Apple has announced a new feature for iOS 16 - Lockdown Mode. They describe it as "an extreme, optional protection for the very small number of users who face grave, targeted threats to their digital security", that "hardens device defenses and strictly limits certain functionalities, sharply reducing the attack surface that potentially could be exploited by highly targeted mercenary spyware". When enabled it disables a whole bunch of features in Messages and Safari, disables the installation of configuration profiles/enrollment in an MDM, disables incoming FaceTime calls if they're from someone you've never communicated with before and blocks wired connections to the device entirely. This is a big fuck you to NSO Group and law enforcement.
The National Bureau of Economic Research has some fresh stats on El Salvador's experiment with making Bitcoin legal tender. Only half of the nation's households bothered to download the Chivo wallet app, despite literal free money as an incentive to grab it. Out of that half, "60% have not made a transaction after spending the free bitcoin that came with the account, and 20% have yet to spend the bonus". Businesses in El Salvador must accept Bitcoin, but only 20% bother to do so. Of those 20%, 88% convert the Bitcoin into dollars. Basically nobody uses it, except for "a small group of consumers, most of whom are banked, educated, young, and male".
Drobo has filed for bankruptcy. I didn't know people still used these direct attached storage arrays, but they're still very popular with the video and photo crowd who are afraid of networks or can't get the bandwidth or latency they need out of an ethernet cable. Drobo hasn't updated any of their software for Apple Silicon (so I think you need to enter Reduced Security Mode on Apple Silicon Mac!), their blog hasn't been updated since 2020 and all their products are "sold out" - so signs aren't looking good, despite someone on Reddit posting an email from Drobo saying that "voluntary Ch 11 reorganization is the best way to fix our balance sheet and we will remain fully functional during the restructuring process".
The Sweet Setup has a nice review of the Opal C1 webcam. Unlike most webcams, the Opal C1 is supposed to give you the quality of DSLR plugged in to your computer but with the ease of use of a normal webcam. There's also a decent quality microphone built in, along with noise cancellation. For that they'll charge you US$300 - expensive compared to a webcam, but pretty cheap compared to a proper camera. The review sums the Opal C1 up as almost as good as a DSLR (not as good), but way easier to use and setup and great software controls. You still need good lighting, but that's a given for any camera.
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