MyAppleMenu - Tue, Aug 4, 2015

Tue, Aug 4, 2015The Drive-By-Attacks Edition

0-Day Bug In Fully Patched OS X Comes Under Active Exploit To Hijack Macs, by Dan Goodin, Ars Technica

Hackers are exploiting a serious zero-day vulnerability in the latest version of Apple's OS X so they can perform drive-by attacks that install malware without requiring victims to enter system passwords, researchers said.

Security Researchers Build On PC Vulnerabilities To Create First Firmware-Based Mac Worm, by Mike Beasley, 9to5Mac

In fact, the researchers found that of the six vulnerabilities they tested on PCs from various manufacturers, all but one also affected Macs.

Stuff.

My Favorite Mac: The New 12″ Retina MacBook, by TJ Luoma, MacStories

After three weeks of use, I can say with absolute certainty that I regret absolutely nothing about this MacBook. I don’t even mind the fact that I didn’t get the Space Gray model, since I have a lot of other silver-colored accessories, like the SuperDrive, and my external USB drive. I have FileVault 2 running and haven’t noticed any slow-downs. I have over 300 GB free on my internal drive, so there’s plenty of space. I have used Apple’s new Photos app and performance is good, at least so far with my “test” library. The most CPU-intensive stuff I have done is some very light audio editing using Fission and Audacity (basically trimming, applying a few effects, and exporting) and performance has been fine. I can watch 1080p video in VLC without any issues.

And all the while the MacBook runs smooth, cool, and quiet. The screen still amazes me every day. I still love the keyboard every bit as much as I did the first time I tried it. The size and weight (or lack thereof) are both very impressive. Grabbing my laptop to go with me is no more of a problem than grabbing my iPad would be, and I get all of the advantages of having OS X with me wherever I go.

Tested: Six Third-Party Apple Watch Bands, by Sarah Jacobson Purewal, Macworld

While Apple has a ton of great-looking options, its designs can be limiting if you’re not a fan of their looks, price points, or materials. Luckily, third-party Apple Watch bands have hit the market, offering more affordable leather straps, glittery sport-like bands, mixed-metal designs, and more—not just cheap $20 knock-offs of Apple’s own unique bands.

Brain Training App Could Help People With Schizophrenia, by Kate Kelland, Reuters

A "brain training" iPad game developed in Britain may improve the memory of patients with schizophrenia, helping them in their daily lives at home and at work, researchers said on Monday.

Miss Your Friends? Meet With A Pixcall And Sync Photos, by Sandy Stachowiak, AppAdvice

Pixcall is a photo messaging type of app where you take photos at the same time as your friends and family by creating an event.

This Mac App Gives You One Reminder That Will Make Your Day A Little Healthier, by Nathan Mcalone, Business Insider

Creators Red Davis and Hector Simpson are fans of the the Apple Watch’s reminder to stand up every hour. But they want everyone to get up from their collective desks and move around a bit, not just Apple Watch owners, so they created Stand.

Develop.

The Post-Mac Interface, by Adam Baker, Medium

It’s been almost 20 years since the Anti-Mac design principles were proposed, and almost 30 since the original Apple Human Interface Guidelines were published. Did the Anti-Mac principles supersede those of the Mac?

Here I reflect on the Mac design principles of 1986, the Anti-Mac design principles of 1996, and what I observe as apparent (and cheekily named) Post-Mac design principles of 2016… er, 2015.

Parting Words

If you want to be a healthy and sane manager/leader in 5 years, start meditating now. Wish I had an easier piece of advice, but that's it.

— Camille Fournier (@skamille) August 4, 2015

Thanks for reading.