Leftovers

• Ruben Schade ☛ Reine and Fauna’s Invincible Rainbow Arrow cover!

  Today’s Music Monday is something really special. 💙💚

  I was saving this from last week, but my oshi Pavolia Reine from Hololive Indonesia did a send-off with Ceres Fauna in a cover of Invincible Rainbow Arrow, and it’s everything fans of both them could have hoped for!

• Ruben Schade ☛ Our everything–is–a–transaction future

  Today we have a quote from Philip K. Dick, via the imitable Emil Oppeln-Bronikowski on Mastodon. Ubik has made the reading list!

  “The door refused to open. It said, “Five cents, please.”

  He searched his pockets. No more coins; nothing. “I’ll pay you tomorrow,” he told the door. Again he tried the knob. Again it remained locked tight. “What I pay you,” he informed it, “is in the nature of a gratuity; I don’t have to pay you.”

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ How Many Calories Do You Need to Cut Each Day to Lose Weight?

    It's that time of year again.

  • Science Alert ☛ This Strange Comet-Asteroid Hybrid Is Like Nothing Else in The Solar System

    A unique time capsule from the dawn of the Solar System.

  • Science Alert ☛ Open-World Games Like Zelda Can Boost Your Mental Health, Study Says

    "My form of meditation."

  • Science Alert ☛ Dangerous Winter Storm Hammers Millions in The US

    More than 60 million people lie in its path.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Discover Common Virus Could Be Causing a Type of Alzheimer's

    It all starts in the gut.

  • Science Alert ☛ Physicists Measure Quantum Geometry of Electrons For First Time

    A huge achievement.

  • Science Alert ☛ Damaged Hearts May Have Hidden Self-Healing Powers, Study Finds

    Supercharged recovery.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ Mechanical Calculator Finds Derivitives

    We like mechanical calculators like slide rules, but we have to admit that we had not heard of the Ott Derivimeter that [Chris Staecker] shows us in a recent video. As the name implies, the derivimeter finds the derivative of a function. To do that, you have to plot the function on a piece of paper that the meter can measure.

  • Hackaday ☛ Shining Through: Germanium And Gold Leaf Transparency

    Germanium. It might sound like just another periodic table entry (number 32, to be exact), but in the world of infrared light, it’s anything but ordinary. A recent video by [The Action Lab] dives into the fascinating property of germanium being transparent to infrared light. This might sound like sci-fi jargon, but it’s a real phenomenon that can be easily demonstrated with nothing more than a flashlight and a germanium coin. If you want to see how that looks, watch the video on how it’s done.

  • Hackaday ☛ Stacy’s Computer Has Got It Going On

    According to [ClassicHasClass], the best way to open an Atari Stacy is to not open an Atari Stacy. Apparently, these old computers were not pleasant to work on. The cables were not keyed and were prone to short against things. Screws easily strip out plastic holes. Of course, there wouldn’t be a story if there wasn’t a teardown and an upgrade that you can check out in the post.

  • Hackaday ☛ Perfecting 20 Minute PCBs With Laser

    Normally, you have a choice with PCB prototypes: fast or cheap. [Stephen Hawes] has been trying fiber lasers to create PCBs. He’s learned a lot which he shares in the video below. Very good-looking singled-sided boards take just a few minutes. Fiber lasers are not cheap but they are within range for well-off hackers and certainly possible for a well-funded hackerspace.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel discontinues its weakest stock cooler – RS1 Laminar cooler was only used for the Pentium G7400 and Celeron G6900

    The all-aluminum Laminar RS1 stock cooler is no more as defective chip maker Intel discontinued it in late December, replacing it with the already existing Laminar RM1.

  • Hackaday ☛ Reverse-Engineering The Polynomial Constants In The Pentium’s FPU

    Released in 1993, Intel’s Pentium processor was a marvel of technological progress. Its floating point unit (FPU) was a big improvement over its predecessors that still used the venerable CORDIC algorithm. In a recent blog post [Ken Shirriff] takes an up-close look at the FPU and associated ROMs in the Pentium die that enable its use of polynomials. Even with 3.1 million transistors, the Pentium die is still on a large enough process node that it can be readily analyzed with an optical microscope.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Nippon Steel president says suing US govt over rejected bid is an option

    He says the US government’s reviewing process did not seem properly handled.

  • Hackaday ☛ Atari 65XE In Laptop Form

    For better or worse, Atari is no longer a household name in computing, but for a time in the 1980s, it was a huge mover in the industry. They not only produced PCs but also a huge number of video game consoles. Although they were a major contributor to the video game crash of the 1980s, they managed to limp along a few more years afterward and produce some interesting machines in the following years, even though they weren’t ultimately able to compete with Nintendo or Sega. One of those computers from that era was a PC-console hybrid of sorts called the Atari XE, and [Sideburn] was able to turn one into a laptop.

  • Computers Are Bad ☛ 2025-01-05 pairs not taken

    So we all know about twisted-pair ethernet, huh? I get a little frustrated with a lot of histories of the topic, like the recent neil breen^w^wserial port video, because they often fail to address some obvious questions about the origin of twisted-pair network cabling. Well, I will fail to answer these as well, because the reality is that these answers have proven very difficult to track down.

    For example, I have discussed before that TIA-568A and B are specified for compatibility with two different multipair wiring conventions, telephone and SYSTIMAX. And yet both standards actually originate within AT&T, so why did AT&T disagree internally on the correspondence of pair numbers to pair colors? Well, it's quite likely that some of these things just don't have satisfactory answers. Maybe the SYSTIMAX people just didn't realize there was an existing convention until they were committed. Maybe they had some specific reason to assign pairs 3 and 4 differently that didn't survive to the modern era. Who knows? At this point, the answer may be no one.

  • Ruben Schade ☛ Consoles, and the PlayStation 3

    This is a bit of a shaggy-dog story, but it was fun to think back on. It also lead me to dive back into some older hardware again, and even fix and upgrade some of it! This is part one on my series on the PlayStation 3, though it might take me a few posts to get there. I know, this surprises nobody.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • The Straits Times ☛ Experts call for upgrading of Thai massage standards

    An expert suggested healthcare venue operators who do not have a licence face up to six years’ imprisonment.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Bird flu outbreaks strike Japan farms; about 50,000 chickens being culled

    It prompted the culling of 50,000 chickens there.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Xe's Blog ☛ They squandered the holy grail

    Why Fashion Company Apple Intelligence failed even though everything it's built upon is nearly perfect

  • Game Industry Layoffs: 14,600 people lost their jobs in 2024

    In 2024, 14,600 people lost their jobs. The largest rounds of layoffs occurred at Microsoft (2,800 people), Unity (1,800 people), and Sony (1,339 people).

• Security

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ U.S. uncovers hacking campaign targeting Guam's critical infrastructure — suspected Chinese Volt Typhoon hacks could disrupt the defense of Taiwan [Ed: Did the software have back doors? Was it Windows again?]

    The U.S. government has uncovered a Chinese hacking campaign targeting Guam's critical infrastructure, according to Bloomberg.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Chinese cyberattacks on Taiwan government averaged 2.4 million a day in 2024, report says [Ed: Better move to Free software sooner, not later]

    Cyberattacks on Taiwan government departments doubled in 2024 from the previous year to an average of 2.4 million attacks a day, the island's National Security Bureau said, adding most of them were launched by Chinese cyber forces.

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong police arrest 31 over deepfake romance scams targeting victims in Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore

      Hong Kong police have arrested 31 people over the alleged use of deepfake technologies to stage online romance and investment scams targeting victims in Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore, with losses exceeding HK$34 million. The Commercial Crime Bureau said on Sunday that it had raided two premises in Kowloon Bay on Thursday and Friday.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • CNX Software ☛ KTC A32Q8 Review – A 32-inch 4K Smart Monitor running Surveillance Giant Google TV

      KTC A32Q8 is a 32-inch 4K UHD monitor running Surveillance Giant Google TV and supporting up to 3840×2160 resolution with a refresh rate of 60Hz. The monitor takes HDMI 2.1, Display1.4, or USB-C video input, comes with two 5W speakers, supports Dolby Audio and HDR, and offers WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity as well as USB 2.0 ports. A voice remote control is also included for Surveillance Giant Google TV control and configuration.  In this review, we will look at the specifications, go through an unboxing, and test the various features of the KTC A32Q8 Smart Monitor.

• Defence/Aggression

  • New York Times ☛ Students Charged in ‘To Catch a Predator’ Fentanylware (TikTok) Scheme

    Five students at Assumption University in Worcester, Mass., are accused of luring a man to campus, where he was chased by a group of about 25 people.

  • France24 ☛ Three Algerian Fentanylware (TikTok) influencers arrested in France on charges of inciting violence

    Three Algerian men have been arrested in France following allegations they published posts inciting violence on social control media platform TikTok. The arrests come amid strained relations between France and its former colony, in the wake of the arrest of French-Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal, and France's support of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.

  • The Strategist ☛ From the bookshelf: ‘The Taiwan Story: how a small island will dictate the global future’

    Among the most complex foreign policy challenges facing President Donald Trump following his inauguration on 20 January will be relations with China and the US’s position relative to Taiwan. Perhaps no better book informs political ...

  • RFERL ☛ Thousands In Montenegro Protest Response To Mass Shooting, Demand Resignations

    Thousands of people rallied in the streets of the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica, on January 5, protesting what they call an inadequate response to a deadly mass shooting on January 1 and demanding the resignation of top security officials.

  • New York Times ☛ How ‘Stop the Steal’ Became a Protest Slogan in South Korea

    Right-wing YouTubers helped President Yoon Suk Yeol get elected. Now that he’s been impeached, they’re rallying his supporters with conspiracy theories.

  • JURIST ☛ South Korea officials urge acting president to order security service to execute Yoon arrest warrant

    South Korea’s Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) on Saturday sent an official document to Acting President Choi Sang-mok  requesting him to order the Presidential Security Service to comply with the execution of the arrest warrant for President Yoon Seok-yeol, according to the Korean Broadcasting System.

  • France24 ☛ Gaza ceasefire, hostage talks resume in Qatar as Israeli airstrikes kill dozens

    Israel has confirmed the resumption of indirect talks with Hamas in Qatar aimed at securing a ceasefire and hostage release deal for Gaza, where health officials say Israeli strikes killed more than 80 people over the past 24 hours.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel’s Military Pounds Gaza as Pressure Mounts for Cease-fire

    Gaza’s health ministry said that 88 people had been killed over the past day. Israeli and Hamas officials have been holding indirect cease-fire talks via mediators in Qatar.

  • France24 ☛ Israel and Hamas clash over hostage release deal as Israeli strikes in Gaza intensify

    Israel and Hamas dispute the details of a new hostage release deal, with Hamas saying it has approved a list of 34 hostages presented by Israel, and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office denying it has received the list. The dispute comes at the end of a weekend of intense Israeli airstrikes that have left more than 100 people dead.

  • France24 ☛ Arrest deadline enters final day for suspended South Korean president

    South Korean authorities face a deadline to arrest suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol, as their warrant expires Monday. Yoon, accused of a martial law mishap, remains barricaded with loyal guards. Despite previous failed attempts and a looming threat of severe penalties, his arrest remains uncertain.

  • France24 ☛ South Korean protesters face off in snowstorm over fate of impeached president

    Thousands of South Koreans on Sunday braved heavy snow to rally for or against the country’s impeached leader Yoon Suk Yeol, who is resisting arrest over his botched attempt to declare martial law. A warrant for his detenton expires on Monday.

  • JURIST ☛ South Korea court rejects ex-president Yoon’s objection to execution of arrest and search warrant

    The Criminal Divison of the Seoul Western District Court on Sunday rejected former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s objection to the execution of the arrest warrant and the search warrant of the presidential resident, according to local media Yonhap.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean police investigators to seek extension for Yoon’s arrest warrant

    His lawyers argue that the anti-graft force leading the criminal investigation has no authority under the law.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Arrest deadline for impeached South Korea’s President Yoon enters final day

    Mr Yoon Suk Yeol faces prison or, at worst, the death penalty if arrested.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean court rejects Yoon appeal against arrest warrant, Yonhap reports

    The lawyers filed an objection on Jan 2 to the execution of the warrant.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Indian forces clash with Maoist rebels; five dead including a policeman

    Around 1,000 suspected Naxalites were arrested and 837 surrendered during 2024.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea fires suspected mid-range missile as Blinken visits Seoul

    North Korea fired what appeared to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile out to sea on Monday, coinciding with a visit by U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Seoul during a period of political turmoil in South Korea.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • LRT ☛ How science fiction emerged from the ruins of Poland-Lithuania

      Science fiction is a genre that aspires to predict the human future through the lens of expected technological progress. Few realise that it emerged from the tragic experience of Poland-Lithuania’s Jewish community during the dark 20th century, writes Tomasz Kamusella for the New Eastern Europe magazine, partners of LRT English.

    • France24 ☛ Ukraine launches new attack in Kursk region, says Russia 'getting what it deserves'

      Ukraine has launched a fresh offensive in Russia’s western Kursk region, Russian officials said Sunday, months after Kyiv’s forces poured across the border in a surprise summer incursion that caught Moscow unaware.

    • Russia, North Korea lost ‘up to a battalion’ of soldiers in Kursk: Zelenskyy

      Ukraine intelligence said junior Russian officers were deliberately underreporting casualties.

    • RFERL ☛ Fierce Clashes In Kursk Region As Ukraine Launches Fresh Drive

      The Ukrainian military has launched a new assault in Russia’s Kursk region, according to the Russian Defense Ministry and battlefield reports, with Kyiv reporting that "combat clashes" were under way in the region

    • RFERL ☛ Russia-Installed Officials Declare Oil-Spill Emergency In Occupied Sevastopol

      Russia-installed occupation officials in Crimea declared a regional emergency on January 4 as oil came ashore in the city of Sevastopol from a spill that has plagued the region since last month.

    • RFERL ☛ Moldova's Breakaway Transdniester Region Braces For Power Cuts, Freezing Cold

      Moldova’s pro-Moscow breakaway Transdniester region was bracing for additional rolling power cuts and business closures after the supply of Russian natural gas was stopped on January 1 due to the expiration of a supply contract with Ukraine.

    • CS Monitor ☛ Ukraine presses new attacks in Russia’s Kursk region

      Both Russian and Ukrainian official confirmed the fresh offensive into the Kursk region on Sunday. The Defense Ministry in Moscow said that Russian forces had pushed back Ukrainian troops, though online bloggers said Moscow faced major pressure.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine Attacks Kursk Region of Russia Anew

      Ukrainian forces’ assault was in the Russian region where they made a surprise incursion last summer.

    • Meduza ☛ Blinken says Ukrainian positions in Russia’s Kursk region key for future negotiations — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Zelensky says Lukashenko apologized for missile strikes on Ukraine from Belarusian territory — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ A Gas Cutoff Sends Shivers Through a Russian-Backed Breakaway Region

      A renegade part of Moldova once boasted it would become a Russian-speaking Switzerland. Now without gas, its leader assured residents, “We will not allow a societal collapse.”

    • France24 ☛ Zelensky says 'strong' Trump can broker peace with Russia, end Ukraine war

      In an interview with US podcaster Lex Fridman, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed confidence in President-elect Donald Trump's ability to broker peace talks with Russia, emphasising a cooperative approach with Europe for Ukraine's security and a potential settlement.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea extends shutdown of Muan airport due to crash probe

      The airport had been due to reopen on Jan 7 following the Jeju Air jet crash on Dec 29, 2024.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Meduza ☛ Over 30 dolphins dead following Kerch Strait oil spill — Meduza

• Finance

  • Federal News Network ☛ Biden signs Social Security Fairness Act into law

    The Social Security Fairness Act repeals WEP and GPO, two provisions that reduce or eliminate Social Security benefits for certain federal annuitants.

  • Pro Publica ☛ In Connecticut, Tow Companies Can Sell People’s Cars After 15 Days

  • Pro Publica ☛ Has Your Car Been Towed in Connecticut? Share Your Story and Help Us Investigate.

    Leer en español.

    The Connecticut Mirror and ProPublica, a national newsroom, need your help to investigate towing practices in Connecticut. We’d like to hear from you if your car was towed. Your response will help us understand how towing companies operate and if they are following policies so we can do journalism that helps and informs the public.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s central bank plans to boost growth with ‘moderately loose’ monetary policy

    China’s central bank has outlined a “moderately loose” monetary plan aimed at boosting domestic demand to spur growth, days after President Pooh-tin Jinping called for more proactive macroeconomic policies. Beijing last year struggled to lift the economy out of a slump fuelled by a property market crisis, weak consumption and soaring government debt.

  • The Straits Times ☛ After year of big corruption crackdown, China promises more probes, retribution

    China was rocked by a surge of corruption probes in 2024.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ Gravity and Trump’s Conspiracy Cabinet

    Gravity will undoubtedly bring to earth the conspiracies of all the people Trump is installing to defy science. But I'm much less confident that anything will ground Kash Patel's even more expansive conspiracy theories.

  • JURIST ☛ Malaysia expels two boats carrying 300 suspected Rohingya refugees

    The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said on Saturday that they have turned away two boats carrying nearly 300 Myanmar immigrants, who the authority believed to be Muslim Rohingya refugees.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Thousands gather at Malaysia court ahead of decision on Najib house arrest

    The crowd comprised those from his Umno party as well as opposition alliance Perikatan Nasional.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • NYP Holdings Inc ☛ Golden Globes 2025: Seth Rogen Censored By CBS After Joking About Ryan Gosling And A “Mickey Mouse Club Handjob”

    O'Hara had joked that Rogen once delivered a "brave" performance as a young Ryan Gosling in an "unauthorized biopic."

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • NYPost ☛ Washington Post expected to lay off ‘many dozens’ in coming week after cartoonist quits in protest: report [Ed: What MElon did to Twitter Bezos belatedly does to WashPo]

    Washington Post staffers are bracing for layoffs as morale in the newsroom has plummeted in the wake of an exodus of top talent from the Jeff Bezos-owned broadsheet, according to a report.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • Digital Music News ☛ Nicki Minaj Faces Assault Charges From Ex-Employee in Newly-Filed Lawsuit

    Nicki Minaj is being sued by a former employee who alleges the rapper hit him in the face during an argument. Nicki Minaj is facing assault charges from a man who says he was the star’s day-to-day manager during her Pink Friday 2 tour.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Diplo Revenge Porn Case Takes a New Twist as Judge Rules ‘Jane Doe’ Must Reveal Her Identity

    Diplo’s revenge porn accuser fears harassment if her name is disclosed, but a federal judge rules she must reveal her identity. The woman accusing Diplo of sharing revenge porn against her wishes to remain anonymous, having filed her civil lawsuit against the DJ as a Jane Doe.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Kev Quirk ☛ Blog Questions Challenge

    I saw a post from Brandon about a blog questions challenge doing the rounds on Bear Blog and figured, even though I'm not on Bear Blog, I'd do my own. 🙃

    I know some people hate this kind of meta post, but I really like them. I find it fascinating learning how other people who manage their site and workflow. Mainly to see if there's something I can steal.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Gemini* and Gopher

  • Personal/Opinions

    • Kakizome

      Oh my. Hitting hard!

      I guess I have given up on resolutions. But themes? Oof. Maybe I wanted it to be "make music" for 2024.

      And maybe "read Sci-Fi" for 2025? By that I mean mostly: spend less time online and spend more time reading Perry Rhodan. 😄

    • [music] 2025-01-06

      Notausgang feels like a classic, not in the sense of being stale or anything, it just feels like something i would have been handed on tape by a friend who knew more than me, if that makes sense. there's an almost spaghetti-western influence in the guitars at times that i really enjoyed and the lyrics are earnest, thoughtful & relatable.

      it's a punk morning so i follow up with Yellowcake, bringing crunched-out and noisy attacks. Blood Soaked System reminded me a little of Nuclear Death Terror's breakdowns, which i love. ideal for a speedy ride across the wastelands.

    • 6th January 2025 - Ideas

      "Particles of raw inspiration sleeting through the universe all the time. Everyone in a while one of them hits a receptive mind, which then invents DNA or the flute sonata form or a way of making light bulbs wear out in half the time. But most of them miss. Most people go through their lives without being hit by even one.

      Some people are even more unfortunate. They get them all."

      Terry Pratchett - Wyrd Sisters

      This is one of those quotes which resides in my mind. It perfectly exemplifies how ideas strike. The problem is they disappear as quickly as they arrive. It really pisses me off when I think something and internally go "Great idea!" and promptly forget it.