The Economist:
On Oct. 31, 2015, one of economist.com’s vendors, PageFair, was hacked. If you visited economist.com at any time between Oct. 31, 23:52 GMT and 01:15 GMT, Nov. 1, using Windows OS and you do not have trusted anti-virus software installed, it is possible that malware, disguised as an Adobe update, was downloaded onto your PC.
According to Twitter, PageFair is an anti-adblocker. Those fuckers.
We moved into our house back in 2012, and one of my first tasks was getting the WiFi network established. I did it with a single Time Capsule, roughly centered in the house. But there was a bit of a dead spot in our bedroom, so I added in an Airport Express as a wireless repeater. I didn’t need much speed, just coverage at the time.
Then I started working from home, and speed became a thing I needed to worry about. I upgraded to an Airport Extreme with 802.11ac wireless. This upgrade helped, but I still was having a hell of a time getting video chats and Skype to work reliably — crucial for my job — so I needed a solution.
The solution I devised, was to route Ethernet from the AirPort Extreme to our bedroom (where my office was) and have the AirPort Express extend the network from a gigabit connection to the AirPort Extreme. That was a hassle but worked fine. I lost a lot of network speed in the process though. When connected to the AirPort Express I topped out at 28 Mbps on any device, but on the Extreme I would be at 60 Mbps, which was the max speed of my Internet connection.
Like most people, when I ordered my Apple Watch, I had no clue what to expect from it. Because of this, I really didn’t want to spend a ton of money on it and accessories. So I ordered the 42mm Sport with the white band and left it at that. I chose white because I thought it looked pretty sharp, and I stayed with the white band for quite some time, but before WWDC I ordered the Brown Leather Loop to try out.
And then, with the launch of some new colors recently, I picked up the Red and Midnight Blue sport bands. While the Leather Loop never really worked for me, the sport bands do. Having more options for Sport Bands at my disposal, I have really started enjoying changing around the looks of the Apple Watch.
If you own an Apple Watch, then I really think you should own a few extra bands for it.
There's at least one John who wears his Apple Watch everyday.
Note: Tom Bihn sent me the Yeoman Duffel bag for review purposes. No agreements were made as to what that review may or may not look like, as is my standard practice I retain full editorial control.
I’ve always liked the idea of big duffel bags, or duffel bags in general, as there is something about the look of them that draws me in. Something about the idea of just throwing everything in that huge expanse, zipping it shut and heading off. Perhaps it is because I travel minimally and pack tightly and neatly in very small bags, that the idea of having copious amounts of space in which to pack seems like freedom.
I’m not sure.
I do have a small, classic looking, duffel bag which I have been using for years on weekend getaways. I transitioned it to be the bag for Sloane’s travel stuff when she was born, but with two kids it has become way too small.
George Monbiot:
Fire is raging across the 5,000km length of Indonesia. It is surely, on any objective assessment, more important than anything else taking place today. And it shouldn’t require a columnist, writing in the middle of a newspaper, to say so. It should be on everyone’s front page. It is hard to convey the scale of this inferno, but here’s a comparison that might help: it is currently producing more carbon dioxide than the US economy. And in three weeks the fires have released more CO2 than the annual emissions of Germany.
Holy shit.
Often I start reading an article which I saved to read later, and I think “yeah this is good stuff, I know it all, but it’s good stuff” and then I stop.
Why am I still reading this?
Who am I reading this for?
A few nights ago I sat down on my couch — the chaise lounge section of course — and got ready to start watching some TV. But the far lamp in our living room was turned on and from the spot I was sitting in that lamp casts a glare on the TV.
So it must be turned off.
CGP Grey:
I’m taking this month to dial the volume down. But the problem is more difficult than it used to be.
I'm having to do similar things as it will be the only way I can meet the crazy goals I set for myself this month.
Since we finally have a new keyboard out from Apple, it is high time we look at what keyboard options there are. Since Keyboards map well to cars I think it is best to look at the in this vein. People tend to care a lot about their car, or not at all, and for the small group that resides somewhere in the middle: they tend to only know what cars they do not like. It is in that sense that I think keyboards fall into the same relationship with people, as do cars.
Most people probably don’t care about their keyboard.
And those that do care, typically care deeply.
There is the same small group as with cars, who just know what they do not like in their keyboard.
I’ve known about NaNoWriMo for years, but the thing is: 50,000. That’s a big number, like almost an insurmountable number. I’ve never felt like I wanted to participate, but I always was impressed with those who did manage to at least try.
So this year I am going to do it.
But I’m not writing a novel.
Here's another app from a co-worker (lots this week). It's tvOS / iOS and is a nice little countdown to Christmas.
Another app from a co-worker. That link? Yeah it won't work. Why? Because you can't link to tvOS only apps. Clever right? grumbles
It's a tic tac toe game, and to find it you search for: “Tac-tics”.
David Sparks:
I think the case for a Magic Trackpad 2 upgrade is stronger than it is the Magic Keyboard. The bigger size and easier click at the top are compelling and while Force Touch isn’t all that just yet, I suspect it eventually will be.
Funny that the selling points for both devices is in part their size. Except it is the keyboard getting smaller and the trackpad getting larger. Goes to show just how important touch controls are becoming, even on a Mac.
Great tvOS game by my co-worker Alex Repty.
Love this little /now page movement. I created my own.
Nat Wagstaff:
It feels like the Bullet has been honed and refined, right down to the core essence of what you’d want a ruck to do. All bulk and excess weight didn’t make the cut and you’re left with a product that gives you a refreshing experience.
Awesome, I bet it looks great.
It's crazy to me the amount of cool stuff Erin creates on her iPhone. She only ever uses her Mac for writing.
Paul Graham:
It seems to be hard for most people to write in spoken language.