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The Full-Mitigation-Mode Edition Thursday, May 16, 2019

Apple Posts Instructions On How To Enable Full Mitigation Against Intel CPU Attacks On Mac, Up To 40 Percent Performance Penalty, by Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac

Most users do not need to worry about enabling full mitigation. macOS 10.14.5 includes the most important and most relevant patches, like preventing JavaScript exploits through Safari. Apple rolled these critical fixes for all customers as the performance penalty was small/negligible.

The full mitigation mode may be of interest to customers who are particularly at risk, like members of government or high-ranking business executives.

Apple Invests In Tomorrow's Coding Talent, by Jonny Evans, Computerworld

While Apple CEO Tim Cook doesn’t think a four-year degree is necessary to be a proficient coder, he’s still prepared to invest in the nurturing next-generation engineering talent. And today Apple opened up the application process for new students to join its Developer Academy in Naples, Italy.

[...]

The program focuses on software development, startup creation, and app design with an emphasis on creativity and collaboration.

Why AirPods — And Earbuds Like Them — Are Especially Bad For Your Hearing, by Angela Lashbrook, Medium

While there’s only so much we can do about loud workplaces and bustling bars, we can mitigate the potential damage from listening to headphones or earbuds. For the safest volume levels, Portnuff recommends “80 for 90” meaning you can listen to 80 percent of the maximum volume for 90 minutes before you start damaging your hearing.

And you should think about ditching the AirPods for quality over-the-ear — and preferably noise-cancelling — headphones, or snug-fitting, in-ear canalphones. If you like the convenience of AirPods, which quickly and seamlessly pair with your iPhone, try BeatsX or the new Powerbeats Pro, both of which contain the same proprietary Apple chips used by AirPods.

Stuff

Apple Highlights Global Accessibility Awareness Day With Front-Page Feature, by Mitchel Broussard, MacRumors

Today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day, an event that promotes inclusion and access to technology for anyone with a disability. As it has over the past few years, Apple is marking the day by updating Apple.com in a few regions around the world with a message promoting accessibility: "Technology is most powerful when it empowers everyone."

6 Powerful Utilities That Make The Mac Feel Like Home, by Jason Snell, Macworld

I love using my Mac. And yet when I am confronted with a fresh new device running macOS, I am taken aback by the barren expanse that is the default Mac experience. That’s not on the Mac, that’s on me—I have become incredibly reliant on some fantastic utilities that enhance the Mac experience in countless ways.

Every now and then I mention these utilities to friends who are Mac users, or they see me using them, and they are often completely baffled. This reminds me that, quite shockingly, there are lots of Mac users who never take advantage of utilities to make the Mac far more powerful than it comes out of the box.

Steam Link Officially Debuts On iOS And Apple TV Following Initial Rejection Last Year, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

Almost exactly a year after its initial rejection from the App Store, Valve today has officially released Steam Link on the App Store. Valve touts that Steam Link “brings desktop gaming to your iPhone or iPad.”

Perfect Tempo Brings Tempo Control To Apple Music Tracks, by John Voorhees, MacStories

The app is a simple utility designed for musicians and dancers who want to slow down or speed up music without affecting its pitch and loop it as they learn a song. Other apps have similar functionality that I’ve covered before, but what makes Perfect Tempo unique is that it can slow down and speed up streamed Apple Music tracks, which other apps can’t do.

A Smartphone App Could Help Diagnose Ear Infections More Accurately — And At Home, by Shraddha Chakradhar, STAT

The funnel is placed on the outside of the ear, at which point the app sends a bird chirp-like sound into the ear. Depending on the sounds that the app picks up in return, a machine learning algorithm built into the app is able to tell whether or not there is liquid in the ear. “It’s like tapping on a wine glass,” Chan said. “Depending on whether it’s empty or not, it’s going to sound different.”

Develop

Designing A Dark Theme For OLED iPhones, by Vidit Bhargava, Medium

Dark Modes offer a soothing experience in low-light conditions and are power efficient on OLED displays. But it can be tricky to pick the colours for a dark mode, especially in OLED displays, where slight variations can play a role in the user experience.

Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Unix Time, by Alex Chan

Time is straaaaaange.

Notes

Incognito No More: Publishers Close Loopholes As Paywall Blockers Emerge, by Lucinda Southern, Digiday

In February, The New York Times started tightening its paywall so readers couldn’t access paywalled content by switching their device to incognito mode. A New York Times spokesperson said it’s too early to glean the impacts of these tests.

The Washington Post has blocked users from accessing paywalled content using incognito mode, as has The Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times and The Dallas Morning News. In 2016, The Wall Street Journal experimented with Google to prevent people from accessing paywalled content. Google’s ending of first-click free now means that subscription publishers can still appear in Google search results without offering access.

Hershey's Redesigns Its Chocolate Bar For The First Time In Over 100 Years To Include Emojis, by Eric Todisco, People

Smiley faces, thumbs up, blowing a kiss, open hands and even the smiling poop emojis are among the special ideograms featured on the new chocolate bars.

Bottom of the Page

Who has a bigger problem? Is it Intel, who need to figure out how to do better chips faster? Or is it Microsoft, who need to figure out how to not sink with Intel?

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Thanks for reading.