Leftovers

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Physicists Have Found a Radical New Way to Entangle Light And Sound

    Two particles of very different kinds.

  • Science Alert ☛ These 3 Strategies Can Make Your Daily Grind More Interesting

    Mindfulness 2.0.

  • Science Alert ☛ This Worm Can Regrow Its Body by Reversing to a Stem Cell-Like State

    Self-healing on a whole new level.

  • Science Alert ☛ NASA Is Watching a Vast, Growing Anomaly in Earth's Magnetic Field

    It's like a strange pothole in space.

• Hardware

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Chinese chipmaker Phytium sells over 10 million homegrown CPUs — Feiteng processors are primarily used in national projects and key local industries

    Chinese chip maker Phytium reportedly delivered over 10 million processors to government projects and other key industries as it replaces Western processors from defective chip maker Intel and AMD.

  • Hackaday ☛ Let It Snow With A Sub $100 Snowmaking Machine.

    [Mattmopar] figured out how to get a white Christmas even if the weather isn’t frightful. He built a simple DIY snow making machine with a few plumbing parts, and tools you probably already have. Snowmaking machines used on the ski slopes cost tens of thousands of dollars. Even the “low-cost” home versions are $400 and up.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian authorities vow tighter enforcement on heavy vehicles amid concern over fatal accidents

    More than 1,400 people died due to accidents involving heavy vehicles in the last six years.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China launches investigation into beef imports amid struggling domestic industry

    China’s commerce ministry on Friday launched an investigation into imported beef at the request of representatives from its struggling domestic industry, it said. The local price of beef in China has trended downwards in recent years, with analysts blaming oversupply and a lack of demand as the world’s second largest economy has slowed.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia bird’s nest producers risk losing $15 million due to Newcastle disease virus

    It is a contagious viral disease that affects domestic and wild birds.

  • The Straits Times ☛ At China’s first retirement home for the blind, residents sing, go on trips and even find love

    The home in Shenyang has been held up as a prime example of specialised eldercare in China.

  • New York Times ☛ Dayle Haddon, Model and Actress, Dies at 76 After Suspected Carbon Monoxide Leak

    Ms. Haddon, who carved a path all her own in the modeling world, was found dead on Friday morning from what authorities believed was a carbon monoxide leak.

  • Science Alert ☛ Newly Identified Molecule Can Heal Gut Damage And Suppress Cancer

    "The discovery of both these functions was astonishing."

  • Science Alert ☛ Diabetes Isn't Just a Human Disease. Here's How to Spot It in Your Pet.

    Know the warning signs.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ AI data centers reportedly cause power problems in residential areas — decreased power quality in homes near data centers causes reduced lifespan for electrical appliances

    Adding megawatts of new power consumption at such high speed is starting to affect the power quality in the average American home.

• Pseudo-Open Source

  • Openwashing

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ SemiKong is the world's first open-source semiconductor-focused LLM — it claims to bring new chips to market 30% faster [Ed: Openwashing nonsense and vapourware with fashionable buzzwords]

      Meta, Aitomatic, and other members of the Hey Hi (AI) Alliance have released the world's first large language model specifically trained on the needs of the semiconductor industry.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Middle East ‘not a battleground for big powers,’ China and Iran say

    The top diplomats of China and Iran agreed Saturday that the Middle East is “not a battleground for the big powers” and should not be an arena of geopolitical competition between countries outside the region.

  • France24 ☛ Israel says intercepted missile from Yemen after Sanaa airport hit

    The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen early Saturday, a day after the Huthi-held capital Sanaa was hit by fresh air strikes. FRANCE 24's Noga Tarnopolsky reports.

  • France24 ☛ Last major health facility in north Gaza 'out of service' after Israeli raid, WHO says

    An Israeli military operation Friday targeting Hamas militants near the Kamal Adwan Hospital has put the last major health facility in northern Gaza out of service, the World Health Organization said.

  • France24 ☛ Israeli forces detain director of north Gaza's last major hospital, health officials say

    Israeli forces have detained the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital – the last major health facility in northern Gaza – for interrogation alongside dozens of other medical staff, the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave said Saturday. The WHO has said that the hospital has been put out of service by an Israeli raid.

  • JURIST ☛ WHO condemns Israel for raiding major Gaza hospital and worsening health crisis

    The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday condemned Israel’s military raid on the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, which has rendered the facility non-operational and exacerbated the ongoing health crisis in the region. The WHO described the raid as a “death sentence” for many Palestinians in need of medical care.

  • France24 ☛ Scores killed as plane carrying 181 people crash-lands in South Korean airport

    At least 96 people have been killed after a Jeju Air plane carrying 181 people from Bangkok crash-landed in South Korea's Muan International Airport on Sunday. Authorities have suggested the crash may have been caused by the plane hitting birds amid bad weather.

  • New York Times ☛ Live Updates: Jeju Air Flight Crashes in South Korea, Killing Dozens

    The passenger plane was landing when it went off the runway in Muan, in the country’s southwest. The flight came from Bangkok and was carrying 181 people.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Jeju Air plane crashes upon landing in South Korea, 179 on board presumed dead: Yonhap

    There were 175 passengers and 6 crew on board.

  • What caused the deadly South Korea plane crash

    “The cause of this accident is estimated to be the occurrence of a bird strike or bad weather, and the exact cause will be announced later through a joint investigation with related agencies,” Jeong-hyun told media.

    Clips of the crash showed clear blue skies at the airport.

    Indeed, the chief executive of South Korea’s Jeju Air said the aircraft had “no signs of issues” prior to the tragic accident.

    The crash was not due to “any maintenance issues”, according to the head of Jeju Air’s management team.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Live: All Jeju Air passengers, except 2 rescued, presumed dead, reports Yonhap

    The airliner was carrying 181 people when it veered off the runway and slammed into a wall at Muan airport.

  • Scores dead after plane carrying 181 people crashes in South Korea

    Authorities say 2 people survived after the plane went off the runway and exploded.

  • NYPost ☛ South Korea plane carrying 181 people skids off runway and explodes, killing all but two: report

    At least 62 people were dead on Sunday after an airliner went off the runway and crashed at South Korea's Muan International Airport.

  • New York Times ☛ South Korea’s Acting President Has Only Been in Office Since Friday

    After two impeachments of leaders in two weeks, the country is deep into a political crisis.

  • The Straits Times ☛ President Yoon authorised ‘shooting’ during martial law bid, say S. Korean prosecutors

    Mr Yoon’s lawyer dismissed the report as “a one-sided account".

  • The Straits Times ☛ Rival protests planned in South Korea after second leader impeached

    Vast protests have rocked South Korea since a short-lived martial law was imposed in early December.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea launches ‘toughest’ US strategy in key party meeting

    South Korea has become an "anti-communism outpost" for the US, according to a KCNA report of the Dec 23-27 meeting.

  • France24 ☛ S. Korean prosecutors say Yoon authorised soldiers to shoot during botched martial law bid

    South Korea's prosecutors are alleging that suspended president Yoon Suk Yeol authorised the military to shoot if needed to enter parliament during his short-lived attempt to impose martial law, according to a report shared with the media.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Afghan Taliban forces target ‘several points’ in Pakistan in retaliation for air strikes

    This comes days after Pakistani aircraft carried out aerial bombardment inside Afghanistan.

  • France24 ☛ Afghan Taliban forces hit 'several points' in Pakistan in response to air strikes, Kabul says

    Afghanistan's Taliban has targeted a number of points in neighbouring Pakistan, Kabul's defence ministry said Saturday, in what seems to be a response to an aerial bombardment carried out by Pakistani aircraft on Afghan territory a few days ago.

  • RFERL ☛ Afghan Taliban Says Its Forces Struck Targets In Pakistan As Cross-Border Clashes Erupt

    Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government said that Taliban forces targeted what it claimed were “centers and hideouts for malicious elements” it said were involved in a recent attack in Afghanistan, as an upsurge of cross-border fighting continues.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • RFERL ☛ More Pardons In Belarus As Lukashenka Prepares To Extend His Rule

      Authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka extended a wave of pardons ahead of a January presidential election in Belarus, ordering the release of 20 prisoners jailed on extremism charges his opponents and rights groups say were politically motivated.

    • New York Times ☛ Marc Fogel Designated as ‘Wrongfully Detained’ in Russia by U.S. State Dept.

      Marc Fogel was convicted of drug smuggling and sentenced in 2022 to 14 years in prison by the same court that handled the case of Brittney Griner.

    • New York Times ☛ Has Russia’s Shadow Fleet Added Sabotage to Its List?

      Russia has assembled a fleet of hundreds of vessels to covertly ship its oil. With so many ships at sea, the idea of using some to cause havoc may be proving irresistible to the Kremlin.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Several airlines cancel flights to Russia after Azerbaijan Airlines crash

      Reports suggested the crash may have been caused by a Russian anti-aircraft missile.

    • France24 ☛ Thousands in Georgia join human chains in anti-government protests

      Thousands of demonstrators formed human chains in cities across Georgia on Saturday, the day before the inauguration of the country's new pro-Russia president, who opponents say was elected via an "illegitimate" vote in November.

    • RFERL ☛ Showdown Looms In Georgia As President Calls Supporters To Tbilisi Streets

      On the eve of a potentially explosion day, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili called for supporters to gather at the presidential palace on December 29 as she joined a mass rally against the Georgian Dream-led government’s moves to delay closer European Union integration.

    • RFERL ☛ Germany Says Baltic Cable Damage A 'Wake-Up Call' As Report Describes 'Spy Ship'

      Germany’s foreign minister described the suspected sabotage of a Baltic Sea power cable as a “wake-up call” for the West and urged the European Union to impose new sanctions targeting what is known as Russia’s “shadow fleet.”

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Cuts Gas To Moldova Used By Moscow-Backed Separatist Region

      Russia's state energy giant Gazprom on December 28 said it would cease gas deliveries to Moldova at the end of this year because of a dispute over debt with the small Western Balkan nation that aligned with the West.

    • France24 ☛ Azerbaijani airliner crash may be result of weapon fire, transport minister says

      Azerbaijan’s minister of digital development and transportation Rashan Nabiyev said Friday that the Azerbaijani airliner that crashed earlier this week may have been hit by a weapon while outside aviation experts blamed the crash on Russian air defense systems. The plane was flying from Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku to Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, on Wednesday when it turned toward Kazakhstan and crashed while making an attempt to land. The crash killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian underwater cables continuously monitored, says navy

      As the Baltics and Western countries strengthen their energy independence from Russia, attempts to attack and sabotage energy and telecommunications infrastructure are likely to continue. Recognizing this, both cable owners and national security forces are paying more attention to the protection of underwater infrastructure, Latvian Television reported on December 27.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukrainian Aid Workers Risk Life and Limb to Get Civilians to Safety

      The danger and hardship gets worse by the day for civilians in eastern Ukraine. Still, they resist leaving the places that have become their homes.

    • LRT ☛ Belarusians fighting for Ukraine seek refuge in Baltics, Poland

      Hundreds of Belarusians have volunteered to fight against Russia on the side of Ukraine. However, once their combat mission comes to an end, most are denied permission to stay in Ukraine. Deutsche Welle, partners of LRT English, report.

    • France24 ☛ Ukrainian military faces manpower shortage amid increasing desertions

      Desertion is starving the Ukrainian army of desperately needed manpower and crippling its battle plans at a crucial time in its war with Russia, which could put Kyiv at a clear disadvantage in future ceasefire talks. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops, tired and bereft, have walked away from combat and front-line positions to slide into anonymity, according to soldiers, lawyers and Ukrainian officials.

    • Latvia ☛ Ukrainian residents urged to act to keep free Rīga public transport

      Ukrainian residents who have registered with the Rīga Support Center for Ukrainian Civilians will be able to keep their 100% fare discount on Riga public transport until June 30, 2025.

• Transparency/Investigative Reporting

  • JURIST ☛ Taiwan legislature passes bill safeguarding whistleblowers

    Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan on Friday approved a landmark bill to strengthen protections for whistleblowers, according to local media. The bill represents a significant move in the country’s fight against corruption and illegal activities.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • New York Times ☛ FAA Grants Bezos’ Blue Origin Launch License for New Glenn Rocket

      The company, owned by the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, also received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to launch the vehicle to orbit.

    • JURIST ☛ New York climate law imposes billion dollar fines on fossil fuel companies

      New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday signed a climate change bill into law, empowering the state government to levy heavy fines on fossil fuel companies. The fines will go to a “superfund” that pays for addressing environmental damages caused by human-driven climate change.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Photos: Bald eagles and bird watchers flock to South St. Paul

      Eagle watchers came out to the park for a public viewing and education session.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Bryan Lunduke ☛ Bluesky Bans Lunduke For Having Common Views

    After a month of internal debates, Bluesky decided to perma-ban Lunduke at 9pm on the Friday after Christmas.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • New York Times ☛ Guards Who Beat Robert Brooks Were Accused of Assaulting Inmates Before

    Three of the 13 guards implicated in the savage beating of Robert Brooks had been accused in lawsuits of earlier attacks in New York prisons.

  • NYPost ☛ 14-year-old girl found in woods after creep she met online gaming used her for sex

    A 14-year-old girl was left for most of a week over Christmas in some woods, after a creep who met her in a video game had sex with her, found out her age and then ditched her there with a tent and some supplies, according to authorities.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Trade Secret Protection in the Digital Age: When Does Web Scraping Cross the Line?

  I'm following a new cert petition that asks the Supreme Court to examine when web scraping becomes an improper means of obtaining trade secret information under the the DTSA. I regularly use web scraping for academic research, and so this case caught my attention for more than just the intellectual property curiosity.

• Copyrights

  • Public Domain Review ☛ Top 10 Most Read Pieces from 2024

    From defenestration to bibliographic imagination, a rundown of the ten most read of what we published this year.

• Gemini* and Gopher

  • Personal/Opinions

    • Enjoying family time and Christmas

      Spending Christmas with family has been a great way to end the year. I got a lot of neat gifts, but it was just as fun to watch everyone else open their own. There’s also just the hanging out around Christmas while most people aren’t very busy that I really appreciate.

      I got a few Lego sets which I’ve been really excited to complete. The one I’ve already completed is a new set celebrating Bionicle, which was the best thing Lego has ever done and nobody will ever change my mind on that. I still fondly remember getting Bionicle sets for Christmases and birthdays over 20 years ago and poring over every piece of Bionicle media that was coming out back then. This new set they’ve made is a different style from the originals, but it was still a lot of fun to put together and it’s great to see Lego acknowledge the existence of Bionicle again.

      I don’t go back to work until after New Year’s so I’ve still got plenty of time left to keep lazing around and eating sweets.

  • Technology and Free Software

    • Internet/Gemini

      • We're almost celebrating an anniversary, 500 registered sites! Yuhhuuuuu!

        this year there were a lot of updates, the hosting switched to working with a pre-installed CMS, now it's not just HTML hosting, it's the ability to edit content even from a phone, although it's possible under very old computers (backward compatibility works in full mode).