Essential Apple Podcast 227: Just because I could!

Recorded 4th July 2021

Once again the gang (Nick, Simon and Jim) assemble to take a look at some stories from the last week or so of Apple and Tech news including Windows 11 on mad hardwares, a custom built Big Sur handheld, Apple Public Betas, Lego fun and more!

GIVEAWAYS & OFFERS

  • Glenn Fleishman’s book Take Control of Securing Your Mac can be found at takecontrolbooks.com along with many other titles by him, Joe Kissell, Jeff Carlson and others.
  • Steve at Geeks Corner has a podcast which is usually a 5-15 min show of his thoughts on tech. Also keep an eye on his site or follow him on Twitter @GeekCorner_uk to watch for regular giveaways.

Why not come and join the Slack community? You can now just click on this Slackroom Link to sign up and join in the chatter!


Listen to the show:


This and other episodes are available at:

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On this week’s show:

NICK RILEY

  • @spligosh on Twitter very occasionally.
  • Sometimes appears on Bart Busschots’ Let’s Talk Apple
  • Sutton Park Circuit church worship on YouTube
  • Nick’s church stream videos – You Tube

JAMES ORMISTON

APPLE

  • macOS Monterey public beta: What it’s like using the Mac’s new OS – Input Mag
    • Apple launches public beta of macOS Monterey, bringing updates to FaceTime and Safari – The Verge
  • iOS 15 Hands-On: Top 5 New Features! – Marques Brownlee on YouTube
    • Should you install the iOS 15 public beta? Here’s what to consider – 9to5Mac
  • Serious Warning Issued For Millions Of Apple iPhone Users – Forbes
  • Windows 11 could run on Macs – What you need to know – Laptop Mag
  • Affinity 1.10 Sneak Peek – YouTube
  • Eight ‘New’ iOS 4 Features We’re Still Using 11 Years Later – iDrop News
  • Dad sells family car to pay for kid’s $1,800 in-app spending spree – Cult of Mac
  • This tiny handheld runs macOS Big Sur and it’s wild – iMore

TECHNOLOGY

  • Microsoft wasn’t joking about the Dev Channel not enforcing hardware checks: Windows 11 pops up on Pi, mobile phone – The Register
  • Microsoft Backpedals, Explains Windows 11 TPM Requirement – Digital Trends
    • Microsoft acknowledges the Windows 11 PC Health Check was ‘not fully prepared’ – PC Gamer
  • Jeff Bezos leaves an enduring legacy as he steps down as Amazon CEO – FRANCE 24 English
  • Design student creates device that rapidly stops bleeding from stab wounds – Sky News
  • NASA Continues to Try and Rescue Failing Hubble – Universe Today – Universe Today

SECURITY & PRIVACY

  • Major Vulnerability Affects All Western Digital NAS Devices Running OS 3 | PetaPixel – PetaPixel
    • Another day, another WD security flaw – The Verge
  • New Critical Security Warning Issued For All Windows Versions As ‘PrintNightmare’ Confirmed – Forbes
  • Apps with 5.8 million Google Play downloads stole users’ Facebook passwords – Ars Technica

WORTH A CHIRP / ESSENTIAL TIPS

  • How to Enable the Hidden ‘Hello’ Screen Saver in macOS Big Sur – Wccftech NOTE: where they say DRAG, they should say COPY – otherwise it won’t work!
  • Satechi Just Released The Perfect Docking Station For Apple’s Mac Mini – HiConsumption
  • Got A Box Of Lego Bricks? This Amazing App Scans Them And Suggests New Builds – Forbes
  • German scientists built a high-resolution microscope out of Lego bricks – Ars Technica

JUST A SNIPPET

For things that are not worth more than a flypast

  • Mac OS X Lion and Mac OS X Mountain Lion are now free to download – The Apple Post
  • Found a link to the elevation viewer I mentioned last show and it is based on QGIS data I believe
    • And here’s the thread on Twitter

Essential Apple Recommended Services:

  • All Things Secured – Online security made simple by Josh Summers.
  • Pixel Privacy – a fabulous resource full of excellent articles and advice on how to protect yourself online.
  • Doug.ee Blog for Andy J’s security tips.
  • Ghostery – protect yourself from trackers, scripts and ads while browsing.
  • Simple Login – Email anonymisation and disposable emails for login/registering with
  • 33mail.com – Never give out your real email address online again.
  • AnonAddy – Disposable email addresses
  • Sudo – get up to 9 “avatars” with email addresses, phone numbers and more to mask your online identity. Free for the first year and priced from $0.99 US / £2.50 UK per month thereafter… You get to keep 2 free avatars though.
  • ProtonMail – end to end encrypted, open source, based in Switzerland. Prices start from FREE… what more can you ask?
  • ProtonVPN – a VPN to go with it perhaps? Prices also starting from nothing!
  • Comparitech DNS Leak Test – simple to use and understand VPN leak test.
  • Fake Name Generator – so much more than names! Create whole identities (for free) with all the information you could ever need.
  • Wire and on the App Stores – free for personal use, open source and end to end encryted messenger and VoIP.
  • Pinecast – a fabulous podcast hosting service with costs that start from nothing.

Essential Apple is not affiliated with or paid to promote any of these services… We recommend services that we use ourselves and feel are either unique or outstanding in their field, or in some cases are just the best value for money in our opinion.


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