Leftovers

• Off Guardian ☛ REVIEW: The Primordial Code – The Burning Essence

  Directed by Marijn Poels. The embedded video is the YouTube version, the film is also available on Rumble. Both versions have full subtitles in English, German and Dutch.

• Science

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China, US renew stalled scientific cooperation agreement despite fierce rivalry

    Washington and Beijing, locked in a fierce economic and political rivalry, renewed a scientific and technological cooperation agreement for five years on Friday following criticism by detractors, including US Republicans, that China is being given an advantage.

• Hardware

  • Guitar, Synthesized

    When a synthesizer takes on the traits of a guitar, are you opening up new soundscapes or making musical compromises? Here’s what I’ve learned.

  • CNX Software ☛ Nordic Thingy:91 X multi-sensor cellular IoT platform combines nRF9151 LTE IoT SiP, nRF5340 BLE SoC, and nRF7002 WiFi 6 IC

    Nordic Semiconductor introduced the Nordic Thingy:91 in mid-2019, a cellular IoT prototyping platform built around the Nordic nRF9160 system-in-package (SiP). It supports LTE-M, NB-IoT, and GPS, and includes features like an Arm Cortex-M33 core, Arm TrustZone security, and flash memory. The platform is ideal for creating IoT Proof-of-Concepts, demos, and prototypes, making it easy to test and deploy IoT applications.

  • Hackaday ☛ Wago Terminals Make This Ham Radio Dipole Light And Packable

    For the amateur radio operator with that on-the-go lifestyle, nothing is more important than having your gear as light and packable as possible. If you’re lugging even a modest setup out into the woods, every ounce counts, which is why we love projects like this packable dipole antenna feedpoint.

  • CNX Software ☛ STM32-powered MM6108-EKH05 Wi-Fi HaLow evaluation kit supports Bluetooth, Camera, and Qwicc/MicroBus modules

    Morse Micro has recently launched the MM6108-EKH05 Wi-Fi HaLow Evaluation Kit designed to reduce the development and deployment time of IoT products. Built around the Morse Micro MM6108 HaLow SoC, this kit combines long-range, low-power wireless connectivity with a range of integrated sensors, making it ideal for IoT engineers and developers.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • The Straits Times ☛ China approves mpox vaccine for clinical trial

    There is currently no approved mpox vaccine in China.

  • Science Alert ☛ This Common Prenatal Test Can Reveal Hidden Maternal Cancer

    This could save lives.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Discovered a Healthier Way to Cook Broccoli – But There's a Catch

    Very surprising!

  • Science Alert ☛ Bronze Age British Ate Their Enemies According to Gruesome Discovery

    An unexpected scale of violence.

  • Science Alert ☛ Clinical Trials For Drug That Replaces Missing Teeth Finally Underway

    This could change lives.

  • Science Alert ☛ Cancer Drug Gets a Boost From Glue Ingredient, Scientists Find

    Sticking it to cancer.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • EWeek ☛ Microsoft Data Scraping in Word & Excel Sparks Major Privacy Concerns

    The spotlight is once again on Abusive Monopolist Microsoft data scraping after allegations surfaced suggesting that user-generated content from Word and Excel might be used to train the company’s Hey Hi (AI) systems.

  • ZDNet ☛ No, Abusive Monopolist Microsoft has not ‘reversed course’ on backdoored Windows 11 hardware requirements

    Microsoft really doesn’t want you to install backdoored Windows 11 on unsupported hardware, but it provides mechanisms for doing so, primarily for the benefit of corporate customers.

  • Forbes ☛ Microsoft Confirms Password Deletion For 1 Billion Users—Attacks Up 200%

    Microsoft has confirmed plans to delete passwords for a billion users.

  • Forbes ☛ Microsoft Confirms Critical backdoored Windows Defender Security Vulnerability [Ed: OK, so Microsoft's security products accomplish exactly the opposite]

    According to the Debricked vulnerability database, CVE-2024-49071 the issue arose because backdoored Windows Defender created [...]

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Meta Platforms joins forces with Elon Musk to try to block OpenAI’s for-profit transition

    Meta Platforms Inc. has joined Elon Musk in his efforts to derail OpenAI’s plans to convert itself into a for-profit company.

  • Hackaday ☛ An IPhone Case Study

    Way back in 2008, Apple unveiled the first unibody Macbook with a chassis milled out of a single block of aluminum. Before that, essentially all laptops, including those from Apple, were flimsy plastic screwed together haphazardly on various frames. The unibody construction, on the other hand, finally showed that it was possible to make laptops that were both lightweight and sturdy. Apple eventually began producing iPhones with this same design style, and with the right tools and a very accurate set of calipers it’s possible to not only piece together the required hardware to build an iPhone from the ground up but also build a custom chassis for it entirely out of metal as well.

  • Meduza ☛ Mass layoffs hit Russian IT workers as businesses try to conceal cutbacks amid claims of a robust economy — The Bell

    Layoffs of IT specialists in Russia have accelerated as 2024 draws to a close. According to reporting by The Bell in its subscribers-exclusive newsletter, the cutbacks have hit both tech firms and the IT divisions of companies in other industries. However, Russia’s wartime political posture has made it difficult to speak openly about economic setbacks, and businesses have labored to conceal or deny mounting troubles with IT personnel. Meduza summarizes The Bell’s report.

    Multiple IT recruitment specialists told The Bell that businesses have tried to conceal information about the layoffs or denied outright that cutbacks are happening at all. One source explained that layoffs have been “quietly underway” all year, but the rate intensified in recent months. “No one is ready to make this public. They say, ‘Sure, we let some people go, sure, it was the whole department, sure, it was the entire project, but it’s not layoffs, come on,’” the source said. Another IT recruiter told The Bell that layoffs have become routine. “Entire teams are coming to us,” he explained.

    On December 11, the Telegram channel “Non-Digital Economy” (which reports on the IT industry) also wrote about layoffs in Russia. A source told the channel that “top-earning staff” are being downsized “amid rising borrowing costs.” According to another source, companies are trying to enter the new year “with streamlined payrolls.”

  • Game Rant ☛ WB Games Montreal Reportedly Hit With Layoffs

    Yet another series of video game industry layoffs has hit workers, as WB Games Montreal has reportedly let go of 99 of its development studio quality assurance team members. Major cutbacks and restructurings have plagued the industry since the summer of 2023, and WB Games Montreal is the latest among many to announce another round of layoffs.

    Both independent and AAA video game studios have faced waves of workforce reductions over the past year and a half, with big names like Sony, Embracer Group, Bungie, Sega, and Microsoft announcing massive layoffs. Thousands of employees have been let go and dozens of in-development projects have been canceled, with audiences debating the source and necessity of these unfortunate trends. While many were hopeful that 2024 would have a gentler end for developers, the team at WB Games Montreal has unfortunately been caught up in the industry-wide cutbacks.

  • Deccan Herald ☛ Social costs in the age of automation

    As IBM’s CEO, Gerstner was responsible for the company abandoning personal computers in favour of network-centric software-driven enterprise systems so that the internet could be embedded into all aspects of business operations, a strategy largely copied by Microsoft’s Bill Gates in the 2000s.

    His successes aside, Gerstner was singularly responsible for laying off over 100,000 employees after being appointed IBM’s CEO in 1993...

    [...]

    Before the arrival of Gerstner and Welch, both IBM and GE were regarded as excellent companies to work for since they provided lifelong employment and generous employee benefits.

• Security

  • SANS ☛ Exploit attempts inspired by recent Struts2 File Upload Vulnerability (CVE-2024-53677, CVE-2023-50164), (Sun, Dec 15th)

    Last week, Apache announced a vulnerability in Struts2. The path traversal vulnerability scored 9.5 on the CVSS scale. If exploited, the vulnerability allows file uploads into otherwise restricted directories, which may lead to remote code execution if a webshell is uploaded and exposed in the web root. I call the exploit attempts below "inspired" by this vulnerability. There are at least two vulnerabilities that could be targeted. I do not have a vulnerable system to test if the exploit will work.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippine Senate ratifies military access agreement with Japan

    MANILA - The Philippine Senate on Monday ratified a reciprocal access agreement (RAA) with Japan that would allow their militaries to deploy on each other's soil as both countries worry about China's increasingly assertive stance in the region.

  • An ICC arrest warrant for Myanmar junta chief is too little, too late

    Min Aung Hlaing enjoys the direct protection of China and, indirectly, from global inaction.

  • US navy ship visits Cambodia

    The USS Savannah has not been granted access to China-developed Ream naval base.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Inside South Korea’s right-wing YouTube world openly embraced by Yoon

    Yoon’s “YouTube addiction” and conspiracy theories ruined his regime, said a columnist.

  • Syria, Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • France24 ☛ Live: Israel strikes military targets on coastal region, says Syria war monitor

      A Syria war monitor said early Monday that Israeli strikes had targeted military sites in Syria's coastal Tartus region, calling them "the heaviest strikes" in the area in more than a decade. Follow our liveblog for all the latest developments on the conflict in the Middle East.

    • New York Times ☛ Israel Strikes Military Targets in Syria

      The Israeli military hit weapons depots and air defenses, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Israel has said it aims to keep military equipment away from extremists.

    • New York Times ☛ Israel’s Military Strikes Northern Gaza After Days of Deadly Bombardment

      Israel’s military said it carried out strikes and raids against Hamas targets in northern Gaza on Sunday. The actions followed days of deadly attacks across the territory.

    • France24 ☛ Israeli air strike on central Gaza refugee camp kills dozens, including journalist

      Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 48 Palestinians on Sunday, including an Al Jazeera journalist and rescue workers, local medics said. The attack targeted a refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip and was followed by further Israeli air strikes on a school used as a shelter by displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis, southern Gaza's main city.

    • New York Times ☛ How Might the Rebels Govern Syria? Their Ruling History in Idlib Offers Clues

      The Islamist rebels who ousted Syria’s dictator ran a pragmatic and disciplined administration in the territory they controlled. They also jailed their critics.

    • New York Times ☛ Syrians Celebrate the Fall of al-Assad, and Look to Rebuild

      After five decades under a brutal regime that kept many in fear and poverty, families flooded back from Lebanon, eager to start the slow process of healing.

    • France24 ☛ 'Ghost towns are scattered right across Aleppo province': Rebuilding Syria's ravaged cities

      FRANCE 24's Andrew Hilliar reports from Syria's Aleppo about the frantic final moments before president Bashar al-Assad's flight from Damascus and the arduous task facing the country's new rulers.

    • Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2024-12-15 [Older] Assad’s Collapse: The Ineffectiveness of Russian Support in Securing Syria’s Government

    • Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2024-12-15 [Older] From Georgia with Malice: Russia’s Blueprint for State Capture

    • CBC ☛ 2024-12-15 [Older] Nationwide protests in Georgia are a battle for the direction of the country — toward Europe or Russia

    • CBC ☛ 2024-12-15 [Older] Russian tanker splits in half during storm, spilling oil into Kerch Strait

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-12-15 [Older] Ukraine updates: Russia claims further advances in Donetsk

    • International Business Times ☛ 2024-12-15 [Older] Officials Warn Americans To Not Travel To Russia: 'You May Face Harassment Or Detention'

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-15 [Older] Oil Spill in Kerch Strait After Two Russian Oil Tankers Seriously Damaged in Storm

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-15 [Older] Ukrainian Drone Hits Russia's Chechnya as Kyiv Continues Pushback After Moscow Bombardment

    • International Business Times ☛ 2024-12-14 [Older] Mirror, Mirror on the World Stage: Are Russian and Western Tactics More Alike Than We Think?

    • The Age AU ☛ 2024-12-14 [Older] 200km of Russian forest couldn’t keep these two tigers apart

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-14 [Older] Serbia's Main Gas Supplier That Is Controlled by Russia Faces US Sanctions, President Says

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-14 [Older] Ukrainian Drones Strike Russia as Kyiv Reels From Consecutive Massive Air Attacks

    • CBC ☛ 2024-12-13 [Older] TVO was ready to defend controversial Russians at War film before pulling plug, documents show

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-12-13 [Older] Ukraine updates: Russia attacks Ukrainian energy facilities

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-13 [Older] Moldova Declares a State of Emergency Over Energy as Fears of Russian Gas Shortage Loom

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-13 [Older] Capitol Rioter Who Tried to Join Russian Army Is Sentenced to Prison for Probation Violation

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-13 [Older] Russia Targets Ukrainian Infrastructure With a Massive Attack by Cruise Missiles and Drones

    • Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2024-12-12 [Older] The Russian-Ukrainian War: A Test of Global Diplomacy and International Law

    • NL Times ☛ 2024-12-12 [Older] Dutch bank denies service to 3-year-old over Russian citizenship

    • The Age AU ☛ 2024-12-12 [Older] Who is Assad dining with in Russia? It’s not Putin

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-12 [Older] Rights Group Accuses Russian Mercenaries of Abuses Against Civilians in Mali

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-12 [Older] Russian Forces Edge Closer to a Key Eastern Ukraine City in 'Intense' Fighting, Officials Say

    • Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2024-12-11 [Older] Top MEP says frozen Russian state assets should be used to “reconstruct” Ukraine

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-12-11 [Older] Fate of Russian military bases in Syria remains open

    • The Age AU ☛ 2024-12-11 [Older] Putin’s banker feels the heat as Russia’s elite turn on each other

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-11 [Older] EU Targets Russia's Ghost Fleet Shipping Oil in a New Round of Sanctions

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-11 [Older] Low Global Demand Creates Opportunity for More US Sanctions on Russian Oil, Yellen Says

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-11 [Older] US Warns Russia May Be Ready to Use New Lethal Missile Against Ukraine Again in 'Coming Days'

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-11 [Older] EU Slaps New Sanctions on Russian Shadow Fleet, Chinese Dronemakers

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-11 [Older] Hungary, Slovakia Seek to Overcome US Sanctions Impact on Russian Gas Payments

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-11 [Older] Russia Could Launch Another New Missile in Ukraine Soon, US Official Says

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-11 [Older] US Defense Contributions 'Unfair,' Europe Needs to Do More, Incoming Lithuanian Minister Says

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-11 [Older] Russia Says Ukraine Fired US-Supplied ATACMS Missiles at Airfield, Vows Revenge

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-11 [Older] Russia Teams up With BRICS to Create AI Alliance, Putin Says

    • Daniel Miessler ☛ 2024-12-10 [Older] UL NO. 461: China’s Telco Infiltration, Russia’s Darknet Drug Trade, AI-Driven Anti-Drone Warfare, and Apple’s Next-Gen Body Recognition

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-12-10 [Older] Russia: German accused of planning rail sabotage for Kyiv

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-10 [Older] Belarus Has Dozens of Russian Nuclear Weapons and Is Ready for Its Newest Missile, Its Leader Says

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-10 [Older] EU Envoys to Discuss First Sanctions Targeting Russian Hybrid Threats

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-10 [Older] US Justice Department Watchdog Faults Subpoenas to Congress Over Trump Russia Probe

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-10 [Older] Poland Protests Over Damage to Monuments in Russia

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-10 [Older] Zelenskiy Urges Allies for 10-12 More Patriot Systems to Fully Protect Ukraine Skies

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-10 [Older] Russia's Putin Meets Indian Defence Minister, RIA Reports

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-10 [Older] Russia Takes Step Towards Recognising Afghanistan's Taliban Government

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-10 [Older] Russia Would Not Invade NATO, Says Latvian Foreign Minister

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2024-12-10 [Older] Satellite Imagery Shows Russian Navy Ships Anchored off Syrian Coast

• Environment

  • New York Times ☛ At Least 11 Dead in Mayotte After Tropical Cyclone Chido Strikes

    The prefect of Mayotte said the death toll could climb. The storm, the equivalent of a Category 3, made landfall in Mozambique on Sunday.

  • Hackaday ☛ Rainwater From The Road To The Garden

    Most small-scale, residential rainwater harvesting systems we’ve seen rely on using an existing roof and downspout to collect water that would otherwise be diverted out into the environment. These are accessible for most homeowners since almost all of the infrastructure needed for it is already in place. [SuburbanBiology] already built one of these systems to take care of his potable water, though, and despite its 30,000 gallon capacity it’s not even close to big enough to also water his garden. But with some clever grading around his yard and a special rainwater system that harvests rain from the street instead of his roof, he’s capable of maintaining a lush food forest despite living through a drought in Texas.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Commercial airlines become new hot spot for thieves

      Thefts are most common on Vietnam, Bangkok and China routes, said one pilot.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Already dominating electric car sector, Chinese firms take on trucks, even as tariffs from West target trade

      By Jing Xuan Teng and Rebecca Bailey Dominant in the electric car sector, Chinese companies have been quietly consolidating their position in the lesser-watched trucking scene — but foreign tariffs and a perceived quality gap could signal roadblocks ahead, experts warn.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Science Alert ☛ Ferns Can Evolve Backwards, Challenging a Common Assumption on Life

      More like a maze than a ladder.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ This industry is defying China’s retail slump, thanks to young people’s ‘emotional’ spending

    Toys and figurines based on characters in anime, cartoons and games are big in China.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China misses retail forecasts for November as domestic demand remains muted

    China’s retail sales growth weakened last month, official data showed on Monday, missing forecasts as demand remains muted in the world’s number two economy. The country is battling sluggish domestic consumption, a persistent crisis in the property sector and soaring government debt — all of which threaten Beijing’s official growth target for this year.

  • Science Alert ☛ Health Gap at End of Life Is Now Wider in US Than Any Other Country

    Lifespan vs healthspan.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong’s Golden Scene Cinema denies closure rumour, pledges to stay open

    Hong Kong’s Golden Scene Cinema has denied rumours circulating online of its closure and pledged to stay open, as seven movie theatres shuttered this year amid weak local consumption. The Golden Scene Cinema in Kennedy Town told HKFP last Friday that it would continue operating and that rumours of its imminent closure were false.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s President Pooh-tin says ‘inevitable’ for ruling party to have internal conflicts

    He also called or greater efforts to instil discipline.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s Pooh-tin calls on party to ‘turn knife inward’ to end corruption

    The Communist Party continues to be plagued by graft, particularly within the armed forces.

  • The Straits Times ☛ US warship docks in Cambodia amid China naval base concerns

    Cambodian navy personnel welcomed the USS Savannah’s arrival to Sihanoukville.

  • The Strategist ☛ From the bookshelf: ‘American Policy Discourses on China’

    In her new book, Yan Chang Bennett explores historical US views of China. They have ranged from evangelical promises of redemption to hard-nosed capitalism exploiting vast opportunities.

  • The Strategist ☛ China is buying less from developed countries, but not Australia

    Australia’s exports to China have not returned to the peaks before the Chinese authorities started imposing discriminatory bans, but they are higher than five years ago, unlike China’s imports from every other major advanced economy.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • University of Michigan ☛ Graduates encouraged to value truth in a rapidly changing world

      Winter Commencement speaker Rebecca Blumenstein, president of editorial at NBC News, encouraged U-M graduates to prioritize seeking the truth in an age of burgeoning artificial intelligence.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China Customs seizes Hong Kong geography textbook said to wrongly depict Chinese borders

    A thousand copies of a geography textbook which was said to have incorrectly depicted China’s borders have been seized by China Customs before they were exported to Hong Kong.

  • New York Times ☛ Trump and His Picks Threaten More Lawsuits Over Critical Coverage

    The small flurry of threatened defamation suits is the latest sign that the incoming Trump administration appears poised to do what it can to crack down on unfavorable media coverage.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong 47: Activist ‘Long Hair’ Leung Kwok-hung seeks to overturn conviction, sentence in national security case

    Veteran activist “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung has filed an appeal against his conviction and sentence in Hong Kong’s largest national security case.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ Sun editor Victoria Newton: ‘We are the number one scoop machine on Fleet Street’

    Victoria Newton warns investigative journalism is expensive and Fleet Street needs to work together to protect it.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ IXP from scratch: Part 2 — Network and security design

    Guest Post: In principle, an IXP consists of a single broadcast domain, but in practice it has to operate several services securely to provide reliable peering services to its members.

  • APNIC ☛ Event Wrap:  2024 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit

    Pablo Hinojosa presented at WIC 2024, held from 19 to 22 November 2024 in Wuzhen, China.

  • Ruben Schade ☛ Is stuff online worth saving?

    Related to my post about self-hosted bookmarking tools (thanks to everyone for the suggestions!), I’ve been exporting my bookmarks from various sites so I can eventually aggregate them into once place. It’s a lot of work, and it might mostly be for naught.

    I expected some of the links to not resolve, but the results were far more grim than I ever could have imagined. I was a fairly obsessive bookmarker from about 2005, but barely one bookmark per month survived to the present day. Almost everything either redirects elsewhere, fails to resolve, or has been taken over by a spammer. It makes me wish I’d archived some of them.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Gemini* and Gopher

  • Personal/Opinions

    • HOT DAY REFLECTIONS

      A terribly hot and windy day today. Not so bad inside this morning, with the house cooled down overnight and my being in the nude as usual, but right around mid-day I figured I'd soon have to turn on the A/C. Also right around mid-day the power cut out so I couldn't. Just past 3PM and the weather seems to be thinking about cooling off after peaking at 40degC. I've just evacuated the lounge room which has sailed past 34degC and into the room at the back of the house which is usually slightly cooler in summer (although more reliably bitterly cold in winter). It's my workshop for building electronics products so I packed up enough equipment to fit in my little EeePC 701 notebook and am running it off its (DIY-recelled) battery. It can probably do with the exercise seeing as I haven't used it seriously since my railway holiday last year.

    • stdout.write("Hello world!")

      While everyone is talking and drinking, there is this guy who quietly enters the pub carrying a backpack on his back and a laptop in his hands.

      Tall and very slim, his style blends the goth and the nerdy: high-prescription glasses, a spiky necklace with a silver pendant that seems to be some kind of Goëtian invocation sigil, owl-shaped ring, black jeans, black combat boots, and a black synthetic leather jacket over a black t-shirt that reads "Chao ab ordo, ordo ab chao".

      With his long and apparently robotic strides, as soon as he enter the pub, he readily sits at a free table near the corner of the wall, somewhat apart from people. He seems anxious, typing frantically just after powering up his laptop on the table.

      Since he entered, the only sound that has come out of his mouth has been his order: "Hello, a big and cold machiatto, please!" (What?! Sir, this is a pub!)

    • Finished Book Series

      Yesterday I managed to finish a series of books I started earlier this year. The series is a set of 9 books with a prequel by Len Deighton. I started them around May. The series are known as the Bernard Samson series, after the main character. The series starts with a book called Berlin Game and ends with Charity. I have written this while trying to avoid spoilers. This is rather difficult as 1 incident ends up driving the whole series!

      Bernard Samson is a spy working for the UK SIS (MI6) and has an intimate knowledge of Berlin. He went to school there and grew up as a Berliner. His life was one spent crossing the Berlin Wall in multiple directions. This series does not glamorise spies. It is filled with realities. Bernard is middle aged and a family man. It just so happens his work involves spying.