Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

• SaaS/Back End/Databases

  • Hackaday ☛ Data Science The Stanford Way

    Data science is a relatively new term for a relatively old discipline. Essentially, it is data analysis, particularly for large data sets. It involves techniques as wide-ranging as statistics, computer science, and information theory. What to know more? Stanford has a “Data Science Handbook” that you can read online.

Leftovers

• Ruben Schade ☛ Preparing for tropical snow chains

  I briefly had a job in Singapore where an English client had a wall of those motivational posters. One of them showed a snow drift, and a line underneath asking “Where are your snow chains?” I remember thinking this was pretty funny to have up in a tropical country, and assumed he put it on the wall as a joke regarding the ubiquity of air conditioning.

• Ruben Schade ☛ Reaching 8,888 posts, and a bit of a retrospective

  Back in 2011, WordPress assigned an internal ID of 8888 to a random post, which I thought was a bit fun. I wrote at the time:

  So here we are at post ID number 8888. Granted this is far less impressive than 8888 actual posts, but nonetheless a reason to celebrate and to receive some luck. Right?

• Science Alert ☛ How a Remote Amazonian Culture Saw 'Blue' And 'Green' in a Whole New Light

  Take a second look.

• Science Alert ☛ Volcano Eruption Imminent: Iceland Declares State of Emergency

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Your Earliest Memories May Still Be Locked Inside Your Head. Here's Why.

    Can we access them someday?

  • Science Alert ☛ Bold China Mission to Mars Will Obtain Samples Years Before NASA

    The first to retrieve pieces of the red planet.

• Education

  • Chronicle Of Higher Education ☛ International Students Surge Back to U.S. Campuses

    The number of foreign graduate students at American colleges hits an all-time high.

  • Stanford University ☛ Stanford reports steady growth in 2023 return on investment after 2022’s negative returns

    Stanford reveals a 4.4% investment return — up from last year's 4.2% loss — for the 2023 fiscal year in its Merged Pool, a combination of the University’s endowment, funds from Stanford Health Care and Stanford Medicine Children’s Health and additional long-term reserves of the University.

  • Latvia ☛ Teachers' union repeatedly points to unresolved wages issues

    Some teachers' salary for October is likely to be lower than promised, and problems are in calculations at both national, local government, and educational institutions level, Inga Vanaga, head of the Latvian Educationa and Science Workers' Association (LIZDA), said in an interview on the Latvian Television morning newscast November 13.

• Hardware

  • CNX Software ☛ Synaptics SYN43711 WiFi 6E & Bluetooth 5.3 chipset targets IoT devices, video streaming, robotics

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    Synaptics SYN43711 is a new WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 “SoC” designed for “IoT applications” such as high-end home appliances with video streaming capabilities, surveillance cameras, robots, and other secure smart consumer, industrial, and enterprise systems. It’s a more cost-effective version of the company’s SYN4382 SoC that supports 1,200 Mbps 2×2 MIMO Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and 802.15.4 connectivity.

  • Hackaday ☛ A Classic Shortwave Radio Restored

    Before the Internet, if you wanted to hear news from around the world, you probably bought a shortwave receiver. In the golden age of world band radio, there was a great deal of high-quality programming on the shortwave bands and a large variety of consumer radios with shortwave bands. For example, the Sony CRF-160 that [M Caldeira] is restoring dates from the late 1960s or early 1970s and would have been a cool radio in its day. It retailed for about $250 in 1972, which sounds reasonable, but — don’t forget — in 1972 that would have been a 10% downpayment on a new car or enough to buy a Big Mac every day for a year with change left over.

  • CNX Software ☛ Dockcase 7-in-1 USB-C dock features a color information display (Crowdfunding)

    USB-C docks have become somewhat boring, but Dockcase 7-in-1 USB-C dock is a little different with a transparent top cover made of tempered glass and an integrated color display that looks neat and may end up being useful by providing relevant information. The USB-C dock also comes with three 5Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, a 4Kp60 capable HDMI 2.0 video output, SD card & microSD card slots, support for 100W USB PD, and a 10 Gbps USB Type-C port for connection to the host.

  • Hackaday ☛ The IBM MDA Should Have Been The CDA

    If you are reading this on an IBM PC-compatible computer, it is a certainty that its graphics card will support the lowest common denominator of PC displays, the Monochrome Display Adapter, or MDA. This was a video card which delivered a text-only display in black-and-white that was an option fitted to the very first PC models. But was it really a monochrome display adapter? [TubeTimeUS] is here to show us that when connected to the appropriate colour monitor, it can produce text in colour. It seems that this was a feature only on the very earliest revisions of the card.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ SanDisk Extreme Pro Failures Result From Design and Manufacturing Flaws, Says Data Recovery Firm

    A data recovery specialist from Austria uncovers several possible hardware reasons for the Extreme Pro's failures.

  • Hackaday ☛ Introducing Molybdenene As Graphene’s New Dirac Matter Companion

    Amidst all the (well-deserved) hype around graphene, it’s important to remember that its properties are not unique to carbon. More atoms can be coaxed into stable 2-dimensional configuration, with molybdenene previously theoretically possible. This is now demonstrated by Tumesh Kumar Sahu and colleagues in a recent Nature Nanotechnology article, through the manufacturing of a 2D molybdenum-based material which they showed to be indeed molybdenene. Essentially, this is a 2D lattice of molybdenum atoms, a configuration in which it qualifies as Dirac matter, just like graphene. For those of us unfamiliar with Dirac materials, this gentle introduction by Jérôme Cayssol in Comptes Rendus Physique might be of use.

  • Hackaday ☛ A Small-Packing Antenna For 2 Metre Portable Work

    One of amateur radio’s many interests comes in portable operation, taking your radio to an out of the way place, usually a summit, and working the world using only what can be carried in. Often this means using the HF or shortwave bands, but the higher frequencies get a look-in as well. A smaller antenna is no less the challenge when it comes to designing one that can be carried though, and [Thomas Witherspoon] demonstrates this with a foldable loop antenna for the 2 metre band.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Science Alert ☛ An 'Extra Fold' in The Human Brain May Delay Early Dementia by Years

    Not everybody has it.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Explainer: Why is South Asia the global hotspot of pollution?

    Toxic levels of air pollution are disrupting the lives of millions of people in South Asia forcing closure of schools, impacting sporting events and leaving governments urging people to stay in doors to avoid health problems.

  • Latvia ☛ Latvia involved in major European cancer screening effort

    A European Joint Action project with a comprehensive initiative to improve cancer screening in all European Union member states has been submitted to the European Commission. After authorisation from the Ministry of Health, the project will be coordinated in Latvia and Europe by the University of Latvia Institute of Clinical and Preventive Medicine (LU KPMI), reports Labs of Latvia.

  • New York Times ☛ New Gene Editing Treatment Cuts Dangerous Cholesterol in Small Study

    The trial involved only 10 patients, but it suggests cholesterol can be permanently reduced with a single treatment for patients at risk of heart disease.

  • European Commission ☛ Statement by Commissioner Kyriakides on World Diabetes Day

    Tomorrow, 14 November, is World Diabetes Day.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ US hints at more strikes unless Iran-linked groups halt attacks

    U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday left open the possibility of more strikes against Iran-linked groups if attacks against American forces in Iraq and Syria don't stop, hours after overnight U.S. air strikes in Syria.

  • NYPost ☛ US fires airstrikes at 2 facilities with ties to Iran, its proxy groups

    “The President has no higher priority than the safety of US personnel, and he directed today's action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests,” Austin said.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Carries Out Another Round of Airstrikes on Targets Tied to Iran

    Airstrikes hit two facilities in eastern Syria, most likely killing or injuring Iran-backed militia personnel. The United States has blamed such groups for recent attacks against its troops.

  • New York Times ☛ Behind Public Assurances, Pooh-tin Jinping Spread Grim Views on U.S.

    Speeches by the Chinese leader show how he was bracing for an intensifying rivalry with the United States from early in his rule.

  • RFERL ☛ Kosovo Defeats Israel In Soccer Match Amid High Security, Small Crowd

    Kosovo defeated Israel’s national soccer team in Pristina in a match played amid tight security and in front of a relatively small crowd at the 14000-seat Fadil Vokrri Stadium on November 12.

  • The Straits Times ☛ US, South Korea revise deterrence strategy over North Korea threat

    South Korea and the United States have revised a bilateral security agreement aimed at deterring North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats during talks on Monday, South Korea's defence ministry said.

  • The Straits Times ☛ US, South Korea revise deterrence strategy, boost drills over North Korea threat

    The existing strategy did not adequately address rapid advancements in North Korea's weapons programme.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea lashes out at UN Command over meeting in Seoul

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    The US-led UN Command oversees affairs in the heavily fortified Demilitarised Zone.

  • RFA ☛ US, S Korea elevate ties to global alliance amid security challenges

    Both sides vow to ‘expand activities’ regionally and globally in protecting democratic values.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Resettlement offer to Pacific a win for Australia over China

    Australia scored a significant win for influence in the Pacific Islands region with a trump card that China, seeking to expand security ties, doesn't have: the opportunity of resettlement.

  • New York Times ☛ Netanyahu Sees No Near-Term Role for Palestinian Authority in a Postwar Gaza

    Differing from the U.S. view, the Israeli prime minister also said Israel must retain security control over Gaza so it can be “demilitarized” and “de-radicalized.”

  • YLE ☛ Crime rates rising as police data reveals Finland's most unsafe cities

    Tampere, Helsinki and Vantaa have seen the most significant increases in crime over the past 10 years, according to the index.

  • YLE ☛ Finnish ministers attending EU defence, foreign affairs meetings in Brussels

    The Foreign Affairs Council will address the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

  • YLE ☛ Finland and Israel sign major defence deal

    The system significantly increases the reach of Finland's air defence capabilities.

  • The Strategist ☛ Beijing’s strong-arming of the Philippines plays right into Washington’s hands

    On 22 October, two separate collisions took place near Second Thomas Shoal, an underwater feature that an international tribunal in 2016 ruled is part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

  • RFA ☛ China hosts joint drills amid tensions in South China Sea

    The Philippines is not taking part in the Aman Youyi military drills between China and 5 ASEAN nations.

  • The Strategist ☛ How China commands its ‘people’s army’

    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Beijing in June exposed the scarcity of military-to-military dialogue between China’s People’s Liberation Army and the US military. .

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Japan calls for release of national jailed for 12 years in China on spying charges

    Japan has urged China to release its national who was sentenced to 12 years in prison on espionage charges, Tokyo’s top government spokesman said Monday.

  • RFA ☛ Taiwan delegation welcomed to APEC Summit: AIT chairperson

    U.S.-Taiwan economic ties created a resilient high-tech ecosystem, supply chain, says Laura Rosenberger.

  • RFA ☛ Hong Kong police 'knew about' Yuen Long mob attacks beforehand

    A new book says a police detective was following the WhatsApp group in which triad members planned the attacks.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Australia frees Malaysian man held over Mongolian woman's murder

    November 13, 2023 9:15 AM
    
    

    A Malaysian policeman convicted of the murder of a Mongolian woman has walked free from detention in Australia where he has been held for nearly nine years, a government source aware of the matter said on Monday.

  • TruthOut ☛ US Foreign Policy Establishment Is Instrumentalizing Islamophobia, Report Shows

  • Latvia ☛ Seat on UN Security Council will take hard work, says Kols

    Latvia's future participation in the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member is far from a done deal – a lot of work needs to be invested in order for at least 109 countries to vote for us, the head of the Saeima's Foreign Affairs Commission Rihards Kols (National Alliance) told Latvian Radio November 13.

• Environment

  • TruthOut ☛ To Avoid a Dystopian Climate Future, We Must First Envision the World We Want

  • Energy/Transportation

    • YLE ☛ VATT: Cheap petrol undermining Finland's emission targets

      Government plans are subverting goals to reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector, reports Finnish news agency (STT).

    • The Straits Times ☛ China’s carbon emissions to drop in 2024 on clean energy boom

      A surge in clean power generation would put China on a path to sustained declines, a report shows.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • New York Times ☛ Why Vultures Might Just Be the Smartest Birds Above the Block

      The birds are widely reviled for their carrion-eating ways. But an evolutionary history of scavenging has forged a creative, cunning and wide-ranging mind.

• Finance

  • YLE ☛ Is Diwali the answer to Finland's November blues?

    The Finnish workforce is becoming more multicultural, with the number of foreign workers approaching one in ten. Sunday, 12 November is Diwali.

  • The Straits Times ☛ With manufacturing loans rising, can China avoid a new supply glut?

    The trend has alarmed Europe, where a probe into Chinese EV subsidies is under way.

  • Forbes ☛ 2023 Layoff Tracker: Amazon Cutting 180 Gaming Employees

    Amazon plans to lay off more than 180 employees in its games division as part of a restructuring, as lingering recession fears prompt large companies to cut costs (see Forbes’ layoff tracker from the first quarter here).

  • India Today ☛ Google, Amazon, and others continue layoffs, more employees lose jobs in festive season

    The tech industry is facing a continuing wave of layoffs in 2023, with over 244,342 tech workers losing their jobs so far, up 50 per cent from 2022. Tech giants are continuing to lay off employees, even during the festive season.

  • NJ employer to lay off 300 workers

    Just in time for the holidays, a couple of New Jersey employers have announced layoffs, although in one case it seems like a facility closing will result in mass transfers as opposed to mass layoffs.

    First is LabCorp, who announced 78 employees at Somerset's LabCorp Early Development Laboratories Inc. will be let go between Nov. 17 and Dec. 23.

  • LabCorp Layoffs: 300+ Employees Let Go In Somerset, Warn Filing Shows

    The company in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice last August announced 78 employees at Somerset's Labcorp Early Development Laboratories Inc., will be let go between Nov. 17 and Dec. 23.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • France24 ☛ Former Ivory Coast PM Guillaume Soro says will end self-imposed exile

    Ivory Coast's former prime minister Guillaume Soro, sentenced to life in prison for undermining national security, on Sunday said he was ending his self-imposed exile that began in 2019.

  • France24 ☛ Republican Senator Tim Scott withdraws from US presidential race

    US Senator Tim Scott announced Sunday that he is withdrawing from the US presidential race, saying voters had given him a clear message of "not now."

  • JURIST ☛ US federal court blocks DOJ proceedings against SpaceX

    A Texas federal court blocked administrative proceedings launched by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) against SpaceX over alleged discriminatory employment practices. The decision, announced on Wednesday, halts the DOJ’s proceedings, pending the resolution of a lawsuit filed by SpaceX in September.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • New York Times ☛ Nonexistent Surveillance Giant Google Map Trail Prompts Hikers’ Rescues in Canada

      A Canadian search-and-rescue group said it had conducted two missions recently after hikers “may have sought to follow” a nonexistent trail on Surveillance Giant Google Maps.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • Pro Publica ☛ Maine Rarely Sanctions Residential Care Facilities Even for Abuse or Neglect

    One lunchtime in 2021, a longtime resident at Woodlands Memory Care of Rockland started throwing up. His fingernails turned purple, and his skin became red all over. He was lethargic and fidgety, and his breathing grew shallow, according to the facility’s daily care notes.

    The resident was well known at this residential care facility in Maine’s Midcoast region. Former facility employees told The Maine Monitor and ProPublica that he was a nationally renowned concert pianist who continued to play a portable keyboard in his room even as his Alzheimer’s disease advanced.

  • JURIST ☛ Türkiye enforced disappearance victims vigil proceeds after Constitutional Court strikes down ban

    A group of Turkish mothers whose children were forcibly disappeared in the 1980s and 90s held a public vigil in Istanbul without police interference Saturday.

  • TruthOut ☛ Animal rights group DxE faces misconduct claims and toxic environment

  • TruthOut ☛ Black Children, Especially Males, Face Alarming Gap in ADHD Diagnoses

Gemini* and Gopher

• Personal/Opinions

  • Introduction: A letter dated on the 13th of november 1974 #fiction #post-apocalypse

    Dear unknown friend, I'm happy to announce you that I'm alive; hope you care. I'm writing you from the post-apocalypse, the country formerly known as Rhedesia. In the good times, before we all went zombi and had the obese daddy of a civil war, mommy took me to the mall and we ate ice-cream. I can't remember the taste of vanilla, but the dance and the music of that day, I haven't forgotten. That's all gone when we started killing each other and you, the rest-of-the-world locked us in and threw the key. I can't blame you, really, I can't; you owe it to your own children, I suppose.

• Politics and World Events

  • The best new flags of Minnesota

    I don’t even live in Minnesota. Let’s look at my faves anyway.