Introducing ‘Facetune Video’ for Video Retouching
Cool Stuff Found

Introducing ‘Facetune Video’ for Video Retouching

Andrew Orr ·

Facetune Video is the latest app from Lightricks. It’s a video retouching tool that lets you edit your selfie videos to smooth skin, whiten teeth, reshape facial features, change eye color, and apply lipstick. Of course, the standard video editing tools are there to control aspects like contrast and brightness. Just apply these edits to one frame of the video and the app will apply it to the rest of the video automatically. App Store: Free (Offers In-App Purchases)

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CES 2021 Will be an All-Digital Event

Charlotte Henry ·

The Consumer Technology Association has (finally) confirmed that CES 2021 will be a digital event. It accepted that given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it would not be possible to safely hold the event in person. There will still be keynotes, product showcases, and opportunities to network, a blog post published Wednesday said.

With the growing global health concerns about the spread of COVID-19, it is not possible to safely convene tens of thousands of people in Las Vegas in early January 2021 to meet and do business in person. An all-digital CES 2021 will allow the entire tech community to safely share ideas and introduce the products that will shape our future. You’ll be able to participate in all the awe-inspiring moments of CES wherever you are in the world. We are designing a unique experience for the tech industry.

Podcast

IT Security Manager, NIST, Bob Gendler - BGM Interview

John Martellaro · · 1 Comment

Bob Gendler is an IT Specialist in the Apple world and a Jamf guru. He holds a B.S. degree in Information Technology from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He is now part of the Mac Management team at NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, in Washington, D.C.

From a very early age, Bob fell into the world of Apple starting with an Apple IIgs and, as a teenager, a Power Mac 6100. Quickly, as an undergraduate, his specialty became system administration, and, later, that served him well landing the job at NIST. Bob filled me in on his latest project, the “macOS Security Compliance Project,” and the security problem the community faced with macOS. Basically, the new GitHub project leverages a library of scriptable actions which are mapped to compliance requirements in existing security guides or used to develop customized guidance. Bob nicely explains this crucial tool, his team, and who would benefit.

‘Fitness Coach by JumpyCat’ Gives You AI Workouts
Cool Stuff Found

‘Fitness Coach by JumpyCat’ Gives You AI Workouts

Andrew Orr ·

“Fitness Coach by JumpyCat” is an app I discovered over the weekend. It gives you personalized workouts entirely created by artificial intelligence. You’ll get audio instructions and videos to watch as you power through over 15,000 bodyweight workouts. There’s a workout for everyone and across different categories like cardio, HIIT, stretching, anti-stress, knee-friendly, and more. App Store: Free (Offers In-App Purchases)

Podcast

The Case for The Nuke and Pave — Mac Geek Gab 826

John F. Braun & Dave Hamilton · · Add Comment

We all love the convenience of a quick upgrade and Migration Assistant, but those bring along many needles inside the haystack that can linger and leave you with fun things to troubleshoot in the future. The reality is that sometimes the Nuke and Pave is worth it, and John and Dave talk this through. That’s not the only segment, though, FAR FROM IT! Cool Stuff Found, Quick Tips, and more and more of your questions are addressed, dissected, and yes, even answered! Press play to learn at least five new things.

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Why The iPhone is Key to Photographer Dimpy Bhalotia

Charlotte Henry ·

For London-based photographer Dimpy Bhalotia, the iPhone has become a core part of producing beautiful art, including the picture in this piece. The iPhone Photography Awards winner explained why to Cult of Mac.

Bhalotia, a full-time fine art street photographer based out of London, told Cult of Mac she loves shooting with an iPhone so much that it’s become second nature. “It’s a lightweight butter slice always in my hand, which has the entire world in it,” she said. “It feels like I’m shooting with my palm.” In 2020, you don’t need an expensive DSLR camera and a darkroom to produce breathtaking imagery. The iPhone has truly democratized photography — and made it easier for anyone to capture the magic of everyday moments.

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‘Greyhound’ Success Prompts Apple TV+ Rethink

Charlotte Henry ·

It seems that the success of Tom Hanks moving Greyhound has prompted a shift in thinking at Apple TV+. While big-name series were clearly always fundamental, sources told Fast Company that blockbusters are going are to be a much bigger focus going forward.

One source says the streamer is discussing plans to release a dozen new movies a year on Apple TV Plus, roughly one a month. Two to four of those would be blockbuster-type titles such as Greyhound and Emancipation, the runaway-slave thriller starring Will Smith and directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) that Apple recently acquired for $120 million in a bidding war with Warner Bros., Universal, and other studios. Another source had fewer specifics but confirmed that Apple is telling Hollywood that it’s now in the market for more tentpole-like feature films. (Apple would not comment for this story.) Apple’s greater focus on big films marks a noticeable amplification on its movie front.

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COVID-19 Contact Tracing App ‘Working in Ireland’

Charlotte Henry ·

Ireland’s COVID-19 contact tracing app is a rare success story, according to BBC News. It is also one of the tools that has been released using that Apple-Google API.

And now people in Northern Ireland are about to get access to a similar contact tracing app made by Nearform, the company behind Ireland’s Covid Tracker. Northern Ireland health officials confirmed at a briefing today that the app, to be released next week, will collect some data to show how it is functioning. In the early days there will not be much to go on as only between 10 and 20 new cases of the virus are being reported each week, but if there is a second wave of infections in the autumn they hope to know more about what is going on. The officials also revealed their app will work across the border, as will Ireland’s Covid Tracker.