Tumblr has Vanished from the App Store

November 18, 2018iOSTumblrJenThorpe

Tumblr is having an issue with its iOS app. Tumblr confirmed this in a post on its Help Center in which is stated: “We’re working to resolve an issue with the iOS app and hope to be fully functional again soon. We really appreciate your patience as we figure this out, and we’ll update this article when we have news to share.”

Piunikaweb reported that some users said Tumblr search isn’t working (meaning that users were unable to turn off Safe Mode). It also reported that the Tumblr app was not available for download from the App Store, and that some users said that explicit content had been censored.

The Verge also reported that Tumblr’s iOS app is missing from Apple’s App store.

It is unclear exactly why the app is no longer on Apple’s App Store, and this is causing some to engage in speculation. Some think that the app’s removal has something to do with Tumblr’s NSFW content.

This situation is yet another example of why people shouldn’t put all of their original content into a third-party blogging and/or social media website. There is no guarantee that that Tumblr will be around forever. If it goes away, users will lose all the content they put into their Tumblr blogs. Those that put their original content on a WordPress blog, and link it to Tumblr, will still control their own content.

It appears that the desktop version of Tumblr is still there, and this could be an option for some Tumblr users who can no longer access Tumblr through the iOS app. Another potential workaround was posted on Twitter by @diegoveronicat. The tweet includes step-by-step instructions about how to get the Tumblr app back on your phone.

Are Kids GPS Watches Being Tracked? #1327

November 15, 2018PodcastKirk

Are Kids GPS Watches being tracked? If a report from The Register proves to be true I think I would smash my Kids GPS tracking watch into a million pieces but that’s just me and I know already that the majority of us are being tracked by equally bad folks as well from the advertising and data analysis firms. But the kids GPS tracking is much more sinister and could endanger your kids to predators. You need to reach out to the companies and make sure your kids GPS watch is not affected here.

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The New York Times and Facebook Appear to Be Arguing

November 15, 2018FacebookFacebookJenThorpe

On November 14, 2018, The New York Times posted a lengthy article titled: “Delay, Deny and Deflect: How Facebook’s Leaders Fought Through Crisis”. Facebook responded on November 15, 2018, with a post of its own, titled “New York Times Update.” Later that day, The New York Times posted an article titled: “Facebook Cuts Ties with Definers Public Affairs Following Outcry.”

One thing that seems consistent between the posts from The New York Times and the Facebook response post is that Facebook ended its contract with Definers Public Affairs the day after The New York Times article was published. Definers is a Washington-based consultant that Facebook started working with in October 2017.

Both The New York Times and Facebook posts indicate that Facebook feels that Tim Cook, Chief Executive Officer of Apple, Inc., has criticized Facebook. In its post, Facebook said it has encouraged its employees and executives to use Android. Personally, I don’t care what kind of phone Facebook workers use.

To me, it appears that Facebook and The New York Times are arguing with each other. I’m having difficulty finding reasons to care about this kerfuffle. It feels like a lot of drama about events that have already happened. The damage has already been done.

I’ve grown tired of the back-and-forth between news media and social media. It feels like both sides are doing little more than providing fuel for those who enjoy being outraged.

Six Hundred and Twenty Two Advertising Partners

November 10, 2018internet, Securitydata protectionAndrew

If you still think that privacy and data sharing isn’t an issue, then take a look at this…
The other day I was visiting a popular gaming website and up popped the the usual notice about use of cookies. Normally I would dismiss these without a second thought but I was on a tablet and accidently tapped on the link to their privacy notice. Noodling around, I discovered on this page that they listed all their advertising partners…..and there were SIX HUNDRED AND TWENTY TWO of them.

Here’s just those that begin with “A”.
A1 Media Group, A1platform, Aarki, abilicom, Acuityads, Adacado, Adadyn, Adara Media, Adbalancer, Adblade, ADBOX,Adcash, AdClear, Adclouds, AdColony, Addictive Mobility, Addition Plus, Addroid, AdElement, Adello, ADEX, Adform, AdGibbon BV, adhood, Adikteev, AdKernel, AdLedge, adlocal.net, Adloox, Adludio, AdMaster/LnData, AdMaxim,Admedo, Admetrics, Admixer, Adnami ApS, adnanny.com, Adnetic, Adobe Advertising Cloud, AdPlay, AdPredictive, AdRetarget, Adriver, AdRoll Inc., adrule, Adsniper, Adssets, adTarget.me, Adtelligence, Adtelligent Inc., AdTrader, AdTriba, advanced STORE GmbH, Advanse, Adventive, Adventori, Adverline, Advertserve, Advmaker, advolution.control, Adways SAS, Adzerk, Adzymic, AE Media, Aedge Performance S.L. , AerServ, affilinet, Aidata, Airtory, Akamai, AKTYVUS SEKTORIUS, Alkemics, All In Views LTD, Alooma, Amazon, Amino Payments, Inc., Amobee, Analights, Aniview Inc., Answer Media, AntVoice, APNIC, AppGrowth Inc., Appier, AppLift, AppLovin Corp., AppNexus, Appreciate, appTV, Arbigo Inc., Arrivalist, Art of Click, Artsai, Audience2Media, AudienceProject, Audiencevalue, Aunica, Avocet, Azameo

Recognise many? Adobe, Amazon?

And from the website’s privacy policy, “We share your personal information with our affiliates and with exhibitors, sponsors, media partners, joint venture partners and other third parties.” which can be summarised as “We share your personal information with anyone we like.”

Let me get this straight. I visit one gaming website and my information could be shared with up to 622 other organisations that, really, I know nothing about. Who knows where this data will eventually land?

There’s something very wrong here.

Women Look at Security Cameras photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash.

MoviePass Marketing Run by an Idiot! #1326

November 9, 2018PodcastKirk

MoviePass marketing is being run by an idiot. It’s obvious that they cannot hire anyone with half a brain with the money they are stealing from consumers in my opinion. The latest email they sent out was so bad that a five year old could have put together a better marketing message. All they did was piss more people off and remind them how horrid their service is. I truly do not understand how they are still in business. I have a pile of news for you today along with some insight into internet based tv services.

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Disney+ Will Have New Star Wars and Marvel Series

November 8, 2018StreamingDisneyJenThorpe

Disney has announced that their new direct-to-consumer streaming service will be called Disney+. It is scheduled to launch in the United States in late 2019. I haven’t seen anything that specifically states what a subscription to Disney+ would cost.

Disney+ will have a Star Wars live action series that will go into production next year. It will follow the adventures of Cassian Andor during the formative years of the Rebellion and prior to the events of Rogue One. Diego Luna will reprise the role of Andor.

In addition, Disney+ will also have a Marvel live action series centered around Loki, the god of mischief. Tom Hiddleston will star.

CNBC reported that in August of 2017, Disney said it would pull all of its movies from Netflix in 2019. If you are a Netflix subscriber, I recommend you watch those movies now, before they are removed.

I believe that Disney+ will attract a lot of consumers, especially those who have children. It sounds like Disney+ is going to offer plenty of interesting things for teens and adults, as well. Disney+, in my opinion, could be a fierce rival for Netflix. I think current Netflix subscribers could be tempted to switch to Disney+ if the subscription price is lower than what Netflix charges.

Or, maybe people will subscribe to both. To me, it feels like we are at a place where people can “just pay for the channels they want” instead of paying for cable. If so, that’s something a lot of people have been wanting for a long time.

Image from Pexels

An App that Tracks your Voting History and Political Affiliation #1325

November 6, 2018PodcastKirk

An App that tracks your voting history and political affiliations is now available for others to take a closer look at your political activity. While much of this information has been available to political parties it is now available to anyone which to me is a bit unnerving considering the political climate we are in at this point and the absolute craziness going on in the world. I also look at have the elections been hacked and do you trust the forthcoming results.