Leftovers

• Of Color and Software

  It’s been a minute!

  We have been hard at work making sure our design system keeps moving forward. For the past weeks, we have made significant progress in the space of color creation and icons.

  There is also an easter egg in the form of PenPot. Read the rest!

• Hackaday ☛ Thermoelectric Blaster Flings Ice Projectiles

  Nerf blasters are fun and all, but flinging foam can get old. Picking it up again, even moreso. This blaster from [Concept Crafted Creations] gets around that annoying problem by shooting ice instead. 

• Standards/Consortia

  • Ruben Schade ☛ There is no attribute HERF

    I was fixing a page at work—like a gentleman—but I couldn’t figure out why a simple link wasn’t being respected. I must have read over the output of this script at least a dozen times, if not more.

  • Herman Õunapuu ☛ Your Wi-Fi might be terrible because of Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS)

    For a few months, I had issues with my Wi-Fi network. The 2.4 GHz network would be fine, but the 5 GHz one would suddenly stop working and completely disappear from the available Wi-Fi networks. OpenWRT upgrades also didn’t improve the situation. This was very annoying.

    After some discussions with a friend, I learned about Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS). Apparently some channels on the 5 GHz Wi-Fi spectrum are also used by weather and military radars, and those take priority. If such interference is detected, your Wi-Fi access point should switch to a different channel.

• Career/Education

  • Specter of China hovers over U.S. colleges

    University administrators face increasing pressure over their ties to institutes in China.

• Hardware

  • CNX Software ☛ AMPCOM 8-port 2.5GbE managed switch with 10GbE SPF+ cage sells for less than $60

    AMPCOM has launched an inexpensive, fanless 8-port 2.5GbE managed switch with one 10GbE SFP+ cage that sells for less than $60 on Aliexpress with free shipping and before taxes (if you live in Europe). Upgrading your local networking to 10GbE (10 Gbps Ethernet) can still be relatively expensive, and when I look at 10GbE switches on Amazon, most are sold for $200 to $400, and the cheapest models cost around $120.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 17 companies sign deal in gov’t push to boost Hong Kong’s tech sector, including one under US sanctions

    Seventeen companies have signed a deal to set up or expand operations in Hong Kong amid the government’s push to boost the tech sector, including iFLYTEK, a Chinese artificial intelligence giant which has been under US sanctions since 2019.

  Engineering Thelio Astra ☞ https://blog.system76.com/post/engineering-thelio-astra-arm-powered-desktop

  • Hackaday ☛ Z80 Testing The 80s Way

    According to [MTSI], if you used a Z80 chip back in the 1980s, it almost certainly passed through the sole Fairchild Sentry 610 system that gave it the seal of approval.

  • Hackaday ☛ Automated Weed Spraying Drone Needs No Human Intervention

    Battling weeds can be expensive, labor intensive and use large amounts of chemicals. To help make this easier [NathanBuilds] has developed  V2 of his open-source drone weed spraying system, complete with automated battery swaps, herbicide refills, and an AI vision system for weed identification.

  • Hackaday ☛ Retrogadgets: Oscilloscope Cameras

    Today, if you want to get a picture from your oscilloscope — maybe to send to a collaborator or to stick in a document or blog post — it is super easy. You can push an image to a USB stick or sometimes even just use the scope’s PC or web interface to save the picture directly to your computer. Of course, if it is on the computer, you could use normal screen capture software. But that hasn’t always been the case. Back in the days when scopes were heavy and expensive, if you wanted to capture an image from the tube, you took a picture. While you might be able to hold up your camera to the screen, they made specific cameras just for this purpose.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • The Straits Times ☛ ST Picks: Sting ops, detailed menus — China doubles down on food safety

  • The Straits Times ☛ China clamps down on quest for soup dumplings by ‘Night Riding Army’

    Thousands of students borrowed share bikes to ride over 60km overnight to Kaifeng city in search of breakfast.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China cracks down on young cyclists after night rides in search of soup dumplings go viral

    Chinese police have cracked down on an internet craze that saw thousands of cyclists throng a highway under cover of night to gorge on dumplings in a nearby city.

  • New York Times ☛ At the Pandemic’s Start, Americans Began Drinking More. They Still Are.

    Excessive drinking persisted in the years after Covid arrived, according to new data.

  • NYPost ☛ Chipotle shareholders sue after stock hammered by fallout from skimping on portion sizes

    Shareholder said the truth came out as customers voiced dismay on Fentanylware (TikTok) and other social control media, prompting Chipotle to reemphasize "generous portions" at its more than 3,600 restaurants.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia warns consumers against eating suckermouth catfish

    The fish is increasingly being promoted as a culinary delicacy.

  • Pro Publica ☛ Their Baby Died. An Idaho Coroner Did Little to Find Out Why.

    A police officer heard wailing as he approached the house in a farming community near Idaho Falls, Idaho. It was freezing cold in the predawn darkness of 6:10 a.m. on Feb. 1, and Alexis Cooley was “hysterical,” the officer wrote later. He followed her into the house.

    To Alexis, nothing felt real in that moment. It was like her eyes were a video screen playing a movie. More officers and sheriff’s deputies arrived. An ambulance pulled up. When Alexis called 911 minutes before, she’d said between sobs and frantic pleas for help that the baby wasn’t breathing and his body was cold. Medics performed CPR on her newborn son’s 12-pound body, though it was futile.

  • The Kent Stater ☛ The risky mix of antidepressants and college life

    Is it safe to drink alcohol while taking antidepressant medications? What about using weed? What will happen if I skip a dose of my medicine so I can drink at a party? Are any over-the-counter meds off-limits if I get sick?

  • Science Alert ☛ Teen Hospitalized in First Human Bird Flu Case in Canada

    Officials are investigating the source.

  • Science Alert ☛ FDA to Finally Ban Controversial Ingredient in Popular Decongestants

    Scientists have been calling for this for almost 20 years.

  • Science Alert ☛ Vintage Clothes in Thrift Shops Can Harbor Infectious Diseases

    Here's what you need to know.

  • Science Alert ☛ These Baby Ferrets Are The First to Be Born From a Clone

    An incredible story of survival.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Medevel ☛ Top 12 FREE Mind mapping Apps for Windows, Linux, and macOS

    As a developer, writer, and self-learner, I find mind mapping to be an invaluable tool for organizing my ideas and bringing my projects to life.

    It's like having a visual playground for my thoughts, where I can connect the dots and unlock new possibilities.

  • Latvia ☛ Latvia attempts to train Hey Hi (AI) to detect cancer cells [Ed: This has been done for decades already and now it's just hype on steroids]

    Latvian scientists are training an artificial intelligence model to recognize cancer cells. The model can already find tumor cells with 92% accuracy, Latvian Television reported on November 10.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ Indonesia says it has no overlapping South China Sea claims with China, despite joint agreement

    Some analysts warned the agreement risked compromising the country's sovereign rights.

  • France24 ☛ What we know: how the attacks on Israeli football fans in Amsterdam unfolded

    The Dutch capital is on red alert after violence broke out last week between pro-Palestine demonstrators and Israeli football fans, in what the Dutch government has slammed as “unadulterated anti-Semitism." Videos on social control media spread showing groups kicking and chasing Israelis…but police reports mention Israeli fans burning Palestinian flags and using racial chants. So how did the clashes unfold? In this episode of Truth or Fake, Vedika Bahl takes a look at what we know about the timeline.

  • JURIST ☛ Public demonstrations banned in Amsterdam following attacks on Israel football fans

    Several restrictive measures were taken this Friday in the Netherlands’ capital Amsterdam by the mayor, chief public prosecutor, and police chief, following a series of allegedly antisemitic hit-and-run episodes aimed at supporters of the Maccabi Tel Aviv football club.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong social worker ordered to pay over HK$440,000 to police officer assaulted during 2019 protests

    A Hong Kong court has ordered a social worker to pay over HK$440,000 to a police officer assaulted during the early days of the 2019 protests and unrest.

  • New York Times ☛ Iraq Veterans, 20 Years Later: George W. Bush ‘Owes Me a Beer, at the Least’

    Nearly 20 years after their deployment to Iraq, veterans grapple with their younger selves and try to make sense of the war.

  • BIA Net ☛ Security officer shoots passenger after argument at İstanbul train station

    The officer has been taken into custody.

  • Defence Web ☛ Experts urge Nigeria to target bandits’ finances

    For at least 25 years, bandits have plagued northern Nigeria, terrorizing and stealing from residents, recruiting new members, and driving the region’s chronic insecurity.

  • Security experts: NATO-type Southeast Asian defense alliance not feasible at present

    Minilateral agreements, rather than multilateral ones, may more likely be formed, they say.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Ten killed in India's Manipur after firefight with security forces

    One security officer was critically injured.

  • China fortifies claims in South China Sea

    Beijing draws baselines around Scarborough Shoal under Manila’s jurisdiction

  • Philippines enacts laws asserting maritime claims

    New legislations enforce 2016 Hague arbitral ruling in favor of the Philippines, says a senator.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Australian Defence Force arrives in Indonesia ahead of largest joint exercise

    The two countries’ military forces will practise a joint landing operation, live-fire and a non-combat evacuation.

  • The Strategist ☛ The push and pull of the India–Australia relationship

    Australia’s new relationship with India has push-pull poles—the pull of the Indian diaspora in Australia and the push that China applies to the Indo-Pacific. The diaspora is the personal dimension that pulls India and Australia together.

  • New York Times ☛ Will Trump Rekindle a Bromance With Kim Jong-un? South Koreans Worry.

    Donald J. Trump’s second term brings uncertainty to the Korean Peninsula as nuclear tensions run high. North Korea’s leader may see a chance to re-engage.

  • Did Harris back South Korea’s nuclearization during presidential debate?

    Verdict: False

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea's ruling party plans chips law to avert Trump threat

    SEOUL - South Korea's ruling party proposed a special chips act on Monday to give chipmakers subsidies and an exemption from a national cap on working hours, to tackle potential risks from measures threatened by incoming U.S. President Donald Trump.

  • Stanford University ☛ Korean War veteran, retired general honored at Hoover’s Marine Corps 249th birthday celebration

    The Hoover Institution hosted the annual Marine Corps’ birthday celebration. Guests of honor included a Korean War veteran and retired lieutenant general.

  • NYPost ☛ Hero barber disarms gunman who opened fire in busy Roosevelt Avenue barbershop—as community leaders call for more police on the crime-infested Queens block

    Two suspects burst into a busy barbershop on Roosevelt Avenue and opened fire Friday evening — prompting community leaders to call for continued police action on the crime-infested Corona block. The gang-related shooting rang out inside the Langumas El Cache Barbershop in Queens at around 5:45 p.m., surveillance footage showed. The video captured them running...

  • Defence Web ☛ SANDF’s Op Corona records major contraband and drug busts in October

    Drug and contraband confiscations and seizures were top of the boards for soldiers deployed on the national border protection tasking Operation Corona in October. The largest drug “take” for the month was on the Mpumalanga/Mozambique border where soldiers prevented over R5.6 million worth of unspecified drugs from reaching South African users.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • JURIST ☛ Russia military court sentences men who shot sleeping family in Ukraine to life in prison

      A military court in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Friday charged Anton Sopov, 21, and Stanslav Rau, 28, with murder, and sentenced them bot to life in prison for their killing of a sleeping family in Ukraine, according to the local newspaper Kommersant.

    • Meduza ☛ Chechen officials file new charges against jailed mother of exiled opposition activists — Meduza

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • New York Times ☛ Bitcoin Price Sets Another Record as Post-Election Rally Continues

      The cryptocurrency hit $88,000 and the Dow Jones industrial average reached a new high as a rally that began after Donald J. Trump’s election continued to gain steam.

    • Hackaday ☛ Making A Unique Type Of Wind Gauge For Home Assistant Use

      Sometimes, it’s nice to know how windy it is outside. Knowing the direction of the wind can be a plus, too. To that end, [Sebastian Sokołowski] built himself an unusual anemometer—a wind gauge—to feed into his smart home system.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Tropical Cyclone Toraji: Hong Kong issues T1 typhoon warning as storm enters within 800km of city

      Hong Kong has issued its T1 storm warning as Tropical Cyclone Toraji came within 800 kilometres of the city. The Standby Signal No. 1 was raised at 10.20 pm on Monday, a day after it was cancelled as Tropical Cyclone Yinxing moved away from the coast of southern China.

    • Hackaday ☛ Britain’s Oldest Satellite On The Move: A Space Curiosity

      Space and mystery always spark our curiosity, so when we stumbled upon the story of Skynet-1A, Britain’s first communication satellite from 1969, we knew it was worth exploring. The BBC recently highlighted its unexpected movement across the sky – you can check out their full coverage here. The idea that this half-century-old hunk of metal mysteriously shifted orbits leaves us with more questions than answers. Who moved Skynet-1A, and why?

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Science Alert ☛ Largest Organism in The World Could Officially Be The Oldest Living Thing

      There's more to this ancient giant than we realized.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan businessman Tsao to sue Chinese officials over sanctions

    Mr Tsao said he was seeking to counter China’s intimidation of lawful activity.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s ‘Singles Day’ spending habits in spotlight as analysts watch for signs of consumption rebound

    China’s largest online shopping bonanza wraps up on Monday, with analysts and investors watching for signs that consumption is rebounding in the world’s second-largest economy after recent efforts by Beijing to boost activity.

  • New York Times ☛ Why Trump’s Deportations Will Drive Up Your Grocery Bill

    How will voters react?

  • New Yorker ☛ Donald Trump’s Victory and the Politics of Inflation

    Joe Biden’s strong record on jobs and Kamala Harris’s vow to reduce the cost of living couldn’t prevent the Democrats from succumbing to a global anti-incumbency wave.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ Head of key Japan opposition party admits to extramarital affair

    Mr Yuichiro Tamaki apologised for the trouble caused.

  • Stanford University ☛ Chronically Online: Student influencers grapple with fame on the Farm

    Influencers put all of humanity’s colors on display — the ugly ones, yes — but the beautiful too, writes Wong.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • University of Michigan ☛ The American Twilight Zone: The dangers of disinformation

      There is a coordinated effort beyond that which is known to the average American. It is an effort as widespread as space, and as oppressive as fascism. It is the blurring between truth and lies; between reality and fiction; between science and conspiracy; between manufactured stories and evidence-based knowledge.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • AccessNow ☛ #KeepItOn: authorities in Kenya must restore access to Telegram and protect people’s rights

    The #KeepItOn coalition write to seek clarification on the ongoing disruption of the digital communications application, Telegram, in Kenya.

  • Hong Kong ‘upgrades’ lamppost that matched Tiananmen massacre date

    The authorities are keen to avoid shining a light on the killing of civilians by the People’s Liberation Army.

  • NYPost ☛ SUNY urged to probe no-bid contract with publishing giant accused of censorship

    A trio of state senators called on the SUNY to investigate and consider cancelling its 5-year, $2.7 million contract with a powerhouse academic publishing company, Springer Nature.

  • JURIST ☛ Morocco court sentences journalist to 18 months for defaming justice minister

    The Moroccan Rabat Court of First Instance sentenced journalist Hamid El Mahdaoui on Monday to 18 months in prison for defamation against Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahb. The verdict also includes a civil compensation of approximately USD$150,000 to the justice minister.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ Former royal editor: Sun newsroom was ‘toxic’ but Harry legal claim is ‘deluded’

    Memoir offers rare insight into Sun newsroom of the early 2000s.

  • Press Gazette ☛ SWNS at 50: ‘Culture of excellence’ behind success of biggest independent UK news agency

    SWNS editor and co-owner Martin Winter credits diversification and "a culture of excellence" for its survival.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • Litigium: Nati Gomez, Mathieu Parreaux, jurist who didn't pass bar exam on cross-border radio program with Benjamin Smadja

    Radio Lac is the third most popular radio station in the Lake Geneva region covering Switzerland and France.

    The reception area includes all the lakeside cities of Geneva, Nyon, Morges, Lausanne, Vevey and Montreux as well as the cross-border regions.

    The transmitter for the region of Geneva is actually situated on Mount Saléve, at the cable car station in French territory. The inhabitants of French cities Annemasse, Thonon, Evian, Saint-Julien-en-Genevois, Saint-Genis-Pouilly, Ferney-Voltaire, Gex and Divonne are in the reception area.

    The jurists of Mathieu Parreaux published several documents about their legal insurance services for cross-border commuters and residents of France.

    In our last blog we discovered that Monsieur Parreaux didn't pass the bar exam either in Switzerland or in France.

    Each week, Mathieu Parreaux and his colleague Nati Gomez responded to legal questions on the radio program of Benjamin Smadja, Radio Lac (Media One Group).

    The insurance company gained 20,000 clients. How many clients found Parreaux, Thiébaud & Partners thanks to free publicity on Radio Lac? How many clients killed themselves?

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • JUVE ☛ Preu Bohlig team spanning Hamburg, Paris and Munich to spin off as Bonabry [Ed: Ad disguised as news]

    The German patent monopoly market saw few major staff changes and spin-offs this past year. When 2025 gets under way, however, part of Preu Bohlig’s patent monopoly litigation practice will spin off.

  • Unified Patents ☛ Fractus LTE antenna patent monopoly challenge instituted

    On November 7, 2024, two months after Unified filed an ex parte reexamination, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) granted Unified’s request, finding substantial new questions of patentability on all challenged claims of U.S. Patent 8,674,887, owned and asserted by Fractus S.A., an NPE. The ‘887 patent monopoly generally relates to an antenna design for mobile devices.

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ The White Stripes Abruptly Drop Donald Trump Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

    The White Stripes have dropped their federal lawsuit against Donald Trump and his campaign, as well as his aide Margo Martin. The White Stripes, Meg and Jack White, have dropped their federal lawsuit against Donald Trump, his campaign, and his aide Margo Martin.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Tyler, The Creator Gets Copyright Strikes Lifted For Fans to Discuss ‘Chromakopia’ Online

    Tyler, the Creator has taken to social control media to reassure fans he is working to get copyright monopoly strikes against reactions to his new album ‘Chromakopia’ lifted. Here’s the latest. ‘Chromakopia’ dropped at the end of October, with fans sharing their reactions on social control media like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.