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The Specifically-Request Edition Friday, December 23, 2022

Activating Automatic Backtrack In watchOS 9, by David Smith

I imagine this ambiguity is coming from Apple being very circumspect about protecting user privacy. I wouldn’t be surprised if the system for automatically and surreptitiously recording the user’s locations is entirely walled off from the rest of the Compass app to make sure this very sensitive data can’t inadvertently be leaked without the user’s explicit approval. Hence the need to specifically request and approve it every time you want to see it. That’s just a guess but it seems a reasonable one.

We could quibble about the discoverability of this interface design but I suspect it is motivated by a user privacy.

Apple Watches Violate AliveCor Patents But Import Ban On Hold -U.S. ITC, by Blake Brittain, Reuters

Apple Inc's Apple Watches with an electrocardiogram (ECG) function infringe patents belonging to medical device maker AliveCor Inc, the U.S. International Trade Commission affirmed on Thursday.

The ITC said imports of the infringing watches should be banned, but that it would not enforce a ban until appeals were finished in a separate dispute before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), where a panel found AliveCor's patents invalid earlier this month.

Hackers Stole Encrypted LastPass Password Vaults, And We’re Just Now Hearing About It, by Mitchell Clark, The Verge

But if I were a LastPass user, I’d be seriously considering moving away from the company at this point, because we’re looking at one of two scenarios here: either the company didn’t know that backups containing users’ vaults were on the cloud storage service when it announced that it had detected unusual activity there on November 30th, or it did know and chose not to tell customers about the possibility that hackers had gotten access to them. Neither of those is a good look.

Stuff

Best Apps For Reading Library Books On iPhone And iPad, by Clare King, AppleInsider

Public libraries have paired up with some of the greatest apps available on your iOS devices. If you are interested in reading books without additional fees and charges, consider reconnecting with your local public library.

Notes

Apple's Australian Workers Go On Christmas Strike Demanding Better Wages, Work Terms, by Jaskiran Singh, Reuters

Apple Inc's workers in Australia initiated a strike Friday afternoon, demanding better working conditions and wages, a workers' union said, a move that might dent sales of the tech giant during the peak Christmas shopping time.

What Shocked Me Most When I Became A Lyft Driver For A Week, by Timothy B. Lee, Slate

There’s a thought experiment I find illuminating: Imagine that Lyft announced tomorrow that it was going to shut down its app and lay off most of its staff. Then it was going to open a bunch of call centers and hire people to book taxi rides over the phone instead.

When a passenger wanted a ride, they would call a toll-free number (1-800-GET-LYFT, perhaps) and provide pickup and dropoff locations. The operator would then relay this information to drivers, perhaps in a group chat or over an old-style radio system, and one of them would claim the ride. The operator would provide the passenger with an estimated pickup time and take credit card information over the phone.

Here’s the question I want to ask about this hypothetical version of Lyft: Would it be more or less expensive to operate than the company that actually exists?

Bottom of the Page

I've reached the "Settings" page of my SwiftUI-based hobby project, and, well, things are not well. :-)

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Thanks for reading.