Leftovers

• Ruben Schade ☛ Coping with distractions, or something else?

  I’ve been struggling a lot with distractions over the last couple of years. I’ll have something I need to do, or even want to do, and there’s this invisible mental barrier I can’t seem to punch through. It doesn’t even seem to be strongly correlated with what I’m doing, where I am, or my energy levels.

  I’ve been at this coffee shop for an hour this morning, and it’s been almost impossible to focus on anything. My eyes dart from the macOS dock, to an email on my phone, to an awful song playing on their speakers, to wondering if what I’m saving for is useful, to updating packages. I’ll do each in turn for 10-30 seconds before darting to the next one. It leaves me feeling unproductive, unfulfilled, and frustrated!

• Ruben Schade ☛ Ron Gilbert on enjoyment/engagement

  Via Mastodon:

  There is no capturable metric for enjoyment. What products/games can capture is engagement and that is then misinterpreted as enjoyment. There are a lot of products I engage with because I want want they produce, but I am unhappy.

  Cory Doctorow’s enshittification principle renders this even more pernicious: these services may have been enjoyable for people at one point, but then the network effect is then used to wring it out when the priorities of the company move away from serving people.

• NYPost ☛ Millennial TikToker declares Gen Z the most boring generation: ‘What do you do? … It mystifies me’

  Is it any surprise that the most anxious generation doesn't have any fun?

• New York Times ☛ Pope Cites Bronchitis as He Skips Speaking to Audiences at the Vatican

  Instead, the pontiff’s words were handed out in written form. He seemed to be in good spirits, though his health has become an increasing concern.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ The Opposite of Déjà Vu Is a Thing, And It's Even More Uncanny

  • Vice Media Group ☛ Archaeologists Have Discovered Massive Lost Cities In the Amazon Jungle

    Researchers report the discovery of 15 sites in the Amazon containing 6,000 structures, ancient roads, ceremonial complexes and more.

  • Science Alert ☛ We Finally Know The Full Extent of Space Destroying Astronauts' Red Blood Cells

    The effects of 'space anemia' can last for months. 

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ The Early History Of The Microcontroller: It Came From Texas

    Although for most generations alive today the era of microcontrollers (MCU) feels like it starts somewhere with the Intel 8051 and AVR MCUs, the history of these self-contained computing marvels that are now found just about anywhere begins long before those were even conceptualized. In a recent article titled Little Computers From Texas, [Babbage] goes through this early history of what would ultimately become such an integral part of daily life.

  • Ali Reza Hayati ☛ Computing, You Have Blood on Your Hands!

    Computing, You Have Blood on Your Hands!

  • Hackaday ☛ A Homebrew GPS Correction System For DIY Land Surveying

    For those of you rushing to the comment section after reading the title to tell [Ben Dauphinee] that his DIY land surveying efforts are for naught because only a licensed surveyor can create a legally binding property description, relax — he already knows. But what he learned about centimeter-resolution GPS is pretty interesting, especially for owners of large rural properties like him.

  • Hackaday ☛ In Praise Of Old Meters

    We are spoiled with multimeters today. Even the cheapest meter you will get these days is almost surely digital with a tremendous input impedance. But a few decades ago, meters were almost always analog affairs. To make a precise measurement, you needed a mirror under the meter to ensure you read the needle correctly. Moreover, a common meter wouldn’t have that high of an input impedance. If you spent more, you could get a VTVM and, later, one that used FETs to provide high input impedance. [Peter AA2VG] just picked up a vintage Micronta FET volt-ohm meter to join some of the other new and old meters in his shack. You can check it out in the video below.

  • Hackaday ☛ Wiring Harness? That’s A Wrap!

    [Mr Innovative] likes to keep his wire harnesses tidy, but it is a pain to neatly wrap cables. So, he automated the process using a combination of milled acrylic and 3D printing. We hope the design files will be up on his website soon, although the mechanism is similar to another wrapping machine he made a few years ago. However, it can still be a source of inspiration if you want to do a unique take on it.

  • Hackaday ☛ Wiring An SD Card To A Handspring PDA’s 68K Bus With Only Three SOT23s

    In 1998 the founders of Palm had a bit of a falling out with the wildly successful PDA company’s new owners. They set up a new company called Handspring, which enabled them to make PDAs again in the way they preferred, This resulted in the Handspring Visor line of PDAs, which featured a big cartridge slot called the Springboard Expansion slot. Much like a Gameboy, you could put in a range of modules, ranging from games to cameras to memory expansion and more. Since these modules connect directly to the internal Motorola 68k-based microprocessor, you could make a module either to comply with this standard or if you’re like [Dmitry], you’d figure out a way to get an SPI device like an SD card to communicate and expand storage.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Got 1 min? Mexico’s tequila exports dropped for the first time in 13 years

    After reaching exceptional highs in 2022, tequila exports declined last year; some in the industry see it as the market "normalizing" post-pandemic.

  • Science Alert ☛ People With Long COVID Show Abnormalities in Muscle Structure

  • RFA ☛ Former Vietnam health minister gets 18-year sentence in COVID scandal

    Nguyen Thanh Long was found guilty of accepting bribes for substandard Coronavirus testing kits.

  • RFA ☛ Can Southeast Asia tackle its epidemic of male suicides?

    Statistics show that more than double the number of men compared to women committed suicide in Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.

  • New Yorker ☛ Will a Full-Body MRI Scan Help You or Hurt You?

    Companies like Prenuvo and Ezra will use magnetic resonance imaging to reveal what’s inside you—for a price.

  • Science Alert ☛ The Spinal Cord Could Provide a Radical New Way to Treat Depression

    Everything is connected.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Identify The Optimal Number of Daily Steps For Longevity, And It's Not 10,000

    A little more achievable.

  • New York Times ☛ How Women’s Soccer Is Embracing Mental Health

    Elite soccer didn’t always welcome players’ requests for help. Scandals, attitudes and support programs are changing that.

  • New York Times ☛ Federal Scientists Recommend Easing Restrictions on Marijuana

    In newly disclosed documents, federal researchers find that cannabis may have medical uses and is less likely to cause harm than drugs like heroin.

  • WhichUK ☛ Five ways wearable tech can help you stay healthy

    Fancy a personal health coach at your fingertips? We explain how a smartwatch or fitness tracker can help

  • teleSUR ☛ Congo: WHO Warns of Epidemic Outbreaks, Widespread Flooding

    The floods have destroyed or damaged 34 health facilities, 120 schools and more than 64,000 houses in the affected areas. Humanitarian needs are projected to rise, further worsening the plight of the affected population, especially vulnerable communities.

  • JURIST ☛ US HHS releases letter recommending regulatory reclassification for cannabis to allow medical prescriptions

    A series of documents from US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials published on Friday made public the agency’s recommendation that cannabis be reclassified to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, which would allow cannabis to be prescribed by medical professionals.

  • NYPost ☛ Blake Wheeler helping kickstart NHLPA’s mental health training after his own experiences

    However he could help promote it or endorse it, Blake Wheeler was determined to help former Jets teammate Jay Harrison’s vision come to life.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Techdirt ☛ FTC Blocks Data Broker Outlogic From Collecting And Selling Sensitive Location Data

      We’ve long noted how the U.S. has generally proven too corrupt to pass even a baseline privacy law or regulate data brokers. The result has been a long line of companies that over-collect all manner of sensitive consumer location and behavior data, fail to secure it, and sell access to it to pretty much any dipshit with a few nickels to rub together. The result: an endless parade of massive privacy scandals.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Reason ☛ How To Get Away With Murder (According to Trump's Lawyers)

    Step 1: Become president. That's the hardest part.

  • JURIST ☛ Iran arrests 35 in connection with January 3 terrorist attacks in Kerman

    Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence released Thursday its second statement announcing the arrest of 35 “suicide terrorist operatives” in connection with January 3 attacks in Kerman, a city in south-central Iran that reportedly killed at least 103 and injured more than 100 people. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have taken responsibility for the attack.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea halts radio broadcasts and curbs exchanges with South: Yonhap news agency

    North Korea announced plans to dissolve organisations handling civilian exchanges with South Korea.

  • New York Times ☛ C.I.A. Homes In on Hamas Leadership, U.S. Officials Say

    A new task force at the spy agency is also working to boost intelligence collection on hostages still held in Gaza.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S.-Led Airstrikes in Yemen Draw Fury From Iran

    Other critics also included militias allied with Iran, as well as Oman, a U.S. ally that often mediates between the Houthis and international parties.

  • New York Times ☛ After U.S.-Led Strikes in Yemen, How Wide Will the Middle East War Get?

    With the U.S.-led attacks in Yemen, there is no longer a question of whether the Israel-Hamas war will escalate into a wider conflict. The question is whether it can be contained.

  • Meduza ☛ Reuters: Houthis attack tanker carrying Russian oil after reportedly mistaking it for British ship — Meduza

  • New York Times ☛ U.S.-Led Strikes Leave Yemen Back on the Brink of War

    Yemen’s Houthi militia, shaped by years of civil war, says that it welcomes a battle with the United States and that strikes will not stop its Red Sea attacks.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Leads Second Strike Against Houthis in Yemen

    The military fired at a target in response to rising attacks on Red Sea shipping, which the Houthis linked to the war between Israel and Hamas.

  • teleSUR ☛ Houthis Vow Retaliation After US-UK Airstrikes in Yemen

    The raids "will not deter us from our position in support of the Palestinian people," Sarea said.

  • teleSUR ☛ Houthi Retaliation Threats Echo After US Airstrikes in Yemen

    All U.S. and British interests have become legitimate targets, the Houthi's Council declared.

  • France24 ☛ 🔴 Live: US carries out fresh strikes on Yemen as Houthis vow to keep attacking ships in Red Sea

    The US carried out a fresh strike Saturday on a Houthi rebel target in Yemen, US Central Command said, after the Iran-backed militants warned of further attacks on ships in the Red Sea. The raids came as Israel continued to pound the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza as it grapples with a dire humanitarian situation and a telecommunications blackout on the 99th day of the war. Follow our live blog for all the latest developments.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Six big questions about US-led strikes against the Houthis, answered

    Ahead of authorizing the strikes, Biden had to carefully consider arguments for and against conducting strikes to limit the Houthis’ capacity to continue waging war on international shipping.

  • Reason ☛ Does Biden Need Congressional Authorization for His Strikes Against the Houthis?

    The answer is likely "no" for US military action so far, because it is a defense against attack. But a broader conflict or one of much longer duration would be different.

  • JURIST ☛ Protests break out in Yemen after US, British airstrike campaign

    Protests broke out across Yemen Friday following US and UK airstrikes on Houthi militants according to Reuters. US and British forces carried out airstrikes on Houthi militants after the UN Security Council demanded a stop to Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea.

  • France24 ☛ Hundreds of thousands protest in Yemen after US and UK strike Houthi targets

    Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis took to the streets in several cities on Friday to condemn the US and UK strikes on their country, in response to weeks of disruptive attacks on Red Sea shipping by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who say they act in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

  • France24 ☛ Houthi rebels vowing to retaliate for US-UK strikes possess significant military arsenal

    Yemen's Houthi rebels, who vowed to retaliate against US and British strikes early Friday against key military sites, have built up a significant arsenal, including cruise missiles and drones.

  • teleSUR ☛ NATO Claims Western Strikes on Yemen Are Defensive

    According to White, Iran has a "special responsibility" in controlling its proxy forces, the Houthis.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Houthi militants vow revenge after US-British airstrike

    The Houthis, an Iranian-backed proxy group, vows revenge after a US-British airstrike left five dead and six wounded in a military attack. Houthi troops have been targeting US-Israeli commercial shipping in response to the war in Gaza.

  • New York Times ☛ Airstrikes in Yemen Are ‘Extremely Unlikely’ to Deter Houthis, Experts Say

    U.S.-led airstrikes in Yemen could play into the agenda of the Houthis, who have built their legitimacy on hostility toward the United States and Israel, scholars said.

  • France24 ☛ Will it be possible for people to live in Gaza after the fighting ends?

    Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip has been taking a heavy toll not just on its residents but on the infrastructure they rely on to live. Aid groups and researchers are using satellite images to track the scale of the damage – and try and establish whether it will be possible for people to live in Gaza after the fighting ends.

  • Defence Web ☛ After a glimmer of hope, Sudan’s peace effort fades

    With the world’s attention focused on wars in Israel, Gaza and Ukraine, the devastating civil war that erupted in Sudan in April 2023 has largely been neglected. That changed a little in October last year when the United States (US) and Saudi Arabia convened ceasefire talks in Jeddah.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Meduza ☛ Former Russian inmate released to fight in Ukraine sent back to prison for new murder he committed after returning from front — Meduza

    • JURIST ☛ Putin critic Alexei Navalny unsuccessfully challenges treatment in Russia prison system

      Alexei Navalny brought claims against the Russian Ministry of Justice for his treatment in a Siberian prison when he appeared in court via video link, on Thursday. He appeared from a remote Siberian Penal Colony which he had recently been transferred to.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Your Magomedov disappeared somewhere’ The lives of Russian-speaking inmates in Berlin’s prisons — Meduza

    • France24 ☛ Did Volodymyr Zelensky just belly dance? Sorry, no – it’s a deepfake

      Does Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky actually have a secret talent for belly dancing? That’s what a number of accounts on Ex-Twitter and Fentanylware (TikTok) are saying, with video to prove it. However, it turns out that the viral video is actually a deepfake that’s been circulated by pro-Russian accounts in an attempt to discredit the Ukrainian president.

    • Reason ☛ War With Russia Teaches Ukraine To Value Private Guns

      Survey finds growing acceptance of civilian firearms among the country’s population.

    • JURIST ☛ US issues new Russia sanctions over transfer of North Korea ballistic missiles

      US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Thursday that the U.S. State Department has imposed sanctions on one individual and three Russian entities engaged in transferring and testing North Korea’s ballistic missiles, intended for use by Russia against Ukraine.

    • France24 ☛ UK pledges thousands of military drones for Ukraine in 'historic' security deal

      Visiting British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday announced £2.5 billion ($3.2 billion) in new military aid for Ukraine, saying it sent a "strong signal" of UK support for the war-torn nation.

    • LRT ☛ ‘Nothing personal,’ says Lithuanian president after not inviting FM to Zelensky meeting

      Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has said there was “nothing personal” in the decision to not invite Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis to the meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday.

    • RFA ☛ US imposes sanctions over North Korean missiles to Russia

      ‘We will not hesitate to take further actions,’ US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

    • Meduza ☛ Over 50 Russian contract soldiers under the age of 20 have been killed in Ukraine since changes allowing 18-year-olds to sign military contracts — Meduza

    • RFERL ☛ Four Ukrainians Aboard UN Helicopter Captured In Somalia, Kyiv Says

      Four of the hostages seized by Al-Shabaab militants after a UN helicopter made an emergency landing in Somalia are Ukrainian, Kyiv confirmed on January 12.

    • RFERL ☛ Refugee Bear From Bombed-Out Private Zoo In Ukraine Finds New Home In Scotland

      An unlikely refugee from the war in Ukraine -- a rare Asiatic black bear -- arrived at his new home in Scotland on January 12 and quickly enjoyed a meal of cucumbers and watermelon.

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Adds Former Gazprombank Executive Now Fighting For Ukraine To Wanted List

      Russia has put Igor Volobuev, a former vice president of Gazprombank who is now fighting in the Ukrainian military, on its wanted list.

    • RFERL ☛ Municipal Council In Russia's Yoshkar-Ola Annuls Mandate Of Anti-War Lawmaker

      The municipal council in Yoskhar-Ola, the capital of Russia's Mari El Republic, has canceled the mandate of lawmaker Anton Sokolov, who openly criticized Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Fencers Known For Anti-War Stance Seek To Represent U.S. At 2024 Olympics

      Three prominent Russian fencers who openly criticized Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine and moved to the United States are seeking U.S. citizenship in hopes of representing the country at the Paris Olympics this year.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Shelling Kills 2 People In Ukraine's Kherson, Says Regional Governor

      Russian shelling from across the Dnieper River hit a street in the southern city of Kherson on January 12, killing two civilians, including a woman, regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

    • RFERL ☛ Israel Calls Genocide Accusations At World Court Hearings 'Absurd,' Says No Comparison To Russia Case

      Israel has refuted South African claims at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that it is committing genocide against Palestinians in its war in the Gaza Strip and called drawing similarities with Russia's war in Ukraine "absurd."

    • RFERL ☛ Tatar Activist Charged For 'Actions' Including Making Anti-War Posters

      Sources close to law enforcement structures in Russia's Republic of Tatarstan told RFE/RL on January 11 that a local anti-war activist, Zulfia Sitdikova, was charged with the rehabilitation of Nazism and discrediting Russian armed forces involved in Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Ex-Inmate Exonerated For Service In Ukraine Gets 7 Years For Another Murder

      A court in Russia's Far East said on January 11 that it had handed a mitigated prison sentence of seven years to a man convicted on a murder charge because the defendant had fought in the war against Ukraine.

    • RFERL ☛ 2 Killed In Shelling, Drone Attack On Horlivka In Occupied Donetsk, Says Moscow-Appointed Governor

      Ukrainian shelling and a drone strike near the city of Horlivka in the Russia-occupied region of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine has killed two people and wounded six others, Denis Pushilin, the Kremlin-backed regional leader said on January 12.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Launches Large-Scale Missile Attack on Ukraine

      The assault appeared to be part of a wider air campaign that Russia began in late December, seeking to wear down Ukrainian air defenses with waves of missiles.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Regains Upper Hand in Ukraine’s East as Kyiv’s Troops Flag

      Ukrainians are weary, short of ammunition and outnumbered, and their prospects look bleak. “We can stop them for now, but who knows,” one soldier said. “Tomorrow or the next day, maybe we can’t stop them.”

    • New York Times ☛ Sunak Pledges $3 Billion in Military Aid to Ukraine

      The annual British package is about $255 million more than in the past two years and is part of an effort to reassure Kyiv amid concerns about a potential shortfall in Western support.

    • Latvia ☛ Confusion in Latvia about Russian influencer's visit

      Public confusion has been raised by the intention of a Riga nightclub to organize a Russian influencer's concert in Rīga. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the security authorities do not see the violation this time and will not put obstacles in the way, Latvian Television reported on January 12.

    • Latvia ☛ Russia responds to Latvia's Moscow House takeover

      The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Embassy in Latvia expressed their outrage at the decision taken by the Saeima on Thursday to nationalize the so-called “Moscow House” in the center of Rīga. Russia describes the move as an “act of state robbery.”

    • Security Week ☛ Russian Hackers Likely Not Involved in Attacks on Denmark’s Critical Infrastructure

      Researchers find no direct link between Russian APT Sandworm and last year’s attacks on Denmark’s critical infrastructure.

    • RFERL ☛ Abkhaz Separatists Say Work Set To Begin On Russian Naval Base In Georgian Region

      The head of a de facto security body in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia has been quoted by Russian state media as saying Moscow is preparing to build a naval base in the Black Sea coastal enclave.

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Lists Writer Akunin, Journalist Minkin Among Latest 'Foreign Agents'

      Russia's Justice Ministry has declared prominent writer Grigory Chkhartishvili, known under the pen name Boris Akunin, and veteran investigative journalist Aleksandr Minkin as "foreign agents."

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Activist Sent To Pretrial Detention On Charge Of Justifying Terrorism

      A court in Moscow has sent Russian opposition activist Sergei Udaltsov to pretrial detention on charge of justifying terrorism.

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Detains Man In Penza Region For Allegedly Spying For Poland

      Russia's Federal Security Service said on January 12 that its officers detained an employee at an unspecified classified industrial facility in the Penza region on suspicion of spying for Poland.

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Adds Self-Exiled Siberian Journalist Serafimov To Wanted List On Unspecified Charges

      Russia's Interior Ministry on January 12 added self-exiled Siberian journalist Andrei Serafimov to its wanted list on unspecified charges.

    • RFERL ☛ Prosecutors In Russia's Bashkortostan Seek 4 Years In Prison For Activist Alsynov

      Prosecutors asked a court in Russia's Republic of Bashkortostan on January 11 to convict and sentence to four years in prison Fail Alsynov, the ex-leader of a banned Bashqort group, which for years promoted the Bashkir language and culture.

    • teleSUR ☛ Russia Condemns British-US Attacks on Yemen

      The gamble by the Western forces in Yemen poses a direct threat to global peace and security," Zakharova said.

    • YLE ☛ STT: No new crossings on Finland's southeastern border

      All crossing points on the land border between Finland and Russia are closed until mid-February.

    • Meduza ☛ News outlet in Russia’s Saratov region says local officials banned from wearing fur coats to meetings with residents — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Desperate times Photos show how the Russian town of Belgorod is fortifying bus stops to protect residents from shelling — Meduza

    • YLE ☛ Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman blames Finland, West for border issues

      The Kremlin official claimed it is possible that the "collective West" is urging migrants to leave Russia for Finland.

    • Meduza ☛ Tired but still fighting Belarusian opposition politician Andrei Sannikov on sanctioning Lukashenko’s regime and freeing political prisoners — Meduza

    • RFERL ☛ Belarusian Photojournalist Goes On Trial For Covering Protests, Faces Up To Six Years In Prison

      A Belarusian photojournalist went on trial on January 12 in Minsk on charges linked to his professional work covering protests, the latest move in a relentless government crackdown on dissent.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian citizen detained in Belarus, attempts made to meet him – ministry

      On Wednesday, local media in the Grodno region of Belarus reported about the arrest of a Lithuanian man who was allegedly found in possession of smuggled ammunition.

• Environment

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Predict 2024 Will Be Our First Glimpse of Earth at 1.5°C

    Here's what to expect.

  • Science Alert ☛ What We Now Know About The Most Intense Heatwave Ever Recorded

    "The results are alarming."

  • Energy/Transportation

    • DeSmog ☛ UK Energy Secretary Meets And Praises Climate Science Denier Reform Candidate

      The UK government’s most senior climate minister has publicly celebrated a petrol campaigner who wants to “scrap net zero” and claims “man is not responsible for global warming”. 

      In a post from her official X account on Tuesday, Claire Coutinho, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), endorsed the “persistence” of Howard Cox, director of the FairFuelUK lobby group that campaigns against charges on motorists. 

    • RFA ☛ Mobilizing people to revamp aging railway stations

      The people must work for free, but overall the project is viewed positively.

    • YLE ☛ Latest winter blast prompts accidents, traffic problems on Finnish roads

      Rescue units in many area were busy on Friday, responding to a number of accidents.

    • Mexico News Daily ☛ Industrial group says Mexican highway insecurity is ‘rampant’

      Concamin calculates that nearly 85,000 transport trucks have been robbed since 2018, costing the economy millions of dollars per year.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Science Alert ☛ Mystery of Strange Holes at The Bottom of The Ocean Finally Solved

      We finally know what's making them.

• Finance

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China deflation persists into third straight month in December, defying global inflation trends

    Deflation in China continued for the third month in a row in December, according to official figures released on Friday, bucking the trend in other major inflation-hit economies. The consumer price index (CPI) fell 0.3 percent on-year last month, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • France24 ☛ Special programme: Taiwan, a culture of freedom and diversity (part 2)

    As Taiwan gears up for key January 13 presidential elections, FRANCE 24 takes you to Taipei for the second part of our special programme on the Taiwanese cultural scene. In this episode, we focus on the island's cultural diversity. Ranked as the world's tenth most successful democracy, we look at how Taiwan's commitment to progressive values are shaping a new generation of artists.

  • New Yorker ☛ How Donald Trump Broke the Iowa Caucuses and Owns the G.O.P.

    The former President has upended the first 2024 Republican contest without participating in a debate, and barely campaigning on the ground. Plus, the actress Danielle Brooks on “The Color Purple.”

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Taiwan 2024 election: digital-savvy superfans rally support for underdog candidate Ko Wen-je [Ed: Fentanylware (TikTok) as election interference tool?]

    By Xinqi Su Ban Shu Dan quit his job, strapped on a backpack and went live online as he walked the length of Taiwan — all to promote election hopeful Ko Wen-je in his long-shot bid for presidency.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s state media downplay and disparage Taiwan’s 2024 election

    China has generated global headlines with warnings of war ahead of Taiwan’s election but, for a domestic audience, there are no verbal fireworks and few reports on the island’s bustling display of democracy.

  • France24 ☛ Taiwanese youth voice income, housing concerns ahead of crucial elections

    While cross-strait relations remain an overarching theme in Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections this weekend, many young voters are more concerned with domestic issues, such as low wages and housing, that preoccupy them as much as or even more than the threat of an invasion by the People's Republic of China. FRANCE 24 met with several of them.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Taiwan election 2024: The 3 presidential candidates – what do they say about relations with China?

    Taiwan’s presidential election on January 13 will shape the future of the self-ruled democratic island, from relations with China and the US to domestic issues that affect the livelihood of its 23 million people.

  • France24 ☛ Polls close in key Taiwan election held amid looming threats from China

    Vote counting got under way Saturday in Taiwan's presidential election, held in the shadow of threats from China that choosing the wrong leader could set the stage for war on the self-ruled island.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Taiwan election 2024: For young voters, domestic policies and personality matter for their next president

    Who will lead Taiwan for the next four years will be decided on Saturday, when over 19.5 million eligible voters head to the polls from 8 am. New legislators will also be chosen for the self-ruled island, which Beijing considers to be part of China that must be unified, by force if necessary.  […]

  • New York Times ☛ In Taiwan, Voters Choose President as China Tensions Loom

    The race pits the governing party, which has emphasized the island’s sovereignty, against an opposition that favors reviving engagement with China.

  • RFA ☛ Filipino workers in Taiwan watching island’s polls closely

    Ahead of Saturday’s vote, the top three Taiwanese presidential candidates present differing views on dealing with migrants.

  • RFA ☛ Counting underway in Taiwan’s pivotal presidential election

    The Saturday elections have been framed by Beijing as a choice between war and peace.

  • JURIST ☛ Taiwan presidential candidate criticizes Beijing intervention in 2024 election

    Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Lai Ching-te and his running mate Hsiao Bi-khim held a pre-election international press conference on Tuesday where Lai asserted that Taiwan is an independent sovereign state, criticizing Beijing’s intention to intervene in the election.

  • YLE ☛ State prosecutor taking Räsänen incitement case to Supreme Court

    The veteran politician was acquitted of the charges by Helsinki District Court last year, a decision that was upheld on appeal.

  • YLE ☛ Finnish border guards detain 11 Iranian nationals suspected of illegal crossing attempt

    Members of the group said they were helped getting to the crossing point, according to Finnish authorities.

  • YLE ☛ Finland suspects 1,000 asylum seekers of committing border offences

    All of the suspects in the case have applied for asylum in Finland at an eastern border checkpoint since August.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Voting under way in Taiwan’s critical elections watched closely by China

    Polls will close at 4pm on Jan 13.

  • RFA ☛ INTERVIEWS: 'I don't want to see Taiwan turn into another Hong Kong'

    Hong Kongers who fled a crackdown on dissent back home express hopes and fears on the eve of Taiwan's elections.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Tibetan issues not in focus, but repression persists: Exiled former leader

    The plight of Tibet has become less discussed internationally but repression continues and China is applying what it did there to other regions, a former head of the Tibetan government-in-exile said on Saturday.

  • RFA ☛ Refusing to add ‘China’ to sash, Tibetan woman forced out of pageant

    A Taiwanese contestant was also briefly banned.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ AMLO online: The president creates his first official Fentanylware (TikTok) account [Ed: OK, so another president is to be controlled by Beijing, which manages what people see or say]

    The loquacious president started posting to his account over the weekend, though he was initially hesitant about the application's time limits on videos.

  • RFA ☛ Hanoi, Jakarta discuss South China Sea during Indonesian president’s visit

    Joko Widodo seeks to bolster cooperation in disputed waters as he makes a three-nation ASEAN tour.

  • New Yorker ☛ Donald Trump’s Victim Shtick Is Getting Old

    The New York civil case against him will be decided on the basis of facts, not political speeches.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • RFA ☛ Hong Kong tables new security bill amid fears of widening crackdown

    Even Beijing's allies are uneasy, citing potential impact on international business confidence in the city.

  • New York Times ☛ Netflix Film’s Removal Shows Power of India’s Hindu Right Wing

    The movie “Annapoorani” was about a female chef overcoming caste prejudice. Hindu activists said it hurt their feelings.

  • JURIST ☛ Cambodia government critic arrested for defamation

    Ny Nak, an outspoken Cambodian critic who was assaulted along with his wife by men with batons in 2023, was arrested on charges of defamation brought forth by a cabinet minister regarding posts he made on Facebook (Farcebook) criticizing the Ministry of Agriculture.

  • JURIST ☛ Hong Kong court sentences activist to 3 months prison over sedition charges

    Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts sentenced Hong Kong activist Chu Kai-poon to three months in prison on Wednesday, according to local media outlet The Witness.

  • JURIST ☛ Australia internet watchdog reports safety layoffs at X corp.

    The Australian E-safety Commission reported on Thursday that X Corp, formally Twitter, has laid off over 30 percent of its trust and safety staff.

  • New York Times ☛ FKA Twigs Denounces ‘Double Standards’ After Calvin Klein Ad Is Banned

    A British advertising watchdog agency said it was reviewing complaints about a new, similarly steamy Calvin Klein campaign featuring the actor Jeremy Allen White.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Dystopian thriller about racial tensions sets stage for more Malaysian indie films

    
    

    Film-makers can crowdfund productions and bypass Malaysia's censors by releasing them online.

  • Techdirt ☛ Ohio Court Says Calling Cincinnati Police Officer Ryan Olthaus A Racist Is Protected Speech

    There are lots of things you can call veteran Cincinnati police officer Ryan Olthaus. Some people called him a racist, after he appeared to flash the “ok” sign (something associated with [but not limited to] white supremacists) at anti-police violence protesters.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong’s largest pro-Beijing party protests outside British consulate over UK leader’s comments on Jimmy Lai trial

    Hong Kong’s largest pro-Beijing political party has staged a protest outside the city’s British consulate after the UK leader described media mogul Jimmy Lai’s national security trial as “politically motivated.”

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • ACLU ☛ Government Agencies Shouldn't Be Allowed to Destroy Their Paper Trail of Medical Abuse and Neglect

    Last year, Anadith Reyes Alvarez, a medically vulnerable 8-year-old girl, died in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detention after contract medical staff failed to review her medical records or consult with a physician and refused her emergency medical transport and care. As a court monitor concluded, Anadith’s death was a “preventable tragedy” pointing to an “urgent need” to improve “CBP medical oversight.” Sadly, this kind of medical abuse and neglect is not an anomaly in CBP facilities. Last month, CBP employees blew the whistle, indicating that CBP’s contract oversight office has long been aware of serious violations in the provision of medical care at CBP detention facilities, including significant understaffing, and providing medical services without appropriate medical licenses.

  • JURIST ☛ Massachusetts high court rules individuals under age 21 cannot be sentenced to life without parole

    The highest court in Massachusetts ruled on Thursday that individuals under the age of 21 cannot be sentenced to life without parole, becoming the first state to do so.

  • Techdirt ☛ Lawsuit Says Hudson County Jail Recorded Calls With Attorneys, Gave This Info To Prosecutors

    Everyone’s aware (or should be) that all calls made from jail are monitored. Not all calls are recorded. There are exceptions, with the biggest being the one for calls made to attorneys representing jailed people.

  • American Oversight ☛ News Roundup: Trump Immunity Appeal, New Election Denial Lawsuit

  • New York Times ☛ Court Papers Offer Glimpse of Trump’s Defense in Classified Documents Case

    The former president’s lawyers may question whether the documents he took from the White House were related to national defense and whether the country’s security was damaged.

  • Reason ☛ Lawsuit Over UC Santa Cruz's Diversity Statements Dismissed on Standing Grounds

    The court concludes that, because the plaintiff hadn't applied to be hired, he didn't have standing to challenge the policy.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Zimbabwe ☛ Is Zimbabwe’s 1st ever-orbiting satellite ZimSat-1 no more?

    It’s 7 November 2022, and ZimSat-1 is ready to be shipped into orbit. Zimbabwe’s 1st orbiting satellite carrying the promise of gathering data on land use and cover, soil fertility, and water quality assessment. The nation’s first jab at space stuff.

  • Tedium ☛ What Was ISDN?

    For decades, the telephone industry supported a new technology designed to make copper lines more useful to the average consumer. It’s great—if you’re a voice actor.

  • Techdirt ☛ Blumenthal Thinks If Only The FTC Can Enforce KOSA It Won’t Be Abused; He’s Wrong

    It’s pretty amazing to me just how wrong one Senator can be about the internet for years and years and years. But we’ve been writing about Senator Richard Blumenthal and never, ever letting his own confusion about the internet get in the way of him boldly making foolish claims about the internet since before he was even Senator Blumenthal. Back in 2008, when he was simply clueless Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, we had to try to explain to him the internet and Section 230, and sometimes I feel like his ongoing vendetta against the internet stems from looking so foolish all the way back then.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• JURIST ☛ Türkiye competition authority fines Meta 4.8M lira a day for failing to provide documents

  The Turkish Competition Board announced on Wednesday that it decided to fine Meta Platforms Inc. 4.8 million lira ($160,000) a day for failing to provide sufficient documentation as part of a previous antitrust investigation in 2022.

• Patents

  • The PREVAIL Act: A Step Backward for Patent Policy

    How often does someone offer you an option that is not only cheaper and faster, but also better?  Not very often, I would guess.   Yet that is what is provided to patent monopoly litigants via patent monopoly validity reviews before the U.S. Patent and Trademarks Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ ITC: Fashion Company Apple is an “Adjudicated Infringer” Improperly Seeking “Permission to Continue Infringing”

    This article analyzes some of the latest developments in the ongoing legal battle between medical device company Masimo and tech giant Fashion Company Apple regarding Apple’s adjudged infringement of Masimo’s pulse oximetry patents in its Fashion Company Apple Watch.  The basic question is whether Masimo’s pulse-oximetry patents will be strong enough to stop the Fashion Company Apple juggernaut.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: How Did These Three Recent 2(d) Appeals Turn Out?

    Here are the first three Section 2(d) appeals decided by the TTAB in 2024. How do you think they came out? [Answers in first comment.]

    
    

    In re Structure Financial, Inc., Serial No. 90690591 (January 3, 2024) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Elizabeth A. Dunn). [Section 2(d) refusal of STRUCTURE for "securities brokerage services, namely, trading tokenized securities utilizing block-chain technology, smart-contracts, and decentralized financial protocols; brokerage services for cryptocurrency trading, namely, trading tokenized assets utilizing block-chain technology, smart-contracts, and decentralized financial protocols," in view of the registered mark STRUCTURE & Design (shown below) for "financial services and investment services, namely, funds management, investment and portfolio management services; advisory, consultancy and information services in relation to the aforementioned services" [STRUCTURE disclaimed].]

• Copyrights

  • Torrent Freak ☛ Tachiyomi Manga Reader: Threats Motivate Pirates & Boost Engagement

    On January 2, contributors to the open source Tachiyomi manga reader project received legal threats from Kakao Entertainment. The orders were clear: destroy the project and ensure the deletion of all forks. The events of the next 10 days show that by selecting the 'wrong' target, freshly motivated pirates boost their engagement and content-neutral apps like Tachiyomi reap the benefits.

  • Hackaday ☛ All I Want For Mr. Christmas Is Some New Music

    It’s true — you really can find anything (except maybe LEGO) in thrift stores. When [thecowgoesmoo] picked up a Mr. Christmas Symphonium music box one day, they knew they wanted to make it play more than just the standard Christmas and classical fare that ships with the thing.

  • Torrent Freak ☛ Yandex Yanked The Pirate Bay From its Search Results?

    The Pirate Bay is no longer the leading pirate site on the Internet, but it remains the most censored one. Similar to other search engines, Yandex appears to make it hard to find the notorious torrent site's official domain name in the top results. The motivation is unclear but other more popular pirate sites remain easy to find.

• Gemini* and Gopher

  • Personal/Opinions

    • And suddenly is there a new find playfully slapping your face into reddish cheeky joy!

      Wow... lots of writings under the main that "do it for me", that seem like how I imagined most webpages/blogs/phlogs/gemlogs evolving toward before remembering how few people can express so fluidly - complete with interesting realizations put cleverly.

    • Cold and clear

      Happy New Year, smolnet! The first three days of this week just gone by were the first really clear (and hence really cold) days and nights of this winter for me.

      On Monday night I braved the cold to take advantage of the clear skies and took my binoculars out for my first stargazing session in what must have been over a year. This was very much a spontaneous session and I didn't check any of my usual online or dead tree resources for possible targets. I was quite pleased by how well I remembered details of the winter sky from last year. The heavens felt familiar, and I quickly checked in with the Pleiades, the Orion nebula, the Perseus Double Cluster and the Alpha Persei Cluster, all easily found right where I left them. Jupiter was out too, with two moons clearly visible off to the right.

    • Cold, but ahead of the game

      Winds howling outdoors, thin snow dusting over yesterday's shoveling effort. But that'll just take a little well-placed salt.

      In addition to the shoveling yesterday, we did some serious housecleaning, got the garbage/recyclables out, dishes done and put away. My wife - who's forever telling me to "just let it go" - is having trouble letting go of grumbling about being house bound. But I absolutely adore house-bounded-ness: Chromebook in the lap, mini guitar nearby, long ago acclimated of coffee of all temperatures so it doesn't matter that I've let the cup to my right go cold.

  • Politics and World Events

    • Episode 58: Trip to Afghanistan, Part 2

      00:00:00 Introduction

      00:05:24 How to Contact Me

      00:11:08 Corruption

      00:33:58 Leaving the Border

      00:38:59 Ansari

      01:02:30 Dinner

      01:25:40 Kunduz Hotel

      01:43:13 Breakfast

      01:50:53 Departure

  • Technology and Free Software

    • One reason why I love OpenBSD

      That's it! Took me around 5 minutes in total! No issues, only these few comands, only 5 minutes! It just works! No problems, no conflicts, no tons (actually none) config file merge conflicts.

    • Internet/Gemini

      • Things I Miss About The Old Internet (Incomplete)

        that brief and mostly uncommercial time

        * the web when it was both means and end

      • Re: Things I Miss About The Old Internet (Incomplete)

        * automating and melding otherwise disparate systems via scripting (bash/perl) and/or early APIs without the effort/pain being mostly about security (of course, that was in large part because there were less morons...)

      • Rewriting my Site Generator

        It's a new year and a new me. Now that I have finally graduated, I feel that I have more time to work on my side projects. One of the first big things I have done is rewriting my site generator once again.