From the comments on the link someone else posted, it appears there is already a CA government-provided option:

If you are located in the US states California, Oregon, and Washington, see the MyShake app. This app is part of the USGS MyShake project.

One option I haven’t seen yet: You can set up a local file share on Windows or Linux and connect to it via the Files app.

Small correction - iCloud Photos are only end-to-end encrypted if you enable Advanced Data Protection, which was introduced in December 2022, and otherwise Apple has the keys. See https://support.apple.com/en-us/102651 for more details.

So the uploaded photos in question couldn’t have been e2ee. Even so, it’s reasonable for people to question the legitimacy of e2ee given instances where it’s been shown to be a lie or for the data to also have been transmitted without e2ee, like Anker’s Eufy cameras’ “e2ee” feeds clearly being accessible without keys from the user devices, or WhatsApp exposing tons of messaging metadata to Meta.

That said, I personally wasn’t using iCloud Photos prior to enabling Advanced Data Protection, and I had a few deleted photos show up from several years ago, so Apple’s explanation makes sense to me. And, like you’ve pointed out, most of the speculation was devoid of any critical thinking.

That is a problem, but this post is not an example of that problem.

Per https://www.imore.com/how-law-enforcement-uses-graykey-devices-access-locked-iphones it appears that they aren’t able to bypass your password and have to brute-force it instead. It’s unclear if they can bypass biometric auth if that’s an accepted auth method.

So, if you’re concerned about this sort of exploit, make sure to use a password with a high level of entropy and that you hold down the power and volume up buttons (or however you disable biometric auth on your device) before handing your phone to a LEO.

In addition to not being cheap, it’s also not disposable. Pilot manufactures and sells refill cartridges - you can get them in office supply stores, on Amazon, at Walmart, and at dedicated pen retailers. And it took me all of two seconds to discover that with a simple web search.

Am I out of touch? No! Everyone is a fucking transphobe!

Is this supposed to be an ironic comment? I genuinely can’t tell if you’re saying this seriously, tongue-in-cheek, or if you’re mocking the people who have been the most vocal in their criticism of anyone touching the Harry Potter IP.

I suspect the objection had to do with some misinformation regarding the Duckduckgo browser. I remember reading about the issue and thinking it was about search, too.

The DDG CEO wrote up a response on Reddit and it explains it very well. Here’s a link to the comment on the Wayback machine.

Per the article, it will be playable on M1 iPads and Macs, so hopefully a single purchase will cover you across all three device types.

I’m confused about why they aren’t calling them “3rd gen”

how to grow longer thumbs?

Clearly you should get Thanko’s “Yubi Nobiiru” thumb extender

I got the 12 Pro and 12 Mini (for work) about three years ago. The 12 Mini is holding up fine, though the battery would be lacking if it were my personal phone. My partner still uses an iPhone XR, which is nearly 5 years old, and I’ve never heard her complain about it being too slow or unable to run an app that she wanted to use. And the XR was basically the “non-Pro” version of its generation.

Resale value wise, the 12 Pro of the same storage capacity is selling for roughly $100 more than the comparable 12 on eBay ($500 vs $400), but a 64 GB iPhone 12 is another $70 or so cheaper. (I was going to warn you away from getting a 64 GB phone, but it looks like the entry level storage is now 128 GB, which sounds like it would be enough for you.)

The max Apple trade-in values’ difference is even lower - $30 apart ($300 and $330).

So if you’re reselling, you’ll likely be able to recoup $100 of the $200 price difference in three years.

If the Pro-only upgrades (for the 14 vs 14 Pro this was an improved camera + zoom lens, higher refresh rate screen, ~10% faster CPU/GPU, and higher peak brightness in HDR) don’t have that much value to you, then it should be an easy decision to pass on the 15 Pro and pick up the 15 instead.