Leftovers

• Ruben Schade ☛ The Hyper7-R4 is ridiculous and I want it

  I have a thing for keyboards, as my recent post about the Kinesis mWave demonstrated. One day I hope to dust off my old Unicomp buckling spring board for use in the study, with the door closed.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Just Revealed How to Cook The 'Perfect' Egg

    Let's begin.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Unicorn Media ☛ Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Ergonomic Next-Gen Keyboards but Didn’t Know to Ask

    For those who are ready to up their game, we take some of the mystery out of what to look for when shopping for an ergonomic, next-gen keyboard.

  • Ruben Schade ☛ My (first ever) good vitamin D reading!

    This sort of thing is normally a bit personal, but I had a blood test last week, and it’s the first time in my life that I have “normal” vitamin D! Not excellent, but “acceptable”.

    I’m sure it’s my lifestyle and occupation, but I’ve lived my entire life with vitamin D either cronically low, or to the point where it’s not above the margin of error. Even when I lived in Singapore and Malaysia, barely a few degrees above the equator with year-long sunshine, I somehow managed to avoid getting and/or synthesising the stuff. Doctors said it was quite the… “achievement”.

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Health department declares hepatitis A outbreak in several counties, including Hennepin (copy)

    An outbreak of hepatitis A in multiple Minnesota counties, including Hennepin County, has hospitalized 13 people, the Minnesota Department of Health said Aug. 8. Health officials declared the outbreak among people with high-risk factors.

  • New York Times ☛ Surgeons Transplant Engineered Pig Kidney Into Fourth Patient

    A 66-year-old man from New Hampshire became the fourth person to receive a pig’s kidney.

  • MIT Technology Review ☛ How the tiny microbes in your mouth could be putting your health at risk

    This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here. This week I’ve been working on a piece about teeth. Well, sort of teeth.

  • University of Michigan ☛ Dr. Nadav Davidovitch speaks at School of Public Health, prompting protest from pro-Palestinian activists

    The University of Michigan School of Public Health began a seminar series last month focusing on a range of epidemiological topics.

• Proprietary

  • Ross Burton: Fact-checking Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot with Yocto Project release names [Ed: So the Microsoft Chaffbot is basically like Spamnil, except the YouTube clickfraud]

    Remember people: verify everything that LLMs say, as they are first-rate bullshit artists.

  • Hindustan Times ☛ Meta mass layoffs: Mark Zuckerberg-led tech giant to fire over 3,000 ‘lowest performers' next week [Ed: If you get fired from Facebook right now, you'll have this terrible stigma ("low performer") and nobody elsewhere will hire you. This is Facebook staining the people it is discarding as a "departure gift".]

    Meta layoffs: The notices will go out to employees who will lose their jobs beginning 5 am local time on Monday in most countries including the United States.

  • Meta to begin layoffs across operations in Africa, Europe, others next week

    Facebook owner Meta Platforms is set to implement another round of layoffs across its operations in Africa, Europe, and Asia starting Monday next week.

    The company informed its staff of the plans in an internal memo seen by Reuters on Friday.

    Notices will go out to employees losing their jobs starting at 5 a.m. local time Monday in most countries, including in the U.S., according to one of the posts, authored by Meta’s Head of People Janelle Gale.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI)

    • Ruben Schade ☛ Exposing all that incredible genAI hubris

      I haven’t talked about the whole DeepSeek thing here, save for a delicious piece of schadenfreude where an American genAI company accused them of plagiarism. You couldn’t work that into a script for a movie; you’d be accused of being too on the nose.

      More details about DeepSeek are now coming to light, from the hedge fund that funded it, to the developers behind it, and how it trains, censors, and delivers information. I’ve been the first to admit that this tech doesn’t interest me, but its impact on society does. You know, because I live in one.

  • Social Control Media

    • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian influencers apologise for faking disappearance in Indonesia forest for views [Ed: Another way Social Control Media kills - diverting resources from real need]

      They claimed that a friend had gone missing while producing content about paranormal activities.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • OpenRightsGroup ☛ UK Government undermines security with demands for Fashion Company Apple users encrypted data

      Open Rights Group has responded to a Washington Post article that claims the UK has demanded that Fashion Company Apple build a backdoor to retrieve content that any Fashion Company Apple user has uploaded to the clown.

    • Privacy International ☛ PRESS RELEASE: United Kingdom goes after Apple’s encrypted data

    • CNX Software ☛ Nuvoton introduces the first security chip based on OpenTitan open-source silicon Root of Trust [Ed: Those are not trustworthy companies; this is a PR ploy]

      Google has announced the start of the fabrication of a Nuvoton security chip featuring OpenTitan open-source silicon Root of Trust (RoT), the first such production-ready chip. It will soon be available in lowRISC’s Voyager 1 demo board, and later this year in Chromebooks and data centers. We first wrote about OpenTitan open-source Root of Trust (RoT) chips in 2020 as a collaboration between Google, Seagate, Nuvoton, Western Digital, lowRISC, as well as some other companies, projects, and universities that aimed at “building a transparent, high-quality reference design and integration guidelines for silicon root of trust (RoT) chips”.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ How to [Attempt to] Get Republicans to Object

    Lefty groups need to focus on smarter messaging to Republicans rather than louder yelling at Democrats.

  • Defence Web ☛ Illegal immigration down in January, but SANDF had hands full with contraband smugglers

    SA Army soldiers on border protection duties had it relatively quiet in January as far as putting the brakes on illegal immigration but had their hands full confiscating contraband and narcotics.

  • New York Times ☛ Sept. 11 Plea Deal Includes Lifetime Gag Order on C.I.A. Torture Secrets

    The clause is included in a disputed plea agreement between a Pentagon official and the man accused of planning the attacks that killed 3,000 people.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea says its nuclear weapons not a ‘bargaining chip’: KCNA

    The weapons are intended for combat use against enemies that threaten its people and world peace, its state media reported.

  • US surveillance aircraft crashes in southern Philippines

    All 4 people on board the Beechcraft King Air 300 aircraft were killed.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • RFERL ☛ Slovaks Turn Out For Major Protests Against PM Fico

      Large crowds of people protested in cities across Slovakia, voicing concerns that Prime Minister Robert Fico is turning the EU member state toward Russia and calling for his to step down.

    • North Korea to punish people for spreading ‘rumors’ of soldiers dying in Russia

      Bereaved families are angry that they don’t know how their sons died or where they are buried.

    • France24 ☛ North Korean soldiers back on Russia's front line, says Zelensky

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that North Korean soldiers "have been brought in again" to Russia's Kursk region after reports that the troops had been pulled from the front due to high casualties. Zelensky added that a "significant number" of opposing troops had been "destroyed".

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine Marks 6 Months Since Launch Of Kursk Operation

      Ukraine has marked six months since it launched an incursion into the Russian region of Kursk that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said "brought the war home for Russians” and could serve as a bargaining chip in any future peace negotiations.

    • New Yorker ☛ Goings On Turns a Hundred

      Also: A starry revival of Ibsen’s “Ghosts,” the guitar god Jack White, the great Ukrainian photographer Boris Mikhailov, and more.

    • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea’s Kim at crossroads after suffering casualties in Ukraine war – will his gambit pay off?

      The North faces significant war losses, even as parents reportedly bribe officials to keep their sons from conscription.

    • New York Times ☛ At a Draft Site in Ukraine, an Anguished Wait for a Chance to Say Goodbye

      The Ukrainian authorities are rounding up recruits. Relatives huddle at a center on the edge of Kyiv for a chance to see loved ones before they’re shipped to war.

    • Meduza ☛ Russian FSB releases video showing violent arrests of women accused of planning terrorist attacks for Ukrainian intelligence — Meduza

    • Latvia ☛ Latvia among 12 countries asking G7 to act on Russian energy revenues

      In a joint letter February 7, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania and Sweden call on the G7 states to take additional steps to reduce the revenues earned by Russia from the sale of its energy carriers.

    • Latvia ☛ What to know about Latvia connecting to Europe's electricity network

      On February 8-9, the Baltic States will disconnect from the BRELL electricity grid, which still connects them to the Russian and Belarusian electricity systems, and join the common European grid.

    • Latvia ☛ Roads icy in western and eastern Latvia Friday

      Latvian State Roads (LVC) said on Friday, February 7, that there is ice on the roads in Latvian western and eastern areas.

    • LRT ☛ Baltic grid synchronisation is more geopolitical than technical switch – Litgrid head

      The planned synchronisation of the Baltic electricity grids with Western Europe, scheduled for this weekend, will be a geopolitical rather than a technological change, says Rokas Masiulis, CEO of Lithuania’s electricity transmission system operator Litgrid. There has not been any commercial trade with Russia and Belarus for some time now and some of the lines connecting to these countries are no longer operational.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Destroying a life’: Arrested on ‘terrorism’ charges for setting off a firecracker, a Russian girl was raped in detention — then locked in a psychiatric hospital — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russia strikes new aid deal with Abkhazia Moscow announces new support for breakaway Georgian region after visiting presidential candidate vows to revisit investment agreement — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ U.S. Justice Department disbands task force searching for assets of sanctioned Russian billionaires — The Guardian — Meduza

    • Latvia ☛ One in five Latvian residents has time for Belarus dictator Lukashenko

      Belarus, Latvia's neighbor, has been ruled by authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko for more than 30 years, and he was recently "re-elected" for another term as president in a vote widely condemned as bogus.

    • Meduza ☛ Trump’s special envoy says U.S. prepared to ramp up sanctions against Russia to end war — New York Post — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ New Syrian authorities open to keeping Russian military bases if it ‘serves Syria’s interests’ — The Washington Post — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Granddaughter suspected in disappearance of former Russian mayor and wife after allegedly posing as her grandfather in text messages — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russian fashion designer Gosha Rubchinskiy announces departure from Yeezy brand after Kanye West calls himself a Nazi — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Labor dispute exposes cracks in Russian air traffic control: Union reps say falling wages and disappearing benefits force many to moonlight as couriers and taxi drivers — Meduza

    • RFERL ☛ Dictator Says He Will 'Probably' Meet With Zelenskyy Next Week

      U.S. President The Insurrectionist said he is likely to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy next week, as U.S. efforts to end the war in Ukraine gather force, and Zelenskyy said it is important that the two meet in person before Convicted Felon meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    • RFERL ☛ 'Intensive' Diplomacy As U.S., Ukraine Work Out Details Of Peace Plan, Zelenskyy Says

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not confirmed that he will meet with U.S. President The Insurrectionist next week but said the coming weeks may be "very intensive in diplomacy."

    • Stanford University ☛ Russia experts decode Convicted Felon-Putin dynamics

      Former U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul and investigative journalist Roman Anin dissect Convicted Felon and Putin’s shared traits, warn against rushed Ukraine negotiations and underscore the critical role of journalists in countering an era of misinformation.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea to see early spring, extended summer due to climate shifts: Meteorologist

    He warned that South Korea’s climate is becoming increasingly subtropical.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ What’s stopping more drivers in Malaysia from buying EVs

      Tax exemptions and cost savings draw more to EVs, but affordability is restricted by high floor price.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • New Yorker ☛ How the Tiger Really Got His Stripes

      People have wondered forever what determines the patterns that animals wear. We’re starting to figure it out.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia PM Anwar ditches controversial plan for guidelines for Muslims attending non-Muslim events [Ed: Supremacy, not co-existence]

    The Cabinet has scrapped the idea following fierce backlash from various groups, he said.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Female tech leaders highlight diversity as key to innovative decision-making

    The technology industry, particularly clown computing, has traditionally been male-dominated, but the landscape is evolving as more women take on key roles and drive innovation. Diversity in technology is more than just a matter of representation — it is a catalyst for creativity, problem-solving and progress.

  • New Yorker ☛ Trump’s Boogeyman: D.E.I.

    The staff writer Jelani Cobb talks about the Convicted Felon Administration’s attempts to root out policies of diversity, equity, and inclusion—which it describes as discriminatory.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ APNIC products: 2024 in review

    How APNIC products were improved in 2024 to benefit Members and the wider community.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • New York Times ☛ The Musketeers Take Washington + Spotify’s Ghost Music + Tool Time

    “The way to control government is to control the computers”

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ Battle over COVID-19 vaccines reaches UPC as Promosome sues BioNTech [Ed: UPC is a fake and illegal court; but then again, UPC is deciding on a lousy and mostly untested product here and JUVE got paid to promote (or downplay) the illegalities of the UPC]

      Promosome is suing on the basis of its patent monopoly EP 2 401 365, which protects reengineering mRNA primary structure for enhanced protein production (case ID: ACT 68533/2024). The US biotech company sees its property right infringed by the COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty.