Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth's Weekly Web Roundup

7-year-old boy cleverly thwarts Apple's iPhone security measures

He quietly reached for his father's iPhone, grabbed his right hand and pressed his large thumb onto the fingerprint scanner.

http://www.tuaw.com/2014/12/02/7-year-old-boy-cleverly-thwarts-apples-iphone-security-measures/



The Best Smartphones In The World

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6+ are (again) first and second.

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-smartphones-2014-12



Months after Apple launched its much-hyped iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the company remains unable to meet the huge demand from consumers. 

Lots of speculation about why in this article.
The reader comments to this article contain better speculations than those of the pundits quoted in the article.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102213174



The complete history of Mac OS X gets broken down in one brilliant illustrated guide

Want to see how OS X has evolved over the years? If so then you should check out this complete guide posted over at Git-Tower

http://bgr.com/2014/12/05/apple-mac-os-x-history/

http://www.git-tower.com/blog/history-of-osx/



A Life-Changing App That Every iPhone 6 Owner Should Download

One of the best things about the new iPhone is that it comes with a step tracker built in ...... track how much you walk in a day.

But, even better is Pedometer++, a super simple application that tracks steps. It also tracks elevation changes, providing a look at how many flights of stairs you've climbed in the day.

Every single person who owns an iPhone 5S, 6, or 6 Plus should download Pedometer++. It's free. If you like it, and you want to be generous, you can "tip" the developer $0.99, $2.99, or $5.99 through an in-app payment.

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-step-counting-app-pedometer-2014-12



Apple Retailers Teaching Free 'Hour of Code'

In celebration of Computer Science Education Week, Apple and Code.org will again present Hour of Code workshops across the United States.

The nonprofit said it is joining forces with Cupertino to encourage folks of all ages to learn the basics of computer programming. It's the second year that the Code.org and Apple have hosted such workshops.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2473171,00.asp



The Best Programming Languages Every Beginner Should Learn

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-programming-languages-2014-12



Woz Shoots Down 'Myth' of Apple's Garage Origins

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2473137,00.asp



Apple removes sexually-explicit 'After School' app

Its removal comes after Apple representatives were in "direct contact" Wednesday evening with Tom McCurdy, Pinckney Community School's assistant superintendent for curriculum, assessment and technology.

http://www.livingstondaily.com/story/news/education/livingston-county/2014/12/04/after-school-app-removed/19906429/



Feds dig up law from 1789 to demand Apple, Google decrypt smartphones

The FBI has made it no secret that it hates Apple and Google's efforts to encrypt files in your smartphones and tablets.
Now court documents have emerged showing just how far the Feds are willing to go to decrypt citizens' data.

It's an interesting legal tactic, but the Feds may find out the hard way that the All Writs Act has its limitation. The argument used by Apple and Google over encryption is that, even if they wanted to help the Feds, they can't do anything about it – because modern iOS and Android encrypts data in a way that only the owner can decrypt.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/12/01/feds_turn_to_1789_law_to_force_smartphone_makers_to_decrypt_handsets/



In both cases, the seized phones—one of which is an iPhone 5S—are encrypted and cannot be cracked by federal authorities. Prosecutors have now invoked the All Writs Act, an 18th-century federal law that simply allows courts to issue a writ, or order, which compels a person or company to do something.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/12/feds-want-apples-help-to-defeat-encrypted-phones-new-legal-case-shows/



ACLU attorney Alex Abdo, in comments to Ars Technica, argued that the government should not be using an 18th century law to address a technological issue that could not possibly have been imagined by those who penned it.

http://benswann.com/prosecutors-say-1789-george-washington-law-requires-google-apple-to-decrypt-smartphones-for-cops/



Why You NEED Unbreakable Encryption

http://www.market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=229638



How to invest in the Social Communications Revolution

The endgame is total empowerment of the end user.

social communications platforms are creating a more prosperous future with more freedom for all of us.

All forces can be used for good or evil, and over the last decade, with the incessant snooping and spying from the NSA and other long-existing divisions from what I call the Republican/Democrat regime, we’ve already seen much of the downside of social networking gone mainstream.

This concept we’re hitting on can also be called, “Virtuous Entropy.” The whole point is that it isn’t centralized or controlled in any way, but at the same time, that chaos is natural and outright prosperous.

I’m excited about a more prosperous future with more freedom for all. Aren’t you?

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/cody/2014/11/24/why-facebook-remains-the-best-play-in-social/



Why Google Glass and Apple Watch matter so much

wearables are going to be so much bigger than anybody realizes. What you see and consider a wearable computer today isn’t what the Wearables Revolution is all about.

Google Glass isn’t just about the thing you wear on your head. It’s about a new way of interacting with the web using your voice and gestures.

...as the technology/concept of low-interactivity interfaces become ever easier to use...

Likewise for Apple’s upcoming Apple Watch.
the Apple Watch requires a smartphone hub for you to tie into and for heavy interfacing. But for quick interaction with the Web and for the things you use your smartphone everyday for, the new less-intensive interface is much more important.

I’m sticking with Google and Apple in part because they’re about to create the platforms upon which the Wearables Revolution will arise.

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/cody/2014/12/01/why-google-glass-and-apple-watch-matter-so-much/



40% Of LinkedIn Users Earn More Than $100,000 A Year

http://www.businessinsider.com/linkedin-user-wealth-2014-12



5 privacy fixes your Facebook News Feed needs by New Year's

http://www.macworld.com/article/2855596/5-privacy-fixes-your-facebook-news-feed-needs-by-new-year-s.html



Experts Are Divided On Stephen Hawking's Claim That Artificial Intelligence Could End Humanity

http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-artificial-intelligence-hawkings-fears-stir-debate-2014-12



Peer-to-peer loans imperil banks, and cryptocurrencies may finish the job

Wall Street's greatest threat isn't from regulation or another meltdown - it's from technology.  So-called cryptocurrencies, including the best known one, bitcoin, will eventually dislodge the power banks, brokerages and other financial institutions have over the system.

There's just one problem: It isn't going to happen anytime soon. This stuff is not ready for prime time.

cryptocurrencies may be the biggest end-game threat, but not the biggest immediate threat. That distinction goes to a new breed of banking that isn't really technology focused at all. It's called peer-to-peer lending. Simply put, it's a platform where people who want to invest money lend it to people who want to borrow.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-bitcoin-alternative-is-a-threat-to-wall-street-2014-12-04



Sony staffers received a new email from hackers Friday, this time threatening their families, from the group who calls itself the Guardians of Peace or the "GOP."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2014/12/05/sony-hacked-again-this-time-employee-families-threatened/19970141/



Hacking Experts Call Sony Cyber Attack ‘Unparalleled And Well Planned Crime’

http://www.businessinsider.com/hacking-experts-call-sony-cyber-attack-unparalleled-and-well-planned-crime-2014-12