April 2011
62 posts
“When you connect your TomTom to a computer we aggregate this information and use...”
–
— TomTom’s recent update to their website explaining that yes, they too collect user data, including driving speed, and that they also send this data to law enforcement (via CNET)
Everyone had a jolly good time last week shitting all over Apple for anonymously collecting imprecise location data...
“The problem is that they’re seen as disposable product. By this I don’t mean...”
– The problem with Android tablets - Manufacturers see them as disposable | ZDNet
via The Macalope
(via chartier)
Most bizarre personality test I've ever taken →
very strange - would like to know what’s behind it.
“The United States has always maintained a white underclass — citizens whose role...”
– Joe Bageant, “Lost in the American Undertow” (via dailyrenegade)
“You must teach your children that
the ground beneath their feet is
the ashes...”
– Chief Seattle’s Testimony, 1854 (via awakeinthedream)
Robert Reich: The Wageless Recovery →
robertreich:
This week’s biggest economic show occurs tomorrow (Wednesday) when Fed chair Ben Bernanke steps in front of the cameras for the Fed’s first-ever news conference. The question on everyone’s mind: Will the Fed signal it’s now more worried about inflation than recession?
Much of Wall Street thinks…
Bill Nye Boo'd In Texas For Saying The Moon... →
thememegeneration:
This is old (2/2009), but I missed it. Wow.
Bill Nye, the harmless children’s edu-tainer known as “The Science Guy,” managed to offend a select group of adults in Waco, Texas at a presentation, when he suggested that the moon does not emit light, but instead reflects the light of the sun.
As even most elementary-school graduates know, the moon reflects the light of the sun...
THE ELABORATED - by Tim Ricchuiti - Consider the... →
streakmachine:
Tim Ricchuiti muses on the possible future of high-rez displays in Mac’s. Some quite interesting speculation and theories. Go check it out!
“Writing computer programs is important and takes great intelligence and skill....”
– — Robert L. Read, How to be a Programmer: A Short, Comprehensive, and Personal Summary
I always forward this to anyone I take on as a computer science student to read before anything else. It’s available in print on Amazon.
It’s not a technical book, and there is no code. It’s a manual for how to...
Five Website Blunders That Need to Die - PCWorld... →
streakmachine:
chaoticplanet:
So what are they then?
Get Adobe Reader
Your Computer Needs This Plug-in to Continue
You must upgrade your browser to continue
Sites That Redirect to Country-specific Sites Without Asking
Accessing Via a Phone? Then You’ll Need Our Mobile Site
I agree wholeheartedly with these. Nothing more annoying on my iphone when the bloody website turns into...
Update: Some channels work perfectly and some...
evangotlib:
Unscrew all of the cable connections and reattach, especially at the wall. Reboot your box. You’ll be fine.
you might try calling the cable company’s automated phone line. Mine has an option to “refresh the descrambler box” - takes around 15 minutes, but if the other things didn’t work, sometimes this does. And if that doesn’t work, call them again...
Getting some perspective on iPhones remembering...
We’re upset that, with a lot of effort, someone with our iPhone can find out where we’ve been (although not accurately); yet we’re not at all upset that, with no effort at all, someone with our iPhone can find out who we called, when, and for how long (and the same about who called us) — and they can listen to any voicemails we got in the past month (check under Voicemail /...
BlackBerry PlayBook: Abandon All Hope - Forbes →
chartier:
Quentin Hardy:
The setup is long, because RIMM has to get your data before anything else – you know, anything suggesting why you might want to give it data. Didn’t fill it out the way it liked, and a yellow triangle with an exclamation point appeared. It is up to me to figure out the problem. In my case, I gave it the wrong BlackBerry ID – something I entered in the phone some time...
GPGTools →
onethingwell:
The GPGTools are a collection of open source tools for encryption on Mac OS X, gathered in an all-in-one-Installer solution. It installs all related OpenPGP applications, plugins and dependencies. You can choose which components to install.
Several things well, then, including GPG for Mail, and a handy set of Services.
Thanks, Sebatsien.
iPhone 5 - 8 megapixel camera a step backwards? |... →
streakmachine:
Interesting thoughts on going from 5Mpix to 8Mpix camera sensor wouldn’t necessarily mean a step up in quality. While it might not be absolute fact, it does show that more is not always better.
I still stand by that about 4Mpix is the sweet spot for most people. Those who consider themselves enthusiasts would most likely want more of everything, but they are not indicative of the...
iPhone keeps record of everywhere you go |... →
chartier:
Charles Arthur:
Security researchers have discovered that Apple’s iPhone keeps track of where you go – and saves every detail of it to a secret file on the device which is then copied to the owner’s computer when the two are synchronised.
The file contains the latitude and longitude of the phone’s recorded coordinates along with a timestamp, meaning that anyone who stole the phone...
Dropbox Lack of Security - Miguel de Icaza →
chartier:
Dropbox says that all files are encrypted during transmission and storage. Even employees can’t gain access. But Dropbox recently changed its security TOS to state that it will decrypt and provide your files to government agencies if legally requested.
So, Miguel asks: if there is some sort of backdoor way to unlock our encryption keys upon government request, how will the company...
What Lucky People Do Different →
spytap:
Great morning read.
Recently I came upon a fascinating study by Richard Wiseman, a psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire. Wiseman surveyed a number of people and, through a series of questionnaires and interviews, determined which of them considered themselves lucky—or unlucky. He then performed an intriguing experiment:
Very nice article. But don’t stop there -...
Andy Ihnatko on upgrading →
streakmachine:
Andy Ihnatko gives some very healthy perspective on the whole upgrade process.
Food for thought!
The Unleashed Mind: Why Creative People Are... →
fuckyeahneuroscience:
Highly creative people often seem weirder than the rest of us. Now researchers know why.
It isn’t just average Joes who perceive highly creative individuals as eccentric. These individuals often see themselves as different and unable to fit in. The latest findings in brain imaging, creativity research and molecular biology suggest that these perceptions are not just based...
4 tags
Navigon does not recognize addresses with Apt or...
This wouldn’t be so bad if it just said “I don’t understand”, but Navigon will actually try to figure out the city (which it sometimes gets wrong because it is already confused by the apt# or suite#) and tries to send you there. This is often wrong. In my case, I was trying to get somewhere new while it was snowing, and it took me down some winding country roads and left me...
Your 2010 Federal Taxpayer Receipt →
meetjoewhite:
An interesting governmental transparency tool in the digital age.
programmingmeetsmath:
vananhcao:
“C++ : Where friends have access to your private members.”
Oh god.
Sorry, you won’t get this unless you know an object-oriented programming language.
Funny! :))
Watchsection9:
lauramets:
thechelseaclare:
skatiewhealy:
lordtaco:
OH. MY. GOD.
brb tickling a penguin.
WHAT.
LAURA LAURA LAURA! LOOK!!
OH MY GOD, THIS IS BY FAR THE MOST ADORABLE THING I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE 18 YEARS OF EXISTENCE!!!
Oh. My. God.
2012 Trump/Palin bumper sticker" "You're Fired!"/...
danielholter:
morninggloria:
Outstanding.
Oh man.
1 tag
An Apple rumor I'd like to see
I’d like to see a rumor that Apple is working on doing something with the huge wasted real-estate on the back of the device; why not put a second screen on the back (iPad and iPhone)?
In most cases, the gyroscope can tell the device which side is “up”, and when it’s wrong (like when the user is lying on their back), the user just touches the home button of the screen...
FileShuttle, an easy file sharing app. →
minimalmac:
finermac:
This is pretty neat. FileShuttle is one of these ultrasimple file sharing apps like CloudApp, but you host the files yourself.
I gave it a go by creating a directory called “shared” on one of my sites. Files are uploaded via FTP or SFTP when you drag them onto the FileShuttle icon in the Dock. It does a few things that CloudApp doesn’t like zipping up files before...
Streakmachine: Rumors stating the obvious →
streakmachine:
Apple has been building prototypes with carbon fiber casings, according to a rumor that popped up lately. While this might be interesting from some angles, is anyone really surprised by this, should there be even a shred of truth to it?
I don’t know about you, but wouldn’t it make sense for a…
Watchjquig99:
Want. This. Now. (via Coudal.com)
just speechless.
“Buddha said: What-soever happens, happens. Nothing else can happen, nothing else...”
– Osho (via awakeinthedream)
“Yes, Obama duped young people by not doing every single thing they want. So now,...”
– Stephen Colbert
Via jazzyjenn
(via dailyrenegade)
“Stumbling upon the next great invention in an “ah-ha!” moment is a myth. It is...”
– James Dyson (via entrepreneurwisdom)
100%
(via zadi)
Overnight success is a ten year process.
(via spytap)
Streakmachine: GTD and other ways to waste your... →
streakmachine:
My good buddy Terry Lucy wrote a farewell letter of sorts to GTD, as he thinks it is more of a chore to keep it going than it does benefit for you. I’m inclined to agree with him. I too have tried to live with the system and really pushed myself to get things out of my head and into apps…
“I have to say, as someone who is not Christian, it’s hard for me to believe...”
– Jon Stewart to Mike Huckabee on The Daily Show (via onusmemorandi)
Yeah. I can’t speak for any Non-Christian religion, but being an Atheist in this country is just asking people to mistreat and abuse you out of “love.”
Christians are about as persecuted as Wall Street executives.
Mike Huckabee is...
