From ProPublica: That means AOL’s ad network will be able to match millions of Internet users to their real-world details gathered by Verizon, including — “your gender, age range and interests.” AOL’s network is on 40 percent of websites, including on ProPublica. AOL will also be able to use data from Verizon’s identifier to track the apps that mobile users open, what sites they visit, and for how long. Verizon purchased AOL earlier this year.

From the father of Pinboard comes this terrific piece about privacy and the Internet: There are a few guiding principles we should follow in any attempt at regulating the Internet. The goal of our laws should be to reduce the number of irrevocable decisions we make, and enforce the same kind of natural forgetfulness that we enjoy offline. After reading this I am simultaneously seething with frustration and weighed down by hopelessness.

Feeling a bit confused about the entire ad-blocking situation? These links make a pretty good primer.1 I’m thrilled with the focus on the current “design” of the web. It’s gone too far. I actually liked computer ads for most of the 90’s. Flash ruined that and it’s just continued to rot. Now we have ad-supported egos yelling at the world for click counts. I also think this is the organic growth of technology that was just recently the darling of tech blogging.

Tweetbot First up is Tweetbot for iOS. It’s a new app but right now it’s $5. Checkout the typically great review on Macstories. Twitter is unusable for me without Tweetbot because it has terrific filters that sync across devices. I also love landscape mode on the iPhone 6S Plus because I get my timeline and I get to people watch other weirdos like me.1 I also like the nice new Safari web views that presumably use the ad blocking filters.

We had a few audio problems on the latest Nerds on Draft but we still had our usual good time talking about a ridiculously good coffee porter and how much we use our pocket computers.

It’s nice. It’s noticeably faster at almost everything. 3D Touch is interesting but confusingly inconsistent. TouchID is ridiculously fast. It all comes down to a single question: Do you want a new pocket computer? There you go.

Brian Krebs reporting on the internal Target investigations after the chain was compromised in 2013: In one instance, they were able to communicate directly with cash registers in checkout lanes after compromising a deli meat scale located in a different store. It’s pretty damning. I can’t even remember the last time I used a debit card. I prefer to risk my bank’s money at most stores. I wonder how much input Target has on the Apple Pay competitor CurrentC (another thing I’ll never use).

Import a folder of plaintext files into Apple’s Notes application on El Capitan. Early days, but stuff like this is promising. Here’s shell script by Arthur Lockman that does something similar.

From Murphy Apps (makers of the Crystal ad blocker): Honestly? As a single developer, it would be impossible for me to manage the workload required to make sure publishers conform to any strict standard. Eyeo however has the experience & infrastructure in place, the data of acceptable ads that meet a criteria, the support staff to assist with reviews (all done through open forum) and the necessary business relationships within the industry.

From Softpedia: The second algorithm took this data, and analyzing the pauses between smartwatch (left hand) keystrokes, it was able to detect how many letters were pressed with the right hand, based on the user’s regular keystroke frequency. Based on a simple dictionary lookup, the algorithm then managed to reliably reproduce what words were typed on the keyboard. There’s always going to be a tug-of-war between the personal benefits and the nefarious purposes of technology.