TLDR 2019-08-21

Apple users who have updated to iOS 12.4 will now be able to sign up for the Apple Card. Users can apply for the card directly from their iPhones, and the card will be automatically added to their Apple Wallet. A physical titanium card is available upon request. Apple's Daily Cash cashback rewards will give users 3 percent cashback on Apple purchases, 2 percent cashback on any purchases made using Apple Pay, and 1 percent cashback on purchases made with the titanium card. The 3 percent cashback will be available for some popular merchants when users pay with Apple Pay, starting with Uber and Uber Eats. Apple will never see customers' transaction histories. However, Goldman Sachs, the issuing bank, will see transactions to manage fraud and other purposes. Goldman Sachs has promised it will not use the data for marketing and advertising, and the information will not be shared with third parties.

Facebook will start hiring journalists to curate content for its News Tab. News Tab is a new section inside the Facebook mobile application that will show recent and relevant stories to users. Facebook has been criticized for spreading misinformation to its users, with countries such as Russia and China using the platform to influence foreign public opinion. It has hired security researchers and third-party content reviewers to deal with bad content. News Tab is part of the effort to restore Facebook’s reputation as a place where people can find trusted sources of information. Publishers have been approached by Facebook for content-sharing deals. Tech companies like Facebook and Google have previously been accused of suppressing speech from political parties. However, an audit released by Facebook and conducted by former Republican Senator Jon Kyl found no evidence of bias.

Due to the anonymous nature of Bitcoin and its underlying technologies, government authorities and organizations that track terrorist financing have begun to see an increase on its use for funding. Some websites are soliciting donations through Bitcoin, using individual addresses for each donation, making the flow of currency more difficult to track. Unlike traditional money, Bitcoin accounts can't be shut down or frozen, and anyone can create an address and start receiving funds without providing any personal information. Countries that face economic sanctions are looking into using cryptocurrencies to circumvent them.

Starship Technologies has announced a plan to deploy thousands of autonomous six-wheeled delivery robots on college campuses across the US in the next two years. The robots have been tested in over 100 cities in 20 different countries, completing over 100,000 deliveries. Each campus will receive 25-50 robots. Robots have already been deployed in George Mason University and Northern Arizona University. The robots can travel around three to four miles at a maximum speed of four miles per hour. They can work for many hours without a break, carrying cargo of up to 20 pounds in weight. Starship charges $1.99 per order. Other companies have also introduced autonomous delivery robots, but Starship is confident that their technology is miles ahead of any competition.

This repository contains a course to teach developers how to explore the Go language through writing tests, as well as get a grounding with TDD. The course teaches the fundamentals of the Go language and application building backed by tests.

Verified students on GitHub can apply for the GitHub Student Developer Pack, a program which represents almost $45,000 in savings for students. Students will receive GitHub Pro at no charge during their time in school, as well as receive special offers from the many GitHub Education partners who contribute to the program. The list of partners includes companies such as DigitalOcean, Microsoft, Amazon, JetBrains, and Stripe.

Apple has released an early access version of the Apple Arcade aimed at Apple employees for $0.49 per month to test until its iOS 13 launch later in fall. The arcade currently features six games, all still in development. Way of the Turtle is a puzzle platformer featuring a newly-married turtle trying to find his lost wife. Down in Bermuda is a point-and-click style adventure game. Sneaky Sasquatch is a stealth-based action/adventure game. Hot Lava is a first-person action game which is also available on Steam in beta. Kings of the Castle is another action/adventure game, and Frogger in Toy Town is a 3D version of the traditional Frogger game. Apple Arcade will allow subscribers access to over 100 games on demand.