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ExtraBITS for 2 May 2011

If you’re looking for a little more to read this week, Glenn Fleishman explains Assisted GPS at Macworld, Jeff Carlson shares a link to an interview with the ex-Mac luminary and current professional photographer Joe Holmes, and Adam points to Ars Technica’s recent experience with Facebook as a reason to avoid relying on the social networking service for business purposes.

Why Businesses Shouldn’t Friend Facebook — The news site Ars Technica (owned by Condé Nast Digital) woke up one morning last week to find their Facebook page locked after an unknown person complained to Facebook that some piece of Ars Technica content infringed on their rights. With no warning, explanation, or clear appeal process, and with only minimal communication after Ars staffers started to investigate, the Ars Technica Facebook page remained inaccessible the entire day. (It has now been restored, with a statement from
Facebook apologizing weakly and justifying the action.) If this can happen to a major news outlet like Ars Technica, which can bring corporate resources to bear on resolving the situation, just imagine how much fun it would be for a small business. Moral of the story: Do not rely on Facebook for anything critical to your business. Facebook is not your friend.

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The Quiet, Lovely Photographs of Joseph O. Holmes — Joseph O. Holmes has been a lawyer and a Mac journalist, and he appeared earlier this year with Adam and other notable Mac figures at a Macworld Expo panel called “Holmes Brothers Live.” Joe now makes his living as a professional fine art photographer, and in this article at Rob Galbraith’s Digital Photography Insights site, he talks about his inspiration and creative process.

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How the iPhone Supplements GPS — Over at Macworld, TidBITS editor Glenn Fleishman explains Apple’s curious statement that GPS positioning would take minutes without its secret sauce of Wi-Fi network and cell-tower location data. Apple (and other mobile device makers) supplement GPS with several clever techniques to get a faster fix.

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