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It's Never 69 Degrees on the Apple Weather App

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple’s native Weather app won’t ever give the temperature as 69 degrees, The Verge reported. Yes, it’s worth a giggle, bu there’s a couple of explanations as to why this might be.

It’s not clear if this is a bug or an intentional attempt from Apple to cut down on 69-related humor. The rounding is only visible in the weather app itself: clicking through to Apple’s source data from Weather.com will show the proper temperature, as do Apple’s home screen widgets. But the iOS weather app will refuse to show 69 degrees anywhere in the forecast, whether it’s for the current temperature, the hourly forecast for the day, or the extended forecast. A possible explanation for the issue (as pointed out by several people on Twitter) is that Apple may be sourcing data for its iOS Weather app in Celsius and then converting it to Fahrenheit. For example, 20 degrees Celsius converts to 68 degrees Fahrenheit, while 21 degrees Celsius converts to 69.8 degrees Fahrenheit — which rounds up to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The app appears to have similar issues with temperatures like 65 degrees (where 18 degrees Celsius converts to 64.4 degrees Fahrenheit, while 19 degrees Celsius is 66.2 degrees Fahrenheit).

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New Twitter Feature Lets You Control Who Can Respond to You

Andrew Orr ·

Twitter is rolling out a new feature that lets users control who can respond to specific tweets.

Building on a 2020 feature that lets users choose who can reply when composing a message, this update could prove especially useful for folks whose posts receive unexpected attention or unwanted responses. Simply tap on the three-dot menu in the upper right corner of a tweet to modify the “Change who can reply” option.

‘ProtonVPN’ Introduces a New Smart Protocol Selection
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‘ProtonVPN’ Introduces a New Smart Protocol Selection

Andrew Orr ·

ProtonVPN got an update on Tuesday with a new feature called Smart Protocol Selection. It will automatically detect and use the VPN protocol that works best on a given network, such as OpenVPN and IKEv2. This update also prepares the app for something called VPN Accelerator which will be in a future update. There are new Info buttons to provide additional information about features and supported streaming services, and the VPN connection stability has been improved.

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UK Cops Seize US$249m Worth of Bitcoin Following Money Laundering Probe

Charlotte Henry ·

England’s Metropolitan Police Service has seized almost £180m (US$249m) worth of bitcoin. The seizure came as the result of an investigation into international money laundering, The Guardian reported.

“While cash still remains king in the criminal word, as digital platforms develop we’re increasingly seeing organised criminals using cryptocurrency to launder their dirty money,” said the Metropolitan police’s deputy assistant commissioner, Graham McNulty. A 39-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of money laundering after the first haul was discovered and has been interviewed under caution over the £180m discovery. One bitcoin is worth about £23,500, having fallen from a peak in April of £47,126.48, meaning the sum confiscated may have been worth nearly double three months ago. The assets were seized by the force’s economic crime command and the investigation is continuing.

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Google Unifies Two Desktop Apps Into a Single ‘Drive’ App

Andrew Orr ·

Google is merging its Google Drive sync clients on the desktop: Backup and Sync with Drive File Stream. The new app will be Drive for Desktop on macOS and Windows. The company shares a timeline with other details in its blog post.

Drive for desktop is a unified sync client that provides a consistent experience for anyone who uses Drive, whether for business, education or personal purposes. It enables you to quickly sync and access content directly from Mac or PC, which can save you time by helping you access files and folders in a familiar location.

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Jon Stewart Apple TV+ Show to Shoot in Front of Vaccinated Live Audience

Charlotte Henry ·

Jon Stewart’s return is set to be filmed in front of a live audience. Episodes of the Apple TV+ series will be recorded in New York on July 14 and 16, Deadline reported.

It is the latest “late-night” show to shoot in front of an audience after the likes of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel Live! brought back audiences. The Apple TV+ series will require attendees to be fully vaccinated, provide an official vaccination card and complete a wellness screening prior to entering. Audiences and crew members will be required to wear masks at all times. The show, which launches this fall, is a one-hour current affairs format with a single issue topic explored in each episode.

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Adidas is Developing Solar-Powered Headphones

Andrew Orr ·

Adidas is currently developing a pair of solar-powered headphones in partnership with Exeger. Digital Trends interviewed Gustaf Rosell, chief product and innovation Officer at Zound Industries.

One of the key differences is they are powered by any light. Direct sunlight will be the strongest source, but even indoor lighting or, even better, having it close to windows will generate energy. The cells are flexible in their application and not sensitive to being shadowed in the same way as traditional solar cells.

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Amazon Wants to Use Radar to Watch You Sleeping

Andrew Orr ·

On Friday the FCC approved [PDF] Amazon’s idea to create a device that uses radar to monitor a person as they sleep.

The use of Radar Sensors in sleep tracking could improve awareness and management of sleep hygiene, which in turn could produce significant health benefits for many Americans. Radar Sensors will allow consumers to recognize potential sleep issues.

That’s a from No Thank You from me.