Leftovers

• New York Times ☛ Perry the Donkey, Model for ‘Shrek,’ Dies at 30

  As Perry’s health declined, fans rallied behind the animal and his companions living in a Bay Area park.

• Hackaday ☛ Toot-B-Gone, With The FartMaster 3000

  Face it, we’ve all been there, in a crowded workshop building something, and horror of horrors, things are going to get a little… windy. Do you try to drop it quietly and hope nobody says the rhyme, do you bolt for the door, or can you tough it out and hold it in? Never fear, because [Roman_2798881] has got your back, with the FartMaster 3000.

• Hackaday ☛ Making Sure Your Patch Cables Are Ready For RF Work

  How do you know that your patch cables are good? For simple jumper wires, a multimeter is about all you need to know for sure. But things can get weird in the RF world, in which case you might want to keep these coaxial patch cable testing tips in mind.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Record-Breaking Trove of Stars Seen Billions of Light-Years Away in Cosmic Dragon

    This is incredible.

  • Science Alert ☛ There Is No Safe Level of Alcohol Consumption, US Surgeon General Warns

    Sobering new evidence emerges.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Rare Alignment of 7 Planets Is About to Take Place in The Sky

    Here's how to see it!

  • Science Alert ☛ NASA Considers Two Options For Mars Rock Retrieval in New Race With China

    Sky crane or heavy lifter?

  • Science Alert ☛ First-of-Its-Kind Medieval Grave May Be Rare Evidence of Female Warriors

    Fighting words.

  • Science Alert ☛ 'Loneliness' Proteins in Your Blood Could Be Putting Your Health at Risk

    Isolation can be deadly.

  • Science Alert ☛ Surprise Turning of Ancient 'Wheel of Ghosts' Casts Doubt on Astronomical Purpose

    What was it used for then?

• Career/Education

  • Pro Publica ☛ Feds Fine Baker College $2.5 Million for Deceptive Marketing

    The U.S. Department of Education has fined a Michigan college $2.5 million for years of “substantial misrepresentation” of career outcomes.

    The department said in a news release on Tuesday that its investigation of Baker College found that the institution’s misrepresentations “could harm students, who may reasonably rely on this information when considering their higher education options and potential outcomes.”

• Hardware

  • Ruben Schade ☛ Remembering our hi-fi and TV inputs

    Clara and I are faced with a predicament thanks to our renewed interest in hi-fi and retro(ish) console gear in the lounge. Namely, how do we track what device is connected to what input? There are three key challenges:

    The TV only has inputs numbered 1-8, which isn’t helpful. Some devices publish a name via the HDMI spec, such as the AppleTV. But everything else just appears as a number.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Nvidia cuts down the China-specific RTX 5090D Hey Hi (AI) TOPS performance by almost 23% to meet US export guidelines

    The RTX 5090D carries similar specs as its global counterpart but cuts down on Hey Hi (AI) performance.

  • CNX Software ☛ HDMI 2.2 to support Ultra96 HDMI cable, DisplayPort 2.1b coming soon for DP80LL cables

    The HDMI Forum and VESA had announcements for the upcoming HDMI 2.2 and DisplayPort 2.1b respectively at CES 2025 mostly to introduce future cables supporting higher bandwidth of up to 96 Gbps for the Ultra96 HDMI cable and 80Gps for the DP80LL cables. HDMI 2.2 and Ultra96 cable We don’t have that many details yet, and both were announcements about the future release of specifications.

  • CNX Software ☛ ASROCK Industrial launches NUC(S) Ultra 200 (Intel Arrow Lake-H) and 4X4 AI300 (AMD Ryzen 300 AI) motherboards and BOX PCs

    Following new SoC announcements by defective chip maker Intel and AMD at CES 2025, ASRock Industrial has launched the NUC(S) Ultra 200 BOX Series and NUC Ultra 200 Motherboard Series powered by defective chip maker Intel Core Ultra 200H Arrow Lake-H processors with of to 99 TOPS of Hey Hi (AI) inferencing power, and the 4X4 BOX AI300 Series and 4X4 AI300 Motherboard Series based on  AMD Ryzen Hey Hi (AI) 300 processors with up to 50 TOPS of NPU performance.

  • Hackaday ☛ Gaze Upon This Omni-directional Treadmill’s Clever LEGO Construction

    Want to see some wildly skillful LEGO construction? Check out [Banana Gear Studios]’ omni-directional treadmill which showcases not only how such a thing works, but demonstrates some pretty impressive problem solving in the process. Construction was far from straightforward!

  • Hackaday ☛ The Helicone: Toy Or Mathematical Oddity?

    We always enjoy videos from the [Mathologer], but we especially liked the recent video on the Helicone, a toy with a surprising connection to mathematics. The toy is cool all by itself, but the video shows how a sufficiently large heliocone models many “natural numbers” and acts, as [Mathologer] puts it, acts as “microscope to probe the nature of numbers.”

  • Hackaday ☛ Bending Light, Bending Time: A DIY Polarizer Clock

    Imagine a clock where the colors aren’t from LEDs but a physics phenomenon – polarization. That’s just what [Mosivers], a physicist and electronics enthusiast, has done with the Polarizer Clock. It’s not a perfect build, but the concept is intriguing: using polarized light and stress-induced birefringence to generate colors without resorting to RGB LEDs.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Latvia ☛ Cash swaps as Latvian hospitals scramble to use up EU funding

    In order to build the ambitious Infectious Diseases Unit at Rīga's biggest hospital, Rīga East Clinical University Hospital (RAKUS), the Ministry of Health (VM) has made a major reallocation of cash flow, Latvian Television reported on January 6.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Proposal to test urine of concertgoers in Malaysia faces backlash

    Other suggestions include having scanning equipment to prevent prohibited materials from being brought in.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Bali closely monitors flights from China, Malaysia amid HMPV outbreak

    China has reported an uptick in HMPV cases in recent weeks.

  • Science Alert ☛ 'Please Don't Eat Your Christmas Tree' Says Belgium's Food Agency

    Just.... no.

  • Digital Music News ☛ KISS Settles Contentious COVID Lawsuit with Hair Stylist

    KISS members settle a wrongful termination lawsuit by a former hairstylist who complained about ‘unsafe working conditions’ during the COVID pandemic. KISS members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley have settled a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by their longtime hairstylist.

  • New York Times ☛ What We Know About HMPV, the Virus Spreading in China

    While cases are climbing in China, the situation is very different from what it was when Covid-19 emerged five years ago, medical experts say. HMPV is common and decades old.

  • Pro Publica ☛ Alaska Trials Are Delayed for So Long that Victims Die Without Justice

    The evidence was overwhelming from the time it all began in 2017. A sexual assault in broad daylight at a popular Anchorage park, with a witness who dialed 911 and described the attack as it was happening. A police officer hoisting the suspect from atop one of the victims, the suspect’s pants still around his knees. DNA evidence corroborating the crime.

    Yet in Alaska’s slow-motion court system, it took more than seven years for the case against Fred Tom Hurley III to finally go to trial, in December. Attorneys came and went with the passage of time — a series of six for the defense and four for the prosecution — as judges granted 50 delays. Most of the slowdowns came at the request of Hurley’s lawyers, long before and long after the COVID-19 pandemic paused jury trials across the state. At hearing after hearing, talks concerned scheduling, not the facts of the case.

  • CS Monitor ☛ $1 extra fries? McDonald’s value menu marks how chains are adapting or closing.

    Restaurants are grappling with inflation and a changing consumer, a mix that has pushed some eateries into bankruptcy. Analysts expect more to come.

  • Jim Nielsen ☛ Social Inflation [Ed: Social control media addicts people by giving the a false sense of popularity and importance. Those are bubbles. People who are too busy hunting for "friends" in the walled gardens or bubbles have no time left to pursue real friendships in real life.]

    Imagine you’re on a social network and you start getting tons of followers.

    You love it! Your follower count is going up!

    Instead of a nobody with a couple hundred followers, you’ve bypassed the 1k+ mark and it keeps going!

    You’re ecstatic! This is the “next step” you were aspiring to.

    But then you start looking around.

    The people you’re following with 1k+ followers are now at 10k+.

    It hits you: everyone else’s follower count is going up too.

  • Hackaday ☛ Cleaning Up Bhopal: The World’s Worst Industrial Disaster

    Forty years ago, on the night of Sunday 2 December of 1984, people in the city of Bhopal and surrounding communities were settling in for what seemed like yet another regular night. The worst thing in their near future appeared to be having to go back to school and work the next day. Tragically, many of them would never wake up again, and for many thousands more their lives would forever be changed in the worst ways possible.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • The Straits Times ☛ Indonesia and Fashion Company Apple discuss investment proposal linked to iPhone sale ban

    Indonesia's industry minister declined to provide details on Apple’s proposal or Indonesia’s demand.

  • Forbes ☛ Google Warns backdoored Windows Users—Microsoft Is Tricking You

    Google has suddenly hit back hard after Abusive Monopolist Microsoft was seemingly caught capturing and diverting Surveillance Giant Google users within its backdoored Windows ecosystem.

  • AccessNow ☛ Submission on Sri Lanka’s draft National Strategy on AI hype

    With increasing development of Hey Hi (AI) hype applications, it's crucial for Sri Lanka to develop a strong foundational guide for the use of emerging technology.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ ChatGPT was used to plan Cybertruck explosion outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas — police release details on prompts used to decide crucial details

    LVMPD confirms that Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot was used by the man behind the Vegas Cybertruck explosion to plan his actions, including determining what firearm to set off the blast

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Inflection point: Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot was used to plan Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion

    Throughout the history of humanity, every new invention, despite the best intentions, often ends up being used for wrongdoing. And when new inventions are used that way, those inventions often hit an inflection point. 2025 started with a Tesla Inc.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • New Yorker ☛ App Privacy Updates for Teens

      Parents can rest assured that the new security features won’t interfere with your child’s secret Snapchat account.

    • Wired ☛ Your Next AI Wearable Will Listen to Everything All the Time | WIRED

      The latest crop of AI-enabled wearables like Bee AI and Omi listen to your conversations to help organize your life. They are also normalizing embedded microphones that are always on.

    • Wired ☛ Meta Follows Elon Musk’s Lead, Moves Staffers to Billionaire-Friendly Texas | WIRED

      According to Mark Zuckerberg, Meta trust and safety workers will be relocated to Texas to prevent them from âcensoringâ users. Experts point to other advantages.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Federal News Network ☛ Chinese tech companies Tencent, CATL and others protest US listings as army-linked companies

    The U.S. Defense Department has added major Chinese technology companies including gaming and technology company Tencent, artificial intelligence firm SenseTime and the world’s biggest battery maker CATL to its list of companies it says have ties to China’s military. Tencent said Tuesday that it would initiate moves to “correct this mistake.” CATL also denied having any ties with the People's Liberation Army. The U.S. Defense Department updates its list of companies affiliated with China's military annually. With the latest revision it includes 134 companies.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China slams ‘unjustified suppression’ after US adds tech giant Tencent, CATL to list of military companies

    China on Tuesday accused Washington of “unjustified suppression” after the US Defense Department added tech giant Tencent and battery manufacturer CATL to a list of companies it says are affiliated with Beijing’s military.

  • University of Michigan ☛ The US military’s youth recruitment tactics: Video games want YOU

    If you were a lower-to-middle-class teenager in the 2000s and 2010s, chances are you’ve endured several recruitment attempts by the U.S. Army. Whether at county fairs, trips to the mall or even during your school hours, it seems like there was no other job more endorsed than enlistment.

  • Thai police: Former Cambodian opposition lawmaker fatally shot in Bangkok

    Surveillance video shows a suspect breezily crossing a busy street just before 3 shots ring out near a pagoda.

  • ADF ☛ Kenya and Rwanda Appear Poised to Lead Africa’s Drone Revolution

    Kenya and Rwanda are emerging as Africa’s leading nations for developing drone technology as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) play an increasing role in the continent’s daily life.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China blasts ‘suppression’ after US adds Tencent, CATL to military companies list

    China urged the US to “immediately correct its wrong practices”.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China's Shandong Port Group blacklists U.S. sanctioned oil vessels, say traders

    China's Shandong Port Group issued a notice on Monday banning U.S. sanctioned oil vessels from its network of ports, according to three traders, potentially restricting blacklisted vessels from major energy terminals on China's east coast.

  • The Strategist ☛ China takes aim at Philippine democracy

    In April 2024, a spokesperson for former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte suggested that the Philippines and China had entered into an undisclosed ‘gentleman’s agreement’ between 2016 and 2022.

  • Myanmar’s junta answers rebel proposal for talks with week of deadly airstrikes

    Since the AA offer, military bombings have killed 10 and injured more than a dozen in Rakhine state.

  • Defence Web ☛ Senior al-Shabaab leader killed in targeted Somali air strike

    A week before the latest and third iteration of an African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission came into being in Somalia, a requested United States (US) air strike saw a “senior al-Shabaab leader” and another militant killed in the east African country.

  • ADF ☛ Colombian Mercenaries, Hired for UAE Security, Face Fire in Sudan

    After a recent battle between the allies of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), fighters found a cache of unexpected documents. Among them were the passport, driver’s license and other documents belonging to a Colombian mercenary.

  • New York Times ☛ Denmark Updates Coat of Arms Amid Trump Push to Buy Greenland

    Before President-elect Donald Trump’s latest remarks, King Frederik X signaled his commitment to the territory in a decidedly old-fashioned way.

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Why Greenland? Remote but resource-rich island occupies a key position in a warming world

    Greenland is where climate change, scarce resources, tense geopolitics and new trade patterns all intersect, said Ohio University security and environment professor Geoff Dabelko.

  • France24 ☛ Trump, Jr. visits Greenland as Trump doubles down on acquiring island

    US President-elect Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump, Jr., visited Greenland on Tuesday, while his father refused to rule out military or economic coercion as a means to purchase the mineral and oil-rich island. Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring the Danish territory, as well as the Panama Canal, saying on Tuesday that they are necessary to ensure the US' "economic security".

  • The Strategist ☛ Innovation for security: why Australia needs its own DARPA

    Australia should establish a national centre for breakthrough technologies along the lines of the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

  • Taiwan may consider introducing foreign migrants into army

    The idea of having foreign fighters has been floating among Taiwan’s security circles

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Back to normal’ among top New Year’s wishes in South Korea: survey

    Many South Koreans who posted their New Year’s wishes online hoped for a "peaceful everyday life".

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s embattled leader Yoon Suk Yeol finds allies among young conservative men

    Young conservative men have played a visible role in rallying support for the isolated President.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Conflict escalates over S. Korean Assembly’s withdrawal of Yoon’s insurrection charge

    Mr Yoon's legal representatives said the impeachment should be wholly dismissed immediately.

  • North Korea’s claim of hypersonic missile launch likely ‘deception’: Seoul

    The North said it successfully test-fired the missile the previous day.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea successfully tests new intermediate-range missile, state media says

    The test coincided with a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to South Korea.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan says Chinese-owned ship suspected of damaging sea cable goes dark

    Taiwan has asked South Korean authorities for assistance in the investigation into the ship.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Democratic Party of Korea files criminal complaint against Acting President

    The Democratic Party filed a criminal complaint against Mr Choi, accusing him of negligence.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s anti-corruption chief apologises, shows resolve to detain Yoon

    The agency’s first attempt to detain the President on Jan 3 bore no fruit following a five-hour stand-off.

  • France24 ☛ South Korean investigators secure new arrest warrant for President Yoon

    A South Korean court has approved a new arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon suk Yeol after he resisted an attempt by police last week. Anti-graft investigators are seeking to detain Yoon over his botched bid to impose martial law on the country early December.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s Yoon faces second arrest attempt in fortified compound

    A top investigator has vowed to do whatever it takes to break a security blockade.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s impeached leader Yoon hunkers down in Seoul’s ‘Beverly Hills’

    He remains holed up in his sprawling hillside villa with his wife, dogs and cats.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean court re-issues arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon

    Investigators seeking to question Yoon have struggled to execute a warrant for his arrest.

  • Bruce Schneier ☛ US Treasury Department Sanctions Chinese Company Over Cyberattacks

    From the Washington Post:

    The sanctions target Beijing Integrity Technology Group, which U.S. officials say employed workers responsible for the Flax Typhoon attacks which compromised devices including routers and internet-enabled cameras to infiltrate government and industrial targets in the United States, Taiwan, Europe and elsewhere.

  • France24 ☛ Trump will not rule out using military force to take Panama Canal, Greenland

    US President-elect Donald Trump is refusing to rule out using military force to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal, calling both critical to American national security.

    Speaking at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday, Trump explicitly declined to give assurances against using military or economic coercion when questioned about his plans regarding Panama and Greenland.

  • Defence Web ☛ Major General Ekman and the Pentagon’s strategy to strengthen air power in West Africa

    Major General Kenneth Ekman, who serves as the US Department of Defense West Africa Coordination Element (ACE) Lead, US Africa Command, is a pivotal figure shaping America’s approach to security cooperation in West Africa.

  • Defence Web ☛ Africa on the UN security council: why the continent should have two permanent seats

    Africa’s desire to be fully represented in all decision-making organs of the United Nations (UN), particularly in the security council, is informed by three factors. First, repairing the historical injustice of its underrepresentation in global governance. Second, recognising African contributions in shaping the contemporary world order.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China says U.S. suspicion of security risks in Chinese drones is 'irresponsible'

    China called the United States \"extremely irresponsible\" for \"groundlessly suspecting\" there are information security risks in China's drone systems, its commerce ministry said on Tuesday.

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ Barry Loudermilk Wasted $250K Making Security Footage available on Rumble

    Barry Loudermilk wasted $250,000 of taxpayer money so extremists who favor Rumble could have privileged access to security footage showing how US Capitol Police defend the Capitol.

  • ADF ☛ Exercise Crocodile Lift Hones Amphibious Skills in the Gulf of Guinea

    Members of the Nigerian and French navies responded by air and sea to a pirate attack in the Gulf of Guinea in late November. They boarded a ship with their guns drawn and searched for criminals and hostages.

  • ADF ☛ Expanding Militias Threaten Security in Eastern Sudan

    Amid the chaos of Sudan’s ongoing conflict, the country’s eastern Kassala State has remained relatively peaceful. However, the growing presence of militias in the region threatens to change that. Residents of Kassala and neighboring Gedaref states have reported convoys of military-style vehicles with mounted antiaircraft guns moving through in recent months.

  • NYPost ☛ Pentagon files emergency appeal in last-ditch effort to halt 9/11 plea deals

    In the Biden administration’s latest filing, Brian Fletcher, the Justice Department’s principal deputy solicitor general, argued that the case involving the three 9/11 plotters is of “ unique national importance” and Lloyd Austin’s authority as defense secretary was “improperly curtailed” in the previous court rulings.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Latvia ☛ Latvia's military support to Ukraine was worth of 0.25% of GDP in 2024

      On Tuesday, January 7, the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers reviewed a Ministry of Defense report on Latvia's support to Ukraine.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Taiwan would not need independence to join international security alliance, Jimmy Lai tells national security trial

      Jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai told his national security trial that Taiwan would not need to declare independence to join an international alliance and gain protection from China’s military aggression as he again denied advocating the self-ruled island’s sovereignty.

    • Chinese firms supporting Russia pose as Taiwanese to dodge sanctions: activist

      Chinese companies provided crucial components for glide bombs used by Russia against Ukraine.

    • RFERL ☛ Trump Says Ukraine Peace Talks Could Begin Soon After Taking Office

      U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has said again that he is eager to see negotiations with Russia on ending the war in Ukraine begin soon after he returns to the White House but gave no specifics on when they would take place.

    • RFERL ☛ Belarus Rejects Zelenskiy's Comments on Apology Following Russia's Invasion

      Belarussian authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka did not apologize to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the days following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a spokesman for the strongman leader claimed.

    • RFERL ☛ Kursk Battles Rage As U.S. Set To Unveil ‘Final’ Aid Package Under Biden

      The Ukrainian military continued its drive in Russia's Kursk region late on January 7, claiming it hit a key Russian command post, while Washington is reportedly set to announce a "substantial" final weapons package under the current administration.

    • New York Times ☛ For Many Returning Russian Veterans, a Long Road of Recovery Awaits

      A large number of soldiers return as amputees, and many suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Once home, they face stigma and a grueling course of rehabilitation.

    • New York Times ☛ Short of Heat and Power, the Breakaway Region of Transnistria Struggles Without Russian Gas

      An energy crisis in Transnistria, a pro-Russian territory between Moldova and Ukraine, erupted on Jan. 1 when Moscow stopped supplying natural gas through a pipeline running across Ukraine.

    • Meduza ☛ Russian gas cutoff leaves thousands without heat and power in Moldova’s breakaway Transnistria region — Meduza

    • ADF ☛ Russia Tricking Africans to Fight War in Ukraine

      Richard Kanu served in Sierra Leone’s military for more than 10 years, but nothing prepared him for the Russian army, which he says he was tricked into joining. As a migrant in St. Petersburg, he applied for a job by signing some Russian-language paperwork.

    • Meduza ☛ Ukrainian drones attack Russia’s Saratov and Engels, reportedly striking the Kristall oil depot — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘A dictatorship like in Belarus is better than a democracy like in Ukraine,’ says Belarusian leader — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Endgame: What battlefield developments and the balance of power reveal about the future of the Russia–Ukraine war — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Biden administration to announce ‘substantial’ military aid package for Ukraine on Thursday — AP — Meduza

    • LRT ☛ Gazprom seeks to undermine Moldova’s stability by cutting gas supplies - NB8

      Russia’s state-owned natural gas giant Gazprom’s decision to suspend gas supplies to Moldova is aimed at undermining the country’s political and economic stability, the Nordic and Baltic countries say.

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Chinese company accused of shipping kamikaze drone parts to Russia through elaborate re-selling and rebranding scheme

      Elaborate Chinese rebranding scheme, which was used to funnel glide bomb and kamikaze drone components to Russia, is uncovered.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania’s pushbacks of Cubans into freezing forests cast long shadows over rights

      In their quest for asylum, Dianalay Gonzalez Castaneda and her three friends spent more than a week in the forests between Lithuania and Belarus, in what authorities have framed as a hybrid attack by Belarus.

    • Meduza ☛ Hackers claim breach of Russia’s real estate registry, leak alleged database fragment — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Putin engraves his initials on Orthodox religious items distributed to Russian military commanders — Meduza

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Putin’s peace plan is actually a call for Ukraine’s capitulation

      Donald Trump has vowed to end Russia's war in Ukraine, but Vladimir Putin's proposed peace terms leave little room for doubt that the Kremlin dictator remains intent on erasing Ukrainian statehood entirely, writes Serhii Kuzan.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Putin begins 2025 confident of victory as war of attrition takes toll on Ukraine

      Donald Trump has vowed to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine but Vladimir Putin begins 2025 more confident of victory than ever and with little interest in a negotiated peace deal, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

    • RFERL ☛ 3 Years After 'Bloody January,' Kazakh Families Still Awaiting Justice

      In January 2022, anti-government protests erupted across Kazakhstan, prompting a violent police crackdown that left hundreds dead. In the city of Shymkent, 20 people were killed in one night, including Nurbolat Alpamys, a young man just days from his 20th birthday. His parents have petitioned the local government to hold security forces accountable for their son's death, but their efforts only led to Nurbolat's father being jailed himself.

    • Meduza ☛ NATO to deploy nearly a dozen ships to the Baltic Sea, raising military deterrent against further damage to undersea cables — Meduza

• Environment/Nature

  • Science Alert ☛ A Gigantic Wave in The Pacific Ocean Was The Most Extreme 'Rogue Wave' on Record

  • Latvia ☛ Classic year predicted for Northern Lights in Latvia

    This could be a vintage year for stargazers hoping to enjoy the spectacular sights of the Aurora Borealis or 'Northern Lights', according to Latvian Radio's science show 'Zināmais nezīnāmāja' (The Known Unknown).

  • The Straits Times ☛ Earthquake in China’s Tibet kills at least 126; tremors felt in Nepal, India

    Videos showed destroyed houses with walls torn apart and rubble strewn across the ruins.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ At least 95 dead after quake rocks China’s Tibet region, with tremors felt in Nepal and India

    A devastating earthquake in China’s remote Tibet region killed at least 95 people and collapsed “many buildings” on Tuesday, state media reported, with tremors also felt in neighbouring Nepal’s capital Kathmandu and parts of India.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea rival parties form plane crash task force despite political turmoil

      The Boeing 737-800 plane was flying from Thailand to Muan, South Korea, on Dec 29, 2024.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Ashes of Thai Jeju Air crash victim returned to kin in Udon Thani

      The victim’s ashes were divided between her relatives in Thailand and her South Korean husband.

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s Transport Minister plans to resign over deadly Jeju Air crash

      He said he will try to find the right timing to resign after addressing the current situation.

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea reviews airport runway walls after fatal Jeju Air crash

      The authorities will alter all the concrete structures designed to support so-called localisers.

    • Mexico News Daily ☛ Korean EV parts manufacturer invests US $25M in Coahuila

      Local authorities hope to attract other automotive tech companies to the state as they seek to position Monclova as a key player in the growing EV sector. 

    • The Straits Times ☛ India fears China may use Tibet hydropower dam to flood border areas if disputes flare up

      India concerned over China's approval of construction of hydropower dam in Yarlung Zangbo river.

    • New Yorker ☛ A Limousine Driver Watches Her Passengers Transform

      In the eighties, the photographer Kathy Shorr became a chauffeur, capturing working-class New Yorkers on their way to new lives.

    • JURIST ☛ US Steel and Nippon Steel sue Biden administration over blocked $14.9B deal

      US Steel and Nippon Steel filed lawsuits on Monday challenging US President Joe Biden’s decision to block the companies’ proposed $14.9 billion merger deal, alleging the administration cited inaccurate national security concerns. The two steelmakers contended that the deal would have bolstered domestic manufacturing capacity while adhering to all legal and regulatory requirements.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Federal News Network ☛ Biden administration withdraws old-growth forest plan after getting pushback from industry and GOP

      The Biden administration is dropping its plan to conserve old-growth forests after getting pushback from Republicans and the timber industry. The surprise move was announced Tuesday by U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore in a letter to forest supervisors. It brings an abrupt end to a yearslong process to craft a nationwide plan that would better protect old trees that are increasingly threatened by climate change.

• Finance

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Mexico’s job growth, down 67%, shows signs of formal sector strain

    Mexico's formal sector added 213,993 new jobs last year — the weakest job growth since 2020, when it registered a net loss of 648,000 jobs during the pandemic.

  • REI cuts dozens of people, popular programs to cure money woes

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ “False in Numerous Respects:” House Democrats Package Up Liz Cheney’s Evidence of “Despicable Malice”

    In arguing that Speech and Debate would protect her even if there were no evidence to support the criminal referral Barry Loudermilk made against her, Liz Cheney suggested that that same Speech and Debate protection is the one thing that protects him from a defamation claim.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Defeating fear in Venezuela

    Opposition leaders marshal honor, dignity, and conscience in a South American country striving to restore democracy.

  • China’s social control media awash with talk of Sino-US friendship

    Comments on US Embassy posts switch to a uniformly positive tone ahead of Trump inauguration.

  • Death of student in China’s Shaanxi sparks mass protests, clashes

    Crowds gather after young man dies following ‘verbal, physical altercation’ in dorm room.

  • LRT ☛ Lithuania’s relations with China to be ‘a bumpy road’ – PM

    Restoring Lithuania’s ties with China will be difficult, Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas said on Tuesday, stressing that these relations are based on the European Union’s common strategy, which is shifting due to geopolitical and economic reasons.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Recalling Jimmy Carter, the great de-regulator

    "He had the humility to go back and to look at whether some of his own policies might be contributing to that inflation," said Susan Dudley.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • France24 ☛ Meta to drop fact-checking and switch to X-style "community notes"

      Meta, the owner of Facebook (Farcebook) and Instagram, abruptly announced it will get rid of independent fact checkers and replace them with a "community notes" system like the one used on X. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said there had been too much accidental censorship.  Rights groups accused him of currying favour with the incoming Trump administration. Plus, Getty Images and Shutterstock announced a plan to merge to better prepare for the age of AI.

    • France24 ☛ Meta scraps fact-checking: what are ‘community notes’ and what could this mean?

      Social media giant Meta - home of Facebook, Instagram and Threads - is scrapping its independent fact-checking program, instead pivoting to a "community notes" style closer to Elon Musk's X. This means users on the platform will themselves do the flagging and correcting instead of fact-checking experts and organisations. CEO Mark Zuckerberg pointed to the US election as an influence in the move, and comes as he's positioned himself closer to Trump. Vedika Bahl explains in Truth or Fake.

    • Silicon Angle ☛ Meta announces broad changes to fact-checking, content moderation policies

      Meta Platforms Inc. plans to make a set of sweeping changes to its fact-checking and content moderation policies, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg announced in a video released this morning.  In 2016, Meta launched a program that relied on third-party fact-checking organizations to review user content on Facebook.

    • New York Times ☛ Meta to End Fact-Checking Program in Shift Ahead of Trump Term

      The social networking giant will stop using third-party fact checkers and instead rely on users to add notes to posts. President-elect Trump and his conservative allies said they were pleased.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • France24 ☛ 'Collective courage’ key to protecting freedom of speech, cartoonist tells FRANCE 24

    On the tenth anniversary of the attacks on the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, FRANCE 24 spoke to cartoonist and chair of the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation Patrick Chappette about the power of cartoons.

  • France24 ☛ The art of satire in France

    From poking fun at the king to drawings of God, we take a closer look at France's relationship with satire, particularly when it comes to cartoons. As we mark the tenth anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, we find out how the satirical weekly was born out of censorship. We also take stock of the state of satirical cartoons today, in France and abroad.

  • France24 ☛ Jean-Marie Le Pen's legacy of provocation and hate speech

    Jean-Marie Le Pen's political career was marked by misconduct and provocations, which were met by widespread condemnation in France. FRANCE 24's Charli James and our colleagues at France 2 take a look at some of his most notorious moments.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China Covid-19 protest film-maker sentenced to prison, says former lawyer

    Chen Pinlin, 33, was sentenced to 3½ years in prison.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ Computer Weekly editor to national media: Pay more attention to specialist titles

    Bryan Glick spoke to Press Gazette after Computer Weekly won the British Journalism Award for Campaign of the Year.

  • Press Gazette ☛ How Swiss brand 20 Minuten put readers and editors first with new CMS

    Headless CMS for leading Swiss news brand and has removed blocks to editorial efficiency.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong restaurant staff suspended after ex-employee accuses former colleagues of sexual harassment

    A restaurant in Hong Kong announced it had suspended some members of staff after a former employee said she had been sexually harassed by a manager and colleagues while working there.

  • Pro Publica ☛ Connecticut DMV and Top Lawmakers Vow to Review Towing Laws

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ Event Wrap: AFNOG 2, AFSIG 2024, IGFA 2024, and yIGFA 2024

    APNIC and the APNIC Foundation supported and participated in AFNOG 2 held online with AFSIG 2024, IGFA 2024, and yIGFA 2024 from 7 to10 December 2024.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Public Knowledge ☛ Fubo Settlement Risks Sports Streaming Competition

    Consumers benefit most from a competitive marketplace with multiple independent providers.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 for Granite Vehicle self-driving patent monopoly prior art

    Unified Patents added a new PATROLL contest, with a $2,000 cash prize, seeking prior art on at least claim 1 of U.S. Patent 12,037,004, owned and asserted by Granite Vehicle Ventures LLC, an NPE. The ‘004 patent monopoly relates to the field of vehicles, and specifically to the field of self-driving vehicles. It has been asserted against Tesla.

    The contest will expire on February 8, 2025.

  • Unified Patents ☛ $4,000 for Omni MedSci medical devices patents prior art

    Unified Patents added two new PATROLL contests, each with a $2,000 cash prize, seeking prior art on the list below. The patents are owned by Omni MedSci, Inc. The patents generally relate to medical device products. They have been asserted against Samsung.

    The contests will expire on February 8, 2025.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Patent Term Adjustments Cut by Applicant Delays: A 23,000 Year Impact

    The Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) statute was designed to ensure patent monopoly terms aren't unfairly shortened by USPTO delays during prosecution. 35 U.S.C. § 154(b). The basic framework provides day-for-day extension of patent monopoly term to account for certain examination delays, such as when the USPTO takes more than 14 months to issue a first office action or more than 4 months to respond to an applicant's reply.

  • Software Patents

    • Unified Patents ☛ $6,000 for Morris Routing network patents prior art

      Unified Patents added three new PATROLL contests, each with a $2,000 cash prize, seeking prior art on the list below. The patents are owned by Morris Routing Technologies, LLC, an NPE. The patents generally relate to routing methods, systems, and computer program products.

    • Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 for ShopSee interactive video patent monopoly prior art

      Unified Patents added a new PATROLL contest, with a $2,000 cash prize, seeking prior art on at least claim 18 of U.S. Patent 11,134,316, owned and asserted by ShopSee Inc., an NPE. The ‘316 patent monopoly relates to video processing technology, and more particularly, relates to a method and apparatus for providing one or more interactive video layers with video media.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ CAFC Affirms TTAB: Pink Color De Jure Functional for Hip Joint Implants

    The CAFC upheld the TTAB's decision [TTABlogged here] granting petitions for cancellation of two registrations on the Supplemental Register for the color pink applied to the entire surface of hip joint implants, on the ground of Section 2(e)(5) functionality. CeramTec GmbH v. CoorsTek Bioceramics LLC, Appeal No. 2023-1502 (Fed. Cir., January 3, 2025) [precedential].

    
    

  • Bleeping Computer ☛ Microsoft Bing shows misleading Google-like page for ‘Google’ searches

    Microsoft Bing displays what is being categorized as a misleading Google-esque search page when users search for ‘Google,’ making it look like you are on the competing search engine.

  • Desperate for Bing Users, Microsoft Creates Sneaky Search Interface That Looks Like Google | Wilders Security Forums

    Microsoft is now trying a new, more inconspicuous strategy to keep users on Bing: When someone types “Google” into the Edge search bar...

  • Right of Publicity

    • Digital Music News ☛ Federal Judge Slashes T.I. and Tiny’s OMG Girlz Lawsuit Payout from $71.4 Million to $17 Million

      A federal judge considers slashing T.I. and Tiny Harris’ lucrative payout against doll line LOL Surprise! OMG from $71.4 million to $17 million. T.I. and his wife Tameka “Tiny” Harris sued toy company MGA Entertainment last year with allegations the LOL Surprise! OMG line of blind box dolls violated their intellectual property.

• Copyrights

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Getty announces plans to merge with Shutterstock in $3.7B deal

    Visual media giants Getty Images Holdings Inc. and Shutterstock Inc. today announced a deal to merge into a single visual content company with a value of about $3.7 billion.