Target says Justice Department investigating security breach | Fox News

Target says Justice Department investigating credit and debit card security breach, as lawsuits trickle in | Fox News →

Target Corp. said Monday that the Department of Justice is now investigating the retailer’s credit and debit card security breach, as federal lawsuits are starting to trickle in from customers around the country.

If this doesn’t illustrate why the US needs to catch up with the rest of the world as far as credit card security goes, I don’t know what will. Many countries in Europe and elsewhere have implemented systems like chip and pin to try and combat this issue. It seems we either need to implement something similar, or find a better way to transfer money from consumer to merchant electronically. Companies like Dwolla and Square are pioneering work in that area, let’s just hope they make enough impact to initiate the change we need to see.

Jack Dorsey Joins Disney’s Board Of Directors | TechCrunch

Jack Dorsey Joins Disney’s Board Of Directors | TechCrunch:

The Walt Disney Company just announced that Jack Dorsey (co-founder and CEO of Square, as well co-founder and chairman at Twitter, as if you didn’t know) has joined its board of directors.

Interesting move for Disney and Dorsey alike. Will be interesting to see what Disney has in the works that someone as well known in tech as Dorsey can bring to the table.

Apple “Misunderstood” Ad

If you haven’t seen this ad yet, I’d highly recommend watching it. As many people have written about in the past year or more, Apple seemed to lose its way with creating ads that really grip people and instead seemed to focus more on the products themselves, which is very unlike Apple. This commercial seems to really get back to that emotional touch that’s needed for people to connect with a particular brand. Enjoy!

iPad mini retina

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There have been plenty reviews from every conceivable news outlet on this device, so I won’t try to recreate any of those. I just want to give you my personal thoughts on the device and why I chose it over the iPad Air.

Let’s back up for moment. Working at Automattic has many perks, one of those being a great mobile testing program in which we can all purchase and expense up to one mobile device per year for testing and troubleshooting purposes related to our jobs (yes, we’re hiring). I immediately knew I wanted to get an iPad, as I’ve never owned one but often come across cases where it would be great to have one handy for testing, as well as just for everyday use. With the recent announcement of new iPads, it was a great time to look into purchasing one.

The iPad Air was released for, and so I was able to visit my local Apple Store to hold it and compare it to previous models. It’s definitely way lighter than older iPads, but for me, I didn’t want the large screen as I’m aiming for maximum portability and usability. While I wasn’t able to compare it to a retina mini, I was able to at least do a size comparison and see how each felt in my hand. I decided the mini was better suited for what I wanted to use it for, including writing, reading, and general web browsing because it allowed me to do all of these things in the smallest possible package while still getting all the benefits of a tablet. The amazing thing is that it has the exact same specs as the iPad Air, so the only decision you really have to make is what screen size do you prefer.

So in the end, I purchased the iPad mini with retina display, and I absolutely love it. It’s my computer when I don’t have a laptop handy. It’s surprising how much you can really do with an iPad these days that not too long ago required a more traditional computer.

Happiness Bar at WordCamp Raleigh

I had the opportunity to help out with the Happiness Bar at WordCamp Raleigh this weekend and had a great time. We were able to help many users from all different skill levels with their WordPress questions. It’s great to hear how folks are using WordPress, and also to hear their frustrations so we can try to make improvements when possible. The bar also provides a great place for people to meet each other and make connections that will help them even after camp is over. Thanks to Kevin and Kris for their help this weekend as well. Between the three of us we helped quite a few folks!

Happy Birthday to me

Today I turn 24 years old. 24. When I was younger it seemed that birthdays could never come soon enough, and as kids you just look forward to the next milestone age. First, it was getting into double digits at 10. Then looking forward to driving at 16. Then perhaps voting at 18. Now, it seems birthdays come more quickly each year, and I find myself not wishing for the next number to come nearly as much as when I was a kid. This difference in the perception of time as you get older is quite interesting, and adds to the feeling that I’m getting old. 30 is only 6 years away…