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Bono finally apologises for automatic album download

<p dir="ltr">Bono has finally apologised for the automatic download of the 2014 U2 album <em>Songs of Innocence</em>. </p> <p dir="ltr">When the album was released in September 2014, it was automatically downloaded onto the iTunes accounts of more than 500 million users. </p> <p dir="ltr">Now, the band’s frontman has said he “takes full responsibility” for the outrage it caused. </p> <p dir="ltr">The automatic download was met with much fury and anger from iTunes users: not due to them not authorising the download, but that the songs were nearly impossible to delete from accounts. </p> <p dir="ltr">Writing for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/22/bono-memoir-birth-of-u2-itunes-album-live-aid-mullet?utm_term=Autofeed&amp;CMP=twt_gu&amp;utm_medium&amp;utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1666438787">The Guardian</a>, Bono explained he pitched the free album as Apple giving its users a gift, which was not well thought out with CEO Tim Cook.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But we're not a subscription organisation,” Cook responded to Bono, who said “not yet”, then told the CEO that it will be “everyone's choice if they want to listen to the album.”</p> <p dir="ltr">It is said that Apple paid U2 $100 million for the album that hit iTunes accounts on September 9th 2014, around the same time when Apple launched its iPhone 6.</p> <p dir="ltr">The announcement was shared by Apple in a press release, but it seemed many users did not get the message and were perplexed when the list of songs magically appeared in their iTunes account.</p> <p dir="ltr">The majority of users complained the album was added without their permission, while others simply did not like U2.</p> <p dir="ltr">Following the nearly instant angry tweets, comments and complaints, Apple launched a dedicated page that helped users remove <em>Songs of Innocence</em> - just six days after the album was released.</p> <p dir="ltr">Users had to go through and delete each song manually, or hide the album from their iTunes accounts. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I take full responsibility. Not Guy O, not Edge, not Adam, not Larry, not Tim Cook, not Eddy Cue,” Bono told The Guardian.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I'd thought if we could just put our music within reach of people, they might choose to reach out toward it. Not quite."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Music

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11 best sites to legally download free books

<p>The Internet is an amazing place to find countless things, including free books. Many websites today provide free and legal access to books on nearly any subject, making it easier to build your own digital library.</p> <p>Furthermore, tens of thousands of books have entered public domain this year, making them available to read, download and share. This is due to an amendment in the US copyright law, which states that works published between 1923 and 1977 can enter public domain 95 years after their creation.</p> <p>Because of this, famous books published in 1923 – including works by Agatha Christie, Virginia Woolf, Winston Churchill, and Kahlil Gibran – are now free to access. You can download titles such as <em>The Murder on the Links</em>, <em>The Prophet</em>, and <em>Jacob’s Room </em>at one or more of the following sites:</p> <ol> <li><span><a href="http://www.authorama.com/">Authorama</a></span></li> <li><span>Duke Law School's <a href="https://law.duke.edu/cspd/">Center for the Study of the Public Domain</a></span></li> <li><span><a href="http://freecomputerbooks.com/">Free Computer Books</a></span></li> <li><span><a href="http://en.childrenslibrary.org/">International Digital Children's Library</a></span></li> <li><span><a href="http://www.online-literature.com/author_index.php">The Literature Network</a></span></li> <li><span><a href="https://librivox.org/">Librivox</a></span> (audio books)</li> <li><span><a href="http://manybooks.net/">ManyBooks</a></span></li> <li><span><a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page">Project Gutenberg</a></span></li> <li><span><a href="https://www.questia.com/library/free-books">Questia Public Library</a></span></li> <li><span><a href="http://www.readprint.com/">Read Print</a></span></li> <li><span><a href="https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Main_Page">Wikibooks</a></span></li> </ol> <p>Do you know any other resources for free books? Let us know in the comments below.</p>

Books

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Travel apps you need to download

<p>If you have a smartphone, you have access to an infinite supply of information. No need for loose translations scrawled on napkins and bulky street maps that never fold back the way they’re supposed to. Everything you need to get around in a foreign country fits right in your pocket, you just have to know where to look.</p> <p>hese are the travel apps that we can’t live without.</p> <p><strong>On the ground:</strong></p> <p><strong><u>Google Maps</u></strong></p> <p>This is an obvious one. Google Maps is the most comprehensive mapping system that exists today. You could be in the most remote part of sub-Saharan Africa and Google Maps will still be able to tell you how far you are from the nearest McDonalds. The browsing section also has recommendations and reviews for restaurants, hotels, and attractions. Apple maps that comes as standard on iPhones is also adequate.</p> <p><strong><u>Uber</u></strong></p> <p>In countries where taxi drivers often “forget” to turn the meter on, ridesharing apps like Uber are a safe bet. You always know what price you’re going to pay at the end and no cash is exchanged to it’s easy to keep track of your budget. Uber operates in 60 countries and often has standard, luxury and large vehicle options to accommodate all types of travellers. Lyft is another popular ride-sharing app in the US, Mytaxi is prominent in the UK and Grab is by far the most popular service in Asia.</p> <p><strong><u>Sit or Squat</u></strong></p> <p>This is the app you never knew you need until you REALLY needed it. Sit or Squat helps you find the nearest restroom wherever you are. The best part about this app is that each public bathroom comes with a rating. If it’s clean, you can sit. If it’s filthy, you should definitely squat. Once you’ve done your business, you can review the bathroom to help your fellow travellers decide if they’re desperate enough to hover or can hold on a bit longer.</p> <p><strong><u>WiFi Map</u></strong></p> <p>If you’re not planning on getting a local SIM card when you land at your destination, you can still get by on WiFi alone. Let’s face it, no matter where you are in the world, you’re never are from a Starbucks or McDonalds, and most of them have WiFi. This app will help you find a FREE internet connection in the largest cities and the smallest villages. It has access to over 100 million servers worldwide. The service is crowdsourced which means you could even offer up your home WiFi to help travellers passing through your neighbourhood.</p> <p><strong><u>Citymapper</u></strong></p> <p>This app helps you navigate major public transport systems including trains, trams, buses and ferries in cities all over the world. It currently operates in the UK, Europe, Australia, USA, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada and Latin America. Users have access to transport maps, real-time updates, timetables, and disruption alerts. In some cities, it also has Uber integration and information on bicycle hire.</p> <p><strong><u>XE Currency</u></strong></p> <p>There are plenty of currency conversion apps out there, each with varying degrees of accuracy. We use XE Currency because it’s free, accurate and easy to use on the fly. Rates are updated every 60 seconds and you can convert multiple currencies at a time. You can set up alerts for market activity, track when the dollar value is dropping against another currency, and save current rates to convert offline.</p> <p><strong>In the air:</strong></p> <p><strong><u>FlightAware</u></strong></p> <p>This free flight tracking service is available online and as an app. FlightAware gives you real-time information regarding any flight anywhere in the world on any airline. You can set up alerts to notify you if your flight is delayed, check arrival and departure info at airports worldwide and even refer to the weather maps to predict whether or not you’ll hit turbulence during your flight. The app is fun even when you’re not travelling. If you look up at the sky and see a plane flying overhead, you can check the radar map and see where it’s headed.</p> <p><strong><u>Netflix</u></strong></p> <p>If you didn’t already know, Netflix allows you to pre-download certain titles on mobile devices to watch offline. This is great for long flights when onboard entertainment isn’t available. Not all shows are available for download but we’re almost certain you’ll be able to find something amongst the myriad titles. You can download up to 100 shows at a time, good luck getting through them all.</p> <p><strong><u>Hopper</u></strong></p> <p>The reason Hopper made our list over Skyscanner is because of its price prediction feature. Hopper predicts price fluctuations with 95% accuracy up to a year in advance. It churns through 15 billion flight prices every day to save users up to 40 per cent on their trip. It’ll show you the cheapest time of the year, the day of the week and time of the day to fly. You can also set up price watch alerts and be notified when your chosen dates are on sale.</p> <p><strong>In conversation:</strong></p> <p><strong><u>Google Translate</u></strong></p> <p>Google translate is the quickest, easiest way to figure out what something or someone is saying in a foreign language. You can type the text of use the microphone to receive an instant translation. You can pre-download an offline translation file so you can still use the app without the internet. It has a two-way instant conversation translation feature that works for 32 languages. One of the coolest features is the real-time visual translation where you can hover your camera over a chunk of text and it will translate it to your chosen language on the spot. I can’t overstate how handy this is for deciphering menus.</p> <p><strong><u>Duolingo</u></strong></p> <p>Unlike instant translation apps, Duolingo is more of a long game approach. It’s a fun, interactive app that helps you learn a new language quickly. It’s totally free and almost addictive. It feels like a game so you don’t even realise that you’re learning, which is great for adults who “don’t have the time to learn an entire language”. You probably won’t be fluent, but after a few weeks of practice, you’ll be able to introduce yourself, order food, chat with your taxi driver and check into your hotel with ease.</p> <p><strong><u>iStone Travel Translation</u></strong></p> <p>This app has a great instant translation feature, but that’s not why we love it. Sometimes you just want to know how to ask someone where the nearest toilet is or where they’re from. iStone is loaded with more than 300 common phrases that you might need while travelling. The language currently offered are English, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Arabic and Thai. Phrases are divided into categories such as greetings, shopping, dining and asking directions. The basic version is free, however, more phrases become available when you purchase the full version for $2.99.</p> <p><strong><u>WhatsApp Messenger</u></strong></p> <p>If you’ve ever been stung by data roaming charges, this app is for you. International mobile plans are notoriously expensive but WhatsApp Messenger offers an (almost) free alternative. If you have an internet connection, you can text, call and video chat with your contacts free of charge. WhatsApp in encrypted so all your conversations and personal details will be kept private. If you’re checking into an Airbnb or meeting up with a guide, chances are they’ll connect with you via WhatsApp. You can also create group chats where you can share photos and videos of your travels. It’s a great way to keep family members at home in the loop.</p> <p><em>Written by Bethany Plint. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.mydiscoveries.com.au/stories/travel-apps/">MyDiscoveries</a>.</em></p>

Travel Tips

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7 places you can download audiobooks for free

<p>Audiobooks are a great way to consume literature. You can drift off to sleep at night while still in Wonderland with Alice, or go on a roadtrip across the country while also journeying through Middle Earth. Only thing is, audio versions of books can be much more expensive than their paper and ink brethren, meaning many are loathe to dive in. But fear not, we have found seven places that offer free audiobooks to download and enjoy.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Public domain</span></strong></p> <p>These websites allow you to download audio versions of books that sit in the public domain – meaning their copyright has expired. If you’re interested in classics like <em>Pride and Prejudice, Moby Dick</em>, or <em>Great Expectations</em>, these sites are perfect for you.</p> <p><a href="https://librivox.org/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Librivox</strong></span></a> </p> <p>This site is run by volunteers, and offers audiobooks read by people from all over the world. What’s special about Librivox is that their books are often read in different languages – making their site more accessible.</p> <p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/%20" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Project Gutenberg</strong></span></a> </p> <p>You may have heard of this site before. Just like Librivox, it offers public domain titles for free download. You can choose from over 53,000 books.</p> <p><a href="https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Lit2Go</strong></span></a> </p> <p>This is a great resource for your grandchildren to know about. If they’re studying any of the classics of literature in school, Lit2Go breaks these books up into smaller downloadble chunks, which are great for study sessions.</p> <p><a href="https://scribl.com/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Scrib</strong></span></a>l </p> <p>Scribl is an interesting service – it offers titles (both audiobooks and ebooks) on sliding scales of price dependant upon the title’s popularity. Many of their titles are free to download, while more popular items will cost you money. For you ebook readers, Scribl will give you an ebook copy of any audiobook title you download.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Free trials</span></strong></p> <p>These websites offer a free trial that allows you to browse their collection and often download a book of your choice to get you started. Then, if you don’t want to pay the subscription fee, you just need to cancel before the trial ends.</p> <p><a href="http://www.audible.com.au/%20" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Audible</strong></span></a> </p> <p>If you’ve ever listened to a podcast, chances are you’ve head of Audible.com. They’ve been around since 1995, and were acquired by Amazon in 2008 for something in the region of 300 million USD. Along with all that experience and wealth go an easy-to-use site and over 200,000 titles in their collection. Sign up for their free 30-day trial to download an audiobook for free.</p> <p><a href="http://www.allyoucanbooks.com/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>All You Can Books</strong></span></a> </p> <p>Get more bang for your free trial with this site – sign up and download as many audiobooks as you can handle in the first 30 days. Their library is somewhat smaller than other services (only 30,000 titles), but if you want to stock up on free audiobooks, this free trial is perfect.</p> <p><a href="https://www.estories.com/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>eStories</strong></span></a> </p> <p>This site is a spin-off of a subscription music service, eMusic. What’s great about eStories is that you can choose a plan to suit your listening habits – download 1, 2, or 5 audiobooks each month. Their collection includes over 100,000 titles. The free trial is for 30-days, and lets you choose a free book.</p> <p>What’s your favourite audiobook?</p>

Books

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6 free travel apps worth downloading

<p>Make your smart phone work even smarter when you’re on the road with these top travel apps. And the best part is, they’re all absolutely free.</p> <p><a href="https://translate.google.com/about/intl/en_ALL/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>1. Google Translate</strong></span></a></p> <p>Never puzzle over a strange menu item or try desperately to understand the signage on a street corner. With Google Translate, just hold your phone’s camera up to the mystery text and the app will give you an instant translation for 29 different languages.</p> <p><a href="http://www.getsidekix.com/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>2. Sidekix</strong></span></a></p> <p>Think of this one as your personal in-pocket tour guide. When walking through a city, just put in your destination and your interests and it will create a customised route for you. The app can take you past cafes, bars, galleries, shops, historical sites and more, without wasting time on things you don't want to see. It’s available in over 100 major cities and more are being added every week.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/currency/id284220417?mt=8">3. Currency</a><a href="http://www.xe.com/apps/iphone/"></a></strong></span></p> <p>Exchange rates can be really confusing and you don’t want to get home and find you spent $500 on a souvenir when you thought you were spending $50. Currency is one of the simplest conversion apps on the market with an easy to use interface, more than 150 currencies and up to date exchange rates.</p> <p><a href="https://citymapper.com/sydney"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>4. Citymapper</strong></span></a></p> <p>This fun app brings together everything you need to know to get around a city – maps, public transport information (including real-time departures), cycle routes and Uber options. It will give you a really good idea of how long it will take you to get somewhere or what your options are at any time of the day for more than 35 cities around the world. It’s also really cute to use.</p> <p><a href="https://www.skyscanner.com.au/mobile.html"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>5. Skyscanner</strong></span></a></p> <p>Never waste time searching through multiple sites for the cheapest flight again. Skyscanner pulls all these options into the one handy app and lets you put in lots of filters (like stopovers or multi-part bookings) so you can create the exact route you need. You’ll then be given an easy to understand list of available flights so you can click through and book right away.</p> <p><a href="https://www.tripit.com/uhp/mobile"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>6. Tripit</strong></span></a></p> <p>One of the problems of booking holidays online is that you can end up with lots of different confirmation emails for flights, hotels, car rentals, transfers and more, making it hard to get your head around everything. Tripit solves that problem – just forward all your individual bookings to the app and it will create one single itinerary for you. You can also share the details with others, making it a great resource for a group trip.</p> <p><em><strong>Have you arranged your travel insurance yet? Tailor your cover to your needs and save money by not paying for things you don’t need. <a href="https://elevate.agatravelinsurance.com.au/oversixty?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=content&amp;utm_content=link1&amp;utm_campaign=travel-insurance"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">To arrange a quote, click here.</span></a> For more information about Over60 Travel Insurance, call 1800 622 966.</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/travel-tips/2016/10/5-reasons-to-start-wrapping-your-luggage-in-plastic/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>5 reasons to start wrapping your luggage in plastic</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/travel-tips/2016/10/major-airline-replaces-meals-with-chocolate-bars/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Major airline replaces meals with chocolate bars</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/travel-tips/2016/10/sleep-better-in-a-hotel-room/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>10 tips for a better night’s sleep in a hotel room</strong></em></span></a></p>

Travel Tips

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Apps all pet owners should download

<p>If the two closest companions in your life are your furry friend and your smartphone then download these apps right now! The tech-savvy pet owner knows there’s a wealth of information for pets to be found in the palm of your hand. Here are the best four apps.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/first-aid-for-pets/id799460675?mt=8" target="_blank"><span><strong>First Aid for Pets, free for IOS and Android</strong></span></a></p><p>An easy-to-use reference and educational tool to help you and your pet if there is ever an emergency. The app also links with your local vet clinic (if they are participating) to provide quick access to contact information. Hopefully you won’t ever have to use this but it’s best to be prepared.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/pawclub/id408865577?mt=8" target="_blank"><span><strong>PawClub, free for IOS, not available for Android</strong></span></a></p><p>You no longer need to worry if the park allows dogs anymore, this app helps you find locations throughout Australia where you and your pooch will always be welcomed. Created by dog-owners for dog-owners, there’s an extensive list of parks, beaches, accommodation, restaurants and cafes in all the states. &nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/ipetcare-care-for-dogs-cats/id392219326?mt=8" target="_blank"><span><strong>iPetCare, $6.49 for IOS, not available for Android</strong></span></a></p><p>Easily gather all the information about your pets with this app. Store details like name, picture, vaccinations, weight chart and much more. The app also reminds you of any scheduled appointments.</p><p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/icam-webcam-video-streaming/id296273730?mt=8" target="_blank"><span><strong>iCam, $6.49 for IOS and US$4.99 for Android</strong></span></a></p><p>Not specifically for pet-owners but if you have a webcam at home, this app allows you to watch your pet in real-time from your phone or tablet. &nbsp;Useful if you’re leaving your pet home alone for the first time, travelling or if you’re just curious to what your furry friend does when you’re out.</p>

Technology

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