Apple REJI Program Lead Alisha Johnson Discusses Latests Announcements

On Wednesday, Apple announced new programs and investments as part of its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI). Program lead Alisha Johnson talked to Bustle about how efforts fit within the company.

When we looked at REJI as an effort, we had this great model to follow. And it was the environment work that Apple’s been steeped in for over a decade, where in order to ensure this work is sustained and that it’s far-reaching and affects every part of our operations. We have employees in every part of our operations who are looking at ways to already start to focus this work in their daily roles… We talked to our content team, Apple Music, and Apple TV+, and they’re already looking at ways that they can ensure they’re elevating Black voices, that their programming is focused on educating customers. As we were having internal conversations within Apple around launching REJI, there were teams that were already deploying education moments for customers. They weren’t waiting for our green light. We had a Siri team that was already put together in response to the question, “Do all lives matter?” so people could really understand the importance of saying Black lives matter.

Apple Apps No Longer Bypass macOS Big Sur Firewalls

In macOS Big Sur, Apple deprecated third-party kernel extensions including Network Kernel Extensions (NKEs). NKEs are used by apps like firewalls to monitor network traffic. Apple’s new user-mode Network Extension Framework had a side-effect: Apple’s own apps wouldn’t be routed through it and thus could bypass third-party firewalls. But now that has changed.

I of course also wondered if malware could abuse these “excluded” items to generate network traffic that could surreptitiously bypass any socket filter firewall.  Unfortunately the answer was yes! It was (unsurprisingly) trivial to find a way to abuse these items, and generate undetected network traffic.

Meditation App ‘Calm’ Introduces Calm Puzzles with Spin Master Games

Calm is a popular sleep and meditation app. It recently partnered with Spin Master Games to create Calm Puzzles. These are jigsaw puzzles featuring zen, tranquil landscape scenes (Calm Coral, Foggy Mountains, Hidden Waterfalls, Jasper Lake, Sunflower Fields and Waterfall Mountain). These Mindful Puzzles are available to purchase on Amazon and in stores at Target and Walmart. You can listen to peaceful audio in the Calm app while you work on the puzzle. Each 300-piece puzzle includes a FREE 30-day subscription to the Calm app, which allows you to listen to sounds of nature and peaceful audio content that corresponds to your mindful puzzle as you work on putting it together.

Apple Supplier Foxconn Joins Partnership to Build Cars for Third Parties

Apple supplier Foxconn and Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely announced Wednesday that they are partnering provide contract manufacturing for third-parties, Reuters reported. It adds to a growing number of stories concerning Apple and electric vehicles.

They will each hold 50% of a venture that will also provide consulting services on electric vehicle (EV) technologies to automakers, the companies said in a statement. It marks the latest move by Foxconn, a major Apple Inc supplier, into autos after a tie-up with Chinese electric car startup Byton and comes amid reports that Apple is likely to launch a self-driving electric car by 2024. For Geely, the partnership will allow it to share its first EV-focused platform, launched in September, with other automakers, according to people familiar with Geely’s plan.

Why Billie Eilish Apple TV+ Doc Looks Like ‘The Office’

Pop stars notoriously come up with all sorts of weird demands for those around them. However, director R.J. Cutler was not quite prepared for Billie Eilish to ask for their Apple TV+ collaboration to look like The Office. He explained the request to Entertainment Weekly.

It took a second for the acclaimed The September Issue director to understand what the young music phenom was looking for, exactly. But by spending more time with her, “I realized what she meant was, as you know, there’s a unique relationship that the John Krasinski character in particular has with the camera in The Office, which is a full documentary. And that’s really what she was alluding to,” he tells EW. “That kind of connection to the camera was something she wanted the opportunity to have in making a documentary.” While it’s not an element that takes over the film, “There are two or three key moments where she connects with the camera in a way that is reflective of who Billie is in her connection to her audience,” the director adds.

Mozilla VPN Arrives on macOS and Linux

After rolling out on platforms like Windows, Android, and iOS, the Mozilla VPN arrives on macOS and Linux for US$5/month.

The Mozilla VPN isn’t the cheapest option on the market. However, Mozilla has said that, because it uses fewer lines of code than other VPNs, the service is faster than many rival ones. You can connect to more than 280 servers in more than 30 countries via the VPN without any bandwidth restrictions.

I think US$5/mo is definitely one of the cheapest VPNs on the market.