If you were going to buy a new Apple Watch, get it NOW

Apple lost a law suit regarding them stealing tech and poaching employees from a medical device maker, and an import ban was levied as part of the punishment. Christmas Eve is the last you'll be able to buy an Apple Watch 9 or an Ultra 2 at the brick and mortar Apple Stores for the foreseeable future, unless things change, which could happen.

I posted about this a few months ago. Apple met with Masimo ages ago to look at their tech, and after that, hired a bunch of engineers and an executive. Masimo filed two complaints about Apple's intellectual property theft with the International Trade Commission. In October, the ITC ruled in favor of Masimo, resulting in the import ban for the Apple Watches which violate Masimo's tech and patents. The ban can be vetoed by President Biden, but we're down to literally the final hours and he's had since October to do it, such a veto of the ban is looking a little unlikely.

Apple shouldn't have stolen the tech and poached the people, they should have sweetened the pot and struck a deal.

https://gizmodo.com/apple-watch-ban-patent-lawsuit-masimo-1851108141

World's largest crypto exchange loses $4 billion in value, $3b in fine/disgorgement

Binance has been very naughty.

They have not been playing by the rules, including the USA's Know Your Customer (KYC) rules and have been instructing U.S. clients to disregard them, which is a violation of U.S. law.

From the article: "Under the settlement, Binance will "disgorge $1.35 billion of ill-gotten transaction fees and pay a $1.35 billion penalty" to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission..."

The KYC rules are in place to try to prevent crypto exchanges from providing havens for terrorists, ransomware extorters, and child sex traffickers.

The additional $1b loss was from withdrawals after the CEO stepped down.

As Binance is worth some $65b, the fine will hurt a bit, but they'll probably survive.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/12/binance-to-pay-2-7-billion-fine-after-hiding-shady-transactions-from-feds/

Volkswagen adding physical controls in addition to touchscreen in 2025

VW took a lot of flack over the past few years for removing physical buttons from their cars, and now they've seen the light and have reversed course. In '25, I don't know if that's the model year that will come out in calendar year 2024 or if they'll be released in CY '25, they're adding physical buttons back in!

Sadly, IMO, it looks to me that they're just climate control, and you'll still be dependent on the touch screen for things like the stereo. It's not easy to see much detail in the very brief video posted on Xwitter and linked in the article, but it does look like cruise control buttons on the steering wheel, and presumable audio controls for the stereo.

Volvo just released a new EV at under $40k, but like Tesla, everything is controlled through a central touch screen! I don't know what these people are thinking, forcing you to look away from the road to adjust things like temperature.

Volkswagen still has a problem with its car 'operating system'. That division has been plagued with problems and management turnover. They're trying to reinvent the wheel, which can be a good thing, but is also a risky move. They have been churning the CEO of that unit annually or more often, we'll see if they're able to get something good out of it.

https://www.engadget.com/volkswagen-drivers-want-more-physical-buttons-instead-of-touch-controls-044931087.html

Microsoft releases update to fix the phantom HP printer driver issue

I'm glad it's coming from MS rather than HP!

From the article: "Earlier this month, Microsoft disclosed an odd printer bug that was affecting some users of Windows 10, Windows 11, and various Windows Server products. Affected PCs were seeing an HP printer installed, usually an HP LaserJet M101-M106, even when they weren’t actually using any kind of HP printer. This bug could overwrite the settings for whatever printer the user actually did have installed and also prompted the installation of an HP Smart printer app from the Microsoft Store.

Microsoft still hasn't shared the root cause of the problem, though it did make it clear that the problem wasn't HP's fault. Now, the company has released a fix for anyone whose PC was affected by the bug, though as of this writing, it requires users to download and run a dedicated troubleshooting tool available from Microsoft's support site.

HP printer app is installing on PCs whether they have HP printers or not
The December 2023 Microsoft Printer Metadata Troubleshooter Tool is available for all affected Windows versions, and it will remove all references to the phantom HP LaserJet model (as long as you don't have one installed, anyway). The tool will also remove the HP Smart app as long as you don't have an HP printer attached and the app was installed after November 25, presumably the date that the bug began affecting systems. These steps should fix the issue for anyone without an HP printer without breaking anything for people who do use HP printers."

There are many a day that I'm glad that I'm no longer in main-core IT. This is one of them.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/12/microsoft-releases-downloadable-tool-to-fix-phantom-hp-printer-installations/

Trump LOSES Colorado case and is barred from the primary ballot there!

A political watch group, C.R.E.W., sued in Colorado to bar Trump from the ballot under Article 14, Section 3 of the Constitution which bars people from holding elected office if they gave aid or succor to seditionists after swearing an oath to uphold the Constitution. Which Trump did. He swore the oath of office when he became President, and the aid and succor is pretty self-evident.

And the Colorado State Supreme Court ruled in favor of CREW, 4-3. The ruling is temporarily stayed until it can be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which Trump's posse immediately pledged to do.

And if the Supreme Court upholds the Colorado ruling, it's game over. He'll still face the 4+ law suits, but that's the end of his political career.

Fingers crossed!

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/donald-trump-colorado-disqualified-2024-ballot-supreme-court-1234932715/