Across today’s internet, the stores that deliver all the apps on our phones are cracking open, the walls between social media platforms are coming down as the old networks fail, the headlong rush towards AI is making our search engines and work apps weirder (and often worse!). But amidst it all, the human web, the one made by regular people, is resurgent. We are about to see the biggest reshuffling of power on the internet in 25 years, in a way that most of the internet’s current users have never seen before. And while some of the drivers of this change have been hyped up, or even over-hyped, a few of the most important changes haven’t gotten any discussion at all.
Each app we've chosen for this list has a unique ability to aid Apple device users in various aspects of personal and professional development. From sophisticated task management to habit formation, these apps offer a wide range of functionalities tailored to meet the diverse needs of users seeking to make the most out of the upcoming year.
Modern cars have been called “smartphones with wheels” because they are internet-connected and have myriad methods of data collection, from cameras and seat weight sensors to records of how hard you brake and corner. Most drivers don’t realize how much information their cars are collecting and who has access to it, said Jen Caltrider, a privacy researcher at Mozilla who reviewed the privacy policies of more than 25 car brands and found surprising disclosures, such as Nissan saying it might collect information about “sexual activity.”
“People think their car is private,” Ms. Caltrider said. “With a computer, you know where the camera is and you can put tape over it. Once you’ve bought a car and you find it is bad at privacy, what are you supposed to do?”
Many revolutions around the sun ago, I've made the resolution of not making any more resolutions, and I am sticking to it.
But, with yet another change in the last digit of the year field that I have to remember to fill in correctly in all the cheques I am going to write in the new year, it is also time for me to think what I want to focus on the upcoming orbit.
After giving this some thought, especially in the latter part of the past year, I think I am not ready for major changes yet in my life. On the other hand, major changes will be coming, whether I am ready or not. On a micro level, I'll probably have more time and less money. On a macro level, everyone is having less time. I will never have time to read all the books I want to read, watch all the shows I want to watch. And all those (physical) books and DVDs that I've purchased that someday I will re-read or re-watch? Forget about it. And I still have a ton of hobby ideas in my head for me to decide: what's next, and what's last.
So, my theme will be: Year of Getting Ready.
(If I am lucky, this will be followed by Year of Getting Weird. I hope.)
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Three… Two… One… Happy New Year. Thanks for reading.