Leftovers

• Ruben Schade ☛ Soap holder language

  Did you know that this utilitarian soap dish has the following standout feature?

  Smooth clean lines to suit modern bathrooms

  I do like smooth lines. Jaggered lines probably mean I’ve cracked a tile, the repair for which in a rental would be marked up ten times and taken from my bond.

• Hackaday ☛ JawnCon 0x1 Kicks Off Friday, Tickets Almost Gone

  Of all nature’s miraculous gifts, few can compare to the experience of witnessing a new hacker con grow. If you’re in the Philadelphia area this weekend, you can get a front-row seat to this rare spectacle as JawnCon moves into its second year.

• Hackaday ☛ First Benchies In Stainless Steel, With Lasers

  DIY 3D printing in metal is a lot more complicated than we thought. And this video from [Metal Matters] shows two approaches, many many false starts, and finally, a glorious 78.9% success! (And it’s embedded below for your enjoyment.)

• Hackaday ☛ Vehicle-To-Everything: The Looming Smart Traffic Experience

  Much of a car’s interaction with the world around it is still a very stand-alone, analog experience, regardless of whether said car has a human driver or a self-driving computer system. Mark I eyeballs or equivalent computer-connected sensors perceive the world, including road markings, traffic signs and the locations of other road traffic. This information is processed and the car’s speed and trajectory are adjusted to ideally follow the traffic rules and avoid unpleasant conversations with police officers, insurance companies, and/or worse.

• Hackaday ☛ Hack On Self: The Alt-Tab Annihilator

  Last time, I told you about a simple script I made to collect data about my laptop activity, talked about why collecting data about yourself is a moral imperative, and shared the upgraded script with you alongside my plans for it. Today, I will show you a problem I’ve been tackling, with help of this script and the data it gives, and I also would love to hear your advice on a particular high-level problem I’m facing.

• Hackaday ☛ The Piezoelectric Glitching Attack

  Many readers will be familiar with the idea of a glitching attack, introducing electrical noise into a computer circuit in the hope of disrupting program flow and causing unexpected behaviour which might lead to hitherto unavailable access to memory or other system resources. [David Buchanan] has written a piece investigating glitching attacks on PC memory, and the tool he’s used is the ubiquitous piezoelectric lighter.

• Hackaday ☛ Using Donor Immune Cells To Mass-Produce CAR-T Autoimmune Therapies

  As exciting as immunotherapies are in terms of fighting cancer, correcting autoimmune disorders and so on, they come with a major disadvantage. Due to the current procedure involving the use of a patient’s own immune (T) cells, this making such therapies rather expensive and involved for the patient. Recent research has therefore focused on answering the question whether T cells from healthy donors could be somehow used instead, with promising results from a recent study on three human patients, as reported in Nature.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Microbes Found Alive Sealed in Rock For 2 Billion Years

    A time capsule of life.

  • Science Alert ☛ Hurricane Milton Exploded Into a Cat 5 Storm in Less Than a Day. Here's Why.

    It's called rapid intensification.

  • Science Alert ☛ Physicists Simulated a Black Hole in The Lab, And Then It Began to Glow.

    An elusive radiation takes shape.

  • Science Alert ☛ Mouse Experiment Reveals Brains Divide Meal Time Into Four Stages

    The journey of a meal.

  • Science Alert ☛ These Freakish Ocean Creatures Can Combine as One When Injured

    Move over Frankenstein.

  • Science Alert ☛ Breakthrough Alzheimer's Drug Targets Key 'Hotspots' to Suppress Toxic Tangles

    Taking out tau.

  • Science Alert ☛ Ghostly Glow of a Nuclear Power Station Was Detected in Pure Water 150 Miles Away

    Incredible physics.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ The Turing Machine Made Real, In LEGO

    The British mathematician and pioneer of computing Alan Turing published a paper in 1936 which described a Universal Machine, a theoretical model of a computer processor that would later become known as a Turing Machine. Practical computers don’t quite follow the design of a Turing Machine, but if we are prepared to sacrifice its need for an infinitely long paper tape it’s quite possible to build one. This is what [The Bananaman] has done using LEGO as a medium, and if you’d like one for yourself you can even vote for it on the LEGO ideas website.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ How Can I Cut PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals?’

    They’re almost everywhere. And they’re bad. But there are some things you can do to avoid them.

  • Medevel ☛ Not Everything Needs to Be Smart: The Case Against Unnecessary Tech Gadgets

    As, we’re witnessing the incoming of more and more devices infused with smart features. As both a doctor and a software developer, I appreciate the innovation behind these advancements, but I can’t help but feel that not every gadget needs to be “smart.”

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Medevel ☛ DivestOS: The Ultimate Privacy-Focused Android System If Your Value Your Privacy

      DivestOS is more than just another Android-based operating system—it's a tool built for those who prioritize security and privacy above all else.

    • EDRI ☛ The Color of Surveillance: Surveillance / Resistance!

      This is the sixth conference in the “Color of Surveillance” series, which was started by the Center on Privacy & Technology in 2016 to put racial and economic justice at the center of conversations about digital era surveillance.

• Defence/Aggression

  • France24 ☛ 🔴 Live: Fresh Israeli strikes pound southern Beirut, Lebanese state media says

    Two new Israeli strikes struck Beirut's southern suburbs on Monday evening, Lebanese state media said, after Israel's military issued a warning to inhabitants of the area. An AFP correspondent saw smoke rise from the suburbs, and the country's National News Agency reported that the area had been "the target of two raids".

  • RFERL ☛ Israel Marks Anniversary Of Hamas Attack As War Rages On In Lebanon, Gaza

    Israel on October 7 marked the somber anniversary of the Hamas attack on the Jewish state that killed more than 1,200 people and took some 250 hostages as the Israeli military continued its massive air strikes on Beirut.

  • New York Times ☛ Washington Worries the Israelis Will Bomb Iran’s Nuclear Sites. But Can They?

    For 22 years, Israeli forces have planned for this moment. But it seems unlikely that they will strike Iran’s nuclear facilities in the next round of retaliation, or that they would be successful without American help.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel Mounts Heavy Attack on Southern Lebanon

    After days of attacks there, Israel carried out further strikes in Lebanon and said it was sending more troops to fight Hezbollah. It also struck in Gaza to destroy a rocket launcher that Hamas used to target Tel Aviv.

  • New York Times ☛ Viktor Bout Is Trying to Sell Weapons to the Houthis, Western Officials Say

    The Russian arms dealer, who was freed in a prisoner exchange with the United States, is negotiating with the militant group in Yemen.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • RFERL ☛ U.S.-Belarusian Lawyer's Prison Term Extended Amid Concerns Over Health

      U.S.-Belarusian citizen Yuras Zyankovich -- who has been declared a political prisoner by human rights organizations -- has had his prison term extended by two years to more than 13 years in total in Belarus, the Vyasna human rights group said on October 7.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia, China and Iran Intend to Stoke False Election Claims, Officials Warn

      Intelligence officials said that foreign adversaries were planning to take advantage of another close U.S. election to undermine trust in the country’s democratic process.

    • New Yorker ☛ Letters from Our Readers

      Letters respond to Manvir Singh’s essay about morality, Ben Taub’s investigation of Russia’s espionage war in the Arctic, and Sarah Chatta’s piece about donkey rights.

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Russian government to issue grants enabling companies and researchers to rent supercomputers

      Russian government to support usage of supercomputers by research labs and businesses.

    • RFERL ☛ Amid Rising Moscow-Washington Tensions, 2 Americans Handed Prison Terms In Russia

      Two American citizens were sentenced to lengthy prison terms in Russia on October 7, fueling concerns over the political motivations behind their detentions amid heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington.

    • RFERL ☛ Georgia's Ruling Party Reviving Bid To Impeach Pro-Western President

      Georgia’s ruling party, which has raised the ire of the United States and European Union with moves seen as bringing the Caucasus nation closer to Russia, has revived its bid to impeach pro-West President Salome Zurabishvili weeks before a general election.

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Accuses Medical Director Of Satanism Amid Crackdown On 'Nontraditional Values'

      Russia's Federal Security Service has accused Ilya Zhuravlyov, the director of two medical centers in the Ulyanovsk region, of promoting Satanism as part of a broader campaign to spread LGBT propaganda.

    • JURIST ☛ Romania Constitutional Court blocks far-right politician from upcoming presidential elections

      Romania’s Constitutional Court on Saturday disqualified Diana Iovanovici Șoșoacă, a far-right politician known for her pro-Russian views, from participating in the upcoming 2024 presidential elections. This decision has reignited concerns regarding the country’s electoral integrity and democratic values.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Sentences 72-Year-Old American on Charges of Fighting for Ukraine

      Stephen James Hubbard, a native of Big Rapids, Mich., whose family says is an English teacher, was sentenced to six years and 10 months in a penal colony.

    • New York Times ☛ Missile Hits Near Ukrainian Air Base as Russia Expands Air Attacks

      The strike is part of a broader campaign of air assaults by Moscow aimed at degrading Ukraine’s military infrastructure and wearing down its air defenses.

    • RFERL ☛ Hundreds Evacuated After Ukrainian Strike On Crimean Fuel Depot

      A Ukrainian drone strike on the largest fuel depot in occupied Crimea early on October 7 triggered a huge fire that prompted the evacuation of hundreds of people as Russia and Ukraine exchanged another series of drone attacks.

    • RFERL ☛ Once Russia's Best-Known Activist, Ildar Dadin Killed Fighting For Ukraine

      Russian opposition activist Ildar Dadin, who fought on Ukraine's side, was killed in fighting against Russian forces in Kharkiv region, former Ekho Moskvy journalist Ksenia Larina reported.

    • RFERL ☛ EU Summit Draft Strongly Backs Ukraine, Moldova, Chastises Georgia

      The European Union will continue to strongly support Ukraine in its fight against Russia's unprovoked invasion and will keep offering all its backing to Moldova in its efforts to join the 27-member bloc, according to draft conclusions of a summit scheduled for n ext week.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukrainian PM Tells Slovakia's Fico That Russian Gas-Transit Deal Won't Be Extended

      Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told Slovakian counterpart Robert Fico that Kyiv will not extend a gas-transit deal with Russia when it expires at the end of the year, a move certain to increase tensions between the EU and NATO member and Ukraine, which aspires to join both organizations.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine Calls Russian Strike On Grain Ship In Odesa 'Deliberate Terrorist Tactic'

      Russia forces continued to hit the Odesa region – Ukraine’s important Black Sea port – with ballistic missiles, damaging a second foreign-flagged civilian vessel a day after striking the main city itself.

    • France24 ☛ Russia court sentences 72-year-old American to nearly 7 years for fighting in Ukraine

      A Russian court sentenced 72-year-old US citizen Stephen Hubbard to nearly seven years in prison on charges of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine, following a trial largely held behind closed doors. This sentencing comes amid a string of recent detentions of Westerners in Russia, including another American who was handed a longer prison term for violence against prison staff.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Getting transatlantic coordination right for Ukraine

      Transatlantic support for Ukraine has been laudable, but much more is needed, particularly from Europe, given the political uncertainty in the United States.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ #AtlanticDebrief – How can Washington and Brussels get coordination right for Ukraine? | A debrief from Amb. John Herbst

      Amb. John Herbst discusses how policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic should continue to support Ukraine regardless of the outcomes of the US presidential election.

    • Meduza ☛ The Kremlin’s new tax policy will send car prices skyrocketing but earn the government billions — Meduza

• Environment

  • The Kent Stater ☛ What to pack in a ‘go bag’ for when disaster strikes

    When hurricanes bear down, floodwaters rise, wildfires rage and that big earthquake finally strikes, it’s critical that you and your family members are ready to evacuate. Perhaps the most important thing to bring with you: a “go bag” full of emergency supplies.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Medevel ☛ Smart Electric Cars Aren’t for Me: They’re Just Glorified Phones on Wheels

      As electric vehicles (EVs) become increasingly popular, it's easy to see why many people are excited about the prospect of driving an eco-friendly car. However, I can’t help but feel skeptical about these so-called “smart” electric cars.

    • Pro Publica ☛ Kelly Armstrong’s Oil and Gas Ties Test North Dakota’s Ethics

      When Republican Kelly Armstrong filed his federal financial disclosure after being elected to Congress in 2018, he revealed his extensive ties to the oil and gas industry in his home state of North Dakota. It detailed his income from hundreds of oil wells and his financial relationship with two of the state’s largest oil producers.

      Those ties will matter a great deal if, as is likely, he’s elected as North Dakota’s governor next month. Under North Dakota’s system, he will automatically chair two state bodies that regulate the energy industry, meaning Armstrong would be expected to preside over decisions that directly impact companies in which he has financial or familial ties.

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Former Surveillance Giant Google CEO says climate goals are not meetable, so we might as well drop climate conservation — unshackle Hey Hi (AI) companies so Hey Hi (AI) can solve global warming

      Former Surveillance Giant Google chief Eric Schmidt says that we should prioritize Hey Hi (AI) development over energy conservation to use the former to solve our climate problem.

• Finance

  • Medevel ☛ Samsung's Layoffs: A Troubling Sign of Corporate Greed and My Decision to Boycott

    Recently, Samsung Electronics announced it would lay off around 2,000 employees in various countries, including South Korea, the United States, and Vietnam. This move raises serious concerns about the company's priorities, particularly in light of ongoing economic challenges.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • Federal News Network ☛ Biden admin defends delayed citizenship policy for service members, ACLU pushes back

    The Biden administration continues to defend Trump-era policy that delays service members’ path to citizenship, ACLU urges the court to strike down the policy.

  • ACLU ☛ Why the Fight for Trans Rights Never Gets Easier – or Less Vital

    In the Spring of 1999, young people across the country began to prepare for that singular teenage right of passage: Prom. For Diamond Stylz, this time included not just finding the right dress and corsage, but fighting for her right to attend prom at all. School administrators had told the then 17-year-old Stylz just two days before prom that she could not attend the event wearing a dress, despite living as a woman for years.

    “At that time,” Stylz reflects, her teachers were “really adamant about teaching me to be a boy” in deference to the cultural sensationalism that trans individuals were somehow wrong.

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Georgia Supreme Court restores near-ban on abortions while state appeals

    Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled Sept. 30 that privacy rights under Georgia’s state constitution include the right to make personal healthcare decisions.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Digital Music News ☛ YouTube Wrapper App Musi Sues Fashion Company Apple Over ‘Abrupt’ and ‘Unreasonable’ App Store Removal

    Apple is facing a breach of contract lawsuit levied by YouTube wrapper app Musi, which says it was unjustly booted from the App Store. Manitoba, Canada-based Musi submitted that straightforward complaint to a California federal court, after it was allegedly kicked off the App Store on September 24th.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• New York Times ☛ Google Must Open Android to Other App Stores, Judge Says

  The internet giant was ordered by a federal judge to make a series of changes to address its anticompetitive conduct.

• AccessNow ☛ Public interest groups to Biden: you met with CEOs on [nonsensical buzzword and valuation scam], now meet us

  Demand Progress Education Fund, Access Now, and partner organizations demand a meeting with the U.S. government to discuss the impact of data centers.

• Gemini* and Gopher

  • Technology and Free Software

    • BOOM! I blew up my home directory

      I was copying some files from my phone to my computer. I made an temporary mounting point in my home directory. When I was done, I was going to delete the directory, but I accidentally moved a layer above it and a single tab made me run `rm -rf marty`. I noticed my mistake 2 seconds later, but it was too late, the files for this blog were gone. Good news is I irragularly back up this site to GitHub so I was able to recover the files but ~2 months worth of posts are gone. Also for Gemini users, this is why the Gemini Capsule has a new certificate.

    • Internet/Gemini

      • Attack analysis of my mom's Facebook account

        Recently, my mom's Facebook account was hacked. I want to discover the process of discovering the attack, how it's done and what we do to prevent it. I think the last part is particularly important as measurments accepted by my mom should be accessible to _everyone_.

        The case is simple. But a good example of what happens the most often. Not the most sophisticated attack on the most important people. But simple attacks and the damage it can do.

      • demoralized but galvanized

      https://postimg.cc/1fGMgQZT