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Apple Pay Coming to LA Metro TAP Transit Cards

Charlotte Henry ·

The LA Metro said that TAP transit cards will work with Apple Pay later this year, MacRumors reports. The facility had been scheduled to roll out late last year.

The LA Metro said last year that it was working with Apple to add mobile payment support for iPhones by the end of 2019, but the rollout didn’t end up happening and work on the transition continues. In a tweet today, the LA Metro said that ‌iPhone‌ and ‌Apple Watch‌ support for TAP cards will be coming sometime in 2020. Los Angeles has been working to overhaul its TAP system, introducing upgraded fare boxes with real-time data about fares purchased online and developing a new TAP mobile app that allows for payments and TAP account management.

TMO Deals

Ocushield Anti-Blue Light Screen Protector: $29.99

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on Ocushield, an anti-blue light screen protector. It filters blue light coming from your iPhone (a couple of Android devices are supported, too). It’s made from tempered glass with a scratch-resistant oleophobic coating, and it’s $29.99 through our deal.

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Congressman Wants Apple to Increase Security Over Foreign-Linked Apps

Andrew Orr ·

Rep. Stephen Lynch, chairman of the House subcommittee on national security, sent separate letters to Apple and Google, wanting assurances these companies could warn users about apps with foreign ties.

At a minimum, Apple and Google should take steps to ensure that users are aware of the potential privacy and national security risks of sharing sensitive information with applications that store data in countries adversarial to the United States, or whose developers are subsidiaries of foreign companies.

Apple can only do so much. They probably can’t check the source code of every app to see if it contains Chinese spying code. And what about U.S. spying code?

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App Store Developers Get More Protection Under New EU Regulations

Charlotte Henry ·

The EU passed new rights for developers on Sunday. GamesIndustry.biz explained how it will offer App Store developers greater protection.

The scope of the regulation is limited to platforms that allow developers and publishers to offer their games to players, where the platform facilitates direct transactions between developers and publishers and the players. Console manufacturers’ online stores do not, therefore, identify themselves as marketplaces like Apple’s App Store or Google Play, which clearly fall under the new regulation. Instead, they regard themselves as digital retail stores that enter into direct transactional relations with players, and do not fall under the new regulation as “online intermediation services” that facilitate the initiating of direct transactions between developers/publishers and players.

Cool Stuff Found

'Greyhound' Cast Explains Battle of The Atlantic

Charlotte Henry ·

In a video released over the weekend, Greyhound screenwriter and star Tom Hanks is joined by cast members to further explain the Battle of the Atlantic and how it was represented in the movie. They reflect on the strain that was placed on the crew and its commander, depicted by Mr. Hanks.

Cool Stuff Found

Apple Uploads ‘Ted Lasso’ Trailer Starring Jason Sudeikis

Andrew Orr ·

Apple has posted a trailer for “Ted Lasso”, a comedy series starring Jason Sudeikis. Ted Lasso is a small-time college football coach from Kansas hired to coach a professional soccer team in England, despite having no experience coaching soccer.

In addition to starring, Sudeikis serves as executive producer, alongside Bill Lawrence (“Scrubs”) via his Doozer Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television, a division of NBCUniversal Content. Doozer’s Jeff Ingold also serves as an executive producer with Liza Katzer as co-executive producer. The series was developed by Sudeikis, Lawrence, Joe Kelly and Brendan Hunt, and is based on the pre-existing format and characters from NBC Sports.

Podcast

Physics Professor and Jazz Musician Dr. Stephon Alexander - BGM Interview

John Martellaro · · Add Comment

Dr. Stephon Alexander is a theoretical physicist specializing in cosmology, particle physics and quantum gravity (String Theory and Loop Quantum Gravity). He received his BSc from Haverford College and Ph.D. from Brown University. He also explores interconnections between music, physics, mathematics and technology though recordings, performance, teaching and public lectures.

Stephon tells his story about growing up in the Bronx amidst a very diverse group of students. Encouraged by his parents and teachers, he showed great curiosity and intelligence. Still, as person of color, he faced many challenges as he worked towards his Ph.D. We chatted about the mind of the physicist, physics intuition, music, the role of mathematics, String Theory and Loop Quantum Gravity as well as events before the Big Bang. If you are a young student, dreaming of becoming a physicist, this show is a must – full of inspiration and insights.

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Electronic Frontier Foundation Unveils ‘Atlas of Surveillance’

Andrew Orr ·

The EFF unveiled the Atlas of Surveillance today. It’s a database of surveillance tech used by law enforcement across the country. Anyone can use it to see what spying technology their state’s LE uses. You can download datasets, too.

We specifically focused on the most pervasive technologies, including drones, body-worn cameras, face recognition, cell-site simulators, automated license plate readers, predictive policing, camera registries, and gunshot detection. Although we have amassed more than 5,000 datapoints in 3,000 jurisdictions, our research only reveals the tip of the iceberg and underlines the need for journalists and members of the public to continue demanding transparency from criminal justice agencies.