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Flight attendant's act after touchdown divides social media users

<p>A United Airlines flight attendant has copped some flak online for playing the violin after touching down in California. </p> <p>The unnamed crew member welcomed travellers to the Bay Area by playing a cheery tune as people got up to disembark from the flight, and while his performance was met with a round of applause from passengers, others weren't quite as pleased. </p> <p>“It was a definite pleasant surprise and welcome change compared to all the news we hear from airlines these days,” the Redditor captioned the clip of the performance shared online. </p> <p>While some viewers agreed it was “lovely” and “awesome,” others found the behaviour “unsettling,” calling the flight attendant “self-indulgent”.</p> <p>“What a sly move,” one wrote. “He has everyone sitting, captivated by his music, while he slowly walks down the aisle with anyone in his way and exiting the plane first.”</p> <p>“Just because I’m trapped and sitting doesn’t mean I have any desire to be serenaded,” another commented. </p> <p>“This would be annoying as hell,” wrote a third. “Can’t imagine breaking out into song on any instrument on a flight."</p> <p>“Honestly I’d struggle not to tell him to sit down and shut the f**k up,” commented another. </p> <p>However, others jumped to the flight attendant's defence, saying: “Of course super mean people as usual telling him to sit down and shut up." </p> <p>“My guess is he actually likes the passengers and is very friendly and kind,” another added, praising the crew member for trying to "entertain passengers." </p> <p>“Not like he’s making much with working at one of the lowest paying mainlines. Yet he has a good attitude despite it.”</p> <p><em>Images: Reddit</em></p> <p> </p>

Travel Trouble

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"So disrespectful": Meghan Markle criticised for moving wheelchair user

<p>Meghan Markle has been criticised online after appearing to move a person in a wheelchair without asking permission. </p> <p>The Duke and Duchess of Sussex was met with Team Canada at the True Patriot Love Foundation breakfast on Sunday to celebrate the team before the official start of the 2025 Invictus Games. </p> <p>The Sussexes were mingling with athletes when Meghan appeared to move a team member's wheelchair, but didn't appear to ask for her permission beforehand.</p> <p>In a short video clip, which was shared to Meghan's Instagram, the team member stopped talking mid-conversation as the Duchess moved her towards the group in preparation for a photograph.</p> <p>The moment struck a nerve with many people online, with one writing on X, "My daughter is in a wheelchair, and someone else trying to move it is a huge NO!"</p> <p>"Their wheelchair is an extension of themselves. Meghan is in her personal space and needs to stop."</p> <p>Many social media users took to the comment section to agree that Markle should not have moved the wheelchair unless she gained permission beforehand.</p> <p>One said, "So rude and disrespectful!", while another questioned, "Isn't that woman in the wheelchair an athlete? Why does she need to be pushed?"</p> <p>"I've had that happen it's very rude to presume you can just push someone without asking if they require assistance, disabled doesn't mean dumb," said another, while a fourth person added, "Some of the onlookers look horrified too."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p>

Caring

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‘A virtual seat at the family table’: why older people are among the biggest users of social media

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bernardo-figueiredo-336532">Bernardo Figueiredo</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/torgeir-aleti-92509">Torgeir Aleti</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a></em></p> <p>The Australian government’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-social-media-ban-for-kids-under-16-just-became-law-how-it-will-work-remains-a-mystery-244736">recent decision to ban under 16s</a> from social media has focused attention on the harms it can cause – especially for young people.</p> <p>But young people are just one segment of the population who use social media. According to the <a href="https://wearesocial.com/au/blog/2024/01/digital-2024/">Digital 2024 report</a>, 78.3% of Australians regularly use platforms such as Facebook and Instagram – mainly for keeping in touch with friends and family.</p> <p>Perhaps surprisingly, a large proportion of these users are older people. For example, the Digital 2024 report also shows that 21.3% of Meta’s ad audience in Australia (on Messenger, Facebook and Instagram) are 55 years or older. This makes it the second largest age group after 25–34 year olds (25.4%).</p> <p>So what does research say about how social media affects older people’s social lives and wellbeing?</p> <h2>The growing presence of older adults on social media</h2> <p><a href="https://www.digitalinclusionindex.org.au/digital-inclusion-the-australian-context-in-2023/">The digital divide is shrinking</a> as older generations embrace social media. <a href="https://www.benetas.com.au/news/digial-habits-of-older-australians">According to data from earlier this year</a>, more than 70% of Australians aged 65 and older use social media to some degree.</p> <p><a href="https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/research/surveys_statistics/technology/2023/2023-tech-trends.doi.10.26419-2Fres.00584.001.pdf">Facebook remains the most popular</a> among this demographic, serving as a gateway to reconnect with family and long-lost friends. Beyond reconnecting, <a href="https://apo.org.au/node/313717">our research indicates</a> older adults often use these platforms to share memories, participate in community groups and access news.</p> <p>This growing trend is driven by both internal and external factors. <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/oir-06-2021-0332/full/html">Research shows</a> many older users are motivated by the desire to stay connected with their families, particularly grandchildren, who often share their lives through social media.</p> <p>For others, the COVID pandemic <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-18/are-we-headed-to-a-cashless-economy-post-coronavirus/12244846">accelerated the adoption of digital tools</a>, making social media a lifeline during periods of isolation.</p> <h2>Enhanced connection</h2> <p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-024-02048-7">A recent study</a> found positive associations between internet use and mental health among older adults in 23 countries.</p> <p>Social media, in particular, works by:</p> <p><strong>1. Maintaining family ties.</strong> Social media provides older adults with a virtual seat at the family table. By viewing photos, videos and updates, <a href="https://theconversation.com/video-chats-can-ease-social-isolation-for-older-adults-during-coronavirus-pandemic-135890">they can remain engaged with their loved ones’ lives</a>, no matter the physical distance. Platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are particularly popular for private family group chats, enabling older adults to exchange messages and share moments in real time.</p> <p><strong>2. Rekindling old friendships.</strong> Platforms such as Facebook have proven effective in <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10510974.2021.1975143?needAccess=true">reconnecting older adults with long-lost friends</a>. For many, revisiting old relationships provides a sense of nostalgia and belonging. Studies have shown such interactions can <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32700541/">bolster feelings of inclusion</a> and reduce loneliness, a significant concern for ageing populations.</p> <p><strong>3. Building new communities.</strong> Social media groups dedicated to specific interests such as gardening, photography or travel offer older adults opportunities to form new connections. <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/jkm-02-2021-0087/full/html">These virtual communities</a> are inclusive spaces where members exchange advice, share experiences and foster friendships based on shared hobbies.</p> <h2>Improved well-being</h2> <p>Social media’s ability to foster connection among older adults <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8465959/#B7-healthcare-09-01143">directly impacts their wellbeing</a>.</p> <p>Regular online interactions can reduce feelings of loneliness and depression, providing a sense of purpose and belonging.</p> <p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10410236.2020.1859722">Research shows</a> active participation, such as posting photos, is associated with a feeling of competence in older users, which is related to well-being. For some, becoming “<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/80-years-old-with-11-million-followers-meet-tiktok-s-granfluencers-20230602-p5ddje.html">grandfluencers</a>” on platforms like Instagram or TikTok introduces an unexpected avenue for creative expression and social influence.</p> <p>Online forums are also gaining traction as a tool for health information and advocacy. <a href="https://www.jmir.org/2013/2/e35">Older adults participate in support groups</a> for chronic conditions, share wellness tips and even engage in civic discussions. This demonstrates social media platforms’ broader potential beyond social interaction.</p> <h2>Online challenges</h2> <p>Despite its benefits, social media is not without challenges for older adults.</p> <p>For some, navigating the complex interface of platforms can be intimidating. <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/13/9/496">Our research</a> shows half of older adults feel anxious about using communication technologies, with older women experiencing more anxiety than older men.</p> <p>Issues such as <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2021-08/apo-nid313717.pdf">privacy concerns, misinformation and online scams can also create barriers to engagement</a>. Additionally, while social media facilitates connection, it <a href="https://agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.18546">cannot replace the depth of face-to-face interactions</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/14413582231187652">Our research</a> shows those with higher digital literacy are more likely to experience the positive effects of social media because of ongoing “self-socialisation” without having to interact with others, which might undermine learning and confidence. For others, initiatives aimed at <a href="https://www.dss.gov.au/improving-digital-skills-older-australians/resource/evaluation-be-connected">improving digital skills among older adults</a> – such as digital mentoring programs – can significantly enhance their confidence and ability to engage safely online.</p> <h2>A bridge and a barrier</h2> <p>Social media can keep older adults connected. But its impact <a href="https://karger.com/ger/article/59/4/378/149065/Social-Media-Use-of-Older-Adults-A-Mini-Review">depends on how it is used</a>.</p> <p>For many, it serves as a vital link to family, friends and new communities, enriching their social lives and reducing isolation. However, to unlock its full potential, addressing barriers such as digital literacy and online safety are crucial.</p> <p>As the world becomes increasingly digital, <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/jsm-12-2022-0393/full/html?skipTracking=true">empowering older adults</a> to engage meaningfully with social media will ensure they remain not only connected but also active participants in a rapidly evolving social landscape.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/245156/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bernardo-figueiredo-336532">Bernardo Figueiredo</a>, Associate Professor of Marketing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/torgeir-aleti-92509">Torgeir Aleti</a>, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-virtual-seat-at-the-family-table-why-older-people-are-among-the-biggest-users-of-social-media-245156">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Technology

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"It's timeless": Apple Music reveals best albums of all time

<p>Apple Music has compiled their list of the top 100 albums of all time, with the number one spot dividing music lovers. </p> <p>Said to be “a modern 21st-century ranking of the greatest records ever made,” the list was compiled by Apple Music’s team of experts “alongside a select group of artists, songwriters, producers, and industry professionals.”</p> <p>“The list is an editorial statement,” the streaming giant said in a press release, “fully independent of any streaming numbers on Apple Music - a love letter to the records that have shaped the world music lovers live and listen in.”</p> <p>Taking out the number one spot, which has divided music lovers, is Lauryn Hill’s 1998 magnum opus <em>The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.</em></p> <p>The album beat out other iconic works such as <em>Abbey Road</em> by The Beatles and <em>Thriller</em> by Michael Jackson for the top spot, as well as newer records such as <em>Back to Black</em> by Amy Winehouse and <em>Blonde</em> by Frank Ocean. </p> <p>Following the big reveal, Apple Music’s global creative director, Zane Lowe, described Hill’s album as one that “has not dated, not even a fraction”.</p> <p>“In fact, it feels more fresh and more relevant the more you listen to it … There are a lot of young artists hearing it, and it’s becoming part of their artistic DNA,” he said.</p> <p>“It’s inspiring and influencing them … It’s timeless.”</p> <p>While <em>The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill</em> is certainly popular after selling over 20 million copies and making it one of the best-selling albums of all time, not everyone was so sure it deserved top spot on the list.</p> <p>“Album is fire but no way this gets #1 of all albums,” one user wrote on X, formerly Twitter, while another account declared simply: “BLASPHEMY.”</p> <p>“The most overrated album in history. I’m not saying it’s not good but come on,” a user wrote.</p> <p>Many people also insisted Jackson’s “Thriller” deserved to be number one.</p> <p>“That album had no miss, but Michael Jackson thriller is no 1,” an X user said.</p> <p>“I feel like Michael got snubbed,” another agreed.</p> <p>Check out the top 20 of the coveted list below. You can see the top 100 list in its entirety <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/best-albums-of-all-time-revealed/news-story/620abfb3fc0279559eff1cbbbb552b80" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</p> <p>20. Pet Sounds – The Beach Boys</p> <p>19. The Chronic – Dr. Dre</p> <p>18. 1989 (Taylor’s Version) – Taylor Swift</p> <p>17. What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye</p> <p>16. Blue – Joni Mitchell</p> <p>15. 21 – Adele</p> <p>14. Highway 61 Revisited – Bob Dylan</p> <p>13. The Blueprint – Jay-Z</p> <p>12. OK Computer – Radiohead</p> <p>11. Rumours – Fleetwood Mac</p> <p>10. Lemonade – Beyoncé</p> <p>9. Nevermind – Nirvana</p> <p>8. Back to Black – Amy Winehouse</p> <p>7. good kid, m.A.A.d city (Deluxe Version) – Kendrick Lamar</p> <p>6. Songs in the Key of Life – Stevie Wonder</p> <p>5. Blonde – Frank Ocean</p> <p>4. Purple Rain – Prince & The Revolution </p> <p>3. Abbey Road - The Beatles</p> <p>2. Thriller - Michael Jackson</p> <p>1. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – Lauryn Hill</p> <p><em>Image credits: Ruffhouse Records / Apple Records / Epic Records</em></p> <div class="media image" style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 24px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; width: 705.202209px; max-width: 100%;"> </div>

Music

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Apple and pear strudel

<p>This moist, delicious apple and pear strudel makes a warming winter dessert, and is a fantastic recipe to try in the kitchen with your grandchildren.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Ingredients</strong>:</span></p> <ul> <li>Granny smith apple</li> <li>Pear</li> <li>65g seedless raisins</li> <li>55g walnut halves</li> <li>1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon</li> <li>70g caster sugar</li> <li>5 sheets of filo pastry</li> <li>2 tablespoons vegetable oil</li> <li>Icing sugar, to dust</li> </ul> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Method</strong>:</span></p> <ol> <li>To begin, preheat oven to 220°C then prepare the fruit by peeling and coring the apple and pears, then coarsely chop them along with the seedless raisins and walnut halves.</li> <li>Combine the fruit and walnuts in a medium bowl with the cinnamon and caster sugar.</li> <li>Place the filo sheets on a clean work surface.</li> <li>Cover the filo sheets with a dry tea towel than a damp tea towel to prevent from drying out.</li> <li>Brush one of the filo sheets with a little oil, then top with another sheet and brush with oil.</li> <li>Continue this layering process with the remaining filo sheets.</li> <li>Spoon the fruit mixture on the short edge of the filo, leaving a 4cm border.</li> <li>Fold in the ends and roll up to enclose, then brush with oil and place on baking tray.</li> <li>Bake on top shelf of oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.</li> <li>Dust with icing sugar, cut into equal slices and serve.</li> </ol> <p><em>Images: Shutterstock</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Screwed over: how Apple and others are making it impossible to get a cheap and easy phone repair

<p>If Apple and other tech companies have their way, it will only become harder to have our phones and other devices repaired by third-party businesses.</p> <p>Smartphones and many other tech devices are increasingly being designed in ways that make it challenging to repair or replace individual components.</p> <p>This might involve soldering the processor and flash memory to the motherboard, gluing components together unnecessarily, or using non-standard <a href="https://www.ifixit.com/News/14279/apples-diabolical-plan-to-screw-your-iphone">pentalobe screws</a> which make replacements problematic.</p> <p>Many submissions to an Australian “right to repair” <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/current/repair/submissions#initial">inquiry</a> have called on tech manufacturers to provide a fair and competitive market for repairs, and produce products that are easily repairable. </p> <p>The <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/current/repair/issues/repair-issues.pdf">right to repair</a> refers to consumers’ ability to have their products repaired at a competitive price. This includes being able to choose a repairer, rather than being forced by default to use the device manufacturer’s services. </p> <p>But it seems Apple doesn’t want its customers to fix their <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/evmeya/apple-iphone-right-to-repair-california">iPhones</a>or <a href="https://www.inputmag.com/culture/apples-repair-policies-are-utterly-shameful-and-shouldnt-be-allowed-e-waste-recycling-macbooks-t2">Macbooks</a> themselves. The company has <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/nz85y7/apple-is-lobbying-against-your-right-to-repair-iphones-new-york-state-records-confirm">lobbied against</a> the right to repair in the United States and has <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/11/18/936268845/apple-agrees-to-pay-113-million-to-settle-batterygate-case-over-iphone-slowdowns">been accused of deliberately slowing down</a> iPhones with older batteries.</p> <p><a href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2019/10/16/tech-giants-fight-digital-right-to-repair-bills">Opposition</a> against the right to repair from tech companies is to be expected. Cornering consumers into using their service centres increases their revenue and extends their market domination.</p> <p>In its defence, Apple has said <a href="https://time.com/4828099/farmers-and-apple-fight-over-the-toolbox/">third-party repairers</a> could use lower quality parts and also make devices vulnerable to hackers. </p> <p>It also defended its <a href="https://venturebeat.com/2019/08/14/apple-defends-iphone-unauthorized-battery-warning-as-a-safety-feature/">battery warning indication</a> as a “safety” feature, wherein it started to alert users if their phone’s replacement battery hadn’t come from a certified Apple repairer. </p> <p>In the US, Apple’s <a href="https://support.apple.com/irp-program">independent repair provider program</a> grants certain providers access to the parts and resources needed to fix its devices. Independent repair shops in <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/07/apple-expands-iphone-repair-services-to-hundreds-of-new-locations-across-the-us/">32 countries</a> can now apply, but the scheme has yet to extend outside the US.</p> <h2>Impact on users</h2> <p>With the iPhone 12 — the latest iPhone offering — Apple has <a href="https://www.ifixit.com/News/45921/is-this-the-end-of-the-repairable-iphone">made it even harder</a> for third-party repairers to fix the device, thereby increasing users’ reliance on its own services. </p> <p>Apple has hiked its <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-au/iphone/repair/service/screen-replacement">repair charges</a> for iPhone 12 by more than 40%, compared with the iPhone 11. It is <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-au/iphone/repair/service/screen-replacement">charging</a> more than A$359 to fix an iPhone 12 screen outside of warranty and A$109 to replace the battery. </p> <p>Historically, third-party repairers have been a cheaper option. But using a third-party repairer for an iPhone 12 could render some phone features, such as the camera, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/30/21542242/apple-iphone-12-third-party-repairs-ifixit-camera-module-replacement">almost inoperable</a>.</p> <p>According to reports, fixing the iPhone 12’s camera requires <a href="https://9to5mac.com/2020/10/30/iphone-12-camera-repair/">Apple’s proprietary</a> system configuration app, available only to the company’s own authorised technicians. </p> <p>It’s not just Apple, either. <a href="https://www.techradar.com/au/news/samsungs-galaxy-s20-ultra-is-unsurprisingly-difficult-to-repair">Samsung’s</a> flagship phones are also quite tricky for third-party repairers to fix.</p> <h2>Impact on environment</h2> <p>When certain parts for repairs aren’t available, manufacturers will produce new phones instead, consuming <a href="https://www.envirotech-online.com/news/environmental-laboratory/7/breaking-news/how-do-smartphones-affect-the-environment/48339">more energy and resources</a>. In fact, manufacturing one smartphone <a href="https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.cqu.edu.au/science/article/pii/S095965261733233X">consumes</a> as much energy as using it for ten years.</p> <p>As smartphones become harder to repair, electronic waste will grow. Apple and Samsung both cited environmental benefits when they announced they would no longer ship <a href="https://theconversation.com/apples-iphone-12-comes-without-a-charger-a-smart-waste-reduction-move-or-clever-cash-grab-148189">chargers</a> with their phones. </p> <p>Yet, they’ve turned a blind eye to the environmental damage that would arise from completely cornering the repair market.</p> <p>The average Australian home has <a href="https://thinktv.com.au/facts-and-stats/australian-homes-are-experiencing-a-screen-explosion/">6.7 devices</a>, including televisions, personal computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones. With diminishing opportunities for repair, the environmental burden from disposing of these devices will increase.</p> <h2>What is being done?</h2> <p>Phone giants make it tough for third-party repairers to do their job in a variety of ways. This includes constantly changing designs, adding hurdles to the repair process, and restricting access to parts, diagnostic software and repair documentation. </p> <p>Meanwhile, consumers are left with broken phones and huge repair bills — and repairers are left with less business.</p> <p>The fight to remove barriers to repair is gaining momentum outside Australia, too, in countries including <a href="https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/when-will-canadians-have-right-repair">Canada</a>, the <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/right-to-repair-means-spare-parts-for-household-appliances-mr5gmkjxr">United Kingdom</a> and the <a href="https://www.repair.org/legislation">United States</a>. Legislative reforms have been introduced in the <a href="https://repair.eu/news/european-parliament-calls-for-ambitious-right-to-repair/">European Union</a> and <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/93wy8v/newly-passed-right-to-repair-law-will-fundamentally-change-tesla-repair">Massachusetts</a>.</p> <p>France has introduced a <a href="https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/indice-reparabilite">Repairability Index</a> requiring electrical and electronic equipment companies to inform consumers about their products’ repairability on a scale of one to ten. </p> <p>This takes into account the ease of repairability, availability and price of spare parts and availability of technical repair documents.</p> <h2>The path moving forward</h2> <p>Until the push for right to repair legislative reform gathers pace globally, consumers will have little choice but to pay up to big companies to access their authorised repair services. </p> <p>If they don’t, they may risk losing their warranty, ending up with a non-functional device and even <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e449c8c3ef68d752f3e70dc/t/5ea8a6d93b485d0feb9b5d6b/1588111098207/Report_RightToRepair_HanleyKellowayVaheesan-1.pdf">infringing</a> upon the manufacturers’ software copyrights.</p> <p>Ideally, phone companies (and others) would assist users with the repair process by providing replacement parts, repair documentation and diagnostic tools to third-party repairers. </p> <p>This would also help <a href="https://www.apple.com/au/newsroom/2020/07/apple-commits-to-be-100-percent-carbon-neutral-for-its-supply-chain-and-products-by-2030/">Apple</a> and <a href="https://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/sustainability/environment/">Samsung</a> reduce their carbon footprint and achieve their environmental goals.</p> <p>Although the way things are going, it’s unlikely tech companies will be able to escape their self-inflicted repair obligations. In the past, Apple CEO Jeff Williams has <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/08/apple-offers-customers-even-more-options-for-safe-reliable-repairs/">said, "</a>we believe the safest and most reliable repair is one handled by a trained technician using genuine parts that have been properly engineered and rigorously tested."</p> <p>But with only so much workforce available even to Apple, sharing the load with smaller repairers will help. </p> <p>And for consumers’ benefit, the right to repair legislation must be taken seriously, with consistent repairability scores developed across the globe.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/screwed-over-how-apple-and-others-are-making-it-impossible-to-get-a-cheap-and-easy-phone-repair-156871" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Technology

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Irish apple cake

<p>This delightfully old-fashioned Irish apple cake is not only easy to make but tastes delicious served with custard.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Serves</span>:</strong> 8</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients</span>:</strong></p> <ol> <li>1 ¼ cup plain flour</li> <li>1 teaspoon baking powder</li> <li>¾ cup caster sugar</li> <li>¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon</li> <li>75g butter, plus extra for greasing</li> <li>3 apples, peeled, cored, cut into slices </li> <li>1 egg</li> <li>¼ cup milk</li> <li>Salt and pepper, to season</li> <li>Custard, to serve</li> </ol> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method</span>:</strong></p> <ol> <li>Preheat oven to 180°C Grease a 20cm round tin with melted butter.</li> <li>Place flour, baking powder, sugar and cinnamon into a large bowl. Cut the butter into flour and use fingers to mix into flour until it resembles fine crumbs. Add apples and toss to combine.</li> <li>In a separate mixing bowl, beat eggs and milk together. Add to the apples and flour mix, using a spatula to combine. Batter will be thick.</li> <li>Pour into cake tin. Flatten the top with back of spatula. Sprinkle extra sugar over the cake. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden. Serve with custard. </li> </ol> <p><em>Images: Shutterstock</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Rhubarb and apple tarts

<p>These individual tarts are heavenly, and go perfectly with cream, or are just as good by themselves. Try them and see.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Makes:</span></strong> 6 tarts</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients:</span></strong></p> <ul> <li>500g shortcrust pastry (store-bought or your favourite recipe)</li> <li>1 tablespoon plain flour</li> <li>¼ cup caster sugar</li> <li>2 apples, peeled and sliced</li> <li>300g rhubarb cut into 2cm pieces</li> <li>2 teaspoons ground cinnamon</li> <li>¼ teaspoon ground cardamom</li> <li>1 egg, beaten</li> </ul> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method:</span></strong></p> <ol> <li>Preheat your oven to 200°C and put a large baking tray on the middle rack to warm up.</li> <li>Roll out your pastry and cut out six circles approximately 15cm and put them in the fridge to stay chilled.</li> <li>Toss the apples and rhubarb slices with the flour, caster sugar, cinnamon and cardamom.</li> <li>Lay a large piece of baking paper on the counter and place the chilled pastry on top. Fill the centre of each pastry with the apple and rhubarb mixture.</li> <li>Fold the edges of the pastry up and over the sides of the filling, pressing it together.</li> <li>Brush the pastry with a little of the beaten egg and sprinkle a little extra caster sugar on top.</li> <li>Slide the tarts onto the hot tray and cook for 35 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp.</li> </ol> <p><em>Images: Shutterstock</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Shocking footage exposes police officer attacking “defenceless” wheelchair user

<p dir="ltr">Shocking CCTV footage has captured the moment a police officer strikes at a wheelchair user in Shepparton, North Victoria. </p> <p dir="ltr">Kevin Scott was at home celebrating his 36th birthday on February 28, when the officer arrived in response to a noise complaint. </p> <p dir="ltr">In the footage, Scott can be seen wheeling towards the police officer and appeared to lightly kick the officer in the leg. </p> <p dir="ltr">In response, the officer strikes him in the head and is later seen shoving Scott backwards. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I couldn’t do nothing,” Scott recalled.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I seen him shut his fist and I wheeled back. Next minute he just hit me straight in the mouth, in the jaw. When I pointed at my camera, that’s when he walked off,” he said. </p> <p dir="ltr">Speaking to <em>7News</em>, Scott said that he was “defenceless” and that the attack was unprovoked. </p> <p dir="ltr">Kay Scott, his sister, has also spoken out on the incident and said that the attack was “shocking” and “disgusting”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It would be different if my brother spat or tried to throw a punch or put up a fight with them but he never did,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He was in a wheelchair, defenceless. We need to be able to feel safe in our community, people need to be aware that this does happen,” she added. </p> <p dir="ltr">Scott struggles with his health due to drug and alcohol addiction. </p> <p dir="ltr">Victoria Police have confirmed that they are aware of the incident and have launched an investigation.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The male sergeant in the video has been identified and transferred to other duties while the investigation is carried out,” they said in a statement to <em>7News</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Watch the entire footage <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/vic/cctv-footage-emerges-of-police-officer-striking-defenceless-wheelchair-user-in-shepparton-c-9987037" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: <span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">7News</span></em></p>

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Classic Apple pie

<p>There’s nothing quite like a warm slice of apple pie. Served with ice cream. Or cream. Or custard. Or all three, if you’re feeling especially naughty. This recipe combines homemade pastry with an irresistible filling for a classic dessert that won’t last long in your fridge.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients:</span></strong></p> <p><strong><em>Pastry</em></strong></p> <ul> <li>1 ¾ cup plain flour</li> <li>½ cup self-raising flour</li> <li>⅓ cup caster sugar</li> <li>Salt</li> <li>2 eggs</li> <li>185g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes</li> <li>1 tablespoon milk</li> <li>1 tablespoon caster</li> <li>1 tablespoon chilled water</li> </ul> <p><em>Filling</em></p> <ul> <li>1.1kg apples (we like to use a mixture of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious), peeled, cored, sliced about ½ cm thick</li> <li>¼ cup granulated sugar</li> <li>¼ cup light brown sugar</li> <li>1 tablespoon lemon juice</li> <li>1 teaspoon cinnamon</li> <li>¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg</li> <li>¼ teaspoon salt</li> <li>2 tablespoons unsalted butter</li> <li>1 ½ tablespoons corn flour</li> </ul>

Food & Wine

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Spiced apple and fig jam

<p>Add the delicious flavour of figs, apple and cinnamon to your breakfast with this tasty homemade spiced jam.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Makes:</span></strong> 8 cups</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients:</span></strong></p> <ul> <li>2 peeled and finely chopped green apples</li> <li>2 cups of water</li> <li>16 fresh figs, chopped</li> <li>½ cup of fresh orange juice</li> <li>¾ cups of sugar per each cup of fruit mix (see step 4)</li> <li>3 star anise</li> <li>1 halved cinnamon stick</li> <li>2 halved vanilla beans</li> </ul> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Method: </strong></span></p> <p>1. In a large saucepan, add apples and water and bring to a boil.</p> <p>2. Reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes, covered.</p> <p>3. Add figs and juice and continue to cook for another 10 minutes.</p> <p>4. Measure fruit mix. Measure three-quarter cup of sugar per each cup of fruit. Return fruit to saucepan.</p> <p>5. Add sugar, star anise, cinnamon and vanilla to the saucepan and stir until sugar dissolves.</p> <p>6. Boil uncovered for 45 minutes or until jam is gelled.</p> <p>7. Pour jam into jars and seal.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Why Elon Musk’s first week as Twitter owner has users flocking elsewhere

<p>It’s been a week since Elon Musk strode into the Twitter headquarters with a kitchen sink, signalling <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/27/technology/elon-musk-twitter-deal-complete.html">his official takeover</a> of the company.</p> <p>Having had some time to let the news of his <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/how-will-elon-musk-pay-twitter-2022-10-07/">US$44 billion</a> (about A$70 billion) purchase “sink in”, Twitter users are now wondering what he’ll do with the platform.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Entering Twitter HQ – let that sink in! <a href="https://t.co/D68z4K2wq7">pic.twitter.com/D68z4K2wq7</a></p> <p>— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1585341984679469056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p><strong>What’s Musk going to do with Twitter?</strong></p> <p>After months of <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/link/follow-20170101-p5arm0">trying to walk away</a> from his commitment to buy the platform, and just before entering what was looking to be a long, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2022/09/30/elon-musk-texts-twitters-ceo-revealed-court-filings/8138829001/">potentially embarrassing</a> and costly court battle to enforce his original agreement, Twitter is now privately owned.</p> <p>If we wade through some of the early reactionary media punditry, we see Musk has paid far too much for a platform that has not yet fulfilled its business potential to investors, nor its social potential to users.</p> <p>This probably explains some of his first moves since taking over, such as <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2022/11/1/want-the-blue-tick-on-twitter-pay-up-8">planning to charge</a> users US$8 (adjusted by country) for a blue tick, and <a href="https://gizmodo.com/elon-musk-fire-3700-twitter-employees-friday-50-percent-1849736018">threatening to fire</a> half of Twitter’s staff.</p> <p>He has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-fires-4-top-twitter-execs-including-ceo-parag-agrawal-2022-10">already fired</a> previous CEO Parag Agrawal, chief financial officer Ned Segal, head of legal Vijaya Gadde and general counsel Sean Edgett.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?</p> <p>— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1587312517679878144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p><strong>Will Twitter turn into (more of) a bin fire?</strong></p> <p>Musk’s intentions were perhaps best signalled with <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1585841080431321088">his first tweet</a> after he bought the platform: “the bird is freed”.</p> <p>Before the purchase, one of his oft-tweeted criticisms of Twitter was that there were too many limits on “free speech”, and moderation would need to be reframed to unlock Twitter’s potential as a “de facto public town square”.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy. </p> <p>What should be done? <a href="https://t.co/aPS9ycji37">https://t.co/aPS9ycji37</a></p> <p>— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1507777261654605828?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>There’s no doubt Musk is quite good at performative <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1585619322239561728?s=20&amp;t=zbwsuDL05RH8n3VSJeiw7w">social media statements</a>, but we’re yet to see any actual changes made to content moderation – let alone Musk’s utopian vision of a digital town square.</p> <p>The “chief twit” has suggested the <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1586059953311137792">future appointment of</a> “a content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints” that would be charged with making decisions about moderation and account reinstatements.</p> <p>This isn’t a new idea. Meta has convened such an oversight board since 2018, made up of former political leaders, human rights activists, academics and journalists. The board oversees content decisions and has been known to oppose CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s decisions, in particular his <a href="https://oversightboard.com/decision/FB-691QAMHJ/">“indefinite”</a> Facebook suspension of former US president Donald Trump after the US Capitol building riots.</p> <p>It’s unclear whether a council would convene to discuss Musk’s suggestion to “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/10/technology/elon-musk-donald-trump-twitter-ban.html">reverse the permanent ban</a>” Twitter imposed on Trump, or if Musk would allow a board to override his decisions.</p> <p>Nonetheless, Musk’s suggestion of a moderation board is a step back from his previously self-described “<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1499976967105433600?lang=en">free speech absolutist</a>” views on content moderation.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Starlink has been told by some governments (not Ukraine) to block Russian news sources. We will not do so unless at gunpoint.</p> <p>Sorry to be a free speech absolutist.</p> <p>— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1499976967105433600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>Many <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/oct/28/elon-musk-twitter-hate-speech-concerns-stock-exchange-deal">have been concerned</a> his approach to moderation may fuel more hate speech on Twitter.</p> <p>In the past week, co-ordinated troll accounts have tried to test the limits of a Musk-run Twitter by flooding the platform with racial slurs. According to the US-based National Contagion Research Institute, the use of the N-word skyrocketed by <a href="https://twitter.com/ncri_io/status/1586007698910646272">more than 500%</a> on October 28. However, the head of safety and integrity at Twitter, Yoel Roth, said many of the offending tweets came from a <a href="https://twitter.com/yoyoel/status/1586542286342475776">small number of accounts</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.montclair.edu/school-of-communication-and-media/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/11/Montclair-State-SCM-Study-Increases-in-Twitter-Hate-Speech-After-Elon-Musks-Acquisition.pdf">Another study by</a> Montclair State University researchers found a massive spike in hateful terms in the lead-up to Musk’s acquisition.</p> <p>Both <a href="https://twitter.com/yoyoel/status/1586542287416217600">Roth and Musk</a> have confirmed “Twitter’s policies haven’t changed”. Rules on “hateful conduct” remain the same.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Nearly all of these accounts are inauthentic. We’ve taken action to ban the users involved in this trolling campaign — and are going to continue working to address this in the days to come to make Twitter safe and welcoming for everyone. <a href="https://t.co/1hUnb1WYPZ">https://t.co/1hUnb1WYPZ</a></p> <p>— Yoel Roth (@yoyoel) <a href="https://twitter.com/yoyoel/status/1586542287416217600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p><strong>Musk remains a loose cannon</strong></p> <p>Perhaps more concerning than troll reactions is Musk’s decision to tweet and then delete <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/oct/31/elon-musk-paul-pelosi-tweet-twitter">a conspiracy theory</a> about US house speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi. We could dismiss this as Musk’s love of <a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Shitpost">sh-tposting</a>, but if the right to post disinformation and personal attacks is the kind of speech he wants to protect, it’s worth questioning what kind of public square he envisions.</p> <p>Musk takes a technocratic approach to the social issues that emerge from our use of online communication tools. It implies free access to technology absolves “free speech” of its cultural and social context, and makes it easily and readily available to everyone.</p> <p>This is often not the case. That’s why we need content moderation and protections for the vulnerable and marginalised.</p> <p>The other question is whether we want billionaires to have a direct influence on our public squares. If so, how do we ensure transparency, and that users’ interests are being upheld?</p> <p>In less bombastic reportage of the takeover, Musk this week directed Twitter to find more than US$1 billion in annual <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/musk-orders-twitter-cut-infrastructure-costs-by-1-bln-sources-2022-11-03/">infrastructure cost savings</a>, which will allegedly occur through cuts to cloud services and server space. These cuts could put Twitter at risk of going down during high-traffic periods, such as around election times.</p> <p>This might be where Musk’s digital town square vision fails. If Twitter is to resemble such a space, the infrastructure that supports it must hold up at the most crucial moments.</p> <p><strong>Where to go if you’re sick of Twitter?</strong></p> <p>While there’s so far no indication of a mass Twitter exodus, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/11/03/twitter-celebrities-leaving-elon-musk/">a number of users</a> are flocking elsewhere. Shortly after Musk acquired Twitter, #TwitterMigration began trending. In the week since, micro-blogging platform <a href="https://mastodon.social/explore">Mastodon</a> has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/nov/01/mastodon-twitter-elon-musk-takeover">reportedly</a> gained tens of thousands of followers.</p> <p><a href="https://mastodon.social/explore">Mastodon</a> is made up of independent, user-managed servers. Each server is owned, operated and moderated by its community and can also be made private. The downside is servers cost money to run and if a server is no longer running, all the content may be lost.</p> <p>Twitter defectors have also moved to sites such as Reddit, Tumblr, CounterSocial, LinkedIn and Discord.</p> <p>Of course, many will be waiting to see what Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey comes up with. While Dorsey retains a stake in Twitter, he has launched a decentralised social media network, Bluesky Social, which is now in beta testing.</p> <p><a href="https://blueskyweb.org/blog">Bluesky</a> aims to provide an open social network protocol. This means it would allow for multiple social media networks to interact with one another through an open standard.</p> <p>If this experiment is successful, it would be more than a competitor for Twitter. It would mean users could easily switch services and take their content with them to other providers.</p> <p>It would be a totally new user-focused model for social networking. And it might force traditional platforms to rethink their current data harvesting and targeted advertising practices. That might just be a platform takeover worth waiting for.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193857/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>Writen by Diana Bossio. Republished with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-elon-musks-first-week-as-twitter-owner-has-users-flocking-elsewhere-193857" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Technology

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Strawberry and Apple Crumble

<p dir="ltr">All it takes is just one bite of this fruity delight and it'll instantly become a cereal favourite.</p> <h2 dir="ltr">Ingredients</h2> <p dir="ltr">600g apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced</p> <p dir="ltr">2 Tbsp water</p> <p dir="ltr">2 tsp CSR LoGiCane Sugar</p> <p dir="ltr">300g pkt frozen strawberries</p> <h3 dir="ltr">Oat and pistachio crumble</h3> <p dir="ltr">50g (½ cup) rolled oats</p> <p dir="ltr">40g (1 cup) Special K cereal, roughly crushed</p> <p dir="ltr">2 Tbsp unsalted pistachio kernels, finely chopped</p> <p dir="ltr">¼ tsp ground cardamom</p> <p dir="ltr">1 Tbsp honey</p> <p dir="ltr">1 eggwhite (from 50g egg), lightly whisked</p> <h2 dir="ltr">Method</h2> <ol> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Put apple, water and sugar in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for 7 minutes or until apple is almost tender. Remove pan from heat and set aside, covered, for 5 minutes or until apple is tender.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Meanwhile, to make oat and pistachio crumble, put rolled oats, cereal, pistachios and cardamom in a small bowl. Add honey and eggwhite, and stir until well combined.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Preheat oven to 170°C (fan-forced). Put a 2L (8-cup) ovenproof dish on an oven tray. Add apple mixture to the dish. Sprinkle strawberries over apple mixture. Sprinkle crumble over strawberries. Bake for 15 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Serve immediately.</p> </li> </ol> <h3 dir="ltr">Nutrition Info PER SERVE</h3> <p dir="ltr">750kJ, protein 4.5g, total fat 3.5g (sat. fat 0.5g), carbs 30g, fibre 4.8g, sodium 47mg. Carb exchanges 2. GI estimate low.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-bed95ef2-7fff-3430-796d-c1311ae67159"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"> </p>

Food & Wine

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Nonna’s breakfast apple cake

<p dir="ltr">Perfect for a Saturday afternoon baking session, this recipe is a little more involved than your average sweet treat. However, you can have your cake and eat it too! Here’s a fresh take on Nonna’s breakfast cake. </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Nonna’s Breakfast Apple Cake with NUTELLA®</strong></p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Difficulty:</strong> ⅔</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Time:</strong> 1hr 15mins</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Serves:</strong> 12</p> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Ingredients: </strong></p> <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">2 eggs</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">⅓ cup brown sugar</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">½ cup plain Greek yoghurt</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">1 tbsp butter</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">1 cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">⅓ cup wholemeal flour</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">1 tbsp baking powder</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">½ cup of wheat germ</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">¼ tsp salt</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">½ cup chopped hazelnuts</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">½ cup chopped pecans</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">1 ⅓ cup grated carrots</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">1 ⅓ cup grated apples</p> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>To serve:</strong></p> <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">15g (1 tbsp) Nutella®</p> </li> </ul> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Method: </strong></p> <p> </p> <ol> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Preheat the oven to 180℃. Grease the bottom of a 20cm square cake pan with butter (removed flour). In a large bowl, beat the eggs and brown sugar together. Add the apple sauce and yoghurt, and beat until you’ve created a smooth mixture. </p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">In a separate bowl, mix the 2 kinds of flour, baking powder, wheat germ and salt. Then, gradually combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and mix until smooth. Finally, add the chopped nuts, carrots and grated apples, and mix well. </p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Spread the mixture evenly in the cake pan and bake for 50 minutes.Remove from the oven, and allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes. Then, transfer the cake from the tin to a cake rack to cool further.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">When you’re ready to delight your crowd, slice the cake into 12 equal pieces. Then, cut each individual piece in half and spread 1 tablespoon of Nutella® on one half. Play the other half on top, like a sandwich, and enjoy!</p> </li> </ol> <p> </p> <p><em>Image: Supplied</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Finally! Long-awaited features coming to iPhones

<p dir="ltr">Apple has announced a new suite of features will be introduced to iPhones in the latest update, including some that have been highly anticipated by iPhone owners.</p> <p dir="ltr">The tech giant broke the news at its Worldwide Developers Conference at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, in early June, which corresponded to a jump in the value of Apple’s shares by 0.2 percent according to <em><a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/apple-unveils-major-changes-to-iphone-at-wwdc/news-story/5c1758ec73128d842d3cf4b2a822ba4e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Apple revealed that the new iOS 16 operating system would include one of the company’s most highly-requested changes: the ability to edit and un-send iMessages.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-d3c1fe85-7fff-60f4-b579-845e5eae5011"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">A total overhaul of the phone’s lockscreen will also be included in the new operating system, with users gaining the ability to create their own using custom fonts and widgets for a host of different apps.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/06/Apple-WWDC22-iOS16-3up-hero-220606.jpg" alt="" width="1960" height="1102" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>The new lockscreen was announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference Image: Apple</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Apple said that notifications will also “roll in” through a compact bar at the bottom of the screen rather than dominating the whole display.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We have re-imagined how the Lock Screen looks and works with exciting new features that make it more personal and helpful, introduced iCloud Shared Photo Library for families, streamlined communication through new capabilities in Messages and Mail, and harnessed enhanced intelligence with updates to Live Text and Visual Look Up,” Craig Thompson, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, said in a press release.</p> <p dir="ltr">The news comes as Apple will be forced to use the same charger for smartphones, tablets and laptops sold in the European Union, under a landmark deal that will see a single charger be able to charge any device sold in the EU from late 2024, per <em><a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/gadgets/mobile-phones/apple-forced-to-use-the-same-usbc-charger-for-all-products-after-landmark-eu-agreement/news-story/cd3a71bf9fa5a100bd8a2cbfc2e20015" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This is a rule which will apply to everyone,” said Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Alex Agius Saliba, who led the negotiations.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If Apple ... or anyone wants to market their product, sell their products within our internal market, they have to abide by our rules and their device has to be USB-C,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-d8e338f6-7fff-7e3d-28f6-8ddb511cc63d"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Technology

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Buy now, pay later: Apple will now lend you money to keep you spending and expand its empire

<p>Apple has joined the thriving “buy now, pay later” industry, with a customised service called <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/video/2022/06/06/apple-announces-buy-now-pay-later-program-called-apple-pay-later.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apple Pay Later</a>. The service was announced earlier this week at the 2022 Worldwide Developers Conference, and will initially be launched in the United States later <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/2022/06/07/apple-pay-later-purchases-installment-plan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this year</a>.</p> <p>Pay Later will be built into the Apple Wallet and eligible for use on any purchase made through Apple Pay. Customers will be able to split the cost of a purchase into four equal payments, with zero interest and fees, spread over a period of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jun/06/apple-redesigns-the-iphone-lock-screen-in-ios-16-at-wwdc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">four months</a>.</p> <p>To qualify, however, Apple will first do a <a href="https://www.zdnet.com/finance/banking/wwdc-2022-buy-now-pay-later-with-apples-new-wallet-feature/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">soft credit check</a> on users wanting to use the service. The technology behemoth <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/06/apple-unveils-new-ways-to-share-and-communicate-in-ios-16/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claims</a> it has designed the feature with “users’ financial health in mind”.</p> <p>It’s likely Apple is trying to consolidate its foothold in the world of consumer finance, and increase its profitability. And consumers should be aware of the risks of using such a service.</p> <p><strong>Apple: the consumer darling</strong></p> <p>With the launch of Pay Later, Apple will be competing with many other similar fin-tech companies including PayPal, Block, Klarna and AfterPay – some of which saw their share prices <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-13/apple-goldman-plan-buy-now-pay-later-service-to-rival-paypal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fall</a> following Apple’s announcement.</p> <p>Apple will benefit from its huge market and brand power, with the capability to attract millions to its products and services. And with an acute focus on customer experience, Apple has managed to foster a community of evangelists. There’s no doubt the company is a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinemoorman/2018/01/12/why-apple-is-still-a-great-marketer-and-what-you-can-learn/?sh=55e3c32c15bd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">consumer darling</a>.</p> <p>Moreover, Apple has established an ever-growing ecosystem in which users are encouraged to tap into Apple products and services as much, and as often, as possible – such as by making payments through their iPhone instead of a bank card.</p> <p>The tech giant provides ways to integrate once-separate computing capabilities into a phone or wristwatch – while keeping the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinemoorman/2018/01/12/why-apple-is-still-a-great-marketer-and-what-you-can-learn/?sh=7c61018615bd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">consumer’s experience</a> in focus. Pay Later enhances this customer-centric experience further. It’s one more way users can integrate the tools they need within a single ecosystem.</p> <p><strong>What’s in it for Apple?</strong></p> <p>Apple stands to make financial gains through Pay Later, thereby adding to its bottom line. Currently its reach in the retail world is evident, with iPhone-based payment services <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-13/apple-goldman-plan-buy-now-pay-later-service-to-rival-paypal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accepted by 85% of US retailers</a>.</p> <p>One 2021 survey found that about 26% of <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1275393/australia-share-of-consumers-using-bnpl-by-purchase-category/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">regular online shoppers</a> in Australia used buy now, pay later services.</p> <p>As Apple’s customers increasingly start to use the Pay Later service, it will gain from merchant fees. These are fees which retailers pay Apple in exchange for being able to offer customers Apple Pay. In addition, Apple will also gain valuable insight into consumers’ purchase behaviours, which will allow the company to predict future consumption and spending behaviour.</p> <p>To deliver the buy now, pay later service, Apple has <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-13/apple-goldman-plan-buy-now-pay-later-service-to-rival-paypal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joined forces with Goldman Sachs</a>, who will finance the loans.</p> <p>This relationship has been in place since 2019, with Goldman Sachs also acting as a partner for the Apple credit card (although Pay Later is not tied to the Apple credit card). This strategic partnership has helped Apple gain strong footing in the world of consumer finance.</p> <p><strong>Challenges for consumers</strong></p> <p>The reality is that the world of <a href="https://www.holmanwebb.com.au/blog/655/buy-now-pay-later-bnpl-update-how-to-seek-and-keep-code-compliance-accreditation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unregulated finance</a>, which includes buy now, pay later, does not bode well <a href="https://ndh.org.au/debt-problems/buy-now-pay-later/risks-of-using-buy-now-pay-later/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">for all customers</a>.</p> <p>Younger <a href="https://www.emarketer.com/content/almost-75-of-bnpl-users-us-gen-z-millennials" target="_blank" rel="noopener">demographics</a> (such as Gen Z and Millenials) and low-income <a href="https://thefintechtimes.com/one-in-four-bnpl-users-are-financially-vulnerable/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">households</a> can be <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/07/why-millennials-and-gen-zs-are-jumping-on-the-buy-now-pay-later-trend.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more vulnerable</a> to the risks associated with using these services – and can rack up debt as a result.</p> <p>Purchases through buy now, pay later schemes may also be driven by a desire to own the latest <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/16/chinas-buy-now-pay-later-market-to-grow-challenges-ahead-experts.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gadgets and luxury goods</a> – a message pushed onto consumers through slick marketing. They can condition consumers to make purchases without feeling the pain of parting with cold, hard cash.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467674/original/file-20220608-24-ict1mh.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467674/original/file-20220608-24-ict1mh.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467674/original/file-20220608-24-ict1mh.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467674/original/file-20220608-24-ict1mh.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467674/original/file-20220608-24-ict1mh.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467674/original/file-20220608-24-ict1mh.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467674/original/file-20220608-24-ict1mh.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/467674/original/file-20220608-24-ict1mh.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="An indoor shopping arcade is lined with luxury stores on either side" /></a><figcaption><em><span class="caption">Buy now, pay later schemes can give consumers the satisfaction of buying expensive products – without feeling like they’re splitting from cold, hard cash.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p>From a consumer psychology perspective, these services encourages immediate gratification and put younger people on the consumption treadmill. In other words, they may continually spend more money on purchases than they can actually afford.</p> <p>Missing payments on Pay Later would negatively impact an individual’s <a href="https://www.zdnet.com/finance/banking/wwdc-2022-buy-now-pay-later-with-apples-new-wallet-feature/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">credit rating</a>, which can then have adverse outcomes such as <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/select/side-effects-of-bad-credit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not qualifying</a> for traditional loans or credit cards.</p> <p>A focus on consumerist behaviour can also trigger an “<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/the-psychology-deciding/202201/if-i-own-it-it-must-be-good-what-is-the-ownership-effect" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ownership effect</a>”. This is when people become attached to their purchases and are unlikely to return them, even if they can’t afford them.</p> <p>Apple’s technology-driven and consumer-centric marketing gives it an edge over other buy now, pay later schemes. It claims the service is designed with consumers’ financial health in mind. But as is the case with any of these services, consumers ought to be aware of the risks and manage them carefully. <!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/184550/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rajat-roy-1227884" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rajat Roy</a>, Associate Professor, Bond Business School, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bond University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/buy-now-pay-later-apple-will-now-lend-you-money-to-keep-you-spending-and-expand-its-empire-184550" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Technology

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Data visualisations made more accessible to screen reader users

<p>A type of assistive technology, screen readers are software programs that scan the contents of a computer screen and transform it into a different format – like synthesised voice or Braille – for people with complete or partial blindness, learning disabilities, or motion sensitivity.</p> <p>Now, scientists from the University of Washington (UW) in the US have designed a JavaScript plugin called VoxLens that allows people to better interact with these visualisations.</p> <p>VoxLens allows screen reader users to gain a high-level summary of the information described in a graph, listen to said graph translated into sound, or use voice-activated commands to ask specific questions about the data, such as the mean or the minimum value.</p> <p>The team presented their <a href="https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/3491102.3517431" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">research</a> last month at the <a href="https://programs.sigchi.org/chi/2022" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems</a> in New Orleans in the US.</p> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"> <div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <div class="entry-content-asset"> <div class="embed-wrapper"> <div class="inner"><iframe title="VoxLens - Paper Summary and Demo Video" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o1R-5D2WS4s?feature=oembed" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> </div> </div> </div> </figure> <p>“If I’m looking at a graph, I can pull out whatever information I am interested in – maybe it’s the overall trend or maybe it’s the maximum,” says lead author Ather Sharif, a doctoral student in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science &amp; Engineering at UW.</p> <p>“Right now, screen reader users either get very little or no information about online visualisations, which, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, can sometimes be a matter of life and death. The goal of our project is to give screen reader users a platform where they can extract as much or as little information as they want.”</p> <p>The difficulty with translating graphs, according to co-senior author Jacob O. Wobbrock, a professor of information at UW, comes from deciphering information with no clear beginning and end.</p> <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p193459-o1" class="wpcf7" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> <form class="wpcf7-form mailchimp-ext-0.5.61 spai-bg-prepared init" action="/technology/voxlens-accessibility-screen-readers/#wpcf7-f6-p193459-o1" method="post" novalidate="novalidate" data-status="init"> <p style="display: none !important;"><span class="wpcf7-form-control-wrap referer-page"><input class="wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text referer-page spai-bg-prepared" name="referer-page" type="hidden" value="https://www.google.com/" data-value="https://www.google.com/" aria-invalid="false" /></span></p> <p><!-- Chimpmail extension by Renzo Johnson --></form> </div> </div> <p>“There is a start and an end of a sentence and everything else comes in between,” he explains. “But as soon as you move things into two dimensional spaces, such as visualisations, there’s no clear start and finish.</p> <p>“It’s just not structured in the same way, which means there’s no obvious entry point or sequencing for screen readers.”</p> <p><strong>Working with screen reader users to improve accessibility</strong></p> <p>The team worked with screen reader users who had partial or complete blindness when designing and testing the tool. During the testing phase, participants learned how to use VoxLens and then completed nine tasks, each of which involved answering questions about a data visualisation.</p> <p>The researchers found that participants completed the tasks with 122% increased accuracy and 36% decreased interaction time, compared to participants of a previous study who hadn’t had access to VoxLens.</p> <p>“We want people to interact with a graph as much as they want, but we also don’t want them to spend an hour trying to find what the maximum is,” says Sharif. “In our study, interaction time refers to how long it takes to extract information, and that’s why reducing it is a good thing.”</p> <p>VoxLens can be implanted easily by data visualisation designers with a single line of code. Right now it only works for visualisations created using <a href="https://www.javascript.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JavaScript</a> libraries – such as <a href="https://d3js.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">D3</a>, <a href="https://www.chartjs.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">chart.js</a> or <a href="https://www.google.com.au/sheets/about/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Google Sheets</a> – but the team is working towards expanding to other popular platforms.</p> <p>“This work is part of a much larger agenda for us – removing bias in design,” adds co-senior author Katharina Reinecke, associate professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science &amp; Engineering at UW. “When we build technology, we tend to think of people who are like us and who have the same abilities as we do.</p> <p>“For example, D3 has really revolutionised access to visualisations online and improved how people can understand information. But there are values ingrained in it and people are left out. It’s really important that we start thinking more about how to make technology useful for everybody.”</p> <p><!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --></p> <p><img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=193459&amp;title=Data+visualisations+made+more+accessible+to+screen+reader+users" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><!-- End of tracking content syndication --></p> <div id="contributors"> <p><em><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/voxlens-accessibility-screen-readers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/imma-perfetto" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Imma Perfetto</a>. Imma Perfetto is a science writer at Cosmos. She has a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Science Communication from the University of Adelaide.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p> </div>

Technology

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Gwyneth Paltrow’s tribute to her daughter on her 18th birthday

<p dir="ltr">Gwyneth Paltrow has shared a heartwarming photo of her daughter Apple on her 18th birthday.</p> <p dir="ltr">The actress took to Instagram to share the incredible milestone and expressed her love for her daughter.</p> <p dir="ltr">The photo shows Apple checking her birthday outfit in the mirror along with the beautiful caption that left the star “lost for words”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“18. I’m a bit of a loss for words this morning,” Gwyneth’s post reads.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I could not be more proud of the woman you are. You are everything I could have dreamed of and so much more. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Proud doesn’t cover it, my heart swells with feelings I can’t put in to words. You are deeply extraordinary in every way. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdi0dNDLjQ7/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdi0dNDLjQ7/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Gwyneth Paltrow (@gwynethpaltrow)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“Happy birthday my darling girl. I hope you know how special you are, and how much light you have brought to all who are lucky enough to know you. Especially me. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I say it all the time and I will never stop… in the words of auntie Drew, I was born the day you were born. I love you. Mama.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Gwyneth shares Moses, 16, and Apple, 18, with her ex-husband Chris Martin.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a previous Instagram story, she revealed that it was her Chris who actually came up with Apple’s name. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Her dad came up with the name and I fell in love with it. I thought it was original and cool. I can’t imagine her being called anything else.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Gwyneth Paltrow’s phone “traumatises” kids

<p dir="ltr">Gwyneth Paltrow’s kids have been left embarrassed after seeing her phone screensaver.</p> <p dir="ltr">Paltrow’s kids, Moses, 16, and Apple, 17, who she shares with her ex-husband Chris Martin came across their mother’s phone and were “traumatised” at what they saw.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 49-year-old wrote in her Goop newsletter saying her kids immediately changed her phone background which is a shirtless photo of her current husband Brad Falchuk.</p> <p dir="ltr">"My lock screen was a picture of Brad without his shirt on. And my kids were so traumatized that they picked up the phone and took this selfie," she wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">She also shared the adorable snap her kids replaced the photo with which showed the pair staring at the camera and Apple doing the “rock on” sign.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/04/Screen-Shot-2022-04-20-at-12.22.06-pm.png" alt="" width="616" height="1170" /></p> <p dir="ltr">Paltrow and Falchuk have been married since 2018 and she is the stepmother of his teenage son Brody and daughter Isabella. </p> <p dir="ltr">The Goop founder regularly shares posts of her children to her Instagram and recently shared a post in honour of Moses’s 16th birthday. </p> <p dir="ltr">“@mosesmartin you are 16 today. I’m not sure how I’m writing that number,” she wrote along with a photo of Moses surrounded by colourful balloons.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Since you came into the world on that perfectly New York spring morning, you have made the world a better place. </p> <p dir="ltr">“With every thought, action and intuition you have, you make people feel seen, heard and valued. </p> <p dir="ltr">“You are deeply special to all who know you. I am so lucky to be your mama. I’m savoring every minute as you grow and change into this amazing man. </p> <p dir="ltr">“What a true blessing to have you, your wisdom, your kindness, and your beautiful singing voice ringing through our halls. You mean the world to me, my boy. Happy birthday.”</p> <p dir="ltr">On International Women’s Day, Paltrow shared a photo of Apple, thanking her for making her the woman she is today. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Apple to update AirTags amid claims of stalking and theft

<p dir="ltr">Apple has announced it will add <a href="https://7news.com.au/technology/apple-plans-airtag-security-updates-to-curb-unwanted-tracking-c-5654390" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more safeguards</a> to AirTags, a tracking device used to find keys and other personal items, amid reports of the devices being used to stalk people and steal cars.</p><p dir="ltr">The tech giant said in a <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/02/an-update-on-airtag-and-unwanted-tracking/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blog post</a> that it had worked with safety groups and law enforcement agencies to identify more ways of improving its AirTag safety warnings.</p><p dir="ltr">These new measures include alerting people sooner if the tracker is suspected to be tracking someone, as current notifications that the tracker has been separated from its owner can take hours.</p><p dir="ltr">Other updates will include adjusting the tone sequence of the tracker so it is louder and easier to find and allowing someone to see the distance and direction of an AirTag, which are expected to be introduced later this year.</p><p dir="ltr">Apple will also add warnings during the setup process, informing users that tracking people without their consent is a crime.</p><p dir="ltr">Stories of people realising they are being tracked using the Apple devices have increased in recent months, including the case where a Melbourne student was notified through her iPhone that someone had been tracking her for three hours while she was out with friends.</p><p dir="ltr">Her mother Sue, who spoke to <em><a href="https://7news.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7News</a></em> on condition of anonymity, said her daughter had found the AirTag in her handbag before destroying it in a panic.</p><p dir="ltr">Other stories have emerged online of people, especially young women, discovering the devices hidden in their vehicles.</p><p dir="ltr">“We’ve become aware that individuals can receive unwanted tracking alerts for benign reasons, such as when borrowing someone’s keys with an AirTag attached, or when travelling in a car with a family member’s AirPods left inside,” Apple said in a statement.</p><p dir="ltr">“We also have seen reports of bad actors attempting to misuse AirTags for malicious or criminal purposes.</p><p dir="ltr">“We condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products,” the company said.</p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-96a6b3a5-7fff-6b68-d02a-e5cd8f38ca1e"></span></p><p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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