A few weeks back after the disastrous distributed denial of service attack on the DNS servers was found to have been caused by insecure Internet of Things devices, Bart suggested that we turn off automatic port forwarding. This is a technology that is built into routers that allows devices (and software) inside your network to […]
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NC #599 iPhone 7+ Portrait Mode, 2016 MacBook Pros, Security Bits
Next week the show will be out early because we’ll be out of town on the weekend, so don’t try to go to the live show because there won’t be one! In Chit Chat Across the Pond, Bart taught us how to create a JavaScript API in Programming By Stealth 24. I did some experiments […]
Continue reading2016 MacBook Pros Promise Big Improvements
As I’m sure you’ve all heard, Apple updated the MacBook Pro line this week. The big excitement is that they’ve replaced the function keys with an OLED touch screen they’ve called Touch Bar. They added Touch ID to the right side of the Touch Bar. They got rid of the mechanical trackpad, replacing it with […]
Continue readingiPhone 7+ Portrait Mode Depth Effect
This week Apple released iOS 10.1, which included the beta of the new Portrait mode for the iPhone 7+. Portrait mode applies what they call a depth effect, blurring things in the background while keeping the focus sharp on faces in the foreground. The effect is limited to the 7+ because it uses the dual […]
Continue readingEcho Dot 2nd Gen is Clumsy on Initial Setup
Every once in a while there’s a device comes out that everyone loves, and urges you to get, even if they can’t articulate to you why it’s so awesome. I remember a hundred years ago when my friend Eric told me to get a Palm Pilot. He explained to me that it was a small […]
Continue readingReminders is a Hidden Gem in iOS and macOS
There are a lot of terrific to do apps out there, from the simple little Wunderlists of the world to the great and powerful OmniFocus. But I thought it would be fun to do a deep dive into the Reminders app that’s built right into our Macs and iOS devices. I hadn’t poked around in […]
Continue readingWhy I Am Neither Sad nor Surprised About Samsung
I’ve been silent up until now about the Samsung Galaxy phones catching on fire. At first I felt badly for the employees. Can you even imagine being in the room when the CEO found out about this? It must have been a dreadful couple of months for everyone there. In case you need more convincing […]
Continue readingClean Install of macOS is a LOT of Work, Is it Worth It?
I think I mentioned on the show last week that the trackpad on my 2013 MacBook Pro wouldn’t click any more. I took it into Apple and they said, as I suspected, that it was probably a swollen battery. Not a big shock, because I keep this MacBook Pro plugged in all the time. Luckily, […]
Continue readingEasy Pill Medication Tracker and Reminder
Guest Blog Post by Mark Pouley Hello Allison and fellow castaways, this is Mark Pouley with a review of an iOS app that I discovered last year and have been using ever since. The app is called Easy Pill for iOS by BirdsCorp.com. Until recently I didn’t regularly take medications so tracking when to take […]
Continue readingThe Day the Live Show (Almost) Died
I want to do a little public service announcement about YouTube. Please don’t ever ever EVER hit the “Report” button on a video unless you really have a monumental problem with the video. Now let’s back up and I’ll tell you why. On Tuesday I checked my email and found a notice from YouTube telling me […]
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