A patent that was an existential threat to podcasting was affirmed as invalid by a court in a case brought by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Key claims of the patent had already been invalidated by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the EFF’s case was brought to hasten the appeals process. The group announced this week that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled unanimously to uphold that decision. The patent holder—Personal Audio—can still appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. This case hasn’t received a ton of headlines, but whether or not they know it, the millions of people who enjoy podcasts should rejoice.
Photolemur Promises AI-Powered Automated Photo Editing
Check out Photolemur, a newish app for Mac and PC. The developers claim it’s using artificial intelligence/machine learning to do automated photo editing, as demonstrated in the video below. A single user license is $30, and there’s a trial version available, too. Bob LeVitus looked at it back in January, but I thought this new video from the company was compelling.
Instagram Testing Live Stories with Friends
Instagram announced Tuesday that it’s testing the ability to do live Stories with friends. Users who are broadcasting live can tap a button that allows them to invite anyone who is watching to join in on the broadcast. The original Story broadcaster can remove and invite another, too. As shown in the screenshot, the original Story broadcaster is on top of the split screen, while the participant is on the lower half. Instagram said the feature is being tested by a “small percentage of our community,” and will be launched globally in the “next few months.” It’s all part of Facebook/Instagram’s slow, but steady attack on YouTube, as well as SnapChat, and I expect it to be a popular feature. Especially after some split Stories go catastrophically wrong.
How to Share iCloud Storage with Family Members Not Yet Running iOS 11 Beta
In this Mac Geek Gab Highlight, we feature a segment that teaches you how, exactly, to use your iCloud Family Plan to share your iCloud Storage with family members that aren’t yet running (or can’t run) the iOS 11 beta. Listen, learn, and then subscribe to MGG if you want to hear tips shared like this every week!
Apple's New Instagram Account Showcases iPhone Photography
Apple just launched an Instagram account to highlight photos shot on iPhones. Right now the account has a handful of videos showing off different photographer’s work, but soon there’ll be more because Apple will be watching for the #ShotoniPhone hash tag. Over time Apple’s Instagram feed will no doubt have some amazing shots that highlight the quality of photos you can snap with an iPhone. Now I need to go back and add #ShotoniPhone to some of my pics.
Jettomero Wants to be the Hero of Your Universe
I’m not a big gamer, but Jettomero: Hero of the Universe is one I can really get behind. You play the role of a giant clumsy robot who wants to keep the universe safe while learning about its own mysterious past. The art has a wonderful comic book feel, the original soundtrack is great, and the game just looks like a giant bucket load of flat-out fun. Developer Gabriel Koenig has nearly finished the game and has a Kickstarter to handle the final costs of bringing it to market. It’s going to be available for Mac, Windows, Linux, and Xbox, and it can’t come soon enough.
Trent Reznor on Apple, Music, Tech, and Nine Inch Nails
Apple Music exeuctive Trent Reznor recently granted a rare(ish) interview to Vulture magazine. Topics covered included Apple, Apple Music, streaming music, tech “stars,” and Nine Inch Nails. It’s a very interesting interview, and Mr. Reznor talks about how the idea of tech rock stars is “bull$%&@,” how the modern culture doesn’t value artists properly (including the music industry), and how having access to all of the music ever made has both good sides and down sides. I’m a big fan of Mr. Reznor (YMMV), and very much enjoyed reading this interview.
iOS 11 Contacts App Icon gets a Little Gender Flexibility
iOS 11 Developer Beta 4, and now Public Beta 3, changed the Contacts icon from a notebook with the silhouette of a man to a man and a woman. That’s a subtle detail, but one that people are noticing. The tech world has a strong cis male bias—so much so that women, transgender, and anyone that doesn’t embrace the good-old-boys-club attitude are often ridiculed and harassed—that needs some serious shaking up, so sometimes those little things can be a big deal.
Bob LeVitus Doesn't Want You Buying the Paperback of Working Smarter for Mac Users
So my old friend Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus made a paperback version of Working Smarter for Mac Users, but he doesn’t want you to buy it. Weird, right? He has his reasons, though, and he made a video (with some cheesy help from yours truly) explaining why. Check it out. And if you haven’t already checked out Working Smarter for Mac Users, you should. I edited this book, and it’s amazeballs. It’s chock full of both Mac productivity tips and Dr. Mac’s techniques for overcoming procrastination. But unlike other productivity systems I’ve read, Bob’s focus is less about “do these things” than it is, “here are different things to try, and here’s how to think about them so you can pick what works for you.” It’s on Amazon ($19.99 Kindle, $29.99 Paperback), iBooks ($19.99), or direct from Bob (where’s a coupon code at the bottom of the page). In the meanwhile, enjoy Bob’s video!
Steve Jobs Opera Premieres in Santa Fe this Weekend
If you’re in Santa Fe this weekend maybe you can check out the world premiere of the Santa Fe Opera’s The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. It’s an opera about the life of Apple’s iconic co-founder and includes key people from his world likeLaurene Powell Jobs and Steve Wozniak. The production has been in development for the past two years and includes top modern opera names like Mason Bates (composer) and Mark Campbell (librettist). The opera opens on Saturday, July 22 at 8:30pm mountain time. You can catch it again on July 26th and several dates in August, too. Tickets are available at the Santa Fe Opera website.
This Is The Star Wars Luke Skywalker Landspeeder You're Looking For
Man, kids today get all the cool toys! Check out the Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder by Radio Flyer. I mean, it looks like Luke’s landspeeder, and it actually goes. It GOES! It’s an electric car, for goodness’s sake! For kids! The gear shift switches between 2mph forward, 5mph forward, or 2mph reverse, and it holds one or two kids with a combined max weight of 130 lbs. The company described the dashboard as “interactive,” too. How fun! Oh, and pricey for a kid’s toy. It’s $499.99, and available in the U.S. More countries are coming.
Here's Where to Get Every Default macOS Desktop Wallpaper in 5K
The default Desktop image, or wallpaper, has changed with every macOS major update. Mac OS X 10, as it was known back in the day, included a blue Desktop background with sweeping arcs. in 10.5 that became an aurora space cloud sort of thing, and in macOS 10.10 we started seeing mountains. All of those images are cool, and now you can use them as your desktop wallpaper in 5K resolution thanks to Stephen Hackett at 512 Pixels. He has all of Apple’s default Mac desktop pictures at high resolution ready to download and they all look great. Even if you’re happy with the desktop wallpaper you’re already using it’s cool to see these all together.
The Walking Dead: March To War Pre-Launch Gameplay Trailer
Disruptor Beam launched a new gameplay trailer for The Walking Dead: March to War, a strategic multiplayer war game coming to iOS and Android, According to the company, it takes place “just before Volume 20 of [The Walking Dead] comics, All Out War.” Players will build up their bases, recruit survivors, and fight against other factions. It looks great, too! There’s more gameplay info in the company’s blog post.
Leather MacBook Sleeves from Woolnut
I’m a sucker for nice leather, especially for my Apple devices. There’s a company called Woolnut making nice MacBook sleeves. I haven’t tested them yet, but Jeff Gamet and I have a couple of them on the way, and I’m looking forward to it. They make different sleeves for MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro (including with Touch Bar), starting at €68 (US$78). Sleeves are made from full-grain, vegetable-tanned leather, and the interior of the sleeve is wool. They also make leather wallet cases for iPhone.
Want to Be Terrified? Watch This University Demo That Fakes a President Speaking
I know it’s coming. I know it’s unavoidable. But that doesn’t keep me from being terrified of this inevitable future when fake things are indistinguishable from reality. Adobe has its VoCo technology in testing—and that’s scary enough, but now University of Washington researchers have demonstrated the ability to to match speech to a generated video. In the demonstration video, they used real speech from former president Barack Obama and matched it to artificially generated video of him speaking those same words. It’s easy to see this tech being used to match falsified speech to falsified video. And while there are some aspects of UW’s artificially generated video that look fake, this is a demonstration, not a finished product. Within a few years, the ability to perfectly fake video and speech together will be available on our smartphones. The end result will be an ever-greater cynicism towards never believing anything you see. It’s inevitable, scary, and the technology is impressive as all heck. It will also be a huge test of democracy. Not only can someone anyone be made to say something they didn’t, anyone could also deny saying something they really did say, claiming to be the victim of this technology. The Atlantic has a good story with a lot more information on the university project.
Apple Building 2nd Data Center in Denmark, Will Be Powered by Renewable Energy
Apple is building its second data center in Denmark, according to Reuters, citing Apple itself as the source. Like Apple’s other data centers, this one will also be powered entirely by renewable energy. Apple has committed to having 100% of its global operations powered by renewable energy. This data center will be located in Aabenraa, a town in southern Denmark near the German border, and Apple plans to open it in the second quarter of 2019. It will drive the company’s iTunes Store, App Store, iMessage, Maps, and Siri in Europe.
Google Calendar App for iPhone Adds Today Widget
Google rolled out an update for its iPhone and iPad Calendar app on Friday that adds a Today Widget. That’s a long overdue and welcome addition to the app because it makes it easier for Google ecosystem fans to stick with just the apps they want to use instead of relying on Apple’s Calendar app for viewing schedules from the Home screen. Google Calendar 2.4 is a free download on Apple’s App Store and requires a free Google account.
Use a RADIUS Server to Control Wi-Fi Authentication in Your Home
After our discussion about using RADIUS for Wi-Fi authentication in Mac Geek Gab 664, listener John Skinner set to work on a how-to:
If you have a Mac with a wired ethernet jack, an Airport base station capable of doing WPA2 Enterprise, and $20 (to buy macOS Server in the Mac App Store), you can set all this up! Then you will be able turn on and off access to your WiFi network, per user.
It’s that last bit that explains “why?” With Personal WPA2 Wi-Fi, everyone shares the same password. With Enterprise WPA2, each person has their own password. The RADIUS server is the key to making this happen.
Enlight 2 Give You More iPhone Photo Editing Tools for Free
Lightricks unveiled Enlight 2 on Thursday, giving iPhone users an updated version of the already capable photo editing app. Version 2, now called Enlight Photofox, lets you blend together multiple photos, included editing layers, includes drawing tools and loads of filters, supports 16-bit and Raw images, and more. It’s great for turning your photos into artistic works and just touching up your vacation pics. The new version is free and for US$3.99 a month, $19.99 a year, or $39.99 for a perpetual license you can unlock additional image editing features. Enlight Photofox is available for download at Apple’s App Store.
Chinese Researches Find Way to Decrypt Satphone Calls in Near Real-Time
A new decryption method might allow people to decrypt satellite mobile phones—satphones—in near real-time. Chinese researchers published a paper describing a method that essentially finds shortcuts to decrypting the 64-bit encryption used by Inmarsat satphones, a popular brand. There’s all sorts of techno gobbledygook described in the paper (PDF, BibTeX Citation), but the short version is they built on German research from 2012. And the shorter version, as noted by ZDNet, is that, “encrypted data could be cracked in a fraction of a second.” According to the researchers, this is due to “serious security flaws in the GMR-2 cipher” used in those specific satphones. The significance here is that encryption is an ever-evolving frontier, and that not all encrypted communications are truly secure. This is why it’s important for companies like Apple to put our personal security at the forefront.
What Does 'Wi-Fi' REALLY Stand For? Who Knew?
What does the term Wi-Fi really stand for? The Wi-Fi Alliance came up with it. It’s not an acronym. It’s not an initialism. Are you ready? it’s a nonsense word. Back in the dawn of time, the alliance needed something a little catchier than “IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence.” So a branding firm just made it up.. And catchy it is. So now you know.
Fender Highlights its Guitars in New Apple Music Playlists
Guitar maker Fender has teamed up with Apple Music to show off its products with several new curated playlists. The playlists include Roots Rock & Twang, Best of Under the Radar, Best of Everything Acoustic, Best of the Rock You Need to Know, and Shuffle — Today’s Hits. The playlists are clearly designed to show off Fender guitars, but they’re worth checking out because the playlists are loaded up with some pretty awesome songs. Turns out a lot of great musicians use Fender guitars.
Classic FPS 'Shadow Warrior' Available for Free at GOG
Shadow Warrior, the classic 1997 3D Realms first-person shooter, is available for free from GOG. The game runs on both Windows and macOS, and includes both expansion packs, Twin Dragon and Wanton Destruction, as well as the game’s soundtrack. You can also pick up the remastered “Redux” version of the game from Steam for just $0.99 as part of the 2017 Summer Sale. So if you’re itching for some classic FPS gaming, act fast!
StarCraft Remastered Coming to Mac and Windows on August 14th
StarCraft, the classic real-time strategy game that was hugely popular on both Mac and Windows, is returning to the Mac this August with StarCraft Remastered. First teased back in March, Blizzard this week confirmed that the remastered version — which includes improved graphics up to 4K resolution, remastered audio, widescreen support, and modern multiplayer features — will launch for Windows and macOS on Monday, August 14th. Check out trailer and head over to Blizzard’s website to pre-order the game for $15.