Podcast

Astronomy Professor Dr. Emily Levesque - BGM Interview

John Martellaro · · Add Comment

Dr. Emily Levesque is a professor in the University of Washington’s astronomy department. Her research program is focused on improving our overall understanding of how massive stars evolve and die. She received her bachelors in physics from MIT and a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Hawaii.

Emily knew she wanted to be an astronomer from the moment she saw Halley’s comet in the night sky as a child. As an undergraduate at MIT, she was already developing a technical interest in massive stars, the focus of her career. And so we explored massive stars in some detail: formation, evolution and the final fate for many: supernova. Is Betelgeuse, in our own stellar backyard, about to go supernova? Emily weighs in. We finished with a discussion of her new book The Last Stargazers.. It shares the tales and experiences of astronomical observing. And, finally, spiders and lasers.

TMO Deals

Sign Documents and Get Signatures on Any Device $49.99

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on a 1-year subscription to DottedSign Pro, an electronic signature platform. With this service, you can import documents with your device camera, or from your photos, email, Google Drive, Dropbox, Kdan Cloud, or other apps. It offers real-time status updates for each signer, as well as reminders and automatic expiry dates. It’s $49.95 through our deal.

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‘Mintegral’ iOS App SDK Caught Hijacking Ad Clicks

Andrew Orr ·

An iOS app SDK called Mintegral was found to contain malicious code that would hijack ad clicks so that iOS thinks a user clicked on one of its ads, instead of those belonging to a competitor. This SDK is used by over 1,200 apps representing over 300 million downloads per month.

The malicious code was uncovered in the iOS versions of the SDK from the Chinese mobile ad platform provider, Mintegral dating back to July 2019. The malicious code can spy on user activity by logging URL-based requests made through the app. This activity is logged to a third-party server and could potentially include personally identifiable information (PII) and other sensitive information. Furthermore, the SDK fraudulently reports user clicks on ads, stealing potential revenue from competing ad networks and, in some cases, the developer/publisher of the application.

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Apple Extending Legal Proceedings Against Firm With Green Pear Logo

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple has escalated its claim objecting to the green pear logo of the Prepear app, filing new opposition with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. Patently Apple has the latest on a case it thinks it is not doing much for Apple’s reputation.

The logo in question is owned by a company called Super Health Kids, Inc. The company created a meal planner and grocery list app called “Prepear” that helps people discover recipes and more. Unless Apple is planning to offer a similar app expanding their reach into health related apps and features, it’s difficult at this point in time to believe that Apple is trying so hard to stop a logo that has no resemblance to an Apple. It’s clearly a pear. No one will ever say, except for the Apple lawyer filing this nonsense: oh look, Apple has a new logo. It’s not going to happen. It’s not a logo found on a desktop, a notebook, a smartwatch, a tablet or smartphone.

 

Cool Stuff Found

This ‘Clear Clipboard’ Shortcut Empties Your Clipboard Automatically

Andrew Orr ·

Redditor u/SpamSencer created a Clear Clipboard shortcut that does exactly what the name says: It automatically clears your clipboard. With iOS 14 Apple introduced a feature that shows when an app accesses the clipboard, like TikTok and Microsoft. You could even set it up as an automation so that whenever you open any app of your choosing, the shortcut will run (an iOS 14 feature). You’ll just have to painstakingly tap on every app you have installed if you choose to automate it.

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TikTok Will Continue to Operate in U.S. Despite Ban Threat

Charlotte Henry ·

TikTok will continue to operate in the U.S. despite the threat of a ban from President Donald Trump, according to its General Manager in the country. Vanessa Pappas made the comments in a rare interview with Bloomberg.

“We believe we have multiple paths forward to ensure that we continue to provide this amazing app experience to the millions of Americans who come to rely on it every day,” Pappas said Thursday in one of her first interviews since U.S. President Donald Trump issued executive orders calling for the sale of TikTok’s U.S. business by its Chinese owner, ByteDance Ltd., or a complete shutdown of its American operations, citing national security concerns. The White House has been ratcheting up a fight with China’s government and businesses and has issued restrictions on a number of Chinese tech giants, including Huawei Technologies Co. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. Trump issued an executive order on Aug. 14 requiring TikTok to divest its U.S. business within 90 days under a ruling by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., or CFIUS

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Facebook’s Classic Look Going in September

Charlotte Henry ·

Facebook’s ‘classic’ blue look will disappear come September, Engadget reported. The updated version, which has been the default since May, will be the only option available to users.

A notification on the page and support pages that told users how to switch back now indicate that the Classic Facebook is going away in September, and taking its old blue theme with it. Designers and engineers explained their reasoning for the makeover to Engadget a few months ago. The stagnation preceding this revamp occurred while Facebook focused on mobile devices, but now it’s ready to push items like its Watch and Gaming sections, as well as the conspiracist-riddled Groups.