MyAppleMenu - Fri, Jul 24, 2015

Fri, Jul 24, 2015The Throwing-Its-Support Edition

Apple Throws Its Weight Behind Historic LGBT Equality Act, by Issie Lapowsky, Wired

Members of Congress introduced sweeping legislation today that would outlaw discrimination against LGBT people under federal law, and the world’s most valuable company is throwing its support behind the bill.

The Force Touch Trackpad, by Fraser Speirs

Yes, I'm unlearning decades of muscle memory, but when I started to just think about it like an iPhone, it became incredibly fast and fluid to use. It might be the first trackpad that's as fast and precise as a mouse.

ADA25

Accessibility rights are human rights. Celebrating 25yrs of the ADA, we’re humbled to improve lives with our products. #ADA25

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) July 24, 2015

Rock Out While Doing Homework

Apple Launches 2015 Back To School Promotion, Offers Free Beats Solo2 Headphones With Mac Purchase, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

Apple will apply an instant credit in the amount of $199.95 to cover the full cost of the Beats Solo 2 On-Ear headphones in gloss black, white, red, blue, gray or pink. Apple is also offering the option to upgrade to Beats Solo2 Wireless On-Ear Headphones in space gray, silver or gold for $100 extra, which is the remaining balance after the $199.95 credit is applied.

Stuff.

Ask The iTunes Guy: Coping With iTunes Features That Have Disappeared, by Kirk McElhearn, Macworld

iPod Touch 2015 Review, by Rene Ritchie, iMore

An App Edits Your iPhone Clips Into A Pretty Decent Music Video, by Karissa Bell, Mashable

Triller is a new iOS app that is trying to turn anyone with an iPhone into a music video director by automating the most difficult part of making any video: the editing process.

App In The Air 5.0 Keeps You Up To Date With Your Most Important Travel Details, by Joseph Keller, iMore

Microsoft Office iOS Apps Add Outlook Integration, Improved Sharing, Protected Documents, & More, by Jordan Kahn, 9to5Mac

Develop.

Six In One, by Daniel Jalkut, Bitsplitting.org

There’s a ton of totally vexing behavior that seems to be ill-spirited towards Mac developers, but also a ton that seems to hold iOS developers in low regard. I think this speaks to the likely truth that Apple is, more than anything, under-staffed and not well situated to deploy solutions to both platforms in tandem.

The Curious Case Of Xcode’s Commit Message, by Daniel Jalkut, Indiestack

Notes.

Apple Yanks Google's Nest Smart Thermostat From Website And Retail Stores, by Samantha Murphy Kelly, Mashable

Apple's product assortment is always changing — and it recently scaled down on the number of items it is offering in stores — but the removal doesn't come as a huge surprise as the company looks to promote the incoming flux of HomeKit-enabled devices.

You Are Now Liable For Your Butt Dials, by Natalie Kitroeff, Bloomberg

A federal appeals court in Cincinnati ruled yesterday that somebody who accidentally calls somebody else isn't protected by a right to privacy; whatever the person on the other end hears is fair game. Having a mobile device that everyone knows can trigger calls accidentally means you can be snooped on when the gut-wrenching mistake occurs, the panel of judges decided. Having a butt has never been more dangerous.

Go Hug A Tree

How Trees Calm Us Down, by Alex Hutchinson, New Yorker

In 1984, a researcher named Roger Ulrich noticed a curious pattern among patients who were recovering from gallbladder surgery at a suburban hospital in Pennsylvania. Those who had been given rooms overlooking a small stand of deciduous trees were being discharged almost a day sooner, on average, than those in otherwise identical rooms whose windows faced a wall. The results seemed at once obvious—of course a leafy tableau is more therapeutic than a drab brick wall—and puzzling. Whatever curative property the trees possessed, how were they casting it through a pane of glass?

Parting Words

Cats seem unpredictable until you realize that their primary goal in life is to be on top of warm things. pic.twitter.com/v7Jdj7vIGY

— Allen Pike (@apike) July 24, 2015

Thanks for reading.