Category: Links

Travis Katz:

As technology’s second wave continues to mature, we will see more and more innovations that feel personal, customized to us and our habits; assistive, as they support better discernment and decision making; and convenient, easing our everyday lives with small but useful touches.

Yep.

Jared Newman:

With two Readdle apps running side by side, each one creates its own local HTTP server. When the user starts dragging a file, the two servers share data about the file type, its thumbnail image, and its position on the screen, coordinating the appearance as the file moves between the apps. When the user lifts her finger, the file transfers between the two servers.

That’s one hell of a hack.

Bruce Schneier:

The work is theoretical at the moment, but they might be able to open about two-thirds of iPhones with these master prints.

This is timely for me. I was actually considering turning off Touch ID on my iPhone. Not because of insecurity of it, but in wondering if that would help to curb how much time I spend on the device when I am with my family.

The premise being: if I have to focus on typing in a password longer than 8 characters, perhaps I will be less inclined to use my device at time when my attention should be elsewhere. This only bolsters that case to turn off Touch ID.

This is a great video about exactly what the title says: a magic car. My dad has an 850CSi, and it is amazing to drive. Everything about that car, it’s just fantastic.

It’s no E39, but it’s the kind of car an E39 driver chooses when his kids are all grown up.

Marc Bain:

The problems centered more on forgetting that what we see isn’t always reality, and the RSPH offered some recommendations based on its findings. For one, fashion brands, celebrities, and others should consider disclosing when their photos have been manipulated. It also suggested that social networks give users a pop-up warning if they exceed a certain time spent logged on. Social platforms might even identify users with possible mental-health issues based on their usage and send a discreet message on where to get help.

Oh yeah, I bet people will love having a social network tell them they might have a possible mental health issue. I mean, get real.

Could? Doubtful. Nitasha Tiku should know that too, as she wrote:

Five years ago, Facebook conducted a mass experiment in manipulating emotions on nearly 700,000 unsuspecting users. The company tweaked News Feeds to show random users more positive or negative content, to see if it made those users happy or sad.

Because even after they published those findings, even after they said “gee, we didn’t think people would mind being manipulated” even then, no one cared. Why will they now?

Anthony Sculimbrene on headlamps versus flashlights:

In my life, where working in the dark is uncommon and night hikes are rare, I don’t need one everyday, but when I do have work outside, the headlamp is tremendously helpful. I might only use it six times a year, but those six times are when something bad has happened and I don’t want to mess around.

Fully agree. But I think for general hiking and camping the Wizard Pro from Armytek is all you need. Works as both, made well, awesome. Also a headlamp for peeing at night when camping is a must.

Eric Kim:

I am pretty sure that all photographers would benefit by deleting their Instagram. We would spend more time analyzing our own opinion of our own photos, rather than caring what others think of our photos

Great reasons. I only came back to Instagram to support my wife, but I really am not a huge fan of the service.

(Via CJ Chilvers)

Some good thoughts from Mullenweg on IBM’s withdrawal from remote work. It really is a shame when this happens, remote work is such a better work life balance — it’s hard for me to imagine anyone wanting to go back to an office after working from home.

David Pierce:

And you realize I/O felt less like a Jobsian product reveal and more like a TED talk: good ideas, educated guesses, and impressive research, but precious little practical application. The same could be said for last year’s event, too. Remember that awesome Google Home launch video? You’re still waiting for many of the things it promised. It was a vision for a product, not a product.

(Via Om Malik)

Jason Kottke:

Social media aggregates interactions between loved ones so that you get industrialized communication rather than personal connection. No one really notices if a particular person goes missing because they’re just one interchangeable node in a network.

That last bit, spot on analysis of how social networks work.

QuHarrison Terry on the future of journalism:

In being opinionated, though, the solo journalist encounters many disagreements with their readers. Holding firm and staying true to their argument builds a rapport between reader and writer that transcends the digital medium.

Some interesting thoughts (and nice of him to include me as well), but the above passage really struck me. Be truthful about your stance, while also respecting contrary arguments is one of the hardest parts of writing this site.

I initially felt like responding “fuck off” to every negative email I received, but then it seemed why even bother publishing? So now I read every comment that floods in (eventually) and I try to understand why, how, and where people disagree. Not to be more agreeable, but to reassess if they can move my stance.

Good times…

Thank god for Micro.blog.

I’m really not a huge fan of Cultured Code in general, but even I must admit that it is fucking beautiful looking. There’s some serious limitations, as noted in this review, but it seems like those are either a deal breaker or a non-issue — no real middle ground on it. For me, the hardest part is the boneheaded decision to not include keyboard shortcuts for iPad users.

Also the app is expensive as they still don’t have a universal iOS version, which feels, well it feels like I’d rather them charge me a subscription price.

Anyways, I’ve downloaded the apps and will play with them — and I can say that if nothing else they are lovely to look at.

Arthur Asseraf:

Blaming any one technology for fake news is a bit too easy. In reality, news has never been settled or stable.

In otherwords: it’s not technology which precipitates fake news, it’s humans.

Thorough overview.

Laurence Tribe:

It will require serious commitment to constitutional principle, and courageous willingness to put devotion to the national interest above self-interest and party loyalty, for a Congress of the president’s own party to initiate an impeachment inquiry. It would be a terrible shame if only the mounting prospect of being voted out of office in November 2018 would sufficiently concentrate the minds of representatives and senators today.

Dan Goodin:

There’s no indication the driver package uploads or otherwise distributes any of the logged information. That means the information stored in the log is likely to remain private as long as affected computers and any backups they use remain properly secured. Given this mitigation, comparisons to Superfish, the HTTPS-crippling app Lenovo pre-installed on computers several years ago, are overblown.

“Properly secured”, yep I’m sure most people do that right after sticking their password to their monitors.

Nicole Perlroth and David Sanger:

The attacks on Friday appeared to be the first time a cyberweapon developed by the N.S.A., funded by American taxpayers and stolen by an adversary had been unleashed by cybercriminals against patients, hospitals, businesses, governments and ordinary citizens.

Note: “first time”. Certainly won’t be the last time.