IBM says Mac users are more productive at work compared to PC users | idownloadblog
headline Thomas Fraley headline Thomas Fraley

IBM says Mac users are more productive at work compared to PC users | idownloadblog

IBM has new research indicating that the performance trend for Mac users has only gotten better. Employee satisfaction and retention are high, and IBM says that Mac users tend to be more productive than their PC counterparts.

I love the following quote

> "When did it become OK to live like the Jetsons at home but the Flintstones at work?" | Fletcher Previn

Read More
Face ID anti-FUD: Why you shouldn't be worried about iPhone X unlock | iMore
headline, Security Thomas Fraley headline, Security Thomas Fraley

Face ID anti-FUD: Why you shouldn't be worried about iPhone X unlock | iMore

An excellent article by Rene Ritchie of iMore, talking about unlocking the new iPhone X with Face ID and anti-FUD.

I must say I was nervous when TouchID first came out, and I'm getting that same fuzzy feeling again. I do hope they build in some 2nd factor authorization; it could be something as simple a checking to see if an Apple watch is on. But I've always planned for the worst while hoping for the best; it's just the way I'm wired. 

Read More
Canary’s home cameras now have two-way voice chat and less lag - The Verge
headline, products Thomas Fraley headline, products Thomas Fraley

Canary’s home cameras now have two-way voice chat and less lag - The Verge

I've been using a Canary for monitoring our australian Labradoodle @meetkona . It is a great secruity came, However until today there has been some lag in the stream. 

"Canary, the maker of connected home security cameras, issued a firmware update today that it says will give users a more accurate look at what's happening in their home. The update will reportedly provide users with a more up-to-date stream. Until now, users experienced a five-second delay when streaming, now they'll be seeing what's happening exactly when it happens."

Read More
Airbnb is running its own internal university to teach data science | TechCrunch
headline Thomas Fraley headline Thomas Fraley

Airbnb is running its own internal university to teach data science | TechCrunch

This is an awesome idea, I hope it does well and other companies take notice.

"Tech companies, and increasingly even non-tech companies, are struggling with the fact that there are not enough trained data scientists to fill market demand. Every company has their own strategy for hiring and training, but Airbnb has taken things a step further — running its own university-style program, complete with a custom course-numbering system."

 

Read More
ReactOS Project hits version 0.4.5
headline Thomas Fraley headline Thomas Fraley

ReactOS Project hits version 0.4.5

Reactos 0.4.5 was released yesterday. Time to take another look at it.  For those that are unfamiliar with it. ReactOs is an open source operating system aimed at running Windows applications and drivers in an open-source environment. I've tried it out in the past, and I like the direction they were heading it just wasn't ready for the main stream yet. This OS is still only Alpha, so it's not for the faint of heart.

Read More
Pandora Premium opens to all, invites no longer needed | TechCrunch
headline, products Thomas Fraley headline, products Thomas Fraley

Pandora Premium opens to all, invites no longer needed | TechCrunch

I've been waiting on Pandora's Premium service, ever since they picked up Rdio. I loved Rdio and since it was sold I was forced to find another service, Which turned out to be iTunes music because of price and library. 

Back to Pandora, It's premium service is what you would expect and feels exactly like Pandora but with on demand but at this point, I find it hard to suggest it to people because of its limitations. Currently, the premium service is only supported on mobile. Desktop and other devices will have to wait along with family plans.

The 60day trial is enticing and you should check it out if you're curious, however, I don't see it worth the cost just yet. Who knows maybe in two months it will be.

Read More
Apple just did a very un-Apple thing: It admitted it needs to re-think its high-end Macs | Recode
headline Thomas Fraley headline Thomas Fraley

Apple just did a very un-Apple thing: It admitted it needs to re-think its high-end Macs | Recode

This is good news but is it too little too late. At the very least, we know apple is rethinking their MacPros. Anyone who has ever used one of these Mac's in a professional environment knows it's limitations. Hopefully, Apple will take some of these suggestions to heart.

New MacPro's are needed. Entertainment and the film industry are just one of many who relies on them on a daily basis. These same industries are unsure of Apple's intentions with the pro markets. Some have jump shipped and others are just losing hope. 

Read More
Amazon says Alexa’s speech is protected by the First Amendment - The Verge
headline Thomas Fraley headline Thomas Fraley

Amazon says Alexa’s speech is protected by the First Amendment - The Verge

In an era of always-on devices I'm glad to see Amazon not freely handing over our privacy. If you own an amazon echo you should definitely read through this article. 

Amazon has filed a motion to dismiss a search warrant for recordings from an Echo owned by a suspected murderer. Amazon argues that both its users’ requests to Alexa and the response the company produces are protected under the First Amendment. The company says it should only have to turn this data over if law enforcement meets a high burden of proof.

Read More
LG UltraFine 5K Display, can become unusable when near a router | 9to5Mac
headline Thomas Fraley headline Thomas Fraley

LG UltraFine 5K Display, can become unusable when near a router | 9to5Mac

The problem is UltraFine 5K Display becomes unusable when positioned within 6.6-feet of a router. I discovered this issue after purchasing my own UltraFine 5K Display last week and thinking something was defective with my hardware.

Right out of the box, UltraFine 5K Display was hardly usable as it would consistently disconnect and even freeze my MacBook Pro which made it unusable for work on Thursday and Friday. Connecting it to my MacBook Pro consistently resulted in needing to reboot my machine to continue working.

Read More
Trump signs executive order stripping non-citizens of privacy rights
Security, headline Thomas Fraley Security, headline Thomas Fraley

Trump signs executive order stripping non-citizens of privacy rights

Andrew Tarantola said it well in TechCrunch's artilce "Enforcing privacy policies that specifically "exclude persons who are not United States citizens or lawful permanent residents," while aimed at enhancing domestic immigration laws, effectively invalidates America's part of the Data Shield agreement, opens the current administration up to sanctions by the EU and could lead our allies across the Atlantic to suspend the agreement outright."

Read More