Leftovers

• Hackaday ☛ Bring Your Reusable Grocery Bag On Your Head

  After decades of taking plastic bags for granted, some places now charge for them to help offset some of the environmental damage they cause. If you have a tendency to forget your reusable bags at home but love to wear hats, [Simone Giertz] has the bag hat for you.

• Science Alert ☛ The Mystery of Lost City of Cahokia's Abandonment Just Got Even Deeper

  What exactly happened here?

• CS Monitor ☛ Unraveling China’s fast fashion: Why cotton recycling and innovative design isn’t enough

  In China, 26 million tons of clothes are thrown away every year. Recycling and design companies are repurposing discarded clothes, but experts say government intervention, financial incentives, and zero-waste workflows are necessary for real change.

• The Straits Times ☛ Dissident or fraud? Exiled Chinese businessman Guo's trial nears close

  The fraud trial of Guo Wengui neared its end on Wednesday, as a prosecutor told jurors the exiled Chinese businessman duped his followers into providing millions of dollars he spent on luxuries, while a defense lawyer called Guo a misunderstood critic of China's communist government.

• Digital Music News ☛ ‘Car Thing’ Class Action Lawsuit Voluntarily Dismissed After Spotify Begins Issuing Refunds

  The individuals who filed a class action complaint over Spotify’s decommissioned “Car Thing” have voluntarily put the suit “in the rearview.” That development emerged in a terse notice of voluntary dismissal without prejudice.

• Barry Kauler ☛ Ten reasons not to move to China

  I have posted about foreigners living in China, showing what it is like from the inside.
  

  Lizzie is one of those. She is from South Africa and is teaching English in China. Her posts in channel "Because I'm Lizzie" are very positive about China; except for this one, "10 reasons NOT to move to China!". Ha ha, very frank, and I can relate to some of her posts.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Physicists Create 'Impossible' Time Crystal by Blasting Atoms Into Balloons

    "A powerful platform."

  • Science Alert ☛ Rare, Missing Link Black Hole Found Lurking in The Milky Way

    Solving a cosmic mystery.

  • Science Alert ☛ Astronauts Stuck With No Set Return Date Share Story of Glitchy Boeing Starliner Flight

    "Launch was spectacular."

• Hardware

  • CNX Software ☛ DFI ASL9A2 COM Express Mini Type 10 module features defective chip maker Intel Atom x7000RE Amston Lake processor

    DFI ASL9A2 is a COM Express Mini Type 10 module based on defective chip maker Intel Atom x7000RE Amston Lake processors which are pin-to-pin compatible with the Alder Lake-N Series processors and designed for the embedded market with a wider operating temperature range. The credit card-sized COM Express Mini module supports up to 16GB LPDDR5 memory, up to 128GB an eMMC flash, and exposes various interfaces such as 2.5GbE, PCIe Gen3, SATA 3.0, DDI and eDP/LVDS for dual display support, ten USB 3.2/2.0, and more.

  • Hackaday ☛ Supercon 2023: Why More Hackers Should Earn Their Wings

    Hacking has taken on many different meanings over the years, but if you’re here reading these words, we’ll assume your definition is pretty close to ours. To hack is to explore and learn, to find new and (hopefully) better ways of doing things. Or at least, that’s part of it. The other part is to then take what you learned and share it with others. Do that enough, and soon you’ll find yourself part of a community of like-minded individuals — which is where things really start getting interesting.

  • Hackaday ☛ If You Want An Expensive Chair Just Print Your Own

    The Magis Spun chair is a weird piece. It’s basically a kind of seat with a round conical base that stops it from sitting still in one place. Instead, it rolls and pivots around when you sit on it, which is apparently quite fun. They’re expensive though, which gave [Morley Kert] a neat idea. Why not 3D print one instead?

  • Hackaday ☛ Hacking Airline WiFi The Hard Way

    We’ve all been there. You are on a flight, there’s WiFi, but you hate to pay the few bucks just to watch dog videos. What to do? Well, we would never suggest you engage in theft of service, but as an intellectual exercise, [Robert Heaton] had an interesting idea. Could the limited free use of the network be coopted to access the general internet? Turns out, the answer is yes.

  • Hackaday ☛ Bringing The 555 Mini-Notebook To Video

    Like many of us [AnotherMaker] is a fan of the classic Forrest Mims electronics books, specifically, the Engineer’s Mini-Notebook series. They were great sources of inspiration, but at the time, he couldn’t afford to actually build most of the circuits described. Now as an adult, he decided to go through the 555 Timer IC Circuits Mini-Notebook, full of example circuits and explanations, all in Mims’ trademark handwritten style, and build all the circuits for real. And so, a series of YouTube videos are currently being released going over every circuit, how it works, and looking at waveforms on an oscilloscope!

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Labour Government Needs to Study What Has Caused Such a Sharp Increase in UK Deaths

    Hold Tories accountable!

  • WhichUK ☛ Keto diet pill scam targets Facebook (Farcebook) users

    Dodgy links contained in posts on Facebook (Farcebook) lead to a fake news website

  • Science Alert ☛ New HIV Prevention Drug Shows 100% Efficacy in Clinical Trial

    Promising results for superior protection.

  • Science Alert ☛ AuDHD Explained: Five Things to Know About The Unique Challenges

    Having opposing traits can be distressing.

  • Science Alert ☛ Gratitude May Help You Live Longer, Scientists Discover

    Feeling thankful?

  • Science Alert ☛ Eating 30% Less of One Type of Meat Could Prevent Future Type 2 Diabetes

    Major health gains to be achieved.

  • Latvia ☛ Classic flavors, healthier options – Latvia's potato chip preferences revealed

    Dill came out in the lead when I conducted a completely unscientific poll on Latvia's favorite potato chip flavors. I wasn't surprised by the result.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Jennie Jennie, Who Can You Turn To? — Blackpink Vaping Controversy Explained

    Blackpink’s Jennie shared a video on her YouTube channel in which she uses a vape, leading to her reps issuing a statement apologizing for it on social control media.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Microsoft Could Stop Pushing Xbox Consoles In Europe, Other Regions

    The marketing plans for Microsoft regarding its Xbox consoles could be changing in a major way. In the latest edition of Tom Warren’s “The Notepad” newsletter, the push to sell Xbox consoles in Europe and other regions could be going the way of the dodo bird.

    According to a “tip” Warren received, Microsoft will reportedly stop marketing the Xbox console itself in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). Instead, the company will focus solely on Xbox Game Pass, cloud gaming, PC, and Xbox controllers.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Microsoft raises Xbox Game Pass prices — changes also include overhauled tiers, and the new bottom tier can no longer play Day 1 games

    Microsoft announced the abolition of the Xbox Game Pass for Console to be replaced by a future Standard tier and a price increase of $5 for Game Pass, an ultimate total of $19.99 per month, instead of its current $14.99.

  • America Online ☛ John Deere continues 2024 layoffs, cutting more workers from Waterloo Works

    John Deere on Thursday confirmed additional layoffs of 345 production workers from its operations in Waterloo, effective Sept. 20.

    That brings to 894 the total since the beginning of the year at the plant. One of Deere's largest, it currently has about 5,000 total employees, with about 3,000 working in production and maintenance jobs.

  • San Fancisco ☛ Intuit to lay off 384 in the Bay Area amid pivot to artificial intelligence [Ed: Nothing to do with "Hey Hi" (AI) and the media should quit parroting this mindless spin]

    Regulatory filings reveal that 384 employees at Intuit’s Mountain View headquarters will be affected by the tech giant’s sweeping layoffs announced Wednesday.

  • RFA ☛ OpenAI cuts off access to users in China, Hong Kong and Macau

    The move will likely accelerate technological decoupling between China and the United States.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Windows 10 gets Copilot as part of mandatory update — turns Hey Hi (AI) widget into a full-fledged app on the taskbar [Ed: Microsoft trying desperately to fake usage]

    Microsoft Copilot will be pinned to the taskbar as a backdoored Windows 10 21H2 and 22H2 app with the mandatory KB5040427 update.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Reason ☛ What Do Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen Field Have In Common?

    Both of their bodyguards shot someone. Last week, a Deputy U.S. Marshall, assigned to protect Justice Sotomayor, shot a carjacker:  A member of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's security detail shot an armed man during an attempted carjacking in the early morning hours, according to court documents. It happened as two deputy U.S.

  • The Strategist ☛ Australia toughens enforcement of foreign investment rules

    Treasury has stepped up enforcement of Australia’s foreign investment regime, however it continues to try to balance protecting national interests and encouraging investment inflows.

  • The Strategist ☛ Australia should work with NATO on climate change

    As Australia and the other three Indo-Pacific countries closely associated with NATO assemble in Washington to celebrate the alliance’s 75th anniversary, they should work to advance collaboration with it on climate and security assessments [...]

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong 47: Establishment figures pen mitigation letters for democrats in landmark national security case

    Hong Kong establishment figures have penned mitigation letters for prominent democrats pleading for lighter sentences in a landmark national security case involving 47 pro-democracy figures. Former legislator Claudia Mo entered the dock on Wednesday morning smiling at the public gallery and making a “heart” gesture with her arms.

  • JURIST ☛ UN peacekeeping exit in DRC paused amid risk of wider conflict

    The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) informed the UN Security Council on Monday that phase one of the departure of the UN-DRC peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, had been completed on June 25, but the DRC’s representative stressed that the next withdrawal phase will be addressed when conditions permit [...]

  • LRT ☛ Lithuania grants special status to Rheinmetall ammunition plant to speed up construction

    The Lithuanian government has granted the status of a project ensuring the urgent security and defence needs of the state to the artillery ammunition plant of Rheinmetall, which is planned to be built in the Radviliškis district.

  • France24 ☛ ‘Government tyranny’: Texas gun owners rally behind Donald Trump

    Gun control is set to once again be a divisive issue in the upcoming US presidential election. Joe Biden has attempted to toughen up gun laws and in 2022 signed landmark legislation to that effect – legislation that Donald Trump has pledged to undo. At a shooting range in Texas, home to some of the laxest gun laws in the country despite a string of deadly mass shootings in recent years, there is little doubt who most people will be backing on election day.

  • The Strategist ☛ The global implications of Iran’s election

    The second round of Iran’s presidential election unfolded with little fanfare last weekend. But, with reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian defeating his hardline anti-Western opponent, Saeed Jalili, the world should be paying attention.

  • RFA ☛ China’s ‘monster’ ship lingers in Philippine waters: Manila

    The Philippines says the massive coast guard vessel has been in its exclusive economic zone since early July.

  • France24 ☛ Israeli military orders all Palestinians to leave Gaza's largest city

    Israel's army has ordered all Palestinians to leave the urban area of Gaza City, where over half a million people used to live. At least 38,295 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, have already been killed in Israeli attacks, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Explainer: Why Indo-Pacific countries are joining the Nato summit

    Joining this week's meeting of NATO leaders in Washington will be some countries far from Europe or North America - Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea to deploy ‘StarWars’ laser weapons targeting North Korean drones

    The drone-zappers are effective and cheap at $1.96 per shot, and quiet and invisible, said Dapa.

  • New York Times ☛ As Violence Surges, Can Pakistan Protect Its Chinese Projects?

    China has invested billions in megaprojects across Pakistan. But a resurgence in militant violence is threatening to derail badly needed investment.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ST Picks: Making sense of twists and turns in recent tensions over South China Sea

  • The Straits Times ☛ Japan navy destroyer enters China waters near Taiwan, sparking Beijing concerns, says Japanese media

    TOKYO - A Japanese navy destroyer made a rare entry into China's territorial waters near Taiwan earlier this month without notifying China and sparking "serious concerns" from Beijing, Japanese media outlets reported late on Wednesday.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 37 Chinese aircraft detected around Taiwan as island’s president meets de-facto new US ambassador

    Taiwan’s defence ministry said 37 Chinese aircraft were detected around the self-ruled island Wednesday as they headed to exercises with an aircraft carrier in the western Pacific. China claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and maintains a near-daily presence of fighter jets, drones and warships around the island, which is located 180 kilometres […]

  • The Strategist ☛ New military dialogue unlikely to change China’s unsafe behaviour

    China and Australia agreed last month to set up a new maritime affairs dialogue, but this is unlikely to lead to a reduction in the frequency of unsafe behaviour by the Chinese armed forces.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • RFERL ☛ Lawyer Finally Allowed To Visit Imprisoned Kremlin Critic Kara-Murza After Week Of Silence

      After almost a week of being denied access, a lawyer for imprisoned opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza was finally allowed to see his client in a prison hospital in Siberia amid concerns over the Kremlin critic's safety and health.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Over half of sudden unintended accelerations in South Korea involve under-60 group: Report

      There have been 456 reports of SUA in South Korea from 2014 through June, the report showed.

    • New York Times ☛ Biden Announces Tariffs on Chinese Metals Routed Through Mexico

      The measure aims to close a loophole that officials said allowed metals made partly in China to come into the United States duty free.

    • The Straits Times ☛ China coal generation share at record low in May as renewables hit new highs, analysis shows

      CO2 emissions from the power sector fell 3.6 per cent in May because of the increase in green energy generation.

  • Overpopulation

    • Science Alert ☛ Warming Groundwater Could Be Undrinkable For Half a Billion People by 2100

      This would be catastrophic.

• Finance

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Trade tensions flare as Beijing says it will launch probe into EU investigations

    By Matthew Walsh and Luna Lin Beijing said Wednesday it is kicking off a formal probe into EU practices after the bloc launched an anti-subsidy investigation of a range of Chinese transport and green energy firms.

  • The Strategist ☛ China strengthens state direction in latest semiconductor-industry push

    The latest round of state investments in China’s semiconductor industry reveals an evolving approach by the Chinese government characterised by greater state involvement and strategic oversight.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Syria’s inflated electorate is caused by phantom voters

    The confusion over the true size of the electorate will certainly not be resolved in these elections.

    >

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • RFA ☛ Chinese police target dissidents, petitioners ahead of plenum

    Some are taken out of town while others are under house arrest ahead of a top-level economic meeting.

  • New York Times ☛ U.A.E. Tries 84 Emirates Again, Sentencing 43 to Life

    The Emirati lawyers, academics and activists, who were imprisoned in national security trials, had been scheduled to be released.

  • Reason ☛ Libel, Fire, Healing Chakras, and Real Housewives of New York

    “The article also documents Plaintiff’s four failed attempts at appearing on the Real Housewives of New York, and the potentially circumstantial evidence that the fire was used as a publicity stunt as it occurred just one day prior to Plaintiff joining a talk show wherein she talked extensively about the fire.”

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • BIA Net ☛ Journalist Tolga Şardan faces 5 years in prison over ‘intelligence report’ article

    In the article, Şardan mentioned a report prepared by the country’s intelligence agency about high judicial bodies and submitted to the president.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Impress opens up dispute resolution service to all publishers and others

    Section 40, a legal tool designed to induce publishers to sign up to Impress, was repealed in May.

  • Press Gazette ☛ News media job cuts 2024 tracked: 100 jobs to be cut at CNN

  • Press Gazette ☛ Threat of Welsh council tax notices reform that sparked newspaper revenue fears is over

    Public notice income provides a lifeline to local newspapers - but not all publishers benefit.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Trademarks

  • Digital Music News ☛ Nirvana and Marc Jacobs Settle Nearly Six-Year-Old Lawsuit Over the Iconic ‘Smiley Face’ Logo

    After more than half a decade, a settlement has finally arrived in the infringement legal battle centering on the iconic Nirvana “smiley face” logo.

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTAB Says Chutter Still Good Law: Reckless Disregard in Obtaining or Maintaining a Registration is Enough for Fraud

    In Chutter, Inc. v. Great Management Group, LLC, the Board ruled that reckless disregard for the truth is sufficient for a finding of fraud on the USPTO. [TTABlogged here]. The CAFC reversed that ruling because Section 14 of the Lanham Act, which lists the bases for cancellation of a registration, does not include fraud committed in connection with a Section 15 incontestability declaration (as opposed to fraud in obtaining a registration). [TTABlogged here]. Here, the Board now confirmed that "Chutter remains good law and binding precedent with respect to its analysis of fraud per se." Ruifei (Shenzhen) Smart Technology Co., Ltd. v. Shenzhen Chengyan Science and Technology Co., Ltd., Cancellation No. 92077931 (July 2, 2024) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Christopher C. Larkin).

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ YouTube Offers AI-Powered Song ‘Eraser Tool’ to Surgically Remove Copyrighted Music

    YouTube has released an updated eraser tool that takes advantage of AI-powered algorithm to remove copyrighted songs without impacting audio quality. Here’s the latest.