Andrew Orr's photo

Andrew Orr

Since 2015 Andrew has been writing about Apple, privacy, security, and at one point even Android. You can find him most places online under the username @andrewornot.

Get In Touch:

Articles by Andrew Orr

Link

Donate to U.S. National Parks Using Apple Pay

Andrew Orr ·

From August 17 to August 25, the first 100,000 transactions at Apple retail stores, the online store, or the Apple Store app will donate US$10 to U.S. national parks.

We’re celebrating our national parks with a $10 donation for each Apple Pay purchase at an Apple Store, on apple.com, or through the Apple Store app in the U.S. from August 17 through 25. Limited to the first 100,000 transactions. Subject to $10 minimum purchase.

I think this is great. U.S. national parks could soon get a big US$1 million donation.

Link

News+: Project Catalyst and the Future of the Mac

Andrew Orr ·

In the latest issue of Macworld, Jason Snell writes about Project Catalyst and how Apple struggles with the Mac’s future.

iOS app developers are Mac users—it’s the only platform available for iOS app development. They know what the Mac feels like. I think many of them will choose to do the right thing—but it’s a shame they won’t have exemplary Apple apps to inspire them.

This is part of Andrew’s News+ series, where he shares a magazine every Friday to help people discover good content in Apple News+.

Cool Stuff Found

'Telling Lies' Game Available for Preorder at $6.99

Andrew Orr ·

Annapurna Interactive, makers of games like Donut County, Gorogoa, Gone Home, and more, have a new game coming out called Telling Lies. An investigative thriller game with non-linear storytelling, Telling Lies revolves around a cache of secretly recorded video conversations. Starring Logan Marshall-Green, Alexandra Shipp, Kerry Bishé, Angela Sarafyan and directed by Sam Barlow, creator of Her Story and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. Telling Lies sits you in front of an anonymous laptop loaded with a stolen NSA database full of footage. The footage covers two years in the intimate lives of four people whose stories are linked by a shocking incident. Explore the database by typing search terms, watch the clips where those words are spoken and piece together your story. Unlike anything you’ve played before, Telling Lies is an intimate and intense experience. A game where you decide the truth. App Store: Telling Lies—US$6.99

Link

AI Tech Like Neuralink Could be 'Suicide For the Human Mind'

Andrew Orr ·

Some scientists are worried about technology like Elon Musk’s Neuralink. Cognitive psychologist Susan Schneider wrote an op-ed (paywall) that it could be “suicide for the human mind.”

The worry with a general merger with AI, in the more radical sense that Musk envisions, is the human brain is diminished or destroyed. Furthermore, the self may depend on the brain and if the self’s survival over time requires that there be some sort of continuity in our lives — a continuity of memory and personality traits — radical changes may break the needed continuity.

I’m no neuroscientist but I subscribe to emergentism, which is the idea that consciousness is an emergent property of the brain. An easy explanation is here, but basically it means that consciousness isn’t a property of the physical brain, but rather something that happens when you get enough neurons interconnected. This isn’t something that could be replicated with code.

Link

Kaspersky Antivirus Injected Unique Javascript Into Browsers

Andrew Orr ·

Back in 2015, Kaspersky antivirus added a feature that made it possible for users to be tracked across websites, even in incognito mode.

The identifier, as reported Thursday by c’t Magazine, was part of a blob of JavaScript Kaspersky products injected into every page a user visited. The JavaScript, presented below this paragraph, was designed to, among other things, present a green icon that corresponded to safe links returned in search results…Kaspersky stopped sending the identifier in June, after Eikenberg privately reported the behavior to the AV company.

Link

Instagram from Facebook, Fake Story Views, and Russian Growth Hackers

Andrew Orr ·

Some Instagram from Facebook users have noticed views on their Story from accounts that don’t follow them and seemed to be Russian. Instagram said it’s aware of the issue.

It also said this inauthentic activity is not related to misinformation campaigns but is rather a new growth hacking tactic — which involves accounts paying third parties to try to boost their profile via the medium of fake likes, followers and comments (in this case by generating inauthentic activity by watching the Instagram Stories of people they have no real interest in in the hopes that’ll help them pass off as real and net them more followers).

Link

Does the Apple Card Count as a Mastercard World Elite?

Andrew Orr ·

Redditor u/mdhardeman did some digging into the Apple Card. After running a test transaction they found that the card was listed as a Mastercard World Elite.

The Mastercard World Elite consumer credit cards are significantly more expensive to accept than a plain Mastercard credit card or basic rewards card. In exchange, the theory goes, Mastercard ensures that those cards only make it into the hands of premium consumers who, on average, spend more on many purchases and have a larger amount of disposable income. In exchange, Mastercard demands the higher reimbursement for the card issuers to be able to fund a benefits package that will attract heavy spenders to their World Elite card products.

Link

Pandora for Podcasters Launches for Creators

Andrew Orr ·

Pandora for Podcasters, as the name suggests, is a new platform that lets people submit their podcasts to Pandora. All you have to do is submit your RSS feed URL, answer a few questions, and your episodes will be added.

Podcasts on Pandora is powered by the Podcast Genome Project, which helps listeners cut through the overwhelming clutter of available podcasts to simply, easily find the podcasts they love…Starting today, creators who are new to the platform can submit their shows via Pandora for Podcasters here and start connecting with listeners ASAP.

Link

App Store Today Stories Now on the Web

Andrew Orr ·

App Store Today editorials from Apple are now available on the web, with full imagery, app lists, and text.

To find a link for an App Store story, open the App Store on your iOS device or Mac. Open a story article in the Today view and scroll to the bottom. There will be a ‘Share Story’ button which lets you copy the URL or send it on using the share sheet.

Link

AT&T, T-Mobile Rolling Out Call Authentication

Andrew Orr ·

AT&T and T-Mobile are starting to roll out the call authentication feature based on T-Mobile’s SHAKEN/STIR technology.

Call verification won’t eradicate the issue, but it’ll give subscribers the choice not to answer potentially illegal calls, which could be scams or attempts to steal their identity…An AT&T spokesperson also told us that the carrier is testing a way for the SHAKEN/STIR protocol to work for everyone at no extra cost. To be precise, the company is developing a way to make the protocol work with AT&T Call Protect, which can block fraudulent calls for free.

It better be free. Security shouldn’t be an optional purchase.

Link

Using Two-Factor Authentication on Old Apple Devices

Andrew Orr ·

Glenn Fleishman has a good tip on how to use Apple’s two-factor authentication on older devices that don’t support it.

But 2FA and outdated versions of Apple TV, iOS, and macOS don’t mix. You try to log in on those devices with your Apple ID and popups with codes may appear on other devices, but there’s no way to enter it on the piece of equipment from which you’re trying to log in. Fortunately, there’s a simple workaround.

I always forget about the manual method.