However, Mozilla has said that, because it uses fewer lines of code than other VPNs, the service is faster than many rival ones. You can connect to more than 280 servers in more than 30 countries via the VPN without any bandwidth restrictions.

I think US$5/mo is definitely one of the cheapest VPNs on the market.

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Digital Library Book Readers Borrowed 430 Million Books in 2020

Andrew Orr ·

Book sales, both digital and physical, increased in 2020. Book borrowing did too, with OverDrive reporting 430 million ebooks, audiobooks, and digital magazines browsed in 2020. This is a 33% increase over 2019.

The most significant genre growth in 2020 was children’s and YA fiction and nonfiction because of remote and hybrid learning. In addition, more than 2 million checkouts occurred through Public Library CONNECT partnerships and the Sora student reading app. More public library and school partnerships than ever enabled students to use their school credentials to borrow ebooks and audiobooks from both their school and local public library.

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Kevin Kelly vs. Kirkpatrick Sale: Has Tech Destroyed Society?

Andrew Orr ·

Here’s your long read for the weekend. Back in 1995, then-executive editor of Wired made a bet with Luddite Kirkpatrick Sale. The proposition? A bet that technology would destroy the world by 2020.

Twenty-five years later, the once distant deadline is here. We are locked down. Income equality hasn’t been this bad since just before the Great Depression. California and Australia were on fire this year. We’re about to find out how easy that money is.

I find myself between their arguments. Technology produces both positives and negatives, and issues like climate change largely accelerated by corporations make me pessimistic as a young person.