Enter our new international giveaway for a chance to win the brand new iPhone 16 Pro.
Not-So-Silent Ringing — Mac Geek Gab 866
Sometimes your iPhone’s silent, and sometime it’s not. But what about when it decides what to do, not you? That’s when you call John and Dave! Or you can email them. Or you can text them. Or you can post in the forums. Either way, they’ll answer your questions and try to help solve your problems. Listen to all your questions answered, Cool Stuff Found and Quick Tips shared, and you’re guaranteed to learn at least five new things hanging out with your two favorite geeks!
‘The New Oil’ Website is a Resource for Privacy
The creator of The New Oil shared his website that gives people resources on privacy. But it’s not just a list of private tools to use. Instead the goal is to give people context and explain concepts like data breaches, why strong passwords matter, encryption, and more.
Most of us are not strangers to the concept of surveillance capitalism and targeted advertising. Most of us don’t particularly care, either. After all, who wouldn’t want relevant ads for movies or products that might actually appeal to you or improve your life? The thing is, most of us don’t understand the aggressive measures these companies go to to create those marketing profiles, or the devastating effects they can have on people.
Investigative Report Reveals the Untold Story of the SolarWinds Cyberattack
We have a bit more news about the SolarWinds hack this week. NPR has wrapped up an investigation and reveals the “behind-the-scenes” story.
“Imagine those Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups going into the package and just before the machine comes down and seals the package, some other thing comes in and slides a razor blade into your Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup,” he said. Instead of a razor blade, the hackers swapped the files so “the package gets sealed and it goes out the door to the store.”
The Award-Winning Luminar 4 Power Bundle
We have a deal on the award-winning Luminar 4 Power Bundle. Luminar 4 is a full-feature photo editor and organizer for Mac and Windows that lets you create edited photos with a single click. This bundle also comes with the Photography Fundamentals Course tutorial from ThinkTapLearn, and four different add-ons, including Skies: Power of Nature Add-On, Sky Objects: Amazing Planets Add-On, Looks: Analog Film Add-On, and LUTs: Street Vibe LUTs. The bundle is $39.99 through our deal.
Humpback Whale Documentary 'Fathom' to Premiere on Apple TV+ on June 25
Documentary feature Fathom will premiere on Apple TV+ on June 25, telling the story of two scientists who study humpback whales.
Apple Releases 2021 Environmental Progress Report
Apple has published the latest version of its annual environmental progress report. There is an easy-to-navigate webpage and a longer PDF.
Security Friday and a Hitchhiker's Guide – TMO Daily Observations 2021-04-16
Andrew Orr joins host Kelly Guimont to discuss Security Friday news, and a very helpful Hitchhiker’s Guide (not that one).
How Anthony Hopkins Ended up Guest Starring in 'Mythic Quest - Everlight'
A special episode of Mythic Quest arrived on Apple TV+ on Friday and (spoiler alert!) it features a guest appearance from Sir Anthony Hopkins. Variety has the background on how the Everlight episode was made, and how The Silence of the Lambs star ended up in it.
“Mythic Quest” is nonetheless set in the video game world and counts Ubisoft among its producers. The special episode is not devoid of an animated game sequence — and this one gets the gift of narration from Anthony Hopkins. Wanting someone with “some heft” so “right from the very beginning [of the episode] it just feels premium, like a cinematic experience,” McElhenney says, they considered such performers as Dame Judi Dench and Ian McKellan. But when Hopkins came up, it was kismet. Producer and guest star “Craig Mazin said, ‘Oh I know Anthony Hopkins’ lawyer, let’s just call him up.’ And within 20 minutes I’m talking to Anthony Hopkins,” McElhenney says. In pre-COVID times it may have been hard to get Hopkins to commit, but with the ability to work from anywhere, McElhenney hopped on the phone with him and the Oscar-winner self-recorded his role.
Clipper Card Now Works with Apple Pay For Easier Bay Area Transit
Those in the Bay Area can use Apple Pay when using any form of transit that is accessed with a Clipper card. The feature now works on BART, Muni, Caltrain, and the ferryTechCrunch reported.
As noted back in February when this was first confirmed as on the way, Clipper works with Apple’s “Express Transit” feature. That’s just a fancy way to say that you can tap to pay with the digital Clipper card without first needing to punch in your phone’s PIN or using FaceID. On certain newer iPhones, it also lets you keep using the Clipper card for a few hours after your battery has died; a wonderful thing in a pinch, but probably not something you want to rely on regularly.
Alaskan Senate Bill Proposes Statewide Blockchain Voting System
Under Senate Bill 39, Wasilla Republican Sen. Mike Shower proposes using blockchain technology to support the state voting system.
Furthermore, the bill seeks to increase voter participation by allowing people to use their tribal IDs for voter identification. At the same time, the technology would help in fixing errors that would bar people from voting.
However, the bill’s first version was a center of controversy for ending automatic voter registration through the permanent fund dividend application. The new bill has eliminated the clause.
I think using tribal IDs for voting identification is great. I’m not sure if blockchain voting will make it though.
Apple Music Pays Artists up to Three Times More Than Spotify Per Stream
A letter from Apple Music has revealed it pays artists a penny per stream of a song – three times what Spotify offers.
Scosche Releases PowerVolt Car and Wall Chargers
Scosche Industries announced new PowerVolt car and wall chargers at CES 2021, and now these products are ready for purchase.
Apple VP Lisa Jackson Joins Time 2030 Committee
Apple VP Lisa Jackson has joined the Time 2030 committee and outlined Apple’s approach to helping tackle climate change.
Docker Desktop for Mac Adds Support for M1 Chips
Docker announced on Thursday that its desktop app for Mac adds support for M1 chips in its latest release.
Apple TV+: Sir David Attenborough Doc 'The Year the Earth Changed' and New 'Mythic Quest' Episode Now Available
‘The Year the Earth Changed’, narrated by David Attenborough, along with new seasons of other nature shows, are no available on Apple TV+.
Experiment to See if Apple Watch Can Help Detect COVID-19
Apple, the Seattle Flu Study, and the University of Washington have teamed up to see if the Apple Watch and iPhones can help to predict COVID-19.
Apple Studios in Early Discussions to Distribute Original Comedy 'Mr. Lucky' From Kandell Twins
There are early discussions taking place regarding Apple Studios serving as a distribution partner for original comedy Mr. Lucky, written by Aaron and Jordan Kandell. It follows the screenwriters selling the pitch to production company ImageMovers, Variety reported.
Inspired by a true story, details are under wraps but it is described as a high concept rom-com that explores luck, and how tragedy and triumph, disaster and fortune are all in the way we choose to view them. Jack Rapke and Jackie Levine are producing for ImageMovers. The Kandells, who just signed with Range Media Partners, are the writers behind the Oscar-nominated Disney epic “Moana” and the 2018 film “Adrift,” starring Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin. They have a number of notable upcoming projects through their banner Twin Ink.
Reddit Announces Public Bug Bounty Program
For the past three years Reddit has maintained a privacy bug bounty program for cybersecurity researchers with HackerOne. On Thursday the company announced a public program.
With our continued growth and visibility, we’re now ready to make the program public and expand the participation to anyone wanting to make a meaningful security impact on Reddit. As we scale the program, our priority will remain focused on protecting the privacy of our user data and identities. We know each security researcher has their own skills and perspective that they bring to the program, and we encourage anyone to submit a report that shows security impact. We’re super excited to hit this milestone and have prepared our team for what’s to come.
Celebrate Earth Day 2021 by Using Apple Pay
Now through April 22 Apple will donate US$1 to Conservation International for every Apple Pay transaction made with Apple.
Adobe Releases Global Emoji Diversity & Inclusion Report
On Thursday Adobe released the Global Emoji Diversity & Inclusion Report. It surveyed 7,000 emoji users from around the world on how they use diverse and inclusive emojis.
Only half of global emoji users feel their identity is adequately reflected in current emoji options. More representative emoji, inclusive of different cultures, age groups, and ethnicities, are key in helping emoji users better express themselves. This goes a lot deeper than personal identification — it helps people accurately express how they are feeling.
U.S. Sanctions Russia Over SolarWinds Cyberattack
The U.S. has imposed sanctions against Russia for election interference and its role in the devastating cyberattack known as SolarWinds.
U.S. House Committee Approve Big Tech Report
The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee formally approved a report that accuses big tech companies, including Apple, of either buying or crushing smaller rivals, Reuters reported. The extensive document offers various options for changing antitrust law.
The more than 400-page staff report will become an official committee report, and the blueprint for legislation to rein in the market power of the likes of Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google, Apple Inc (AAPL.O), Amazon.com (AMZN.O) and Facebook (FB.O). The report was approved by a 24-17 vote that split along party lines. The companies have denied any wrongdoing. The report first released in October – the first such congressional review of the tech industry – suggested extensive changes to antitrust law and described dozens of instances where it said the companies had misused their power.
Apple TV+ Titles Have Highest Average IMDb Score, But Netflix Best Value for Money
Apple TV+ titles’ average score on IMDb of 7.24 beats that of its key rivals, but Netflix offers the best value for money.
Fitness+ Adds New Workouts for Pregnancy, Workouts for Older Adults
Apple’s Fitness+ service is expanding its program with three new categories: Workouts for Pregnancy, Workouts for Older Adults, and Workouts for Beginners.