MyAppleMenu - Sun, Jun 21, 2015

Sun, Jun 21, 2015The Go-Unpaid Edition

Security Matters

Apple Institutes Partial Fix For 'XARA' Exploits; Patch In Progress, by MacNN

The iPhone maker confirmed that it was aware of the XARA weaknesses, and the potential exploits. "Earlier this week, we implemented a server-side app security update that secures app data and blocks apps with sandbox configuration issues from the Mac App Store," an Apple spokesman said in a statement. "We have additional fixes in progress, and are working with the researchers to investigate the claims in their paper."

Three Months Of Nothing

To Apple, Love Taylor, by Taylor Swift

Three months is a long time to go unpaid, and it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing. I say this with love, reverence, and admiration for everything else Apple has done. I hope that soon I can join them in the progression towards a streaming model that seems fair to those who create this music. I think this could be the platform that gets it right.

But I say to Apple with all due respect, it’s not too late to change this policy and change the minds of those in the music industry who will be deeply and gravely affected by this. We don’t ask you for free iPhones. Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation.

It Doesn't Matter That Taylor Swift And Other Famous Musicians Won't Be Part Of Apple's New Music Service, by Steve Kovach, Business Insider

Apple Music syncs with iTunes, the largest digital music store on the planet. If for some reason you can't find the song you want in Apple's 30-million-track streaming library, you'll still be able to buy it through iTunes and listen to it in the same app.

Midnight Run

Jeez, Apple Watch. It’s 11 minutes past midnight. Can’t you wait until morning to tell me I’m not making progress on Sunday's fitness goals?

— Andy Ihnatko (@Ihnatko) June 21, 2015

Stuff.

You Win, Microsoft: How I Accidentally Went Back To Microsoft Word, by Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica

The new "let's publish our applications in places where users are actually going" Microsoft is easier to live with and, paradoxically, has gotten me to buy further into the Microsoft ecosystem than I ever would have done otherwise. For any person or group of people who needs to use the same tools on a diverse mix of hardware and software platforms, in the last year Office has gone from being a non-starter to a surprisingly viable option.

When Even A MacBook Air Is Too Big, by Bill Bennett, Geekzone

Normally I find the iPhone 6 Plus is fine for emails, admin and short bursts of text, but prefer something with a physical keyboard for longer writing jobs.

There were deadlines to worry about so I decided to push the technology beyond my comfort zone. I wrote a lengthy feature, two news stories and two detailed article outlines during the flight.

Hands On Tracing Paper 5.2.1 (iOS), by Michelle Elbert, MacNN

It's an app that creates a semi-opaque filter over a photo imported from the Camera Roll, this allows the lines drawn by the user to show up better.

Develop.

No Time To Be Nice At Work, by Christine Porath, New York Times

Rudeness and bad behavior have all grown over the last decades, particularly at work. For nearly 20 years I’ve been studying, consulting and collaborating with organizations around the world to learn more about the costs of this incivility. How we treat one another at work matters. Insensitive interactions have a way of whittling away at people’s health, performance and souls.

Notes.

The Award-Winning Apple Feature You've Never Seen: VoiceOver, by Lance Ulanoff, Mashable

The award was for Apple VoiceOver, assistive technology which comes pre-loaded on all iOS and OS X devices and turns the iPhone into a speaking and guiding device. Every app, icon and action is illustrated with words. The feature lives under Setting/General/Accessibility. Turn it on and your iPhone will turn into chatty Cathy, literally narrating its entire existence.

In short, it turns that “black piece of glass” into a fully usable device for someone who can’t see or is visually impaired.

Parting Words

They started using Linux at the fortune cookie factory because they heard they could save a fortune. pic.twitter.com/Pi4Z6ykzg0

— Command Line Magic (@climagic) June 19, 2015

Thanks for reading.