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Vox: The summer solstice is here: 6 things to know about the longest day of the year #solstice #science #astronomy

Source: paullandry.micro.blog

by Paul on June 21, 2018 at 6:50am | Permalink
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How the Case for Voter Fraud Was Tested — and Utterly Failed

Jessica Huseman at ProPublica:

That made the trial a telling opportunity to remove the voter fraud claims from the charged, and largely proof-free, realms of political campaigns and cable news shoutfests and examine them under the exacting strictures of the rules of evidence.

That’s precisely what occurred and according to [Chief District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, Julie] Robinson, an appointee of George W. Bush, the proof that voter fraud is widespread was utterly lacking. As the judge put it, “the court finds no credible evidence that a substantial number of noncitizens registered to vote” even under the previous law, which [Kansas Secretary of State Kris] Kobach had claimed was weak.

No surprise. There’s never been any–ANY–credible evidence of anything even approaching the runaway voter fraud claimed for decades by Conservatives.

by Paul on June 20, 2018 at 9:25am | Permalink
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Apple confirms iOS 12 will close iPhone security hole used by police and criminals

James Martin writing at CNET:

Apple will make a method — often used by police — for getting data off iPhones much less powerful with a software update announced Wednesday.

The change, called USB Restricted Mode, will close down access to data through a iPhone’s Lightning port if the phone hasn’t been unlocked in the past hour.

The update isn’t meant to hold back law enforcement efforts, Apple said Wednesday, but to close a security hole that put customers at risk. Not just police, but identity thieves could use the Lightning port to access data. What’s more, Apple reportedly told Reuters, some of its customers live in countries where police take possession of phones whenever they want.

“At Apple, we put the customer at the center of everything we design,” the Apple said in an emailed statement. “We’re constantly strengthening the security protections in every Apple product to help customers defend against hackers, identity thieves and intrusions into their personal data. We have the greatest respect for law enforcement, and we don’t design our security improvements to frustrate their efforts to do their jobs.”

Bravo, Apple.

by Paul on June 14, 2018 at 8:03am | Permalink
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Why We Need to Take Pet Loss Seriously

Guy Winch writing at Scientific American:

Losing a beloved pet is often an emotionally devastating experience. Yet, as a society, we do not recognize how painful pet loss can be and how much it can impair our emotional and physical health. Symptoms of acute grief after the loss of a pet can last from one to two months with symptoms of grief persisting up to a full year (on average).

I know it’s nearly always taken me much longer than even I would have thought to get over the loss of any of my dogs. Most recently, the loss of Cisco and Cassidy have been particularly difficult.

by Paul on June 13, 2018 at 7:39am | Permalink
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More Than Just Russia

Jeremy Scahill at The Intercept:

Did Trump directly conspire with Vladimir Putin and Russia to influence the 2016 election? That is certainly possible. Will we see concrete evidence of that, especially evidence that would stand up in a court? That also is possible. […] But this much is clear: It is a major mistake to place all focus on Russia. We know that Trump’s team has colluded with Israel. We know they colluded with Saudi Arabia. We know they colluded with the United Arab Emirates.

Read the article.

The case for active, documented collusion with the Saudis, the Emiratis, the Israelis and the Trump campaign, the Trump team—it’s very strong. I would argue that, at this point, it’s much stronger than the collusion case regarding Russia.

Watch the video.

Wow.

by Paul on June 12, 2018 at 8:49am | Permalink
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“First the monkey, now my hat—how much worse can this day get?”

Source: paullandry.micro.blog

by Paul on June 10, 2018 at 4:57pm | Permalink
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Apple Is Making Password Management Easier in iOS 12

Christina Bonnington writing at Slate:

Apple is making some noteworthy changes to the way its devices handle passwords, changes that should help smartphone users better manage their passwords—and perhaps use better password practices in general.

In iOS 12, Apple will be giving developers access to a new Password Manager API. This API will work with third-party password management apps installed on your device and allow other apps to hook into those stored passwords. These will be offered as suggestions when a user is prompted to fill in password information. Password manager 1Password showed off a demo of the API in action on Twitter: After entering the username for an account, a prompt appears above the keyboard saying that 1Password has a password stored for the site. The user is then able to use FaceID to confirm their identity, and the password is automatically filled in.

This really looks great.

by Paul on June 7, 2018 at 7:49am | Permalink
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Excited.

Source: paullandry.micro.blog

by Paul on June 6, 2018 at 2:51pm | Permalink
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“Excuse me, Miss… Miss Pyle? Uh, M- Missy? I… I bought the reward to have dinner with you…”
— Penn Jillette as Herbert Blount, Director’s Cut (2016).

Source: paullandry.micro.blog

by Paul on June 2, 2018 at 8:16am | Permalink
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micro.blog-entry

“The results suggest dogs do seem to prefer the canine version of baby talk. But why do we have the impulse to talk to them like babies? Interestingly, we don’t.” Do Dogs Really Prefer Baby Talk? You Might Be Surprised.

Source: paullandry.micro.blog

by Paul on June 1, 2018 at 8:09am | Permalink
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