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The Can't-Be-Reset Edition Saturday, March 25, 2017

When Fingerprints Are As Easy To Steal As Passwords, by Kaveh Waddell, The Atlantic

The fundamental trouble with biometrics is that they can’t be reset. If the pattern of one of your fingerprints is compromised, that’s fine; you have a few backups. But if they’re all gone—some law-enforcement databases contain images of all ten fingers—getting them replaced isn’t an option. The same goes for eyes, which are used for iris or retina scans, and your face. Unlike a compromised password, these things can’t be changed without unpleasant surgery or mutilation. [...]

To overcome the security risk of static fingerprints, irises, and face shapes, some research has turned to the development of changeable biometrics.

Microsoft Word Macro Malware Automatically Adapts Attack Techniques For macOS, Windows, by Malcolm Owen, AppleInsider

A form of Word macro-based malware has been uncovered that can affect both macOS and Windows users when executed, with the malicious file modifying its attack method depending on which operating system it detects it is being run within. [...]

If macOS is detected, another python script is run which again extracts code from a base64-encoded string, which then downloads and executes a file from a specific URL. The downloaded "meterpreter" file is another python script, again modified from the Metasploit framework, used as a dynamically extensible payload that can run commands provided by a server.

Stuff

Apple Releases Revised Version Of iTunes 12.6, Eliminates Strange 'Profile Page' Toggle, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

Apple today released a revised version of iTunes 12.6, which appears to eliminate a hidden option that may have accidentally been built into the software release.

How To Set Up Two-factor Authentication For Your Apple ID And iCloud Account, by Susie Ochs, Macworld

Using two-factor authentication should protect you completely. It’s easy to set up, so take a minute and do it now.

Bear Is The Perfect Balance Between The Bloat Of Evernote And The Simplicity Of Plain Text, by Thorin Klosowski, Lifehacker

When it first launched, Bear was an intriguing alternative to bloated note-taking apps like Evernote and OneNote, but it was still a little too new to dive into. After a couple minor iterations, I’m convinced it’s a worthy alternative for those sick of the bloat of other notes apps and for those who like the take-home simplicity of plain text. Provided you’re in the Apple ecosystem, anyway.

Ticket To Earth Review: A Colorful, Intelligent, And Original Strategy RPG You'll Love!, by Luke Filipowicz, iMore

An original battle system that breathes new life into the strategy RPG genre. The Movement system offers an extremely deep and complex combat experience that never goes stale, as there is always new powers and abilities to acquire.

How To Free Up Storage On An iPhone Or iPad, by Kirk McElhearn, The Mac Security Blog

In this article, I'm going to show you some ways you can free up storage on your iOS device, so you have more room to add apps, music, and more. Let's get started!

Develop

APFS’s “Bag Of Bytes” Filenames, by Michael Tsai

iOS 10.3 is scheduled to ship in a matter of weeks or months, and it will convert existing volumes to APFS. It’s not trivial to make an app that was accustomed to working with a normalized file system work without one. And since there was no announcement, I doubt most developers have even thought about this. So this is bound to cause lots of bugs.

On Comments, by Soroush Khanlou

My perspective on comments comes from two facts: 1) Comments don’t compile. 2) Comments are usually a subdued color in your syntax highlighter. Because they don’t compile and because they fade away from sight, it’s very easy to ignore them as you make changes to the code. If you make changes and don’t update the comments, you end up with a comment that doesn’t accurately reflect the content of code.

Notes

The DOE Called This Queens School Newspaper "Fake News." The Students Responded With Journalism, by Max Rivlin-Nadler, Village Voice

Last week, the staff of the Classic, the student newspaper at Flushing's Townsend Harris High School, gathered in a third-floor hallway to discuss a plan of attack for reporting on a decision that could change their school forever. Following allegations that interim principal Rosemarie Jahoda had berated individual teachers, ignored students with disabilities at her previous high school, and bungled the handling of an Islamophobic incident at Townsend Harris, the New York City Department of Education was bringing in candidates who might replace her. The staff of the Classic, which had reported for months on the controversy, had decided to take it upon themselves to meet the contenders.

Bottom of the Page

So, here are the first three workflows I've created in Workflow:

a. Add current song to a playlist

b. Prompt for a song, and play the entire album

c. Play a particular playlist depending on the day of the week.

That last workflow is particularly hairy, because I can't find a switch…case-like action in Workflow, and had to use a whole bunch of if…otherwise actions. Maybe I should go read the documentation, eh?

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Is there no way to download shows from Beats 1 for offline listening?

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Thanks for reading.