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[ V.10/X.26 (11/88) ] - Electrical characteristics for unbalanced double-current interchange circuits for general use with integrated circuit equipment in the field of data communications

Electrical characteristics for unbalanced double-current interchange circuits for general use with integrated circuit equipment in the field of data communications




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[ V.11/X.27 (11/88) ] - Electrical characteristics for balanced double-current interchange circuits for general use with integrated circuit equipment in the field of data communications

Electrical characteristics for balanced double-current interchange circuits for general use with integrated circuit equipment in the field of data communications




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[ V.14 (11/88) ] - Transmission of start-stop characters over synchronous bearer channels

Transmission of start-stop characters over synchronous bearer channels




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[ V.25 (11/88) ] - Automatic answering equipment and/or parallel automatic calling equipment on the general switched telephone network including procedures for disabling of echo control devices for both manually and automatically established calls

Automatic answering equipment and/or parallel automatic calling equipment on the general switched telephone network including procedures for disabling of echo control devices for both manually and automatically established calls




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[ V.25bis (11/88) ] - Automatic calling and/or answering equipment on the general switched telephone network (GSTN) using the 100-series interchange circuits

Automatic calling and/or answering equipment on the general switched telephone network (GSTN) using the 100-series interchange circuits




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[ V.28 (11/88) ] - Electrical characteristics for unbalanced double-current interchange circuits

Electrical characteristics for unbalanced double-current interchange circuits




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[ V.32 (11/88) ] - A family of 2-wire, duplex modems operating at data signalling rates of up to 9600 bit/s for use on the general switched telephone network and on leased telephone-type circuits

A family of 2-wire, duplex modems operating at data signalling rates of up to 9600 bit/s for use on the general switched telephone network and on leased telephone-type circuits




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[ V.34 (10/96) ] - A modem operating at data signalling rates of up to 33 600 bit/s for use on the general switched telephone network and on leased point-to-point 2-wire telephone-type circuits

A modem operating at data signalling rates of up to 33 600 bit/s for use on the general switched telephone network and on leased point-to-point 2-wire telephone-type circuits




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[ V.152 (2005) Amendment 1 (03/09) ] - New Annex B - Use of data signal detection and silence insertion in voiceband data, and new Annex C on use of V.21 preamble for echo canceller control in a V.152 gateway

New Annex B - Use of data signal detection and silence insertion in voiceband data, and new Annex C on use of V.21 preamble for echo canceller control in a V.152 gateway









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Top 6 Trends in Product Development You Need to Know

Product development has been a hit sauce for the last two years now. Not participating in this debate seems challenging when all that’s been trending is the widespread hiring of expert product managers to changes in product development aspects. Whether you’re building physical products or a software solution, this comprehensive list of product development trends […]

The post Top 6 Trends in Product Development You Need to Know appeared first on Usability Geek




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Wall Street bonuses will likely be heftier this year. Here’s why

Wall Street firms are expected to pay heftier bonuses for this year, the first increase since a bumper year in 2021, according to a report by compensation consultancy Johnson Associates.

Payouts will probably rise after financiers benefited from several factors in recent months: a recovery in dealmaking, the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates and equity markets surging to record highs, said the consultancy’s founder, Alan Johnson.

“This year has been surprisingly good, and the industry is quite optimistic about 2025, especially with the potential of announcing more M&A deals,” he said, referring to mergers and acquisitions.

While bonuses will be more generous, they will remain below the record levels from 2021, when revenue and compensation were “abnormally good,” Johnson said.

Investment bankers in debt underwriting are projected to receive the biggest surge in bonuses of 25% to 35% for 2024, the estimates showed, buoyed by a resurgence of activity. Their counterparts in equity capital markets will likely get boosts of 15% to 25%.

Meanwhile, a slower recovery for M&A will result in more modest bonus increases of 5% to 10% for bankers advising on transactions.

Traders will also reap a windfall from more volatility and rising equities, the report showed. Equity sales and trading professionals can expect their bonuses to climb about 15% to 20%, while in fixed income, payouts will probably rise 5% to 10%.

But not all bankers will share in the recovery, the consultant said. Bonuses for retail and commercial bankers will probably decline or stay flat for the year.

—Tatiana Bautzer, Reuters




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Mattel’s Wicked packaging snafu wasn’t AI—just plain ‘ol human error

Something bad is happening in Oz.

Last week, fans of Wicked, the musical-soon-to-be-movie, headed to retailers including Target, Walmart, and Macy’s to pick up Mattel’s limited-edition Wicked Barbie dolls ahead of the film’s release on November 22. At first, it seemed like any other Mattel collaboration—until a few fans started searching the URL printed on the back of the box, which led not to the Wicked movie website, as intended, but to a parody porn site of the same name. 

Mattel has apologized for the mix-up and promised to “remedy” the error, but that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating about how such an egregious typo could’ve made its way to the box in the first place. One popular theory, which has garnered more than 62,000 likes on X, is that the mistake had something to do with AI.

In an email to Fast Company, Mattel’s Barbie & Dolls director of global brand communications wrote, “I can confirm AI was not used on packaging for Mattel Wicked collection dolls.”

Though AI has been the culprit of plenty of misguided marketing snafus, the tweet demonstrates a misunderstanding of how Mattel is actually using AI tools in its packaging development process—and shows that, even as AI gains popularity with creative teams as a production tool, human error is alive and well.

Can we blame a chatbot for this?

In June, Fast Company covered Mattel’s announcement that it planned to use Adobe Firefly, a generative AI software, as part of its packaging development process. At the time, Mattel’s chief design officer Chris Down clarified that the tech would be used to help visualize fantastical new concepts and speed up time-consuming processes, like fine-tuning a background in Photoshop. The company’s guidelines around generative AI tools specified that Firefly could not be used to generate subject matter itself, like the actual doll (or, in this case, the accompanying text). 

Nevertheless, an X user shared Fast Company’s original headline alongside the news of the Wicked typo with the caption “Smash cut to four months later.” One commenter under the post wrote, “how did I know this mistake happened bc they’re using AI.” Another added, “The future is so, so dumb.”

Mattel has previously been open about how it’s used AI for doll packaging. In early October, the first Mattel packaging featuring input from Adobe Firefly hit shelves. The company explained to AdAge at the time that its new Holiday Barbie and Sue Bird Barbie packages incorporated backgrounds generated by Firefly, which had then been touched up by human designers. It’s important to note that, for a brand as wide-reaching as Mattel, AI is not being used in the design process without guardrails around both IP and image quality. Any visuals provided by Firefly are vetted and edited by multiple human designers before they ever reach the actual box.

At this stage, it’s highly unlikely that Mattel would trust an AI software to write the final copy for their packaging. It appears that the Wicked Barbie typo was a plain old instance of human error—if a somewhat inconceivable one. As of this writing, Mattel hasn’t responded to Fast Company‘s request for comment on how the mistake may have been made during the design process.

The fallout

In a statement on the Wicked packaging misprint, Mattel shared, “We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to remedy this. Parents are advised that the misprinted, incorrect website is not appropriate for children. Consumers who already have the product are advised to discard the product packaging or obscure the link and may contact Mattel Customer Service for further information.” 

While it’s unclear exactly what steps Mattel plans to take to “remedy” the issue, retailers including Target, Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, and Macy’s had already pulled the dolls from shelves as of midday Monday

Meanwhile, there are a few parties benefitting from the unfortunate situation. Variety reports that the mistakenly shared porn site has seen a 12-year surge in traffic after the incident, and several eBay users have taken this opportunity to massively mark up their Wicked dolls in original packaging. One pack of seven different dolls, advertised as “IN MISPRINT ERROR BOX,” is currently going for $3,500. 

Mattel is sure to take a financial and reputational hit from this incident. Still, the news pick-up, social media speculation, and pricey eBay reselling demonstrate how a simple mistake can turn a run-of-the-mill product drop into something fans will remember—for better or worse.




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TikTok users want to know who their favorite influencers voted for in the election

Influencers have played a big role in this election cycle. Hundreds of typically nonpolitical content creators have been using their platforms to endorse candidates on both sides of the political spectrum. Funnily enough, those who said nothing on election day actually ended up being the loudest. 

“Speaking as an influencer, a lot of your favorite influencers are fucking embarrassing,” said TikToker Kate Glavan. “To be a woman in America with a huge fucking platform and a huge audience and post nothing yesterday, just business as usual, ‘I’m going to my Pilates and I’m going to my brunch . . . ’ No one gives a fuck about your Amazon storefront or your fucking makeup routine.” 

@kateglavan

you have young women (not to mention so many other marginalized communities) looking up to you — and you chose to stay silent? i hope you reflect upon this.

♬ original sound – Kate Glavan

The comment section of her video is filled with people calling out the names of influencers who have been notably silent throughout the election. “Me finding out which influencers voted [Republican] cause they are the ones who are strangely silent and acting like its a regular day,” posted another TikTok user last week. 

@500daysofnatalie

“If an influencer wont talk about who they’re voting for its bcs it doesnt align with the audience that pays their bills” @Skye Dawn Leightner????

♬ My baby my baby – FrankOceanLover911

For influencers, posting who they voted for is a lose-lose situation. Pick a side and they risk alienating a large section of their audience. Stay silent and they risk alienating a large section of their audience. While it makes sense that followers want to know who their favorite influencer voted for, should we expect—or even want—political activism from people whose job involves posting their Sephora hauls and workout routines?

With apologies to Voltaire, with great virality comes great responsibility. Unlike media outlets, which are subject to regulation, there is little oversight of social media, meaning influencer posts can reach millions and have huge sway over their followings. During the 2024 election cycle we have seen influencers and internet personalities being paid on behalf of groups backing both Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump to court their followers’ votes, cashing in on thousands—sometimes millions—for a single post. 

Social media influencers have more influence than they are often given credit for, according to research published in the journal Management Information Systems Quarterly. In fact, research by Pew shows that more than half of U.S. adults (54%) turn to social media for news at least some of the time, putting influencers in direct competition with traditional news outlets for audience attention. To stand out in this crowded space, influencers are incentivized to exaggerate their messages, often leading to polarized followers. If their audience ends up blindly following what they say instead of examining the candidate’s or party’s policies for themselves, it can result in diminished critical thinking in voters. 

Influencers are human and will have a political opinion whether they choose to share it or not. Being pressured into posting about politics can sometimes end up causing more harm than good. At the same time, choosing not to post anything at all during such a divisive election is a choice. So is following an account.




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Elon Musk? RFK, Jr.? Here’s who’s likely to join Donald Trump’s Cabinet

While Donald Trump has announced a few people who will be part of his new administration, when it comes to Cabinet appointees, things appear to be ramping up fast. Trump has named people to several roles, including chief of staff and border czar, and media reports in the past 24 hours have leaked a number of potential Cabinet appointments–with more to come.

On Monday night, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was expected to name Florida Senator Marco Rubio as his Secretary of State—the first of the 15 Cabinet posts to be filled. And on Tuesday South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem was tapped to head Homeland Security. Trump also confirmed that former Rep. Lee Zeldin would be his EPA administrator and that John Ratcliffe, the one-time director of National Intelligence during the final year of Trump’s first term and a former congressman who is unflinchingly loyal to Trump, is his pick to lead the CIA. Trump also surprised many with his pick of Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary.

The job of Cabinet secretaries is to advise the president on issues that are related to their office—and whoever fills those must first be confirmed by the Senate . . . at least, for now. Trump is already calling on the Republican-controlled Senate to change those rules and let him appoint nominees without a Senate vote.

Nominees for Cabinet positions are normally trusted advisors, experts in their field, and sometimes major donors. Tesla CEO and Trump backer Elon Musk also may or may not be involved: He recently put out a call on X saying it “would be interesting to hear recommendations for roles in the new administration for consideration by the President.”

Whether those recommendations will carry any weight is, of course, unknown, but given how close Musk and Trump are now—and Trump’s fondness for social media feedback—it can’t be discounted entirely.

That said, here are some of the leading and potential candidates for select Cabinet posts:

Attorney General

Senator Mike Lee: Considered by some as the leading candidate, the Utah Senator aided efforts to overturn the 2020 election. He has also spread conspiracy theories about the January 6 attack on the Capitol. That’s a big turnaround from 2016, when he did not vote for Trump.

Jeffrey Clark: Known best as the assistant Attorney General who pressured officials in the Justice Department to overturn Trump’s loss in 2020, Clark is currently under indictment in Georgia for his role in that election. Three months ago, a disciplinary committee in Washington, D.C., said Clark should be disbarred for two years for efforts to interfere with election results.

Treasury Secretary

Scott Bessent: The former Soros Fund Management executive (and founder and CEO of Key Square Group) is reportedly Trump’s “go-to economic advisor” and has become the frontrunner in the race for Treasury Secretary after John Paulson removed himself from consideration Tuesday.  He has known the Trump family for decades and is friends with JD Vance. Bessent has expressed concerns about the country’s debt levels and believes the way to correct that is by increasing growth. Asked about a possible Treasury secretary role by CNBC, he said, “I’m going to do whatever Donald Trump asks.”

Howard Lutnick: While Lutnick, who is CEO of investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald, might be under consideration, he’s busy right now leading the Trump transition team with Linda McMahon (who was administrator of the Small Business Administration, 2017-2019, during Trump’s first term). Lutnick and Trump have been friends for more than 20 years and he raised or donated more than $75 million for Trump’s reelection bid.

Larry Kudlow: Best known as a Fox Business financial commentator, Kudlow served as director of the National Economic Council during the Trump Administration, 2018-2021. Throughout this election cycle, Kudlow has been a vocal supporter of Trump and his economic policies on Fox.

Wild cards

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: While Kennedy has said Trump “promised” him “control of the public health agencies,” the exact role he will play in the administration (if any) is still very much up in the air. Asked by CNN in August if he would appoint the independent politician to his cabinet, Trump said “he probably would,” but public criticism of Kennedy’s stance on vaccines and water fluoridation has grown considerably since then.

Elon Musk: Musk has stuck close to Trump since the election, even sitting in on a call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Musk has, however, taken himself out of the running for any Cabinet positions, according to Trump. “He doesn’t want to be in the Cabinet, he just wants to be in charge of cost-cutting. We’ll have a new position, secretary of cost-cutting—Elon wants to do that.” On Tuesday, Trump announced that Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would indeed head a new agency called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut government spending, although a new agency cannot be created without Congress.

Update, November 12, 2024: This article has been updated with Trump’s picks for CIA and Defense Secretary, and announcement about Musk and Ramaswamy.




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‘He will deliver’: Trump’s plans to save TikTok remain unclear

After a tumultuous year filled with anxiety and a legal battle about its future in the U.S., TikTok may have just been thrown a lifeline by the man who was once its biggest foe: Donald Trump.

The president-elect, who tried to ban the social media platform the last time he was in the White House, has repeatedly pledged during his most recent campaign to oppose a ban on the short-form video app, which could happen as soon as mid-January if the company loses a court case that’s currently underway in Washington.

For months, TikTok and its China-based parent company ByteDance have been embroiled in a legal battle with the U.S. over a federal law that forces them to cut ties for national security reasons or stop operating in one of their biggest markets in the world. The measure, signed by President Joe Biden in April, gives ByteDance nine months to divest its stakes, with a possible three-month extension if a sale is in progress. If that happens, the deadline could be extended into the first 100 days of Trump’s presidency.

The companies have claimed that divestiture is not possible, and the law, if upheld, would force them to shut down by January 19, just a day before Trump’s second inauguration. Attorneys for both sides have asked a federal appeals court reviewing the case to issue a ruling by December 6. The losing side is expected to appeal to the Supreme Court, which has a conservative majority and could decide to take up the case, potentially dragging out the process even longer.

When reached for comment, the Trump transition team did not offer details on how Trump plans to carry out his pledge to “save TikTok,” as he said on a Truth Social post in September while encouraging people who care about the platform to vote for him. But Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the transition team, indicated in a statement that he plans to see it through.

“The American people reelected President Trump by a resounding margin, giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail,” Leavitt said. “He will deliver.”

During a March interview with CNBC, Trump said he still believed TikTok posed a national security risk but opposed banning it because doing so would help its rival, Facebook, which he has continued to lambast over his 2020 election loss. He also denied changing his mind on the issue because of Republican megadonor Jeff Yass, a ByteDance investor who Trump, at the time, said he had only met “very briefly.” He said Yass “never mentioned TikTok” during their meeting.

Still, ByteDance—and groups connected to Yass—have been attempting to exert their influence. Lobbying disclosure reports show that this year, ByteDance paid veteran lobbyist and former Trump campaign aide David Urban $150,000 to lobby lawmakers in Washington in favor of TikTok. The company has also spent more than $8 million on in-house lobbyists and another $1.4 million on other lobbying firms, according to the nonprofit OpenSecrets.

Meanwhile, in March, Politico reported that Kellyanne Conway, a former senior Trump aide, was being paid by the Yass-funded conservative group Club for Growth to advocate for TikTok in Congress. A spokesperson for the organization said Conway was hired as a consultant to conduct polling. Conway and Urban did not respond to requests for comment. TikTok, which has long denied it’s a national security risk, declined to comment.

If the courts uphold the law, it would fall on Trump’s Justice Department to enforce it and punish any potential violations with fines. The fines would apply to app stores that would be prohibited from offering TikTok, and internet hosting services who would be barred from supporting it. Leah Plunkett, a lecturer at Harvard Law School, said from her reading of the statute, the attorney general has to investigate violations but can decide whether or not to drag such companies to court and force them to comply.

Trump could do other things to prevent TikTok from disappearing.

He could issue an executive order to nullify the ban—which Plunkett believes would not be lawful—or urge Congress to repeal the law. That would require support from Congressional Republicans who have aligned themselves with Trump but have also supported the prospects of getting TikTok out of the hands of a Chinese company.

In a statement sent to the AP after the election, Republican Representative John Moolenaar of Michigan, chairman of the House Select Committee on China, said Trump’s “long-standing concerns” about TikTok align with the law’s requirement for divestment.

“The Trump Administration will have a unique opportunity to broker an American takeover of the platform,” he said.

ByteDance, though, has previously said it has no intention of selling the platform despite interest from some investors, including Trump’s former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Analysts say the company is even less likely to sell the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app. That means even if TikTok is sold to a qualified buyer, it is likely to be a shell of its current self and would need to be rebuilt with new technology.

Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell University’s Tech Policy Institute, said it’s also possible that Trump could take the issue back to the drawing board and direct his administration to negotiate a new deal with TikTok.

TikTok said in 2022 that it presented the Biden administration with a draft agreement that would bolster protections for users and provide it more oversight over the company’s U.S. operations. But the administration has argued in court documents in recent months that it would be challenging to enforce the agreement due to the size and the technical complexity of the platform.

Trump hasn’t been privy to new intelligence material on the matter for a few years and it’s possible he could change his mind—and abandon his campaign promise—once he does, Kreps said.

Plunkett, the Harvard Law lecturer and author of Sharenthood: Why We Should Think Before We Talk About Our Kids Online, said if she were counseling TikTok, she would advise it to come up with a divesture plan that is compliant with the law and as favorable to the company as possible, noting, “There is too much uncertainty about what a Trump administration is likely to do.”

—By Haleluya Hadero, Associated Press





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Building an ISE Homelab

One of the best ways of learning something is building a lab for it. Especially when it comes to complex topics like network authentication. When I started learning about network authentication and Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE), I found that





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Gilad Gressel On Why You Should Watch His Newest Course: Deep Learning With Python

Hi, my name is Gilad Gressel and I’d like to tell you about my new course: Deep Learning with Python. Deep learning is an old technology that has recently been sweeping through the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence. Deep learning powers many of the cutting edge technologies that appear to be “magic” in [...]




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How We Express Ourselves: Making a Museum in a Box

In the last eight years, my posting habits have become pretty sparse, to say the least. Starting and running a school…it’s a lot. It keeps me busy and thoroughly exhausted. I miss it. I miss the cadence of posting regularly and interacting with my education friends virtually. I miss swapping ideas and being thoroughly steeped...










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Bellewood Wallpaper

Loving (!) this wallpaper by Rebel Walls.



  • decorate your walls

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An Age of Inelasticity

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Festival of Dangerous Ideas (@festivalofdangerousideas) Thank you Roxane for giving words to this feeling we are all feeling: an age of inelasticity.



  • made me look
  • made me think

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Cabel Sasser – Panic

What a wonderfully refreshing talk.




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Apple Stores Relocate in Three Cities on November 9

On November 9, Apple will relocate its La Encantada retail store in Tucson, Arizona, to a temporary location within the same shopping center. The new store will open at 10 a.m. local time, on Level 2, in front of the main stairs. This store has been part of the Tucson community since 2004, and the […]




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Apple News Launches Live Election Tracking on iPhone

Apple News is giving users a new way to stay updated during the 2024 U.S. election. With the Live Activities feature, users can follow real-time election results directly on their iPhone Lock Screen. This feature, previously used for sports scores and music, now offers live updates for election night. Starting at 6 p.m. EST on […]




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Apple Plans Ten-Year Celebration Challenge for Apple Watch Users

Apple Watch users could soon see a unique activity challenge celebrating the device’s tenth anniversary. According to recently discovered code in the iOS 18.2 beta, Apple may introduce a “Ten Year Celebration” activity achievement for users. This new challenge could encourage Apple Watch owners to stay active while commemorating a decade of the popular wearable. […]



  • Apple Watch News

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iPhone Prices Surge with Pro Model Demand

In the latest report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), the average price of iPhones sold in the U.S. during the September 2024 quarter has hit an unprecedented $1,018. This peak, known as the U.S. Weighted Average Retail Price (US-WARP), marks the highest point in CIRP’s tracking history and is driven by consumer interest in […]




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Tim Cook Congratulates Donald Trump on Second Election Win

Following the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Apple CEO Tim Cook congratulated Donald Trump on his victory over Kamala Harris. Trump’s win marks his second term in office, giving Apple another chance to work closely with the administration. Cook took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his optimism, stating, “Congratulations President Trump on your victory! We […]




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Postbox Acquired by eM Client, Ends Development

eM Client has acquired the longtime email app Postbox and discontinued sales and development. While Postbox users can still use the app and receive support for several months, it’s time to start looking for a replacement.




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Protect Yourself Against Location Tracking Abuses

Recent revelations of unauthorized location tracking by Babel Street expose privacy vulnerabilities for iPhone users. Adam Engst offers actionable strategies to reduce the likelihood of having your privacy violated by data brokers.





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Apple Intelligence Arrives in macOS 15.1 Sequoia, iOS 18.1, and iPadOS 18.1

Apple has rolled out Apple Intelligence for compatible devices with macOS 15.1, iOS 18.1, and iPadOS 18.1, introducing new enhancements in Siri, Photos, Mail, and more. Adam Engst shares an overview and early impressions of the Apple Intelligence features.





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Misguided Apple Intelligence Ads

The initial Apple Intelligence features aren’t exactly world-changing, but if we’re to believe Apple’s ads, they’re primarily shortcuts for those uninterested in investing time and effort.




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Trump appoints Elon Musk to DOGE, a new U.S. government department

President-elect Donald Trump announced Elon Musk will head a new U.S. Department of Government Efficiency ("DOGE").




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Show HN: Proxmox VE Helper Scripts

Comments




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We Built a Self-Healing System to Survive a Concurrency Bug at Netflix

Comments




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AMD's CPU sales are miles better than Intel

Comments




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Qwen2.5-Coder-32B is an LLM that can code well that runs on my Mac

Comments




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Fresh Resources for Web Designers and Developers (October 2024)

It’s time for our monthly roundup! In this edition, we’ve gathered some exciting new resources for web developers, with a focus on the PHP ecosystem. PHP has experienced a bit of a renaissance lately, especially with Laravel’s influence on the JavaScript ecosystem, and with the upcoming release of PHP 8.4 around the end of this…

The post Fresh Resources for Web Designers and Developers (October 2024) appeared first on Hongkiat.