Leftovers

• New York Times ☛ Hannah Kendall Writes Music With a Vocabulary of Her Own

  This composer’s latest work, for Lincoln Center, is in conversation with Robert Schumann’s music and mental health struggles.

• RFA ☛ Chinese social control media users slam athletes over failure to deliver gold

  Public anger over Olympics results is a deflected form of political grievance, analysts say.

• Hackaday ☛ Overhauling Subway Cars Is A Big Job

  Subway cars have a tough life. Moving people through a city efficiently underground every day and night takes a toll on the hardware. To keep things running efficiently, NYC rebuilds its cars every six years.

• France24 ☛ ‘Tourists, go home!’: Mass tourism exasperates locals in Europe and beyond

  An increasing number of visitors has sparked numerous anti-tourism movements in Spain and elsewhere in Europe. Locals blame tourists for driving up housing costs, inflation, and causing environmental degradation. Some affected regions are beginning to take small steps to ease their residents' concerns.

• Hackaday ☛ Making An Aluminium Foil Glider To Prototype Hydroforming

  Hydroforming is a very effective way to turn a ductile metal like aluminium or stainless steel into a specific shape, either using a die or by creating a closed envelope in which the hydraulic fluid is injected. While trying to think of ways to create a hydroformed airplane without spending big bucks on having it done professionally – or learning to weld sheet metal together with waterproof welds along the seams – [Adrian Perez] decided that using plain aluminium foil as found in the average kitchen might be a good way to get his feet wet here. When stuck together with double-sided tape, the foil is both strong and light enough to be inflated like a party balloon and still fly better than a lead balloon (which do fly, albeit poorly).

• (Resin Birch...?) Leaf Sketch (publ. 2024-07-31)

  I think maybe it is a Resin Birch shrub (Betula glandulosa) but I don't feel confident in that identification, due to some differences with what I am reading and seeing on the Internet regarding Betula glandulosa, including the leaf structure. The shrub must be somewhat rare as I was seeing only one shrub for every 100 or so other trees along the path. Anyway, here is a photo of the leaf:

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Fusion Closer to Reality as Scientists Smash Density Limit by Factor of 10

    Another win.

  • Science Alert ☛ Cannibal CME Is About to Deliver Spectacular Auroras to Earth's Atmosphere

    Look up!

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists 'Mind Controlled' Mice Remotely in Extraordinary World First

    A huge step for neuroscience.

  • Science Alert ☛ New Dual-Target Drug Could Make Antibiotic Resistance 100 Million Times Harder

    We desperately need this.

  • Science Alert ☛ Double Meteor Shower Raises Expectations of Stunning Fireball Display

    Here's where to look!

• Hardware

  • Zimbabwe ☛ 5G Coming To $100 Phones. Should You Care?

    Qualcomm, the phone chip maker, announced today a new 5G chipset called Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 (SM4635) targeted specifically, at low priced mobile phones.

  • CNX Software ☛ Quectel LG290P is the world’s first quad-band GNSS module (L1, L2, L5, and E6)

    The Quectel LG290P is a quad-band, multi-constellation, high-precision, real-time kinematic (RTK) GNSS module that supports GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BDS, QZSS, and NavIC constellations. A typical GNSS module like the SparkFun GNSS L1/L5 can receive signals from only one or two frequency bands, but the Quectel module can receive signals from four different frequency bands (L1, L2, L5, and E6) simultaneously and features built-in anti-jamming technology for improved signal reception in challenging environments.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Science Alert ☛ New Shingles Vaccine Does Even Better Job of Delaying Onset of Dementia

    One more reason to vaccinate.

  • Science Alert ☛ Ice Baths Latest in History of Questionable Treatments at The Olympics

    Not cool.

  • Science Alert ☛ Overdoses on Ozempic Copies So Common, The FDA Had to Issue a Warning

    Dosage is everything.

  • Science Alert ☛ Olympics: Elite Runners Live Years Longer Than Most People, But Why?

    Elite specimens in more ways than one.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Name New Type of Memory Loss Often Mistaken For Alzheimer's

    A clear classification at last.

  • New York Times ☛ Erin Brockovich: The Next President Must Address Forever Chemicals

    Americans’ health is at risk.

  • Jax Taylor seeks in-patient treatment for mental health struggles amid Brittany Cartwright split

    The "Vanderpump Rules" alum has been open about his mental health over the years, but especially during the past few months.

  • New York Times ☛ China Cleared Swimmers in Doping Dispute, Citing Tainted Burgers

    Two Chinese athletes, one of whom was named to the Olympic team in Paris, tested positive in 2022 for a banned steroid. China blamed contaminated food, as it had after previous positive tests.

  • RFA ☛ US lawmakers allege rampant Chinese Olympics doping

    Beijing has repeatedly blamed tainted food, including hamburgers it said contained anabolic steroids.

  • New York Times ☛ Antidoping Agency Acknowledges Concern Over Use of Tainted Food as Excuse

    After a spate of positive tests for performance-enhancing drugs by athletes, the World Anti-Doping Agency is investigating why China and other countries are citing contaminated food as an explanation.

  • ADF ☛ Nigeria Makes Strides Against Drug Trafficking

    Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) busted a major drug cartel with operations in Imo and Rivers States in mid-July. Authorities arrested the cartel’s leader and one of his associates for allegedly distributing large amounts of methamphetamine throughout south and southeastern Nigeria.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • EuroGamer ☛ Xbox console sales decline continues

    In what is now a familiar pattern - and one not limited to Microsoft - revenue from gaming hardware fell again, this time by 42 percent. That's down further on the 31 percent fall reported back in April this year, for the quarter before.

  • New York Times ☛ Movie Editors and Animators Fear Hey Hi (AI) Will Kill Jobs

    Actors and writers won strict limits on artificial intelligence in last year’s contract negotiations, but editors and artists face a growing challenge.

  • Jon Udell ☛ When not to LLM

    Here’s the latest installment in the series on working with LLMS: https://thenewstack.io/choosing-when-to-use-or-not-use-llms-as-a-developer/ For certain things, the LLM is a clear win. If I’m looking at an invalid blob of JSON that won’t even parse, there’s no reason to avoid augmentation.

  • Ruben Schade ☛ Adrianna Pińska on systemic problems

    I saw this reposted on Mastodon from back in May, and it’s excellent:

    This Recall thing is a prime example of how bad we are at understanding when something is a systemic problem.

    It doesn’t matter if you disable it. It doesn’t matter if you install Linux. It doesn’t matter if you set your computer on fire and move to a Luddite commune.

  • TechRadar ☛ Microsoft risks annoying more backdoored Windows 11 users with new full-screen advert for OneDrive

    Microsoft has reportedly added a new full-screen pop-up that’s effectively an advert (or as the company puts it, a ‘recommendation’) urging Windows 11 users to back up their PC with OneDrive, its cloud storage service. We’ve seen a similar full-screen nag panel that pushed Windows 11 users to switch to Edge, Microsoft’s default browser for Windows devices, and Microsoft 365 in the recent past.

  • Hindustan Times ☛ Microsoft suffers new outage, says cyberattack triggered it: What we know so far

    Microsoft products including email service Outlook and video game Minecraft were affected by another global outage. The company said in an update that the outage has been resolved and preliminary investigations show the outage was caused by a cyber-attack and a failure to defend against the same.

  • Bungie Layoffs Eliminate 200+ Jobs at Destiny 2 Developer

    Destiny 2 developer Bungie has announced that a restructuring of the company will see more than 200 jobs eliminated.

  • GeekWire ☛ Bungie lays off 220 employees; CEO says studio was ‘overly ambitious’ in memo detailing miscues

    Founded in 1991, Bungie is currently best known for its massively-multiplayer online shooter Destiny 2, which wrapped up its current main story arc in June. Bungie was also the original developer on the Halo series, which launched alongside the Xbox console in 2001 and rapidly became a tentpole franchise for Microsoft’s console division. Bungie was purchased by Microsoft in 2000, went independent again in 2007, and was subsequently purchased by SIE in 2022.

  • The Verge ☛ Bungie is laying off 220 employees and moving others to PlayStation

    This latest layoff announcement was accompanied by the news that Bungie employees are working on a new game.

  • Game World Observer ☛ Electronic Arts reports 30% drop in Q1 net profit as it continues to invest in building “massive online communities”

    Electronic Arts has released its financial report for the first quarter ended June 30, 2024. The company posted declines in all key business metrics, including revenue and profit.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • New York Times ☛ Meta Reaches $1.4 Billion Settlement With Texas Over Privacy Violations

      The parent company of Facebook (Farcebook) and Instagram faced allegations that it had collected facial identification information on millions of users in violation of a state law.

    • Silicon Angle ☛ Meta agrees to pay $1.4B to settle Texas illegal biometric data gathering lawsuit

      Meta Platforms Inc. has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to settle a lawsuit filed by Texas that accused the company behind Facebook (Farcebook) of illegally collecting biometric data on users without their consent, breaching Texas law.

    • Silicon Angle ☛ UK regulator seeks feedback for potential probe into Google-Anthropic partnership

      The U.K.’s antitrust watchdog today took a first step toward a potential probe into Surveillance Giant Google LLC’s partnership with Anthropic PBC. San Francisco-based Anthropic is one of OpenAI’s best-funded competitors with more than $7 billion raised to date. It develops a line of large language models called the Claude series.

    • The Register UK ☛ Microsoft Dynamics 365 called out for worker surveillance • The Register

    • Unicorn Media ☛ Olympic Games Apps That Collect Data and Sell It on the Marketplace

      As Paris attracts crowds sports tourists for the 2024 games, mobile apps marketed to attendees are tracking them, collecting their private data, and then hawking it to advertisers and big tech.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Effective US government strategies to address China’s information influence

    To mount the most effective response to Chinese influence and the threat it poses to democratic interests at home and on the international stage, the United States should develop a global information strategy, one that reflects the interconnected nature of regulatory, industrial, and diplomatic policies with regard to the information domain.

  • France24 ☛ US forces carry out strike in Iraq as regional tensions worsen

    US forces carried out an air strike on "combatants"  inside a base south of Baghdad used by Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF). Four members of the group were killed. They were attempting to launch drones that threatened US and allied troops, a defense official said.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel Struck a Suburb in Beirut

    Also, Harris plans to campaign with her V.P. pick next week. Here’s the latest at the end of Tuesday.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel Says It Killed Hezbollah Commander in Airstrike Near Beirut

    The strike was in retaliation for a deadly rocket attack this weekend in the Golan Heights. At least three civilians were killed and 74 others wounded on Tuesday, Lebanese officials said.

  • New York Times ☛ Who Is Fuad Shukr, Target of the Israeli Strike on Beirut?

    He is also wanted for his role in a 1983 attack in Beirut that killed some 300 American and French soldiers.

  • New York Times ☛ Netanyahu Vows ‘Severe’ Response to Deadly Rocket Attack Tied to Hezbollah

    Fears linger among Lebanese civilians after a strike killed 12 children and teenagers in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.

  • France24 ☛ Israel says it targeted senior Hezbollah commander in strike on Beirut

    Israel on Tuesday conducted a rare airstrike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut that killed two people and wounded others, according to Lebanese security sources. The Israeli military said the strike targeted a senior Hezbollah commander allegedly responsible for the deaths of 12 children and teens over the weekend in Majdal Shams, a town in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

  • The Strategist ☛ Warning and decision: intelligence, policymaking, and rumours of wars

    There has been much discussion recently in Australia of the expiration of ‘strategic warning time’. In the absence of significant shifts in policy, such discussion runs the risk of being performative rather than substantive.

  • The Strategist ☛ Pacific land reclamation deserves support

    Pacific island countries, and low-lying lands globally, are on the front lines of climate change. From rising sea-levels to intensifying cyclone impacts, vulnerable food and economic security, they face a great many risks.

  • Defence Web ☛ White River military camp training unlawful – PsiRA

    In the wake of the discovery of the illegal military training camp in White River, Mpumalanga, the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA), has said the training conducted there was unlawful as it went beyond the scope of security industry training.

  • ADF ☛ Al-Shabaab Continues to Expand Media Operations

    In Somalia, terror group al-Shabaab has spent years gaining and losing ground. But in the digital domain, al-Shabaab has limitless space in which to expand. It’s where one of the world’s best-financed terror groups spreads its propaganda, disinformation and recruiting messages throughout the region, the continent and the world.

  • ADF ☛ Suicide Bombers Make Deadly Return to Northeast Nigeria

    A loss of territory and manpower have resulted in Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) unleashing suicide attacks in Nigeria, analysts say. On one day in late June, three suicide bombers, each female, killed 32 people and wounded at least 42 at three locations in Gwoza, Borno State [...]

  • Atlantic Council ☛ ‘I was a Blackwater mercenary in Iraq’

    Host Alia Brahimi is joined by former Blackwater contractor Morgan Lerette to reflect on Loretta's experience a private military contractor in Iraq.

  • Digital Music News ☛ House of Representatives Bans All ByteDance Apps for Staffers, Not Just TikTok

    All apps from Chinese firm ByteDance will be banned on devices for staffers in the House of Representatives, not just TikTok.

  • ADF ☛ As Sahel Countries Form Regional Bloc, Experts Warn of Isolation, Violence

    Sahelian junta leaders claim their new regional bloc will help them fight extremists and share economic resources. However, observers believe the turn inward, combined with a shift toward Russia, is likely to worsen the violence and insecurity that plagues all three countries.

  • ADF ☛ Turkish PMC ‘Sadat’ Competes for Sahel Influence

    Rampant terrorism has destabilized the Sahel for years and played a role in military coups in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

  • ADF ☛ Conditions Worsen for Cabo Delgado IDPs Amid Waves of Terror Attacks

    More than 542,000 internally displaced people (IDP) in northern Mozambique’s conflict-torn Cabo Delgado province face dire humanitarian conditions amid an insurgency that has raged since 2017. As the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) reported, many IDPs there have limited access to food, shelter, water, sanitation, health and education.

  • RFA ☛ North Korea’s Kim preparing daughter as next leader: Seoul

    But South Korea has not ruled out the possibility of another sibling emerging as an alternative.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Pledges $500 Million in New Military Aid to the Philippines, as China Asserts Sea Claims

    Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III warned Beijing against engaging in hostilities with U.S. allies in the South and East China Seas.

  • New York Times ☛ Why Is China Pressuring the Philippines in the South China Sea?

    China claims most of the strategic waterway and is trying to push out neighbors like the Philippines. Any deadly mistake could risk war.

  • RFA ☛ Philippines to get US$500M in defense infusion from Washington

    Cash “sends a clear message of support for the Philippines from Biden administration,” US defense secretary says.

  • JURIST ☛ Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China condemns PRC pressure over Taiwan conference

    The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) issued a statement on Monday confirming several of its members were contacted by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) embassies in their respective countries to “attempt to intimidate and dissuade them” from travelling to Taiwan for the upcoming annual summit held in Taipei, Taiwan.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • RFERL ☛ German National Sentenced To Death In Belarus Pardoned By Lukashenka

      German citizen Rico Krieger, who was sentenced to death on terrorism charges by a Belarusian court, was pardoned by the country’s authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka on July 30 following a pardon request announced on the same day, according to a press release from Lukashenka’s office.

    • LRT ☛ Belarusian souvenir shop vandalised in Vilnius

      A Belarusian souvenir shop was vandalised in central Vilnius over the last weekend in an apparently xenophobic attack.

    • Latvia ☛ Four youths from Latvia reportedly detained in Belarus

      Four young people from Latvia have been detained in Belarus, the news agency LETA confirmed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on July 29. Information from the official authorities is currently being clarified.

    • RFERL ☛ Hungary's Plan To Ease Entry For Russians, Belarusians Poses 'Serious Risk' To EU

      A recent decision by Hungary to make it easier for Russian and Belarusian nationals to enter that country is triggering criticism within the EU, with the leader of the biggest political bloc warning it could open the doors to spies.

    • RFERL ☛ Organizers Postpone Russia's World Friendship Games Until 2025

      Russia’s World Friendship Games, scheduled for September 2024, have been postponed until 2025, according to a July 30 statement by the International Friendship Association, the official organizer of the games.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania turns to EC after Hungary eases entry conditions for Russians

      Lithuania has turned to the European Commission over Hungary’s decision to ease entry restrictions for Russian and Belarusian citizens, saying the move threatens the security of the European Union.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Libya is the crucial hub for Moscow’s activities in Africa

      Over the past decade, Russia’s involvement in Libya is evidence of its realization that it could transition from a marginal power to a significant competitor in the country, and thus in the broader Middle East and North Africa.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ The UN should take a bolder stance in Libya

      The two main armed conflicts of the last two years—in Gaza and Ukraine—have led to the belief that international politics are ruled again by sheer force and that the United Nations is no longer a relevant actor.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ After 2011, the United States stayed on the sidelines—to Libya’s detriment

      When reflecting over the last decade of the US policy, especially in the Trump and Biden administrations, three consistent trends emerge: insufficient support for the UN political process to restore legitimacy to Libya’s political; leadership, repeated appeals to eastern warlord and head of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar to participate in a political process; and most consequentially for the United States, a seeming lack of attention to Russia’s increased presence in Libya.

    • Latvia ☛ Russian singer 'Irakli' is not a hit in Latvia

      Latvia's list of people declared persona non grata received another pitch-perfect addition July 30.

    • Latvia ☛ Defenses installed at more than 20 places along Latvia's eastern border

      The Latvian Ministry of Defense confirmed July 30 that anti-mobility obstacles have been or are being installed at more than 20 places along Latvia's borders with aggressor states Russia and Belarus.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine Ramps Up Mobilization of Troops

      Large numbers of recruits will arrive at the front in the coming weeks, soldiers and military analysts said, but some are poorly trained or out of shape.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Seizes Urozhaine and Staromaiorske From Ukraine After Furious Battles

      “It was like a fight between two packs of dogs,” said an officer, describing the struggle for one of the areas, Urozhaine. But “there came a moment when it made no sense to keep people there.”

    • CS Monitor ☛ In eastern Ukraine, Russian ‘glide bombs’ push civilians to flee

      The residents of Ukraine’s Donetsk region have been resilient in the face of war. But Russia’s introduction of upgraded, highly destructive “glide bombs” is changing civilians’ calculus.

    • RFERL ☛ Dead, Wounded In Russian Shelling Of Donetsk, Kherson

      At least four civilians were killed in Russian shelling of the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, where Moscow has been pressing an offensive in recent weeks, regional Governor Vadym Filashkin said on July 30.

    • RFERL ☛ More Imprisoned Russian Dissidents Unexpectedly Transferred To Unknown Locations

      Imprisoned Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin, who is serving an 8 1/2-year prison term for his criticism of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, has been unexpectedly transferred to an unknown location from correctional colony No. 3 in the western Smolensk region.

    • RFERL ☛ Ex-Russian Inmate Convicted Of Murder After Returning From Ukraine War

      A Russian court on July 29 sentenced former inmate Vladimir Shcherbakov to nine years in prison for beating to death an 82-year-old woman and robbing her house after returning last year from the war in Ukraine.

    • RFERL ☛ Another Georgian Citizen Fighting Russian Invasion Dies In Ukraine

      A Georgian citizen, Vano Gagnidze, was killed in Ukraine's eastern region of Luhansk while fighting alongside Ukrainian armed forces against Russia's ongoing invasion

    • RFERL ☛ Hungarian Minister Accuses EU Of Orchestrating Stoppage Of Russian Oil Through Ukraine

      Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto accused the European Union's Executive Commissionon July 30 of orchestrating a stoppage of some Russian oil supplies into the bloc through Ukraine and warned that the dispute could lead to an energy crisis.

    • LRT ☛ Digging trenches, blowing bridges: Lithuania fortifies its border

      Second World War fortifications are again being used by Ukraine as it faces off against Russian aggression. Eyeing the fight next door, Lithuania is now also looking to bolster its border with trenches, barriers, and minefields.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania cooperates with Ukraine on alleged saboteur group – top prosecutor

      Lithuania is cooperating with Ukrainian officers as part of an investigation into a Russian-recruited group believed to have planned arson attacks in the Baltic states, Poland and Ukraine, Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė says.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian president appoints 12 new ambassadors

      Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has appointed 12 new ambassadors, including the country’s envoys to Poland, Ukraine, Germany, and the EU.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Paris Olympics: Ukrainian dedicates medal to athletes killed by Russia

      Ukrainian fencing star Olga Kharlan has won the country’s first medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and dedicated her medal to the Ukrainian athletes "who couldn't be here because they were killed by Russia," writes Mark Temnycky .

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian farmers grow sunflowers to raise funds for Ukraine

      The large-scale Latvian farming cooperative, LATRAPS, is inviting members of the public to visit special fields of sunflowers created by farmers at more than 30 locations across Latvia, helping Ukraine in the process.

    • Off Guardian ☛ Putin calls for “full-scale implementation” of digital ruble

      Praising the “efficiency and functionality” of the Bank of Russia’s CBDC, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed his government on Wednesday to prepare for the widespread introduction of the digital ruble.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ To deter Russia, NATO must adapt its nuclear sharing program

      Russian President Vladimir Putin has time and again played the United States and its European allies, believing that they are too scared of the long shadow cast by nuclear weapons to push back against his threats.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Top US diplomat expects more Indian engagement with Ukraine

      Indian PM Modi met Russian President Putin in July as a Russian missile struck a hospital in Kyiv.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea says thousands of homes hit by flooding

    The region has been affected by heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Gaemi in recent days.

  • CS Monitor ☛ You put stuff out for recycling. What happens next might surprise you.

    Differing standards and industry practices for curbside recycling programs can confuse consumers. We sort out some questions about recycling in the U.S.

  • RFA ☛ Vanuatu fights for marine protection at pivotal UN deep-sea mining meeting

    Battle for top job at International Seabed Authority could determine future of environmental regulations.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Floods in China’s Hunan province leave 4 dead as summer of extreme weather continues

    Four people died and three were missing after heavy rain and flooding hit central China’s Hunan province, state media reported on Tuesday. China is enduring a summer of extreme weather, with heavy rains battering swathes of the country and many regions enduring sweltering heat waves.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ #BalkansDebrief – Does the new EU-Serbia lithium deal undermine democracy? A Debrief with Ivan Vejvoda

    To discusss the EU's new lithium deal with Serbia, Ivan Vejvoda from the Institute for Human Sciences sits down with Ilva Tare, Nonresident Senior Fellow, for this episode of #BalkansDebrief.

• Finance

  • Latvia ☛ Agreement signed on Nordic Investment Bank's Rīga office

    On Tuesday, July 30, Latvia's Ministry of Finance was the stage for the signing of a Host State Agreement on the opening of a new Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) representative office in Rīga.

  • Head Topics ☛ Mass layoffs loom over Intel with recovery out of reach

    The company has been mulling over job cuts since 2023 when it announced a $2.8 billion loss.Few companies were hit as harshly as Intel during the 2022 – 2023 PC customer drought. In April 2023, Intel announced its worst-ever performance with a $2.8 billion loss, and began consider layoffs. Now at the end of July 2024, these layoffs are expected to be in the thousands of employees.

    In 2024, the company’s Lunar Lake AI processors were already heading to the consumer thanks to a partnership with Microsoft to run its Copilot+ generative AI software. Lunar Lake manages 45 tera operations per second , which has become the de facto measurement for AI-ready processors.

  • Extreme Tech ☛ Intel May Be the Next Tech Giant to Start Mass Layoffs

    Intel could be on the cusp of a major staffing reduction. A new report claims that Intel leadership wants to reset the firm, focusing on research and new manufacturing operations in the wake of recent losses. The iconic chipmaker may have to cut thousands of jobs, relegating those workers to an already crowded technology job market.

  • ABP ☛ Intel Layoffs: Tech Firm Plans To Fire Thousands Of Employees, Says Report

    Intel reportedly plans to cut thousands of jobs as part of a cost-cutting strategy to support the critical initiative of recovering from recent earnings declines and market share losses. These layoffs are likely to be announced this week, according to a Bloomberg report citing sources.

    The tech firm currently employs approximately 110,000 people, excluding those at units being spun off, as per the report.

  • The Hindu ☛ Microsoft sinks, chipmakers climb as AI rally faces divide

    Disappointing quarterly results from Microsoft melted $340 billion of stock market value on Tuesday from it and rival heavyweights racing to dominate artificial intelligence technology

  • India ☛ Intel Layoff: Thousands of Jobs On The Line To Manage Company Costs

    Intel plans to cut thousands of jobs to finance a recovery and cope with eroding market share, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

    Shares of the chipmaker, which is set to report quarterly results on Thursday, were up about 1% in extended trading. The stock has slumped 40% so far this year.

  • Mass layoffs loom over Intel with recovery out of reach

    Few companies were hit as harshly as Intel during the 2022 – 2023 PC customer drought. In April 2023, Intel announced its worst-ever performance with a $2.8 billion loss, and began consider layoffs. Now at the end of July 2024, these layoffs are expected to be in the thousands of employees.

  • ABP ☛ Tinder Layoffs: Dating Apps' Parent Firm Plans To Fire 6% Of Its Employees

    Dating platform Tinder’s parent company, Match Group, announced on Tuesday that it will reduce its workforce by approximately 6 per cent as part of its plan to phase out live-streaming services on its dating apps. The firm's decision comes in response to pressure from activist investors advocating for changes, reported the news agency Reuters.

    The decision reportedly comes despite the company’s second-quarter revenue report, which showed a 4 per cent growth. During this period, Match Group generated approximately $864 million in revenue. However, Tinder has continued to experience a decline in paying users, which may have influenced these strategic adjustments.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • RFA ☛ Taiwan leader hails ‘largest-ever’ gathering of foreign lawmakers in Taipei

    Forty nine representatives from 23 countries attended the event despite China’s attempt to sabotage it.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Taiwan president Lai Ching-te calls on countries to unite amid China ‘threat’

    Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te said Tuesday “a threat from China to any country is a threat to the world”, emphasizing to lawmakers of more than 20 countries that global democracies must unite against “authoritarian expansion”.

  • France24 ☛ Biden calls for sweeping US Supreme Court reforms, including term limits

    Joe Biden unveiled plans for comprehensive US Supreme Court reforms, calling for 18-year term limits and an enforceable ethics code. Stung by controversial rulings and scandals, Biden aims to restore public confidence despite Republican opposition.

  • American Oversight ☛ Georgia Election Board Withdraws Rules Approved in Illegal Meeting Following American Oversight Lawsuit

  • JURIST ☛ US federal court dismisses lawsuit against counting of mail-in ballots after election day

    A US federal court dismissed a Republican National Committee (RNC) challenge on Sunday to a Mississippi law that allows validly cast mail-in votes to be counted for up to five business days after election day.

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ Ball of Thread: Devin Nunes’ Collusion

    The fourth episode of Ball of Thread.

  • RFA ☛ Media Watch: Rumors abound in Chinese following Biden’s withdrawal

    From Zelenski to Putin, the news of Biden’s withdrawal sparked rumors involving world leaders.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • France24 ☛ Russia relies on 'unwitting Americans' to spread election disinformation, US officials say

      Russia is turning a fresh page in their propaganda playbook in a bid to influence public opinion ahead of the 2024 US presidential election by employing both witting and unwitting Americans as well as commercial public relations firms in Russia to spread disinformation, top intelligence officials said on Monday.

    • New York Times ☛ Kamala Harris Faces a Faster, Uglier Version of the Internet

      Politicians have long faced racist and sexist attacks online. But Ms. Harris is being attacked on more platforms, with new technologies and in front of bigger audiences than Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • RFA ☛ China trains politically correct Protestant pastors

    Beijing sees Christianity as a dangerous foreign import and is stepping up control over churches.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Senate passes controversial bills designed to protect children online

    The Senate today unanimousl passed two children’s online safety bills in a rare show of bipartisan support.

  • New York Times ☛ How the Kids Online Safety Act Was Dragged Into a Political War

    The Senate overwhelmingly passed the Kids Online Safety Act on Tuesday, but the legislation faces an uphill battle in the House because of censorship concerns.

  • New York Times ☛ Senate Passes Child Online Safety Bill, Sending It to an Uncertain House Fate

    The legislation would impose stricter privacy rules and safeguards for children on the internet and social control media, but concerns about free speech and fierce industry lobbying pose challenges.

  • Scoop News Group ☛ Pair of lawsuits seek to revive fight over alleged censorship campaigns

    In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s Murthy decision, legal experts see an uphill fight for conspiracy theorists.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ Sun publisher agrees to searches over allegations of security threat invented to justify ’email wiping’

    Preliminary hearing held over claims brought by Tom Watson and Sir Vince Cable.

  • Press Gazette ☛ News is TV genre seeing biggest dip in viewing – Ofcom

    Average news viewing on public service broadcaster channels was down by 16 hours per person in 2023.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • University of Michigan ☛ Musicology professors granted emeritus status after an alleged 30-year record of unprofessional conduct

    A little over two years ago, The Michigan Daily published an article uncovering decades of alleged misconduct by two professors of music in the musicology department of the School of Music, Theatre & Dance.

  • JURIST ☛ ACLU of Virginia sues Liberty University for firing transgender woman

    The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Virginia and law firm Butler Curwood filed a lawsuit in Lynchburg, Virginia against Liberty University on Monday for firing former employee Ellenor Zinski after she disclosed that she was transgender. The complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia.

  • University of Michigan ☛ Former ULAM employee files lawsuit against UMich Board of Regents, others for wrongful termination

    Last May, Erika Ventura, former animal husbandry technician at Michigan Medicine’s Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine, was terminated from her position.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ APNIC appoints Jia Rong Low as Director General

    Jia Rong Low will join APNIC in October 2024.

  • APNIC ☛ Event Wrap: APIGA 2024

    APNIC actively participated in the 2024 Asia Pacific Internet Governance Academy in Busan, South Korea from 8 to 12 July 2024.

  • Public Knowledge ☛ Public Knowledge Welcomes New Bipartisan Effort To Restore Affordable Connectivity Program

    Congress moves to restore a program that helped more than 23 million families afford high-speed internet access.

  • Public Knowledge ☛ NTIA Supports Open Artificial Intelligence Models in Line with Public Knowledge Recommendations

    New report recommends against restrictions on open foundation models.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Digital Music News ☛ Live Nation Reports Over $6 Billion in Q2 2024 Revenue — And Nearly $280 Million in Half-Year Astroworld Settlement Costs

  Live Nation has reported north of $6 billion in revenue for the second quarter, up about 7% YoY. But against the backdrop of an intensifying Justice Department antitrust lawsuit, shares dipped on the news.

• Patents

  • Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ Guidance Note on Skeleton Arguments in English Patent Court Proceedings

    A recent decision from Joanna Smith J dealing with the costs of a withdrawn application in a case before the English Patents Court contains an important postscript and suggests that the rules in the Patents Court Guide regarding the lodging and filing of skeleton arguments need to be revisited.

  • Sen. Coons, RESTORE This Bill to the Shelf

    On Tuesday, Sen. Chris Coons introduced the RESTORE Act.  This bill tries to overturn the Supreme Court’s eBay v. MercExchange decision.  Justice Thomas, writing for a unanimous court in eBay,overturned the Federal Circuit’s ahistorical rule, incompatible with the principles of equity, that an injunction should presumptively be issued on any finding of patent monopoly infringement.

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ UPC and SEPs/FRAND: Many questions, very few answers (so far) [Ed: UPC is totally illegal; in the EU, the patent system is basically a manifestation of EPO corruption now]

      The question of the role that UPC is likely to play in relation to SEPs (and therefore FRAND licenses) is one that I’ve heard most often since the new jurisdiction was born, certainly because the main aim of the UPC is to harmonize hitherto fragmented patent monopoly litigation in Europe, notably to improve legal certainty.

• Trademarks

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Federal Circuit Closes Book on TRUMP TOO SMALL Trademark Saga

    Acting per curiam and sua sponte, Judges Dyk, Taranto, and Chen issued an order recalling and vacating their prior judgment that had invalidated Section 2(c) of the Lanham Act. This provision prohibits the registration of trademarks consisting of or comprising “a name . . . identifying a particular living individual” without the written consent of that person.  Instead, Federal Circuit has now affirmed the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s (TTAB) original decision barring Elster from registering the mark “TRUMP TOO SMALL” as a t-shirt slogan.

    Elster serves as the final leg of a trio of Supreme Court trademark-speech cases that also includes Matal v. Tam (2017) and Iancu v. Brunetti (2019). 

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Which of These Section 2(d) Refusals Was/Were Reversed?

    So far this year, the rate of TTAB affirmance of Section 2(d) refusals is running at about 94%. However, at least one of these recent Section 2(d) refusals summarized below was reversed. How do you think these appeals came out? [Answers in first comment.]

• Copyrights

  • Tell Them To Bring Out The Whole Ocean

    A standard DMCA notice from an OPnlyFans performer leads to the de-indexing of some unrelated science & environment webpages

  • Hackaday ☛ The Last Instrument To Get Auto-Tuned

    Various decades have their musical signature, like the excessive use of synthesizers and hairspray in the 1980s pop music scene. Likewise, the early 2010s was marked by a fairly extreme use of autotune, a technology that allows sounds, especially vocals, to be shifted to precise pitches regardless of the pitch of the original source. In this dark era, a wide swath of instruments and voices on the charts were auto-tuned at some point, although we don’t remember this iconic instrument ever being featured among the annals of pitch-shifted pop music.

  • Hackaday ☛ AI Image Generator Twists In Response To MIDI Dials, In Real-time

    MIDI isn’t just about music, as [Johannes Stelzer] shows by using dials to adjust AI-generated imagery in real-time. The results are wild, with an interactivity to them that we don’t normally see in such things.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Gloria Gaynor Sues Ex-Producer Over Breach of Contract, Copyright Infringement Claims

    Gloria Gaynor is suing her former producer with allegations of breach of contract, copyright monopoly infringement, and unpaid royalties.

  • Digital Music News ☛ South Africa Stands Its Ground On Fair Use Expansions As the Hey Hi (AI) Copyright Battleground Goes Global

    South Africa hits back against the IIPA’s assertion that the country isn’t doing enough to combat copyright monopoly infringement, defending its broad fair use exceptions.