Leftovers

• Hackaday ☛ Runway-to-Space No More, Reaction Engines Cease Trading

  It’s not often that the passing of a medium sized company on an industrial estate on a damp and soggy former airfield in southern England is worthy of a Hackaday mention, but the news of hypersonic propulsion company Reaction Engines ceasing trading a few weeks ago is one of those moments that causes a second look. Their advanced engine technology may have taken decades to reach the point of sustainable testing, but it held the promise of one day delivering true spaceplanes able to take off from a runway and fly to the edge of the atmosphere before continuing to orbit. It seems their demise is due to a failure to secure more funding.

• Hackaday ☛ Rolling Your Own Ball Screws

  We’ve got mixed feelings about a new video from [AndysMachines] that details how he makes custom ball screws. On the one hand, there’s almost zero chance that we’ll ever have an opportunity to put this information to practical use. But on the other hand, the video gives a fantastic look at the inner workings and design considerations for ball screws, which is worth the price of admission alone

• Hackaday ☛ LongChat For Ham Radio

  There was a time when ham radio operators were known for having long conversations over the radio — rag chewing, as they called it. A new program, LongChat, is a new entry into the ham radio software world that could bring chatting back to ham radio. [Tech Minds] has a video covering it (and using it), which you can see below.

• Ruben Schade ☛ Humble people influence my life

  This was one of those shower thoughts that came to me, surprising though it may seem, in the shower. It’s not a tautology though, because it isn’t one. Now that I’ve clarified that, like so much butter, we can get onto the substance of this post. The butter, you could say. Or not.

  When I was a kid, the authors of the books I read, the actors I saw in the movies, the talking heads I watched on TV, were all famous. They were paid squillions to do what they did, and could be recognised anywhere. My dad would come home from an international business trip and tell us he saw George Clooney at the airport, or Dan Brown. We knew who he was talking about.

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ In-flight thefts surge to 169 cases in Hong Kong, most on flights from SE Asia

  Hong Kong saw 169 in-flight theft cases in the first ten months of the year, most of which were on short-haul flights arriving in the city from Southeast Asia, the Security Bureau has said.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Galaxy-Sized Gravitational Wave Detector Reveals 'Hot Spot' of Activity

    Our Universe is vibrating.

• Career/Education

  • The Straits Times ☛ China calls on universities to provide 'love education'

    China is urging colleges and universities to provide "love education" to emphasise positive views on marriage, love, fertility and family, in a bid to boost the country's flagging birth rate.

• Hardware

  • The Straits Times ☛ US chips are ‘no longer safe’, Chinese industry bodies say in latest trade salvo

    The warnings came after the US launched its third crackdown in three years on China’s semiconductor industry.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Shareholders pay up as defective chip maker Intel ex-CEO Pat Gelsinger is reportedly set to depart with a $12 million golden handshake

    Pat Gelsinger will enjoy almost $12 million in severance payments as he steps down as the CEO of Intel.

  • CNX Software ☛ Silicon Labs SiWG917Y and SiWN917Y are ultra-low power WiFi 6 and Bluetooth LE 5.4 IoT modules

    Silicon Labs SiWG917Y and SiWN917Y are pre-certified, ultra-low power 2.4 GHz WiFi 6 and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) 5.4 modules made as an extension of the Wireless Gecko Series 2 Arm Cortex-M33 microcontroller family and designed for IoT applications such as Smart Home devices, building automation solutions, healthcare devices, industrial sensors, and asset trackers.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Pro Publica ☛ What Could Happen to Texas’ Medicaid Program Under Trump

    Texas leaders have shown a decadeslong antipathy toward Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program that covers millions of low-income and vulnerable residents.

    They declined additional federal money that, under the Affordable Care Act, would have allowed Medicaid to offer health care coverage to more low-income families. The state was among the last to insure women for an entire year after they gave birth. And when the federal government last year ended a policy that required states to keep people on their Medicaid rolls during the coronavirus pandemic, Texas officials rushed to kick off those they deemed ineligible, ignoring persistent warnings that the speedy process could lead to some people being wrongfully removed.

  • Science Alert ☛ Caffeine Seems to Have a Blocking Effect on Dopamine, And Here's Why

    Could coffee help treat addiction?

  • Science Alert ☛ Improving Flexibility Is Surprisingly Easy, Study Says. Here's How.

    It's not too much of a stretch.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • OMG Ubuntu ☛ Flexbar Brings Apple’s Touch Bar Back from the Dead [Ed: What the heck is the connection to Linux or Ubuntu? Seems like a stretch!]

    A new crowdfunding project aims to revive the (oft-derided) MacBook Pro Touch Bar, this time as a standalone device that work with Windows, macOS and, potentially, GNU/Linux too.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Australia urges greater internet user choice amid Surveillance Giant Google dominance, genAI [Ed: Hyping up buzzwords and Ponzi scheme]

    Australia's competition watchdog said there was a need to revisit efforts to ensure greater choice for internet users, citing Google's dominant search engine market share and its competitors' failure to capitalise on the artificial intelligence boom.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • The Straits Times ☛ Banks may be held accountable for scam victims’ losses under Malaysia’s proposed Online Safety Bill

      The Prime Minister said laws have to be tightened to better protect people against online scams.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • EDRI ☛ New European Commission confirmed: our takeaways on what to expect

      On 1 December 2024, the new political leaders of one of the EU’s most powerful institutions – the European Commission – officially took office. As part of their nomination process, they shared their digital visions for the next five years. Spoiler alert: the fight for digital rights will be as important as ever, with data protection, encryption and privacy all on the chopping block.

    • Medevel ☛ Reclaim Your Digital Privacy: The Ultimate Guide to Open-Source Tools

      Embracing Open-Source Privacy Tools: A Comprehensive Guide

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Strategist ☛ Review calls for narrowing Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission focus, but more needs to be done

    The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) is about to transform, shifting from its traditional law enforcement and investigative roles to a more focussed intelligence mandate.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Tiny Nauru in talks with Australia, China amid Pacific influence tussle

    SYDNEY - The Pacific island nation of Nauru is in talks with Australia on a migration and economic deal, a Nauru official said on Wednesday, as the world's third-smallest country also weighs offers from China.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel’s Military Says Hostages Were Likely Killed by Hamas as Airstrike Hit

    The six hostages, whose bodies were found in Gaza over the summer, were probably shot in February by their captors as an Israeli strike hit close to the tunnel where they were held, the military said.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippines, China trade accusations over confrontation in South China Sea

    A Chinese coast guard fired water cannons at a PCG vessel, said a PCG spokesman.

  • CS Monitor ☛ After a month of calm, China harasses Philippine patrol in the South China Sea

    The South China Sea, with its many strategic islands, is one of the biggest maritime routes in the world and has been a flashpoint between China and its neighbors. Naval aggression between the various nations is not new but follows a month of respite.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan says China’s threats over president’s US visit are counterproductive

    China has expressed anger at President Lai Ching-te’s weekend trip to Hawaii.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘I’m sorry’: South Korean soldier mobilised by martial law seen apologising to citizens

    The video was posted by an investigative reporter on YouTube.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol faces calls to resign after failed martial law

    He backed down after lawmakers voted to oppose the unexpected declaration.

  • New York Times ☛ Why President Yoon Made a Fateful Decision by Declaring Martial Law

    ​A day after he declared — and then withdrew — martial law, President Yoon Suk Yeol was politically isolated as observers pondered his future in leadership.

  • The Straits Times ☛ S. Korea political upheaval shows global democracy's fragility - and resilience

    Observers, while stunned by Yoon, said there were warning signs.

  • JURIST ☛ Egypt urged to reject new refugee law for violating international rights

    Amnesty International urged the Egyptian government on Tuesday to reject the new refugee law, citing violations of international human rights and refugee laws.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ 5.6-magnitude earthquake strikes northern Philippines, GFZ says

    The quake was at a depth of 37km.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Plight of pregnant woman in Kelantan reflects devastation of Malaysian floods

    Some displaced families were left with little beyond the clothes on their backs.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia health volunteers on alert for waterborne disease after devastating floods

    Videos of children playing in muddy flood waters have gone viral online in recent days.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • New York Times ☛ G.M.’s Ailing China Business Will Deal It a $5 Billion Blow

      General Motors and other foreign automakers are selling fewer cars and losing lots of money in China, where domestic electric and hybrid cars have taken off.

    • Hackaday ☛ Gas Gauge Upgrade Keeps VW Restoration Classy

      Getting every detail perfectly right is often the goal in automotive restorations, and some people will go to amazing lengths to make sure the car looks and acts just like it did when it rolled off the dealer’s lot all those decades ago. That ethos can be pushed a little too far, though, especially with practical matters like knowing how much gas is left in the tank. Get that wrong and you’ll be walking.

• Finance

  • Latvia ☛ Bank superprofits tax to be introduced as of next year in Latvia

    Credit institutions and their branches in Latvia will have to pay a solidarity contribution - 60% of the excess profits - over the next 3 years, due to the sharp rise in the Euribor rate, according to the law approved by the Saeima in the second, final reading on December 4.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Huge Vietnam fraud case raises questions over banking system

    Vietnam ranked 83rd out of 180 in Transparency International’s most recent Corruption Perception Index.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Ocean Park’s Water World staying closed till at least April amid HK$200M deficit; lawmakers question taxpayer bailout

    Lawmakers have questioned the sustainability of Ocean Park’s water park after the theme park revealed a HK$200 million deficit in its latest financial year.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • New York Times ☛ Tapped by Trudeau to Steer Foreign Affairs, She’s Now His Possible Successor

    Mélanie Joly, Canada’s top diplomat, has already faced off against India and China, with Donald Trump up next. She’s also considered a top contender to replace Justin Trudeau.

  • France24 ☛ No-confidence vote: Is France headed towards a US-style government shutdown?

    A ‘shutdown’ of French public services on January 1st? This is the US-style scenario in risk of occurring, according to former Prime Minister, Elisabeth Bornes, following Michel Barnier’s historic no-confidence vote and drop of the procedure for adopting the 2025 budget in France. In reality, even if the threat of a paralysis of the administration is not technically impossible, it is also highly unlikely. We explain in this edition of Truth or Fake.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Village People Thank Trump for Playing ‘Y.M.C.A.’ at Rallies

    Donald Trump loves playing “Y.M.C.A” at his rallies since 2020, though the Village People have been split on the use of the song. Now Victor Willis has taken to Facebook (Farcebook) to thank the President-elect for sending the song up the charts.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • Citizen Lab ☛ The Citizen Lab’s Gabrielle Lim discusses election misinformation on TVO’s Big If True

      In the Election Misinformation episode of Big If True (TVO), Gabrielle Lim of the Citizen Lab delves deep into the impact misinformation and false narratives have on voter behaviour.

    • Stanford University ☛ Stanford misinformation expert admits to Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot ‘hallucinations’ in court statement

      Communication professor Jeff Hancock said he overlooked “hallucinated citations” in a court declaration he crafted with assistance from ChatGPT.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Cathay Pacific pulls Family Guy episode with Tiananmen crackdown joke, apologises and vows investigation

    Cathay Pacific has pulled a Family Guy episode from its inflight entertainment system which referenced the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. It has apologised to customers and vowed an investigation.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Cathay Pacific pulls in-flight Family Guy episode mentioning Tiananmen

    A scene from the animated sitcom Family Guy included a joke about Tiananmen.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ On the picket line at Guardian: ‘Observer, Observer, James Harding don’t deserve her!’

    Grayson Perry, Stewart Lee and Mick Lynch among the high-profile names supporting the Guardian/Observer strike.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Guardian strike: Scott Trust offers new assurances but presses on with Observer sale

    Scott Trust and GMG press on with Observer sale whilst offering new assurances to staff.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • The Straits Times ☛ Hyundai Motor union plans strikes on Thursday and Friday

    Hyundai Motor's labour union plans to stage strikes for four hours each on Thursday and Friday, a union spokesperson said on Wednesday.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s main labour union calls for ‘general strike’ until President Yoon Suk Yeol resigns

    President Yoon had briefly declared martial law late on Dec 3 before making a u-turn.

  • EDRI ☛ Italian DPA’s €5M fine against Glovo marks milestone for workers’ rights

    The Italian data protection authority (DPA) recently fined Foodinhio, a subsidiary of Glovo, €5 million for serious breaches of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and labour law. This decision sets a milestone for the use of the GDPR to protect workers' rights across Europe.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Second major Myanmar rebel group calls for talks with junta

    The military has repeatedly pounded territory it has lost with artillery and air strikes.

  • EDRI ☛ EU’s twin transition in crisis: green extractivism, militarisation and civil society’s role

    In June 2024, technologists, advocates, researchers, designers, artists and funders. met at Mozfest, to dismantle the underlying assumptions behind the techno-solutionist paradigm of the "twin transition”. This article summarises the main points of debate, and lays out next steps by mapping examples of transnational solidarity among digital and climate justice groups that can inspire field-building moving forward.

  • EDRI ☛ EDRi’s leadership transition: laying the ground for just digital futures

    EDRi’s Executive Director, Claire Fernandez, reflects on her time leading the organisation through many milestones and obstacles, as she gets ready to step down in 2025. She also lays out the next steps for EDRi’s leadership transition.

  • AccessNow ☛ Rainbow-burning: how social control media companies increase risks for LGBTQ+ people in Africa

    Colonial-era laws and a global anti-rights movement are fueling LGBTQ+ repression across Africa. Access Now documented 214 threats on platforms like TikTok, X, Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp, underscoring widespread risks.

  • EDRI ☛ EDRi-gram, 4 December 2024

    Romania has also been on our minds this week – with an unexpected extremist candidate winning the first round of the presidential elections. Civil society in Romania is ringing the alarm about the role that Fentanylware (TikTok) played in amplifying an existing democracy deficit and social issues, how the tech platform relates to DSA obligations, and what the EU and national authorities can do about it.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ When NTP interactions go wrong

    Guest Post: A walkthrough of an issue involving NTP interactions that resulted in severely incorrect dates.

  • APNIC ☛ Encouraging ICP-2 discussions in Japan

    There was a lively discussion at the recent Japan IGF and JPOPM 47 on the proposed update to the ICP-2 principles. Feedback is due by Friday, 6 December 2024.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• New York Times ☛ Amazon Sued Over Slow Deliveries to Low-Income Areas

  The District of Columbia’s attorney general said the company deliberately outsourced Prime member deliveries in certain ZIP codes.

• TechCrunch ☛ UK antitrust suit hits Abusive Monopolist Microsoft with claim for $1.25B in cloud fees damages

  Microsoft is in the crosshairs of a U.K. competition class action-style lawsuit that’s seeking £1 billion (around $1.25 billion at current exchange rates) in damages.

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Expert Witness Ethics and Economics: Unpacking the Federal Circuit’s En Banc Review of Damages Testimony in EcoFactor v. Google

    This is a post about damages expert testimony and the pending en banc case of EcoFactor v. Google. But, before delving into those details I wanted to first provide a personal anecdote -- my experience with expert witnessing.

  • Unified Patents ☛ $4,000 awarded for Lab Technology communication patents prior art

    Unified is pleased to announce PATROLL crowdsourcing contest winners below totaling $4,000 in cash prizes. The patents are owned by Lab Technology, LLC, an NPE. The patents generally relate to communication systems for mobile phones. The ‘982 patent monopoly had been asserted against Samsung, HTC, LG, Verizon, and Lyft. The ‘032 patent monopoly had been asserted against Verizon and Samsung.

    We would also like to thank the dozens of other high-quality submissions that were made on this patent.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ The Federal Circuit’s Blind Spot: ParkerVision and the Problem of Invisible Reasoning [Ed: more lobbying by patent maximalists like Dennis Crouch, who loathe invalidation of obviously fake patents]

    Two more amicus briefs have been filed in support of ParkerVision’s petition challenging the Federal Circuit’s Rule 36 practice of issuing summary affirmances of USPTO appeal without opinion. Courts typically provide written explanations for their decisions – it’s a fundamental aspect of our judicial system that helps ensure accountability, enable meaningful review, and develop precedent. Yet the Federal Circuit has been issuing one-word affirmances in nearly half of its patent monopoly cases, leaving parties and the public in the dark about its reasoning. While this practice would be concerning in any context, ParkerVision’s petition raises a more precise challenge: 35 U.S.C. § 144 explicitly requires the Federal Circuit to “issue to the Director its mandate and opinion” in appeals from the Patent Office. Two new amicus briefs have been filed supporting ParkerVision’s argument that the court’s Rule 36 practice of issuing summary affirmances without opinion violates this statutory mandate.

  • Unified Patents ☛ IP Investments entity DigiMedia Tech camera patent monopoly challenged

    On November 26, 2024, Unified Patents filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 6,567,086, owned by DigiMedia Tech, LLC, an NPE and an IP Investments Group entity. The ’086 patent monopoly generally relates to an immersive video system using multiple video streams.

  • Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 awarded for Longhorn Automotive lens system patent monopoly prior art

    Unified is pleased to announce PATROLL crowdsourcing contest winners, Ekta Aswal, Mani Manikandan, and Devinder Kumar, who split a cash award of $2,000 for their prior art submissions on U.S. Patent 8,810,803, owned by Longhorn Automotive Group, LLC, an entity of Alpha Alpha Intellectual Partners LLC. The ‘803 patent monopoly generally relates to a lens system that might be used by an illuminator in an interactive display system.

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ The “UPC-saisie” Netherlands Style: the New Trend to Come? “Oh Djadja, Y a pas moyen Djadja” [Ed: UPC is illegal, but patent extremists still refer to it as something to be taken for granted]

      Forget about Gangnam Style, it is overrated. Aya Nakamura Djadja is more than ever the dance-floor song of the moment (especially since her performance at the 2024 Olympics Game opening ceremony). Is Joost Luchtballon able to dethrone the French Queen?

    • JUVE ☛ Discover the nominees for the JUVE Patent Award UPC Firm of the Year 2025 [Ed: More shameless propaganda for an illegal and fake court, sponsored by those who stand to benefit from the fake court. They like to say they stand for the law, but they recklessly and shamelessly create a fake court by breaking laws.]

      Since the launch of the Unified Patent Court 18 months ago, a market for UPC litigation has already developed among European patent monopoly firms. JUVE Patent has been watching this development with a keen eye and will publish the first ever ranking for UPC litigation on 11 December.

  • Software Patents

    • Unified Patents ☛ $10,000 for Flexiworld Technologies communication patents prior art

      Unified Patents added five new PATROLL contests, each with a $2,000 cash prize, seeking prior art on the list below. The patents are owned by Flexiworld Technologies, Inc., an NPE. The patents generally relate to communications over the Internet.

      The contests will expire on January 3, 2025.

    • Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 awarded for Analytical Technologies customer service patent monopoly prior art

      Unified is pleased to announce PATROLL crowdsourcing contest winners, Vibhor Dimri and Ira Heffan, who split a cash award of $2,000 for their prior art submissions on U.S. Patent 8,799,083, owned by Analytical Technologies, LLC, an NPE. The ‘083 patent monopoly relates to restaurant customer service management systems and methods.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTAB Posts December 2024 Hearing Schedule

    The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (Tee-Tee-Ā-Bee) has scheduled three oral hearings for the month of December 2024. As indicated below, one of the hearings will be held virtually and two will be in-person at the USPTO's Madison East Building in Alexandria, Virginia. Briefs and other papers for each case may be found at TTABVUE via the links provided.

    
    

    December 10, 2024 - 11 AM [Virtual]: In re Sentry Centers Holdings, LLC, Serial No. 90039262 [Section 2(d) refusal of CONVENE for various telecommunications services, educational services in the field of business management, and architectural design and consulting services, on the ground of likelihood of confusion with the registered marks for WECONVENE, CONVENE (word-and-design), and WE CONVENE for business advisory services, project management services, consulting services, and informational services in the fields of architecture, interior design and urban planning design.]

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ How Music is Listened to in the United States According to Edison Research

    Listeners in the US spend 74% of their average daily audio time listening to music as opposed to podcasts and other spoken-word audio. A new report from Edison Research reveals just how much Americans listen to music, and it’s more often than you might think.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Sony Music-Ultra Publishing Legal Battle Heats Up — New Lawsuit Filed As An Existing Complaint Heads to Trial

    Sony Music Entertainment (SME) is “willfully committing blatant, ongoing, and massive piracy” – at least according to Ultra International Music Publishing, which has fired off a copyright monopoly complaint against the major label.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Primary Wave Scores Recordings and NIL Deal With ‘Incomparable’ Itzhak Perlman — ‘Hands-Down the Greatest Violinist of Our Time’

    Primary Wave has acquired an interest in the work of “incomparable” violinist Itzhak Perlman – including a stake in “all” the 79-year-old’s recordings. New York City-based Primary Wave and Tel Aviv-born Itzhak Perlman revealed their agreement today; the corresponding announcement message doesn’t dive into the precise ownership or financial details.