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[Kerry Dawson](http://dailymacview.com/2013/11/02/twenty-four-hours-with-the-ipad-air/) on the iPad Air: > It is probably one of the most exciting devices to have emerged from Apple for a while. Although the iPad Air has predecessors and nobody can say it doesn’t have a great lineage to call its own, it stands unique in its line. *Agreed.*
[Kerry Dawson](http://dailymacview.com/2013/11/02/twenty-four-hours-with-the-ipad-air/) on the iPad Air:
> It is probably one of the most exciting devices to have emerged from Apple for a while. Although the iPad Air has predecessors and nobody can say it doesn’t have a great lineage to call its own, it stands unique in its line.
*Agreed.*
Forrest Wickman: > I, like everyone cool (or trying to be cool) in my high school, one-strapped all the way. It was a foundational tenet of cool—you might argue about what kind of music was cool, or what clothes, or what hairstyles, but it was a given that one-strapping was the only way to wear…
Forrest Wickman:
> I, like everyone cool (or trying to be cool) in my high school, one-strapped all the way. It was a foundational tenet of cool—you might argue about what kind of music was cool, or what clothes, or what hairstyles, but it was a given that one-strapping was the only way to wear a backpack. Is one-strapping really not cool anymore? And if so, how could something once so cool become so not?
Absolutely fascinating look at pop culture in the US.
[Jim Dalrymple](lhttp://www.loopinsight.com/2013/10/31/j-d-power-tablet-numbers-dont-add-up/): > So cost is the lowest percentage of importance. Apple scored higher in every category, except price which is ranked the lowest by percentage, but yet Samsung wins?
[Jim Dalrymple](lhttp://www.loopinsight.com/2013/10/31/j-d-power-tablet-numbers-dont-add-up/):
> So cost is the lowest percentage of importance. Apple scored higher in every category, except price which is ranked the lowest by percentage, but yet Samsung wins?
[Dan Goodin](http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/10/meet-badbios-the-mysterious-mac-and-pc-malware-that-jumps-airgaps/): > With the speakers and mic intact, Ruiu said, the isolated computer seemed to be using the high-frequency connection to maintain the integrity of the badBIOS infection as he worked to dismantle software components the malware relied on. > “The airgapped machine is acting like it’s connected to the Internet,” he said. “Most…
[Dan Goodin](http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/10/meet-badbios-the-mysterious-mac-and-pc-malware-that-jumps-airgaps/):
> With the speakers and mic intact, Ruiu said, the isolated computer seemed to be using the high-frequency connection to maintain the integrity of the badBIOS infection as he worked to dismantle software components the malware relied on.
> “The airgapped machine is acting like it’s connected to the Internet,” he said. “Most of the problems we were having is we were slightly disabling bits of the components of the system. It would not let us disable some things. Things kept getting fixed automatically as soon as we tried to break them. It was weird.”
The best guess is that the first computer was infected from a USB device, but what’s nuts (if true, it’s not 100% yet) is that a computer with no wifi or Bluetooth, or ethernet can still communicate and send data through the mic and speakers. I mean. Wow. What a hack.
Update: [Errata Security has more information](http://blog.erratasec.com/2013/10/badbios-features-explained.html#.UnQYebK9KK0) on the plausibility of this hack:
> In other words, while I know of no talk at a hacking conference on “air gapped communication” via sound waves, it’s pretty darn easy, so expect to see one soon at a conference.
> By the way, there are other ways to do air gapped communications using covert channels. For example, you might exploit blinking LEDs and using the built-in camera on the laptop. Or, you might be able to monitor the voltage on the power supply on one computer while turn on the power supply on/off on another. The overage laptop computer has a godaweful number of inputs/outputs that we don’t quite realize.
Excuse me while I go buy more tin foil.
Matt Drance on the patent filings against Google: > If you think that sounds like nearly 95% of Google’s revenue, you’re not alone. This sole patent feels like enough motivation for Google to have won this auction at all costs. Not only did Google not win, it made joke bids. What were they thinking?
Matt Drance on the patent filings against Google:
> If you think that sounds like nearly 95% of Google’s revenue, you’re not alone. This sole patent feels like enough motivation for Google to have won this auction at all costs. Not only did Google not win, it made joke bids. What were they thinking?
Shawn Blanc, talking about which iPad would be best for him, [mentions a quandary that I often find myself in][1]: > There are, of course, advantages and disadvantages to iOS’s constraints just as there are advantages and disadvantages to the versatility of OS X. Each device and its operating system have their own ways of…
Shawn Blanc, talking about which iPad would be best for him, [mentions a quandary that I often find myself in][1]:
> There are, of course, advantages and disadvantages to iOS’s constraints just as there are advantages and disadvantages to the versatility of OS X. Each device and its operating system have their own ways of empowering creative work as well as hindering it.
> It’s often easier for me to work from my MacBook Air and sometimes I flat out need to. But I want to and will continue to work from my iPad as often as possible.
There is no doubt that if I have a desk to work at, and fast WiFi, it is almost always easier for me to work with my MacBook Pro. *For any task*. the MacBook Pro is fast, it has a bigger screen, a [better keyboard][2], and all of my Keyboard Maestro macros.
But, I still very much want to work on my iPad as much as possible.
Like Shawn, when I travel, I struggle with what I should take, laptop, iPad, or both. I have gone through a lot of work to make sure that I can do 90-95% of my work on my iOS devices with no problems, but that doesn’t mean I can do that work as fast as on my MacBook Pro.
That’s frustrating as a nerd, and I didn’t realize why until now. It’s not the device speed, but instead it is a lot like HDMI, well before HDMI was standard. I’d get a TV or receiver with HDMI ports, but no devices that used HDMI — what I really wanted was to *use* the HDMI ports, not just have them. That’s what having an iPad feels like to me at time: a great tool that is missing parts to make it truly useful.
[I think John Gruber explained this nerd want for change well][3]:
> The way I see the iPad taking over the mass market from laptop PCs is subtly. I think it’s more about people hanging on to old laptops for legacy tasks, spending their money now on new iPads, and then using their old laptops less and less over time.
I could easily get by without an iPad. It would be even easier to get by with an iPad 2. But with each new model of iPads my life gets a bit easier — not exponentially, but incrementally. Even so I don’t need an iPad, but I want one. I want to use it more.
And as Gruber highlights it will be a slow takeover, but as a nerd I want it to be an immediate takeover and the pull between the two is painful for any nerd. But the platform isn’t ready yet, it gets closer everyday, but it’s not quite there yet.
I suspect this is part of the pull that nerds are feeling, and part of the push that ‘normals’ are beginning to feel. The idea that the next thing is already here, but the rest of the world, in one way or another, has yet to catch up.
I bought my MacBook Pro with the assumption that I wouldn’t upgrade it for three years. By then my iPad might be faster at computing tasks. By then the iPad may be *there*. By then I just may not need a laptop in the traditional sense of what people use laptops for.
I can’t wait for then.
[1]: http://shawnblanc.net/2013/10/airs/
[2]: https://brooksreview.net/2013/10/code/
[3]: http://daringfireball.net/linked/2013/10/30/bajarin-iPad-air
Joe Mullin: > The complaint tries to use the fact that Google bid for the patents as an extra point against the search giant. “Google subsequently increased its bid multiple times, ultimately bidding as high as $4.4 billion,” write Rockstar’s lawyers. “That price was insufficient to win the auction, as a group led by the…
Joe Mullin:
> The complaint tries to use the fact that Google bid for the patents as an extra point against the search giant. “Google subsequently increased its bid multiple times, ultimately bidding as high as $4.4 billion,” write Rockstar’s lawyers. “That price was insufficient to win the auction, as a group led by the current shareholders of Rockstar purchased the portfolio for $4.5 billion. Despite losing in its attempt to acquire the patents-in-suit at auction, Google has infringed and continues to infringe the patents-in-suit.”
This is going to get nasty. Can’t wait.
I’ve been using BTSync for a while now and it is fantastic. I have a Mac mini server to sync with, but if you don’t then this solution from Shane Reustle looks like a great solution. I’d love it if the hard drive could be encrypted too — I am sure it is possible.
I’ve been using BTSync for a while now and it is fantastic. I have a Mac mini server to sync with, but if you don’t then this solution from Shane Reustle looks like a great solution. I’d love it if the hard drive could be encrypted too — I am sure it is possible.
Bruce Schneier: > Although the Washington Post article specifically talks about Google and Yahoo, you have to assume that all the other major — and many of the minor — cloud services are compromised this same way. That means Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Badoo, Dropbox, and on and on and on.
Bruce Schneier:
> Although the Washington Post article specifically talks about Google and Yahoo, you have to assume that all the other major — and many of the minor — cloud services are compromised this same way. That means Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Badoo, Dropbox, and on and on and on.
You heard you can now use your iPad during all phases of the flight, right? Well don’t get too excited: > Can I use my e-book reader/tablet/cell phone throughout my flight now? > Once your airline has shown the FAA its airplanes can safely handle radio interference from portable electronics, they can let you use…
You heard you can now use your iPad during all phases of the flight, right? Well don’t get too excited:
> Can I use my e-book reader/tablet/cell phone throughout my flight now?
> Once your airline has shown the FAA its airplanes can safely handle radio interference from portable electronics, they can let you use your devices in airplane mode only most of the time. At certain times — for example, a landing in reduced visibility — the Captain may tell passengers to turn off their devices to make absolutely sure they don’t interfere with onboard communications and navigation equipment.
So the FAA has approved it, but now the airlines themselves have to send data to the FAA to allow passengers to use these devices. That shouldn’t take *any* time.
“You can’t have your privacy violated if you don’t know your privacy is violated.” – Moron Rogers
Adam L. Penenberg: > The newly updated OSX malware, which another member of the team, digital forensics specialist Josh Grunzweig coded, was dropped on to her machine. SpiderLabs now had complete access to her laptop whenever it was on the Internet. > On Charlotte’s machine were our family’s W2s, which included our social security numbers as well…
Adam L. Penenberg:
> The newly updated OSX malware, which another member of the team, digital forensics specialist Josh Grunzweig coded, was dropped on to her machine. SpiderLabs now had complete access to her laptop whenever it was on the Internet.
> On Charlotte’s machine were our family’s W2s, which included our social security numbers as well as our income and all of our deductions, paperwork and copies of credit card and banking statements. They also came upon a password to our home router. More frightening, they discovered her password and log in to our Chase online banking account.
> To bring the world our unique end-to-end encrypted protocol and architecture that is the ‘next-generation’ of private and secure email. As founding partners of The Dark Mail Alliance, both Silent Circle and Lavabit will work to bring other members into the alliance, assist them in implementing the new protocol and jointly work to proliferate…
> To bring the world our unique end-to-end encrypted protocol and architecture that is the ‘next-generation’ of private and secure email. As founding partners of The Dark Mail Alliance, both Silent Circle and Lavabit will work to bring other members into the alliance, assist them in implementing the new protocol and jointly work to proliferate the worlds first end-to-end encrypted ‘Email 3.0’ throughout the world’s email providers. Our goal is to open source the protocol and architecture and help others implement this new technology to address privacy concerns against surveillance and back door threats of any kind.
Sarah Kessler: > Friends can be an impediment to a life off the radar. For one, they probably think they’re doing you a favor when they invite you to a party using Evite, add you to LinkedIn or Facebook, or keep your information in a contact book that they sync with their computer. > But…
Sarah Kessler:
> Friends can be an impediment to a life off the radar. For one, they probably think they’re doing you a favor when they invite you to a party using Evite, add you to LinkedIn or Facebook, or keep your information in a contact book that they sync with their computer.
> But from your perspective, as someone trying to remain as untraceable as possible, they are selling you out. “Basically what they’ve done is uploaded all of my contact information and connected it to them,” Sell says.
Proof that I am not nearly paranoid enough.
New Snowden documents are out, and show how the NSA captures data traveling between Yahoo and Google servers, thus giving the NSA access to a large swath of data. Barton Gellman and Ashkan Soltani for The Washington Post: > In an NSA presentation slide on “Google Cloud Exploitation,” however, a sketch shows where the “Public…
New Snowden documents are out, and show how the NSA captures data traveling between Yahoo and Google servers, thus giving the NSA access to a large swath of data. Barton Gellman and Ashkan Soltani for The Washington Post:
> In an NSA presentation slide on “Google Cloud Exploitation,” however, a sketch shows where the “Public Internet” meets the internal “Google Cloud” where their data resides. In hand-printed letters, the drawing notes that encryption is “added and removed here!” The artist adds a smiley face, a cheeky celebration of victory over Google security.
> Two engineers with close ties to Google exploded in profanity when they saw the drawing. “I hope you publish this,” one of them said.
The Google engineer reactions are great. I think companies like Google have long suspected that these things *could* happen, but now that they know it will be interesting to see how they combat it. And I think they must combat it to stay competitive.
Looks really neat, like the original File Transporter that you can just plug into any USB drive. This is probably a better solution than the “normal” File Transporter, but I have yet to try one.
Looks really neat, like the original File Transporter that you can just plug into any USB drive. This is probably a better solution than the “normal” File Transporter, but I have yet to try one.
While [Shawn Blanc thinks Fantastical 2 for iPhone is *the best*][1], I am more reserved. I think Fantastical 2 is tied with Horizon ((I have a business relationship with the developer of Horizon, but no business interests in Horizon itself.)) for a very close *second* place, as Apple’s built in calendar app stands atop the…
While [Shawn Blanc thinks Fantastical 2 for iPhone is *the best*][1], I am more reserved. I think Fantastical 2 is tied with Horizon ((I have a business relationship with the developer of Horizon, but no business interests in Horizon itself.)) for a very close *second* place, as Apple’s built in calendar app stands atop the mountain.
First let me explain my two problems with Fantastical 2, as both can be seen with a screenshot.
1. When there are no events for the day, that is not immediately evident if you are prone to taking a quick glance. Instead one could be forgiven for mistaking tomorrow as today. (see the red arrow) I did this dozens of times while testing the app.
2. Why are all-day events given the same priority of time based events? That is, I think of all-day events more like reminders (hey garbage day idiot), than I do as appointments. I cannot be alone here. I would love to see all-day events de-emphasized a bit.
Other than that, Fantastical is a superb app. However I like Apple’s offering better for two specific reasons:
1. The live date in the icon without an icon badge is just killer. I know third-party developers cannot do this, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love it.
2. The “search view” in Calendar is excellent for my needs. (But suffers from the same problem as Fantastical’s #1 issues listed above. While they both handle “all day” events similarly, I give an edge to Apple here as I find it easier to note it is all day. That’s a highly subjective call though.)
I know a lot of people hate the new Calendar app, but I am not among them. For those that just hate it for some reason that I cannot comprehend, both Fantastical 2 and Horizon offer excellent alternatives. If pressed, I’d give a slight edge to Fantastical 2 over Horizon as I find it “fitting” better visually on iOS 7.
[1]: http://shawnblanc.net/2013/10/review-fantastical-2-iPhone/
After I found the Spyderco Sage series of knives I had pretty much stopped searching for a better everyday pocket knife. I was exceedingly happy, with the Sage I in particular. However, as things changed, I became annoyed by the physical width of the knife. Particularly when I wanted to keep it in my pocket,…
After I found the Spyderco Sage series of knives I had pretty much stopped searching for a better everyday pocket knife. I was exceedingly happy, with the Sage I in particular. However, as things changed, I became annoyed by the physical width of the knife. Particularly when I wanted to keep it in my pocket, instead of clipped to the top, it was too wide to slide my hand past to get at other things in my pocket.
There was only one other knife I wanted to try: the Chris Reeves Small Sebenza. I ordered the left-handed model (which means that the blade lock and opening nub are flipped to make the knife accommodate a left handed person) and put it through a few months of testing.
Upon opening the knife I immediately noticed it’s build quality. The Spyderco knives are excellent but the Sebenza is an entirely different level of quality. The best evidence is the back of the knife blade: On almost every other knife I have tried the back is angular in some way. It’s not something you really want to touch if you can avoid it.
But the back of the Sebenza is something I really want to touch — a disturbing amount. The back edge is rounded and polished. It feels smoother than the back of an iPhone. Even the jimping, which is cut-in to provide better grip for your thumb in wet conditions, feels smooth and civilized.
In fact I think “civilized” is the most apt description for this knife. Every knife has a personality. Most SOG knives feel aggressive. The Spyderco Sage knives feel like trusted tools. The Sebenza just feels civilized.
The opening and closing actions are smooth as silk. There’s no jitter, even when the knife contains a bunch of pocket lint. One downside: This knife is slower to open than the Spyderco, but that’s largely due to the width difference and thumb stud versus large cutout that Spyderco is known for. Where the Spyderco can provide easier grip and more leverage, the Sebenza has neither, but makes up for it in overall width savings.
The knife itself looks absolutely stunning. The blade material is topnotch S35V. ((Older models use S30V, new models use S35V.)) The frame is a nice titanium finish, which will show wear.
Of all the knives I have tested this blade stands apart for two reasons:
The Sebenza, unlike any other knife I have tested, is truly a fantastic knife to use, look at and handle. It’s also three times the price of the next best knife. Is it worth it?
The Sebenza is absolutely worth every penny. However, as an everyday carry, it’s not that much better than the Spyderco Sage 1. If you prefer a smaller profile knife, then the Sebenza is the only other knife I would recommend. For me, the Sebenza is worth it, but it’s not a knife I would recommend to everyone. If you can comfortably pocket the Spyderco, that’s your knife. Replacement and guilt costs are lower with the Sage I. If you can’t pocket the Sage I, or you want the absolute best (price be damned), Chris Reeves Small Sebenza is the one.
Buy Them:
“Anyone who’s been within a thousand miles of one can tell you… There is no tantrum like a Put-Down-the-iPad Tantrum.” — Dave Pell
The iPad Air reviews are out, and they appear overwhelmingly positive. As for which you should buy, only [John Gruber tackled that question][1]. Here’s his wrap-up on how I suspect most readers here will be using the iPad (as a laptop companion): > For me, personally, with my primary uses of the iPad being reading…
The iPad Air reviews are out, and they appear overwhelmingly positive. As for which you should buy, only [John Gruber tackled that question][1]. Here’s his wrap-up on how I suspect most readers here will be using the iPad (as a laptop companion):
> For me, personally, with my primary uses of the iPad being reading web pages, Twitter, email, and books,2 the larger display of the Air doesn’t have as much appeal. I think I’m going to hold out and buy a new iPad Mini for myself. But it’s a damn close call.
Impressive that it is that close of a call, leading me to believe it really is more of a personal call than a call that can be backed up with clear reasons why. Interestingly, Gruber notes that thumb-typing on the mini is very important to him:
> But for me, as an iPad thumb-typist, the Mini makes it easier to type.
He also notes that he doesn’t like thumb-typing on the Air, while [Jim Dalrymple on the other hand noted this about thumb typing on the Air][2]:
> This smaller size is great. If you have decent sized hands you can type with two thumbs on the iPad in portrait, something I wasn’t really able to do with the last generation iPad without a lot of stretching. Clearly a full-size iPad is not something you will be thumb typing with all the time1, but it does give you an idea of how much smaller the iPad Air is.
I still think iPad-thumb-typers are crazy, but it’s good to know the Air is making it possible for *some* people.
[Over at AnandTech they have a great photo][3] (hit the link to see it) of the new angle that the smart cover holds the iPad at when in “movie viewing” mode. It looks like it will be a much better angle for typing with a bluetooth keyboard too.
I will say the three-panel smart covers are crap compared to the four panel ones, but the omission of metal on the cover is, erm, *smart*. ((Apologies.))
I stand by my [assessment that the Air is the way to go][4].
[1]: http://daringfireball.net/2013/10/the_iPad_air
[2]: http://www.loopinsight.com/2013/10/29/review-iPad-air/
[3]: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7460/apple-iPad-air-review
[4]: https://brooksreview.net/2013/10/air-always-the-air/