Links 13/05/2024: Wikimedia Rides Hype Wave, XBox Expected to Go Through More Layoffs This Summer (July)
Contents
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Leftovers
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I am very sick
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Hackaday ☛ Institutional Memory, On Paper
Our own Dan Maloney has been on a Voyager kick for the past couple of years. Voyager, the space probe. As a long-term project, he has been trying to figure out the computer systems on board. He got far enough to write up a great overview piece, and it’s a pretty good summary of what we know these days. But along the way, he stumbled on a couple old documents that would answer a lot of questions.
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Habib Cham ☛ Developing Consistent Writing Habits
Instead, I take every opportunity as ideas and thoughts form on topics and empty those thoughts into the Notes app on my iPhone as I go along, not worrying about grammar, structure, or word count. A habit I’ve developed with this approach is adding snippets of relevant info to remind me what my train of thought was at the time of writing.
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Hardware
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Hackaday ☛ The Impossible Repair: Ribbon Cables
It’s problem which faces many a piece of older equipment, that ribbon cables of the type used on membrane keyboards start to fail as they become older. These cables are extremely difficult to repair as they can’t be soldered to, and since they are usually custom to the device in question. All is not lost though, as [Spare Time Repair] shows us with the cable on a Honeywell heating controller broken by a user attempting to remove the battery with a screwdriver.
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[Repeat] Tedium ☛ Z80 History: The CPU That Will Never Die
Today in Tedium: Like me, you probably have used a Z80 CPU every day without realizing it. I, on the other hand, was fully cognizant that I was using a Z80 back in the day. Growing up as an Amstrad enthusiast, how could I not? All that said, as the Z80-based Amstrad CPC turns 40, let’s dive into a brief-history of the chip that powered it, and many other machines I’ve owned since. Midlife crisis averted? Just maybe. In today’s Tedium, We take a look at some of the interesting and obscure uses for this little chip. So, Z80, “this is your life (so far).” — Mattl @ Tedium
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Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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Business Insider ☛ Tesla, Google, and Microsoft won't stop laying people off. Here's why that could backfire.
Layoffs are hitting workers at some tech giants like like Google, Microsoft, and Tesla.
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Medevel ☛ 21 Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot Alternatives: A Look at Free, Self-Hosted, Open-Source Hey Hi (AI) Chatbots
Open-source Free Self-hosted Hey Hi (AI) Chatbot, and Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot Alternatives
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Hackaday ☛ Software Bug Results In Insulin Pump Injuries, Spurs Recall
Managing Type 1 diabetes is a high-stakes balancing act — too much or too little insulin is a bad thing, resulting in blood glucose levels that deviate from a narrow range with potentially dire consequences on either side. Many diabetics choose to use an insulin pump to make managing all this easier, but as a recent recall of insulin pump software by the US Food and Drug Administration shows, technology isn’t foolproof.
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BBC ☛ Is social media worth paying for?
"Why are you giving money to the world's richest man?" shouted my friend.
Admittedly, she had a point, but I did it for two reasons. Firstly, because I was aware of a few fake profiles of me floating around, and subscribing offers verification of sorts.
And secondly, because I wanted access to X's AI chatbot, Grok, and this was the simplest way to get it. I paid for it myself - it wasn't a BBC expense.
The reputation of subscribers is so mixed on X that there is an option to hide the "blue tick" that appears by your name once you subscribe.
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[Repeat] Tom's Hardware ☛ How to remote control your Raspberry Pi from a browser with Raspberry Pi Connect
Raspberry Pi has announced Raspberry Pi Connect, its take on a remote desktop session, like VNC and RDP. The difference with Connect is that it runs from a web browser, so we can be anywhere in the world and login to our Raspberry Pi back home.
This project will only work on Raspberry Pi 4, Raspberry Pi 5 and the Raspberry Pi 400 as it requires a 64-bit version of Raspberry Pi OS. Other than that, all you need is a network connection for your Raspberry Pi and this guide to control your Raspberry Pi.
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Wired ☛ Stack Overflow Users Are Revolting Against an OpenAI Deal
Since the announcement, some users have attempted to alter or delete their Stack Overflow posts in protest, arguing that the move steals the labor of those who contributed to the platform without a way to opt out. In retaliation, Stack Overflow staff have reportedly been banning those users while erasing or reverting the protest posts. On Monday, a Stack Overflow user named Ben took to Mastodon to share his experience of getting suspended after posting a protest message:
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Microsoft’s Absurd Antics Have Me Scared For Dishonored And Arkane Lyon’s Future
Microsoft has mercilessly killed Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks despite their past achievements.
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Tesla’s Head Of Product Resigns After 7 Years Citing The Effects Of The Recent Layoffs
Rich Otto, who served as Tesla’s Head of Product for nearly seven years, announced his resignation in early May, citing concerns over recent company layoffs. In a LinkedIn post, Otto expressed his apprehension about the layoffs, stating that they have disrupted the company’s harmony and morale, making it challenging to focus on long-term goals.
Throughout his time at Tesla, Otto was a key player in several corporate initiatives, such as the Cybertruck launch and the opening of GigaTexas. He highlighted the collaborative outlook that characterises Tesla’s work environment by stressing his contributions to leading sizable teams and completing high-profile initiatives.
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Steinar H Gunderson ☛ Wikimedia jumps on the AI bandwagon
I've been resisting the Wikipedia ads about “we don't run ads, give us money“ for over a decade now (mostly since WMF already has tons of cash and use very little on it to actually improve Wikipedia), and now they are jumping on the AI/LLM hype. It does not help.
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Microsoft Announces Another Round of Devastating Layoffs: Employees Notified Via 'Gut Stab' Email
In a move prompting all manner of outcry and consternation, Microsoft told its staff last week that several studios of Xbox (which the tech titan owns) would be shuttering.
In short, while some talent may be re-dispersed within the Xbox first-party studio ecosphere, many staffers have been let go altogether amid those studio closures.
Notably, some of the prominent studios were culled — including the studio that created Xbox’s most interesting new intellectual property in years.
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Xbox Expected To Go Through More Layoffs Amid Restructuring In July
2024 has not been great so far for Microsoft since it has been criticized for shutting down creative studios like Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin, and more. Even before that, the publisher laid off around 2,000 employees.
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Defence/Aggression
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JURIST ☛ Tunisia lawmakers propose amendments to Foreigners Status law following anti-migrant protest
Tunisia’s Assembly of Representatives of the People submitted a proposal to the General Legislation Commission on Thursday to amend Law 68-7, 1968, relating to foreigners’ status. The proposal was motivated by the unprecedented number of undocumented migrants entering Tunisia, protection of national security and combating human trafficking.
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The Straits Times ☛ ‘We’re sitting ducks’: Residents in northern Philippines fear being caught in US-China rift
Analysts say the locations of the recent US-Philippines military drills send a clear message to China.
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JURIST ☛ Philippines official calls for removal of Chinese diplomats over South China Sea phone call leak amid tensions
A senior Philippine national security official called Friday for the immediate removal of Chinese diplomats believed to be responsible for a reported leak of a phone call between one of the diplomats and a Filipino admiral about tensions in the South China Sea.
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New York Times ☛ Isolated and Defiant, Israel Vows to ‘Stand Alone’ in War on Hamas
As the death toll in Gaza has risen, countries have turned their backs on Israel. The consequences of those desertions, from security to economics, risk turning Israel into a pariah.
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RFERL ☛ Investigation: How Russia's Warplanes Get Their 'Brain Power' From The West, Despite Sanctions
Major Japanese, U.S., and Taiwanese companies rank among the Top 5 manufacturers on a list of more than 2,000 electronic components that Ukraine says Russia has used in five types of warplanes it has deployed in its full-scale invasion, Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service, has found.
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Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine
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Scheerpost ☛ 2024-05-11 [Older] Glenn Greenwald: Russia Responds to Threats from West with Nuclear Weapon Drills
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2024-05-11 [Older] Why do Chinese solutions attract attention in the Gaza War and the Russian-Ukrainian crisis?
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CBC ☛ 2024-05-11 [Older] Canada's relations with Russia have slid to a post-Soviet low, ambassador says
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-11 [Older] Ukraine Ground Force Commander Expects Russian Push Ahead of Arms Supplies
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-11 [Older] Russia Says It Has Captured 5 Villages in Northeast Ukraine as More Than 1,700 Civilians Flee
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-11 [Older] Factbox-Who Is in - and Who Is Out - in the Russian Government?
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-11 [Older] Fierce Fighting Rages in Ukraine's Kharkiv Region as Russia Touts Gains
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-11 [Older] Five Killed in Ukrainian Strikes on Russian Border Regions, Donetsk, Officials Say
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-11 [Older] Oil Plant in Russia's Bashkortostan Stopped Its Cat Cracker After Drone Attack 9 May, Sources Say
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CPJ ☛ 2024-05-10 [Older] Journalist Lutfiye Zudiyeva harassed by Russian authorities in Ukraine’s Crimea
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-11 [Older] Girding Russia for War, Putin Gives Extra Duties to Two Top Officials
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-11 [Older] Russia Takes Five Villages in Ukraine's Kharkiv Region, Defence Ministry Says
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-10 [Older] Germany: Former Russian consulate targeted by protesters
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2024-05-10 [Older] Russia, Sierra Leone Show Signs of Continuing Partnership
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Counter Punch ☛ 2024-05-10 [Older] A Ukraine Peace Conference Without Russia
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-10 [Older] Russia: Putin picks Mishustin to stay on as prime minister
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-10 [Older] Ukraine updates: Russia launches Kharkiv ground offensive
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-10 [Older] US Bolstering Ukraine as Russia Sets Sights on Kharkiv, White House Says
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-10 [Older] Medvedev Says Aim of Nuclear Exercises Is to Work Out Response to Attacks on Russian Soil
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CBC ☛ 2024-05-08 [Older] Russian dissident wins Pulitzer for columns he wrote 'at great personal risk' from prison cell
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-10 [Older] Russian Attack Forces Frustrated, Hungry Residents From Ukraine Border Town
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-10 [Older] Ukrainian Attack Kills Three, Sparks Fire at Oil Depot in Luhansk, Russia-Installed Governor Says
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CBC ☛ 2024-05-09 [Older] The shadow fleet of oil tankers enabling Russia's war and undermining global sanctions
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-09 [Older] Russia Victory Day parade: Won't allow any threats — Putin
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-09 [Older] Ukraine updates: Oil facility hit 1,200 km inside Russia
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Vox ☛ 2024-05-08 [Older] Eurovision says it’s “apolitical.” History says otherwise.
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-08 [Older] Indian police arrest 4 for luring recruits to Russian war
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-08 [Older] Ukraine updates: Russia warns France against sending troops
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-08 [Older] Advancing in Ukraine, Russia to Mark Victory in World War Two
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-08 [Older] EU Envoys Agree to Use Profits From Frozen Russian Assets for Ukraine
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Spiegel ☛ 2024-05-07 [Older] The Landgrab in Ukraine: Russia Moves to Expropriate Homes in Occupied Regions
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-07 [Older] Russia's Putin sworn in for new six-year term
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-07 [Older] Would Russia really attack Ukraine with nuclear weapons?
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International Business Times ☛ 2024-05-07 [Older] Zelensky Now On Russia's Most Wanted List: Joins a US Senator, Estonia's PM and Almost 100,000 More
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-07 [Older] Fire and Hide: Ukraine's Artillery Pinned Down by Russian Drones
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-07 [Older] Foreign Citizen Detained in Russia Faces up to Five Years in Prison
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-07 [Older] Moldova Says It Won't Obstruct Russian Gas Flows to Its Breakaway Region
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-07 [Older] Navalnaya Calls Russia's Putin 'Murderer' on Day of His Swearing-In
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-06 [Older] Germany recalls envoy to Russia over cyberattack
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-07 [Older] Republicans Urge Biden to Prevent French Work With Russian Nuclear Power Company
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-07 [Older] Russia Says Missile Moratorium 'In Question' Because of US Approach - RIA
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-07 [Older] Putin Starts New Six-Year Term With Challenge to the West
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-07 [Older] Russia, Ukraine Trade Allegations of Chemical Weapons Use at Global Watchdog
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-07 [Older] Ukraine Says It Caught Agents for Russia Plotting Zelenskiy's Murder
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-07 [Older] Ukraine Says It Foiled a Russian Spy Agency Plot to Assassinate President Zelenskyy
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CBC ☛ 2024-05-06 [Older] Russia says it plans to hold tactical nuclear weapon drills
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Environment
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Energy/Transportation
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NBC ☛ The lights are going out for Hong Kong’s iconic neon signs
The disappearance of neon signs in Hong Kong has been underway for decades, spurred by the availability of cheaper LEDs as well as tightening regulations and enhanced government safety inspections. But some residents see it as contributing to an erosion of the once-freewheeling Chinese territory’s unique identity as it grapples with a crackdown on dissent after months of anti-government unrest in 2019.
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NPR ☛ A car-free town in the Amazon serves lessons for pedaling to net zero emissions
After all, this city of boardwalks, boats and bicycle-taxis is refreshingly free of the gridlock, tailpipe fumes and claxons that plague most fast-growing Amazon cities. The taboo on cars became law in 2022.
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Wildlife/Nature
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New York Times ☛ Can Parrots Converse? Polly Says That’s the Wrong Question.
The paper, which is being presented at a science conference on Tuesday, focuses on Ms. Cunha’s parrot, an 11-year-old Goffin’s cockatoo named Ellie. Since 2019, Ms. Cunha has been teaching Ellie to use an interactive “speech board,” a tablet-based app that contains more than 200 illustrated icons, corresponding to words and phrases including “sunflower seeds,” “happy” and “I feel hot.” When Ellie presses on an icon with her tongue, a computerized voice speaks the word or phrase aloud.
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Overpopulation
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VOA News ☛ US dedicates $60 million to saving water along the Rio Grande
One of the longest rivers in North America, the Rio Grande provides drinking water for millions of people and supplies thousands of farmers with water for crops. Management of the river has sparked legal battles over the decades, with the most recent case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court as New Mexico, Texas and Colorado seek approval of a settlement that will help ensure they have more flexibility in the future.
U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, a New Mexico Democrat, said improving sustainability along the Rio Grande will help the state meets obligations under a decades-old compact to deliver water downstream to Texas and ultimately Mexico.
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AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s Pooh-tin Jinping leaves Hungary, concludes 5-day European tour
Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping departed from Budapest on Friday, completing his first European tour since 2019, which also took him to France and Serbia. His official plane took off shortly after 6:00 pm (16:00 GMT) from the capital’s airport, according to images broadcast by state television channel M1. The Chinese leader kicked off his tour […]
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ A historic town straddling Hong Kong-China border begins a modest tourism transformation
Hong Kong’s border with mainland China bisects the closed town of Sha Tau Kok but Shui Gor crosses it every morning without a second thought.
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India Times ☛ Britain attracts new £1 biliion AI investment
US tech firm CoreWeave, a provider of cloud computing services for artificial intelligence, said Friday it will plough £1.0 billion ($1.3 billion) into Britain, the country's latest major AI investment. "We're leaving no stone unturned to make the UK the best place for pioneering companies like CoreWeave to grow their roots," he noted, adding that Britain had the third highest number of AI companies and private investment in the world.
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Censorship/Free Speech
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RFERL ☛ Jailed For Insulting The Uzbek President
The legal tweak -- Article 158, Part 3 -- is part of a growing arsenal available to the Uzbek authorities, who are eager to stifle the kind of everyday dissent that became more common after the tentative opening up.
It is a legal weapon very much in vogue.
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Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
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VOA News ☛ Lawyers: Three Tunisian commentators arrested over critical remarks
Tunisian authorities on Sunday ordered the arrest of two journalists over critical comments, a lawyer told AFP, a day after security forces stormed the bar association and took political commentator Sonia Dahmani into custody.
Dahmani, also a lawyer, was arrested late Saturday after criticizing the state of Tunisia on television, her attorney Dalila Msaddek said in a post on Facebook.
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Civil Rights/Policing
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France24 ☛ Dutch contestant expelled from Eurovision hours before contest final
Dutch contestant Joost Klein has been expelled from Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest final after a complaint by a member of the production crew, organisers said, adding to the headaches for host Sweden as it also grapples with anti-Israel protests.
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The Telegraph UK ☛ Watch: Islamist compares women without hijabs to 'unwrapped sweets'
Mr Qarni’s comments have been described by critics as “deeply misogynistic” for appearing to suggest that women who do not wear the hijab are somehow “sullied” and that victims of abuse are to blame for their treatment.
After the OTMF was approached by The Telegraph over the contents of the video, it was removed from public viewing and marked as “private” on YouTube.
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RFA ☛ Calligraphy Day keeps alive Tibetans’ written language
For several years now, Tibetan Calligraphy Day has been a way for Tibetans to keep their language and heritage alive amid China imposing restrictions and bans on use of the language.
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Atlantic Council ☛ The Islamic Republic claims to support US student protests, but it crushed its own student uprising
But whatever claims the Iranian leadership makes, they are unlikely to be accepted by many Iranians who are well aware of the persistent repression meted out by the regime against students, women, and other Iranians. In fact, while Iranians disagree among themselves about the precise position to be taken in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, many seem to be united in ridiculing Tehran’s unlikely claims in favor of students.
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Computer World ☛ Microsoft once again under fire over cloud software licensing
The complaint, from La Asociación Española de Startups (AES) to the Spanish National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC), accuses Microsoft of “anti-competitive practices” in the cloud marketplace.
The restrictive practices in the cloud marketplace are affecting both suppliers and cloud customers within the startup ecosystem in Spain, the association said.
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Jason Fry ☛ I'm Finally Amazon Free - Hello Kobo
In the last couple of years I've been trying to reduce my usage of Amazon given how much they do things like hide their profits offshore to avoid tax, and in particular their poor record of being a decent employer. This is very apparent around here as the drivers are so incentivised to be as quick as possible that they don't even bother to ring the door bell or knock on the door, they just dump packages somewhere near the front of the house, I've even heard of packages being thrown at houses from the curb.
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Copyrights
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Torrent Freak ☛ Telegram Reportedly "Ready to Fight Piracy" According to Govt. Official
At various times, most social media platforms have received criticism for alleged failure to prevent distribution of copyright-infringing content. Few, however, have been threatened with widespread blocking more often than Telegram. In a row that seemed ready to boil over last year, Telegram was given an ultimatum by the Malaysian government; come to the negotiating table or face the consequences. A Malaysian minister now says that Telegram is ready to fight piracy.
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Monopolies/Monopsonies
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