The Next Form Factor for Apple to tackle, or…Ladies and Gentlemen, the Mac micro!

I love my Mac Mini. It fit into my tight budget when I bought it, and it physically fits onto my computer desk without dominating it as a PC tower would. 

 

So what do I think the next form factor Apple will use for the Mac Mini and other Macs? I believe Apple will look into the compute stick form factor pioneered by Intel.

 

 

 

The largest element of a computer remains its screen. The other components, such as memory and mass storage, continue to shrink as chip fabrication techniques squeeze more and more computing elements onto ever-smaller squares of silicon. 

 

Right now, limits to wireless connections between the compute stick and various peripherals, such as a big honking 5 TB hard drive for storing all of Game of Thrones in 4K, limit the usefulness of the compute stick. When someone develops a compute stick whose internal  mass storage is the same cost as a cheap external 1 TB hard drive and can handle a 4k display with no sweat along with the wireless protocols eliminating the need for a rat’s nest of cables in the back; Then you can just plug in one or more of these compute sticks into a display. 

 

Will a cheap big-screen TV suffice instead of a dedicated computer monitor? Hell, I don’t  know. I don’t have a big-screen TV to test out these ideas. I’ll leave that up to the smart women of the 2020’s and 2030’s. 

 

Another thing. I don’t believe that the future of computing lies in touching the actual display. Most work at a computer occurs when you sit down some distance from the display. As David Pogue observed, reaching across the table to touch a screen from a sitting position causes chronic pain in your arm and shoulder. 

 

I will make a prediction, though. The keyboard with its physical keys will be replaced by a touch-surface capable of physical feedback and the ability to reconfigure itself based on immediate need. One moment you use a keyboard to type in text, the next moment you use a touch-board to illustrate a graphic element. The board recognizes your changing needs and  immediately reconfigures itself. 

 

So look for smart Indian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern refugee women to develop these technologies. Look for 60+ year-old nerds sitting in their Costco underwear in Canoga Park to write, “See? I was right.”

 

 

Thomas Briant

Editor, MacValley Blog

Apple has a great idea and All Great Ideas contain the seeds of their own destruction.

My past few articles concentrated on resurrecting old word-processing files from the glorious Classic OS past. You might think that I live in the past. Hey, I’m turning 61 in three weeks. 

 

Now let me turn my attention to what I think lies in the future for Apple. 

 

I think Apple, at least Apple’s operating system OS X, will be replaced or supplemented by another system. 

 

I have two big reasons to think this way. First, some crucial parts of Apple’s operating system have started to show their age. I’m looking at you, HFS+ file system, in particular. 

 

Can the HFS+ file system, which Apple retained when it switched from Classic OS to OS X, keep up with the demands of the 21st Century? I note that both of Apple’s main competitors, Windows and Linux,  use newer file systems. 

 

Talk has swirled for years about Apple changing the HFS+ file system to something better.  Sun Microsystems developed the ZFS file system which a lot of people thought Apple would use. Now the speculation focuses on btfs, a system used in some Linux distros. 

 

Which brings me to Apple’s next problem. It’s actually a feature, not a bug. Apple’s hardware is incredibly versatile. I have run Windows, Linux, and Classic OS on my current OS X hardware. Sometimes all at once. 

 

So who develops this new operating system and why do they do it? I believe it will come from virtual reality and gaming or pornography. 

 

You may feel sickened to think that the improvement in general computing comes from the morally dodgy fringes. We must remember that Apple itself sprung from the fringes. The mainstream employers in the late 1970’s of Jobs and Wozniak, Hewlett-Packard and Atari, do not stand at the forefront of personal computing any more.

 

Should we be surprised to wake up one day to find out some smart Indian or Chinese or Middle East refugee kids have developed the next generation OS? No, we shouldn’t. When will it happen? I’m predicting, out of my neither orifice, that it will happen in the 2020s or 2030s. 

 

In the meantime, I shall work at my 20th Century technology-based Mac. I’m not interested in virtual reality, as I’m having enough trouble with reality as it is.

 

You are welcome to comment on my prognostications. 

 

Tom Briant

Editor, MacValley Blog

Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth's Weekly Web Wrap-up for May 15, 2016

Why did Apple make the Apple Watch?

The late Apple CEO Steve Jobs developed pancreatic cancer in 2004. He then spent a great deal of time with doctors and the healthcare system until his death in 2011. During this time, Jobs discovered how disjointed the healthcare system can be. He took on the task of trying to bring some digital order to various aspects of the healthcare system, especially the connection between patients, their data, and their healthcare providers.

If you look at Apple’s current health initiatives, many are focused on helping people record data of all types and get it securely to their healthcare providers.

It seems clear that Apple’s management has now and will continue to have a major focus on bridging the gap between a person and their healthcare providers.

I commend Apple for what it’s been able to achieve with the first generation Apple Watch

http://www.cio.com/article/3068184/consumer-electronics/why-did-apple-make-the-apple-watch.html



Apple acknowledges iTunes music deletion bug, promises fix

Apple isn't sure what the cause of the iTunes bug is, as it hasn't been able to reproduce the problem, but in a statement to iMore the company acknowledged the bug and promised a fix next week.

http://mashable.com/2016/05/14/apple-itunes-music-delete-bug/#_zQopEs6O8qG

http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/13/11674388/apple-music-itunes-file-deletion-bug-update



Video:
Here's what every symbol on top of your iPhone means

http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-symbols-top-bar-2016-5



What Google’s ‘Gboard’ can do that your iPhone’s normal keyboard can’t

Google has released a new keyboard app, just for the iPhone, called Gboard.  The new app lets you search straight from the keyboard.

The app is free to download from the App Store.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/05/13/what-googles-gboard-can-do-that-your-iphones-normal-keyboard-cant/



Why did Google make such a good keyboard for the iPhone?

how weird is it that two behemoths — Microsoft and Google — both turn out to have been working on iOS keyboards in parallel?

Google’s new iPhone software keyboard offers four powerful features that you don’t get with Apple’s built-in keyboard.
The Gboard lets you swipe to type.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/gboard--why-did-google-make-such-a-good-keyboard-for-the-iphone-002124530.html



Google just launched its very first keyboard for iPhone and iPad — and it’s awesome.

http://www.cultofmac.com/428111/googles-first-ios-keyboard-has-built-in-search-gifs-and-more/hy



Here's the secret way you can load the desktop versions of websites on your iPhone

BONUS: You can also get the mobile version of a website while browsing on your desktop.

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-do-i-load-desktop-websites-on-iphone-mobile-request-desktop-site-2016-5?op=0#/#first-up-navigate-to-the-website-youd-like-to-get-the-desktop-version-of-1



4 iPhone tricks you might not know

http://mashable.com/2016/05/14/4-quick-iphone-tricks/#O2ZVXN0S6uqx



One handy shortcut every Mac user should know

http://www.businessinsider.com/shortcut-how-to-write-emoji-on-mac-2016-5



How to repair a cracked iPhone or iPad screen

Whether it’s cracked or completely shattered, we’ve got you covered with the 5 best repair options: here's what to do if you break your iPhone or iPad's display.

If a high-street retailer charges as little as £40 (about $58) to replace an iPhone 6s screen, say, you should start questioning how that's possible.

There's one more option - but it's not for the faint-hearted. iFixit provides tutorials on how to repair any part of any iPhone (and similar articles for the iPad).

http://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/iphone/repair-iphone-ipad-5-fixes-for-broken-cracked-screen-display-3599252/



Here's why I gave up my beloved Galaxy S7 for a boring old iPhone

The Samsung Galaxy S7 is the best smartphone I've ever used.

But recently, I've given mine up in favor of a boring, bulky, less cross-compatible iPhone 6s Plus. 

The reason is simple: The iPhone's got a crazy-long battery life.

http://www.businessinsider.com/i-ditched-galaxy-s7-for-an-iphone-2016-5



How Apple Watch and pervasive computing can lure you into leveling up your fitness

I'm talking about the red, green and blue rings that adorn my Apple Watch, tracking how much I move, exercise and stand.

the fitness features of the Apple Watch tap into the aspect of human psychology that makes us feel good about completing a goal or reaching an achievement. It's one of the most prominent examples of gamification – a way of integrating these goals and achievements into traditionally nongame activities.

http://phys.org/news/2016-05-apple-pervasive-lure.html



9 accessories that’ll help you get more out of your MacBook

http://www.businessinsider.com/best-apple-macbook-tech-accessories-2016-5



Logitech Base Review: The iPad Pro stand Apple should’ve made

It looks and feels like the stand of an iMac

http://www.slashgear.com/logitech-base-review-the-ipad-pro-stand-apple-shouldve-made-08439178/




Larry Ellison talks about a long hike with Steve Jobs in USC commencement speech

Ellison's idea was to buy Apple and immediately make Jobs CEO. It made sense. Apple was worth only about $5 billion at the time, and, as Ellison said, "We both had really good credit, and I had already arranged to borrow all the money. All Steve had to do was say yes.”

Jobs then said to Ellison: "Larry, this is why it's so important that I'm your friend. You don't need any more money. ... I'm not doing this for the money, I don't want to get paid. If I do this I need to do this standing on the moral high ground.”

After Jobs was CEO of Apple again — interim CEO initially — Ellison joined Apple's board. And from that board seat he watched Jobs "build the most valuable company on Earth."

"The lesson here is very clear to me. Steve was right. After a certain point, it can't be about the money. After a certain point you can't spend it no matter how hard you try. I know, I've tried hard."

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/05/13/larry-ellison-talks-about-a-long-hike-with-steve-jobs-in-usc-commencement-speech.html



Steve Jobs said "You've got to have an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right that you're passionate about, otherwise you're not going to have the perseverance to stick it through.”

It's hard starting a business. If you don't have a deeper conviction that you're solving a problem that really needs to be solved, you'll never make it through the adversity.

http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-job-on-entrepreneurship-2016-5



You Won’t Be Bearish on Apple Inc. After Reading This

Everyone loves to hate Apple stock these days. It has all the necessary ingredients to be a short seller’s favorite in today’s market condition. But if you decide to become an Apple stock bear just because of what other people are saying, well, you’d be missing out on a huge opportunity.

I’m no Apple fan boy. Among my smartphone, tablet, and laptop, only one of them is made by Apple. What I like more is Apple stock. At today’s price, its value is just too hard to ignore.

If you’re betting against AAPL stock now, be warned; you’ll be kicking yourself later.

http://www.profitconfidential.com/stock/aapl-stock-you-wont-be-bearish-on-apple-inc-after-reading-this/



A sixth sense protects drivers except when texting

"The driver's mind can wander and his or her feelings may boil, but a sixth sense keeps a person safe at least in terms of veering off course," Ioannis Pavlidis said. "What makes texting so dangerous is that it wreaks havoc into this sixth sense. Self-driving cars may bypass this and other problems, but the moral of the story is that humans have their own auto systems that work wonders, until they break."

http://phys.org/news/2016-05-sixth-drivers-texting.html#nRlv



Broadband service tends to stop at the poverty line in the US

http://qz.com/684388/broadband-service-tends-to-stop-at-the-poverty-line-in-the-us/



The big business of 'like farming' on Facebook

Hillary Clinton was criticised when her Facebook account suddenly received thousands of likes from Thailand and Myanmar overnight.

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-big-business-of-likes-on-facebook-2016-5

Converting very old file formats to a more modern file format wot WPMacAPP on your Mac running 10.11

I’ll cut to the chase here. If you use a current Mac with OS X 10.11.x and you want to convert a bunch of old Word 5.1a for Mac or WordPerfect 2.x for Mac files into a Word 97-2004 .doc file that Word 2016 can read, then you need to download WPMacApp from Edward Mendelson’s Website, wpdos.org.

 

You go here to get to the page on WPDOS.org with the specific WordPerfect on Mac information. This site covers just about every instance of WordPerfect, Wordperfect for DOS in particular, on MS-DOS, Windows, Macintosh, and Linux. So you could get lost. Just look at the top for links to the various pages on the site. 

READ THE INSTRUCTIONS MR. MENDELSON HAS POSTED ABOUT USING THIS APPLICATION WITH OS X. YOU HAVE TO MAKE TEMPORARY CHANGES TO THE SECURITY SETTINGS BEFORE IT WORKS. 

This page does not have a big obvious icon for you to click on to download this app. The link is the second item down on a bulleted list. It says in bold text Download the disk image file (Warning: About 530 MB)

Mr. Mendelson  has included WordPerfect for Mac 1.05, WordPerfect for Mac 2.1, WordPerfect for Mac 3.5, and WordPerfect for Macintosh 3.5e,  and WordPerfect Works for Macintosh 1.2 and the Envoy app, which competed with Adobe Acrobat.

That covers it for WordPerfect for Mac apps. As for Word for Mac, he includes an installation of Word for Mac 5.1a. Look in the Applications folder on the WPMac HD volume. 

You’ll also find MacLink Plus 11, which can convert a wide range of documents and images that you may have on your system and didn’t know what to do with. Archaic WordStar files? MacLink Plus can convert it into Word 97-2004 format. Old images files in ZSoft .pcx format? Again, MacLink Plus can convert it into JPEG or PNG format or GIF format, which your Mac’s Preview app can read. 

Finally, can you install Appleworks 6 from your old iMac G3 CDs? Yes, you can. 

Just copy the installer app, about 27 mega bytes in size, over to your /Users/<Username>/Documents folder. From there, copy the installer over to the WPMac HD virtual hard drive icon in the upper right-hand corner of the window from the Unix virtual hard drive icon.

The Unix icon is really just a link to the folder on your Mac chosen by WPMacApp to serve as the conduit between your emulated old Mac and your physical new Mac. 

Appleworks 6 installed. WPMacAPP quit upon finishing installation. I restated. After rebuilding the desktop, all is fine. Using the already installed MacLink Plus 11, I can import and export in a wide variety of formats. 

That’s my brief introduction to reading very old file formats on your Mac through the use of WPMacApp. Go at it! And Donate to Mr. Mendelson if you use some of his work. He’ll appreciate it. 

Tom Briant

Editor, MacValley Blog

 

Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth's Weekly Web Wrap-up for Mothers' Day 2016

iPhone is the most influential gadget of all Time

http://bgr.com/2016/05/04/iphone-time-most-influential-gadget/

check all the other gadgets in Time’s top 50 at this link.

http://time.com/4309573/most-influential-gadgets/



Video:
The iPhone has a hidden 'childproof' mode — here’s how to enable it

A surprisingly long process.

http://www.techinsider.io/iphone-hidden-childproof-mode-2016-5



Turning Down an OS X Upgrade

If you are being pestered with OS X notifications on your Mac to install the current version of the operating system (OS X 10.11, also known as El Capitan), and you are not ready to make the change, you can “hide” the update.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/28/technology/personaltech/turning-down-an-os-x-upgrade.html?emc=edit_ct_20160428&nl=personaltech&nlid=11893479



One Year With The Apple Watch: I'd Buy It Again, But It's Not For Everyone

Has the Apple Watch been a success? That all depends on who you ask.

Like any gadget, the Apple Watch is going to work well for some people, and be a resounding disappointment for others.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/bradmoon/2016/04/29/one-year-with-the-apple-watch-id-buy-it-again-but-its-not-for-everyone/#3ac764d52cbe



The Apple Watch keeps my iPhone addiction under control

Notifications provided by the Apple Watch allow me to have my phone on silent all the time because I know I will always see that tweet or email or text that matters to me the most. While allowing me to be in control, notifications also prevent me from getting sucked into email or Twitter. I can see what is happening, and I have to make a conscious decision to reach for the phone to reply or interact which, in turn, forces me to judge whether something is urgent enough to interrupt what I am actually doing at the time.

http://recode.net/2016/04/28/the-apple-watch-keeps-my-iphone-addiction-under-control/



Video:
To Break a Phone Addiction, Turn Your Screen Gray

Red is the color that stimulates excitement.  It’s why signs in Las Vegas have lots of red.
Red is the color that is most effective at enhancing our attention to detail.

The person in this video checks his iPhone much less often when his screen is set to grey-scale.

72% of smart phone users check their phones at least hourly.

http://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/480240/adventures-in-grayscale/



Mossberg: A smart new email app for the iPhone

now comes the simply named Mail by EasilyDo. EasilyDo’s new mail client handles Gmail very well, but isn’t just Gmail-centric.

Unless you don’t use Gmail, are a moderate emailer, and primarily use iCloud, I recommend you settle on an alternative to Apple Mail for iOS. You may have your own favorite, but I think the new EasilyDo contender is worth a try. An iPad version is coming this fall and an Android version later this year.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/4/11584224/walt-mossberg-easilydo-mail-gmail-best-iphone-email-apps



The 10 best ways to make space on your iPhone

http://www.techinsider.io/10-best-ways-to-clear-iphone-storage-2016-5



Video:
11 Ways To Make Your iPhone Run Faster

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2016/05/11-ways-to-make-your-iphone-run-faster/



Huawei Just Copied the iPhone—Down to the Last Screw

http://www.wired.com/2016/05/huawei-iphone-screws-ifixit/



This 15-Year-Old Owns an Apple Museum—What Have You Done Today?

http://gizmodo.com/this-15-year-old-owns-an-apple-museum-what-have-you-don-1774327391



Teen uses lawn-mowing money to fund incredible Apple collection

Alex’s Apple Orchard holds more than 250 pieces, most of which he purchased with money earned from mowing neighbors’ lawns.

http://www.cultofmac.com/417572/teen-uses-lawn-mowing-money-to-fund-incredible-apple-collection/#more-417572



Apple Stole My Music. No, Seriously.

Through the Apple Music subscription, which I had, Apple now deletes files from its users’ computers. When I signed up for Apple Music, iTunes evaluated my massive collection of Mp3s and WAV files, scanned Apple’s database for what it considered matches, then removed the original files from my internal hard drive. REMOVED them. Deleted. If Apple Music saw a file it didn’t recognize—which came up often, since I’m a freelance composer and have many music files that I created myself—it would then download it to Apple’s database, delete it from my hard drive, and serve it back to me when I wanted to listen, just like it would with my other music files it had deleted.

the only way to prevent this from happening over and over was to cancel my subscription to Apple Music and to make sure my iCloud settings did NOT include storing any music backups.

I recovered my original music files only by using a backup I made weeks earlier. Many people don’t back up as often as they should, though, so this isn’t always an option.

If you’re wondering why Apple hasn’t been sued yet, it’s because the iTunes Terms of Use vaguely warn of this issue, then later indemnify Apple and preclude any litigation from users who’ve been boned.

For about ten years, I’ve been warning people, “hang onto your media. Even information that you yourself have created will require unending, recurring payments just to access.

When giving the above warning, however, even in my most Orwellian paranoia I never could have dreamed that the content holders, like Apple, would also reach into your computer and take away what you already owned. If Taxi Driver is on Netflix, Netflix doesn’t come to your house and steal your Taxi Driver DVD. But that’s where we’re headed. When it comes to music, Apple is already there.

When our data is finally a full-blown utility, however, “just don’t use the product” will cease to be an option. Apple will be in control, bringing their 1984 commercial full circle into a tragic, oppressive irony.

https://blog.vellumatlanta.com/2016/05/04/apple-stole-my-music-no-seriously/



Snopes debunks an iPhone rumor

CLAIM: Apple Music is purporsefully deleting files from personal computers.

WHAT'S TRUE: Some users have had music files deleted after signing up for Apple Music. 

WHAT'S FALSE: Apple is not "stealing" music from people's personal computers; the deletion of files was likely the result of user error or a problem with software.

http://www.snopes.com/apple-music-deleting-files/



300 free wallpapers that will breathe new life into your iPhone (or Android phone)

I wrote a quick post about how I make my iPhone look so much better than yours.

Now I've decided to let people in on the not-so-secret secret of how I make the wallpapers I use.

I have a number of different resources but my favorite recent one is a single post on Reddit … They’re all high-quality, they’re all free.

http://bgr.com/2016/05/02/best-free-iphone-wallpapers-download-android/

https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/4gac76/comment/d2g9f4f

https://imgur.com/a/gk4GM



Interesting article about batteries

http://www.market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=231368



We tested out these glasses that keep computer screens from destroying your eyes

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-stop-computer-screen-glare-felix-gray-glasses-review-2016-5



19 LinkedIn hacks that could help your business make tons of money

http://www.businessinsider.com/19-linkedin-hacks-that-sell-more-2016-1



5 email newsletters that will teach you more than an MBA

http://www.businessinsider.com/5-email-newsletters-that-will-teach-you-more-than-an-mba-2016-5



This man says a Google mistake completely destroyed his business

http://www.businessinsider.com/matt-haughey-when-google-update-hurt-metafilter-2016-5



How to find out everything Google knows about you

http://www.businessinsider.com/everything-google-knows-about-you-2016-5



Taking the Stigma Out of Buying Used Electronics

GameStop’s refurbishment of video game consoles underlines how a used electronic sold by a reputable brand can often be as good as buying new.

Amazon’s in-house program for pre-owned products is called Warehouse Deals. The giant online retailer sells used products in 25 categories.

items get a grade. “Like new” means it was probably untouched and in perfect condition; “very good” describes an item that was well cared for and lightly used; a “good” item might show signs of wear and tear but works perfectly; and “acceptable” would be something that has cosmetic issues like scratches and dents but otherwise works.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/28/technology/personaltech/taking-the-stigma-out-of-buying-usedelectronics.html?emc=edit_ct_20160428&nl=personaltech&nlid=11893479&_r=0



Video:
Scientists Discover Human Brain Is a Living Word Cloud

http://www.marketwatch.com/video/scientists-discover-human-brain-is-a-living-word-cloud/44356A90-9A46-408B-91B3-42B193DD70A8.html



IBM has a powerful new research project that anyone can use for free.
New quantum computing project is available to play with online.

Anyone from university researchers to tech savvy teenagers can apply through IBM Research’s website to test the processor.

http://fortune.com/2016/05/04/ibm-research-quantum-cloud/



the most difficult part of building a quantum computer is not figuring out how to make it compute, but rather finding a way to deal with all of the errors that it inevitably makes.

In order to flip the qubits back to their correct states, physicists have been developing an assortment of quantum error correction techniques. Most of them work by repeatedly making measurements on the system to detect errors and then correct the errors before they can proliferate. These approaches typically have a very large overhead, where a large portion of the computing power goes to correcting errors.

Eliot Kapit has proposed a different approach to quantum error correction. His method takes advantage of a recently discovered unexpected benefit of quantum noise: when carefully tuned, quantum noise can actually protect qubits against unwanted noise. Rather than actively measuring the system, the new method passively and autonomously suppresses and corrects errors, using relatively simple devices and relatively little computing power.

unwanted error states are quickly repaired by engineered dissipation, without the need for an external computer to watch the circuit and make decisions.

The new method can correct photon loss errors at rates up to 10 times faster than those achieved by active, measurement-based methods.

http://phys.org/news/2016-04-autonomous-quantum-error-method-greatly.html



Welcome to your Smart Future

One of the biggest mistakes most tech investors make is that they take a look at where a certain technology is at a certain point of time and decide that innovation and entrepreneurial innovation has stopped. It's best to remember that you can't take a snapshot of the smartphone technology in 2016 and think that it has much relevance to what the smartphone technology will be in 2021.

We are two innings into the nine-inning smartphone and apps revolution.

These days, I've been shifting my focus to the burgeoning and still barely existent Wearables Revolution.

We haven't even conceived of many of the incredible applications and innovations that Wearables and Virtual Reality Revolutions will bring to the world as they end up complementing and advancing each other.

The patent for smart contact lenses that Sony just filed this week calls for the ability to record — and watch — videos right from your own eyeballs.

all those complaints about VR-Face redlines and uncomfortable viewing masks for virtual reality are going to be silly and moot in another five years when people put on their smart contact lenses.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/welcome-to-your-smart-future-2016-05-04



Video:
These high-tech classes are the coolest thing happening in schools today

America is in the midst of a "Do It Yourself" (DIY) renaissance. Spurred on by networks like HGTVand DIY, as well as websites like Pinterest, people of all stripes are getting in on the action.

One of the hotbeds of this maker movement? Schools.

Classes that used to teach factory skills (i.e., woodworking or shop classes) now teach how to use 3D printers.

Kids learn best when actually doing things.

http://www.techinsider.io/makerspaces-diy-schools-2016-5



The key to repairing your bones may come out of a printer

Orthopedic surgeons are relying more and more on 3-D printing to build replacements for their patients’ defective or worn out bones.

the biggest potential benefit is the ability to design implants that are specific to an individual patient’s body.

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-key-to-repairing-your-bones-may-come-out-of-a-printer-2016-5



Estonia is the most technologically advanced nation in the world

Estonia, in the Baltics, has completely transformed its economy by supporting startups

The Baltic nation of only 1.3 million citizens stands out from its Eastern European neighbors in that it has an advanced economy and a high standard of living. And it’s a technology paradise. You may know it as the home of Skype. But there’s a lot more to the tiny country than that.

It’s easy to start businesses there, even if you are a foreigner.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-tiny-country-is-the-most-technologically-advanced-in-the-world-2016-05-05

Reader comment:
Estonia is 1.3 million people, and mostly one ethnicity and language. The U.S.A. is > 300 million people, on the same scale as the USSR which failed.
Getting agreement is easier the fewer and more homogeneous the population is.



Texting and Driving? Watch Out for the Textalyzer

The most provocative idea, from lawmakers in New York, is to give police officers a new device that is the digital equivalent of the Breathalyzer — a roadside test called the Textalyzer.

It would work like this: An officer arriving at the scene of a crash could ask for the phones of any drivers involved and use the Textalyzer to tap into the operating system to check for recent activity.

The technology could determine whether a driver had used the phone to text, email or do anything else that is forbidden under New York’s hands-free driving laws, which prohibit drivers from holding phones to their ear. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/28/science/driving-texting-safety-textalyzer.html?emc=edit_ct_20160428&nl=personaltech&nlid=11893479



Fraudulent hotel booking sites are more common than you might think — here's how you can spot them

The safest way is to book directly through a hotel's website, instead of a third party web site.

http://www.businessinsider.com/avoiding-fraudulent-hotel-booking-sites-2016-5



A ransom-demanding computer virus is promising to donate the money it extorts to charity

http://www.businessinsider.com/ransomware-cryptmix-promises-to-pay-ransoms-to-charity-extortion-virus-2016-5



The 272 million 'hacked' Gmail, Hotmail, and other accounts appear to be fake

http://www.techinsider.io/russian-hack-email-2016-5



A hacker is selling 57 million accounts on the dark web — but where they're from is a mystery

While it's not entirely clear where the accounts are from, it is clear that most are genuine.

http://www.techinsider.io/hacker-dark-web-accounts-2016-5



You Can't Escape Data Surveillance In America
The Fair Credit Reporting Act was intended to protect privacy, but its provisions have not kept pace with the radical changes wrought by the information age.

“People do not realize, for example, that their own credit files are accessible to virtually anyone who understands the workings of credit bureaus and has a few dollars to spend on a report,” said one study in 1969.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/04/credit-reporting-spying/480510/

Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth's Weekly Web Wrap-up for 5-1-2016

Video:

Here’s what happens when you block someone on your iPhone

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-block-contact-how-to-2016-4

 

 

 

iPad Pro 9.7 Review – On the road with the laptop killer

 

 I’ve been surprised just how much I’ve been able to get done on the iPad Pro.

 

http://www.slashgear.com/ipad-pro-9-7-review-on-the-road-with-the-laptop-killer-25437649/

 

 

 

iPhone SE Review: Apple's Outdated Innovation

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2016/04/30/apple-iphone-se-review/#500ffcc556e1

 

 

 

Apple's updated MacBook is indeed faster with longer battery life

 

http://www.engadget.com/2016/04/25/apple-macbook-review-2016/

 

 

 

With iPad Pro and True Tone, Apple finds reason to nerd out over iOS color management

 

Unless you're someone for whom color is important — a photographer or a designer, perhaps — you'll probably never notice color management at work. For that small group of insiders, though, color management is often absolutely critical.

 

iOS and OS X are now essentially at feature parity with respect to ColorSync.

 

http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/04/25/with-ipad-pro-and-true-tone-apple-finds-reason-to-nerd-out-over-ios-color-management

 

 

 

The top games Apple thinks everyone should have on their iPhone

 

http://www.techinsider.io/best-iphone-games-according-to-apple-2016-4

 

 

 

This is how I make my iPhone look so much better than yours

 

Better “wallpaper”.

 

http://bgr.com/2016/04/29/best-iphone-wallpapers-2016-free-download/

 

 

 

110 Best iPhone Apps for 2016

 

http://www.gottabemobile.com/2016/04/28/best-iphone-apps-for-2016/

 

 

Video:
The Return of the Dumb Phone

http://www.marketwatch.com/video/the-return-of-the-dumbphone/A5DF8F50-D9BD-443E-B85E-22BE942354CF.html

 

33 of the hardest questions Apple will ask in a job interview

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-hardest-apple-interview-questions-2016-4

 

 

 

ALICE COOPER Featured In New Apple Watch Commercial

Good humor.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCNB1z360A0&feature=youtu.be

 

 

 

Another cute Apple Watch ad

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1VwPwKmciQ

 

 

 

Apple - 40 Years in 40 Seconds

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtY0K2fiFOA

 

 

 

Elders React to Apple Watch

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSM08bzrxTg

 

 

 

We tried out the genius invention that fixes the MacBook's biggest design flaw

 

Actually, the flaw is NOT in the computer, but in how it’s plugged in while being recharged.

 

A very simple but very neat idea for a fix.

 

While it's great if you're plugging your MacBook into a wall, it's less optimal if you're plugging it into a horizontally-oriented power strip.

 

http://www.techinsider.io/blockhead-macbook-charger-review-2016-4

 

 

 

Apple Learns a Bitter Lesson in China

 

China’s recent decision to ban Apple from offering its iTunes Movies and iBooks Store services must have come as a shock to executives at Apple.

 

Apple has invested heavily in cultivating good relations with the Chinese government.

 

Yet the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) does not seem to value such demonstrations of goodwill.

Beijing wants to keep foreign firms from dominating China’s information sector and from posing an existential threat to the CCP’s monopoly of power.

 

http://fortune.com/2016/04/25/apple-china-market/

 

 

 

Carl Icahn dumps Apple stake amid China concerns

 

Icahn‘s investment firm owned 45.8 million shares of Apple as of Dec. 31, 2015.

 

activist investor Carl Icahn said he sold his entire stake in the company.

 

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/carl-icahn-dumps-apple-stake-amid-china-concerns-2016-04-28

 

 

 

Don’t Make The Same Mistake Carl Icahn Just Did By Dumping Apple

 

Apple’s a bargain in the mid-$90s for any investor with the right perspective.

My take is Apple is still worth $200 a share.

 

corporate activists are not in it because they believe in the goodness of their actions. They’re in it for the profits – pure and simple.

 

Activist investors force false attention on the short-term metrics they need to make their highly leveraged and short-term investment positions pay off. That’s why they push for things like giving cash back to shareholders, spinning off business units, or making a series of acquisitions using cash on hand to boost returns. It’s also why they push for board seats and changes in corporate governance.

 

More often than not, activist investors significantly weaken the companies they target over the long term.

 

http://totalwealthresearch.com/2016/04/dont-make-the-same-mistake-carl-icahn-just-did-by-dumping-apple/

 

 

 

We expect Apple stock to continue lower.

 

the decline we expect from Apple will likely be much longer lived than the one that happened before.

We maintain our bearish posture and suggest that investors who engaged short positions on the heels of our recommendations maintain those positions as well.

 

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/where-apples-miss-leaves-the-shares-2016-04-28

 

 

 

This guy got Windows 95 running on an Apple Watch

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-windows-95-on-apple-watch-2016-4

 

 

 

Windows 95 on your Apple Watch? Yes, you can, but it runs slower than molasses

… waited almost an hour just for the operating system to boot, mainly because emulation is not the best method to try and run an operating system.

 

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/windows-95-apple-watch/

 

 

 

The author of this articles says

Microsoft's first laptop knocks out the MacBook and the iPad with one punch

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-surface-book-review-2016-4

 

 

This incredible map shows the movement of every ship on the planet

http://www.businessinsider.com/kiln-interactive-map-of-global-shipping-2016-4



Inside 10 of the world's most ancient and beautiful libraries

http://www.techinsider.io/the-oldest-libraries-in-the-world-2016-4

Video:

Neil deGrasse Tyson explains why killer robots don't scare him

 

http://www.techinsider.io/neil-degrasse-tyson-artificial-intelligence-killer-robots-2015-11

 

Video:

Physicists came up with a simple way you can outperform supercomputers at quantum physics

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/gamers-beat-computers-quantum-physics-science-atoms-study-2016-4

 

https://www.scienceathome.org/games/quantum-moves/game

 

 

 

He was literally a rocket scientist. And even he couldn't figure out Windows

 

Originally, Oran says, it was called the "System" button, and it lived at the top of the screen. But for whatever reason, maybe because it sounded too technical, users in these Windows studies wouldn't click a System button no matter what. 

But once they renamed it the "Start" button, people understood it intuitively.

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-the-windows-start-button-2015-7

 

 

 

A hacker told me how to make a super strong password I can actually remember

 

Start with a sentence that’s easy to remember.

Make your password from the first letter in each word of your sentence.

 

For example:  “To be or not to be, that is the question” — becomes — “tbontbtitq”.

 

many people still resort to weak passwords, which hackers can easily guess.

 

http://www.techinsider.io/hacker-strong-password-2016-4

 

 

 

a USB stick is a hacker's best friend (and your worst nightmare)

 

Don’t trust any USB stick unless you know where it came from.

 

the threat posed by USB sticks in the workplace — and even the US military — is very real. 

And there's not really an easy solution.

 

http://www.techinsider.io/hackers-usb-sticks-2016-4

 

 

 

The Supreme Court approved a rule change that would let U.S. judges issue search warrants for access to computers located in any jurisdiction despite opposition from civil liberties groups who say it will greatly expand the FBI's hacking authority.

http://www.businessinsider.com/r-us-high-court-approves-rule-change-to-expand-fbi-hacking-power-2016-4