Podcast

Wall Street Journal Special Writer Gregory Zuckerman - TMO Background Mode Interview

John Martellaro · · Add Comment

Gregory Zuckerman is a Special Writer at The Wall Street Journal, a 23-year veteran of the paper and a three-time winner of the Gerald Loeb award—the highest honor in business journalism. At the Journal, Greg writes about big financial firms, personalities and trades, as well as hedge funds, the energy revolution and more. Greg is the author of The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched a Quant Revolution, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller.

Greg told me the surprising tale about how he got started covering business issues and how he finally landed at the WSJ. He told me how he develops his contacts and works with them to develop breaking stories. We talked about his award winning work and what kind of effort that takes. We finished with his latest book describing how Jim Simons and his team of physicist-analysts changed investing forever—and got rich in the process.

TMO Deals

RemoBell Wireless Wi-Fi Video Doorbell: $76.50

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on RemoBell, a wireless Wi-Fi video doorbell. It uses AA batteries, communicates with an iOS or Android app, and support Alexa and Google Home. It also uses infrared for night-vision, and it’s US$89.99 through our deal, but coupon code BFSAVE15 brings it down to $76.50 at checkout.

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T-Mobile Switches on its 600MHz 5G Network

Andrew Orr ·

T-Mobile turned its 600MHz 5G network on, but no one can use it until 5G-capable smartphones are released, like two this Friday.

The “nationwide” 5G deployment relies on a slower form of 5G, using T-Mobile’s 600MHz spectrum. This “low-band” 5G essentially takes airwaves like the ones used for LTE and bundles them together with some new technology to deliver faster speeds.

T-Mobile doesn’t offer specifics on what kind of speeds you’ll see on the new network, and the actual improvements will vary a lot by location. “In some places, 600 MHz 5G will be a lot faster than LTE. In others, customers won’t see as much difference.”

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Facebook’s Algorithms Flagged a Power Mac G4 as Sexually Explicit

Andrew Orr ·

Not much to the story but I think it’s funny. Someone posted in the Macrumors forums saying that Facebook’s algorithms flagged their G4 workstation with the message, “This listing may go against our rules on overtly sexual content.”

I am trying to sell an old G4 tower on Facebook but their AI is loosing its cool on my G4 MDD’s sexy curves.

That sure wouldn’t happen with a modern, square piece if metal!

Makes me want to keep it…

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Archivists Want to Support LibGen With Resources

Andrew Orr ·

Library Genesis (LibGen) is a pirate website containing 33 terabytes of books, comics, scientific papers, and more. Countries and science publishers are constantly trying to take it down, along with its sister site SciHub. But a new project has been launched to help LibGen with seedboxes.

Two seedbox companies (services that provide high-bandwidth remote servers for uploading and downloading data), Seedbox.io and UltraSeedbox, stepped in to support the project. A week later, LibGen is seeding 10 terabytes and 900,000 scientific books thanks to help from Seedbox.io and UltraSeedbox.

LibGen also teamed up with another massive online archiving project, The-Eye, to facilitate the tracking, storage, and seeding of LibGen’s scientific archive.

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Sony Updates Smart TV Software With Bring AirPlay and HomeKit 2 Support

Charlotte Henry ·

Sony has updated the software on some 2018 and 2019 smart TVs, MacRumors reported. The update brings AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support to these devices.

Earlier this year, Sony announced that ‌AirPlay‌ 2 and ‌HomeKit‌ support would come to some of its mid-range and high-end smart TVs by way of a software update. This Android 9 Pie update makes good on that promise, and also includes Dolby Atmos support. The update is available for the 2018 A9F and Z9F models as well as the 2019 A9G, Z9G, X950G, and X850G (55, 65, 75, 85-inch). TV tech site FlatpanelsHD notes that the 2018 A9F and Z9F models weren’t listed as compatible models in Sony’s original announcement, but they’ve since been included.

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Cast and Director of 'The Banker’ Defend Film

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple TV+ film The Banker has been shrouded in controversy over allegations of sexual abuse. However, Variety report the cast and crew have defended the project.

In a statement, the film’s director, writer, and producer George Nolfi, as well as cast members such as Anthony Mackie, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicholas Hoult, Nia Long, and other key talent say they stand by the film and “its positive message of empowerment.” While expressing sympathy for Cynthia Garrett, they note that the film is not based on the memories of Garrett’s children, but on interviews with Garrett himself, as well as transcripts, court rulings, and articles. “The Banker” tells the story of Garrett and his partner Joe Morris’s successful efforts to circumvent a racist establishment by convincing white man to be the face of their real estate and banking empire. Cynthia Garrett has said the film does not accurately portray her family’s story.

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This VPN App Sent User Data to China

Andrew Orr ·

According to a report of VPN apps for 2019, downloads of these apps has increased 54%. But people need to be careful which VPN app they use. The most popular app called VPN – Super Unlimited sent user data to China. But it’s privacy policy made no secret of this.

We regularly collect and use information that could identify an individual, in particular about your purchase or use of our products, services, mobile and software applications and websites… We use various technologies to determine [your] location, including IP addresses, GPS, and other sensors.

The VPN apps I wrote about are all safe (or at least I personally believe them to be safe).

Podcast

Mr. MacSpeedy – Mac Geek Gab 791

John F. Braun · · Add Comment

Sometimes speed is what it’s all about. Many of this week’s topics focus around making sure your Mac is running as fast as possible. That’s not all, though. Learn how to test your network from your iPhone, manage Mail plugins effectively, and recapture all those songs you added to Apple Music before they were removed. Of course, any tangents are bonus gifts from John and Dave. Press play and enjoy learning five new things!

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Apple and Others Sign Letter to Support Paris Agreement

Andrew Orr ·

Apple, Google, Microsoft, Adobe, and more tech companies have signed a United For The Paris Agreement letter that calls on the U.S. to stay in the international climate change pact.

They argued that the international pact would “strengthen [US] competitiveness” by helping it lead the way in technologies that will usher in an eco-friendly future. It also sets “clear goals” that help with planning and spur innovation, the companies said.

The letter isn’t a binding commitment, and it’s unlikely to persuade a White House that has both ignored and tried to censor climate science. Nonetheless, it makes clear where numerous companies stand…

In the meantime we can educate people to accept scientific facts and not treat climate change as a hoax or political issue.

TMO Deals

The 2020 Limited Edition Mac Bundle with Parallels, iMazing, TextExpander, More: $36

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a great bundle of Mac apps for you called the 2020 Limited Edition Mac Bundle, and we have a time-limited coupon code, too. This bundle has 13 Mac apps, including Parallels, iMazing, and TextExpander. You’ll also find PDF Expert, Windscribe VPN Pro, RapidWeaver 8, Disk Drill Pro, Aurora HDR 2019, and more. This bundle is $59.99 through our deal, but coupon code CMSAVE40 brings it down to $36. But note that this coupon code expires at 12/3 11:59 PM EST, so if you want it, grab it.