Sir Apfelot newsreel week 11, 2023

Moment! Before you start the comparatively warm weekend, stay here for the new Sir Apfelot newsreel. This time I'll show you which Apple and tech news I noticed in calendar week 11. Below you will find these topics, among others: Silicon Valley bank failure and its effects, consequences of photo and video filters from social media platforms, volcanoes on Venus, Midjourney v5 with photorealistic results, HP printers continue to block third-party Ink cartridges, the legacy of Tim Cook and more.

Silicon Valley Bank collapse: Tech companies financially affected

The "Silicon Valley" in California is home to numerous tech giants, IT companies and start-ups. Until recently, many of them did their banking through Santa Clara-based Silicon Valley Bank. But now it is insolvent. According to several media reports, it is the second major bank failure in US history. in one Articles Golem shows the official letter from the bank headquarters door and gives further details. In addition, articles were published on heise online throughout the week: about here the impact on Etsy, Roku, Roblox and other companies who are not getting their money; or here on the possible impact of the bank failure on the iPhone manufacturer Apple.

"Beauty" filters on social media: Negative effects inevitable

Instagram, TikTok and Co. are always offering new filters for photos and videos. In addition to digital effects and funny gimmicks, there are also technologies that are supposed to make faces "prettier". From clearer skin to emphasizing certain elements, there's a lot going on. What influence this can have on users, especially girls and young women, is highlighted by heise online this week Articles. The long but readable report contains not only online observations, but also experiences of young people who use social media for selfies and use appropriate filter tools.

Similar topics from the past few weeks:

• Study on the alleviation of psychological stress through digital detox
• New study reveals prevalence of cyberbullying among teenagers

New study proves volcanic eruptions on planet Venus

This week begins with an introduction that Venus is quite similar to Earth Post at Ars Technica. Accordingly, it is deduced that the interior of the planet must be extremely hot, which should be reflected on the surface by volcanic eruptions. Due to the fact that the atmosphere of Venus is permanently clouded, such eruptions cannot be observed easily; actually only by radar interrogations of a satellite orbiting Venus. Luckily, there is or was one decades ago. And the recent evaluation of recordings from the early 1990s shows that there was at least one recorded volcanic eruption. There should be new observations of Venus with satellites and probes in the 2030s. 

Midjourney v5: AI image creation becomes frighteningly realistic

Midjourney is one of the most well-known and widely used technologies for synthetic image creation using text templates. Version 4 already showed some outstanding results, but the new version 5 surprises with extremely photo-realistic results and better hands. You read that right, because AI often has problems with its hands and five fingers when creating images. The new Midjourney should now be able to hand out realistic hands to even more realistic people. And the environment, various objects, textures and combinations of everything – including the lighting – should also be very good. Details and examples can be found e.g. B. with this link to Ars Technica.

AI-generated videos: YouTube is being flooded with malware-laden content

The use of AI not only leads to beautiful pictures - and even that often only by violating copyright. At the other end of the usage spectrum is the criminal use of AI. So e.g. For example, a number of videos created with artificial intelligence have been uploaded to YouTube that promise cracks for well-known and expensive apps. For Photoshop, Premiere Pro, AutoCAD and so on, false licenses are presented for free and alleged download links are given in the video descriptions. But these links lead to malware downloads. So if you want to use expensive software for free and look for solutions on YouTube, you run the risk of downloading malware onto your computer. Source and more details: Articles from heise online.

After 40 years and not for everyone: Insert text in Word with a shortcut without formatting

What I love about Apple apps on Mac is the easy way to copy text from anywhere and then paste it without the original formatting. In Apple Pages Can I write texts or pieces of text e.g. B. simply insert it in this way using cmd+option+Shift+V. In Microsoft Word I have to right-click, click "Paste Special..." and then select "Unformatted Text" from a list and confirm again. 

According to Microsoft should this now change with the shortcut cmd+Shift+V (or Ctrl+Shift+V for Windows PCs), from Word version 16.67.1113.0 (Mac) or newer or 16.0.15831.20174 (Windows) or newer . But only if you have a Microsoft 365 subscription. I personally use version 16.71 with a retail license and cannot use the new key combination (as of 17.03.2023/XNUMX/XNUMX). In addition to the shortcut shown, other new key combinations for Word and all Office apps are shown in the linked source.

Third party ink cartridges: HP blocks third party ink through firmware update

In my personal opinion are inkjet absolutely out of place in the private sector as well as in many companies. There are a few use cases and certainly numerous possibilities for sensible use in companies, educational institutions and the like - but on the whole ink printers are just junk. And that's what the manufacturers wanted. They don't make the profit with the devices at all, but with the ink. That's why HP is once again blocking third-party ink cartridges, like iFun in one Entry shows. This time models from 2016 should be affected. We have more information and comments on the subject for you here: Why inkjet printers are the worst junk.

Press Releases: Latest reports from the Apple Newsroom

Since the last Sir Apfelot newsreel, there have been three publications in the German-language Apple Newsroom: two press releases and one feature. The various publications are about the Oscar that Apple TV+ received for "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse", and about the new video shopping concept for iPhones in Apple's online shop, in which an Apple person helps via video sharing (only available in the US for the time being) and once to "four women using apps and games to advance culture“. Here you will find the three messages:

• Apple TV+ wins Academy Award for The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse for Best Animated Short: Read here
• Apple Introduces “Shop with a Specialist over Video”: Read here
• Four women using apps and games to drive culture and create change: Read here

Securing the Legacy: Tim Cook is said to have brought the headset release forward

According to a recent report by the Financial Times, several media outlets are currently pick up, Apple CEO Tim Cook is said to have pushed the release of the long-awaited mixed reality headset. It is currently expected that as part of the WWDC23Keynote will be ready in June. According to the reports, the engineers, who somehow had to reconcile the special design specifications with the necessary hardware, warned against presenting too quickly. The possibly rash action could stem from the fact that Tim Cook wants to secure his Apple legacy. The AR and VR headset would be the first major addition to Apple's product landscape under his leadership. It's possible that Tim Cook is rushing because he wants to give up the CEO post in 2025.

Johannes Domke

After graduating from high school, Johannes completed an apprenticeship as a business assistant specializing in foreign languages. But then he decided to research and write, which resulted in his independence. For several years he has been working for Sir Apfelot, among others. His articles include product introductions, news, manuals, video games, consoles, and more. He follows Apple keynotes live via stream.