Because Android is So Much More Secure than iOS
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes writes:
The report makes depressing reading. Across all platforms, mobile malware attacks are up 155 percent, with mobile malware samples increasing from 11,138 in 2010 to 28,472 in 2011. BlackBerry malware grew by 8 percent, and Java ME saw a 49 percent increase. But the platform hit hardest was Android, with malware increasing by an incredible 3,325 percent in a year. During the last six months of 2011, Android malware samples had increased from 400 to 13,302.
Conspicuously absent from the list of devices affected by malware attacks is the iPhone. You don't suppose that is because there is no malware for the iPhone, do you?
HT: Gruber
Mastered for iTunes
Kelly Hodgkins writes about the new Mastered for iTunes songs on the iTunes Store:
Apple's trying to differentiate iTunes from its competitors with a new “Mastered for iTunes” section that's filled with high-fidelity, ear-pleasing music. These tracks are processed using a set of guidelines and tools that'll maintain as much of the sound quality of the original, uncompressed file as possible.
I'm curious to see if they sound any different. Assuming they do, another question remains: if someone registers a track on iTunes Match and then redownloads it, do you receive the “Mastered for iTunes” version?
Ash Wednesday
I've posted it before for Ash Wednesday, but I thought I would link to it again: T.S. Eliot's Ash Wednesday is well worth taking a few minutes to read and what better day to do it on?
And pray to God to have mercy upon us
And pray that I may forget
These matters that with myself I too much discuss
Too much explain
Because I do not hope to turn again
Let these words answer
For what is done, not to be done again
May the judgement not be too heavy upon us
The Voice, Week 4
The Voice has been off to a great start this year. If you haven't started watching it yet, you really ought to give it a whirl on YouTube. Good singers and an overall good show.
Great Commission Baptists?
Travis Loller reports:
A panel for the Southern Baptist Convention recommended Monday that its leadership endorse a new, add-on description for the denomination - “Great Commission Baptists” - stopping short of a complete name change.
I think shedding the SBC's regional and related baggage is a good idea. Still, I get uncomfortable with names like the proposed one, since it suggests there are the “Great Commission Baptists” in the SBC and non-Great Commission Baptists everywhere else.
Maybe that's just me.
Hymn Du Jour
From William Sleeper:
Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Jesus, I come; Jesus, I come.
Into Thy blessed will to abide,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair into raptures above,
Upward forever on wings like a dove,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Windows Gets a New Logo
Sam Moreau posted a piece on Microsoft's “Blogging Windows” blog to show a history of Windows logos and present a new one for Windows 8. The retrospective is enjoyable; the new logo, on the other hand… Well, at least for me, I'll say the jury is still out.
I think I'll actually miss the “Windows Flag.”
Mountain Lion's Gatekeeper
John Gruber writes:
The default for this setting is, I say, exactly right: the one in the middle, disallowing only unsigned apps. This default setting benefits users by increasing practical security, and also benefits developers, preserving the freedom to ship whatever software they want for the Mac, with no approval process.
Call me nuts, but that's one feature I hope will someday go in the other direction — from OS X to iOS.
My thoughts exactly. The iOS defaults make perfect sense for most users: the App Store is open enough that the vast majority of apps can get into it, it is dead simple to use and most users have no business trying to figure out if third party sources are “safe.” But, it would be nice if power users could flip a switch to override that generally wise restriction and install third party signed apps (or maybe even unsigned apps).
In this respect Gatekeeper on the Mac is really ideal. Given the differing expectations for a computer over a cell phone, it defaults to allowing Mac App Store and third party signed applications. I probably wouldn't recommend that as a default on an iOS device, but it makes sense on a full fledged computer. Most users probably should stick to the App Store, but quite a few users will want apps like Adobe Creative Suite or Microsoft Office, that (I suspect) will remain outside the App Store. By allowing third party apps, but requiring them to be signed, Apple avoids loosing (or severely limiting) these all-important packages while ensuring that any third party creating malicious software can still be blacklisted as soon as a threat appears.
Finally, and critically, Gatekeeper's restrictions can be completely overridden if advanced users want to run unsigned code. Giving the choice is good. For the most part, I suspect that users who are advanced enough to not be intimidated by switching off what sounds like (and is) an important security setting will also be knowledgable enough to safely judge what unsigned code is OK to run.
Mountain Lion
Apple's program of making Mac OS X more iOS-like looks like it is really going to bear fruit in Mountain Lion. Bringing iMessage to the Mac seems natural and Notifications is an obvious integration of the functionality Growl had added to most Macs for years now. Clearly the big feature, however, is deeper iCloud integration, promising to allow data to flow seamlessly from Mac to iPad to iPhone.
I'm anxious to see how this turns out.
Melanchthon
After reading two of Timothy Wengert's books on Master Philipp, I find my sympathy for the Lutheran humanist theologian has only grown. There is something tragic about how those he admires (Erasmus) or considers friends (John Agricola) end up turning on him.
At least he didn't end up exiled like Bucer.
