Leftovers

• Ruben Schade ☛ The uConsole, as recommended by you!

  Can I just say how awesome you all are? Despite my current bout of social anxiety meaning I barely have the mental capacity to reply to my ever-increasing backlog of email comments and Mastodon posts, you all pull through and solve a problem for me within a day of writing!

  On Sunday I talked about my desire for a modern OQO or Hand386 portable machine I could use while standing on the train. I remembered the joy of sitting on the Singapore MRT as a kid with my Palm III or VAIO subnotebook, but wanted something a bit beefier and easier to use with one hand.

• Hackaday ☛ Voyager 2’s Plasma Spectrometer Turned Off In Power-Saving Measure

  The Voyager 2 spacecraft’s energy budget keeps dropping by about 4 Watt/year, as the plutonium in its nuclear power source is steadily dropping as the isotope decays. With 4 Watt of power less to use by its systems per year, the decision was made to disable the plasma spectrometer (PLS) instrument. As also noted by the NASA Voyager 2 team on Twitter, this doesn’t leave the spacecraft completely blind to plasma in the interstellar medium as the plasma wave subsystem (PWS) is still active. The PLS was instrumental in determining in 2018 that Voyager 2 had in fact left the heliosphere and entered interstellar space. The PLS on Voyager 1 had already broken down in 1980 and was turned off in 2007.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ White Noise Is Like Music to These Microbes, And It Helps Them Thrive

    This may have surprising benefits for us.

  • Science Alert ☛ Cannabis Use During Pregnancy Associated With Genetic Changes in Baby Brains

    And use is on the rise.

  • Science Alert ☛ Swallowing May Trigger a Feel-Good Sensation in The Brain to Drive Eating

    Could this explain why we crave food?

  • Science Alert ☛ Tiny Earth-Like World Discovered Orbiting Nearest Single Star to Earth

    Our new teensy neighbor could help us search for life.

  • Science Alert ☛ Genetic Tweaks in Astrocytes Could Be Key to Alzheimer's Treatment

    They can help take out the trash.

  • Science Alert ☛ NASA Detects Carbon Dioxide on Surface of Pluto's Moon Charon

    And that's not all they found.

• Education

  • Stanford University ☛ Preliminary admissions data for class of 2028 shows drop in Black, Latino enrollment

    The class of 2028 is the first to be admitted since the Supreme Court's decision to strike down affirmative action in college admissions. The University wrote it plans to use “legal, race-neutral” strategies to ensure diversity in future classes. 

• Hardware

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Taiwan National Science Council believes China is 10 years behind TSMC

    Although some believe SMIC is just a few years behind TSMC, Taiwan officials think differently.

  • CNX Software ☛ Thunderbolt 5 devices are starting to show up with OWC portable SSD and Kensington docking station

    Thunderbolt 5 was first unveiled last year with promises of 120 Gbps bandwidth and support for multiple 8K monitors. The good news is that the first Thunderbolt 5-compliant devices are now coming to market. There’s not too much to choose from for now, but we need to start somewhere, and the OWC Envoy Ultra portable SSD ($299.99 and up) and the Kensington SD5000T5 EQ Thunderbolt™ 5 Triple 4K Docking Station with 140W PD  ($399.99) – also found on Amazon –  are some of the first Thunderbolt 5 devices to make it to market.

  • CNX Software ☛ UnifyDrive UT2 – A compact NAS powered by Rockchip RK3588C with NVMe SSD support and AI-driven storage management (Crowdfunding)

    The UnifyDrive UT2 is a compact network-attached storage (NAS) device powered by the Rockchip RK3588C processor. It supports WiFi 6, and Bluetooth, and has multiple ports for connectivity. Equipped with two M.2 2280 slots for PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSDs, it offers up to 16 TB of storage. The device can connect to networks via 2.5 GbE or WiFi and also function as a WiFi access point, allowing file transfers even without an internet connection. A built-in battery provides uninterruptible power supply (UPS) functionality, enabling continued operation when unplugged.

  • Hackaday ☛ Laptop GPU Upgrade With Just A Little Reballing

    Modern gaming laptops are in an uncomfortable spot – often too underpowered for newest titles, but too bulky to be genuinely portable. It doesn’t help they’re not often upgradeable, so you’re stuck with what you’ve bought – unless, say, you’re a hacker equipped some tools for PCB reflow? If that’s the case, welcome to [TechModLab]’s video showing you the process of upgrading a laptop’s soldered-on NVIDIA GPU, replacing the 3070 chip with a 3080.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Stanford University ☛ SoCo Spotlight: How to find happiness

    Intrigued by what it means to be happy, 15 students spent three weeks deliberating the notion of happiness and what exists beyond it.

  • University of Michigan ☛ Canceling plans? Blame social burnout

    During the summer, I set my goal for sophomore year: form as many friendships as possible. When I arrived on campus last month, I filled the empty spaces on my Surveillance Giant Google Calendar with events and challenged myself to have multiple conversations with new friends every day.

  • New Yorker ☛ Where the Bubble-Tea Industry Has Gone Into Hyperdrive

    In China, a new generation of milk-tea chains—with design schemes that evoke everything from Communist-era factory floors to spaceships—sell not only beverages but also imagined worlds.

  • Ars Technica ☛ Lab owner pleads guilty to faking COVID test results during pandemic - Ars Technica

  • Science Alert ☛ Immune Response Thought to Aid Cancer Could Be an Unexpected Cure

    The yang to our immunity's yin?

  • Science Alert ☛ US Breast Cancer Cases Rising Despite Declining Death Rates, Study Finds

    There's an uneven impact.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Microsoft pulls plug on HoloLens 2 AR headset

    Microsoft has officially stopped making its HoloLens 2 headsets, as reported by UploadVR.

    The company has promised to keep rolling out updates for "critical security issues and software regressions" until the end of 2027.

  • More Details For Recent Microsoft Layoffs Reveals Team Overwatch 2 And Diablo 4 Got Struck The Hardest

    The gaming industry has changed drastically in the past decade and it’s not a secret that it is not in its best state right now. This year Microsoft has gotten rid of a large chunk of its employees and they are continuing to do so as Activision Blizzard will start laying off employees at its Irvine, Santa Monica, and Playa Vista locations.

  • Bruce Schneier ☛ California Hey Hi (AI) Safety Bill Vetoed

    Governor Newsom has vetoed the state’s Hey Hi (AI) safety bill.

    I have mixed feelings about the bill. There’s a lot to like about it, and I want governments to regulate in this space.

  • Neowin ☛ Rogue Hey Hi (AI) goes Admin-mode, installs updates that the PC could never reboot from

    A recent incident highlights the importance of using Hey Hi (AI) carefully and responsibly.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Privacy International ☛ Decoding vertical tech integrations: why do they matter?

    • Bert Hubert ☛ CSAM Regulation Update: Dutch Intelligence agency weighs in

      A quick update - The European Commission and EU member states have been pondering, for years now, if they should force WhatsApp/Apple/Signal/Telegram to scan all our private messages for suspected child sexual abuse material (CSAM). For various reasons it is a horrendous idea to break end to end encryption in this likely highly ineffective way. Variations of the proposal have also included a mandate to perform such scanning of images using AI, and even to also read our text messages to see if we aren’t “grooming” children.

    • EFF ☛ Digital ID Isn't for Everybody, and That's Okay | EFFector 36.13

      It can feel overwhelming to stay up to date, but we've got you covered with our EFFector newsletter! You can read the full issue here, or subscribe to get the next one in your inbox automatically! You can also listen to the audio version of the newsletter on the Internet Archive, or by clicking the button below:

• Defence/Aggression

  • France24 ☛ World leaders call for de-escalation after Iran's missile attack on Israel

    World leaders called for restraint on Tuesday after Iran launched its biggest missile attack yet against arch-foe Israel, while the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas hailed the attack, calling it "revenge for the blood of our heroic martyrs".

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippines draws defence firms as military modernises amid South China Sea tension

    Global defence contractors put their advanced hardware on display as the Philippines embarks on the latest phase of a multi-billion-dollar effort to modernise its military at a time of rising tension in the South China Sea.

  • France24 ☛ 🔴 Live: Israel sends more troops into Lebanon after Iranian missile attack

    Israel and Iran traded threats on Wednesday after the Islamic Republic fired at least 180 missiles at Israel in its biggest attack yet against its arch-enemy, stoking fears of a wider regional conflict. The Israeli military launched new strikes against Hezbollah targets in Beirut's suburbs and deployed additional infantry and armoured units in southern Lebanon, a day after it announced a "limited, localised and targeted" ground operation against the Iran-backed militant group. Follow our live blog for the latest updates on the crisis in the Middle East.

  • RFA ☛ Residents of Myanmar’s Lashio flee relentless airstrikes

    The military appears determined to recapture areas it lost despite China’s efforts to promote peace

  • New York Times ☛ Live Updates: Israel Promises to Retaliate After Iranian Missile Attack

    The strike raised fears that two of the Middle East’s most powerful militaries could be drawn into direct conflict. Israel’s military said more troops would join its forces that have begun an invasion of southern Lebanon.

  • New York Times ☛ Lebanon’s Government, Crippled by Years of Crises, Is Ill-Prepared for Escalation

    Already crippled by years of economic decline, political paralysis and other crises, Lebanon has little but its own citizens’ grit to survive the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

  • New York Times ☛ Attitudes About Nasrallah Appear More Positive in Middle East Since His Death

    Sentiment about the Hezbollah leader shifted after the Israeli strike that killed him, partly reflecting anger toward Israel, according to an analysis.

  • New York Times ☛ Why Did Iran Strike Israel?

    The barrage of missile fire came after much debate among Iranian leaders, officials there say.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel Has Destroyed Half of Hezbollah’s Arsenal, U.S. and Israeli Officials Say

    The Lebanese militia is seeking more weapons from Iran, the officials said. It has yet to fire large barrages at Israel, and its top ranks have been crippled by Israeli strikes.

  • New York Times ☛ As Iran Launches a Missile Attack, Israel’s Next Move May Determine Course of War

    A look back to an exchange of strikes in April suggests one possibility for what could unfold over the coming days.

  • New York Times ☛ What Is the Axis of Resistance? the Iran-Backed Militia Network

    The alliance is under scrutiny after the recent Israeli strikes in Lebanon.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel Vows Retaliation Against Iran, and Takeaways From the Debate

    Plus, Mexico’s first female president.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Cambodia says it would welcome US Navy at port expanded with China’s help

    The Pentagon is concerned that the port will become a Chinese outpost.

  • RFA ☛ China denies injuring ‘illegal’ Vietnamese fishing crew

    China's foreign ministry said law enforcement was ‘professional and restrained.’

  • LRT ☛ ‘We’re in Cold War Two’ – interview with British historian Niall Ferguson

    We are now in the second Cold War, with only one difference from the first one: China has replaced the Soviet Union as the other pole to the United States. So says British historian Niall Ferguson, speaking at the Tipping Point conference in Lithuania in September.

  • ADF ☛ West African Military Logistics Experts Gather to Address Challenges

    A time-worn military adage says: “Amateurs talk strategy; professionals talk logistics.” Experienced leaders know that without solid logistics, any military plan is destined to fail. That philosophy was at the heart of the 2024 West African Logistics Conference held recently in Douala, Cameroon.

  • ADF ☛ MNJTF Operation Aims to Restore ‘Sanity’ to Lake Chad Basin

    Troop morale was high when the Multinational Joint Task Force launched Operation Lake Sanity 2 on April 23 and immediately began making headway against the violent extremist organizations that have terrorized the region for years.

  • ADF ☛ Niger-Iran Uranium Deal Raises Fears of Nuclear Proliferation

    As Niger tries to address a cratering economy and constant terror attacks, its ruling junta is turning to a new ally with a dangerous request. Iran has been working secretly on a deal with Niger’s ruling junta to buy 300 metric tons of uranium ore worth more than $56 million.

  • ADF ☛ China Exports One-Party Model Via Schools

    China has built and supported African political party training schools since the 1960s. But in recent years, it has shifted its approach on the continent to directly training party and government officials. “We should explore the building of a new type of party-to-party relations,” Chinese leader Pooh-tin Jinping has said.

  • ADF ☛ Back to School Leads Back to Violence in Cameroon

    As children prepared to return to school in Cameroon, a wave of violence swept through the Northwest and Southwest regions, sparking fears of a worsening conflict. The surge in fighting began in August, when separatists from the Anglophone region warned the government not to reopen schools, as scheduled, in September.

  • ADF ☛ Kenya Receives Helicopters, Armored Vehicles Amid Ongoing Terror Threats

    The Kenya Defense Forces has begun receiving helicopters and other military equipment from the United States as it faces ongoing terror threats and participates in regional and international peacekeeping missions. In July, Kenya received two of eight UH-1 “Huey” helicopters.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Diddy Faces Possible Onslaught of 120+ New Sexual Assault Lawsuits

    Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs faces dozens of new sexual assault allegations in a series of lawsuits soon to be filed. When it rains, it pours, and rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs doesn’t have an umbrella since his arrest last month.

  • LRT ☛ Lithuania to allow border guards to shoot down smuggler balloons – minister

    Lithuania’s authorities have agreed that the planned legislative amendments should allow the State Border Guard Service (VSAT) and the Public Security Service (VST) to take down contraband-carrying balloons that illegally enter Lithuania’s airspace, Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas said on Wednesday.

  • ADF ☛ Mali’s Military Junta Struggles to Contain Surging Violence

    Mali’s military junta has repeatedly pledged to restore security to the country after using the terror threat as justification for coups in 2020 and 2021. Instead, the violence has gotten worse. Last year, Mali recorded a 38% increase in violence targeting civilians, according to Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED).

  • The Kent Stater ☛ Israeli troops have launched a ground offensive in southern Lebanon. Here’s what we know

    Israel has launched a ground operation across its northern border into Lebanon targeting the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, opening a new and dangerous phase in almost a year of war.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel Weighs Retaliation After Iranian Missile Attack

    Security analysts and former officials said the damage Israel had inflicted on Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia, had stripped Tehran of much of its deterrence against a wider Israeli attack.

  • Defence Web ☛ US approves $740 million Stinger missile sale to Egypt

    The US State Department has approved a possible $740 million sale of Stinger surface-to-air missiles to Egypt, covering the acquisition of 720 missiles. The Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of the possible sale on 24 September.

  • Defence Web ☛ Phased MONUSCO exit will not affect ongoing peace efforts – Keita

    Addressing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the world body’s senior representative in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) confirmed its mission is leaving, adding MONUSCO would continue protecting civilians and delivering humanitarian assistance until “its very last day”.

  • Scoop News Group ☛ America’s allies are shifting: Cyberspace is about persistence, not deterrence

    Countries like the United Kingdom, Japan, and Canada are adopting the U.S.'s proactive cyber strategy to anticipate and mitigate vulnerabilities, reflecting a shift away from deterrence.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Defense Security Cooperation Service reaches full operating capability

    The Defense Security Cooperation Service will ensure ensuring that security cooperation officers are better prepared to engage with allies and partners.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • New York Times ☛ In Ukraine, a Long Battle for Vuhledar Nears a Sudden End

      The loss of Vuhledar, at the intersection of two fronts, would complicate the defense of a regional transit hub and strengthen Russian supply lines, Ukrainian soldiers say.

    • Meduza ☛ The fall of Vuhledar: How Ukraine lost the ‘fortress town’ and what its capture could mean for the war’s future — Meduza

    • RFERL ☛ Several Wounded, Including Child, In Russian Shelling Of Kharkiv Region

      Russian troops shelled Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, early on October 1, causing damage, Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported on Telegram.

    • RFERL ☛ Kyiv Investigating 'Largest Mass Execution' Of Ukrainian Soldiers Captured By Russia

      Ukraine's Prosecutor-General’s Office has initiated an investigation into what it describes as the "largest mass execution" of Ukrainian "prisoners of war" by Russian troops since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion more than 31 months ago.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Russia’s political prisoners must not be forgotten

      The international community must not forget the more than one thousand Russian political prisoners currently incarcerated by the Kremlin, writes Leonid Gozman.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Ukraine needs international investors to maintain defense tech momentum

      Ukraine's rapidly expanding defense tech sector can play a game-changing role in the war against Russia but Ukrainian companies need international investment, writes Ukraine's Minister for Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov.

    • Latvia ☛ Still a lot of Russian, Belarusian products on sale in Latvia

      The full-scale war started by Russia in Ukraine is now in its third year, while food, drinks, and other goods from the aggressor countries are still available in Latvian shops, Latvian Radio reported October 2.

    • Latvia ☛ Charity concert to raise funds for Ukraine

      On October 4 at 19:00, in the Great Hall of the University of Latvia (LU) in Rīga, a charity concert "The Invincible Melody of Freedom" will offer an enjoyable, although slightly unusual, musical combination – Ukrainian jazz and Latvian choral music.

    • The Straits Times ☛ China’s Pooh-tin tells Putin he is ready to ‘expand’ ties: State media

      Mr Pooh-tin is set to attend a meeting of the Brics countries in the Russian city of Kazan in October.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s Pooh-tin Jinping tells Russia’s Vladimir Putin he is ready to ‘expand’ cooperation

      Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping on Wednesday told Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin he was ready to “expand” cooperation, as the two leaders exchanged congratulations on the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations, state media said.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Soofer interviewed on CNBC-TV18 about change in Russia’s nuclear posture

      On Friday, September 27, Forward Defense Senior Fellow Dr. Robert Soofer was interviewed by host Parikshit Luthra as part of a panel on Indian television network CNBC-TV18 to discuss the change in Russia’s nuclear posture.

    • New York Times ☛ Putin Tries to Recruit More Soldiers, Encourage Bigger Families

      President Vladimir Putin is throwing ever more resources at two interlocked priorities: recruiting more soldiers and encouraging bigger families.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan shuts down for Typhoon Krathon, bringing torrential rain

    The government in the key port city of Kaohsiung has told people to stay at home.

  • New York Times ☛ Taiwan Closes Schools and Workplaces as Typhoon Krathon Nears

    The storm has already injured 46 people and forced thousands of evacuations, the authorities said, warning that torrential rain could cause landslides and flooding.

  • Science Alert ☛ Hurricane Helene's Aftermath: North Carolina Faces a New Crisis

    It could take years to recover.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippines' Taal volcano erupts but alert level low

    The Philippines' Taal Volcano near the capital region has erupted, spewing a plume of steam that was more than 2 km (1.24 miles) high, the seismology agency said on Wednesday.

  • MIT Technology Review ☛ 2024 Climate Tech Companies to Watch: Rondo Energy and its hot bricks

    Rondo Energy is supplying cheap, zero-emissions heat to factories to replace fossil-fuel-powered boilers, furnaces, and kilns. Its approach of using bricks and iron wire to provide a steady supply of hot air or steam stands out for its simplicity and potential to scale.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • H2 View ☛ 1.1GW electrolyser in China to begin producing hydrogen next year

      Jiangsu Xingran Technology’s 1.1GW PEM electrolyser plant is set to enter full-scale operations in January 2025.

    • MIT Technology Review ☛ 2024 Climate Tech Companies to Watch: BYD and its affordable EVs

      It may not yet be a household name, but BYD is gaining recognition outside China for its affordable and accessible EVs. Despite regulatory scrutiny in the West, it’s determined to lower the boundaries to manufacturing and transporting its vehicles across the globe. Five years ago, BYD was just another Chinese carmaker in a crowded field.…

    • DeSmog ☛ No Mention of Climate Change in Ontario Minister’s Disaster Response Speech

    • DeSmog ☛ Vance’s ‘Weird Science’ Debate Remark Echoes Billionaire Who Powered His Political Rise

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • New York Times ☛ Is That a Panda at the Zoo? Or a Dog in a Disguise?

      Zoos around the world have occasionally used a little dye, or just brazenness, to pass off one animal as another.

    • ADF ☛ The Gambia Ramps Up Efforts to Stop Illegal Fishing

      The Gambia is increasing its efforts to battle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which has plagued West Africa for decades.

    • The Revelator ☛ Tree Cutting in Egypt: The Desertification of Governance

  • Overpopulation

    • RFA ☛ A conservation treasure is threatened by Indonesian plans for food security

      Military-led project also risks stirring resentment in easternmost Papua region, researchers say.

    • France24 ☛ Haiti’s displaced facing ‘catastrophic’ food insecurity

      A new report has found that more than half of Haiti’s population is suffering from acute hunger amid political instability and a security crisis that has seen armed gangs take control of vast swaths of the country. The country’s large number of internally displaced are at particular risk, according to the UN’s World Food Programme.

    • FAIR ☛ New Yorker Sides With Right Against Childless Cat Ladies

      New Yorker writer Emma Green’s latest piece, “The Case for Having Lots of Kids” (9/24/24), dives into the right’s election flashpoint that there is something seriously wrong with Americans—especially women—not having enough children. In an interview with Catholic University political economist Catherine Pakaluk, Green disregards a mountain of evidence showing that economic factors play into low birth rates, instead feeding us a narrative that the problem is women’s irreligious collective soul.

• Finance

  • France24 ☛ French PM Barnier tells parliament the country’s 'colossal' debt is a 'sword of Damocles'

    France's new Prime Minister Michel Barnier outlined his policy plans in a much-anticipated speech to parliament on Tuesday. Barnier, who leads a government with no clear majority in parliament, was heckled by left-wing lawmakers throughout his address.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Dock strike threatens economy before election and holidays

    Unions have regained the clout to challenge employers. Now a strike by dockworkers over pay and automation is putting the economy – and Democrats – on edge before the election.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Raises New Concerns Over Chinese Lending Practices

    A Treasury official will call for greater transparency over emergency currency “swap” loans to struggling countries by China’s central bank.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Mexico dominates at the Homeless World Cup in Seoul

    Mexico's men's and women's teams won big in the annual street soccer tournament, which works to raise awareness of homelessness worldwide.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ Singapore-China ties set to be re-energised: Chinese ambassador

    A “new atmosphere” of cooperation is expected with Lawrence Wong having taken the helm as Prime Minister.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Japanese ministers say they are not pursuing PM’s ‘Asian Nato’ proposal

    Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has argued that an “Asian Nato” will deter China from using military force in Asia.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s Pooh-tin Jinping congratulates new Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on taking office

    By James Edgar Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping has congratulated new Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, state media reported Wednesday, the day after he took office in Tokyo.

  • RFA ☛ Mao Zedong's mass political campaigns still drive Chinese politics

    75 years later, his legacy is a party that brainwashes people to accept the next political target, experts say.

  • RFA ☛ French museum blasted for using 'Xizang' in Tibet exhibits

    Activists say the renaming is part of China’s effort to distort Tibetan history and undermine cultural identity.

  • RFA ☛ Walz said he ‘misspoke’ about being in Hong Kong during Tiananmen protest

    The Democratic hopeful said he can be a ‘knucklehead’ but learned from China experience

  • RFA ☛ China celebrates 75th birthday but Uyghurs and Tibetans chafe under Beijing's rule

    Tibetans are subjected to more ‘patriotic education’ as a Uyghur camp survivor calls it ‘Day of Mourning.’

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s Pooh-tin congratulates new Japan PM Ishiba: State media

    China has said it wants to improve ties with Japan following Mr Shigeru Ishiba’s victory.

  • New York Times ☛ Could Republicans Gain a Senate Seat After the Menendez Scandal?

    Curtis Bashaw, a hotel owner, is competing to represent New Jersey in the U.S. Senate against Andy Kim, a Democratic congressman.

  • The Kent Stater ☛ Five weeks to Election Day, pre-election voting looks set to decline from pandemic-era highs

    CNN — While there are still five weeks until Election Day, voting is already underway across the country and a CNN review suggests pre-election voting this year will drop from the pandemic-era highs of 2020.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • The Strategist ☛ Sovereign data: Australia’s Hey Hi (AI) shield against disinformation

      Any attempt to regulate artificial intelligence is likely to be ineffective without first ensuring the availability of trusted large-scale sovereign data sets.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • BIA Net ☛ İzmir newspaper faces censorship after report on religious group's involvement in student housing

    The newspaper wasn’t allowed to publish the story concerning the religious group that the printing house is linked to.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong security chief accuses ex-lawmaker of ‘glorifying’ jailed Stand News editor

    Hong Kong’s security chief has accused a former lawmaker of “glorifying” jailed Stand News editor Chung Pui-kuen in an opinion piece published by Ming Pao.

  • Off Guardian ☛ Guilty!

    So, the Berlin Appellate Court overturned my acquittal today. I am now, officially, at least according to the New Normal German authorities, a “hate-speech” criminal.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ Reuters and CNN launch paywalls on same day

    CNN's digital subscription will go live in the US whereas Reuters will roll out its own worldwide.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • AccessNow ☛ #FreeAlaa: You have not yet been defeated

    Alaa Abd El Fattah, Egyptian-British activist, blogger, and software developer, and a central figure in technology and political activism in his country should have been released from prison on September

  • CS Monitor ☛ Georgia judge strikes down state’s abortion ban as unconstitutional. Will it last?

    The state’s abortion law, which took effect in 2022, was deemed in violation of Georgia’s constitution. Judge Robert McBurney wrote in his order “liberty in Georgia includes ... the power of a woman to control her own body.”

  • Press Gazette ☛ Police tracked journalist number plates to warn sex offenders they were approaching

    Sex offenders were moved to avoid them being approached by journalists.

  • JURIST ☛ Ontario First Nations file class action against government, alleging discriminatory underfunding of firefighting services

    Two Ontario First Nations bands — Oneida of the Thames and the Sandy Lake First Nation — have filed a class-action lawsuit against the Ontario provincial government alleging discriminatory underfunding of fire protection services.

  • JURIST ☛ Bilingual Quebec municipalities seek temporary suspension of laws prohibiting English use in government

    A group of bilingual municipalities within Quebec have sought a temporary suspension against provisions of a law mandating the use of the French language in all municipal proceedings, while proceeding with a larger challenge against Bill 96, Quebec’s controversial new language law.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Federal workers get new source for ‘official time’ laws

    New Federal Labor Relations Authority training video for federal employees, unions and managers highlights types of work included as part of official time.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ AusNOG 2024

    Geoff Huston presented on 'Measuring Starlink' at AusNOG 2024 held in Sydney, Australia from 5 and 6 September

  • Ruben Schade ☛ An October 2024 browser monoculture update

    Wait, we’re in October of this year now? Where does the time go.

    I wrote about browser monocultures back in 2021:

    I rasied the impending Chromium monoculture back in August last year. I raised the issue about why monocultures are bad, why it is the same thing we dealt with during the dark IE days, and what we need to do to address it again.

  • Jim Nielsen ☛ Putting the “Person” in “Personal Website”

    The other day I saw a meme that went something like this:

    Isn’t it crappy how basic human activities like singing, dancing, and making art have been turned into skills instead of being recognized as behaviors? The point of doing these things has become to get good at them. But they should be recognized as things humans do innately, like how birds sing or bees make hives.

    I thought about that for a minute, then decided: making websites should be the same!

    The original vision for the web, according to Tim Berners-Lee, was to make it a collaborate medium where everyone could read and write.

  • Netcraft ☛ Face Off: US Election Debate Sparks New Wave of Crypto-Doubling Scams

    In the wake of the second US presidential election debate between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump (September 10), Netcraft identified a series of crypto investment scams monopolizing on the publicity around this key event. 

    Our research uncovered 24 crypto-doubling scam domains related to the debate, including 14 phishing websites using the word “debate” in their domain, e.g. debatetrump[.]io, tesladebate[.]com, and debate[.]money. 

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ “Sony” judgment of the Cour de cassation of 24 April 2024: admissibility of an assignee’s infringement action for acts performed prior to the registration of the assignment of the patent

    In an important decision rendered on 24 April 2024, the Commercial Chamber of the Cour de cassation (i.e., French Supreme Court) ruled that the assignment of a patent monopoly is not enforceable against third parties if it is not registered [...]

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Diamond in the Rough: Can a Composition of Matter Claim Be an Abstract Idea?

    US Synthetic Corp. v. ITC, Docket No. 23-01217 (Fed. Cir., pending appeal)

    The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) is often seen as a pro-patentee venue -- but not for US Synthetics and its attempts to enforce its patents covering drill bit diamond tips.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ USPTO announces End of AFCP 2.0

    Termination of AFCP 2.0 Program: The USPTO has announced that the After Final Consideration Pilot (AFCP) 2.0 program will expire on December 14, 2024. This decision comes after the Office proposed implementing a new fee for AFCP 2.0 requests earlier this year, which received significant pushback.

    Take-Home Points for Patent Practitioners: [...]

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ QuantifiCare sues Canfield Scientific at UPC over 3D medical imaging systems [Ed: UPC is an illegal, fake 'court', which is still being shamelessly promoted by sites like these that got paid to play along]

      In the dispute with Canfield Scientific over 3D medical imaging systems, the French company QuantifiCare now has the upper hand again. Initially, the German Federal Patent Court had declared the important EP 3 156 843 invalid.

  • Software Patents

    • Unified Patents ☛ Blockchain Zone launches with support from COPA to deter Patent Trolls

      We are pleased to announce that the Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a non-profit community of 20+ companies formed to help adoption of cryptocurrency through cross-licensing and encouraging, is now a member of Unified’s Transactions and Blockchain Zones.

      With COPA’s support, Unified is launching the Blockchain Zone to target NPE/patent troll activity in related technologies. Several Unified members are also expanding membership to support the Blockchain Zone. 

    • Unified Patents ☛ TG--2006 Holdings info tracking patent monopoly prior art found

      Unified is pleased to announce prior art has been found on U.S. Patent 9,454,741, owned by TG--2006 Holdings, LLC, an NPE. The ‘741 patent monopoly relates generally to information tracking, and in particular, to a system and method of tracking information in a business environment.

    • Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 awarded for Digimedia Tech TV programming patent monopoly prior art

      Unified is pleased to announce PATROLL crowdsourcing contest winner, Nitish Jaswal, who was awarded $2,000 for his prior art submissions on U.S. Patent 7,065,778, owned and asserted by Digimedia Tech LLC, an NPE. The ‘778 patent monopoly relates to utilizing personalized video recorders and other similar types of devices to distribute television programming.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ "Sunflower in Lapel" for Legal Services Lacks Acquired Distinctiveness, Says TTAB

    The Board upheld a refusal to register the mark shown below, for providing podcasts, CLE, and on-line videos in the field of intellectual property law, and for legal advisory services in the field of trademark law, on the ground that the proposed mark "fails to function as a service mark because it is nondistinctive trade dress and Applicant has not established that it has acquired distinctiveness for Applicant’s services." In re Erik M. Pelton & Associates, PLLC, Serial No. 97325462 (September 26, 2024) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Robert Lavache).

    Applicant's mark comprises "a sunflower lapel pin uniform feature, with yellow petals forming the outside of the sunflower and a brown center outlined in black; the dotted lines in the image are not part of the mark but to show placement of the sunflower uniform feature on a suit lapel."

    Applicant asserted that its proposed mark falls under the “tertium quid" rubric, and the Board agreed: the lapel pin is not applicant's product Applicant, nor is it packaging or "dressing" for goods. Therefore, "the proposed mark is best characterized as trade dress akin to product packaging for services."

• Copyrights

  • Torrent Freak ☛ Ryujinx Switch Emulator Project Shuts Down Under Nintendo Pressure

    Open source Nintendo Switch emulator Ryujinx has thrown in the towel under pressure from Nintendo. Lead developer 'gdkchan' was reportedly contacted by the gaming giant on Monday. He was given the opportunity to stop working on the project and shut down everything under his control, presumably to avoid further action. The project's repo on GitHub has already been deleted.

  • Digital Music News ☛ AccuRadio Agrees to Pay SoundExchange $210,000 a Month In Temporary Payments Agreement as Litigation Plays Out

    A little over two months following the start of their lawsuit, SoundExchange and AccuRadio have hammered out a temporary payments agreement and ceased battling over an injunction. That agreement’s specifics were just recently finalized in an order from Judge Matthew F. Kennelly, after SoundExchange submitted the underlying complaint in late July.

  • Digital Music News ☛ SoundExchange and AccuRadio Ink Temporary Payments Agreement, Shelve Injunction Battle As Their Lawsuit Plays Out

    A little over two months following the start of their lawsuit, SoundExchange and AccuRadio have hammered out a temporary payments agreement and ceased battling over an injunction. That agreement’s specifics were just recently finalized in an order from Judge Matthew F. Kennelly, after SoundExchange submitted the underlying complaint in late July.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Lauryn Hill Sued for Fraud by Fugees’ Pras Michel

    Pras Michel sues fellow Fugees member Lauryn Hill for fraud and breach of contract over their canceled 2023 tour. Lauryn Hill is being sued in federal court by her former Fugees bandmate Pras Michel for alleged breach of contract and fraud over their 2023 tour that was cut short.

  • Digital Music News ☛ TikTok vs. Merlin: Licensing Impasse Looms — Fentanylware (TikTok) Pushes Back Against the Indie Collective

    A letter from Merlin to its members has revealed Fentanylware (TikTok) is ‘walking away’ from licensing negotiations with the collective. Instead, the social control media giant wants to seek direct deals from larger Merlin members—completely bypassing the collective. The Merlin music collective negotiates digital licenses for more than 30,000 independent labels around the world. In a letter […]