The MacValley blog
Welcome to the MacValley blog, your first stop for all the latest MacValley news and views.
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The MacValley blog Editor: Tom Briant
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Sunday, October 14, 2018
Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth's Weekly Web Roundup for Sunday, October 14, 2018
Apple Says iOS 12 is Now Installed on 53% of Active Devices From Last Four Years
Apple's iOS 12 operating system, released on September 17, is now installed on 53 percent of active devices introduced in the last four years.
The first wave of reviews of Apple's latest iPhone XS and XS Max are in, and they're widely favorable.
Of note, it seems the major improvement can be found in the camera
Of note, it seems the major improvement can be found in the camera
It's clear from the initial reviews that the cameras on the iPhone XS and XS Max impressed the most.
Apple quietly killed off a bunch of older iPhone and Apple Watch models — here are the products that are gone forever
Apple Watch Series 1
Apple Watch Edition
iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus
iPhone SE
iPhone X
There's a good working theory about why Apple discontinued the iPhone X, the best phone it's ever made, only a year after announcing it
Here's the theory: If Apple followed its protocol and offered the $999 iPhone XS as well as a phone that is almost exactly the same but $100 cheaper, it would most likely confuse customers and cannibalize sales.
I can’t even use my AirPods anymore without this $12 accessory
AirPods have a design that is absolutely brilliant… for the most part. The compact size and great charging case are awesome, but the smooth plastic tips are decidedly not awesome since they never stay snug in your ears. If you want to solve that problem in about 2 seconds, check out the EarBuddyz 2.0 Ear Hooks and Covers for Apple AirPods. They fit over the AirPods perfectly and the silicone material keeps them nice and snug in your ears. Definitely check them out if you want to experience the sound in your AirPods the way it’s meant to me heard.
7 of the best headphones for the iPhone 7
Video:
iPhone XS Max is durable as it is expensive
As much as Zach Nelson might hate to admit it, the iPhone XS Max is one durable and unbending smartphone.
Google’s new products look great, but they’re still no threat to Apple
The Pixel 3, Pixel Slate, and Home Hub seem like nice products, but they’re not going to put a dent in Apple’s sales.
The Pixel 3, Pixel Slate, and Home Hub seem like nice products, but they’re not going to put a dent in Apple’s sales.
Google Pixel Slate vs. Apple iPad Pro: Which Should You Buy?
We won't know for sure until we review the Pixel Slate, but for now, it seems the iPad Pro will retain its crown as the best tablet on the market. Of course, these two devices run on very different platforms, and your preference in operating system between Chrome OS and iOS should play a big role in determining which tablet is right for you.
Video:
Filmmaker compares iPhone XS camera to $10k cinema camera, says results ‘mindblowing’
Putting the iPhone XS camera up against a $10,000 cinema camera would seem to be hopeless endeavor. Not quite, says one filmmaker who decided to do it.
While ultimately (and unsurprisingly) Gregory concluded that they aren’t in the same league, he said that at times he couldn’t tell the footage apart, and that the iPhone XS camera gave ‘completely mind blowing results.’
Video:
iPhone XS Max Review: The Phone I Hate To Love
Video:
iPhone "Gates" Explained!
The easiest way to share iPhone photos and videos
Finally, a reason to use iCloud.
Finally, a reason to use iCloud.
In what may be a world first, the FBI has forced a suspect to unlock his iPhone X using Apple's Face ID feature. Agents in Columbus, Ohio entered the home of 28-year-old Grant Michalski, who was suspected of child abuse, according to court documents spotted by Forbes. With a search warrant in hand, they forced him to put his face on front of the device to unlock it. They were then able to freely search for his photos, chats and any other potential evidence.
Forensics firm urges police not to look at screens of iPhones with Face ID
While U.S. police are now sometimes forcing suspects with Face ID-ready iPhones to unlock their devices, Apple's technology is simultaneously making that a risky proposition, one security firm is warning agencies.
"This is quite simple. Passcode is required after five unsuccessful attempts to match a face," Elcomsoft CEO Vladimir Katalov explained to Motherboard. "So by looking into [a] suspect's phone, [the] investigator immediately lose[s] one of [the] attempts."
'Siri, I'm getting pulled over': A new shortcut for iPhones can automatically record the police
• A big new feature for iPhones this year is Shortcuts, an app that lets you write scripts for the iPhone.
• One widely shared shortcut is called Police, which records police interactions and texts a predetermined contact that you've been pulled over.
• It also sends a video of the encounter to your contact.
You don't need to be a programmer to create your own shortcut
This article provides a link to the site where you can download the Police. But make sure you have the Shortcuts app installed first.
If You Have an iPhone, Do This Right Now—Just in Case You Get Pulled Over by Police
Robert Peterson created a trick using the virtual assistant, Siri, that lowers the phone’s brightness, turns on Do Not Disturb, texts the iPhone owner’s location to an emergency contact and lets them know you have been pulled over by police. The shortcut will also automatically start recording video and, when finished, the phone will send the video to the contact or save it to a cloud service.
“I noticed in news articles and reports on TV that in many cases, police say one thing happened and the citizen pulled over says something else,” Peterson told Mic. “Sometimes police have body cameras, sometimes not. When they do, the video is not always released in a timely manner. I wanted a way for the person being pulled over to have a record for themselves.”
Apple Watch Series 4 fitness review: We tested Apple's fitness claims
I’m a Paramedic: Here’s How the Apple Watch Series 4 Will and Won’t Save Lives
Thanks to its health monitoring features, the new Apple Watch Series 4 will save lives, probably within weeks of launch. I’ve been on real calls that might have had happier endings had the person been wearing one.
That doesn’t mean it’s perfect. The Apple Watch Series 4 is far from a comprehensive life-saving device.
The Apple Watch Series 4 is a big deal. Fall detection will save lives nearly immediately. AFib detection will help reduce the rate of strokes. And the ECG feature will enable doctors to better monitor and communicate with their patients.
What to Know About the ECG Feature in the New Apple Watch
Turning the ECG feature on may be easy, but deciding whether or not to use it is more complicated. This feature is not for everyone.
One reader commented:
"Very good article. There are serious drawbacks to the trend of increased screenings."
How (and Why) to Turn On Your Apple Watch 4's Fall Detection Feature
Your brand-new Apple Watch doesn’t have fall detection turned on by default.
Turning on fall detection isn’t difficult. What’s annoying is that Apple doesn’t prompt you to do this during any part of setting up a new Apple Watch.
Apple Watch Series 4 Reviews are a Sad Reminder of How Lost Google's "Wear OS" Is
Wear OS is Google's competitor to Apple's Watch OS.
It’s frustrating to watch as Apple continues to improve upon its wearable side and define its focus while Google and partners can’t figure any of it out.
Apple has what Google thinks doesn’t exist. The Apple Watch is meant to be a one-size-fits-all device. It’s both a fashion accessory and a sports watch, for those who need it.
The latest Apple Watch has been on sale for a few days now and I've been testing it for over two weeks. Here's all you need to know.
The Apple Watch has evolved so much since the first one arrived in Spring 2015.
The new Series 4 offers a tremendous update to the design, the fastest speeds yet (it's a 64-bit watch, for goodness sake!) and features unheard of on other smartwatches.
Every previous Watch band fits the new model perfectly.
It's the best wearable for health and fitness. Period.
Apple Watch Series 4 Review: Small tweaks make a big impact
Apple Watch’s new auto-911 calls after falls may tumble into legal trouble
If police are alerted by an Apple Watch of a possible injury, they do not need a warrant to enter a home under the "community caretaking" exception to the Fourth Amendment.
"I think 'call auto-detected local emergency services' is a fine and sensible default, but users should have the ability to override that with their own setting," Fred Jennings wrote to Ars. "If I'm in rural Montana, my live-in partner or former-EMT neighbor may be a faster responder than the local police and doesn't come with the same privacy or over-response concerns."
Video:
11 Apple Watch tips and tricks
Nike+ Apple Watch Series 4 Review - Apple's Masterpiece
The Series 4 is the best smartwatch ever. That’s clear to me. Its main problem is that last year’s Series 3 is also still so damn good. (And now it’s relatively cheap, too.)
The HomePod’s growing pains
Overall, my experience of the HomePod, more than half a year after its debut, has reminded me largely of the early days of the Apple Watch where the company didn’t seem to have a clear idea of what the device actually was.
Free Mojave macOS update is now available to download
MacOS version 10.14 — codenamed Mojave — is now available to download.
5 reasons why you should upgrade to macOS Mojave right now
There are lots of new features in Mac OS Mojave.
Some 2018 MacBook Pro owners are running into errors installing macOS Mojave
Some Mac owners trying to upgrade to the latest edition of macOS are encountering errors preventing them from completing the process, according to complaints on Apple's support forums.
According to the providers we contacted, users looking to upgrade to Mojave should back up data in entirety using Time Machine, then attempt to install Mojave. After that, if the Mac OS Mojave installation fails, this article has instructions on what to do next.
How to clean install macOS
Want to clean install macOS on your Mac? Here's how to download and install a fresh copy of Mojave - and if you need to, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Mojave, Yosemite or some earlier version of OS X.
Apple's made it impossible to download old versions of MacOS in Mojave
Beware installing macOS Mojave! Apple appears to have completely removed the ability to download the installers of older versions of macOS and Mac OS X from the new version of the Mac operating system.
Previously users could go to the Mac App Store, click on the Purchased tab and see a list of all the apps they had ever downloaded.
Previously users could go to the Mac App Store, click on the Purchased tab and see a list of all the apps they had ever downloaded.
Now that Apple has updated the Mac App Store in macOS Mojave, there is no longer a Purchased tab. Users can see some of their previously purchased items if they click on Store in the Apple Store and choose: View My Account. However, this will no longer show any older versions of MacOS, though it did previously.
It is possible to download the installer for an older versions the Mac App Store but only if you are running macOS High Sierra or older. If you are running macOS Mojave this will not be possible.
It’s time to switch your Mac backups from Time Capsule to Time Machine volumes
The Apple Time Capsule seemed like a great idea when it was unveiledabout a decade ago. It was a Time Machine network backup target that also embedded a Wi-Fi gateway and ethernet sharing. Perfection, even if it was a little too expensive: It came with Apple technical support and warranty.
But it didn’t play out with the promise it had.
But it didn’t play out with the promise it had.
Then Apple stopped making new ones years ago and finally admitted it canceled the line earlier this year. If you’re using a Time Capsule, it might be time to consider an alternative.
macOS Mojave: What is desktop Stacks and how to use it
How to use Spaces, Apple's mostly ignored macOS Mojave productivity feature
If you use Spaces on your Mac then you probably love this feature so much that you can't imagine not having it. More likely, though, you've vaguely heard of it and not looked to see whether it could be of use to you.
But when you know what this feature is supposed to do and you know how to work around its oddities, Spaces can be a boon.
Then if you fill that one up, Spaces can give you another. And another. And another. You can have up to 16 different desktops on your Mac. Each with your choice of windows open and even each with their own desktop wallpaper.
The idea is not that you can then open a hundred apps and have a thousand document windows filling them all up. It's that you can get more organized.
The idea is not that you can then open a hundred apps and have a thousand document windows filling them all up. It's that you can get more organized.
Many people have only one desktop and too many things cluttering it up. Spaces lets you divide all that clutter up among several desktops. If each desktop is used for a particular purpose, then you can move each item that clutters your first (original) desktop to a new desktop. The end result is that the one big pile of clutter on your first desktop is separated into several smaller piles, each on a separate desktop. This improves the overall organization of your Mac.
Spaces works. It is an aid to concentration and productivity because it helps you compartmentalize. That's about more than just having one different app in each Space, it's about separating the types of work you do. You can group related apps together into a Space.
Astropad's Luna Display for Turning an iPad Into a Second Screen for Mac is Now Available
Today in Apple history:
September 25, 2018: iPod nano gets colorful aluminum upgrade
Apple ships its second-generation iPod nano, offering a fancy redesign of the pocket-size original.
Today in Apple history:
October 2, 1991: IBM and Apple shake and make up
As the Cold War comes to an end, hell freezes over a second time as Apple and IBM agree to put aside their differences.
The Apple-IBM deal certainly shocked the hell out of Apple fans in 1991.
Today in Apple history:
October 5, 2011: Steve Jobs dies at 56
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs dies at the age of 56 in his home in Palo Alto, California.
Jobs’ official cause of death is respiratory arrest arising from complications related to a rare type of pancreatic cancer. He was diagnosed with the cancer eight years earlier, and officially stepped down from his role as Apple CEO in August 2011.
Jobs’ official cause of death is respiratory arrest arising from complications related to a rare type of pancreatic cancer. He was diagnosed with the cancer eight years earlier, and officially stepped down from his role as Apple CEO in August 2011.
Today in Apple history:
October 9, 1991: The Beatles beat Apple in court
A court orders Apple to pay $26.5 million to Apple Corps, The Beatles’ record label and holding company, for trademark infringement.
It is the second time Apple is forced to pay The Beatles. It comes a decade after Apple swore it would never get into the music business.
It is the second time Apple is forced to pay The Beatles. It comes a decade after Apple swore it would never get into the music business.
Today in Apple history:
October 10, 1993 : The elusive Macintosh Color Classic II ships
Also known as the Performa 275, the Color Classic II will eventually become something of a collector’s item, since Apple released it only in Canada, Asia and Europe.
How to Take a Screenshot on Your Mac
In macOS Mojave, Apple has introduced a screen capture interface that unifies the screenshot and screen recording features on Mac, making accessing them easier from one place.
A new floating palette brings the traditional Mac screen capture functions together under a single menu. You can access it by hitting Command-Shift-5.
There's a pro trick for keeping all of your screenshots organized on your Mac — here's how to do it
AW comment:
This article describes a very geeky way to do this.
Hopefully, Apple will provide an easy way to accomplish this in the future.
Microsoft's new Surface PCs are the Macs I want Apple to make
I've said it before, and I'll say it again -- Microsoft is making the Mac look old and stale. While Apple has been neglecting its desktops and laptops to mercilessly push the iPhone, Microsoft has been busy reinventing the PC.
Ever since switching from PCs to Macs a few years ago as my daily workhorses, I've watched on in horror as Apple has shifted to a point where it doesn't seem to care about anything other than selling iPhones, and admiration as Microsoft simultaneously releases one cracking Surface device after another.
Surface Laptop 2 vs MacBook Pro
We compare Microsoft's new Surface Laptop 2 with the 2018 MacBook Pro models for design, features, specs and value for money.
The verdict:
We still prefer Apple's classic MacBook design and we find macOS a far more pleasurable experience than Windows. But the Surface isn't a bad alternative by any means.
The Surface Laptop 2 is a smart-looking machine that has a touch-screen display, and it's available for far less money than Apple's equivalent MacBook Pro.
Office 2019 is now available for Windows and Mac
For customers who aren’t ready for the cloud, Office 2019 provides new features and updates to the on-premises apps for both users and IT professionals.
Office 2019 is a one-time release and won’t receive future feature updates.
Office 2019 for Mac is supported on the three most recent versions of macOS.
Microsoft Office 2019 is now available on Windows 10 and macOS
Unlike an Office 365 subscription, Office 2019 is the version of Microsoft’s productivity suite you can get for a one-time fee and get it forever. However, like Office 365, Office 2019 includes the latest versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook.
Compared to Office 2016, the new 2019 suite includes a load of key features Microsoft has rolled out to its Office 365 users over the last few years.
Apple is using proprietary software to lock MacBook Pros and iMac Pros from third-party repairs affecting display and logic board repairs
Apple is reportedly using new proprietary software diagnostic tools to repair MacBook Pros and iMac Pros that, if not used on key part repairs, will result in an “inoperative system and an incomplete repair,” reads a document distributed to Apple’s Authorized Service Providers.
Tech critics and e-waste activists, however, claim that electronics makers are making devices hard to repair as a way to tightly control the repair market and encourage the purchase of new devices.
Apple Is Reportedly Looking To Block Third-Party Repairs For MacBooks And iMacs
Apple is butting heads with 'Right to Repair' activists.
It seems like Apple is preparing to roll out a system that would allow even fewer people to repair laptops and desktops without compromising their devices.
But ifixit.com says Apple’s secret repair kill switch hasn’t been activated — yet
Well, stop the presses. Turns out, ‘Apple makes your MacBook inoperative if you get it fixed at local repair shops’ isn’t quite true — at least not yet anyway.
Even though the Mac line has grown less repairable over time, fixers have still managed to develop techniques for performing essential screen and battery repairs—until now.
Ever the optimists, we headed down to our friendly local Apple Store and bought a brand new 2018 13” MacBook Pro Touch Bar unit. Then we disassembled it and traded displays with our teardown unit from this summer. To our surprise, the displays and MacBooks functioned normally in every combination we tried. We also updated to Mojave and swapped logic boards with the same results.
That’s a promising sign, and it means the sky isn’t quite falling—yet. But as we’ve learned, nothing is certain. Apple has a string of software-blocked repair scandals under its belt, including the device-disabling Error 53, a functionality-throttling Batterygate, and repeatedfeature-disabling incidents. It’s very possible that a future software update could render these “incomplete repairs” inoperative, and who knows when, or if, a fix will follow.
Basically, Apple owns your device, not you, and could conceivably disable it remotely if they detect unauthorized repairs going on. For years, Apple has actively fought right to repair legislation in the US, but hasn’t outright blocked independent repair—this would be a big step, even for them.
So why is Apple doing this? Profit.
Non-Apple Mac repair may not be dead yet, but it’s certainly not safe—Apple has made that much painfully obvious.
One country in particular has an advantage executing this kind of attack: China.
Tim Cook Hides Chekhov's Gun Inside New MacBook Pro
In effect Tim Cook has built the digital equivalent of Chekhov’s Gun.
Chekhov wrote:
"Remove everything that has no relevance to the story.
If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging
on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely
must go off. If it's not going to be fired,
it shouldn't be hanging there."
The ability to repair your own MacBook without getting explicit sign off from Apple’s central server is in danger.
I have no issue with Apple saying that it won’t repair an out of warranty product that has been opened by a third-party. I do have an issue with Apple (or any other company) saying that it won’t let you replace the battery, clean out the fan, or repair your own computer, smartphone or tablet. So do many others.
The team at iFixit - famed for tearing down production hardware and offering DIY repair guides - decided to check out the details and found that Apple’s lock-out system is not in place… yet.
But this is not a time to celebrate, this is a time to question. Apple has form in locking out repairs (notably the TouchID sensor and home button in the iPhone), and you would not spend your limited engineering time and resources to build a lock-out system for the new MacBooks and not use it.
Should you trust your digital life to a company that quietly sets up a dead man’s switch without being clear to consumers about the impact on after-sale support?
Bait and fix: Apple is basically forcing you to get AppleCare for your new MacBook Pro
Some purchasers may be in for a surprise when they try to fix their MacBook after their limited one-year warranty runs out.
Repairs without AppleCare are much more expensive than repairs made with AppleCare. AppleCare isn’t cheap, but it’s still better than paying for a new screen or motherboard.
How to Make Your Mac as Secure as Possible
Several good hints.
Malware Has a New Way to Hide on Your Mac
Malware on Apple's MacBook and iMac lines is more prevalent than some users realize; it can even hide in Apple's curated Mac App Store. But the relatively strong defenses of macOS make it challenging for malware authors to persist long-term on Apple computers, even if they can get an initial foothold. Additionally, the avenues available for lurking on macOS are so well known at this point that technicians and malware scanners can flag them quickly. That's why more subtle approaches are significant.
Mac security researcher Thomas Reed presented one such potentially dangerous opening. When you launch an app installer in macOS, a program called Gatekeeper checks to see whether the app originated from the Mac App Store, or is cryptographically signed by a developer who has registered with Apple. All legitimate programs have to be "code signed" to establish their validity and integrity. By checking a file's code signature, Gatekeeper can warn you if a program is malware or if someone has tampered with an otherwise benign installer.
These code signature checks are a vital security step. But Reed, who is the director of Mac and mobile platforms at the security firm Malwarebytes, has noticed that once a program passes a code signature check and gets installed, macOS never rechecks its signature.
These code signature checks are a vital security step. But Reed, who is the director of Mac and mobile platforms at the security firm Malwarebytes, has noticed that once a program passes a code signature check and gets installed, macOS never rechecks its signature.
Reed hasn't seen any malware that capitalizes on the opening so far, which he views as an opportunity to raise awareness now about the need for voluntary code checks.
Hackers loot digital wallets using stolen Apple IDs
Two Chinese companies are warning customers that hackers used stolen Apple IDs to get into their digital payment accounts and steal money.
Digital wallets are popular in China.
The companies did not offer details on how the hackers might have gotten the accounts but recommended that users of their digital wallets take steps to protect themselves including by changing passwords.
Apple users still getting phone calls from tech support scammers
If you get a call from someone claiming to be from Apple warning you about a security issue with your Mac, iPhone, or iCloud account, it’s almost certainly a scam. The company tells customers: “If you get an unsolicited call from someone claiming to be from Apple, hang up and contact us directly.”
But those warnings haven’t stopped scammers from attempting to hustle Apple users into providing their usernames, passwords, and payment information or installing dodgy software on their devices.
But those warnings haven’t stopped scammers from attempting to hustle Apple users into providing their usernames, passwords, and payment information or installing dodgy software on their devices.
The best Mac Virtual Private Networks (VPN) in 2018
The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate U.S. Companies
AW comment: WOW!! This is big!!
The attack by Chinese spies reached almost 30 U.S. companies, including Amazon and Apple. The security of the global technology supply chain had been compromised, even if consumers and most companies didn’t know it yet.
Apple made its discovery of suspicious chips inside Supermicro servers around May 2015, after detecting odd network activity and firmware problems.
In 2015, Amazon.com Inc. began quietly evaluating a startup called Elemental Technologies, a potential acquisition to help with a major expansion of its streaming video service, known today as Amazon Prime Video.
Government investigators were still chasing clues on their own when Amazon made its discovery and gave them access to sabotaged hardware. Nested on the servers’ motherboards, the testers found a tiny microchip, not much bigger than a grain of rice, that wasn’t part of the boards’ original design. Amazon reported the discovery to U.S. authorities, sending a shudder through the intelligence community.
Officials familiar with the investigation say the primary role of implants such as these is to open doors that other attackers can go through.
Investigators determined that the chips allowed the attackers to create a stealth doorway into any network that included the altered machines. Multiple people familiar with the matter say investigators found that the chips had been inserted at factories run by manufacturing subcontractors in China.
There are two ways for spies to alter the guts of computer equipment. One, known as interdiction, consists of manipulating devices as they’re in transit from manufacturer to customer. This approach is favored by U.S. spy agencies, according to documents leaked by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. The other method involves seeding changes from the very beginning.
One country in particular has an advantage executing this kind of attack: China.
The chips had been inserted during the manufacturing process, two officials say, by operatives from a unit of China's People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Today, Supermicro sells more server motherboards than almost anyone else. Supermicro has assembly facilities in California, the Netherlands, and Taiwan, but its motherboards—its core product—are nearly all manufactured by contractors in China.
The majority of its workforce in San Jose is Taiwanese or Chinese, and Mandarin is the preferred language, with hanzi filling the whiteboards, according to six former employees.
With more than 900 customers in 100 countries by 2015, Supermicro offered inroads to a bountiful collection of sensitive targets.
Many years ago, a belief formed that China was unlikely to jeopardize its position as workshop to the world by letting its spies meddle in its factories. That left the decision about where to build commercial systems resting largely on where capacity was greatest and cheapest. “You end up with a classic Satan’s bargain,” one former U.S. official says. “You can have less supply than you want and guarantee it’s secure, or you can have the supply you need, but there will be risk. Every organization has accepted the second proposition.”
What Businessweek got wrong about Apple
Apple Insiders Say Nobody Internally Knows What’s Going On With Bloomberg’s China Hack Story
Multiple senior Apple executives, speaking with BuzzFeed News on the condition of anonymity so that they could speak freely, all denied and expressed confusion with a report earlier this week that the company’s servers had been compromised by a Chinese intelligence operation.
Both Amazon and Apple issued uncharacteristically strong and detailed denials of Bloomberg’s claims.
Apple’s broad, categorical denial is essentially unprecedented in its detail.
Bloomberg’s defense of its story is equally forceful.
The result is an unusual stalemate that’s left onlookers baffled.
Statement from DHS Press Secretary on Recent Media Reports of Potential Supply Chain Compromise
The Department of Homeland Security is aware of the media reports of a technology supply chain compromise. Like our partners in the UK, the National Cyber Security Centre, at this time we have no reason to doubt the statements from the companies named in the story.
Before China iCloud spy chip allegations, Bloomberg published these five incorrect stories about Apple
Media personalities have been bending over backward to find a way to square the claims made by Bloomberg in its "China Hack" story with a series of strongly worded denials from Amazon and Apple insisting that the report was "wrong and misinformed." However, there is solid evidence that Bloomberg has previously published a series of false claims before.
The tantalizing idea —as if ripped from the pages of a spy novel —that Chinese hackers had implanted chips into servers used by Apple and others to harvest data and spy on their users' activities was instantly lapped up by Apple's critics as rich dirt for seeding skepticism of Apple's competence in security.
A much simpler explanation is that Bloomberg rushed to publish information that was wrong, in part because its journalists didn't really understand what they were writing about, and in part because they didn't need to care whether their report was absolutely true or not.
Bloomberg doubles-down with this article
New Evidence of Hacked Supermicro Hardware Found in U.S. Telecom
The discovery shows that China continues to sabotage critical technology components bound for America.
The discovery shows that China continues to sabotage critical technology components bound for America.
Supermicro, based in San Jose, California, said after the earlier story that it “strongly refutes” reports that servers it sold to customers contained malicious microchips.
The more recent manipulation is different from the one described in the Bloomberg Businessweek report last week, but it shares key characteristics: They’re both designed to give attackers invisible access to data on a computer network in which the server is installed; and the alterations were found to have been made at the factory as the motherboard was being produced by a Supermicro subcontractor in China.
National security experts say a key problem is that, in a cybersecurity industry approaching $100 billion in revenue annually, very little of that has been spent on inspecting hardware for tampering. That's allowed intelligence agencies around the world to work relatively unimpeded, with China holding a key advantage.
Russia-based cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab today said that while "hardware supply chain attacks are a reality," evidence suggests Bloomberg Businessweek's report about Chinese intelligence tampering with server motherboards manufactured by Apple's former supplier Supermicro is "untrue."
Kaspersky Lab itself has faced controversy, with several reports over the last year claiming its software was compromised by Russian intelligence. Nevertheless, Motherboard said the firm "continues to have a good reputation in the industry," particularly as it relates to its ability to discover malware.
NSA cybersecurity head can't find corroboration for iCloud spy chip report
The senior advisor for Cybersecurity Strategy to the director of the National Security Agency has advised there is a lack of evidence relating to both of Bloomberg's recent espionage-related stories, and has openly requested for people with knowledge of the situation to provide assistance.
Attorney General Becerra Announces Arrests, Charges Against 17 Individuals for $1 Million Robbery Scheme Targeting Apple Retail Stores
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the arrest of and charges against 17 individuals for a robbery scheme targeting Apple retail stores across California that resulted in the loss of over $1 million. The defendants are charged with entering Apple retail stores in large groups wearing hoodies and snatching products on display in a matter of seconds. The alleged crimes took place across 19 counties.
Seven adults were arrested on September 25, 2018.
Seven adults were arrested on September 25, 2018.
Myst at 25: How it changed gaming, created addicts, and made enemies
In 1993, the atmospheric CD-ROM game became a beloved megahit–but not everybody was happy with its influence on the game industry.
In 1993, the atmospheric CD-ROM game became a beloved megahit–but not everybody was happy with its influence on the game industry.
Even 25 years later, the emergence of Myst still represents a watershed moment in the development of computer video games.
In Myst, you explore an ornately detailed island that leads to other vaguely Victorian sci-fi worlds (called ages) created by a character named Atrus. You’re presented with lushly detailed screens—punctuated by animations—depicting the scene around you, and can point and click your way through puzzles that feel woven perfectly into the tapestry of the game. Despite its largely static nature, its groundbreaking pre-rendered visuals (which many people called photorealistic at the time) made Myst feel like the first convincing virtual reality experience, at least in the sense of feeling physically present in a fictional world.
Animated Map: Visualizing 2,400 Years Of European History
The history of Europe is breathtakingly complex.
Jurisdiction over most of Europe's landmass has changed hands innumerable times —
except for the long time when the Roman Empire was dominant.
WW2 was important to our history, but Hitler's Third Reich was just a flash in the pan compared to the Roman Empire.
Here is the same history, except with names of rulers instead of names of empires.
The American Dream Depends On Your Zip Code
Very interesting map.
Zoom in to see individual counties.
Zoom in further to see still greater detail.
According to the map, the deep south is in the worst shape and the northern mid-west is in the best shape.
You can't see the wealthy parts of the cities in the deep south unless you zoom in on them.
Once you look closely, you see that the deep south – while in bad shape – is not quite as bad as it first appears.
Father Of World Wide Web Launches Platform Which Aims To Radically Decentralize The Internet
Tim Berners-Lee, "The Father of the World Wide Web" has launched a start-up that intends to end the dominance of Facebook, Google, and Amazon, while in the process letting individuals take back control of their own data.
The mission of Inrupt.com is to turbocharge a broader movement afoot, among developers around the world, to decentralize the web and take back power from the forces that have profited from centralizing it. In other words, it’s game on for Facebook, Google, Amazon.
Berners-Lee's new online platform and company Inrupt is being described as a "personal online data store," or pod, where everything from messages, music, contacts or other personal data will be stored in one place overseen by the user instead of an array of platforms and apps run by corporations seeking to profit off personal information.
Berners-Lee's new online platform and company Inrupt is being described as a "personal online data store," or pod, where everything from messages, music, contacts or other personal data will be stored in one place overseen by the user instead of an array of platforms and apps run by corporations seeking to profit off personal information.
As described on the Solid.mit.edu and Inrupt.com websites the new platform will allow users to have complete control over their information 'pods' (an acronym for "personal online data store") — it is only they who will decide whether outside apps and sites will be granted access to it, and to what extent.
Facebook Wants A Facial Recognition Smart Home Device For Its Users
Americans don't trust Facebook to protect their information, so why should they trust them with facial recognition?
It’s a known fact that Facebook has handed data to governments worldwide.
This reminds me of the time former CIA Director David Petraeus said: “we will spy on you through your dishwasher.”
You Gave Facebook Your Number For Security. They Used It For Ads.
A group of academic researchers from Northeastern University and Princeton University, along with Gizmodo reporters, have used real-world tests to demonstrate how Facebook’s latest deceptive practice works. They found that Facebook harvests user phone numbers for targeted advertising in two disturbing ways: two-factor authentication (2FA) phone numbers, and “shadow” contact information.
When a user gives Facebook their number for security purposes—to set up 2FA, or to receive alerts about new logins to their account—that phone number can become fair game for advertisers within weeks. (This is not the first time Facebook has misused 2FA phone numbers.)
But the important message for users is: this is not a reason to turn off or avoid 2FA. The problem is not with two-factor authentication. It’s not even a problem with the inherent weaknesses of SMS-based 2FA in particular. Instead, this is a problem with how Facebook has handled users’ information and violated their reasonable security and privacy expectations.
Second, Facebook is also grabbing your contact information from your friends.
Even if you never directly handed a particular phone number over to Facebook, advertisers may nevertheless be able to associate it with your account based on your friends’ phone books.
As Facebook attempts to salvage its reputation among users in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, it needs to put its money where its mouth is. Wiping 2FA numbers and “shadow” contact data from non-essential use would be a good start.
Facebook's latest data blunder is mind-blowingly bad, and users should be burning with rage
• Losing personal information of up to 50 million people is bad enough, but also risking people's accounts with sites like Tinder, Airbnb, or Spotify was an outrageous error.
• Like other tech giants, Facebook decided a while ago that having all your social-media information wasn't enough — it wanted to know what you were up to on other sites too.
• It showed last week it couldn't be trusted with that information, and users should leave in droves.
Around 2010, there was a battle for our collective online identity. Everyone knows that trying to remember account names and passwords for every site you use online is unfeasible. Besides a password manager, one solution involved using a trusted site like Google or Facebook to log into all your favorite web sites instead.
The tactic worked. According to Quartz, citing statistics from the identity firm Janrain, Facebook became the most popular sign-in choice by far.
The tactic worked. According to Quartz, citing statistics from the identity firm Janrain, Facebook became the most popular sign-in choice by far.
The deal for users was that they didn't have to remember countless logins. The deal for a service like Spotify was that users had a frictionless sign-up, meaning faster growth. And, as ever, the deal for Facebook was more data — specifically knowing what its users were up to on websites that weren't Facebook.
Was it really worth giving Facebook all that data in exchange for an easier sign-up process? Especially since Facebook so clearly can't be trusted to manage that information? Friday's news suggests not.
Was it really worth giving Facebook all that data in exchange for an easier sign-up process? Especially since Facebook so clearly can't be trusted to manage that information? Friday's news suggests not.
The Social Media Purge and How It Affects Everyone
Just about every website owner I know is feeling personally victimized by the recent social media purge that has been going on. But here’s an interesting fact: it isn’t, as is widely perceived, just conservative voices that are being silenced. It is dissenting voices.
You don’t have to be on a Twitter feed to see how this is an overwhelmingly anti-American problem. Like it or not, social media is a monumental source of information these days, and when it’s censored to only show one point of view, the future of our republic is in peril. We are well on our way to peak censorship and this has been carefully orchestrated.
I’m not personally a huge fan of Jones, but I do believe what happened to him was collusion between social media giants. Big Tech got together and now Alex Jones has to find new ways to reach his very large audience.
Jones has a lot of money so this may not be the end of him, but for most website owners, this would be the absolute end of our ability to do business. And to be able to bring the information we bring, we do have to run our websites as businesses. It’s far more expensive than most people realize to run a site.
By making free thought something that is frowned upon and erased, they silence us all.
Why The Coordinated Alternative Media Purge Should Terrify Everyone
The alternative media purge was boldly advanced in a coordinated effort to silence people who dissent from establishment views.
Hundreds of alternative media site administrators logged onto Facebook to discover that their accounts had been removed. Soon after, many of these sites and their writers found that their Twitter accounts had also been suspended.
Popular pages like The AntiMedia (2.1 million fans), The Free Thought Project (3.1 million fans), Press for Truth (350K fans), Police the Police (1.9 million fans), Cop Block (1.7 million fans), and Punk Rock Libertarians (125K fans) are just a few of the ones which were unpublished.
Popular pages like The AntiMedia (2.1 million fans), The Free Thought Project (3.1 million fans), Press for Truth (350K fans), Police the Police (1.9 million fans), Cop Block (1.7 million fans), and Punk Rock Libertarians (125K fans) are just a few of the ones which were unpublished.
John Vibes said:
"This signifies a re-consolidation of the media. Cable news media controlled the narrative for most of modern history, but the internet has lowered that barrier to entry and allowed the average person to become the media themselves. This obviously took market share and influence away from the traditional media, and it has allowed for a more diverse public conversation. Now it seems the platforms that have monopolized the industry are favoring mainstream sources and silencing alternative voices. So now, instead of allowing more people to have a voice, these platforms are creating an atmosphere where only powerful media organizations are welcome, just as we had on cable news."
"This signifies a re-consolidation of the media. Cable news media controlled the narrative for most of modern history, but the internet has lowered that barrier to entry and allowed the average person to become the media themselves. This obviously took market share and influence away from the traditional media, and it has allowed for a more diverse public conversation. Now it seems the platforms that have monopolized the industry are favoring mainstream sources and silencing alternative voices. So now, instead of allowing more people to have a voice, these platforms are creating an atmosphere where only powerful media organizations are welcome, just as we had on cable news."
Ron Paul reminds us that truth is treason.
“You get accused of treasonous activity and treasonous speech because in an empire of lies the truth is treason,” Paul told the Russia-based news outlet. “Challenging the status quo is what they can’t stand and it unnerves them, so they have to silence people.”
What can you do about the alternative media purge?
• Subscribe to the newsletters of websites you enjoy. Don’t count on seeing their work on social media. (You can subscribe to my newsletter here, incidentally.)
• Support them financially if you can. Many sites have Patreon accounts or donate buttons
• Bookmark them and visit regularly – if they have ads, your visits help them to make the money they need to stay afloat.
• Share their articles on your own social media accounts. If they can’t get their work out there, we can help.
• Join alternative social media outlets like Gab and MeWe.
The alternative media purge is just the beginning. And we should all be very concerned.
Have you heard about China’s dystopian new “social credit” program? If you haven’t, there’s a terrifying infographic from Bored Panda that I’ll be referencing throughout this article.
The good news is that this is happening in China, where we all know a Communist government has long been crushing freedom for the residents of the nation.
The good news is that this is happening in China, where we all know a Communist government has long been crushing freedom for the residents of the nation.
The bad news is that it is incredibly close to happening here. Heck, it is happening here.
It could easily turn into a situation in which you can no longer function, have money, or be employed unless you toe the digital line. This is already happening in China.
I don’t like him much, but he’s lost everything because some companies got together to ban him. You don’t have to like or support Alex Jones to see the broad, sweeping arm that took him down. None of us with a public profile is immune.
Apple, by the way, is already giving people “trust scores” based on their phone calls and emails. Just in case you think I’m being far-fetched.
Communist China Moves To Control Billions Through ‘Social Media Credit’
In a chilling but unsurprising move, Communist China seeks ultimate control over the population by introducing a scorecard which will supposedly keep the public in check. The big brother system will monitor all citizens 24/7 and keep a “score” of their activities.
Participation in the “social credit” system was first announced in 2014 and is mandatory.
The Communist Party’s plan in China is for every one of its 1.4 billion citizens to be at the whim of a dystopian social credit system, and it’s on track to be fully operational by the year 2020. Those people will either reap the benefits of having a high score or suffer the consequences of a low social score.
“If people keep their promises they can go anywhere in the world,” said Tianjin general manager Jie Cong. For Jie, it’s black and white with no grey area. “If people break their promises they won’t be able to move an inch!”
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