Archive for January 7, 2021

Signal Reports Growing Pains As New Users Surge Due To WhatsApp Terms Of Service Change

Posted in Commentary with tags , on January 7, 2021 by itnerd

Signal, an encrypted messaging app that competes with other services including Facebook’s WhatsApp, said Thursday that verification codes used to create new accounts were delayed because of a flood of new users. In other words, they are suffering growing pains.

“We are working with carriers to resolve this as quickly as possible,” the non-profit foundation said in a tweet. “Hang in there.” The surge came just hours after Elon Musk endorsed the service and amid reported changes to WhatsApp’s terms of service.

The changes to WhatsApp’s terms of service are that Facebook will get to see a lot of info that it never got to see before in an attempt to monetize WhatsApp. That of course has spooked WhatsApp users as it should given that Facebook isn’t exactly known for being the best when it comes to how it uses the data that it has on you. Or put another way, nobody trusts Facebook. In an ideal world, this would get Facebook’s attention and they would address their data usage issues. But I don’t expect that to happen. Thus Facebook deserves to have its user base massively drop.

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Time To Beat Down Those Winter Blues With Immortals Fenyx Rising & Watch Dogs: Legion

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 7, 2021 by itnerd

The days are still short and the cold weather isn’t helping, so let’s take our minds off blues by beating down the blues in Immortals Fenyx Rising and Watch Dogs: Legion!

The mythological game of the winter will transport you to the Golden Isle, where you will be tasked with saving Zeus and the rest of the Gods from the Typhon, a grisly monster who has been released from the underworld and wants to take vengeance. He and his squad of evil beings will meet you at every turn to try and keep you blue, but you have what it takes to ensure that you and the Gods succeed in ensuring the world does not capitulate into evil.

If you want to stay a little closer to home, Watch Dogs: Legion is for you! With online co-operative play available early this year, not only will you be able to create your own resistance to take back London with every and any person in the game, you’ll be able to do it with your friends. Everyone has a unique set of skills and abilities, from the innocent granny on the sidewalk, to the construction worker and the badass militants with big scary weapons.

Both games are now available on all next-gen consoles, as well as the Switch, PS4 and Xbox One, on the Ubisoft Store for Windows PC!

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BREAKING: Shopify Shuts Down Trump’s Online Stores

Posted in Commentary with tags , on January 7, 2021 by itnerd

The fallout from yesterday’s violence on Capitol Hill that wasn’t incited by President Trump continues. Shopify has apparently shut down all Trump related stores on its platform as per this:

I am trying to find a statement from Shopify on this and at the moment I cannot. But I have confirmed that other media outlets are reporting this. For example The Wall Street Journal has a story behind its paywall on this. So this is yet another blow to Trump that you can file under too little, too late as these stores have funded his hate filled agenda for years and really should have been shut down long before now.

UPDATE: The closest thing to a statement from Shopify is this New York Times story.

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BREAKING: Trump Banned From Facebook “Indefinitely”

Posted in Commentary with tags , on January 7, 2021 by itnerd

I definitely didn’t have this on my apocalypse bingo card. The Washington Post is reporting that Facebook has banned President Donald Trump from its platform “indefinitely”. Though a statement from CEO Mark Zuckerberg nuances that:

“We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great,” he wrote. “Therefore, we are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete.

I am sorry, but much like the temporary Twitter ban from yesterday, this is too little too late. Trump has used social media to spread hate, racism, and disinformation for years. Social media platforms could have dealt with this clown years ago. But it took a massive act of violence before they did anything about him. That’s a #Fail. And this ban by Facebook isn’t really a ban that lasts “indefinitely”. It’s a two week ban. That’s not good enough and Facebook needs to do better.

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AirPods Max Have A Potentially Fatal Flaw

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 7, 2021 by itnerd

Word is starting to surface that Apple’s insanely priced AirPods Max has a fatal flaw. It collects moisture in between the ear cup and the headphone itself. And the heat is being turned up on Apple by YouTuber Painfully Honest Tech among others who are now advocating that owners push Apple to do something about this, or avail themselves of the return policy that Apple offers. Here’s what Painfully Honest Tech had to say:

Here’s the thing. He’s right. Apple needs to deal with this immediately. They cannot and should not be allowed to dismiss the concerns of the owners of a $550 USD pair of headphones. Apple has a history of trying to brush away concerns like this. But this will not end well for Apple if this story gains momentum. Which it will by people like Painfully Honest Tech and yours truly keeping it in the public eye. As well as potential buyers thinking twice of buying this clearly defective pair of headphones.

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