Links 02/02/2025: Union-Busting and Censorship by Executions
Contents
-
Leftovers
-
Hackaday ☛ Automating The Process Of Drawing With Chalk
Chalk is fun to draw with, and some people even get really good at using it to make art on the sidewalk. If you don’t like tediously developing such skills, though, you could go another route. [MrDadVs] built a robot to scrawl chalk pictures for him, and the results speak for themselves.
-
Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Viral Chinese tourist spot stokes nostalgia with staged rural scenes
A wizened farmer leads a buffalo through a misty copse of gnarled trees in eastern China, closely followed by a woman in a straw hat heaving pails of water.
-
Science
-
Science Alert ☛ Eerie Features Seen on Mars Are Unlike Anything on Earth
The red planet is wild.
-
Science Alert ☛ Why Didn't Technology Prevent The Deadly Air Collision Over Washington?
An expert explains.
-
-
Hardware
-
Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel delays key Xeon data center processor amid massive losses — Clearwater Forest pushed back to 1H 2026
Intel delays key Xeon data center processor amid massive losses — Clearwater Forest pushed back to 1H 2026
-
Tom's Hardware ☛ U.S. investigates whether DeepSeek smuggled [sic] Nvidia Hey Hi (AI) GPUs via Singapore
The U.S. government believes that DeepSeek illegally obtained Nvidia GPUs through Singapore, now accounting for 22% of its revenue. Nvidia denies any wrongdoing.
-
-
Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
-
CBC ☛ 2025-01-25 [Older] Kids in daycare are more sedentary than you'd think. These educators aim to get preschoolers moving
-
Science Alert ☛ Too Much Vitamin B6 Can Be Toxic. Here's What You Need to Know.
We're still not entirely sure why it happens.
-
Science Alert ☛ Microplastics Can Block Blood Flow in The Brain, Study in Mice Shows
Yet another warning sign.
-
Science Alert ☛ Revealed: How Much Exercise You Need to 'Offset' a Day of Sitting
Important PSA!
-
Science Alert ☛ Delayed REM Sleep May Be an Early Signal of Alzheimer's, Study Finds
Another vital link.
-
CBC ☛ 2025-01-23 [Older] Why Canadians can’t buy pet medications as easily and cheaply as pet owners in other countries
-
-
Proprietary
-
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
-
Wake-Up Call on U.S. Competitiveness Was Overdue [Ed: Hype about "hey hi"]
-
Security Week ☛ ChatGPT, DeepSeek Vulnerable to Hey Hi (AI) Jailbreaks
Different research teams have demonstrated jailbreaks against ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Alibaba’s Qwen Hey Hi (AI) models.
-
-
Social Control Media
-
France24 ☛ TikTok refugees, 'cat tax' and the US-China tech rivalry
Shortly after taking office, US President The Insurrectionist signed an executive order to delay a ban on the popular Chinese-owned social control media app Fentanylware (TikTok) by 75 days. In this edition of our media show Scoop, we ask what's next and what impact the uncertainty will have on the tech industry and its online users. We're joined by FRANCE 24's Peter O'Brien, Yi Song and Jesse Dimich-Louvet.
-
MIT Technology Review ☛ DeepSeek might not be such good news for energy after all
In the week since a Chinese Hey Hi (AI) model called DeepSeek became a household name, a dizzying number of narratives have gained steam...
-
New York Times ☛ Mark Kapo-berg Defends Embrace of Convicted Felon Administration in Meta Employee Q&A
In a meeting with Meta employees on Thursday, Mr. Kapo-berg also doubled down on recent changes to the company’s online speech policies and ending its diversity initiatives.
-
-
-
Security
-
Integrity/Availability/Authenticity
-
TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Maplewood man runs ‘deceptive’ nonprofits, Keith Ellison lawsuit alleges
Five nonprofits and one business all have government-sounding names, the Attorney General's office says.
-
-
Privacy/Surveillance
-
Security Week ☛ Italy Blocks Access to the Chinese Hey Hi (AI) Application DeepSeek to Protect Users’ Data
Italy’s data protection authority expressed dissatisfaction with DeepSeek’s response to its query about what personal data is collected, where it is stored and how users are notified.
>
-
-
-
Defence/Aggression
-
TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Minneapolis settles in woman’s lawsuit over Chauvin’s use of excessive force
The lawsuit says Chauvin pressed his knee into the woman's back while she lay handcuffed, four months before Floyd's death.
-
JURIST ☛ Germany parliament passes motion for stricter immigration laws
Germany’s parliament passed a motion for stricter migration rules on Wednesday. The nonbinding motion, backed by the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), calls for permanent border control, rejection of all illegal immigrants, and detention of “those who must leave.” It was passed with 348 votes in favor and 344 votes against.
-
The Straits Times ☛ Jews in Australia up security, conceal identity after spate of anti-Semitic attacks
Australia has been grappling with anti-Semitic attacks since the beginning of the Israel-Gaza war.
-
CBC ☛ 2025-01-23 [Older] Canada bracing for possible influx of asylum claimants after Cheeto Mussolini immigration orders
-
CBC ☛ 2025-01-24 [Older] Feds looking for space to process potential influx of asylum seekers in Quebec
-
The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan says government departments should not use DeepSeek, citing security concerns
The authorities in other countries have also been looking into DeepSeek’s use of personal data.
-
Defence Web ☛ 2025-01-23 [Older] Turkey building rocket launch facility in Somalia
-
Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine
-
Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-01-23 [Older] Germany's defense minister says Europe must play bigger security role
-
Latvia ☛ Survey: Baltic residents see Rail Baltica's military importance
A recent survey in the Baltic States shows that residents generally recognize the importance of the Rail Baltica project in strengthening military mobility and national security in the region, according to results published on the project's website on January 30.
-
-
-
Environment
-
Energy/Transportation
-
Hackaday ☛ Why Not Build Your Quadcopter Around An Evaluation Board?
Quadcopters are flying machines. Traditionally, that would mean you’d optimize the design for lightweight and minimum drag, and you’d do everything in a neat and tidy fashion. The thing is, brushless motors and lithium batteries are so power-dense that you really needn’t try so hard. A great example of that is this barebones quadcopter build from [hebel23] all the way back in 2015.
-
Mexico News Daily ☛ To tame its ‘taxi mafia,’ Quintana Roo approves stricter penalties on transportation-related assault
The new laws also allows authorities to open investigations without formal complaints being filed.
-
-
Wildlife/Nature
-
-
Finance
-
France24 ☛ Davos 2025: Nigeria seeks diversification in trade
In this special edition from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Charles Pellegrin sits down with Nigeria's Industry, Trade and Investment Minister Jumoke Oduwole. They discuss the return of The Insurrectionist as US president and how his policies might impact the oil-rich African country, as well as the challenges of diversifying the economy and attracting investors. Following a change in administration in May 2023, Nigeria has been pursuing bold economic reforms but inflation still remains high. Will 2025 will bring the "renewed hope" promised by Bola Tinubu's administration?
-
CBC ☛ 2025-01-25 [Older] Why a unionized warehouse in Quebec posed a threat to Amazon
-
CBC ☛ 2025-01-24 [Older] Canada calls for review of 'business relationship' with Amazon after Quebec closures
-
Jacobin Magazine ☛ 2025-01-24 [Older] Cheeto Mussolini’s Tariffs and Canadian Unions’ Identity Crisis
-
CBC ☛ 2025-01-24 [Older] Ottawa lending $1B to cash-strapped Canada Post
-
-
AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
-
Pro Publica ☛ Donald Trump Appointments: ProPublica’s Reporting on Key Nominees
During his campaign, Donald Trump vowed to remake the federal government, promising to cut jobs, slash spending, end diversity and inclusion programs, and dismantle the Department of Education. Now, he’s chosen a slate of nominees for cabinet posts and other key positions who have a history of pushing back against the work of the departments and agencies they’ve been tapped to lead.
When Doug Burgum was governor of North Dakota, the state sued the Department of the Interior at least five times, ProPublica reported in partnership with the North Dakota Monitor. Trump selected Burgum to lead that same department. Meanwhile, Scott Turner, Trump’s nominee for secretary of Housing and Urban Development, has a history of voting against protections for poor tenants. And Trump’s choice to lead the Internal Revenue Service once supported legislation to abolish it entirely.
-
Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda
-
-
Censorship/Free Speech
-
China’s Lunar New Year warning: Citizens told to watch what they say at gatherings
The Ministry of State Security says people should be careful what they say when meeting up with friends and family.
-
BIA Net ☛ 2025-01-21 [Older] Iranian rapper sentenced to death after deportation from Turkey
-
US News And World Report ☛ 2025-01-22 [Older] Turkey Opposition Leader to Stand Trial for Inciting Public Hatred
-
-
Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
-
Press Gazette ☛ 2025 journalism job cuts tracked: Mail, CNN, Dotdash Meredith, WaPo and WSJ among January layoffs
-
Press Gazette ☛ Nine reasons why Mirror journalists think page-view targets are wrong
Union raises concerns over coverage of sex worker Bonnie Blue.
-
ANF News ☛ 2025-01-24 [Older] The number of arrested journalists in Turkey rises to 35
-
-
Civil Rights/Policing
-
Pro Publica ☛ ICE Official Tapped to Lead Office of Refugee Resettlement
A longtime immigration enforcement official has been tapped to run the agency responsible for managing unaccompanied migrant children, in a move that has alarmed experts and advocates who are concerned that information about children and their families will be shared for arrests and deportations.
For the past two decades, an office within the Department of Health and Human Services has supervised children who cross the border without a parent or legal guardian. The government handed this duty to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, not its immigration enforcement agency, underscoring that the process shouldn’t be punitive but instead is meant to help safely place children with sponsors living in the United States.
-
Pro Publica ☛ Facing Mass Deportation, Immigrants Pack their Belongings
-
University of Michigan ☛ UMich considers potential impact of increased ICE presence
United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, was spotted in downtown Ann Arbor last weekend after expanding operations in Metro Detroit.
-
Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Explainer: Hong Kong’s national security crackdown – month 55
The first month of 2025 saw a Hong Kong polling organisation and its chief executive investigated by national security police.
-
La Quadature Du Net ☛ Justice finally finds Briefcam unlawful
Yesterday, we achieved a great victory before the Grenoble administrative court! In La Quadrature du Net vs the city of Moirans, Isère, we obtained a decision recognizing the illegality of Briefcam’s algorithmic video surveillance software.…
-
University of Michigan ☛ From the Daily Weekly: ICE in Ann Arbor, Whitmer signs Reproductive Rights Bills and More
This week, we dive into local immigration policies following ICE activity in downtown Ann Arbor, the city’s snow match program, Governor Whitmer’s signing of 16 reproductive rights bills, and the nearly $400,000 awarded to a suicide prevention facility.
-
-
Internet Policy/Net Neutrality
-
Federal News Network ☛ A court squashes net neutrality, what next for the FCC?
"Let's not mourn the death of net neutrality. We're going to have an Internet that's going to be even more innovative," said Jonathan Spalter.
-
-
Patents
-
Patent Dispute Report: 2024 in Review
This post initially appeared on Unified Patents’ News and Views Blog. More analysis is available here. Patent litigation made a comeback in 2024. Meanwhile, in Europe, non-practicing entities (NPEs) quickly found the Unified Patent Court (UPC) in 2024 after it opened its docket for business in July 2023.
-
Kangaroo Courts
-
JUVE ☛ Düsseldorf local division gains third judge [Ed: UPC is illegal and these 'judges' occupy a fake 'court' that's built on corruption and constitutional violations. JUVE got paid to promote this illegality and it still does so.]
Jule Schumacher is currently a judge at the 2nd Civil Senate of the Higher Regional Court Düsseldorf under presiding judge Stephan Fricke. In future, she will be also on the panel alongside Ronny Thomas and Bérénice Thom at the UPC.
-
-
Monopolies/Monopsonies
-