Feeling overwhelmed by negativity? Adam Engst shares some 2021 wrap-up posts showing that even in a pandemic-ridden year, a lot of good stuff happened that didn’t make the headlines. He also looks at the solution to a macOS upgrade problem and explains how to bring back the menu command for creating an ad hoc Wi-Fi network.
Did you know that pressing Control-H in Mail deletes the current message? You do now. Adam also shares a story about a Pakistani security researcher reporting a vulnerability on the TidBITS site and a reader tip about avoiding USB hubs when updating an iPhone from a Mac.
If you’re a Verizon customer, the company has likely already enrolled you in its new “Custom Experience” data-collection scheme, but you can turn it off and delete the collected data.
TidBITS Talk readers shared an insightful essay that nicely describes the motivation of many TidBITS members in supporting us and a tip that the Gmail app now supports non-Gmail accounts.
In the ongoing saga of things rattling around in Adam Engst’s head that don’t merit their own articles, Adam shares the fact of Apple’s new temporary iCloud Backup storage, passes on a story about Screen Time settings inexplicably changing, talks about moving TidBITS to a new virtual private server, and notes an upgrade to the TidBITS News app.
On 4 October 2021, Facebook disappeared from the Internet for most of the day. Internet infrastructure company Cloudflare explains how it happened, even if we don’t know exactly why.
Apple recently unveiled an iPad camera feature called Center Stage that keeps one or more people within the frame during video chats even when they move around. Julio Ojeda-Zapata gave Center Stage a try and compared it to smart displays from Amazon, Facebook, and Google.
As of 24 October 2021, seven-digit dialing for local calls won’t work in parts of the US due to the need to use 988 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Here’s how to find and update your stored seven-digit numbers.
After his LastPass Chrome extension disappeared in Brave, Adam Engst discovered that it had been corrupted and was easily repaired.
We have many choices now for boosting coverage and throughput on our home Wi-Fi networks. The main determinants on the path you might pick? Cost, complexity, and installation hassle.
If you’re putting up with slow or unreliable Internet connectivity and are willing to pay for better service, the Speedify VPN promises to combine multiple Internet sources into a single connection that’s faster and more reliable.
Anyone using FTP or SFTP to connect to their Web site or other servers should consider a tweaky but significant security upgrade that swaps passwords for encryption keys.
Consumer Reports and The Verge are conducting a survey of Internet access in the United States, and they’re asking users to perform speed tests and upload PDFs of their bills.
Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows 365 service promises to let you stream Windows from the cloud to a Mac or iPad. It could be a win for those looking for an x86 Windows solution on an M1-based Mac.
Fed up with Verizon’s high prices and poor service, Josh Centers decided to try the AT&T network through Consumer Cellular. After a successful test, he ended up switching.