Links

From AppleInsider:

According to the complaint, a copy of which was seen by AFP, the man ordered an unspecified amount of Bitcoin this summer through a smartphone app, but received 69 so-called “GayCoins” instead. A note attached to the cryptocurrency read, “Don’t judge until you try,” which the man did, according to the filing.

“I thought, in truth, how can I judge something without trying? I decided to try same-sex relationships,” the plaintiff wrote in the complaint. “Now I have a boyfriend and I do not know how to explain this to my parents [ ] my life has been changed for the worse and will never become normal again.”

This may be the most ridiculous lawsuit I’ve ever seen.

From Cloudability co-founder J.R. Storment:

Eight years ago, during the same month, I had twin boys and co-founded Cloudability. About three months ago Cloudability was acquired. About three weeks ago we lost one of our boys.

When I got the call I was sitting in a conference room with 12 people at our Portland office talking about PTO policies. Minutes earlier, I had admitted to the group that in the last 8 years I’d not taken more than a contiguous week off.

…

Many have asked what they can do to help. Hug your kids. Don’t work too late. A lot of the things you are likely spending your time on you’ll regret once you no longer have the time. I’m guessing you have 1:1 meetings on the books with a lot of people you work with. Do you have them regularly scheduled with your kids? If there’s any lesson to take away from this, it’s to remind others (and myself) not to miss out on the things that matter.

This story is absolutely heartbreaking, and the last paragraph in the block above particularly hits home for me. I’m guilty of many of those things, and living across the country from my own 10 year old twins only makes it even worse.

I have some serious shit to figure out 💔

From SiliconANGLE:

A database that primarily included the phone numbers of more than 419 million Facebook Inc. users has been found online in what could be one of the largest data breaches yet for the troubled social networking site.

Please stop giving these clowns your data. Seriously. Go delete your account right now.

From The Atlantic:

Organizations around the world continue to explore the therapeutic benefits of time spent with well-trained and amicable dogs. Some immediate benefits include companionship, soothing of frayed nerves, easing of discomfort, and a breaking down of social barriers. People with intellectual disabilities or mental-health issues can interact with therapy dogs to develop their social skills and gain a sense of autonomy. People in emotional distress can gain instant, nonjudgmental support and affection. And a visit from a furry bundle of energy can bring some happiness to bleak situations. Gathered here, a collection of images of these working dogs, bringing care, peace, and joy to those in need.

This photo gallery from The Atlantic is wonderful. 🐶❤️

From 9to5Mac:

The purpose of Messenger Kids is that kids are only allowed to communicate with people approved by their parents. A bug in the interface for Messenger Kids, however, allowed children to initiate conversation with anyone.

Good grief 🤦‍♂️

From TechCrunch:

Apple has released a silent update for Mac users removing a vulnerable component in Zoom, the popular video conferencing app, which allowed websites to automatically add a user to a video call without their permission.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant told TechCrunch that the update — now released — removes the hidden web server, which Zoom quietly installed on users’ Macs when they installed the app.

Good, I was waiting for this to happen 👍

From BuzzFeed News:

“We consciously enabled the ability to have meeting joins initiated from within an iframe on a webpage,” said Farley, who also noted that the company is not disabling the capability after the security researcher’s findings. Asked whether it was a concern that such iframes require no click from the user to join a meeting, he replied, “No, that’s not a security concern.”

The above is a quote from Zoom’s Chief Security Officer Richard Farley.

In a nutshell, Zoom is purposely bypassing security steps put in place by browser manufacturers and don’t care about the security implications because they think there aren’t any 🤦‍♂️

I already removed the app and the locally running web server from my Mac, but I’m still stuck using the iPad app because we use Zoom at work (for now) otherwise I’d completely ditch it in a heartbeat.

From CNN:

An appeals court said Tuesday that President Donald Trump violated the First Amendment by blocking users on Twitter.

The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a New York judge’s ruling and found that Trump “engaged in unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination by utilizing Twitter’s ‘blocking’ function to limit certain users’ access to his social media account, which is otherwise open to the public at large, because he disagrees with their speech.”

Good. This should apply to anyone in public office. Public/elected officials should be required to hear public opinion, even if (or especially when) it differs from their own.