Leftovers

• Science Alert ☛ Mysterious Author of 'Dangerous' Shakespeare Family Confession Finally Revealed

  It's not who we thought.

• Hackaday ☛ Complex Organic Chemistry In Sulfuric Acid And Life On Venus

  Finding extraterrestrial life in any form would be truly one of the largest discoveries in humankind’s history, yet after decades of scouring the surface of Mars and investigating other bodies like asteroids, we still have found no evidence. While we generally assume that we’re looking for carbon-based lifeforms in a water-rich environment like Jupiter’s moon Europa, what if complex organic chemistry would be just as happy with sulfuric acid (H2SO4) as solvent rather than dihydrogen monoxide (H2O)? This is the premise behind a range of recent studies, with a newly published research article in Astrobiology by [Maxwell D. Seager] and colleagues lending credence to this idea.

• Ruben Schade ☛ A selection of CAPTCHAs I’ve recently failed

  I posted on Mastodon that I’d failed a CAPTCHA, but it reminded me it’s been happening a lot lately. Here are some more: [...]

• Science

  • New York Times ☛ As Stellar Observations Improve, Earth’s History and Future Get Fuzzier

    Astronomers have gotten better at tracking the motions of stars just beyond the solar system. But that’s made it harder to predict Earth’s future and reconstruct its past.

  • European Commission ☛ Republic of Korea to join Horizon Europe programme

    European Commission Press release Brussels, 25 Mar 2024 Korea will join the growing group of countries associated to Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programme.

  • University of Michigan ☛ New U-M study suggests Americans trust in science remains high

    A recent University of Michigan study found that the American population’s trust in science has been consistently high since 1957. The results suggest that the period from 2016 to 2020 saw people’s confidence in scientific expertise increase, while also showing an increased polarization of people’s beliefs regarding science.

• Education

  • University of Michigan ☛ Testing made easy (for everyone)

    What is the purpose of education? According to Martin Luther King Jr., “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education.” Note one important omission — there is no mention of memorization.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ Dodge, The Weird Tripod Robot

    [hannu_hell] created Dodge as a “novel design of tripod.” It’s a small robotic device quite unlike anything else we’ve seen of late. It’s intended to be a self-mobile camera platform that can move itself around to capture footage as needed.

  • Hackaday ☛ The Cryotron Remembered

    [Sean Haas] is a “dangerous freelance historian,” and his recent talk at the Vintage Computer Festival in Southern California covers the cryotron — a strange detour on the road to computers circa 1956. The NSA wanted a computer to break codes, but in 1956, there wasn’t much to pick from, especially since they wanted a very fast computer.

  • Hackaday ☛ Are Minimills Worth It?

    These days, the bar for home-built projects is high. With 3D printers, CNC, and cheap service providers, you can’t get away with building circuits in a shoe box or an old Tupperware container. While most people now have access to additive manufacturing gear, traditional subtractive equipment is still a bit less common. [Someone Should Make That] had thought about buying a “minimill” but he had read that they were not worth it. Like a lot of us, he decided to do it anyway. The pros and cons are in the video you can watch below.

  • Hackaday ☛ AxxSolder 3.0 Now Takes USB Power Delivery

    If you’re big into the soldering iron scene, you’ve probably heard of the AxxSolder project. Now, it’s been updated with a whole host of nifty new features. It’s AxxSolder 3.0!

  • CNX Software ☛ Rockchip RK3582 is a cost-down version of RK3588S with two Cortex-A76 cores, four Cortex-A55 cores, no GPU

    Rockchip RK3582 hexa-core SoC is pin-to-pin compatible with the popular Rockchip RK3588S octa-core Cortex-A76/A55 SoC, but only features two Cortex-A76 cores, a 5 TOPS NPU (instead of 6 TOPS) and does not come with a 3D GPU. I was first made aware of the Rockchip RK3582 in October 2023 when I was sent a photo of a board allegedly for a TV box, but while the RK3582 still features a 4K video decoder, the lack of a 3D GPU could make it problematic with 3D accelerated user interface. We now have more details with Radxa having released the datasheet and a few more interesting details. >

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Science Alert ☛ Huge Study Confirms Viagra Cuts Alzheimer's Risk by Over 50% [Ed: That same company would have people believe its COVID-19 vaccine was safe and effective; turns out it didn't really check]

    Not only for the other thing.

  • Science Alert ☛ The Secret to Anxiety in Young Women's Brains May Have Been Found

    A new treatment focus?

  • Science Alert ☛ Rinsing Your Nasal Passages With The Wrong Kind of Water Could Be Deadly

    There are safer ways to treat allergies.

  • Federal News Network ☛ In Japan, half of military spouse health workers unemployed amid ‘shortage’ of providers

    In Japan, DoD appears to have both an insufficient number of health care employees and a large unemployed health care workforce ready to answer the call.

  • YLE ☛ THL supports health-based taxation

    The health watchdog has come out in favour of taxing products high in fat, sugar or salt.

  • New York Times ☛ Video: Bolsonaro, Facing Investigations, Hid at Hungarian Embassy

    Security-camera footage obtained by The Times shows that Brazil’s former president spent two nights at the Hungarian Embassy in an apparent bid for asylum.

  • YLE ☛ It will soon be possible to text 112

    The EU-mandated accessibility upgrade is meant for people who have difficulties talking on the phone, but could also be useful in domestic violence situations.

  • Ruben Schade ☛ Tamara Oudyn’s article on migraines

    People who know me well can always tell if I’m getting a migraine while I’m reading the news — my face is a dead giveaway. The spark leaves my eyes, and my forehead and brows start to sink while I peer out at the camera through a descending fog of pain that sits, then tightens like a vice across the top half of my face. My blinking gets squinty, and the words become hard to find – which isn’t ideal for someone in my line of work.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • America Online ☛ Amazon layoffs show Big Tech is still coming down from pandemic highs

    The COVID-era spending spree is over. And the tech layoffs keep coming.

    Amazon (AMZN) is eliminating several hundred roles across Prime Video and MGM Studios, according to a memo sent to staff on Wednesday. And the company's video game livestreaming platform, Twitch, announced it is laying off more than 500 people.

    That Amazon is ringing in the new year with another round of cuts highlights the tech sector's climb down from COVID-era expansion. Even as confidence grows on Wall Street that the economy will finally break free from fears of a recession, tech companies are still reeling from heady staffing days and ambitious investments made during the early stages of the pandemic.

  • 50,841 People Laid Off In 2024 So Far; When Big Techs Are Cutting Jobs, Tata Companies Have Huge Hiring Plans

    As per the latest data on Layoffs.fyi who tracks tech layoffs since COVID-19, revealed that about 219 tech companies have carried layoffs this year so far, and 50,841 employees have lost their jobs in the sector globally.

  • Techdirt ☛ The New ‘Sports Illustrated’ Promises To Still Do ‘In-Depth Journalism’ Despite Being A Hollowed Out Husk Now

    As the Vice and Messenger collapse just got done illustrating in glorious technicolor, the problem with online U.S. journalism isn’t that it’s inherently unprofitable. The problem is usually that the worst, least competent, shallowest people imaginable routinely fail upward into positions of management, then treat the brands they acquire like disposable napkins.

  • Bruce Schneier ☛ Licensing Hey Hi (AI) Engineers [Ed: Buzzwords and nonsense, looking to contribute to the hype]

    The debate over professionalizing software engineers is decades old. (The basic idea is that, like lawyers and architects, there should be some professional licensing requirement for software engineers.) Here’s a law journal article recommending the same idea for Hey Hi (AI) engineers.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • BIA Net ☛ Academic Nükhet Sirman detained over 'research subject under police surveillance’

      Sirman was taken to the Smuggling Department of  the Mersin Police.

    • Medevel ☛ Major Victory for Digital Rights: Germany Enacts Law Ensuring Encryption Rights

      Germany's Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs has drafted a bill requiring mandatory end-to-end encryption for messengers and cloud services, a move celebrated by cryptography experts and privacy enthusiasts for protecting digital correspondence.

    • Techdirt ☛ 10th Circuit Appeals Court Says 68 Days Of Pole Camera Surveillance Doesn’t Violate 4th Amendment

      Well, that’s the way it goes. Courts have been extremely reluctant to disrupt the long-term surveillance plans of law enforcement. If investigators can mount a camera on public property and keep it focused on areas visible by members of the public, no harm, no foul.

• Defence/Aggression

  • France24 ☛ North Korea says Japan’s PM Kishida has requested summit with Kim Jong Un

    North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister said Monday that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has requested a summit with her brother, adding a meeting was unlikely without a policy shift by Tokyo.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan tests air defences in early morning missile drills

    TAIPEI - Taiwan tested its air defences on Tuesday in early morning drills using surface-to-air missiles, and air, land and naval forces, saying it would continue to intensify training in the face of China's frequent military activities nearby.

  • RFA ☛ Philippines summons China envoy to protest ‘aggressive actions’ in South China Sea

    Chinese water cannon blasts hurt three Filipino crew members and caused damage to a Philippine vessel, Manila says.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ South China Sea: Philippines summons Chinese envoy over ‘aggressive actions’ off reef

    By Allison Jackson The Philippines said Monday it had summoned a Chinese envoy over “aggressive actions” by the China Coast Guard and other vessels near a reef off the Southeast Asian country’s coast, while Beijing lodged its own complaint.

  • France24 ☛ Philippines says it summoned Chinese envoy over 'aggressive actions' near disputed reef

    The Philippines said Monday it had summoned a Chinese envoy over "aggressive actions" by the China Coast Guard and other vessels near a reef off the Southeast Asian country's coast, while Beijing lodged its own complaint.

  • The Strategist ☛ Australia and Britain deepen defence cooperation, but are they allies?

    Australia and Britain have concluded a new treaty-level Defence and Security Cooperation Agreement (DSCA). To what extent does this move the dial of their close defence relationship towards a formal alliance?

  • RFERL ☛ Pakistani Forces Kill 4 Insurgents Trying To Attack Naval Facility In Balochistan Province

    Pakistani security forces killed four insurgents who tried to attack one of the main naval facilities in southwestern Baluchistan Province on March 25, government and police officials said.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Lebanon PM calls for pressure on Israel to stop attacking south after UN vote

    CAIRO - Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, said on Monday that countries should pressure Israel to stop attacking Lebanon following a U.N. Security Council decision calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

  • New York Times ☛ U.N. Security Council Calls for Immediate Cease-Fire in Gaza as U.S. Abstains

    The U.S. decision not to vote on the resolution drew criticism from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, who ordered a delegation to hold back from a planned trip to Washington.

  • ADF ☛ Uncertainty, Risk Follow Breakdown of Niger-U.S. Security Partnership

    Niger’s announcement that it will suspend military cooperation with the United States is reverberating across the region, with observers fearful that Sahel security will further deteriorate. Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, a spokesman for Niger’s National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), made the announcement on national television on March 16.

  • RFA ☛ Myanmar’s junta leader says nationwide elections may not be possible

    Peace and stability are still needed in order for any poll to take place, he told Russian media.

  • RFERL ☛ Kyrgyz NGOs Urge Japarov To Veto 'Foreign Representatives' Bill

    More than 100 nongovernmental organizations in Kyrgyzstan have urged President Sadyr Japarov not to sign into law a controversial bill modeled on Russia's repressive "foreign agent" laws that they say will negatively affect operations of NGOs in the Central Asian nation.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Meduza ☛ Locked doors, the police response, and the suspects’ past visits to the venue What we know about the Crocus City Hall attack, three days later — Meduza

    • LRT ☛ US Congress approves $228m Baltics’ security aid package

      On Friday, the US Congress passed a bill that involves a total of 228 million dollars in military and defence aid to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia this year under the Baltic Security Initiative, the Estonian public broadcaster ERR has reported.

    • RFERL ☛ Belarusians Facing 'Russian Aggression, Imperialism,' Tsikhanouskaya Tells RFE/RL

      Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has called on her compatriots to defend their country's independence in the face of what she called "Russian imperialism."

    • RFERL ☛ Police Detain Official Of Russian Mine Where 13 Workers Remain Trapped

      Russia's Investigative Committee said on March 25 its officers detained the managing director of a mine in the Far Eastern region of Amur, where 13 miners have been trapped underground for a week following a landslide.

    • RFERL ☛ 'Kill Them All': Crocus Massacre Spurs Talk Of Restoring Death Penalty

      Senior Russian officials on March 25 continued to call for the strictest punishment, including the death penalty, for all those found to be involved in the terrorist attack on a Moscow region concert hall that left 139 people dead.

    • RFERL ☛ Kyrgyzstan Calls On Citizens Not To Travel To Russia

      Kyrgyzstan has called on its citizens not to travel to Russia, where Central Asian migrant workers and visitors are facing enormous pressure following last week's deadly attack near Moscow that left 139 people dead.

    • teleSUR ☛ Russia Strengthens Security Following Crocus City Shooting

      The death toll has risen to 137 as of Monday, when search efforts for the victims continue.

    • YLE ☛ Russia's economic growth set to slow, Bank of Finland forecast says

      "Russia's economy will not only grow more slowly in the years ahead but will also be increasingly driven by the state," a senior economist at the central bank said.

    • Latvia ☛ What to do about Kremlin supporters in Latvia?

      Less than a thousand of the 40,000 Russian citizens living in Latvia who are eligible to vote turned out for the so-called "elections" of the Russian President, which took place in Riga just a week ago. A large number did not hide their support for Putin. Latvian Television's "De facto" broadcast, aired March 24, tried to find out what has been done to reduce the ranks of war supporters in Latvia.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ The Russian people have been victimized twice—by ISIS-K terrorists, then by the Kremlin’s deception

      The attack strikes at Vladimir Putin’s claim to legitimacy as a strongman—so someone else has to be found to blame.

    • France24 ☛ Putin says 'Islamists' behind Moscow attack and links them to Ukraine

      President Vladimir Putin on Monday acknowledged for the first time that "radical Islamists" were behind last week's attack on a concert hall outside Moscow, but suggested they were linked to Ukraine somehow.

    • France24 ☛ This image of an explosion behind Putin’s 'stability' billboard is literally too good to be true

      After Russian President Vladimir Putin was reelected on March 17, a photo went viral showing an explosion behind one of his campaign posters featuring the slogan “stability”. However, it turns out that this image was created by a Ukrainian designer.

    • RFERL ☛ Putin Blames Islamic Extremists For Concert Massacre

      Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 25 said the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow was committed by radical Islamists.

    • RFERL ☛ Kremlin Silent About Evidence That Moscow Attack Suspects Were Abused

      Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman refused to answer a question regarding indications that the four suspects in the deadly terrorist attack on a concert hall outside of Moscow may have been abused during and after their detention.

    • teleSUR ☛ Putin Meets to Analyze the Attacks in the Crocus City Hall

      The meeting touched on issues such as captured suspects, perpetrators and updated the death toll.

    • teleSUR ☛ Russia Mourns Victims of Deadly Terrorist Attack

      "No one and nothing can shake our unity and will, our determination and courage," Putin said.

    • New York Times ☛ Russian Media Intensifies Blame of Ukraine in Moscow Concert Hall Attack

      But President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia held fast to the idea that a Western-backed Ukraine could have been the ultimate mastermind of the assault that killed 139 people.

    • Meduza ☛ Russian investigations chief tells Putin that the concert hall attack suspects named a mastermind (after being tortured) — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ Monday Briefing

      What the terrorist attack means for Russia.

    • European Commission ☛ EU Leaders discuss support for Ukraine, enlargement, and the situation in the Middle East during European Council meeting

    • Atlantic Council ☛ The mood in wartime Ukraine: Weariness, resolve, and exasperation

      Ukrainians are war-weary but remain resolved to continue the fight despite growing exasperation with the country's most important partner, the United States, write Steven Pifer and John Herbst.

    • France24 ☛ Macron says IS branch carried out Moscow attack, group had attempted attacks in France

      French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said France has information that Islamic State (IS) carried out Friday's attack in a Moscow concert hall, warning Russia against exploiting the attack by blaming it on Ukraine.

    • France24 ☛ Several people wounded in Russian missile attack on Kyiv

      Nine people including a teenage girl were wounded Monday after Ukrainian air defence systems downed two Russian missiles over the capital, sending metal debris crashing to the ground.

    • RFERL ☛ Macron Says Islamic State Branch Behind Russia Attack, Also Targeted France

      French President Emmanuel Macron on March 25 said France has information that a branch of Islamic State carried out the March 22 attack in a Moscow-area concert hall, warning Russia against using the attack in its war against Ukraine.

    • RFERL ☛ In Overnight Drone Strikes, Moscow Keeps Up Assault On Ukraine's Energy Grid

      Fresh Russian drone strikes continued to target Ukraine's energy and civilian infrastructure, causing blackouts in several regions and in the capital, Kyiv.

    • CS Monitor ☛ Russia has long worried about terrorism. The Moscow attack showed it may not be prepared.

      While many Russians are trying to link Friday’s deadly terrorist attack to Kyiv, the more likely suspect is an older enemy: radical Islamists. Russia has diverted attention from them amid its war with Ukraine.

    • New York Times ☛ Vowing the U.S. Will ‘Do Our Job,’ Johnson Searches for a Path on Ukraine

      The Republican speaker, with his job on the line, has privately told people he would make sure the House moves to assist Ukraine, a step that many members of his party oppose.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukrainians Dismiss Kremlin Suggestions Their Country Was Behind Moscow Attack

      Officials and ordinary citizens say Russia is blaming Ukraine in order to shore up support for its war in Ukraine and escalate the fighting there.

    • Latvia ☛ Security Service says once again not to go to Russia, Belarus

      The State Security Service (VDD) repeats the warning not to travel to Russia or Belarus ahead of the forthcoming Easter holidays and reiterates the high risks of intelligence activities and recruitment in these territories, VDD said in a statement on March 25.

    • JURIST ☛ Moscow music hall terrorist attack suspects appear in court

      Suspects of the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack appeared before Moscow’s district court on Sunday. On Friday, camouflage-clad individuals opened fire on a crowded concert hall and shopping complex just outside of Moscow before setting the structure ablaze, according to local official statements and media reports. Russian security services identified the suspects as two nationals from Tajikistan.

    • New York Times ☛ Moscow Attack Suspects Are Linked by Video and Online Profiles

      Clothing and other details appear to show a connection between four suspects detained by Russia and the men who carried out the concert hall massacre of more than 130 people.

    • Meduza ☛ ISIS-K’s sworn enemy: What does the Islamic State branch claiming responsibility for the Moscow terrorist attack have against Russia? — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Flooding reported in Russian mine where 13 workers have been trapped for days — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ 4 Men Showing Signs of Beating Charged With Terrorism After Moscow Attack

      The four accused of carrying out an assault at a concert hall near Moscow are migrant laborers from Tajikistan. They face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

    • JURIST ☛ France issues highest national security alert level following Moscow terrorist attack

      The French government announced Sunday that the national security alert system, Vigipirate, would be elevated to its highest level in response to the recent terrorist attack at a concert hall in Moscow that killed more than 130 people.

    • Reason ☛ The Islamic State's Moscow Massacre

      Plus: Donald Trump's financial woes, Andrew Huberman's lady issues, and more...

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • H2 View ☛ $1bn boost for green steel production in Mississippi and Ohio

      The US Department of Energy (DOE) has confirmed $1bn in funding via the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to advance the green steel industry in Mississippi and Ohio.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Kev Quirk ☛ First Cut of the Year

      It's that time of year again. Spring has sprung and it's time to break out the mower and cut the grass. Sooo much grass!

      The weather has been pretty good the last week or so, and the bog that was our fields during winter, have started to transform into usable earth again. Daffodils are springing out of the ground, as is the wild garlic (which smells lovely).

      But along with all this, the grass has started reaching for the sky in earnest. So yesterday, I decided to break out the our poor, overworked mower to cut the grass.

• Finance

  • YLE ☛ Monday's papers: A million Finns, Finnish-language struggles and a tax office crackdown

    The news explores Finland's shrinking population.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Dell reduces its global workforce by about 6,000 jobs

    Enterprise technology company Dell Technologies Inc. revealed in a filing today that it has slashed its workforce by almost 6,000 employees, as part of a broader cost-cutting initiative that also included putting limits on external hiring.

  • LRT ☛ Increasing number of people in Lithuania struggle to pay for food

    The number of people struggling to afford food is increasing in Lithuania. The government boasts of the decisions to increase people’s incomes, but experts say it is not enough to keep up with inflation.

  • Federal News Network ☛ O’Malley outlines plans to rebuild Social Security Administration workforce

    After a hiring freeze, Commissioner Martin O’Malley is readying plans to rebuild the Social Security Administration workforce as quickly as possible.

  • Science Alert ☛ Poverty May Accelerate Brain Aging, Study Shows

    Financial security could buffer against cognitive decline.

  • Reason ☛ Byzantine Tax Laws Threaten To Make Us All Tax Cheats

    The Department of Justice is suing several tax preparers for filing fraudulent returns, but even honest filers risk running afoul of tax laws.

  • RFERL ☛ Workers Still 'Drowning' Despite Iran's Minimum-Wage Hike

    The Iranian government’s 35.3 percent hike in the minimum wage for workers, announced at the start of the Persian New Year, has sparked a backlash among labor activists and the country’s labor force, who say it is inadequate in the face of years of economic decline and falling living standards.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Pew poll: 82% of Hongkongers say multi-party democracy good for governance, but some back alternatives

    82 per cent of Hong Kong adults say that a multi-party democracy would be a good way of governing the city, a Pew survey of five East Asian territories and countries has found.

  • YLE ☛ Controversial former MP ousted as VKK party leader

    Ano Turtiainen was replaced as chair of the party he founded due to his links with Russia, among other factors.

  • Security Week ☛ White House Nominates First Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy

    Michael Sulmeyer has been nominated by the White House as the first assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy at the Pentagon.

  • Techdirt ☛ Tennessee Senate Votes To Ban Chemtrails Because What Even The Fuck

    Look, I’m nearing 50. I’ve been around. I have seen some absolute clown shit from politicians. I have witnessed years of things like “bridges to nowhere” and self-aggrandizement taking the form of renamed airports or whatever. I have seen any number of candidates step into the arena with a headful of moronic ideas.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • RFA ☛ Is the photo of Pooh-tin Jinping frowning genuine?

      Verdict: True

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • JURIST ☛ Georgia ruling party introduces bill restricting LGBTQ+ rights ahead of elections

    The governing Georgian Dream party announced Monday a controversial bill aimed at curbing LGBTQ+ rights. The bill aims to combat what the party has called “LGBT propaganda” and proposes significant changes to the constitution. It seeks to prohibit sex changes, adoption by same-sex couples and gatherings promoting same-sex relationships.

  • RFA ☛ Hong Kong's new security law sparks global protests, warnings

    Demonstrators and governments alike warn of higher risk of detention under the Article 23 legislation.

  • Off Guardian ☛ The Language of Force

    “If the state could use [criminal] laws not for their intended purposes but to silence those who voice unpopular ideas, little would be left of our First Amendment liberties, and little would separate us from the tyrannies of the past or the malignant fiefdoms of our own age."

  • Techdirt ☛ If You’re Trying To Stop Scammers From Using Your Site, Firing The Trust & Safety Team Might Not Be The Brightest Idea

    I know that some people, including Elon Musk recently, have claimed that “trust & safety” is some sort of “euphemism for censorship.”

  • New York Times ☛ X’s Lawsuit Against Anti-Hate Research Group Is Dismissed

    Elon Musk’s social control media company sued a group that exposed hate speech on the site, but a judge ruled that the suit was designed to punish speech.

  • Techdirt ☛ Judge Slams Elon Musk For Filing Vexatious SLAPP Suit Against Critic, Calling Out How It Was Designed To Suppress Speech

    Self-described “free speech absolutist” Elon Musk has just had a judge slam him for trying to punish and suppress the speech of critics. Judge Charles Breyer did not hold back in his ruling dismissing Musk’s utterly vexatious SLAPP suit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH).

  • Reason ☛ Abridgement, Coercion, and Freedom of Speech: Reply to Philip Hamburger

    Prof. Hamburger is wrong to argue that the use of the word "abridgment" implies that noncoercive government persuasion directed at social control media firms violates the First Amendment.

  • Reason ☛ Abridging, Not Coercing, Is The First Amendment's Yardstick for Speech Violations

    Philip Hamburger: Prof. Somin is mistaken about Murthy v. Missouri

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • New York Times ☛ British Media Showed Restraint on Princess Kate’s Health. It Didn’t Make a Difference.

    The online frenzy over Catherine’s health escalated despite a reserved approach by Fleet Street — which promptly blamed Americans for the furor.

  • teleSUR ☛ Assagne’s Last Chance

    The US government, through its prosecutors, wants to prosecute Assange, with 52 years-old, on criminal charges related to WikiLeaks' publication of US military records and confidential diplomatic cables that exposed war crimes.

  • Techdirt ☛ Millionth Time Is The Charm: Donald Trump Again Sues A News Agency Over Factual Reporting

    “Open up the libel laws!” the man who can’t win consecutive elections (much less a defamation lawsuit) once proclaimed. The Republican Party (or at least its voting bloc) appears willing to give a man who’s enjoyed nothing but unearned opportunities throughout his professional and governmental career yet another shot in 2024. But he’s not going to find similar support in the courts, which have rejected pretty much every suit the sorest loser in the world has filed over the course of his lifetime.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Jimmy Lai trial: Activist Andy Li excluded from 2020 pro-democracy fundraiser over security law fears, court hears

    Hong Kong activist Andy Li did not take part in a pro-democracy crowdfunding campaign in May 2020 owing to risks linked to the enactment of the Beijing-enacted national security law, a court has heard at the landmark trial of media mogul Jimmy Lai.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • RFA ☛ 200 Myanmar workers fired from garment jobs in China’s Yunnan province

    The migrant workers were let go after protesting for better working conditions.

  • RFA ☛ China releases Tibetan monks and residents held for dam protests

    A village official and senior monastery administrator are still detained, sources say.

  • Pro Publica ☛ What ProPublica Is Doing About Diversity in 2024

    ProPublica is committed to increasing the diversity of our workplace as well as the journalism community more broadly, and each year we publish a report on those efforts. This is the report for 2024; here are all our past reports.

    We believe that it is imperative to staff our newsroom and business operations with people from a broad range of backgrounds, ages and perspectives. We are committed to recruiting and retaining people from communities that have long been underrepresented, in journalism broadly and in investigative journalism especially. That includes African Americans, Latinos, other people of color, women, LGBTQ people and people with disabilities.

  • YLE ☛ HS: Alko running out of some products as political strike enters third week

    The strike has seen transport and logistics workers walk off their jobs, heavily impacting supply chains.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Reason ☛ Unplugging on Shabbat

    I sign off from the internet for 25 hours every week.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• New York Times ☛ E.U. Takes Aim at Alphabet, Fashion Company Apple and Meta in Wide-Ranging Investigations

  The inquiries signal the bloc’s intention to tightly enforce sweeping new competition rules that took effect this month.

• New Yorker ☛ Why the Biden Administration Is Suing Fashion Company Apple and Investigating Big Grocers

  A new generation of trustbusters is trying to use anti-monopoly laws to roll back concentrations of economic power.

• Reason ☛ The Absurd Fashion Company Apple Antitrust Lawsuit

  If you fail to see a problem with Apple's actions, you may not be an overzealous government lawyer.

• CS Monitor ☛ Europe aligns with US big-tech probe, targets Apple, Alphabet, and Meta

  The European Union announced a probe into practices by Apple, Alphabet, and Meta, aligning with a U.S. case against Apple, a push against Big Tech.

• Silicon Angle ☛ EU begins investigating Meta, Fashion Company Apple and Surveillance Giant Google under new tech law

  The European Commission, the European Union’s executive branch, today said it launched investigations into the business practices of Fashion Company Apple Inc., Alphabet Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. under the new Digital Markets Act. The Digital Markets Act, agreed to by EU legislators in 2022, went into effect on March 7.

• European Commission ☛ Commission opens non-compliance investigations against Alphabet, Fashion Company Apple and Meta under the Digital Markets Act

  European Commission Press release Brussels, 25 Mar 2024 Today, the Commission has opened non-compliance investigations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) into Alphabet's rules on steering in Surveillance Giant Google Play and self-preferencing on Surveillance Giant Google Search, Apple's rules on steering in the App Store and the choice screen for Safari and Meta's “pay or consent model”.

• Patents

  • Unified Patents ☛ GenghisComm 4G/5G patent monopoly challenge instituted

    On March 8, 2024, one month after Unified filed an ex parte reexamination, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) granted Unified’s request, finding substantial new questions of patentability on the challenged claims of U.S. Patent 10,200,227, owned by GenghisComm Holdings, LLC, an NPE.

  • Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 for Pointwise Ventures location tracking patent monopoly prior art

    Unified Patents added a new PATROLL contest, with a $2,000 cash prize, seeking prior art on at least claim 1 of U.S. Patent 8,471,812, owned by Pointwise Ventures LLC, an NPE. The ‘812 patent monopoly is directed to a pointing device and more particularly to a pointing device which can allow a user to point to a spot and determine that spot's absolute location, either on a TV screen, a computer screen, or in the real world.

  • Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ Announcement of the national program “MOVER” raises expectations for an increase in patent monopoly filings for green technology [Ed: More greenwashing of monopolies]

    On December 30, 2023, the Brazilian government, through Provisional Measure No. 1.205/2023, announced the national program “Mobilidade Verde e Inovação – Green Mobility and Innovation” (MOVER), with the objective of expanding the sustainability requirements for automobiles and stimulating the development of new technologies in the areas of mobility and logistics.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Law School Casebook Review: Patent Law Fundamentals (Brean & Snow) 2d Ed

    I realize most readers aren’t law professors, so you can stop now…

    I have taught IP courses for years and often the books seek to teach the subject through cases, which is a very difficult way to learn it.  This book — Patent Law: Fundamentals of Doctrine and Policy (Carolina Academic Press) — does a great job of using cases to illustrate key points, but often provides descriptive text and problems, and does so in a practical and concise way, and a way geared toward current learning trends.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ The Obviousness Hurdle

    The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing whether to grant certiorari in Vanda Pharmaceuticals v. Teva Pharmaceuticals. I have been closely watching this obviousness case that could have significant implications beyond the pharmaceutical industry.  The following essay provides an overview of the key legal issues at stake and introduces Teva’s recent briefing.

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ Easter surprise as Brødrene Hartmann files claim over egg packaging patent [Ed: This UPC is illegal and unconstitutional. The criminals at the EPO are operating a system of fake justice for patent aggressors.]

      Brødrene Hartmann has accused competitor Omnipac of infringing European patent monopoly EP 2 755 901, which protects a display and distribution package for eggs. JUVE Patent has learnt from a well-informed source that the claimant filed a lawsuit with the UPC’s Düsseldorf local division on 18 March.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Are Pizza and Bakery Goods Related Under Section 2(d)?

    The USPTO refused to register the mark HIGH FIVE for “Pizza for consumption on or off the premises," finding confusion likely with the identical mark registered for "bakery goods." The issue baked down to whether the goods are related for Section 2(d) purposes. Applicant Pizza Inn argued that "something more" is required to prove relatedness when marks are used for food products and for restaurant services. How do you think this came out? In re Pizza Inn, Inc., Serial No. 88244151 (March 21, 2024) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Mark Lebow).

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ Soundmouse by Orfium Appointed Official Music Reporting Partner for South Korean Broadcast Industry

    After a competitive selection process and rigorous testing and audit period, Soundmouse by Orfium has been appointed as the official music reporting partner for the South Korean broadcasting industry.

  • Hackaday ☛ Documenting Real Hidden Messages In Music

    During the 1980s, a moral panic swept across the landscape with the mistaken belief that there were Satanic messages hidden in various games, books, and music that at any moment would corrupt the youth of the era and destroy society as we knew it. While completely unfounded, it turns out that there actually were some hidden messages in vinyl records of the time although they’d corrupt children in a different way, largely by getting them interested in computer science. [Dandu] has taken to collecting these historic artifacts, preserving the music and the software on various hidden recordings.