MyAppleMenu - Thu, Nov 26, 2015

Thu, Nov 26, 2015The Someday-At-Christmas Edition

Apple Posts ‘Someday At Christmas’ Ad Featuring Andra Day And Stevie Wonder, by Federico Veticci, MacStories

Apple uploaded a new holiday commercial today (just ahead of Thanksgiving in the United States) featuring soul singer Andra Day and Stevie Wonder playing Wonder's 1967 classic 'Someday at Christmas'.

Pay Future

For Apple And Venmo, China Shows What Lies Ahead, by Aaron Back, Wall Street Journal

In China today, it is commonplace to pay for food delivery, taxis, restaurant meals, movie tickets and much more with a mobile phone. For would-be disrupters in the U.S. and elsewhere, this provides a road map of sorts for how the industry is likely to evolve, as well as where potential potholes lie.

UnionPay, Apple Said To Reach Apple Pay Agreement For China, by Bloomberg

China UnionPay Co. and Apple Inc. have reached a preliminary agreement to introduce Apple Pay in China through UnionPay’s point-of-sales network, people familiar with the matter said.

Trust

Some Important Updates, by Ben Brooks

While I still believe gendered, and personal, attacks on anybody for their opinions is fully unwarranted, it has become increasingly clear to me I have misplaced my trust in this person. That misplaced trust was something this person appears to have been depending on and I regret this very much.

Stuff

Moleskine Timepage Calendar App Updated With New Heatmap Month View, by Aldrin Calimlim, AppAdvice

The new feature in question is the much requested month view. But Timepage’s month view is no ordinary month view. It’s actually a heatmap of your schedule that lets you see at a glance when you’re busy and when you’re free, with busier days indicated with stronger colors.

Mophie Juice Pack Air (For iPhone 6/6s), by Timothy Torres, PC Magazine

If you want a sleek, attractive case that doubles the life of your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6s, the Mophie Juice Pack Air is a great option. It doubles the battery life of your device, and looks good while doing so. That said, the Boostcase remains our Editors' Choice for its detchable design, allowing you to ditch the battery when you don't need it.

Fitness Tracker And Digital Coach Moov Now Invades Apple Stores, by C. Custer, Tech In Asia

Develop

Facebook Has A Fix For Frustrating Password Entry On The Apple TV, by Sam Byford, The Verge

The company's new SDK for tvOS apps lets developers lean on Facebook for the login process; users can go to facebook.com/devices on their phone or computer and enter a verification code to log in instantly.

Shrinking To Zero: The Raspberry Pi Gets Smaller, by Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC

It was launched in February 2012 with modest ambitions to give young people a small cheap programmable device - and has become Britain's most successful homegrown computer. Now Raspberry Pi is getting smaller and cheaper.

Notes

Pandora Is Streaming Adele's 25 And Her Label Can't Stop It, by Jaco Kastrenakes, The Verge

25 isn't on Pandora because Adele specifically wanted it there. It's on Pandora because Adele and her label don't have a say. Spotify, Apple Music, and other music streaming services that let you choose exactly which songs you want to hear all operate through direct deals with record labels. Those deals give artists and labels the ability to withhold specific songs and albums when they choose to, which is why you see major names like Adele and Taylor Swift withholding albums to boost physical sales or for use as a bargaining chip. Pandora, on the other hand, doesn't have a deal with labels. It relies on a law governing "non-interactive" streaming services — basically, anything akin to a traditional radio broadcast — which allows it to stream any song with a US copyright so long as it pays a federally established fee.

Firefox Maker Mozilla: We Don't Need Google's Money Anymore, by Stephen Shankland, CNET

Mozilla, based in Mountain View, California, ditched the global Google deal at the end of last year, moving instead to regional deals with other search engine companies, notably Yahoo in the United States, Baidu in China and Yandex in Russia.

Now, Mozilla gets no revenue at all from Google, even though Google is still the default search engine for Firefox users in Europe, said Denelle Dixon-Thayer, Mozilla's chief business and legal officer.

The Strange Truth Behind Presidential Turkey Pardons, by Domenico Montanaro, NPR

Ronald Reagan in 1987 was technically the first president to use the word "pardon" about a turkey, but it was really just a way to deflect questions about the Iran-Contra scandal and whether he would pardon key players involved — Oliver North and John Poindexter. The bird, "Charlie," was already headed for a petting zoo, but after Sam Donaldson of ABC News pressed Reagan on whether he'd pardon North and Poindexter, Reagan responded, "If they'd given me a different answer on Charlie and his future, I would have pardoned him."

Two years later, George H.W. Bush formalized the turkey pardoning ceremony, giving birth to the modern-day tradition.

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Thank you for reading, and may everyone be blessed.