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Why bats are one of evolution’s greatest puzzles

I’ve never been afraid of bats. They fascinate me. One of the big thrills of my life was floating on a canoe in Austin, Texas watching the Congress Avenue Bridge bat colony come out for the night – 500,000 to 1.5 million Brazilian free-tailed bats flying in the twilight.

BBEdit updated, merch, and in the Mac App Store [Sponsor]

Bare Bones Software, makers of BBEdit, is one of my favorite software companies — in fact, I’ve been using BBEdit for more than 20 years. BBEdit has been updated to version 13, and is available in the Mac App Store as a subscription! Same great features. Same user experience. You can subscribe in the Mac App Store or purchase perpetual licenses directly from Bare Bones Software. Also, you can still get great merch, including Classic and Rebus T-shirts, enamel pins, and more in their merch store!

Socially distance this

No offense to fans of cruises but this is an entire industry we’d be better off without.

Zoom backgrounds

ZoomerBackgrounds: Video calling in style. Dazzle your co-workers and friends. Choose your favorite look from our community-uploaded collection. With so many people using Zoom, it would be inevitable that someone would start offering Zoom backgrounds. Some of these are hilarious.

Educational documentaries from Netflix

There are a lot of great documentaries listed here for those of you who don’t have Netflix. I highly recommend the “Our Planet” series.

Zoom repairs flaws and improves privacy

Many felt that Zoom was just “catching up” because of the onslaught of new users and new scrutiny. The fact is, Zoom didn’t care about user privacy as much as it did growth. But the analysis of its shortcomings by security experts made them act (somewhat) faster to lock down the app to where it can be relatively safe and secure for most users.

SoundSource from Rogue Amoeba

Many thanks to Rogue Amoeba for sponsoring The Loop. If you listen to audio on your Mac, SoundSource is for you. It lives in your menu bar, and provides you with superior control over all your audio.

Get control of audio on a per-application basis. Now you can change the volume of any app relative to others, and play individual apps to different audio devices.

With the Magic Boost and Volume Overdrive features, you can hear your audio even in loud environments, and the built-in equalizer can sweeten the sound. More advanced users will love the ability to apply Audio Units to any audio.

SoundSource also provides fast access to all the settings your Mac’s Output, Input, and Sound Effects audio devices offer. Adjust input and output levels, tweak the balance, and even switch sample rates, right from the menu bar. You may never need to open the Sound System Preference again!

SoundSource is made by Rogue Amoeba, the masters of Mac audio who bring you Audio Hijack, Airfoil, and more. Download the free trial, then purchase today. Loop readers can save 20% with coupon code LOOP2020 (Good through May 10th).

Inside Big Ben’s makeover

It’s one of the most recognizable structures in the world and an enduring symbol of the United Kingdom. The video also shows you the actual “Big Ben.” Hint: it’s not the clock tower (officially called the Elizabeth Tower).

The Dalrymple Report: Personal news, iPhone SE, and internet speed

Dave returns this week and both of us share some personal news from the last couple of weeks. We also talk about the new iPhone SE and how quarantine is affecting internet speed at home.

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Apple announces iPhone SE 2nd generation

Apple on Wednesday announced the 2nd generation of its iPhone SE, a smaller, more affordable iPhone for Apple customers. Pre-orders for the $399 iPhone SE will begin on Friday, April 17 with orders shipping on April 24.