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AirPods Pro and Bluetooth Latency

Charlotte Henry ·

As with most Bluetooth devices, audio latency is a problem with AirPods. However, the composer and software developer Stephen Coyle found that Apple noticeably reduced it with the new AirPods Pros.

Looking to the AirPods first, there’s a very encouraging trend occurring. They drop from 274ms to 178ms going from the first to second generation, and the AirPods Pro take it down even further, to 144ms. While a 130ms reduction may not seem like a lot, the perceptual difference from this makes the AirPods Pro tantalisingly close to seamless. Keyboard clicks are near enough to their corresponding keypresses that they feel like they’re actually related to them, not just the cacophony of blips they had seemed before. Tapt is playable, but only just; there’s still additional cognitive load caused by the delay, which I’m sure affects other rhythm-based games equally, and risks upsetting the playability of games that rely heavily on audio cues. However, it’s a lot better, and it looks like things are heading very much in the right direction.

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EU Rules Selling Secondhand eBooks Infringes Copyright

Andrew Orr ·

A European court recently ruled that the unauthorized sale of secondhand eBooks infringes upon the owner’s copyrights.

“The decision is not only important for the book sector, but also for the music and film industry, because now also for music and film, downloaded copies may not be resold. The GAU / Media Federation is happy that after many years there is finally clarity about the application of copyright to e-books.

I’m not sure how you would tell the difference between a “used” eBook and new one, unless a proof of purchase was provided. But it’s unfortunate to me that, unlike physical goods, you can’t sell used digital goods.

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A Festivus for The Geeks in Us – Mac Geek Gab 794

John F. Braun · · Add Comment

Cool Stuff Found galore begins this episode, because that’s the spirit of the holiday season. Equally as important, though, are the airing of the grievances, and Mail.app provides a healthy platform for that…with some hints and tips, to be helpful, of course. After all, we each need to learn at least five new things! That’s not all: there are more tips and questions and answers here to enjoy, as well. Press play and join John, Dave, and the rest of the MGG Family for this week’s episode.

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NYT Reporters Used a Leaked Location Database to Track the President

Andrew Orr ·

I don’t think it’s hyperbole to call this piece “explosive”, “stunning” et cetera. Reporters at the New York Times found a database of location data containing “50 billion location pings from the phones of more than 12 million Americans.” These Americans included two Secret Service agents (and by extension the President), a Department of Defense official, CIA agents leaving for home, and much more. The article is a nightmare to browse because it’s one of their interactive ones, but it’s still worth the read.

The data reviewed by Times Opinion didn’t come from a telecom or giant tech company, nor did it come from a governmental surveillance operation. It originated from a location data company, one of dozens quietly collecting precise movements using software slipped onto mobile phone apps.

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The Launch of Boeing's Starliner Spacecraft Didn't go to Plan

Charlotte Henry ·

Boeing’s Starliner passenger spacecraft launched smoothly on Friday. However, as The Verge reported, things went wrong after that. It is now unable to dock with the International Space Station.

NASA and Boeing are working together to figure out what to do next with the spacecraft. Since the Starliner cannot reach the ISS, Boeing is going to try to bring it safely home, demonstrating how it will land on future missions. It’s possible that Starliner will return to Earth and land at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in the next 48 hours. However, that’s not official yet, and Boeing says it will provide updates on what the team decides. Today’s botched launch is a big blow for both NASA and Boeing, which have been working for years to get to this flight. Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner is a critical part of NASA’s Commercial Crew program, an initiative to develop private US vehicles to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station. During today’s test flight, Boeing planned to demonstrate Starliner’s ability to travel to space and dock with the station.

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Twitter Removed 5,929 Accounts Linked to 'State-Backed Information Operations'

Charlotte Henry ·

Twitter announced the removal of 5,929 accounts on Friday. It said the accounts were involved with a “state-backed information campaign” that originated in Saudi Arabia. They were part of a network that consisted of over 88,000 accounts, the firm said in a blog post.

Today, we are sharing comprehensive data about 5,929 accounts which we have removed for violating our platform manipulation policies. Rigorous investigations by our Site Integrity team have allowed us to attribute these accounts to a significant state-backed information operation on Twitter originating in Saudi Arabia. These accounts represent the core portion of a larger network of more than 88,000 accounts engaged in spammy behaviour across a wide range of topics. We have permanently suspended all of these accounts from the service. In order to protect the privacy of potentially compromised accounts repurposed to engage in platform manipulation, and in response to researcher feedback requesting that we pre-filter unrelated spam, we have not disclosed data for all 88,000 accounts. In the interest of offering meaningful transparency, the dataset we are disclosing includes a representative, random sample of the fake and spammy accounts associated with this broader network.

 

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The Day Steve Jobs Returned to Apple

Charlotte Henry ·

In many ways, Apple without Steve Jobs is unthinkable. Yet, of course, for a period of time, it happened. CultofMac reflected on the day he returned home.

The Apple co-founder didn’t just come as part of the NeXT package. He was a major part of the deal. “I’m not just buying software, I’m buying Steve,” Apple CEO Gil Amelio said at the time. As part of the deal, Jobs got 1.5 million shares of Apple stock. Jobs wasn’t initially intended to be Apple’s new CEO. Bizarrely, Amelio apparently thought Jobs could be contained as a creative force. Amelio figured he could continue running the company, and simply wheel out Jobs whenever Apple needed him.

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267 Million Facebook IDs, Phone Numbers Exposed

Andrew Orr ·

A database that contained over 267 million Facebook user IDs, phone numbers, and IDs was discovered on the web. It wasn’t password-protected.

Comparitech partnered with security researcher Bob Diachenko to uncover the Elasticsearch cluster. Diachenko believes the trove of data is most likely the result of an illegal scraping operation or Facebook API abuse by criminals in Vietnam, according to the evidence.

Diachenko immediately notified the internet service provider managing the IP address of the server so that access could be removed. However, Diachenko says the data was also posted to a hacker forum as a download.

What the Sky Will Look Like When We Collide With Andromeda Galaxy
Cool Stuff Found

What the Sky Will Look Like When We Collide With Andromeda Galaxy

John Martellaro ·

Our Milky Way galaxy and the Andromeda galaxy are gravitationally bound and will collide in about 4 billion years. Because stars are so far apart in a galaxy, many light years, the term “collision” really means interleave and gravitationally interact. Still, it will light up our sky. NASA has done a simulation to show us what it will look like. That is, if anyone is around to watch!

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Adobe Capture Adds Color Shapes and Pattern Builder

Andrew Orr ·

Adobe added two big features to the Adobe Capture app. Color Shapes lets you add colors vector shapes to a document in the app, then save to your Creative Cloud library. Pattern Builder lets you create patterns from those vector shapes in your library.

Capture in action. Use your mobile device to turn photos into color themes, patterns, type, materials, brushes, and shapes. Then find those assets in CC Libraries, located right in your favorite desktop and mobile apps — including Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Dimension, XD, and Photoshop Sketch — to use them in all your creative projects.

Download the app here.

Logitech Offers 4K Magnetic Webcam for Pro Display XDR
Cool Stuff Found

Logitech Offers 4K Magnetic Webcam for Pro Display XDR

Andrew Orr ·

Logitech created a 4K magnetic webcam specifically for Apple’s Pro Display XDR you can use with the 2019 Mac Pro. Apple didn’t include a webcam in the display, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It will be used in environments like music studios where people cover up the webcams anyway. But Logitech’s solution is elegant, with an anodized aluminum finish that won’t look out of place with on Apple device. The magnet is strong enough to stay on even if you put the XDR display in portrait mode, and the screen image will automatically rotate along with it. You can buy it for US$199.