MyAppleMenu - Sun, Aug 16, 2015

Sun, Aug 16, 2015The Null-Pointer-Dereference Edition

New Privilege Escalation Exploit Discovered In OS X Yosemite, Also Affects Just-Released 10.10.5, by Sam Oliver, AppleInsider

The exploit was discovered by Italian developer Luca Todesco, who relies on a combination of attacks — including a null pointer dereference in OS X's IOKit — to drop a proof-of-concept payload into a root shell. It affects every version of OS X Yosemite, but seems to have been mitigated in OS X El Capitan, which is nearing release.

Todesco did not disclose the problem to Apple before sharing it publicly early Sunday, so it remains to be seen how quickly the company will respond.

Array Of Content

Guggenheim Museum Releases New Free App For iPad, by Dexigner

The new iPad app brings together a rich array of content highlighting the museum's collections and exhibitions as well as its publications archive, offering access to more than 100 out-of-print titles dating back to the 1930s.

Browser Fairy Overcomes Browser Commitment Phobia, by TJ Luoma, MacStories

Browser Fairy allows you to set different browsers to open different links, rather than having to use the same browser for everything.

Stuff.

How To Create A Recoverable Workspace In Mac OS X For Safe Photo Editing, by Michael Archambault, PetaPixel

Many photographers unfortunately know the horror of editing a photograph and accidentally saving over the original copy all too well. While Lightroom implements a non-destructive system for saving files, Photoshop can be a bit more dangerous, and accidents do occur. Today, we will show you how to set up a safe workspace area on your Mac that will back up photographs as you edit them.

'Drunk Mode' App Is Redefining The College Party Experience, by Andrew Isaac Burrill, The Huffington Post

Not only does this app protect your own social and mental health, it also ensures that you are paying proper to attention to the safety and well being of the friends you went out with for the evening.

Mobile News App Wildcard Bets On A Card-Based Design To Attract Users, by Rachel Raudenbush, Digiday

Notes.

New 'Magic Mouse 2' And Apple Wireless Keyboard With Bluetooth 4.2 Appear In FCC Filings, by Mitchel Broussard, MacRumors

The internals of both devices will see a notable overhaul in their Bluetooth capabilities, with each device getting a bump from Bluetooth 2.1 to Bluetooth 4.2. The upgrade will bring about Apple accessories that should see a noticeable increase in battery life and more robust communication between the input devices and the main computer.

Apple And Google May Have To Show Tax Paid In Australia Under Senate Proposal, by Bridie Jabour, The Guardian

Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas In A Bruising Workplace, by Jodi Kantor and David Streitfeld, New York Times

Even as the company tests delivery by drone and ways to restock toilet paper at the push of a bathroom button, it is conducting a little-known experiment in how far it can push white-collar workers, redrawing the boundaries of what is acceptable. The company, founded and still run by Jeff Bezos, rejects many of the popular management bromides that other corporations at least pay lip service to and has instead designed what many workers call an intricate machine propelling them to achieve Mr. Bezos’ ever-expanding ambitions.

Parting Words

I can feel a lifetime of dread in that tiny moment when your phone freezes for a split second because a call is about to come in.

— Roman Mars (@romanmars) July 30, 2015

Thanks for reading.