Leftovers

• Ruben Schade ☛ Talking up oneself, via an actor

  Clara and I were having lunch yesterday, as people tend to do in the middle of the day, when a couple sat at the table next to us. I don’t make a habit of eavesdropping on people, but sometimes the volume of their speech makes it unavoidable.

  We quickly released it was an actor, and a theatre company employee who wasn’t a recruiter or talent scout per se, but someone who perhaps held some sway. And boy was the actor taking advantage of it.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Ancient Tablet Etched With Mysterious Language Found in Georgia

    What does it say?

• Hardware

  • The Conversation ☛ 2024-12-13 [Older] Western self-sufficiency in computer chips is just not going to happen

  • Silicon Angle ☛ A bold plan to spin out and revive Intel’s foundry business

    The time for defective chip maker Intel Corp. to shed its foundry business is now. Though former Chief Executive Pat Gelsinger made a persuasive case for U.S.-based advanced semiconductor manufacturing, his vision was flawed from the start.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Pricing for key chipmaking material hits 13-year high following Chinese export restrictions — China's restrictions on Gallium exports hit hard

    China's dominance and its latest export restrictions to the U.S. have led to a sharp increase in the prices of gallium.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ China's dual 16-core Hygon CPU server rack barely outperforms a quad-core Skylake Core i7-6700HQ mobile CPU in Geekbench AI

    A server rack consisting of two Hygon 16 core server processors was tested in Geekbench Hey Hi (AI) and could barely outperform a 10 year old mobile Core i7 quad-core CPU.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • ACLU ☛ Failed War on Drugs Policies Won't Stop the Overdose Crisis, But Harm Reduction Can Save Lives

    In the midst of a nationwide, unprecedented drug overdose crisis, syringe services programs have never been more important. Syringe services programs are community-based programs that provide access to sterile injection equipment and a range of other essential, lifesaving care.

    People who use drugs need access to health and social services, not ineffective and disproven war on drugs tactics that rely on arrest and incarceration. Syringe services programs are just one example of how we can meet people where they are, protect public health, and reduce mortality from drug use. This “harm reduction” approach provides people with appropriate care and services, rather than shaming or coercing them into treatment.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China approves Singapore’s Perennial as first foreign company to wholly own tertiary hospital

    This came after Beijing announced in September that it was opening up its medical sector.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Few Minutes of Exercise Today Could Do Wonders For Your Brain Tomorrow

    A trick for your next test.

  • New York Times ☛ CrossFit’s Greg Glassman Attempts Comeback With MetFix

    Greg Glassman, who sold the company amid sexual harassment complaints, has a new health and fitness venture. It sounds a lot like his old one.

  • Medevel ☛ Patient Portals: Why Every Hospital Needs This Essential Tool for Better Care and Satisfaction

    As a doctor who works mostly as a developer, I’ve seen firsthand how patient portals can transform the way hospitals and clinics interact with their patients. Think of a patient portal as a digital front door to your healthcare services.

  • Pro Publica ☛ Why Oxygen Companies, Medicare Patients Are Jointly Lobbying Congress

    For years, the home-oxygen industry has failed in myriad ways the million-plus Americans who struggle to breathe. Lincare, the country’s largest distributor of breathing equipment, has a decadeslong history of bilking Medicare and the elderly, as ProPublica has revealed. Philips Respironics hid serious problems with its sleep apnea machines, with devastating consequences, including reported deaths. Other large respiratory companies have paid multimillion-dollar fraud settlements.

    But as the current session of Congress hurtles to a close, advocates for oxygen patients — in a seemingly improbable alliance with the companies that have victimized them — are making a final push for legislation that, among other things, would pay the scandal-scarred industry hundreds of millions of dollars more than it currently receives. The patients, many aged and infirm, have been besieging lawmakers with meetings, calls and emails, pressing them to pass the Supplemental Oxygen Access Reform, or SOAR, Act by the end of the year. The corporate and patient advocates vow that if the legislation fails in the current term, as seems possible, they will push to reintroduce it next year.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Post Covid-19 lockdown disease surge tied to waning antibody levels

    Researchers say it is an unintended consequence of the pandemic restrictions.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Hackaday ☛ A Red Ring Light Show For Your Xbox 360

    The Red Ring of Death (RROD) was the bane of many an Xbox 360 owner. The problem was eventually solved, mostly, but memories of that hellish era lurk in the back of many a gamer’s mind. For a more cheery use of those same status lights, you might appreciate “Lightshow” from [Derf].

  • Medevel ☛ AI Hype or Hope? Insights from a Doctor, Developer, and Everyday User

    Is the Hey Hi (AI) Trend Worth It? A Doctor, Developer, and Tech User's Perspective

• Pseudo-Open Source

  • Openwashing

    • The Strategist ☛ Using open-source AI, sophisticated cyber ops will proliferate

      Open-source Hey Hi (AI) models are on track to disrupt the cyber security paradigm. With the proliferation of such models—those whose parameters are freely accessible—sophisticated cyber operations will become available to a broader pool of hostile actors.

• Defence/Aggression

  • New York Times ☛ Biden Administration Takes First Step to Retaliate Against China Over [Cr]ack

    The Commerce Department is banning the few remaining operations of China Telecom in the United States, a move that appears unlikely to deter Beijing from conducting sophisticated cyberoperations.

  • The Straits Times ☛ After 24 years behind bars, convicted S. Korean father-killer seeks to clear her name

    The verdict of the retrial of is due Dec 18.

  • New York Times ☛ Pete Hegseth’s Guard Left the Army After the Beating of a Civilian

    John Hasenbein, who has escorted Donald J. Trump’s pick for defense secretary to meetings on Capitol Hill, said he was unjustly prosecuted for the 2019 episode.

  • France24 ☛ Live: Syria's Jolani says rebel factions will be 'disbanded'

    Syria's rebel factions will be "disbanded," the head of the group that led the ouster of Bashar al-Assad has pledged, as the former president denounced the country's new rulers as "terrorists". Follow our liveblog for the latest developments on the conflict in the Middle East.

  • France24 ☛ Christians in Aleppo face uncertainty after fall of Assad

    On Sunday, many Christians across Syria attended mass for the first time since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. In Aleppo, only 10% of the city's pre-war Christian population is thought to remain. Since capturing the city, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has reached out twice to representatives of minority groups to insist they'll be protected. But as FRANCE 24's team on the ground found out, some members of the Christian community aren't convinced.

  • France24 ☛ ‘Syria is not yet safe for everyone’: Refugees in France contemplate post-Assad future

    Several European countries have suspended the processing of asylum claims from Syrians following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad on December 8. But for many Syrian refugees in France, the situation is Syria is still too uncertain to consider returning. Others told FRANCE 24 they have already built lives in their new homes.

  • France24 ☛ ‘Everyone wants to go to England’: Syrian migrants in Calais reluctant to return

    Although Syrians at home and across the world have celebrated the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, many are also nervous about what the future may hold for the country following the takeover by Islamist-led rebels. At a makeshift migrant camp in Calais, many Syria migrants say they still intent to attempt the perilous crossing to the UK rather than head home.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China, India to hold high-level talks over contested border

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in Beijing on Dec 18.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Mysterious drones raise oversight questions. What can be done?

    Reports of drones flying near U.S. military installations have prompted questions about whether laws provide strong enough oversight. Proposed legislation could strengthen officials’ options, and a security expert says there’s more that can be done.

  • American Oversight ☛ Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Admits It Failed to Properly Comply with Arizona Public Records Law

    American Oversight’s recently settled lawsuit was filed in May 2024 after the sheriff and county failed to produce any records in response to five public records requests.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Jay-Z Demands Sexual Assault Case Dismissal as Alleged Inconsistencies Emerge, Says the Suit ‘Silences the Voices of True Victims’

    Weeks after being accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old, Jay-Z is urging the court to toss the lawsuit, citing inconsistencies in the alleged victim’s testimony.

  • France24 ☛ TikTok asks US Supreme Court to avert law that could ban popular app [Ed: Chinese weapon inside people's pockets]

    TikTok petitioned the US Supreme Court to halt a law mandating its Chinese parent, ByteDance, to divest or close the app by January 19. This appeal coincided with Fentanylware (TikTok) CEO Shou Zi Chew's meeting with President-elect Trump, who expressed interest in reviewing the app despite the law signed by President Biden.

  • New York Times ☛ TikTok Asks Supreme Court to Block Law Banning Its U.S. Operations [Ed: First Amendment protections for a company that actively attacks the First Amendment?]

    The company and its Chinese parent invoked the First Amendment in urging the justices to step in before a Jan. 19 deadline to sell or be shut down.

  • JURIST ☛ TikTok seeks Supreme Court intervention to block US ban

    TikTok filed an emergency petition to the US Supreme Court on Monday seeking to block a federal law that could force the shutdown of its platform next month. The petition challenges the constitutionality of legislation signed in April requiring Fentanylware (TikTok) to sever ties with its Chinese parent company ByteDance or cease US operations by January...

  • Digital Music News ☛ Trump Says He Has a ‘Warm Spot’ for Fentanylware (TikTok) and Will Try to Save It — But the Ban Is Happening One Day Prior to His Inauguration [Ed: And a ‘Warm Spot’ for those who control the "app" to prop up pro-Russia/China politicians]

    Trump says he has a ‘warm spot’ for Fentanylware (TikTok) and may look into stopping a ban, but he doesn’t take office until the day after the ban is enacted.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ TikTok CEO meets with Trump as company hopes Supreme Court will block upcoming ban

    President-elect Donald Trump today met with Fentanylware (TikTok) Chief Executive Shou Zi at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, to discuss the app being banned in the U.S. over security risks.

  • JURIST ☛ South Korea Constitutional Court begins review of presidential impeachment motion

    The Constitutional Court of South Korea commenced its review on Monday of the parliamentary impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol. The proceedings follow Yoon’s controversial declaration of martial law on December 3, which sparked public outrage and allegations of insurrection and abuse of power.

  • The Straits Times ☛ S. Korean ruling party in disarray after impeachment but split unlikely before presidential election

    At least 12 PPP lawmakers breached party lines on Dec 14 to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol.

  • CS Monitor ☛ What South Korea’s impeachment battle means for US security alliance

    As the Pacific heats up, South Korea is heading into what may be a divisive and drawn-out impeachment battle, casting uncertainty over its relationships with critical security allies.

  • New York Times ☛ South Korea’s Impeachment Crisis Strains Its Alliance with the U.S.

    President Yoon Suk Yeol shifted his country closer to Washington and stood up to Beijing. But that foreign policy could be recalibrated in the future.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean authorities make new attempt to raid presidential office, Yonhap reports

    SEOUL - South Korean authorities made a new attempt on Tuesday to search the presidential office and obtain evidence as part of a probe into the legality of President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived bid to impose martial law, the Yonhap news agency reported.

  • JURIST ☛ South Korea prosecutors to issue second summons for President Yoon Suk Yeol

    Prosecutors said on Sunday that they plan to issue a second summons for South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol after he failed to comply with a first one in the midst the investigation into his short-lived declaration of martial law.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol impeached: What happens to all the perks?

    His presidential benefits are to be stripped in event of confirmed impeachment or insurrection conviction.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s Yoon asked to give statements for impeachment trial; summoned again by prosecution

    He is not legally mandated to submit an answer or attend the first hearing of his trial.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ​Impeachment in South Korea has cost Washington a staunch ally

    South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol sang praises of Western values such as freedom.

  • The Straits Times ☛ S. Korea’s Yoon given until Saturday to appear for questioning: Report

    Vast protests against Yoon, with smaller rallies supporting him, have rocked Seoul since his short-lived martial law decree.

  • New York Times ☛ Syria’s New Leader Calls on Countries to Drop Terror Designation and Lift Sanctions

    Ahmed al-Shara stressed diplomacy in an interview but criticized Israel’s advance into Syrian territory. A statement said to be from Bashar al-Assad, the ousted leader, defended his decision to leave for Russia.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia launches first locally made electric vehicle

      The cheapest model will be priced at $32,000.

    • Ruben Schade ☛ 128 Years of the Glasgow Subway!

      Via Wikipedia:

      The Glasgow Subway is an underground light metro system in Glasgow, Scotland. Opened on 14 December 1896, it is the third-oldest underground rail transit system in the world after the London Underground and the Budapest Metro.

    • Hackaday ☛ Versatile, Yet Grounded: The Rotodyne Revisited

      When it comes to aviation curiosities, few machines captivate the imagination like the Fairey Rotodyne. This British hybrid aircraft was a daring attempt to combine helicopter and fixed-wing efficiency into a single vehicle. A bold experiment in aeronautical design, the Rotodyne promised vertical takeoffs and landings in cramped urban spaces while offering the speed and range of a regional airliner. First flown in 1957, it captured the world’s attention but ultimately failed to realize its potential. Despite featured before, new footage keeps fascinating us. If you have never heard about this jet, keep reading.

    • Hackaday ☛ Emulating The Battery Controller In An Ancient Acer PDA

      [Mark B] had a problem. He’d come into possession of an Acer N30 PDA, sans batteries. He couldn’t just throw any old cells in, since the unit expected to communicate with an onboard controller chip in the original pack. What ensued was his effort to emulate the original battery controller hardware. This is classic Hackaday right here, folks.

    • New York Times ☛ How Empower Has Become Uber’s Rival in Washington D.C.

      A company called Empower is trying to take on Uber, Lyft and local regulators as it piles up fines and draws new passengers to its service.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Science Alert ☛ Worms at Chernobyl Appear Mysteriously Unscathed by Radiation

      Radioactivity? What radioactivity?

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ China says planned US tariff hikes ‘pile errors onto errors’

    Rates on solar panel components are set to double to 50 per cent in January.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Legal Action Targets Swizz Beatz for Millions Stolen in 1MDB Fraud

    Rapper and producer Swizz Beatz is facing heat for receiving millions in funds stolen from Malaysia in the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB fraud. A lawsuit alleges rapper and producer Swizz Beatz, real name Kasseem Dean, was gifted millions of dollars by international fugitive Jho Low, who is accused of masterminding the multi-billion-dollar fraud in Malaysia.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ UK ‘concerned’ by China ‘challenge’ amid espionage allegations surrounding well-connected businessman Yang Tengbo

    The UK government Monday voiced growing concerns over allegations of espionage by China, as a Chinese businessman with links to disgraced Prince Andrew denied being a spy.

  • BREAKING: UK court names alleged Chinese spy ‘H6’ as Yang Tengbo

    RFA had previously exclusively revealed Yang as the person whose ties to Prince Andrew have drawn scrutiny.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Britain pares back secretive China strategy review, seeking closer ties

    The government is now opting for a less in-depth approach, which will most likely end up being less critical of China.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Alleged Chinese spy tied to Prince Andrew is businessman Yang Tengbo

    The well-connected advisor did little to hide his links to the Chinese government.

  • EXCLUSIVE: United Front-linked group lauded Yang Tengbo’s ties to David Cameron

    Yang Tengbo credited being a guest at Downing Street during Cameron's premiership with aiding his career.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Once again, China pushes for economic stimulus, hoping for a different result

    Chinese leader Pooh-tin Jinping continues to adopt stimulus measures that fail to confront the country’s structural economic challenges.

  • Missile test, first Marine redeployment give US new milestones in Guam

    Fortification of the U.S. territory closest to China continues with billions in defense spending planned.

  • US navy ship on first visit to Cambodia in 8 years

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

  • Philippines ratifies defense pact with Japan, amid China tensions

    Expect China to watch the region more closely after Senate ratified the Reciprocal Access Agreement, analyst says.

  • Sources: Junta representatives, leaders of rebel group in talks in China

    Negotiations between the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the military began on Sunday in Kunming.

  • Taiwanese rapper says he ‘took money’ from China’s United Front operatives

    Chen Boyuan says he was happy to spread Beijing’s propaganda -- until something changed.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China extends visa-free transit stays to 10 days

    It is extending the permitted stay for eligible foreign travellers to 240 hours, or 10 days.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s Shanghai and Hangzhou warn of heavy air pollution ahead

    Children, the elderly and sick people were advised against prolonged outdoor activities.

  • The Straits Times ☛ PM Anwar appoints Thai ex-PM Thaksin as informal adviser when Malaysia chairs Asean

    Anwar said Thaksin’s advice would be very useful, given his experience as a statesman.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea acting president Han calls for speedy implementation of 2025 budget

    SEOUL - South Korea's acting president Han Duck-soo on Tuesday called for next year's government budget to be swiftly implemented from the start of 2025 in order to help revive the country's slowing economy.

  • France24 ☛ German party leaders Scholz, Merz 'pleased with results', seeking to shape policy, engage electorate

    Germany's centre-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been dubbed the "Scholzomat" for a wooden personal style bordering on the robotic, but also hailed as a safe pair of hands leading a country that values stability. Now that stability has given way to turmoil and Scholz is in the fight of his political life. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on Germany's multiple crises and complex political and economic landscapes, FRANCE 24's François Picard welcomes fellow journalists Marc Perelman and Nick Holdsworth, and SPD Co-President International Elisabeth Humbert-Dorfmüller.

  • JURIST ☛ ABC network agrees to pay Trump foundation $15M in defamation settlement related to E. Jean Carroll case

    On Friday, American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. (ABC) agreed to pay $15 million to a “presidential foundation and museum” for US president-elect Donald Trump as a settlement for Trump’s defamation lawsuit. ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos interviewed Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC) on March 10, after she endorsed Trump for the presidency.

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ The Terrifying Complexity of Tech Oligarchs’ Obeisance to Trump

    ABC's capitulation to Trump's lawsuit is a sign of things to come -- but also what has long been true. By contrast, the capitulation of the tech oligarchs to Trump may represent something altogether more horrible.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • The Straits Times ☛ Ex-Bangladeshi leader orchestrated mass disappearances, inquiry finds

    Victims were tracked through phone surveillance and abducted by security forces.

  • Authorities arrest influential Tibetan internet entrepreneur

    Sonam Choedrub’s detention comes amid a crackdown on Tibetans who have large online followings.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • RFERL ☛ Serbian Government Using Top Tech To Spy On Journalists, Amnesty Says

    Serbian authorities have been using sophisticated digital surveillance technology to access mobile phones used by journalists and activists, Amnesty International said on December 16.

  • BIA Net ☛ Opposition leader’s bodyguards assault journalists in Çorum

    Musavat Dervişoğlu's security team attempted to prevent some journalists from covering an event where he met with party members.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai ‘surprised’ that election officers were not on US sanctions list, court hears

    Jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has testified at his national security trial that he was “surprised” local electoral officers were not included on a list of government officials sanctioned by the US in July 2020.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • Yunnan Muslims protest outside government building as imam detained

    Police detain imam Ma Yuwei of the Yuxi Daying Mosque at a local restaurant, sparking pushback from local Muslims.

  • Off Guardian ☛ When Rights Become Privileges: Is the Constitution Becoming Optional?

    “Rights aren’t rights if someone can take them away. They’re privileges. That’s all we’ve ever had in this country is a ‘Bill of Temporary Privileges.’ And if you read the news, even badly, you know that the list gets shorter and shorter.” George Carlin

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Ellen J. Kennedy: Protect the International Criminal Court’s mission to affirm peace, justice, security and equality

    Kennedy is an adjunct professor of law at Mitchell Hamline School of Law and a representative to the United Nations Department of Global Communication.

  • Michael Geist ☛ The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 223: Looking Back at the Year in Canadian Digital Law and Policy

    Canadian digital law and policy in 2024 featured the long-delayed online harms bill, controversial implementation of streaming and online news legislation, as well as a myriad of notable copyright, AI, and privacy court cases.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ Event Wrap: APIGA Australia 2024

    Joyce Chen presented and participated as a mentor at the inaugural APIGA Australia, held from 20 to 21 November 2024 in Melbourne Australia.

  • EFF ☛ Still Flawed and Lacking Safeguards, UN Cybercrime Treaty Goes Before the UN General Assembly, then States for Adoption

    EFF and its civil society partners–along with cybersecurity and internet companies, press organizations, the International Chamber of Congress, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and others–for years have raised red flags that the treaty authorizes open-ended evidence gathering powers for crimes with little nexus to core cybercrimes, and has minimal safeguards and limitations.

  • EFF ☛ Saving the Internet in Europe: How EFF Works in Europe

    EFF’s mission is to ensure that technology supports freedom, justice, and innovation for all people of the world. While our work has taken us to far corners of the globe, in recent years we have worked to expand our efforts in Europe, building up a policy team with key expertise in the region, and bringing our experience in advocacy and technology to the European fight for digital rights.

    In this blog post series, we will introduce you to the various players involved in that fight, share how we work in Europe, and how what happens in Europe can affect digital rights across the globe.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Bryan Lunduke ☛ DRM-Free, Downloadable Media is a Good Thing

    The Lunduke Journal adds DRM-free MP4 downloads to the many ways to enjoy the show (Locals, YouTube, X, Rumble, Facebook, Patreon, & Podcast feeds).

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTAB Dubiously Finds that Vertical Light Beams atop Guitar-Shaped Building Fail to Function as a Source Indicator

    In a less than enlightening decision, the Board affirmed a refusal to register the proposed mark shown below as a service mark for "casinos" and "hotel, restaurant and bar services," finding that the mark "is not an inherently distinctive source identifier and therefore, fails to function as a service mark for Applicant’s services." According to the Board, it must consider the proposed mark in the abstract, unconnected to a building, and in that light the mark is merely a refinement of a "commonplace promotional practice." In re Seminole Tribe of Florida, Serial No. 90318831 (December 13, 2024) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Mark A. Thurmon).

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ Merlin Makes Its Positions Crystal Clear on Hey Hi (AI) and ‘Fair Use’

    Independent music digital licensing partner Merlin has posted a strong statement about its position on Hey Hi (AI) and its effect on the music industry. The digital licensing partner for independents, Merlin Network, was established primarily to enable innovative and properly compensated uses of its members’ music.