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The Mac Observer Daily Headlines e-mail. Visit The Mac Observer at <https://www.macobserver.com/> -- You'll get your Mac news here from now on...
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Headlines at The Mac Observer for Saturday, February 2, 2019
<https://www.macobserver.com/>

1. Digital Security Monthly Bundle Featuring NordVPN, Dashlane, Degoo, Panda: $9.99 per Month
2. TMO Background Mode Interview with Science Writer & Skeptic Dr. Michael Shermer
3. Siri Privacy and Team Changes – TMO Daily Observations 2019-02-04
4. WhatsApp Updated to Lock with Face ID and Touch ID
5. 2 Huawei Staff Expelled from Denmark
6. Verizon Wants You to Forget it Throttled Firefighters’ Phone Data
7. This Website Exposes Apple Censorship in China
8. Dating Apps to Help You Find Your Perfect Match this Valentine’s Day
9. New Privacy Feature Coming to iOS 12.2
10. Kraken buys UK Crypto Platform in Mega Deal
11. How Populism is Taking on Tech
12. You Can Download the National Parks’ Typeface
13. Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop Pseudoscience Coming to Netflix
14. Run a Funeral Home With iOS Game A Mortician’s Tale
15. The Original Storyboard for Apple’s 1984 Super Bowl Commercial
16. Pre-Order Anker MFi Lighting-to-USB-C Cable
17. Your Health Data is Turned Into a Risk Score and Sold
18. 3 Things Apple Does That Keep Annoying Us
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1. DIGITAL SECURITY MONTHLY BUNDLE FEATURING NORDVPN, DASHLANE, DEGOO, PANDA: $9.99 PER MONTH
We have a deal on a bundle called Vault that includes NordVPN, Dashlane, Degoo, and Panda. NordVPN is a privacy-minded VPN; Dashlane is a password keeper; Degoo is an online backup service; and Panda is a multi-service security product. Our deal is for all four services for $9.99 per month, and promo code VAULT1 at checkout allows you to get the deal’s first month for only $1. Check out the details on the deal listing.
<https://www.macobserver.com/link/vault-nordvpn-dashlane-degoo-panda-9-99-month/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

2. TMO BACKGROUND MODE INTERVIEW WITH SCIENCE WRITER & SKEPTIC DR. MICHAEL SHERMER
Michael is the Founding Publisher of Skeptic Magazine, a former monthly columnist for Scientific American, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University where he teaches Skepticism 101.
He is also a noted science writer and the author of New York Times bestsellers Why People Believe Weird Things and The Believing Brain, Why Darwin Matters, and The Science of Good and Evil. His newest book is: Heavens on Earth: The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality & Utopia.
We chatted about Michael’s early religious views, interest in psychology, his doctoral work, and his path to becoming a professional skeptic. He explained the logical traps people fall into (motivated reasoning) as we turned to climate change, human fantasies about ghosts and psychics, the founding of Skeptic Magazine and the influence of Dr. Carl Sagan. Really good stuff here.
<https://www.macobserver.com/podcasts/background-mode-michael-shermer/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

3. SIRI PRIVACY AND TEAM CHANGES – TMO DAILY OBSERVATIONS 2019-02-04
Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro discuss Siri with host Kelly Guimont: Both what Siri should keep to herself and team leadership changes.
<https://www.macobserver.com/podcasts/tmo-daily-observations-2019-02-04/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

4. WHATSAPP UPDATED TO LOCK WITH FACE ID AND TOUCH ID
The latest version of WhatsApp on iOS allows users to lock it using Face ID or Touch ID and instantly hide all conversations in the app.
<https://www.macobserver.com/news/whatsapp-face-id-touch-id/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

5. 2 HUAWEI STAFF EXPELLED FROM DENMARK
Danish authorities charged 4 members of Huawei staff after conducting a “routine inspection” at the company’s Copenhagen office.
<https://www.macobserver.com/news/2-huawei-staff-expelled-from-denmark/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

6. VERIZON WANTS YOU TO FORGET IT THROTTLED FIREFIGHTERS’ PHONE DATA
Verizon doesn’t want you to remember when it throttled the cellular data of first responders during the California wildfires.
<https://www.macobserver.com/news/verizon-first-responders-campaign/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

7. THIS WEBSITE EXPOSES APPLE CENSORSHIP IN CHINA
A new website called AppleCensorship.com exposes how the company censors apps in China at the behest of the government.
A new website exposes the extent to which Apple cooperates with Chinese government internet censorship, blocking access to Western news sources, information about human rights and religious freedoms, and privacy-enhancing apps that would circumvent the country’s pervasive online surveillance regime.
I’m a fan of Apple, privacy, and Apple’s stance on privacy. That being said I think whenever Apple mentions privacy on its website there should be an asterisk with fine print saying: “We believe privacy is a fundamental human right except in these cases.”
<https://www.macobserver.com/link/apple-censorship-china-website/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

8. DATING APPS TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR PERFECT MATCH THIS VALENTINE’S DAY
With Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, there are a number of dating apps avaialble to help you find your perfect match. Or something.
<https://www.macobserver.com/news/dating-apps-valentines-day/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

9. NEW PRIVACY FEATURE COMING TO IOS 12.2
A new privacy feature will be coming to iOS 12.2 that restricts access to the device’s accelerometer and gyroscope sensors.
<https://www.macobserver.com/news/ios-12-2-safari-privacy/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

10. KRAKEN BUYS UK CRYPTO PLATFORM IN MEGA DEAL
LONDON – Kraken, the San Francisco-based cryptocurrency trading platform, has acquired UK crypto platform Crypto Facilities.  The specific value of the deal is not known, but Yahoo Finance reported it is at least $100 million. This makes it one of the largest ever seen in the crypto industry, despite its current slowdown.
London-headquartered Crypto Facilities offers futures contracts for leading cryptos such as bitcoin and ethereum. Its data is also used to help calculate CME Group’s bitcoin reference rate. The company is regulated by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority. Kraken CEO Jesse Powell said in a release: “We are excited to introduce eligible clients to these industry leading futures and index products.
 
<https://www.macobserver.com/link/kraken-buys-uk-crypto-platform-mega-deal/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

11. HOW POPULISM IS TAKING ON TECH
Populism has dramatically shifted global politics in recent years. Tech companies, particularly Amazon, have not been immune. Populism led to political pressure on the online retail giant, both in the U.S. and in India, as looked it searched for a second HQ and expanded into a new market. Bloomberg News looked at what happened.
Amazon thought it had secured a warm welcome in New York and forged strong political ties in India. In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo pledged during the HQ2 bakeoff to change his first name to “Amazon” and threw all of his political weight behind the deal. In India, Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos met repeatedly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in both Delhi and Washington and bragged on Twitter that he was “excited to keep investing and growing” in the country. In both cases, populism is now trumping politics. The political forces that are tilting elections and anointing new heroes on the left and right are now ensnaring one of the world’s largest companies.
<https://www.macobserver.com/link/populism-tech-amazon/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

12. YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE NATIONAL PARKS’ TYPEFACE
National Parks use a distinct typeface, featuring round edges in all caps carved into wooden signs. And now you can download it.
Shellhorn, who was on sabbatical from his current job as an associate professor of design at the University of Kansas, was redesigning the park’s newspaper and wanted to include the type found on National Park signs. But he soon discovered there was no digital typeface because the letters are simply formed with a CNC router in the park’s sign shop, chiseled into wood. The shape of the letters were determined by the size of the router bit.
Although it sounds like the typeface wasn’t intentionally designed, it’s a good choice for signage because of the legibility due to all capital letters and wide kerning.
<https://www.macobserver.com/link/national-parks-typeface/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

13. GWYNETH PALTROW’S GOOP PSEUDOSCIENCE COMING TO NETFLIX
Goop, a lifestyle company regarded as pseudoscience and founded by Gwyneth Paltrow, is coming to Netflix.
<https://www.macobserver.com/news/goop-pseudoscience-netflix/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

14. RUN A FUNERAL HOME WITH IOS GAME A MORTICIAN’S TALE
Inspired by mortician Caitlin Doughty (Whose books are great by the way) A Mortician’s Tale is an informative, honest, and sometimes humorous look at the current state of and the future of the western death industry. Take on the role of recent funeral direction graduate Charlie as she learns the ropes of the business and industry. Prepare the bodies of the deceased (via embalming or cremation), attend their funerals and listen to their loved ones’ stories, and interact with Charlie’s coworkers, clients, and bosses. You’ll be working in the Rose and Daughters Funeral Home by preparing eight different bodies using realistic tools and procedures. App Store: US$2.99
<https://www.macobserver.com/cool-stuff-found/a-morticians-tale/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

15. THE ORIGINAL STORYBOARD FOR APPLE’S 1984 SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL
As ever the morning after the Super Bowl, there is as much chatter about the adverts as there is about the football. Aside from the Game of Thrones/Bud Light tie-up, the ad spots during Super Bowl LIII were as uninspiring as large parts of the low-scoring match. Time to reflect then on the most iconic Super Bowl commercial of all time then – Apple’s 1984 clip. Business Insider posted the original storyboard and ideas behind the commercial.
Before the ad was even filmed, Apple’s ad agency needed buy-in from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and then-CEO John Sculley. The tech executives were shown a storyboard, or a series of pictures that describe what the ad would look like when it was actually filmed. The ad men were nervous – especially when Jay Chiat, an executive at Apple’s ad agency, was tearing up every idea before they were finished. But it turns out that Jobs loved the idea when they showed it to him.”
<https://www.macobserver.com/link/storyboard-apple-1984-super-bowl-advert/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

16. PRE-ORDER ANKER MFI LIGHTING-TO-USB-C CABLE
Called the Powerline II, it has a 12,000 bend lifespan as well as a lifetime warranty.
<https://www.macobserver.com/news/anker-mfi-usb-c-lightning/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

17. YOUR HEALTH DATA IS TURNED INTO A RISK SCORE AND SOLD
Yet another reason why we need privacy laws. Companies collect your health data and turn it into a “risk score” which gets sold to doctors, insurers, and hospitals.
Over the past year, powerful companies such as LexisNexis have begun hoovering up the data from insurance claims, digital health records, housing records, and even information about a patient’s friends, family and roommates, without telling the patient they are accessing the information, and creating risk scores for health care providers and insurers.
There is no law against collecting and using this data.
<https://www.macobserver.com/link/health-data-risk-score-sold/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>

18. 3 THINGS APPLE DOES THAT KEEP ANNOYING US
Dan Moren at Macworld reminds us that there are some Apple practices that continue to greatly annoy customers. In this case it’s all about revenue, and the argument is that Apple could please us greatly for not much loss of income. But at least we have a choice: buy or not buy.
<https://www.macobserver.com/link/3-things-apple-does-that-annoy-us/?utm_source=tmo-express&utm_medium=email>