Linked List: July 2, 2018

Monday, 2 July 2018

News Media Paid Melania Trump Thousands for Use of Photos in ‘Positive Stories Only’ ★

NBC News:

President Donald Trump’s most recent financial disclosure reveals that in 2017 the first lady earned at least $100,000 from Getty Images for the use of any of a series of 187 photos of the first family shot between 2010 and 2016 by Belgian photographer Regine Mahaux.

It’s not unheard of for celebrities to earn royalties from photos of themselves, but it’s very unusual for the wife of a currently serving elected official. More problematic for the many news organizations that have published or broadcast the images, however, is that Getty’s licensing agreement stipulates the pictures can be used in “positive stories only.”

The nonstop grift continues.

Rumored 18-Watt USB-C iPhone Power Adapter ★

Eric Slivka, writing for MacRumors:

Recent rumors and CAD renderings have suggested Apple may be planning to include an 18-watt USB-C charger and a Lightning to USB cable in the box with its iOS devices later this year, allowing for faster charging without requiring users to purchase separate charging accessories at additional cost.

Moving to a single 18-watt adapter for iPhones and iPads makes a lot of sense. Wired charging for the fastest charge, inductive charging pads for the most convenient.

Also, I know a lot of people — including me — thought Apple should’ve included a faster iPad-style adapter last year because the iPhones X and 8 support fast charging. But when I last mentioned this, I heard from a slew of readers who prefer the 5-watt iPhone charger because it’s smaller. This new design seems like a nice compromise in terms of size.

Steven Sinofsky on Intel and Disruption ★

Steven Sinofsky:

So first thing, if innovation is focused on first and foremost being proprietary vs solving problems people have, then I think you’ll always run into trouble.