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Netflix Put Out Average of One New Show or Movie a Day in 2019

Charlotte Henry ·

Netflix released a total of 371 new TV shows and movies in the U.S. during 2019, Variety reported. That averages one new one every day.

The streaming giant released 371 new TV shows and movies on the service in the U.S. this year, according to data from Variety Insight. This is an increase of 54.6% over the 240 shows and movies Netflix released in 2018. For context, this figure is greater than the number of original series that the entire U.S. TV industry released in 2005 (the last year Netflix managed to exceed the TV industry’s total). That includes broadcast networks, cable networks and premium cable networks.

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FBI Shares 7 Tech Tips to Keep You Safe

Andrew Orr ·

The FBI’s Oregon office shared seven tech tips to keep people safe over the holidays, like not letting devices auto-connect to free Wi-Fi. It’s well worth the read.

The kids are getting out of school this week and you are packing your bags for the big trip to the in-laws. Now is not the time you want to talk about cyber security, but we do have a few travel tips to keep you safe while you are on the go.

TMO Deals

CleanShot: Capture Your Screen in a Superior Way: $10.62

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on CleanShot, a screengrab and recording app for your Mac. It helps you swiftly capture Mac’s screen without desktop icons in the background, annotate or blur specific parts, set a custom wallpaper for your screenshots, and lots more. It’s $12.50 through our deal, but coupon code MERRYSAVE15 brings the checkout price down to $10.62.

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An Interview With the COO of the Recently Acquired Private Internet Access VPN

Andrew Orr ·

Popular VPN Private Internet Access (PIA) was recently acquired by a company called KAPE, now called Private Internet. PIA COO did an interview.

Private Internet is positioned to lead the movement for a private and secure online experience for all. The internet as we now know it is a place where data is harvested and identities do not belong to the users but are traded by privileged few. Private Internet changes that. The new name also reflects the fact that we will now be offering four new privacy products to our product suite.

I’m interested, and wary, of the future of PIA. I’ve seen accusations of KAPE that include malware, but Mr. Sagi does say the app will be open-sourced. Although this quote sounds odd to me: “We’re building an internal roadmap to create a transparent and verifiable infrastructure, in which no one, including ourselves, is permitted access to the servers through which VPN traffic flows.” They had shown in court they can’t produce information regarding user data, so they already shouldn’t be able to access server traffic.

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MusicBot is the Shortcuts Companion to Apple Music

Andrew Orr ·

Federico Viticci recently announced his shortcut called MusicBot, which he says is the all-in-one assistant to Apple Music.

I created MusicBot for two reasons: I wanted to speed up common interactions with the Music app by using custom actions in the Shortcuts app; and I also wanted to build a series of “utilities” for Apple Music that could be bundled in a single, all-in-one shortcut instead of dozens of smaller, standalone ones.

I haven’t used this yet but Mr. Viticci is a master of shortcuts so I’m confident it’s a great tool to use.

TMO Deals

amplify Hi-Fi Wireless Headphone Amplifier: $60.35

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on the amplify Hi-Fi Wireless Headphone Amplifier. This device offers up to 12 hours of playback and supports current Bluetooth audio codecs such as LDAC, aptX HD, aptX, aptX Low Latency, AAC, and SBC. It’s $71 through our deal, but coupon code MERRYSAVE15 brings the checkout price down to $60.35. I’m linking to the black model, but there’s a silver option available in a pulldown menu in the deal listing.

Notability 9.2 Changes the Highlighter and Supports the Files App
Cool Stuff Found

Notability 9.2 Changes the Highlighter and Supports the Files App

Andrew Orr ·

Notability 9.2 didn’t bring a lot of changes, but the changes it did bring are important. Here are three things that were changed: Highlighter color now appears more vivid and behind text, making the text pop; Added ability to identify and troubleshoot unsearchable notes that have not been indexed properly; Can now import documents from the Files app.

Notability is among the best note-taking apps for the iPad, especially if you like handwriting your notes with an Apple Pencil. This update should be a welcome one for users.

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A Look at The Inside And Outside of the New Mac Pro

Charlotte Henry ·

Everyone is intrigued at the engineering of the new Mac Pro. AppleInsider looked at the insides, and the outsides, of the device.

Apple’s new Mac Pro arrives in a massive box, copiously covered in warning stickers due to the overall weight. Even at this scale, Apple’s unboxing experience is wonderful. Velcro straps hold together the paper packaging which lifts free, revealing the tower inside. The largest Apple logo we’ve seen on a product is stamped on either side of the aluminum housing, sitting between the two polished stainless steel handles that make up the frame. Much has already been said about the unique lattice grille on the front of the machine. Behind the 3D mesh is a matte black grille, to prevent objects or large debris from getting into the interior.

Twelve South Launches AirPods Pro Case ‘AirSnap Pro’
Cool Stuff Found

Twelve South Launches AirPods Pro Case ‘AirSnap Pro’

Andrew Orr ·

Available for US$39.99, Twelve South announced pre-orders will begin for its AirPods Pro case called AirSnap Pro. It’s expected to start shipping the week of December 30, 2019. The case is made of leather and comes with a removable clip to attach it to your backpack, purse, or attack keys to it.

Meticulously made of premium top-grain leather, this little leather AirPods cocoon has a metal snap to keep the case closed and your expensive AirPods Pro Wireless Charger safely inside. AirSnap Pro gives you three ways to keep your coveted AirPods Pro within reach. Use the included S-clip to attach AirSnap Pro to a backpack, purse or keychain. Remove the S-clip and carry AirSnap Pro in your pocket. Or, use the included wrist strap to hold your AirPods Pro Wireless Charging Case on walks or runs.

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Facebook Thinks California Privacy Law Doesn’t Apply To It

Andrew Orr ·

The California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) goes into effect January 1. Despite it being state-created it’s expected to affect all Americans. Some companies have been following Microsoft’s example and plan to voluntarily apply it to all states. Facebook however, disagrees (to no one’s surprise).

Facebook is taking a different tack for its web tracker, Pixel. Pixel’s name comes from its physical appearance on a website that installs it: literally, one square pixel. But behind that pixel is a code that that installs cookies on your browser, allowing it to track your activity across the internet.

Facebook provides this code to businesses free of charge, and those businesses can then purchase ads based off the information that Pixel collects…According to the Wall Street Journal, Facebook will claim that it doesn’t sell the data that its web trackers collect; it simply provides a service to businesses and websites that install Pixel on their sites. Because of this, it believes its web trackers are exempt from CCPA’s regulations…

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How an iPad And a Laser Uncovered a Way to Hack Smart Home Devices

Charlotte Henry ·

In spring 2018, cybersecurity researcher Takeshi Sugawara found that point a laser at an iPad’s Microphone converted the light into sound. Then, according to Wired, he discovered the same technique could hack smart home devices like the Amazon Echo and Google Home.

Sugawara pointed a high-powered laser at the microphone of his iPad—all inside of a black metal box, to avoid burning or blinding anyone—and had Fu put on a pair of earbuds to listen to the sound the iPad’s mic picked up. As Sugawara varied the laser’s intensity over time in the shape of a sine wave, fluctuating at about 1,000 times a second, Fu picked up a distinct high-pitched tone. The iPad’s microphone had inexplicably converted the laser’s light into an electrical signal, just as it would with sound. Six months later Sugawara—visiting from the Tokyo-based University of Electro-Communications—along with Fu and a group of University of Michigan researchers have honed that curious photoacoustic quirk into something far more disturbing.

These Apple Watch Straps Are Helping The Planet
Cool Stuff Found

These Apple Watch Straps Are Helping The Planet

Charlotte Henry ·

Icon Days has a new Apple Watch strap. Not only does it look stylish, but it is also helping protect the planet. The Navy Flame strap is made of premium of leather but it is also plastic free. That includes the packaging. Furthermore, 10% of profits go to environmental charities. The strap is compatible with all Apple Watch models. It costs £39 ($52) and there is free UK shipping in time for Christmas.

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VICE Tests Amazon Ring’s Security, and it’s Not Good

Andrew Orr ·

Journalists at VICE tested the security of Amazon Ring security cameras, and they call it “awful.”

Ring is not offering basic security precautions, such as double-checking whether someone logging in from an unknown IP address is the legitimate user, or providing a way to see how many users are currently logged in—entirely common security measures across a wealth of online services.