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The Loop-You-In Edition Friday, March 11, 2016

Apple Announces March 21 Event, by Jim Darlymple, The Loop

There are a number of products rumored to be announced at the event including a smaller iPhone (think iPhone 5s), iPads, Apple Watch bands, and Apple Pay updates. Of course, only the executives at Apple know for sure what will make the cut on event day.

Welcome To The Social

When You Listen To Music, You’re Never Alone, by Daniel A. Gross, Nautilus

Recent looks at the evolution and neurology of music suggest we are not waltzing by ourselves. Musical experiences are inherently social, scientists tell us, even when they happen in private. When we listen alone, we feel together.

Why 1984 Won't Be Like 1984

What Happens When The Surveillance State Becomes An Affordable Gadget?, by Robert Kolker, Bloomberg

“Anybody can make a StingRay with parts from the Internet,” Rigmaiden tells me, citing a long litany of experiments over the years in which researchers have done just that. “The service provider is never going to know. There’s never any disruption. It’s basically completely stealth.” In the coming age of democratized surveillance, the person hacking into your cell phone might not be the police or the FBI. It could be your next-door neighbor.

FBI Could Force Us To Turn On iPhone Cameras And Microphones, Says Apple, by Samuel Gibbs, The Guardian

If the FBI wins in its case against Apple to help it unlock the San Bernardino killer’s iPhone 5C, it won’t be long before the government forces Apple to turn on users’ iPhone cameras and microphones to spy on them, according to the company’s head of services Eddy Cue.

Apple And U.S. Bitterly Turn Up Volume In iPhone Privacy Fight, by Eric LichtBlau and Katie Benner, New York Times

The Obama administration argued on Thursday that “no single corporation” — even one as successful as Apple — should be allowed to flout the rule of law by refusing to help the F.B.I. unlock the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino, Calif., attackers.

The administration’s sharp tone in a new court filing drew an angry and emotional rebuke from lawyers for Apple, who accused the government of “a cheap shot” and were particularly upset about what they said was an unfair and inaccurate suggestion that the company has a special relationship with China to protect its corporate interests there.

UK Surveillance Powers Bill Could Force Startups To Bake In Backdoors, by Natasha Lomas, TechCrunch

While the Apple vs FBI court battle has drawn all eyes to the question of what should be considered ‘reasonable assistance’ for companies to provide law enforcement agencies, over in the UK the government is attempting to enshrine in law surveillance capabilities that would enable state agencies to compel even very small startups to bake insecurities into their systems in order to be able to hack users on demand.

Don't Quit On Me

Apple’s Software SVP Says Quitting Multitasking Apps Not Necessary, Won’t Offer Improved Battery Life, by Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac

A 9to5Mac reader decided to ask Tim Cook for an official stance on whether he quits all his apps and if it’s necessary. Although Cook didn’t answer, Apple iOS chief Craig Federighi did with an unambiguous answer ‘no and no’ …

Stuff

Audiobooks Purchased From Apple Can Now Be Re-Downloaded Through iCloud, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

Audiobooks are now listed in a customer's iBooks purchase history and can be re-downloaded just like standard e-books.

MacBook Accessories Reduce Single USB-C Port Inconvenience, by Julio Ojeda-Zapata, TidBITS

Independent manufacturers have stepped in with more accessory options for port expansion, as well as for power, storage, and more. I’ve been testing several of these, and have a few recommendations.

Hands On: Drafts 4.6 (iOS), by William Gallagher, MacNN

Visual updates and extra features for first-class writing app.

How One App Aims To Disrupt The Desk Lunch, by Gloria Dawson, Eater

Where did you eat lunch today? Chances are, you were at your desk. But Stas Matviyenko, founder of the app Allset, wants to change that: "Our mission is to bring people from offices to restaurants, to get all the benefits of a restaurant experience and have a proper lunch break," he says. The app coordinates with restaurants and combines reservations, ordering, and payment into one interface, and ensures lunch arrives moments after diners arrive. "We called it Allset because every time you finish in the restaurant and everything is okay," Matviyenko says, "everyone says ‘all set.'"

New App Turns Your Friends’ Phones Into One Big Speaker, by James Covert, New York Post

Smartphones are the audio systems of the future. If that sounds far-fetched, check out AmpMe, a free mobile app that can sync multiple iPhones and Android phones at once to fill a room, a schoolyard or a picnic with your favorite music.

Develop

MIT May Have Just Given The Web A Huge Speed Boost, by Nicholas Deleon, Motherboard

Announced on Wednesday morning, Polaris is a software framework that attempts to speed up the web by addressing how web browsers and web servers interact. Developed by a team of researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, the framework may reduce the amount of time you wait for webpages by as much as 34 percent.

How Regular One-on-One Meetings Saved Our Company Culture, by Alex Turnbull, Groove

One-on-one meetings take a lot of time, and the investment increases as you grow. Here’s why it’s worth it.

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