Category: Life

In light of legendary Iraqi-British architect, Zaha Hadid’s passing today. I thought it would be appropriate to share some of her work. Unfortunately, my knowledge of architecture never caught up to my interest in it, but this woman was a giant in the field.

She did little in America, but everywhere else left a footprint. From her very first gig, the striking concrete Vitra fire Station completed in 1993, to the gorgeously curvaceous Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre completed in 2012—plus some impressive stations and bridges in between—Hadid’s designs dared us to imagine and then see that a sensationally otherworldly architecture can take hold in our world. Here’s a closer look at some of her greatest works:

Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, South Korea, 2014

Galaxy SOHO in Beijing, China, 2010

Phaeno Science Center in Wolfsburg, Germany, 2005

London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England, 2011

Guangzhou Opera House in Guangzhou, China, 2010

MAXXI National Museum of the 21st Century Arts in Rome, Italy, 2010

Vitra Fire Station in Weil am Rhein, Germany, 1993

Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 2010

Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre in Baku, Azerbaijan, 2012

The Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan

Quiet is good.  We forget all too often how  refreshing a moment can be if we just let it breathe.

Why is Apple objecting to the government’s order?
The government asked a court to order Apple to create a unique version of iOS that would bypass security protections on the iPhone Lock screen. It would also add a completely new capability so that passcode tries could be entered electronically.

This has two important and dangerous implications:

First, the government would have us write an entirely new operating system for their use. They are asking Apple to remove security features and add a new ability to the operating system to attack iPhone encryption, allowing a passcode to be input electronically. This would make it easier to unlock an iPhone by “brute force,” trying thousands or millions of combinations with the speed of a modern computer.

We built strong security into the iPhone because people carry so much personal information on our phones today, and there are new data breaches every week affecting individuals, companies and governments. The passcode lock and requirement for manual entry of the passcode are at the heart of the safeguards we have built in to iOS. It would be wrong to intentionally weaken our products with a government-ordered backdoor. If we lose control of our data, we put both our privacy and our safety at risk.

Second, the order would set a legal precedent that would expand the powers of the government and we simply don’t know where that would lead us. Should the government be allowed to order us to create other capabilities for surveillance purposes, such as recording conversations or location tracking? This would set a very dangerous precedent.

Is it technically possible to do what the government has ordered?
Yes, it is certainly possible to create an entirely new operating system to undermine our security features as the government wants. But it’s something we believe is too dangerous to do. The only way to guarantee that such a powerful tool isn’t abused and doesn’t fall into the wrong hands is to never create it.

Could Apple build this operating system just once, for this iPhone, and never use it again?
The digital world is very different from the physical world. In the physical world you can destroy something and it’s gone. But in the digital world, the technique, once created, could be used over and over again, on any number of devices.

Law enforcement agents around the country have already said they have hundreds of iPhones they want Apple to unlock if the FBI wins this case. In the physical world, it would be the equivalent of a master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks. Of course, Apple would do our best to protect that key, but in a world where all of our data is under constant threat, it would be relentlessly attacked by hackers and cybercriminals. As recent attacks on the IRS systems and countless other data breaches have shown, no one is immune to cyberattacks.

Again, we strongly believe the only way to guarantee that such a powerful tool isn’t abused and doesn’t fall into the wrong hands is to never create it.

Has Apple unlocked iPhones for law enforcement in the past?
No.

We regularly receive law enforcement requests for information about our customers and their Apple devices. In fact, we have a dedicated team that responds to these requests 24/7. We also provide guidelines on our website for law enforcement agencies so they know exactly what we are able to access and what legal authority we need to see before we can help them.

For devices running the iPhone operating systems prior to iOS 8 and under a lawful court order, we have extracted data from an iPhone.

We’ve built progressively stronger protections into our products with each new software release, including passcode-based data encryption, because cyberattacks have only become more frequent and more sophisticated. As a result of these stronger protections that require data encryption, we are no longer able to use the data extraction process on an iPhone running iOS 8 or later.

Hackers and cybercriminals are always looking for new ways to defeat our security, which is why we keep making it stronger.

The government says your objection appears to be based on concern for your business model and marketing strategy. Is that true?
Absolutely not. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is and always has been about our customers. We feel strongly that if we were to do what the government has asked of us — to create a backdoor to our products — not only is it unlawful, but it puts the vast majority of good and law abiding citizens, who rely on iPhone to protect their most personal and important data, at risk.

Is there any other way you can help the FBI?
We have done everything that’s both within our power and within the law to help in this case. As we’ve said, we have no sympathy for terrorists.

We provided all the information about the phone that we possessed. We also proactively offered advice on obtaining additional information. Even since the government’s order was issued, we are providing further suggestions after learning new information from the Justice Department’s filings.

One of the strongest suggestions we offered was that they pair the phone to a previously joined network, which would allow them to back up the phone and get the data they are now asking for. Unfortunately, we learned that while the attacker’s iPhone was in FBI custody the Apple ID password associated with the phone was changed. Changing this password meant the phone could no longer access iCloud services.

As the government has confirmed, we’ve handed over all the data we have, including a backup of the iPhone in question. But now they have asked us for information we simply do not have.

What should happen from here?
Our country has always been strongest when we come together. We feel the best way forward would be for the government to withdraw its demands under the All Writs Act and, as some in Congress have proposed, form a commission or other panel of experts on intelligence, technology, and civil liberties to discuss the implications for law enforcement, national security, privacy, and personal freedoms. Apple would gladly participate in such an effort.

Whatever your political beliefs are (mine Libertarian) it’s never good when the Government forces anything upon anyone. And now their at Apple’s front door. More importantly, hundreds of millions of Apples customer’s front door.

Great article by Marco Arment explaining how the isn’t just about 1 phone that the FBI is claiming:

As we’ve learned from Edward Snowden and, well, almost every other high-profile action taken by law enforcement recently, this most likely has very little to do with the specific crime or iPhone that the FBI is citing in this case.

It’s their excuse to establish precedent and permanent backdoors for themselves so they can illegally spy on anyone’s data whenever they please. They’re shamelessly using a horrible tragedy to get themselves more power.

Read the rest 

I’ll be the first to tell you my Libertarian views and openly explain why they are important to me step by step. But again, I stand amazed how people cannot see this is completely a vehicle the FBI is using to further it’s reach on American people.

I continually ask myself when Americans are going to wake up and realize your God given freedom and liberties are being ripped away one inch at a time while you watch the Kardashians. Simply put, this is an excuse for spying. Nothing more, nothing less. And its very sad.

I love how Marco ends his article. It mirrors my feelings perfectly:

I commend Apple for standing up to this, but unfortunately, I suspect they’re eventually going to lose. I’d love to be proven wrong, but nobody in the government is protecting our rights anymore, and Americans simply just don’t care enough to compel them to.

Prove me wrong, America.

For those interested, here is Apple’s original statement.