Leftovers

• Ruben Schade ☛ The Melbourne SkyDeck on a hazy day

  Clara and I went to the Melbourne SkyDeck atop the Eureka Tower a few nights ago. It was a lot of fun! So we decided to see what it was like during the day. In short: very hazy from a bit of fog and bushfire smoke in the distance. It was eerie, like we were looking at the city through a filter. Which I suppose we were.

• Science

  • Reason ☛ Brickbat: Science Doesn't Lie, but Scientists Do

    The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) says it has found that former CBI forensic scientist Yvonne "Missy" Woods manipulated data in the DNA testing process or posted incomplete test results in hundreds of cases.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Put Tardigrade Proteins Into Human Cells. Here's What Happened.

    This is how we develop superpowers.

  • Science Alert ☛ Breakthrough Cancer Vaccine For Dogs Is 'Truly Revolutionary', Scientist Says

    "I couldn't be more excited."

  • Science Alert ☛ The Total Solar Eclipse Could Solve a Strange Mystery About The Sun

    Scientists are preparing for the rare opportunity.

• Education

  • New York Times ☛ Teacher Secretly Sold His Students’ Art on Mugs and Shirts, Lawsuit Says

    Parents of a dozen students at a school near Montreal accused an art teacher in a lawsuit of reproducing portraits from a class assignment and putting them on items that he offered for sale online.

• Hardware

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ US gov't working on list of Chinese fabs banned from advanced chipmaking tools as China's stockpiling spree continues

    The U.S. government is prepping a list of fabs in China that will be barred from getting advanced chipmaking tools.

  • teleSUR ☛ The US Has Achieved Nothing in Its Trade War With China

    Despite de-coupling attempts, trade links between China and the United States remain tight.

  • CNX Software ☛ Nuvoton launches M433 Series ultra-low power Arm Cortex-M4F MCUs, NuMaker-M433SE development board

    Nuvoton has recently announced their M433 Series MCUs (M433LE8AE and M433SE8AE) along with the NuMaker-M433SE development board. Nuvoton is calling this the “M433 CAN/USB FS OTG” Series, featuring an Arm Cortex-M4F core with DSP and FPU extensions. The MCU is clocked at 144 MHz and consumes 350 nA in deep power-down mode, making it ideal for battery-operated IoT, industrial, and consumer applications. This is not the first Nuvoton MCU we have written about.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Science Alert ☛ Something in Your Eyes May Reveal if You're at Risk of Early Death

    A glimpse into the future.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Surveys Find Fentanylware (TikTok) Ban Opposition Among Young Americans — As the App Launches a $2 Million+ Ad Campaign in Battleground States [Ed: Addicts wanting their drug]

    As the Senate weighs the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, two new surveys are shedding light on public opinion of the measure and the broader idea of a Fentanylware (TikTok) ban. The results of these surveys – Quinnipiac’s University National Poll and CNBC’s All-America Economic Survey – were just recently published.

  • Science Alert ☛ This 'Science of Happiness' Course Actually Makes People Happier

    Pay close attention.

  • New York Times ☛ FDA Issues Alert on Heart Pump Linked to Deaths

    The agency faulted the device maker for delayed notice of mounting complications, citing increasing reports of how use of the device perforated the walls of the heart.

  • teleSUR ☛ Kenya: WHO Donates Mobile Devices to Digitize Immunization

    The UN health agency also donated 150 pieces of clothing for use by trained national responders to enhance Kenya's public health emergency response.

  • University of Michigan ☛ More than 2,300 U-M health workers unionize

    This is a developing story and will be updated as additional information becomes available.  More than 2,300 healthcare workers from University of Michigan Health joined Service Employees International Union Healthcare, a labor union representing about 2 million workers in both the United States and Canada, Wednesday morning.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Recent VA EHR rollout ‘most successful’ so far, but IG outlines recent problems

    Top officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs say its latest rollout of a new Electronic Health Record is the most successful go-live to date.

  • Ruben Schade ☛ LinkedIn asking about burnout [Ed: Microsoft is the cause of anxiety and burnout in a lot of "IT"]

    I got this email from Microsoft's Surveillance Arm LinkedIn Australia; maybe you got something similar:

    My name is $PERSON and I’m a Senior Editor at Microsoft's Surveillance Arm LinkedIn News Australia. I often get in touch with professionals who can add informed perspectives on news and trends.

    Burnout is increasingly an issue among workers today. The fast-paced nature of the workplace, coupled with the expectation of constant availability, can make employees feel overwhelmed and stressed. What strategies can they adopt to protect themselves against burnout?

    We would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Please share your tips in a comment on this article.

  • Reason ☛ Pennsylvania Lawmakers Aim To Grant Amnesty To Bars That Violated COVID Lockdown Orders

    The move comes in response to Reason's reporting about the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board's push to crack down on licensees for minor violations racked up during the pandemic.

  • University of Michigan ☛ What students have to say about UMich’s new test-optional policy

    In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Michigan established a “test-flexible” policy for the 2020 application cycle to help ensure that those who could not take the SAT or ACT due to COVID-19 restrictions were evaluated fairly.

  • Reason ☛ Drug Company's Libel Lawsuit Against Scientists Dismissed

    From yesterday's decision by Judge Gregory Woods (S.D.N.Y.) in Cassava Sciences, Inc. v. Bredt: Cassava Sciences, Inc. ("Cassava") is a biotechnology company that is conducting clinical trials for an Alzheimer's drug called simufilam.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Tom MacWright ☛ Figma Plugins

    Basically, I think I’ve decided that React is overkill for Figma plugins. Nearly any framework is overkill if you just have a few UI elements. Just write some HTML and JavaScript and don’t overthink it. I do wish that there was a standalone CSS framework for these, so that I can get that Figma aesthetic, and dark mode support, right off the bat.

    Maintaining these Figma plugins has been pretty fun. It lets me scratch the itch of tinkering with new technology and it helps me keep a little presence in the world of maps, which I still like.

  • New York Times ☛ [Chatbot] Garbage Is Already Polluting the Internet

    An insidious creep of artificial intelligence is already penetrating our most important institutions.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • MWL ☛ Vultr backed down, but so what?

      (Quick note, because very busy day.) Vultr had a rights grab in their ToS. They just took it out, after community outrage. So, is everything fine? Nope. This is exactly what Findaway tried. I’ve read the whole ToS. There is no misunderstanding. The CEO has said that users are not lawyers.

• Defence/Aggression

  • France24 ☛ France to repatriate bodies of colonial soldiers killed in 1954 Vietnam defeat

    France is to repatriate from Vietnam the bodies of six soldiers who died in Dien Bien Phu, the country's last stand in colonial Indochina, the defence ministry said.

  • RFERL ☛ Pakistani Official Says China Halts Work On Two Projects After Deadly Attack

    Chinese contractors have halted construction on two major dam projects in Pakistan after a suicide bomber killed five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani driver this week, a provincial official told AFP on March 29.

  • New York Times ☛ After U.N. Cease-Fire Resolution, What’s Changed in Gaza War?

    The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution on Monday that demands an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. Here’s a closer look at where the situation stands.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Bolstering cooperation among Quad and Pacific Island countries

    As the Pacific Islands’ relevance grows, there’s an influx of diplomatic attention and development assistance as external powers seek to curry favor with the sixteen countries. Australia, India, Japan, and the United States (the Quad) seeks to bolster regional engagement to address key regional issues including climate, connectivity, economic development, and maritime security.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • teleSUR ☛ Tajikistan Detains 9 People Linked to the Moscow Attack

      Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, one of the perpetrators of the attack, is originally from Vajdat.

    • RFERL ☛ Tajikistan Detains Several People In Connection With Deadly Moscow Attack

      Tajik authorities detained nine people this week in connection with the March 22 deadly attack on a concert hall near Moscow, local media reported on March 29, citing a security source.

    • New York Times ☛ Friday Briefing

      One year since Russia jailed a U.S. reporter.

    • New York Times ☛ Czechs Accuse Men of ‘Russian Influence Operation’ in Europe

      Amid news reports that European politicians received payments to promote Russian interests, the Czech government froze the assets of the men and a website, Voice of Europe.

    • RFERL ☛ One Year Later, Family Of U.S. Reporter Imprisoned In Russia Still Seeks 'Certainty'

      A year after the arrest of Evan Gershkovich in Russia, the Wall Street Journal reporter’s family pledged to continue to fight for release from a Moscow prison where he is being held on espionage charges the White House and his employer say are fabricated.

    • RFERL ☛ U.S. Ambassador Issues Rare Statement On Information Shared Before Russia's Crocus Massacre

      The U.S. ambassador to Russia on March 29 issued an unusual diplomatic statement refuting Russian government claims about information that the United States shared with Russia ahead of the terrorist attack last week on a concert hall outside Moscow that killed more than 140 people.

    • RFERL ☛ Russia's FSB Says 3 People From Central Asian Country Arrested After Attack Foiled

      Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on March 29 that it had arrested three people from "a Central Asian country" who were plotting an attack in the south of the country.

    • JURIST ☛ Russia vetoes renewal of UN expert panel monitoring North Korea

      Russia vetoed on Thursday a UN Security Council resolution to extend the mandate of a panel of experts monitoring North Korea. The resolution would have extended the Panel of Experts assisting Sanctions Committee on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s mandate until April 30, 2025.

    • France24 ☛ Russia veto ends UN monitoring of North Korea sanctions after arms transfer probe

      Russia faced a mounting backlash Friday after using its veto power to effectively end official UN monitoring of sanctions on North Korea amid a probe into alleged arms transfers between Moscow and Pyongyang.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian citizen charged by U.S. with suppying advanced avionics to Russia

      A release from the United States Department of Justice says a Latvian citizen is being held awaiting extradition in Rīga on suspicion of supplying advanced avionics components to aggressor state Russia.

    • New York Times ☛ Why Russia Is Protecting North Korea From Nuclear Monitors

      The monitors have provided vivid evidence of how Russia is keeping Pyongyang brimming with fuel and other goods, presumably in return for weapons that Russia can use in Ukraine.

    • RFERL ☛ Romania Finds Drone Fragments Near Border As Russia Targets Ukraine's Energy Sector

      Russia missiles and drones hit three thermal power plants of Ukraine's largest private power firm DTEK on March 29, damaging facilities, the company said, as Moscow’s forces launched fresh attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector.

    • RFERL ☛ Armenian Banks To Ditch Russian Cards Over U.S. Sanctions

      Armenian banks on March 29 said they would stop processing transactions made by Russian Mir payment cards due to Western sanctions imposed on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskiy Appoints Danilov To Be Ukraine's Ambassador To Moldova

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on March 29 appointed former secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov to serve as Ukraine’s ambassador to Moldova.

    • France24 ☛ Macron and Lula show unity on global issues despite differences on Ukraine

      French President Emmanuel Macron and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday displayed their unity on major global issues, while skirting differences on the war in Ukraine.

    • France24 ☛ Russian missile and drone attacks damage power plants in central, west Ukraine

      Russian missile and drone attacks hit thermal and hydro power plants in central and western Ukraine, power grid operator Ukrenergo said on Friday, in the latest barrage targeting the country's already damaged power infrastructure.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Today’s biggest news is a blank space

      I spent a quarter of a century working for the Wall Street Journal, much of it reporting from the front lines of freedom, writes Fred Kempe. Everything I learned tells me this: Forgetting Evan would be as short-sighted as abandoning Ukraine.

    • New York Times ☛ After the Moscow Attack, Putin’s Next Escalation Is Coming

      Even without the terror attack in Moscow last week, the Russian president was primed to step up his assault on Ukraine.

    • France24 ☛ Gotland island, a strategic location in the Baltic Sea, remilitarises as Sweden joins NATO

      Sweden joined NATO earlier this month, becoming to become the 32nd member of the military alliance. Around the Baltic Sea, nations are worried about what Russian President Vladimir Putin could do next after showing he was capable of invading Ukraine. Sweden has officially ended its traditional neutrality and its prime minister has even told Swedes they need to be prepared for war. Military service was already reintroduced back in 2018. Our reporters Clovis Casali and Julien Sauvaget went to the Swedish island of Gotland, deemed the most strategic location in the Baltic Sea.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ No, Putin, the ISIS-K attack in Moscow wasn’t about Ukraine

      This attack by ISIS-K may have been motivated by several grievances, including retaliation for the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ A year in detention: Russia must release Evan Gershkovich

      Gershkovich embodies what Putin apparently fears: He is a journalist working to uncover the truth, to show the world for what it really is.

    • RFERL ☛ Moscow Court Charges Journalist Who Covered Navalny's Trials

      A court in Moscow on March 29 formally charged Russian journalist Antonina Favorskaya with participating in an extremist organization in connection with alleged posts to websites and social control media platforms tied to the foundation founded by late opposition politician Aleksei Navalny.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • New York Times ☛ The U.S. Aims to Boost Electric Truck Sales

      Also, a U.S. reporter has spent a year in a Russian prison. Here’s the latest at the end of Friday.

    • YLE ☛ Transport officials surprised as pre-Easter traffic jams fail to materialise

      Some motorists may have decided to stay home or find other means of transport due to poor weather in many areas, coupled with worries about possible fuel shortages.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • New York Times ☛ Wanted in South Korea: Imperialism-Free Cherry Blossoms

      Activists want to replace a variety of cherry tree associated with the Japanese colonial era with one they say is Korean. The science is messy.

    • New York Times ☛ Volcanic Eruptions Are Continuing in Iceland: Photos

      Volcanic eruptions are continuing in the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland. Streets are empty and the Blue Lagoon resort remains closed.

  • Overpopulation

    • Science Alert ☛ Birth Rates Are Plummeting in Most Nations, And The World Isn't Prepared [Ed: Nonsense. The world is not prepared for overpopulation. The problem is the older rates or reproduction.]

      Populations are growing unstable.

• Finance

  • YLE ☛ Industrial Union backs extension of SAK-led political strikes

    The union said it will join the SAK's extension of work stoppages for a fourth week and urged the government to enter further negotiations.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Argentina inflation stings as people brace for president’s radical change

    Some 100 days into office and Argentina’s Milei struggles to pass legislation needed to make his economic overhaul a reality.

  • The Register UK ☛ Sega grabs tech layoff baton and dumps couple hundred Euro staff

    Sega this week announced it was laying off 240 of its European workforce.

    According to the video games veteran, it had 3,459 employees as of March of last year, meaning 240 layoffs takes away roughly seven percent of that top figure, in line with recent layoffs at other studios. The ax is set to fall at the Sega Europe office, and Sega's UK-based developers Sega Hardlight and Creative Assembly.

    "Some of you may have read about this in the media or via social networks before seeing this email. If that is the case, I'm sorry," said Sega's European COO Jurgen Post in an email seen by Eurogamer.

  • Halo Support Studio Certain Affinity is Cutting 25 Jobs

    In April 2022, it was announced that Certain Affinity had partnered with 343 Industries and Microsoft to “further evolve Halo Infinite in some new and exciting ways”. Reports claimed that the studio was working on a new battle royale experience, but earlier this year, it was claimed that the project had been cancelled.

    Last year, Certain Affinity announced that it was working on an original first-person shooter codenamed Project Loro, while in February, Archetype Entertainment announced that the studio would serve as lead co-developer on its upcoming sci-fi RPG, Exodus.

    Leaks claims in 2022 that Certain Affinity had partnered with Microsoft for an Xbox-exclusive Monster Hunter-inspired action RPG, though the status of that project is currently unknown.

  • Business Today ☛ TCS layoffs: Fired Americans allege IT company gave their jobs to Indians on H1-B visas

    Many big US tech firms such as Google, Microsoft and Meta, which have different business models than outsourcers, use the H1-B visas to employ staff who attract high wages and have come under less criticism, according to the Journal.

  • India Times ☛ TCS layoffs: US techies allege Indian IT major of employment discrimination

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • European Commission ☛ EU-China conclude the 6th High-Level People-to-People Dialogue on education, culture, youth and sport

    European Commission Press release Brussels, 29 Mar 2024 Today, the 6th EU-China High-Level People-to-People Dialogue (HLPPD) on education, culture, youth and sport took place in Beijing, China.

  • YLE ☛ Unemployment benefit cuts take effect on Monday; monthly support may drop by nearly €400

    The cuts will hit women in particular, experts say.

  • LRT ☛ LVŽS withdraws candidate from Lithuania’s presidential election

    The Lithuanian Farmers and Green Union (LVŽS), the biggest parliamentary opposition party, is withdrawing its presidential candidate Aurelijus Veryga from the race. It plans to back the lawyer Ignas Vėgėlė in May’s presidential election, the party said.

  • JURIST ☛ UN calls on UK to withdraw Rwanda Bill

    The UN Committee on Human Rights called on the UK on Thursday to withdraw the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill and certain provisions of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 due to human rights concerns.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • NYPost ☛ Iran is preparing to murder a hip-hop artist for committing . . . music

    In 2022, Iran had a 22-year-old woman murdered for improperly wearing a hijab and now, it’s preparing to have a 33-year-old killed just for rapping about it.

  • Reason ☛ Missouri Government Agency Threatening to Sue Critic for Libel

    But lawsuits for libeling the government do not "have any place in the American system of jurisprudence."

  • Reason ☛ Journal of Free Speech Law: "Government Counterspeech," by Prof. Jamal Greene

    The third of twelve articles from the Knight Institute’s Lies, Free Speech, and the Law symposium.

  • Reason ☛ Journal of Free Speech Law: "What's the Harm?," by Profs. Adam Enders & Joseph Uscinski

    The second of twelve articles from the Knight Institute’s Lies, Free Speech, and the Law symposium.

  • Reason ☛ Call to "Update Free Speech Policies" to Address Supposed Hate Speech at Public University

    I'm against it, whomever it's coming from.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • New York Times ☛ Radio Free Asia Leaves Hong Kong, Citing Security Law

    Radio Free Asia, which ran a small operation in Hong Kong, said its staff was at risk because of the law’s sweeping definition of “external interference.”

  • The Straits Times ☛ US outlet Radio Free Asia closes Hong Kong office over security law fears

    The new law introduced tough penalties for crimes such as treason, espionage and external interference.

  • RFA ☛ RFA closes Hong Kong bureau after passage of new security law

    The Article 23 legislation has increased safety worries for its journalists, the news outlet’s president said.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • RFA ☛ Returning from China, North Korean workers are paid in dubious IOUs

    The money vouchers were issued during the pandemic, and workers fear they may become worthless.

  • JURIST ☛ France lower house passes bill banning hair discrimination

    The French National Assembly passed a bill on Thursday banning discrimination over the texture, length, color or style of a person’s hair on first reading. The bill will now go to the Senate for further approval.

  • BIA Net ☛ MP raises questions over historic Amrenian church put on sale on internet

    The church in Sivas was put on sale on a real estate website. George Aslan, Turkey's only Christian MP, questioned the validity of ownership claims.

  • JURIST ☛ UN Human Rights Committee concerned over Indonesia human rights violations against Papua people

    The UN Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) expressed profound concern regarding the systematic occurrence of gross human rights violations against the Papuan people, involving security forces and law enforcement officers in Indonesia.

  • JURIST ☛ Senators decry solitary confinement of immigrants in US as ‘violation of international norms’

    A dozen senators on Friday urged the US Department of Homeland Security to reform its system of placing detained immigrants in solitary confinement, referring to the practice as a “clear violation of international norms” in a heated letter.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• CCIA ☛ The Legal and Factual Errors of The DoJ’s Case Against Apple

  Last week, the Department of Justice’s (DoJ) Antitrust Division, alongside multiple state & district attorneys general, filed its long-awaited lawsuit

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTAB Posts April 2024 Hearing Schedule

    The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (Tee-Tee-Ā-Bee) has scheduled five oral hearings for the month of April 2024. The hearings will be held virtually except for the third one, which will take place at Bethesda North Marriott and Conference Center in Rockville, Maryland. Briefs and other papers for each case may be found at TTABVUE via the links provided.