Leftovers

• Standards/Consortia

  • The Conversation ☛ Why timekeeping is now on the verge of a giant leap forward in accuracy

    Time is vital to the functioning of our everyday lives: from the watches on our wrists to the GPS systems in our phones. Communication systems, power grids, and financial transactions all rely on precision timing. Seconds are the vital units of measurement in timekeeping.

    Surprisingly, there is still debate over the definition of the second. But recent advances in the world’s most accurate forms of timekeeping may have just changed the game.

  • Science

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian-Swiss research project could pave the way for the future of asphalt

      Riga Technical University (RTU), in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), is launching an ambitious research project, LACHMAT, aimed at developing advanced concrete and asphalt materials and technologies, reports Labs of Latvia.

    • France24 ☛ How to carry out a visual detox: Ways to sharpen our visual critical thinking

      With the advent of social control media, our brains are receiving a constant stream of images. So how can we undergo a visual detox? Annette Young speaks to Marine Tanguy who has written a book on how to do just that. Also as we face a global epidemic of domestic violence, a novel approach in southern Italy offers survivors the opportunity to rebuild their lives by providing training and accommodation. Plus a female theatre group in the Balkans stage the ancient Greek play which condemns women's suffering in war while celebrating our capacity to resist.

    • Science Alert ☛ Almost 30% of Microplastics Come From a Hugely Overlooked Source

      We urgently need to fix this.

    • Science Alert ☛ Mysterious Network of Canals From 4,000 Years Ago Predates The Maya

      Who built this?

    • Science Alert ☛ NASA Discovers Secret Army Base Buried Under Decades of Ice

      “We didn’t know what it was at first.”

    • Science Alert ☛ Incredible Fossil Preserves a Crocodile From 12 Million Years Ago

      A stunning creature unearthed in Peru.

    • Science Alert ☛ The World's Rarest Mineral Is So Rare It's Only Ever Been Found Once

      You're looking at it.

    • Science Alert ☛ Are Asteroids Really Worth a Fortune? Here's What We Know.

      A goldrush in space could happen, but it's complicated.

    • The Conversation ☛ 2024-11-20 [Older] It’s 100 years since we learned the Milky Way is not the only galaxy

    • The Conversation ☛ 2024-11-21 [Older] ‘Deep inside, something told me I had found the earliest human ancestor; I went numb’ – Yohannes Haile-Selassie on his lifetime quest to discover ancient humanity

    • The Conversation ☛ 2024-11-25 [Older] The whole story of human evolution – from ancient apes via Lucy to us – in one long read

  • Career/Education

    • University of Michigan ☛ Lawsuit alleges UMich owes back pay to about 3,600 professors

      A lawsuit filed in the Michigan Court of Claims Tuesday claims the University of Michigan owes back pay to about 3,600 U-M professors after systematically underpaying them by delaying pay raises.

    • The Conversation ☛ 2024-11-22 [Older] The peer review system no longer works to guarantee academic rigour - a different approach is needed

  • Hardware

    • CNX Software ☛ Picade Max USB Controller board supports two joysticks and up to 30 arcade buttons

      Pimoroni Picade Max USB Controller is a Raspberry Pi RP2040 board designed for arcade game consoles with support for two joysticks and up to 30 buttons through standard DuPont socket connectors and one Plasma button connector. The board comes with a 2MB QSPI flash for the firmware, a USB-C port for power and programming, one of DuPont socket connectors exposes three ADC inputs, 3.3V, and GND, and there’s also a Qwicc/Qt STEMMA connector for I2C module expansion, plus BOOT and RESET buttons for programming.

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Taiwan ready to discuss 2nm transfer to U.S. following Trump's comments

      The National Science and Technology Council Minister says the country could discuss the possibility of transferring 2 nm to TSMC's fabs in the U.S. after mass production is initiated in Taiwan.

    • Hackaday ☛ Fully Submerge This Modernized PH Sensor

      There’s a school of thought that says you shouldn’t mess around with a solution that’s already working, but that’s never seemed to stop anyone in this community. When [Skye] was looking at the current state of connected pH meters they realized there was incredible room for improvement.

    • Hackaday ☛ Simple Pen Plotter Rolls On The Table

      Pen plotters are popular builds amongst DIY CNC enthusiasts. They’re a great way to learn the fundamentals of motion control and make something useful along the way. In that vein, [Maker101] has created a neat barebones plotter for tabletop use. 

    • Hackaday ☛ Building A Generator That Runs Off Hose Power

      [Paul Junkin] bought a curious product off the Internet. It was supposed to generate electricity when hooked up to a running hose. Only, it didn’t do a very good job. His solution was straightforward—he built his own hose-powered generator that actually worked.

  • Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

    • JURIST ☛ Canada top court rules multi-crown litigation provision constitutional in opioid class action

      The Supreme Court of Canada ruled on Friday that the province of British Columbia (BC) may bring a class action on behalf of multiple governments in Canada for harm caused by opioids.

    • Latvia ☛ Medicine prices should fall noticeably next year in Latvia

      As of next year, the price of medicines costing more than €5 should fall by 15-20%, and the price of expensive prescription medicines should fall significantly. However, a charge will be introduced for each prescription, Latvian Television reported on November 28.

    • The Straits Times ☛ UN talks struggle for breakthrough on plastics treaty as deadline looms

      The chairman of talks aiming for an international treaty to rein in pollution from plastics issued a document on Friday outlining measures that could furnish the basis of a pact, in an attempt to spur discussions as a Dec. 1 deadline approaches.

    • New York Times ☛ UK Lawmakers Vote to Legalize Assisted Dying After Emotional Debate

      After an emotional debate, Parliament voted on Friday in favor of allowing assisted suicide for some terminally ill people in England and Wales.

    • MIT Technology Review ☛ The risk of a bird flu pandemic is rising

      This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here. How worried should we be about bird flu? It’s a question that I’ve been asked by friends and colleagues several times over the last couple of weeks.

    • New York Times ☛ A Bird Flu Pandemic Would Be One of the Most Foreseeable Catastrophes in History

      It’s not too late for President Biden to give the U.S. a life-changing gift.

    • Science Alert ☛ Warnings Issued in California After Bird Flu Confirmed in Raw Milk

      "We are in a soup of virus."

  • Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

    • Dhole Moments ☛ Imagining Private Airspaces for Bluesky [Ed: Bluesky is a spying company; nothing is private]

      Recently, I shared my thoughts on the Ex-Twitter Exodus.

    • Press Gazette ☛ Bluesky already delivering more referral traffic than X for some publishers [Ed: Those publishers make themselves dependent on men in the middle; dumb decision-making, encourage use of RSS]

      The Boston Globe and Guardian have both reported seeing more traffic from Bluesky than Threads.

    • Bryan Lunduke ☛ Google Accuses Abusive Monopolist Microsoft of "Dark Patterns" with Edge Browser on Windows

      To make this case, they've formed the "Browser Choice Alliance" with Opera & Vivaldi.

    • Bruce Schneier ☛ Race Condition Attacks against LLMs

      These are two attacks against the system components surrounding LLMs:

      We propose that LLM Flowbreaking, following jailbreaking and prompt injection, joins as the third on the growing list of LLM attack types. Flowbreaking is less about whether prompt or response guardrails can be bypassed, and more about whether user inputs and generated model outputs can adversely affect these other components in the broader implemented system.

  • Security

    • Privacy/Surveillance

      • JURIST ☛ WhatsApp challenges data protection fine at EU top court

        WhatsApp Ireland Ltd has appealed a €225 million ($236 million) fine to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on Tuesday, the European Union’s highest court of appeal.

  • Defence/Aggression

    • France24 ☛ Returning Lebanese find destroyed homes and razed neighbourhoods among rubble

      In Lebanon, thousands of displaced people began returning to their homes this week after a ceasefire was announced between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group. Many found their homes reduced to rubble after intense Israeli airstrikes over the past two months leveled entire neighbourhoods in eastern and southern Lebanon, as well as the southern suburbs of Beirut. Nearly 1.2 million people have been displaced.

    • The Conversation ☛ 2024-11-22 [Older] Why some countries are more likely to believe nuclear war won’t happen to them

    • New York Times ☛ Chad Ends Longtime Military Partnership With France

      The decision by Chad is another blow to what remained of France’s military influence in the troubled stretch of countries below the Sahara, where Russia’s influence has been growing.

    • France24 ☛ Jihadists and allies breach Syria's second largest city

      Jihadists and their Turkish-backed allies reached Syria's second city of Aleppo Friday, as they pressed a lightning offensive against forces of the Iranian- and Russian-backed government. The fighting is some of the deadliest in years, with 255 people killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Most of the dead have been combatants but the toll also includes 24 civilians, most killed in Russian air strikes.

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea completes missile interceptor to counter threat from North

      It is designed to intercept incoming ballistic missiles or aircraft at altitudes higher than 40km.

    • Seoul to counter North Korean threats with new missile system

      A homegrown Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile is designed to intercept ballistic missiles at high altitudes.

    • The Straits Times ☛ S’pore needs to work extra hard to maintain valuable ties with China amid global uncertainty: SM Lee

      SM Lee's remarks come in a week when Trump has declared extra 10% and 25% tariffs for China.

    • The Straits Times ☛ China urges ‘utmost caution’ by US ahead of Taiwan president’s Hawaii trip

      Taiwan's president will make a stopover in Hawaii during a week-long trip beginning on Nov 30.

    • China debuted a new fighter plane. How does it compare to the F-35?

      The J-31 fighter, also known as the Falcon Hawk, is designed for stealth and speed.

    • Beijing tests bilateral waters with US prisoner exchange

      Return of three U.S. prisoners for Thanksgiving sends message to the incoming Trump administration, experts say.

    • China probes top military official for ‘serious violations’

      Defense ministry says top military official Miao Hua is suspended, denies minister Dong Jun under investigation.

    • Chinese military conducts patrol near disputed Scarborough shoal

      China’s air-and-sea patrol took place as a U.S. carrier strike group entered the South China Sea.

    • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

      • LRT ☛ Lithuania expels three staff members of Chinese mission

        Lithuania has declared three staff members of China’s diplomatic mission persona non grata and handed a diplomatic note to Beijing.

      • The Straits Times ☛ Trump may thwart Kim-Putin ambition on economic ties, says study

        If the war ends in any form, the needs of both countries for each other may change.

      • The Straits Times ☛ ICC turns down appeal request from Mongolia over failure to arrest Russia’s Putin

        ICC member Mongolia failed to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit in September.

      • LRT ☛ Poland’s former president: Frozen conflict would be terrible for Ukraine – interview

        A frozen conflict in Ukraine would only benefit Vladimir Putin, former Polish President Aleksander Kwaśniewski tells LRT in an exclusive interview.

      • France24 ☛ Lebanon’s uneasy truce, Trumponomics, Merkel’s Memoir, Sudan ‘The Invisible Crisis’

        This week, the guests gathered around Gavin LEE discuss the fragile ceasefire that was agreed between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah; how Donald Trump plans on launching a new tariff war with America's neighbours; and what is happening in Sudan, where war is still raging, despite focus being displaced towards Ukraine and the Middle East. And as a Black Friday special deal, our set of experts also dive into Angela Merkel's legacy book.

      • France24 ☛ Russia targets Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of winter

        Russia launched more than a hundred drones at Ukraine overnight and early Friday, killing one person and wounding eight others, officials said. The nearly three-year war has seen a sharp escalation in recent days, with Moscow pummelling Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of the winter.

      • LRT ☛ Belarusian orgs plead for ‘more humane’ treatment from Lithuanian authorities

        Belarusian organisations in Lithuania are calling on the government and the public to protect Belarusian nationals who fought for Ukraine. The plea comes in response to the case of Vasil Verameichyk, who was extradited to Belarus after being denied residence in Lithuania.

      • RFERL ☛ Jailed Former Moscow Anti-War Lawmaker Gorinov Handed New Prison Sentence

        Imprisoned former Moscow municipal deputy Aleksei Gorinov, known for his outspoken criticism of Russia's war against Ukraine, has been handed a new three-year prison sentence for "justifying terrorism."

      • RFERL ☛ Ukraine Says It Struck Russian Oil Depot, Radar Station

        Ukraine said it struck an oil depot and an air-defense radar inside Russia early on November 29 amid an escalation of attacks by both Moscow and Kyiv ahead U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House.

      • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea leader Kim: Russia has right to exercise self defence against Ukraine

        SEOUL - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told Russian defence minister Ukraine's use of long-range weapons is the result of direct military intervention by the United States and Moscow is entitled to take action in self-defence, state media said on Saturday.

      • New York Times ☛ Russia Moves to Cut Off Ukraine’s Nuclear Power Plants

        Moscow has increasingly hit critical substations linked to nuclear power plants in an effort to disconnect them. At the same time, Ukraine replaced the commander of its ground forces.

      • Meduza ☛ Life without light As Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power grid bring blackouts, Kyiv residents carry on in the dark — Meduza

      • Meduza ☛ Kyiv prepared to end war’s ‘hot phase’ in return for ‘NATO umbrella’ over Ukrainian-controlled territories, Zelensky says — Meduza

      • New York Times ☛ Ukraine’s River of Anguish

        Amphibious operations across the Dnipro River at Kherson illustrated the suffering and endurance of Ukrainian forces. A team of Times journalists observed the perilous movements.

      • RFERL ☛ U.K. Prosecutor Says Bulgarian Accused Of Spying For Russia Discussed Killing Journalist Grozev

        A Bulgarian accused of spying for Russia in Britain discussed in text messages the possibility of kidnapping or murdering investigative journalist Christo Grozev, British prosecutors said during the trial of members of an alleged spy ring.

      • The Straits Times ☛ China, Russia militaries conduct joint air patrol over Sea of Japan

        BEIJING - Chinese and Russian militaries have organised and carried out the ninth joint strategic air patrol in "relevant airspace" over the Sea of Japan on Friday, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said.

      • The Straits Times ☛ Chinese, Russian military planes enter South Korea’s air defence zone, Seoul says

        The aircraft all exited without incident or intruding South Korea's airspace.

      • The Straits Times ☛ China says ‘willing to work’ with countries in severed Baltic Sea cables probe

        China says it is maintaining close communication with Sweden on the issue

      • Latvia ☛ Latvian Security Service asks for prosecution of potential terrorist

        On November 22, the State Security Service (VDD) asked the Prosecutor's Office to prosecute a Latvian citizen for allegedly preparing for terrorist attacks and propagandizing terrorism, the VDD said in a statement.

  • Environment

    • The Straits Times ☛ Indonesian rescuers search for missing in buried cars and bus after landslide in Sumatra

      Torrential rain for the past week in the province has triggered flash floods and landslides in four districts.

    • The Straits Times ☛ 3 dead, thousands displaced as Malaysia warns of worst floods in a decade

      Over 80,000 people had been evacuated to 467 temporary shelters in seven states.

    • The Straits Times ☛ China completes 3,000-km green belt around its biggest desert, state media says

      It is part of efforts to curb the sandstorms that plague parts of China during the spring.

    • Energy/Transportation/Mining

      • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean firefighter holds on to truck driver for 45 minutes to save him from falling off bridge

        He saved the driver from an 11-metre fall.

      • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Flight operations take off at Hong Kong third runway, clearing way for airport capacity increase

        Hong Kong started flight operations on its third runway on Thursday, with officials saying it will keep the city’s airport competitive as an aviation hub despite its lagging post-pandemic recovery.

      • Science Alert ☛ World's Largest Gold Deposit Found, Worth Over US$80 Billion

        The most lucrative jackpot ever?

      • Hackaday ☛ Swapping Batteries Has Never Looked This Cool

        We don’t know much more than what we see with [Kounotori_DIY]’s battery loader design (video embedded below) but it just looks so cool we had to share. Watch it in action, it’ll explain itself.

    • Wildlife/Nature

      • New York Times ☛ Life After Death: America’s Cemeteries Are Rewilding

        More burial sites are forgoing pristine lawns for drought resistant plants and wildflowers that help wildlife. Efforts picked up in the pandemic.

      • New York Times ☛ Here Are the Risks When Zoos Pay for Endangered Species

        We tracked $86 million in U.S. money that was supposed to go toward panda conservation in China.

      • New York Times ☛ Millions of Dollars to Protect Pandas Was Spent by China on Roads and Buildings

        A Times investigation found that zoos knew conservation money went toward apartment buildings and roads. But they wanted to keep displaying pandas, so nobody looked too closely.

      • Science Alert ☛ Orcas Have a Killer Technique to Hunt The Biggest Fish in The Ocean

        They really are scarily intelligent.

    • Overpopulation

      • The Straits Times ☛ Seoul to explore supporting children born outside of marriage

        Children born outside of marriage made up 4.7 per cent of all births in South Korea in 2023.

      • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s birth rate catches Elon Musk’s attention, again

        Mr Musk's stand has made him a poster child of the pro-natalist movement.

      • The Straits Times ☛ Divorces in China on the rise again despite mandatory cooling-off period

        Data for 2023 showed that 3.6 million couples finalised their divorces, up from the 2.88 million in 2022. 

  • Finance

    • Science Alert ☛ An Expert Reveals What Black Friday Is Doing to Your Brain

      The thrill of the hunt.

  • AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

    • The Straits Times ☛ Japan’s Ishiba, leading a minority government, must find political nous to survive and thrive

      TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, held hostage to the whims and demands of the opposition as he heads a minority government, began and ended his second policy speech to Parliament by quoting a man who lasted just 65 days as premier.

    • France24 ☛ Replay: President Macron speaks at Notre-Dame Cathedral

      Watch French President Emmanuel Macron's speech during his visit Friday to Paris's Notre Dame Cathedral ahead of its scheduled reopening on December 7.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong’s John Lee ‘proud’ of city’s prosecutors amid US calls for sanctions over national security cases

      Hong Kong’s leader has praised the city’s prosecutors for what he termed their integrity, professionalism and passion, following US threats of sanctions in response to the jailing of dozens of democrats in a national security case.

    • The Straits Times ☛ TikTok, Meta brace for fallout from Australia’s social control media ban

      Australia's new law bars under-16s from social control media.

    • RFERL ☛ Romania Begins Ballot Recount Amid Accusations Of Social Media Violations

      Romania's Central Election Bureau has begun a court-ordered recount of all ballots cast in the first round of the presidential election as accusations swirled that surprise winner Calin Georgescu illegally used Fentanylware (TikTok) to boost his campaign.

    • Marcy Wheeler ☛ Ball of Thread: Rudy’s Hunter Biden Witch Hunt

      This Ball of Thread episode lays out Rudy Giuliani's effort to frame Joe Biden.

  • Censorship/Free Speech

    • JURIST ☛ Saudi Arabia detentions spark international concerns over freedom of expression

      Amnesty International urged Saudi Arabia on Thursday to release individuals who have been detained “solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression online.” Amnesty International stated that the releases must occur before the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF), which Saudi Arabia will host from December 15 to 19.

  • Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

    • Press Gazette ☛ Lord Kinnock joins chorus of concern for future of The Observer

      Former Labour leader tells Press Gazette: "I can’t be sure that Tortoise has the capacity or the inclination to sustain The Observer."

    • Press Gazette ☛ Sardegna Live chooses MyType to transform digital journalism in Sardinia

      Atex has announced its partnership with Sardegna Live, a prominent Sardinian news outlet and video production company. MyType brings cutting-edge digital content management (CMS) capabilities to Sardegna Live, enabling them to amplify their reach, enhance content creation, and foster deeper connections with their audience.

  • Civil Rights/Policing

    • The Straits Times ☛ S. Korea faces increasing complaints of abuse from migrant workers even as reliance on them grows

      South Korea is in desperate need of migrant workers but abuse of such workers is rampant.

    • The Straits Times ☛ China court jails journalist Dong Yuyu for 7 years on spy charges, family says

      Dong Yuyu, 62, was detained by police in Beijing in February 2022.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China jails journalist Dong Yuyu for 7 years on spy charges, family says

      A Beijing court on Friday sentenced veteran Chinese state media journalist Dong Yuyu to seven years in prison on espionage charges, his family said.

    • The Straits Times ☛ China resumes multiple-entry visas for Shenzhen to Hong Kong

      This allows unlimited visits within a year, instead of the previous one-trip-per-week limit. 

    • JURIST ☛ Ontario judge dismisses lawsuit accusing Canada company of human rights abuses in Tanzania

      Ontario Superior Court Justice Edward Morgan on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit accusing Canadian company Barrick Gold of committing human rights abuses against Tanzanian mine workers.

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-11-23 [Older] These Peruvian Women Left the Amazon, but Their Homeland Still Inspires Their Songs and Crafts

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-11-25 [Older] As Amazon Expands Use of Warehouse Robots, What Will It Mean for Workers?

  • Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

    • Medevel ☛ Keeping Your Kids Safe Online: How DNS Servers Can Help? Using DNS Servers Apps As Parental Controls, Benefits and Limitations

      As a parent in today's digital age, I understand the constant worry about what our children might encounter online. While the internet offers incredible educational opportunities, it can also expose our kids to inappropriate content.

  Monopolies/Monopsonies

  • New York Times ☛ Canada Accuses Surveillance Giant Google of Creating Advertising Tech Monopoly

    The case largely echoes an antitrust action in the United States and seeks to force Surveillance Giant Google to sell off sections of its online ad business.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Canada’s Competition Bureau seeks to force Surveillance Giant Google to divest ad tech tools in antitrust suit

    Canada’s Competition Bureau, the country’s antitrust watchdog, took legal action against Surveillance Giant Google LLC today, alleging that it’s engaging in anticompetitive conduct in its online advertising technology services within Canada, and it’s seeking to force the company to divest some of its advertising technology tools.

  • Cloudbooklet ☛ Google Faces Canada Lawsuit Over Online Ad Monopoly

    Discover how Surveillance Giant Google faces Canada lawsuit for abusing ad dominance and unfair practices in the digital market

  • Trademarks

    • TTAB Blog ☛ November 2024 Update of TMEP Now Available

  • Copyrights

    • New York Times ☛ Major Canadian News Outlets Sue Proprietary Chaffbot Company In New Copyright Case

      A coalition of some of Canada’s biggest media companies is seeking billions of dollars in compensation for what they say is copyright monopoly infringement on their work through ChatGPT.

  • Gemini* and Gopher

    • Personal/Opinions

      • Life, Health, and Laptops

        Well, it's been a couple of months since I last posted an update here and that's because life got quite chaotic very quickly. Time for an update and to re-cap the last two months of my life.

        [...]

        I was weighing up which OS and desktop environment I should go with for my new setup. In the end, I decided to go with Fedora's Sway Atomic rpm-ostree based release. I spent awhile customising my Sway and Waybar setup and eventually came up with this config for my laptop[2]:

      • Org-journal with prompts

        Although I have made several attempts, I never got into the habit of journaling.

        Last summer I concluded the #100daystooffload challenge (on Gopher). Writing daily in one's journal is not that different and I think the time has come to start building this habit.

      • Witchcraft as Transgression

        To me, the word and idea of "witchcraft" is fundamentally about transgression, which is the big difference that sets it apart from "magic" in general—there are as many laws against witchcraft specifically as there are against fortune-telling and divination or other practices out there. If you're not willing to transgress those…well, what are you actually willing to do then that's witchy? (Yes, I know there are many different opinions on what witchcraft is, this is just my approach to understanding the words "witchcraft" and "witch".)

        There's lots of kinds of magic out there, none of which has ever really been socially acceptable on a broad scale when it comes to cultural norms in general. In that light, all magic can be considered transgressive in some sense or another, but this isn't the same kind of transgressive as what I consider witchcraft to be. When I consider witchcraft, I think of the witches of Thessaly who drew down the Moon not to commune with her but to operate in complete darkness to work when the skies weren't right; I think of the various coercive spells of the Greek Magical Papyri where one threatens to bind, abuse, even murder the gods themselves so as to get one's aim done; I think of spells that don't seek to fall under the protection of a god, but to become a god greater than the gods. In other words, if there's a cosmic order of things—a hierarchy of powers that be—then witchcraft is magic that transgresses that cosmic order, and works only within their own order to institute their own order by toppling the existing grander one already at play.