Links 04/01/2025: Demolition of IBM Building (Its Birthplace), Microsoft Layoffs, Microsoft Vice President Quits
Contents
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Leftovers
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Hackaday ☛ Crafting A Cardboard Tribute To Puzzle Bobble
What do you get when you cross cardboard, deodorant rollers, and a love for retro gaming? A marvel of DIY engineering that brings the arcade classic Puzzle Bobble to life—once again! Do you remember the original Puzzle Bobble aiming mechanism we featured 12 years ago? Now, creator [TomTilly] has returned with a revamped version, blending ingenuity with a touch of nostalgia. [Tom] truly is a Puzzle Bobble enthusiast. And who could argue that? The game’s simplicty makes for innocent yet addictive gameplay.
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IBM
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Demolition of IBM building begins
Broome County began the largest demolition project in its history this morning at the birthplace of IBM.
The old IBM buildings on the Phoenix Campus in Endicott have been condemned for 20 years. The demolition is led by Gorick Construction, and supported by $6 million from New York State and $2 million of the county’s ARPA funds.
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Standards/Consortia
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SchwarzTech ☛ Article: RSS and Email Might Save Some of Us From Social Media Rot
I think there’s a really powerful notion with that—if you run a little site like this and I take the time to subscribe, I give a damn about what you have to say. Likewise, by taking the time to subscribe to this site, you’re carving out some of your time to at least know when I have something I think is worth sharing. It feels way more intentional than a social media follow or comment.
With RSS, there’s no algorithm—new things appear when you check and they’re sorted by site and chronological order. Want to take your subscriptions with you to another app or sync service? Export it as a text file and keep going. No commercial entity can really break it either! It underpins podcasts, so there’s plenty of active development and support as a byproduct. I really don’t know how many people even subscribe, as it’s not something I keep track of!
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The Register UK ☛ Next-gen Wi-Fi to focus on giving users the best connection
Wi-Fi 8 is coming, but it looks set to focus on greater reliability rather than on pushing the bandwidth ever higher, as the most recent updates to the venerable wireless local network technology have done.
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Career/Education
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Neil Selwyn ☛ “The whole point is we’re trying to teach” – pedagogical reflections on Hey Hi (AI) grading
I’ve tried Hey Hi (AI) for things like student feedback and been very surprised. We had a 10-mark Geography assignment on Surveillance Giant Google Docs. I thought the Hey Hi (AI) would be hopeless, but I put in a list of criteria that I wanted it to mark and the comments were spot on.
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Hardware
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Ruben Schade ☛ Refrigeration: my greatest invention of modern times
I read that title back and realised it implies that refrigeration was my invention. This may surprise some of you, but I cannot take credit for inventing refrigeration. Well, I could, but that’d leave you… what’s a pun related to air conditoning? Frosty?
Michał Sapka ran a poll asking what the greatest invention of modern times was. Out of washing machine and dishwasher I chose the former, though it does amuse me how silly English is with these terms. Why not a clotheswasher and a dishwasher? Surely a washing machine would be able to handle both? I do like having a dish washer, but not washing clothes by hand is an absolute wonder.
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Ruben Schade ☛ Gary Castle was tempted by clipboard parts
Mark Ericsson’s friend Gary Castle had a Corner, and he had quite the revelation in March 2007:
WHOLESALE CLIPBOARD PARTS
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Hackaday ☛ 2024: As The Hardware World Turns
With 2024 now officially in the history books, it’s time to take our traditional look back and reflect on some of the top trends and stories from the past twelve months as viewed from the unique perspective Hackaday affords us. Thanks to the constant stream of tips and updates we receive from the community, we’ve got a better than average view of what’s on the mind of hardware hackers, engineers, and hobbyists.
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Hackaday ☛ A Modern Battery For A Classic Laptop
Aside from their ability to operate fairly well in extreme temperatures, lead-acid batteries don’t have many benefits compared to more modern battery technology. They’re heavy, not particularly energy dense, have limited charge cycles, and often can’t be fully discharged without damage or greatly increased wear. With that in mind, one can imagine that a laptop that uses a battery like this would be not only extremely old but also limited by this technology. Of course, in the modern day we can do a lot to bring these retro machines up to modern standards like adding in some lithium batteries to this HP laptop.
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Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
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Ruben Schade ☛ Spraining a finger
2025 has been going exceptionally well. Except for the part where I somehow sprained my left index finger without knowing it, until this morning where it was so swolen and painful I couldn’t move it. How does this happen!?
I went to the GP who referred me to get an X-ray and ultrasound. There was no major damage which was great news, but the ultrasound showed swelling around the muscles. I’ve been given the usual instructions to keep it elevated, cool, and have it bandaged with my middle finger to stop it moving, along with some anti-inflammatories.
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The Straits Times ☛ China’s health commission to narrow gaps in mental health services
China will set up a mental health hotline and establish regional mental health centres nationwide.
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Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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Business Insider ☛ Microsoft layoffs: A timeline of job cuts throughout the software giant's history
Like other large tech companies, Microsoft has implemented mass layoffs in the past.
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TruthOut ☛ 2024-12-27 [Older] Federal Trade Commission Launches Investigation Into Microsoft’s Practices
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CRN ☛ Microsoft VP Of Silicon Engineering Jumps To Google Cloud To Head Chip Technology And Manufacturing
Microsoft’s former vice president of silicon manufacturing and engineering, Rehan Sheikh, has left to join rival Google Cloud to become one of the company’s leading silicon chip leaders.
At Microsoft, Sheikh (pictured) led efforts to launch Microsoft’s new Azure Cobalt processor and new Azure Maia 100 custom AI accelerator. Sheikh is a longtime silicon chip technologist with an IT career that includes a 24-year stint at Intel where he was responsible for leading silicon engineering and productization.
He was hired last month as vice president of global silicon chip technology and manufacturing at Google Cloud.
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Security
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Privacy/Surveillance
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France24 ☛ Apple to pay $95 million to settle lawsuit accusing Siri of eavesdropping
Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit filed in California accusing the tech brand of using its virtual assistant Siri to eavesdrop on owners of its iPhones and other devices. The lawsuit alleges that recorded conversations were shared with advertisers to better target consumers despite the company's claims of championing user privacy.
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Silicon Angle ☛ Apple will pay $95M to settle privacy lawsuit over unintentional Siri activations
Apple Inc. has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a privacy lawsuit filed over its Siri voice assistant, Reuters reported today. The company filed the proposed settlement late Tuesday with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, which is overseeing the case.
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Defence Web ☛ Gulf of Guinea navies turn to drones for surveillance
Coastal countries in Africa face a variety of maritime threats. These include trafficking; illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; illegal immigration; and piracy. But countries often lack the resources to monitor and protect their maritime domains.
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Defence/Aggression
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The Straits Times ☛ China slaps sanctions on US firms over Taiwan arms sales
It is the second round of measures against American companies over the issue in less than a week.
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The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian police investigating death of six-year-old girl caused by folding table
The victim was found by her eldest brother.
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The Straits Times ☛ Singaporean woman, Malaysian nabbed for alleged drug offences in Johor midnight chase
A high-speed chase took place on the Iskandar Coastal Highway and the Second Link Expressway.
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New York Times ☛ Gaza Cease-Fire Before Trump’s Inauguration Looks Unlikely
Despite a recent Biden administration push, talks between Israel and Hamas to end the war appear not to have made significant progress, according to officials familiar with the discussions, as Israeli airstrikes have continued.
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France24 ☛ Report shows thousands of Israeli soldiers stopped serving in combat roles
The Israeli defence minister has threatened more strikes on Gaza if Hamas does not stop firing rockets at Israel. This comes as the IDF published a report about the health and well being of its soldiers in the year and three months since the war began. FRANCE 24’s Noga Tarnopolsky in Jerusalem explains.
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France24 ☛ Israel threatens to step up Gaza strikes
Israel warned Wednesday that it will intensify its strikes in Gaza if Hamas keeps up its rocket fire, as Palestinian rescuers reported dozens of deaths from Israeli strikes on the first day of the New Year. Over the past week, Palestinian militants have repeatedly fired rockets at Israel, particularly from northern Gaza, where the Israeli military is conducting a major offensive. FRANCE 24’s Noga Tarnopolsky reports from Jerusalem.
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France24 ☛ Gaza police chief among at least 43 killed in Israeli air strikes
Israeli air strikes on Thursday killed at least 43 people across the Gaza Strip including Mahmoud Salah, the director general of Gaza's police department, Gaza's interior ministry said. Salah was in the Al-Mawasi district, a humanitarian zone for civilians, when he was killed.
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The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s leadership crisis explained
President Yoon Suk Yeol’s has been banned from leaving the country.
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New York Times ☛ South Korean President’s Supporters Camp Out Near His Home
For days, thousands have been outside the house in central Seoul, trying to shield President Yoon Suk Yeol.
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The Straits Times ☛ Facing unprecedented arrest over martial law, South Korea’s Yoon vows to ‘fight till the end’
The opposition Democratic Party said Yoon was delusional and remains committed to his "insurrection".
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The Straits Times ☛ Asian Insider: Three presidents in one month in South Korea | Why the US media struggles to cover Trump
Asian Insider brings you insights into a fast-changing region from our network of correspondents and commentators.
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The Straits Times ☛ South Korea investigators fail to execute arrest warrant for President Yoon
He is under criminal investigation for his short-lived martial law attempt on Dec 3.
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France24 ☛ Rival South Korea camps face off as president holds out
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol remained defiantly inside his residence resisting arrest for a third day on Thursday, after vowing to "fight" authorities seeking to question him over his failed martial law bid. The embattled leader issued the bungled declaration on December 3 that led to his impeachment and has left him facing arrest, imprisonment or, at worst, the death penalty.
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France24 ☛ South Korea investigators move to arrest impeached president Yoon
South Korean investigators on Thursday sought to execute a warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched attempt at declaring martial law which led to his impeachment. Officers at the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) and police were seen entering Yoon's residence, where the suspended leader has been holed up, vowing to "fight" the warrant his legal team has called "unlawful and invalid".
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Sister of North Korea’s Kim spotted with children believed to be hers
If confirmed, this would mark the first time Kim Yo Jong has publicly shown her two children.
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China’s ‘monster’ ship arrives at Scarborough Shoal
The world's largest coast guard ship arrived at the disputed area as China's navy holds drills to exert air control
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Taipei hits back over Chinese military’s New Year propaganda video
Video featuring Hong Kong’s Andy Lau shows China ‘ready to fight any time’ to annex Taiwan.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China ‘mourns’ those killed in New Orleans attack, says it opposes ‘terrorist acts targeting civilians’
China said Thursday it was “shocked” by the car-ramming attack in the southern US city of New Orleans that killed at least 15 people and wounded dozens. “We mourn the victims, and express our sympathy to their families and those injured,” foreign affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular press conference.
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Defence Web ☛ The US and Chinese defence industrial bases in an era of great power competition
The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has published a report about the recent evolution of China’s defence industrial base and how it compares to America’s. The authors, Seth G Jones, Senior Vice President and Alexander Palmer, Associate Fellow, state with no ambiguity that China is currently outpacing the US Defence Industrial Base.
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The Strategist ☛ Editors’ picks for 2024: ‘Military challenges to Beijing’s South China Sea claims are increasing’
Originally published on 22 October 2024. Deployments of ships and aircraft to challenge China’s illegal claims in the South China Sea are increasing. European ships are appearing more often, while Asia-Pacific countries are increasingly conducting ...
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The Strategist ☛ China’s big new combat aircraft: an airborne cruiser against air and surface targets
The speed, agility, range and stealth of an individual aircraft type are still important, but they’re no longer the whole story of air combat. Advances in sensing, processing and communications are changing military operations.
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Atlantic Council ☛ A mercenary client collapses
Host Alia Brahimi sits down with acclaimed author and former CIA analyst, David McCloskey, to discuss the spectacular collapse of a major mercenary client in Syria.
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Site36 ☛ Armed drones in Rojava: Activists support Kurdish units with donations for unmanned systems
For a long time, the Turkish military held air supremacy in Kurdistan with drones. However, more and more systems are being shot down. Now Kurdish militias are arming themselves.
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Site36 ☛ At least ten deaths after police used Taser in Germany: Introduction in further federal states to come
Five German states are using ‘distance electro-pulse devices’ in patrol duty, with more to follow. The Federal Police are also trialling their introduction in Berlin. In Germany, the police have been using Tasers since the turn of the millennium, but until a few years ago they were deployed almost exclusively by special units. >
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Site36 ☛ German police kill excavator driver after rampage; 2024 now peak of police fatal shootings since 1976
A man used an excavator to destroy a construction company’s fleet of vehicles plus some police cars. The victim is said to have worked for the company in question. Police in the German town of Tauberbischofsheim shot and killed an excavator driver on New Year’s Eve afternoon.
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Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine
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Meduza ☛ Police in Russia’s Far East detain club staff over alleged events featuring ‘transgender performers from Thailand’ — Meduza
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Meduza ☛ Russian authorities launch ‘rehabilitating Nazism’ case over children throwing snow at eternal flame monument — Meduza
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Meduza ☛ ‘This must be a terrible mistake’: Russia doesn’t have enough doctors — but that hasn’t stopped the authorities from arresting physicians on dubious charges — Meduza
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Atlantic Council ☛ Russia is making a fragile pivot from Syria to Libya. The West should beware falling into a new trap.
Moscow’s rising influence over the Haftar family’s operations underscores its role as a key arbiter of its survival as a political dynasty. By controlling critical military assets and logistical networks, Russia wields significant leverage over the LNA’s future.
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New York Times ☛ Debate Over U.S. Sanctions on Russia For Ukraine War Intensifies
The president-elect has said he will use sanctions sparingly while vowing to end the war in Ukraine, renewing questions over their efficacy.
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Meduza ☛ Russian officials say Kerch Strait spill is world’s first accident involving ‘heavy’ fuel oil — Meduza
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Meduza ☛ One killed, several injured in Russian drone strikes on Kyiv region — Meduza
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Meduza ☛ Russia launches 72 drones at Ukraine in overnight attack — Meduza
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Meduza ☛ Gazprom ends gas transit to E.U. through Ukraine — Meduza
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RFERL ☛ Zelenskiy Says Ukraine Is Preparing To Reestablish Diplomatic Ties With Syria
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv is making preparations to reestablish ties with Syria after a diplomatic mission led by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha visited Damascus to meet with the Middle Eastern country's new leadership.
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RFERL ☛ Thousands In Moldova's Transdniester Scramble For Heat, Hot Water After Russian Gas Flow Ends
Thousands of households in Moldova's breakaway region of Transdniester have been forced to cope without gas, heating, and hot water after supplies of Russian natural gas abruptly stopped on January 1 due to the expiration of a supply contract with Ukraine, a major transit hub for the gas.
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RFERL ☛ Moldovan Electricity Provider Says Demand Will Be Met On Third Day After Halt In Russian Gas Supplies
Moldovan state-owned energy trader JSC Energocom says it will cover 100 percent of electricity consumption on January 3, two days after supplies of Russian natural gas abruptly stopped due to the expiration of a supply contract with Ukraine.
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Meduza ☛ The most difficult year: A military expert, a political scientist, and a sociologist weigh in on how Russia’s war changed Ukraine in 2024 — Meduza
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Meduza ☛ Russian court orders Yandex to remove maps and photos of oil refinery due to Ukrainian drone threat — Meduza
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RFERL ☛ Zelenskiy Says Trump Could Be 'Decisive' In Ending War
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a televised interview broadcast on January 2 that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's "unpredictability" could help end the war with Russia.
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RFERL ☛ Finland Seeks Seizure Of Oil Tanker Suspected Of Damaging Undersea Cable
Finland's national power grid operator (Fingrid) is seeking the formal seizure of the oil tanker suspected of damaging an electric power cable in the Baltic Sea last month.
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RFERL ☛ Moldovan Electricity Provider Confident It Can Cover Demand On Third Day After Halt In Russian Gas Supplies
Moldovan state-owned energy trader JSC Energocom says it will cover 100 percent of electricity consumption on January 3, two days after supplies of Russian natural gas abruptly stopped due to the expiration of a supply contract with Ukraine.
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LRT ☛ Lithuania evacuates and restores over 1,500 art valuables from Ukraine
More than 1,500 cultural and art valuables from Ukraine have been moved to Lithuania since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. Many of the pieces of art have been studied and restored, as well as exhibited by the Lithuanian National Museum of Art.
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JURIST ☛ UN report finds deteriorating human rights situation in Ukraine
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) released a report on Tuesday highlighting Ukraine’s deteriorating human rights situation in the midst of Russia’s ongoing invasion.
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JURIST ☛ Ukraine becomes 125th state party to ICC Rome Statute
Ukraine became the 125th state party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday. With the ratification of the Rome Statute, Ukraine gains full participation rights within the ICC framework, which includes voting on budgetary matters and influencing decisions regarding amendments to the statute.
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Defence Web ☛ Commercial satellites are changing the battlespace and the balance of power
Ukraine has been scoring battlefield victories against Russia despite Russia having 10 times the GDP of the country it invaded. One of the reasons is simple, according to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s (CSIR’s) chief Engineer for Radar and Technology and Innovation manager, Willie Nel: Ukraine has access to more satellites.
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Atlantic Council ☛ Missiles, AI, and drone swarms: Ukraine’s 2025 defense tech priorities
Ukrainian defense tech companies will be focusing on domestic missile production, drone swarms, and Hey Hi (AI) technologies in 2025 as Ukraine seeks to remain one step ahead of Russia in the race to innovate, writes Nataliia Kushnerska.
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Atlantic Council ☛ Lithuania prioritizes defense spending amid growing Russian threat
Lithuania's new government is planning to increase defense spending as the Baltic nation faces up to the growing threat posed by Putin's Russia amid uncertainty over the US role in European security, writes Agnia Grigas.
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Environment
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Climate crisis: 2024 was China’s hottest year on record, weather agency says
Last year was China’s warmest on record, its weather agency said, as the world experiences a surge in extreme weather fuelled by climate change.
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Energy/Transportation
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Latvia ☛ airBaltic likely to ask for more public money, says official
An additional capital injection from the state is probably inevitable, wrote Klāvs Vasks, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of airBaltic, on Microsoft's Surveillance Arm LinkedIn January 2.
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Barry Kauler ☛ Install auxiliary solar panel in custom trike
Continuing the solar-assisted custom recumbent tadpole trike project, I am now at the stage of outfitting it for a proposed first tour. The previous blog post in this project, introducing the auxiliary solar panel: [...]
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New York Times ☛ What Happened to Carter’s White House Solar Panels? They Lived On.
The panels, removed under Ronald Reagan, found new homes from Maine to China. And their legacy still reverberates.
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The Straits Times ☛ Pet dog in South Korea to be rehomed after losing nine family members in Jeju Air crash
It was roaming the village, appearing to be searching for its missing owners.
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The Straits Times ☛ River cruise firm gets 6-month ban for fireworks despite Seoul request to cancel after Jeju tragedy
Hyundai Cruise went ahead with fireworks show, citing difficulty in cancelling a pre-booked event.
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The Straits Times ☛ South Korea extends Boeing 737-800 inspections following fatal Jeju Air crash
The transport ministry will check the engines, maintenance records and landing gear on all 737-800s.
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The Straits Times ☛ South Korea to lift Jeju Air plane tail after fatal crash
The tail section is pretty much the only section of the ill-fated aircraft intact.
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The Straits Times ☛ South Korean police search Jeju Air, airport operator offices over fatal plane crash
All 175 passengers and four of six crew members were killed on Dec 29.
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BNN ☛ Lion Electric temporarily reduces workforce amid CCAA proceedings
Lion Electric announced Friday it’s temporarily laying off around 150 workers in Canada and the U.S., in the context of its ongoing proceedings under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA).
The Montreal-based maker of electric buses and trucks says the latest round of layoffs affects all departments.
In a press release, the company says that leaves around 160 workers, who will concentrate mainly on helping clients with the maintenance of school buses and trucks.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong taxi driver arrested after 3 die in New Year’s Day crash
A Hong Kong taxi driver has been arrested after his vehicle collided with another car in the early hours of New Year’s Day, leaving three dead and four others injured.
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Latvia ☛ Latvian central bank hopes to hear from crypto companies
The Latvian central bank, Latvijas Banka, said January 2 it is now accepting applications for the new EU MiCA licence. The Regulation on Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA), establishes a single EU-level legal framework for the crypto industry as part of efforts to improve its often questionable reputation, and applies EU-wide as of 30 December 2024.
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Finance
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Xi Jinping’s talk of ‘rainbows’ belies simmering public anger over China’s economy
Claims of economic recovery, concern for the struggles of ordinary Chinese mask ongoing uncertainty and hardship.
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The Straits Times ☛ Legal cases loom over Philippines’ allegedly unconstitutional 2025 budget
Civil society groups decry cuts in health and education allocations in the new budget.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong redevelopment body signs HK$13 billion bank loan amid deficit
Hong Kong’s cash-strapped urban renewal body has secured a HK$13 billion bank loan to fund its redevelopment projects. The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) on Thursday said it had signed a loan agreement amounting to HK$13 billion with a consortium of 13 banks, “whose collective support underscores the robustness and credibility of the URA’s financial framework.”
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Yacht company layoffs to continue until late January
A luxury yacht company has said 91 of its employees will continue to be laid off until 27 January.
Sunseeker announced in December that "restrictions in its supply chain" meant some staff would be temporarily laid off.
Both Unite the Union and Poole MP Neil Duncan-Jordan heavily criticised the move when it was first announced.
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The Straits Times ☛ China’s 2024 GDP growth set to hit target of around 5%: Pooh-tin Jinping
The Chinese President signalled that support for the economy will continue into 2025.
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The Straits Times ☛ Trouble in Chinese shopping paradise as Hainan’s duty-free spending falls 29%
The 2024 slump bodes ill for plans to turn the entire island into a duty-free shopping zone in 2025.
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AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
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MWL ☛ 71: The Great State of Soviet Texas
I took the last week off, so here’s a bit of Drinking Heavy Water. The Great State of Soviet Texas was designed from the dirt up so that nobody would hate their work. Unique among Earth’s four hundred and eighty-one nations, the Texas Datacore existed to optimize the health, happiness, and liberties of Soviet citizens.
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Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
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Press Gazette ☛ Tortoise reports falling turnover but reduced losses after 2023 cutbacks
'Slow news' publisher shifts commercial focus towards sponsored business roundtable events.
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Civil Rights/Policing
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China places new restrictions on Tibetan students during winter school break
They are banned from Tibetan-language tutoring and from participating in religious activities.
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Off Guardian ☛ Technocracy Ascending-Part 2: Trust Me, I’m a Technocrat
Part 1 of this series detailed a brief history of the movement started by Technocracy Inc. in the 1930s to completely transform North America into a scientific dictatorship. Their vision of a technocratic regime required all industry, resources, and governance be managed by scientists, engineers, and technicians.
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TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Minnesota abortion numbers rose in 2023, driven by out-of-state recipients
The number of induced abortions performed in Minnesota continued to increase in 2023, according to year-end data from the state’s Health Department released this week. In a report to the state Legislature, the Minnesota Department of Health said there were 14,124 abortions in Minnesota in 2023, an increase of almost 16% over 2022. blockquote>
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LRT ☛ Key changes in Lithuania – from health checks to travel restrictions
Here are some of key changes that came into effect in Lithuania on January 1, 2025.
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Latvia ☛ Three serious fireworks injuries this New Year's Eve in Latvia
New Year's Eve was busy for medics and firefighters. Three people were seriously injured by fireworks, while on Wednesday, January 1, morning, a seven-storey house in Rīga was on fire, Latvian Radio and Latvian Television reported.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Lack of public housing top concern for underprivileged Hong Kong children for 15 years, NGOs say
Hong Kong’s underprivileged children have ranked a lack of public housing as their top concern that required government support for 15 years in a row, two NGOs have said.
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Patents
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JUVE ☛ Aramis IP team moves to Jeantet [Ed: Is this news or yet more marketing chaff from JUVE, basically a marketing front for a rogue industry of bullies and people who break the law?]
The eight-strong IP team led by Benjamin May moved to Jeantet as of 1 January 2025. May was part of Aramis‘ founding team almost 20 years ago. He is known for patent monopoly litigation across a broad technical spectrum ranging from software through pharma to medical devices.
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Trademarks
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TTAB Blog ☛ Precedential No. 30: Illustration of Block Puzzle Merely Descriptive of Computer Game Software, Says TTAB
In this doubly rare case - a Section 2(e)(1) opposition involving an illustration of the goods - the Board found the proposed mark shown below to be merely descriptive of computer game software. "[C]onsumers who know that Applicant’s product is a block puzzle game will understand the mark to immediately convey information about it; that is, that the product is a downloadable and/or mobile computer block puzzle game as described in Applicant’s identification of goods."
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Copyrights
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Digital Music News ☛ Anthropic Agrees to Maintain Copyright ‘Guardrails’ In Concession to Music Publishers In Late-Year Legal Agreement
Anthropic must maintain guardrails to prevent future Hey Hi (AI) tools from producing infringing material from copyrighted content. This stipulation partially resolves the music publishers’ preliminary injunction motion filed in the Northern District of California. Eight music publishers sued Anthropic in October 2023 and sought an injunction in August 2024.
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Digital Music News ☛ Avenged Sevenfold’s M. Shadows Says It’s ‘Incredibly Hard’ to Make Money On Tour Now
Avenged Sevenfold frontman M. Shadows talks about post-pandemic touring and increased travel expenses — “It’s almost impossible.” Avenged Sevenfold frontman M. Shadows spoke with English music YouTuber Bradley Hall about the realities of putting on a tour in the post-pandemic landscape.
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Monopolies/Monopsonies
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