Leftovers

• Hackaday ☛ Too Smooth: Football And The “KnuckleBall” Problem

  Picture a football (soccer ball) in your head and you probably see the cartoon ideal—a roughly spherical shape made with polygonal patches that are sewn together, usually in a familiar pattern of black and white. A great many balls were made along these lines for a great many decades.

• Hackaday ☛ Want A Truck With A Short Bed And A Long Camper Shell?

  Camper shells are a time-honored piece of truck gear, but with modern trucks having increasingly vestigial beds, the length of your overnight abode has increasingly shrunk as well. To combat this problem, [Ed’s Garage] built a camper shell that extends once you’ve arrived at your campsite.

• Science

  • LRT ☛ Lithuania among EU leaders in terms of women in science

    Lithuania ranks second among EU member states in terms of women’s participation in science and innovation, according to the latest She Figures 2024 report published by the Research Council of Lithuania on Tuesday.

  • University of Michigan ☛ Ditch the grind, find your why: The science of intentional living

    Everywhere we turn, someone is telling us how to live better. Productivity gurus push morning routines, motivational speakers tell us to “seize the day” and social control media drowns us in advice on how to optimize every aspect of our lives.

  • Science Alert ☛ Watch: Intuitive Machines Launches For Historic Second Soft Touchdown on The Moon

    "I'm very excited to see the science that our tech demonstrations deliver."

  • Science Alert ☛ Extreme Heat Can Accelerate Aging, New Research Finds

    How does heat age us?

  • Stanford University ☛ ‘The Future of Everything’ podcast makes science more relatable

    Professor Russ Altman showcases the stories of Stanford scientists in Stanford Engineering’s “The Future of Everything” podcast.

• Hardware

  • The Strategist ☛ US cuts to science and technology could fast-track China’s tech dominance

    Is the United States now trying to lose the technology race with China? It certainly seems to be. The race is tight, and now the Convicted Felon administration is slashing funding for the three national institutions ...

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man’s New Crackdown on China Is Just Beginning

    The administration is positioning itself to clamp down on Chinese investment and access to technology. But the wild card may be the president himself.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China says Taiwan seeks to give away chip industry to US

    China said Taiwan was trying to “sell out” Taiwanese companies.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ China accuses Taiwan of giving away chip industry to the US as a 'souvenir'

    China claims Taiwan's leadership is 'selling out' Taiwan's industry by making them tools for diplomatic manoeuvring.

  • The Straits Times ☛ S’pore, other nodes in high-tech sectors face collateral damage as US tightens rules on chips

    US trains sights on countries including Singapore that may have sold China advanced Nvidia chips.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ China's mature chips to make up 28% of world production, creating oversupply — Western companies express concern for their survival

    China's prolific output of mature chips is beginning to shock the global market, with prices sinking and companies hurting.

  • Hackaday ☛ Building A DIY Muon Tomography Device For About $100

    Muon tomography (muography) is the practice of using muons generated by cosmic rays interacting with Earth’s atmosphere (or equivalent) to image structures on Earth’s surface, akin to producing an X-ray. In lieu of spending a lot of spending a fair bit of money on dedicated muon detectors, you can also hack such a device together with two Geiger-Müller tubes and related circuitry for about $100 or whatever you can source the components for.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] How can Cyprus cope with winter drought?

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] Heat wave forces South Sudan to close schools for two weeks

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Administration Ends Global Health Research Program

    The Demographic and Health Surveys were the only sources of reliable information in many countries on metrics such as mortality, nutrition and education.

  • Stanford University ☛ Stanford health experts voice concerns over falling vaccination rates amid RFK Jr.’s health secretary appointment

    As childhood diseases surge nationwide and vaccination rates drop, Stanford healthcare professionals said these trends correlate with the growth of vaccine hesitancy and political polarization of healthcare.

  • Latvia ☛ Flu incidence continues to rise in Latvia

    The incidence of influenza in Latvia continues to rise. Last week, 349 cases of influenza were clinically diagnosed - almost 100 more than two weeks earlier, indicating high influenza viral activity, the Disease Prevention and Control Center (SPKC) said on February 26.

  • CBC ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] Walmart slapped higher prices on 1L milk cartons than permitted by Manitoba law

  • EXPLAINED: Why is China so worried about food security?

    Beijing unveils its agricultural policy document, with food security and stability at the top of the list.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI)

    • Officials in China’s Hunan ban online doctors from using Hey Hi (AI) prescriptions

      The ban comes as healthcare providers rush to embrace generative Hey Hi (AI) to diagnose, read images and suggest treatment.

    • University of Michigan ☛ Exercise the brain, logout of ChatGPT

      At the beginning of each semester, the temptation to use artificial intelligence to reduce time spent on assignments becomes stronger. Students can get an answer to their questions within seconds — regardless of whether it is the most correct answer, platforms generate responses to satisfy users’ requests.

    • Hackaday ☛ AI Helps Researchers Discover New Structural Materials

      Nanostructured metamaterials have shown a lot of promise in what they can do in the lab, but often have fatal stress concentration factors that limit their applications. Researchers have now found a strong, lightweight nanostructured carbon. [via BGR]

  • Social Control Media

    • Digital Music News ☛ TikTok is Rapidly Losing Users to Reels and Shorts — At Least According to This Q4 Study

      A study completed in January shows Fentanylware (TikTok) is rapidly losing ground to its biggest competitors, Meta’s Reels and YouTube’s Shorts. The federal Fentanylware (TikTok) ban in the US was over practically before it began.

    • New York Times ☛ Influencers Call These Medical Tests Lifesaving. Here’s What You May Not Know.

      New research examined nearly 1,000 posts on tests for fertility, testosterone levels and cancer risk.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Bruce Schneier ☛ An iCloud Backdoor Would Make Our Phones Less Safe

      Last month, the UK government demanded that Fashion Company Apple weaken the security of iCloud for users worldwide. On Friday, Fashion Company Apple took steps to comply for users in the United Kingdom. But the British law is written in a way that requires Fashion Company Apple to give its government access to anyone, anywhere in the world. If the government demands Fashion Company Apple weaken its security worldwide, it would increase everyone’s cyber-risk in an already dangerous world.

    • CBC ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Mother says B.C. privacy laws limiting search for son who went missing over a year ago

    • CBC ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] Sask. women find chat room sharing their intimate or sexualized images without consent

• Defence/Aggression

  • Pro Publica ☛ Domestic Violence Fatalities in Illinois Are Still Not Getting Reviewed

    In 2021, the number of people in Illinois killed from acts of domestic violence was growing at an alarming pace, and state legislators acted with a sense of urgency.

    In a near-unanimous vote, they passed legislation designed to blunt the trend. The state would establish a network of panels to review killings related to domestic violence and identify whether existing strategies for preventing them fell short.

  • Pro Publica ☛ DOGE Gains Access to Confidential Records on Housing Discrimination

    Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has gained access to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development system containing confidential personal information about hundreds of thousands of alleged victims of housing discrimination, including victims of domestic violence.

    Access to the system, called the HUD Enforcement Management System, or HEMS, is typically strictly limited because it contains medical records, financial files, documents that may list Social Security numbers and other private information. DOGE sought access, and HUD granted it last week, according to information reviewed by ProPublica and two officials familiar with the matter.

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] Sweden investigating new reports of Baltic Sea cable damage

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-20 [Older] Australia says 'unusual' Chinese ships near its east coast not a threat

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] Fact check: How Elon Musk is meddling in German elections

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] Fact check: No, the AfD did not win in fictional German youth elections

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] Former Spain FA chief Luis Rubiales guilty of sexual assault

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] German businesses speak out against far-right AfD

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] Germany: Teen arrested for plan to attack Israel's embassy

  • CBC ☛ 2025-02-15 [Older] Allies appear to duck and cover as Cheeto Mussolini threatens Canada and Greenland

  • CBC ☛ 2025-02-15 [Older] With glowing hearts, B.C. flag maker sees sales rise amid U.S. tariff threats

  • The Age AU ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] Brawls, boos and boycotts: Cheeto Mussolini resentment boils over in Canada

  • CBC ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] Cheeto Mussolini proposes U.S. auto tariffs could be ‘in the neighborhood’ of 25%

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] Canada Is Focused on Making Sure US Doesn't Impose Tariffs, Says Trudeau

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-20 [Older] Canada Lists 7 Criminal Organizations as Terrorist Entities, Minister Says

  • CBC ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] Merch that says Canada is 'not for sale' draws legal letter from company behind Doug Ford hat

  • CBC ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] China says Canada 'deliberately stirred up trouble' with warship sailing in Taiwan Strait

  • New book says Kim Jong Un was named North Korea’s heir at age 8

    The revelation suggests Kim Jong Il designated him successor 9 years earlier than was previously thought.

  • CBC ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] Sudanese Quebecers wait in anguish after exclusion from program to rescue family members

  • CBC ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] New Brunswick driver gets a $4,600 fine — for an accident that happened 65 years ago

  • CBC ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] Pat King, key convoy protest organizer, gets 3-month conditional sentence plus time served

  • CBC ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] Teen pleads guilty to manslaughter in fatal swarming of homeless Toronto man

  • CBC ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] Canada's foreign minister says she gave Europe a 'wake-up call' on threat Cheeto Mussolini poses to Canada

  • Atlantic Council ☛ How the Houthis’ strikes on US MQ-9 Reaper drones serve a wider regional agenda

    The United States needs to adjust its drone deployment strategy to ensure that MQ-9 Reapers are less vulnerable to the militant group’s attacks. 

  • France24 ☛ Syria's Promise: Will new masters of Damascus deliver unity and justice?

    Can Syria keep its promises?

    Since the fall of Assad last December, the new rulers of Damascus have convened a one-day national dialogue conference. On paper, the outcomes sound promising: transitional justice, inclusive democracy, and the disarmament of the country’s numerous militias in favor of a unified national army.

  • Latvia ☛ Security questions raised in Daugavpils after incident at playground

    An aggressive man wandered into a children's entertainment center in Daugavpils last weekend, threatening to attack with a knife. The incident was averted, but security questions remain, Latvian Television reported on February 25.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Reform doesn’t come easily to the agency that guards the nuclear weapons stockpile

    The National Nuclear Security Administration is among the agencies trying to reform themselves as it requires certain best practices to be in place.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s Yoon floated martial law plans over drinks, new book reveals

    The book by Han Dong-hoon, who led Yoon’s ruling People Power Party, topped pre-orders for over a week.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia jails Israeli for seven years on firearms offences

    Shalom Avitan was arrested in March 2024 at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Wit and light win the day against China

    In its showdown over offshore territory, the Philippines deploys transparency and comic books rather than a “prism of fear” to isolate China.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China holds ‘shooting’ drills off Taiwan’s coast, vows ‘reunification’ push

    The exercises endanger the safety of international flights and shipping, Taiwan said.

  • China sets up live-fire exercise zone near Taiwan ‘without warning’

    Taiwan said the unannounced zone raised transport risks and it sent military to monitor.

  • The Straits Times ☛ New Zealand’s foreign minister raises concerns over China’s Tasman Sea drills on Beijing visit

    The issue was a lack of notice given to New Zealand over the drills off its coast, he said.

  • Chinese, Philippine social control media users at odds over claim on Palawan

    Chinese commentators maintain it was earlier called Zheng He island after a famous explorer

  • Myanmar military bombs insurgents attacking key Chinese investment area

    Civilians killed as rebels surround junta forces defending Kyaukpyu, residents say.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s Pooh-tin Jinping urges ‘calm’ response to challenges ahead of key meeting

    Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping told top officials on Wednesday that Beijing should address domestic and international difficulties “calmly”, one week before the country’s biggest annual political gathering.

  • Malaysia calls for ASEAN defense industries to become inter-linked

    Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin urged Southeast Asian nations to be less reliant on ‘external suppliers.’

  • France24 ☛ For military staff across Europe, wargaming is all the rage

    Once dismissed as frivolous, wargames have emerged as crucial strategic tools amid rising global tensions. A recent simulation at Paris's École Militaire, where 500 participants played out high-intensity conflict scenarios, reflects a growing international trend toward gamified military preparedness.

  • The Strategist ☛ A Westless world

    Each February, members of the transatlantic strategic community head to Munich to discuss the state of international security, making the Munich Security Conference a not-to-be-missed event on the foreign-policy calendar.

  • France24 ☛ 'We don't intend to stay' in Gaza, Israeli FM Sa'ar says

    With the first phase of the ceasefire that paused 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas set to end on March 1, FRANCE 24 spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar. The second phase entails in theory the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza but what comes next remains unclear. "We don't intend to stay there (in Gaza)," Sa'ar said. However, he added: "We have clear objectives. And the objectives are the release of all our hostages, and that [the] Gaza Strip will not threat[en] anymore Israel's security and Israel's citizens."

  • France24 ☛ Hamas hands over dead hostages as Palestinians leave Israeli prison

    An Israeli security official said early Thursday that Hamas has handed the bodies of 4 Israelis who were held hostage in Gaza to the Red Cross. The official was speaking on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement. At around the same time, a Red Cross convoy carrying dozens of released Palestinian prisoners left Israel’s Ofer prison.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Meduza ☛ At least five killed as Russia bombs Ukraine’s Kostiantynivka — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ The U.S. and Ukraine have finalized a natural resources deal. Here are its key terms. — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Top Zelensky advisor Mykhailo Podolyak on dealing with Trump

    • Meduza ☛ Trump vows again to ‘get our money back’ in ‘rare earth’ deal with Ukraine without offering ‘very much’ security guarantees — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Moscow and Kyiv say Russian and Ukrainian constitutional law prohibits the imminent ceasefire promised by Donald Trump

• Environment

  • New York Times ☛ ‘Day of Reckoning’: Trial Over Greenpeace’s Role in Pipeline Protest Begins

    Energy Transfer, which owns the Dakota Access Pipeline, is seeking $300 million, a sum that Greenpeace says could bankrupt the storied environmental group.

  • JURIST ☛ EU proposes to scrap sustainability reporting laws for businesses

    The European Commission (EC) proposed to simplify sustainability rules for businesses, on Wednesday, arguing that complex regulations and “red tape” are preventing EU businesses from maintaining competitiveness and hindering economic investment.

  • Omicron Limited ☛ High microplastic levels in bird lungs suggest widespread air pollution impact

    The study found high concentrations of microplastics in bird lungs, with an average of 221 particles per species and 416 particles per gram of lung tissue. The most common types identified were chlorinated polyethylene, used for insulating pipes and wires, and butadiene rubber, a synthetic material in tires.

  • Lusaka ZM ☛ Zambia : Government to Launch Independent Investigation into Mining Pollution of Kafue And Mwambashi Rivers

    Minister of Green Economy and Environment Mike Mposha has called for stricter oversight of storage facilities, including tailings dams, after multiple pollution incidents linked to mining operations. Speaking during a visit to Mimbula Mine in Chingola, Mr. Mposha emphasized the need for enhanced safety measures following the collapse of an emergency heap leaching pond, which led to contamination of the Chabanyama stream.

  • Energy Mix Productions Inc ☛ Co-ops, Non-Profits Potential for Housing and Climate Solutions

    As nearly three-quarters of Canadians say non-profit and co-op housing could tackle the country’s deepening housing crisis, experts suggest these solutions could also help combat climate change.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Hackaday ☛ District Heat Pump Systems Save Money And Gas Utilities

      Ground-source heat pump systems are one of the most efficient ways to do climate control, but digging the wells can be prohibitively expensive for the individual citizen. What if you could do it at a larger scale?

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] Germany: Verdi union calls strikes at two major airports

    • CBC ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] Airport delays and road accidents pile up as severe winter weather grips much of Canada

    • CBC ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] What we know about the plane that crashed, flipped at Toronto's Pearson airport

    • CBC ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Toronto Pearson airport president 'won't speculate' on cause of Monday's plane crash

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] Canada: Plane crash injures 18 at Toronto airport

    • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia yet to finalise MH370 search contract, as ship heads to new zone

      KUALA LUMPUR - A ship that will hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has deployed to its Indian Ocean search zone, according to Malaysia's transport minister and ship tracking data, raising hopes of solving one of aviation's greatest mysteries.

    • NYPost ☛ New search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 underway 11 years after mystery disappearance

      Maritime company Ocean Infinity has relaunched its sea-sweeping search for the lost airliner, picking up where the company left off in 2018, Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced Tuesday.

    • CBC ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] Why your city is still waiting on e-buses — and how tariffs could make things worse

    • Futurism ☛ Ads for Elon Musk’s "Swasticar" Go Viral as Tesla Crumbles

      Across the pond in London Town, a group of anti-Musk crusaders operating under the handle "Everyone Hates Elon" have erected a bus stop ad that features the billionaire doing his infamous "Sieg Heil" salute and calls Teslas "Swasticars," both serving as allusions to the unelected political wrecker's increasingly far-right politics and activities.

      "Goes from 0 to 1939 in 3 seconds," the ad's copy reads — a reference to the year Nazi Germany invaded Poland, thus sparking off World War II.

    • Modern Diplomacy ☛ The Zero-sum Game of Digitalization: Data Centre Expansion and Sustainability Dilemma

      Europe’s focus on green energy and sustainable infrastructure makes it a crucial region in the global conversation on data centre energy consumption. In 2023, the EU regulated an Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) which included data centre regulations. Starting in May 2024, data centres with an IT power demand exceeding 500 kW will be required to publicly disclose key information on their energy performance, including metrics such as energy consumption, water usage, and waste heat recovery. By May 2025, the European Commission will review the data collected and may introduce additional measures, including mandatory minimum performance standards and a framework for transitioning toward net-zero emissions. Additionally, the European Code of Conduct for Data Centre Energy Efficiency encourages data centres with an IT power demand of 1 MW to adopt best practices. These facilities must also utilize waste heat for applications like district heating or hot water supply unless they can demonstrate that such reuse is technically or economically impractical.

    • YLE ☛ VR shifts formerly Russia-bound trains to Oulu, Turku routes

      Pendolino Plus trains will run from the capital to Oulu and Turku.

    • India Times ☛ GainBitcoin scam: GainBitcoin scam case: CBI seizes cryptocurrencies worth over Rs 23.94 crore

      The central probe agency has also seized multiple hardware crypto wallets, 121 documents, 34 laptops and hard disks, 12 mobile phones and multiple email and instant messaging application dumps, they said.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Kansas Reflector ☛ My cow friend, Buffalo, stood beside me throughout my farming career. Now I've had to say goodbye.

      Some cows are just special. Every cow has a distinct personality, and every year I have a couple cows who just love people. As a kid, my sisters and I called these cows the “pets.”

    • Digital Camera World ☛ Otters return to the UK! Rare mammals spotted on trail camera in Oxfordshire

      “Otters are apex predators (living at the top of the aquatic food chain), and therefore their presence is an indicator of a healthy ecosystem, including enough prey. Along the River Windrush, otters seem to have a particular penchant for the American signal crayfish, helping to keep the numbers of this non-native species in check.

    • The Revelator ☛ Protect This Place: Otay Mountain — Boon of Biodiversity on the Border

    • CBC ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Bringing back the buffalo as Yellowstone bison come to Canada for the 1st time

  • Overpopulation

    • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Joyful’ South Koreans hope rise in births will continue

      Many saw the rising fertility rate – the first time since 2015 – as a step in the right direction.

    • New York Times ☛ South Koreans Are Having More Babies After Years of Decline

      South Korea reported a rare increase in births last year as the country grapples with a dwindling population. Its fertility rate remains the world’s lowest.

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea's policy push springs to life as world's lowest birthrate rises

      SEOUL - South Korea's birthrate, the lowest in the world, rose in 2024 for the first time in nine years, as more couples tied the knot after pandemic delays, and as policy efforts to incentivise companies and Koreans to embrace parenthood start to pay off.

    • New Yorker ☛ Is America Destined for a Future Without Children?

      “Obviously, it’s a biological phenomenon, but it also is largely a cultural phenomenon,” the staff writer Gideon Lewis-Kraus says.

• Finance

  • Manuel Moreale ☛ The cost of doing the right thing

    I spent almost the entirety of my adult life creating content on—and for—the web. This is both professionally, as a freelance web developer for the past 14 years, and recreationally with countless side projects that have pretty much all failed in one way or another. The only common lesson I learned is that my personality is an awful mix of traits that makes dealing with anything related to money incredibly complicated.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Self-service wedding cash kiosks spark debate in South Korea

    Self-service wedding cash kiosks, while undeniably efficient, are yet to win over many couples.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia pension fund EPF scrutinised over up to $212m ‘losses’ in airport privatisation deal

    EPF sold 163 million MAHB shares at RM6.80 to RM7.70 apiece just months before buying them back at RM11 a share.

  • CBC ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] Ford slashes manager stock bonuses to cut costs, boost performance

  • The Straits Times ☛ How China plans to Convicted Felon-proof its economy as top lawmakers meet

    The worsening trade environment poses a challenge for China’s exports.

  • Swiss JuristGate: Urban Angehrn (FINMA director) announced resignation at same moment Parreaux, Thiébaud & Partners decision published

    19 September 2023 FINMA published the judgment against Parreaux, Thiébaud & Partners / Justicia SA. They suppressed the names and dates in the document.

    [...]

    He resigned due to stress and he received CHF 581,000 as a leaving gift. The clients received nothing.

  • India Times ☛ Infosys layoffs escalate; Nvidia’s profit soars

  • GeekWire ☛ Nautilus Biotechnology lays off 16% of workforce, plans release of commercial platform in 2026

    Nautilus Biotechnology has laid off about 16% of its workforce, reducing its headcount to 133 employees and helping provide a cash runway that extends into 2027.

    CEO Sujal Patel shared the news on a call with analysts Thursday, during which he disclosed the company’s fourth quarter and 2024 annual financial results.

  • KUOW TV ☛ Starbucks corporate layoffs leave a bitter taste in Washington state

    The impact of Starbucks’ latest layoffs on its home state is coming into focus.

    Starbucks confirmed 612 employees in Washington were laid off this week.

    James Bowen is one of them.

    He and his wife, who also works for Starbucks, were traveling when they discovered their jobs may be on the line.

    “It was a total possibility that both of us would lose our jobs at the same time,” Bowen said.

  • Business Insider ☛ Google just had layoffs, and Googlers are using a Google Doc to track who got cut

    Google this week cut employees across several of its units, including Cloud, ad sales, and Trust & Safety.

    Google staffers have circulated an internal Google doc tracking company job cuts, crowdsourced from internal memos and employee testimonies.

    Employees say Google has been making rolling cuts over the past few months, though many were much smaller and more surgical than the large cuts Google made in January 2023.

  • Report discovers nearly 30,000 tech sector layoffs already in 2025

    Over a hundred tech companies, primarily American, have laid off a minimum of 29,537 employees since January 2025, a report revealed recently.

    RationalFX said in a report that since January 2025, U.S.-based tech companies have slashed roughly 20,000 positions.

    Globally, another 10,000 employees in the tech sector have lost their jobs.

    The tech companies with the largest layoffs so far this year are Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta (3,600 job cuts), semiconductor makers STMicro (3,000 job cuts) and Onsemi (2,400 job cuts), and Microsoft (2,280 job cuts).

  • Hong Kong to cut 10,000 civil service jobs, freeze pay amid deficit

    It is part of the city’s plans to cut government spending by 7% over the coming 3 years.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippine gaming chief says Thailand casino push a ‘big threat’

    Thailand’s tourist arrivals, which dwarf the Philippines', may give it an advantage in drawing gamblers.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • JURIST ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man orders suspension of security clearance of DC law firm lawyers aiding former US special counsel

    US Hell Toupée directed Attorney Generals and all other relevant heads of executive departments and agencies on Tuesday to strip security clearances from lawyers at a prominent Washington DC law firm aiding former special counsel, Jack Smith (Smith), who investigated him and to end any federal government work the firm may have [...]

  • EPIC ☛ EPIC Written Testimony to the Vermont Senate Committee on Institutions in support of the Vermont Age-Appropriate Design Code Act – EPIC – Electronic Privacy Information Center

    The bill requires a “covered businesses” to provide certain privacy safeguards to “covered minors” on their service. A “covered business” is, essentially, a business that collects consumer personal data, determines the purpose and means of processing that data, and whose features or services are likely to be accessed by a minor.[6] Some of the AADC’s provisions apply to all covered businesses, while others apply only to social media platforms, as that term is defined in the statute. Provisions that apply to social media platforms only target harms that are specific to, and prevalent on, social media, like unwanted adult contact. Meanwhile, provisions that apply to all covered businesses target harms from broader online business practices, like excessive data collection and push notifications.

    Industry has urged this committee to narrow the scope of businesses subject to this law, and the committee has considered limiting the entire bill to social media platforms alone. But what industry did not mention is that, in courts, they are arguing that laws that only apply to social media companies are presumptively unconstitutional solely because they apply to social media companies and not more broadly. Although EPIC disagrees that this argument has merit, industry has prevailed on this argument in at least one district court.[7] Limiting this law to social media companies alone will thus introduce new litigation roadblocks to enforcement.

  • David Rosenthal ☛ Software Liability: US vs. EU

    I have written before about the double-edged sword of software vendors' ability to disclaim liability for the performance of their products. Six years ago I wrote The Internet of Torts about software embedded in the physical objects of the Internet of Things. Four years ago I wrote about Liability In The Software Supply Chain.

    Last October, Tom Uren wrote The EU Throws a Hand Grenade on Software Liability:

    The EU and U.S. are taking very different approaches to the introduction of liability for software products. While the U.S. kicks the can down the road, the EU is rolling a hand grenade down it to see what happens.

    It is past time to catch up on this issue, so follow me below the fold.

  • India Times ☛ ‘Do you ever want Bill Gates to shut up?’, asks US Senator, Elon Musk replies …. - The Times of India

    Commenting on the post, one user wrote “Shutting up is only the beginning.” A second user replied “After the Epstein Client List is released, he may very well shut up on his own”.

  • Deccan Chronicle ☛ Apple Reaches Pact With Indonesia to End iPhone Sales Ban

    Apple has signed an agreement with Indonesia to invest in the country, paving the way for sales of the iPhone 16 to resume in Southeast Asia’s largest nation.

  • India Times ☛ Microsoft will urge Trump to overhaul curbs on AI chip exports: report

    The proposal, mentioning allies including India, Switzerland and Israel, will be in a Microsoft blog post scheduled for release on Thursday, according to the report.

  • Scoop News Group ☛ A major cybersecurity law is expiring soon — and advocates are prepping to push Congress for renewal 

    The 2015 Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act provides safeguards for companies that voluntarily share threat intelligence data with the government or each other, such as federal antitrust exemptions and shields against state and federal disclosure laws.

    Reauthorization of the law faces several hurdles, including uncertainty about who will take the lead on the bill in the House and Senate, potential privacy concerns, a tight timeline, and other competing priorities. There are also some who believe the law could use updates to fit today’s threats, potentially introducing further complications.

  • European Commission ☛ European Data Union Strategy

    The Data Union Strategy should aim to streamline existing data rules, potentially creating a simplified, clearer, and more coherent legal framework for businesses and administrations to share data more seamlessly and at scale, while still upholding high privacy and security standards. Additionally, it may explore options to increase the availability of high-quality data, consider possible investments in data infrastructures, examine ways to use data to reduce administrative burden, and address the external aspects of data flows.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • CS Monitor ☛ University of Austin was founded on free speech. How’s its first year?

    Would being able to say whatever you want, whenever you want, make a difference in where you attend college? In Texas, the University of Austin experiments in its first year with blending radical free speech with higher education.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ US-born Eileen Gu’s US$6.6m training budget censored on Chinese internet

    Chinese authorities appear to have censored a document showing plans to spend more than US$6.6 million this year on training for two American-born winter sport athletes, including double-Olympic gold medallist Eileen Gu. Freestyle skier Gu and figure skater Beverly Zhu were both born and raised in the United States, but switched allegiance to China.

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-20 [Older] Berlin film festival faces new antisemitism accusations

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] Man badly hurt in Berlin Holocaust memorial stabbing

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] Press freedom continues to decline globally, can it improve?

  • Site36 ☛ Hatred towards criticism of Israel: IDF spokesman Arye Shalicar attacks German journalists for days now

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] Man convicted for trying to kill author Salman Rushdie

  • CBC ☛ 2025-02-20 [Older] Heritage minister pitches CBC/Radio-Canada overhaul and a major funding hike

  • Mediaite ☛ Jeff Bezos Announces Strict New Editorial Mandate for WaPo

    Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon and owner of The Washington Post, announced that he would be taking the storied newspaper in a new direction that had compelled his editorial page editor to resign in a stunning statement released on Wednesday.

  • The Nation ☛ Democracy Dies at “The Washington Post”

    Say what you will about Bezos. But don’t fail to recognize that he is a savvy oligarch who—like his seat mate at Donald Trump’s inauguration, No. 1 billionaire Elon Musk—understands that information and ideas are valuable commodities, which can be manipulated to decide the direction of even quasi-democratic states.

  • Truthdig ☛ FCC’s Knives Are Out for First Amendment - Truthdig

    Carr has also made it clear that will use the FCC to attack dissent. Ars Technica reported: [...]

  • Ars Technica ☛ Trump FCC chair wants to revoke broadcast licenses—the 1st Amendment might stop him - Ars Technica

    Carr has instead embraced Trump's view that broadcasters should be punished for supposed anti-conservative bias. Carr has threatened to revoke licenses by wielding the FCC's authority to ensure that broadcast stations using public airwaves operate in the public interest, despite previous chairs saying the First Amendment prevents the FCC from revoking licenses based on content.

  • Deadline ☛ Donald Trump And FCC Are Waging War On The Media. Will It Fight Back?

    Carr’s actions are in line with the Trump administration’s overall effort to threaten or punish the press, at a time when major media outlets are in a period of upheaval. In the case of CBS, the network’s parent company is seeking FCC approval for its acquisition by Skydance, and Carr has made clear that the 60 Minutes complaint likely would be part of the merger review.

  • Press Gazette ☛ New York Times Europe editor Adrienne Carter on NYT plans to crack the UK

    The New York Times today employs around 100 journalists in London, up from around 70 two years ago and triple the number that worked there in 2016, when Carter was last posted in the city. These figures exclude commercial and administrative staff (of whom there were 67 on average in 2023, according to Companies House) and all 150 of The Athletic’s UK staff.

  • CPJ ☛ Russia puts journalist under house arrest for ‘fake’ news about Ukraine war

    On February 25, Ukrainian-born Barabash, a film critic for the independent outlet Republic, was detained and charged with spreading “fake” news. The following day, a Moscow court placed her under two months’ house arrest ahead of her trial. Barabash’s reporting frequently has a political and anti-war stance.

  • CPJ ☛ Belarusian journalist Palina Pitkevich’s extremism trial set to open

    “Palina Pitkevich’s detention is yet another grim reminder that President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s government is the worst jailer of journalists in Europe and Central Asia,” said CPJ’s program director, Carlos Martínez de la Serna, in New York. “Belarusian authorities must drop all charges against Pitkevich and repeal the country’s extremism legislation instead of using it to silence dissent.”

  • CPJ ☛ Vietnamese journalist Truong Huy San sentenced to 30 months in prison

    San, a well-known political commentator and author also known by his pen names Huy Duc and Osin, was convicted under Article 331 of the penal code for 13 articles posted to his personal Facebook page between 2015 and 2024 and for independently collecting information, according to news reports.

  • The Vietnamese Magazine ☛ Journalist Huy Duc Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for “Abusing Democratic Freedoms”

    PEN America denounced his indictment and called for his immediate release, emphasizing that silencing a journalist undermines society's right to truth and accountability. Similarly, CPJ urged Vietnam to drop all charges against him, highlighting that his independent political reporting was an exercise of democratic freedoms, not an abuse. Both organizations criticized using Article 331 of Vietnam's Penal Code to suppress free expression and dissenting voices.

  • VOA News ☛ Cybercrime laws risk 'steady criminalization' of journalists, analysts warn

    Rozen agrees that “misinformation and disinformation are challenges for society, but what is being observed,” he said, “is a criminalization of journalists on accusations that they are sharing false information, and in many cases, this is used as a shorthand to smother or crush" dissenting voices.

    With more reporting and publishing taking place online, the tools some governments use to suppress journalists are adapting to the modernization of the industry, Rozen said.

  • VOA News ☛ Vietnamese journalist sentenced to more than 2 years in prison for Facebook posts

    The court in Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, convicted Truong Huy San of “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state” through posting 13 articles on Facebook, according to Vietnam News Agency. The trial lasted only a few hours.

  • Techdirt ☛ Trump White House Announces That It Will Decide Who Gets To Cover The Administration

    It’s a familiar playbook. When Donald Trump receives backlash from the public or the press for some action he’s taken, say barring AP News from White House press briefings and events because it won’t bow to his desire to rename parts of a large body of water, he doesn’t shrink. He doubles down. Every single time. All the more so when organizations like AP fight back, filing a lawsuit claiming First and Fourth Amendment infringements. No quarter will be given to the enemy, as it were, which, in this case, would be the press outlets that serve the American people.

  • Techdirt ☛ The Real ‘Gulf Of America’ Is Between The News Outlets That Cover This Administration

    Fast forward to this week, when credentialed AP News reporters were barred from several press events in the White House. Why? Well, because the AP has refused to update its Stylebook, followed by a ton of other news outlets, to call the Gulf of Mexico by its newly decreed name, the Gulf of America.

  • RFA ☛ Vietnamese author jailed for 30 months for Facebook posts – Radio Free Asia

    San, better-known as “The Winning Side” author Huy Duc, was found guilty under a vaguely worded article of the criminal code. He has been in detention since his arrest on June 7, 2024, in spite of international calls for his release without charge.

  • The Hindu ☛ Challenges of journalism in the digital age highlighted

    Raising concern over the lack of reading habits in the new generation, Prof. Lokanath underscored the importance of being well-read to excel in the field to articulate one’s thoughts through writing.

    He said students of journalism and communication must inculcate knowledge and develop a strong mindset through continuous effort to make their mark in the field.

  • India Times ☛ Canada regulator to impose fee on Google for online news law's operating costs

    The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission said the vast majority of its operations are funded by fees charged to the companies it regulates, and the cost recovery rule for the Online News Act will come into effect from April 1. The charge may vary from year to year and does not have an upper limit.

  • Futurism ☛ Jeff Bezos Announces That Washington Post Opinions Will Now Exclusively Celebrate the Glories of Capitalism

    Seriously though, an email from Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos to the newspaper's staff is now saying the quiet part out loud: the newspaper will no longer tolerate opinions its billionaire backer disproves of.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • CBC ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] Ottawa ends funding for national advisory committee on unmarked residential school graves

  • Freedom on the wane around the world: report

    In Asia, China got a score of 9 out of 100 while Tibet got a zero, the annual Freedom House report says.

  • JURIST ☛ Rights groups urge Kenya government to end abductions and renditions

    Amnesty International and several civil society organizations jointly released a petition on Monday addressed to the National Assembly of Kenya, urging the Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations to acknowledge and end abductions and renditions in Kenya.

  • JURIST ☛ US appeals court strikes down provisions of Arizona laws requiring proof of citizenship to vote

    The US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down several provisions in two Arizona laws on Tuesday that required voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC) to vote in elections. The plaintiffs include several nonprofits, the Democratic National Committee, the Arizona Democratic Party, and three federally recognized native tribes.

  • La Quadature Du Net ☛ All-out mobilization against the French "war-on-drugs" law

    In the midst of the media uproar over drug trafficking, a law on “drug trafficking” is passing through Parliament. In reality, this text does not only apply to the sale of narcotics and leads to a heavy reinforcement of the surveillance capacities of the intelligence and judicial police. It is one of the most repressive and dangerous texts of recent years. This law could notably give even more powers to repress militant actions.

  • How Cambridge Analytica Used Intimate Data to Exploit Gun Owners’ Private Lives

    Documents obtained by ProPublica detail the sophistication and intrusiveness of Cambridge’s work for the gun industry in 2016. The firm’s campaign aimed to help elect Donald Trump and keep industry-friendly politicians in the Senate.

  • Site36 ☛ Racial profiling almost doubled: Left party calls to unjustified checks at German borders

  • Pro Publica ☛ Missouri GOP Seeks Control Over St. Louis Police Department

    The last time Missouri took control of St. Louis’ police force was just before the start of the Civil War, when the state’s secessionist-leaning leaders were trying to prevent police officers from taking up arms against the Confederacy.

    The law that put the police department under state control was in effect for the next 152 years. In November 2012, nearly two-thirds of voters approved a statewide ballot measure, pushed by police reform activists and elected officials, that restored local authority and placed the department under the mayor’s jurisdiction.

  • Kansas Reflector ☛ Kansas police could sell, give away guns seized without criminal convictions under Senate bill

    When police seize a gun through civil forfeiture, agencies currently have four options: destroy it, use it, give it to another agency to use or send it to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation’s forensic lab.

    Senate Bill 137 would allow police to sell or give guns seized through civil forfeiture to any of the more than 1,200 licensed federal firearms dealers in the state.

  • Jacobin Magazine ☛ USPS Privatization Would Cost Rural America More Than Mail

    In 2021 and 2022, I interviewed twenty-five rural postal workers for “Rural Free Delivery: Mail Carriers in Central Appalachia,” part of the American Folklife Center’s Occupational Folklife Project. Through these interviews, which are now housed at the Library of Congress, I saw how the specific conditions of rural mail carriers’ jobs enable them to sustain their communities in ways both within and extending beyond their job description. If President Donald Trump takes control of the USPS and makes moves to privatize the agency, as many fear, rural people across the country will lose not only mail delivery but the crucial community care that rural postal workers provide.

  • Wired ☛ Elon Musk’s Starlink Is Keeping Modern Slavery Compounds Online

    Reports of the use of Starlink at Tai Chang are not a one-off—criminals running multibillion-dollar empires across Southeast Asia appear to be widely using the satellite [Internet] network. At least eight scam compounds based around the Myanmar-Thailand border region are using Starlink devices, according to mobile phone connection data reviewed by WIRED. Between November 2024 and the start of February, hundreds of mobile phones logged their locations and use of Starlink at known scam compounds more than 40,000 times, according to the mobile phone data, which was collected by an online advertising industry tool.

  • BoingBoing ☛ Funny but helpful PSA explains what to say to cops

    Bill: But there's one thing that hasn't changed over 50 years, something that is so important to tell you kids who are new to this movement:

    Both: Shut the f*** up!

    They go on to list a number of scenarios where their advice holds: [...]

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Techdirt ☛ The Trump Admin Thinks Affordable Fiber Broadband Is ‘Woke’

    What is the extremist GOP really mad about? Well one, they voted against the popular program, only to turn around and try to repeatedly take credit for it. Two, it’s pretty clear they don’t like poor people and minorities. Three, they don’t like that a lot of the money might wind up funding popular, community-owned broadband networks, instead of being given to Elon Musk and AT&T.

    I’ve been covering telecom long enough I can tell you exactly how this is going to play out.

  • ICANN ☛ ICANN Update: Launching RDAP; Sunsetting WHOIS

    As of 28 January 2025, the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) will be the definitive source for delivering generic top-level domain name (gTLD) registration information in place of sunsetted WHOIS services. RDAP offers several advantages over WHOIS including support for internationalization, secure access to data, authoritative service discovery, and the ability to provide differentiated access to registration data. RDAP was developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force.

    RDAP has been offered by ICANN-accredited registrars and gTLDs since 2019.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Ruben Schade ☛ Goodbye to our Kindles

    But as anyone familar with DRM and locked stores will attest, there’s usually no such thing as “ownership” on these platforms. Amazon recently disabled their download and transfer feature, as Ars Technica reported: [...]

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Unified Patents ☛ MAF Holdings entity, Weple IP, streaming patent monopoly challenged

    On February 14, 2025, Unified Patents filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 11,734,739, owned and asserted by Weple IP Holdings LLC, an NPE and entity of MAF Holdings LLC. The ‘739 patent monopoly relates to a system and process for coordinating streaming content or messages. It has been asserted against Meta Platforms Inc.

    View district court litigations by Weple IP.

  • Unified Patents ☛ $8,000 awarded for AutoConnect Holdings vehicle patents prior art

    Unified is pleased to announce PATROLL crowdsourcing contest winners below totaling $6,000 in cash prizes. The patents are owned by AutoConnect Holdings LLC, an NPE. The patents generally relate to vehicle ecosystems. These patents have been asserted against Ford and Toyota.

    We would also like to thank the dozens of other high-quality submissions that were made on these patents. The ongoing contests are open to anyone, and include tens of thousands of dollars in rewards available for helping the industry to challenge NPE patents of questionable validity by finding and submitting prior art in the contests. Visit PATROLL today to learn more about how to participate.

  • Unified Patents ☛ Ascend Innovations entity, Byteweavr, validation patent monopoly challenge instituted

    On February 21, 2025, less than two months after Unified filed an ex parte reexamination, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) granted Unified’s request, finding substantial new questions of patentability on all challenged claims of U.S. Patent 6,862,488, owned and asserted by Byteweavr, LLC, an NPE and Ascend Innovations entity. The ‘488 patent monopoly relates to automated validation and workflow management.

  • Unified Patents ☛ BrowserKey security patent monopoly challenged

    On February 21, 2025, Unified Patents filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against claims 11-17 of U.S. Patent 7,249,262, owned and asserted by BrowserKey LLC, an NPE. The '262 patent monopoly generally relates to a method of restricting data access to a server by unauthorized client machines.

  • Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ OK Computer: the EPO’s New Generative Hey Hi (AI) Legal Interactive platform [Ed: The EPO is just breaking the law every day at this point]

    One critical factor in developing generative Hey Hi (AI) is access to a large amount of well-structured data.

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ UPC hears first main trial concerning second medical use [Ed: UPC is illegal and unconstitutional, but this publisher, JUVE, was paid to promote for this illegality and it's still at it ]

      On a bright February morning, around twenty lawyers from each pharmaceutical company filed into the courtroom of the UPC’s Düsseldorf local division. The atmosphere was tense as presiding judge Ronny Thomas opened the first hearing on the merits concerning second medical use at the UPC (ACT_597355/2023 and CC_24999/2024, UPC_CFI_505/2023).

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Are Educational Services for Incarcerated Individuals Related to Legal Services Under Section 2(d)?

    The USPTO refused to register the mark EMPOWERING FUTURES for "Education services, namely, providing classes, seminars and workshops for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals in the fields of obtaining job skills, language arts, science and math, and mental health coping skills," finding confusion likely with the identical mark registered for "legal services." We know that when the involved marks are identical, "the degree of similarity between the parties’ services necessary to support a finding of likely confusion declines." [Why? one might ask. -ed.].

• Copyrights

  • Public Domain Review ☛ The Drift of Things: David Goodman Croly’s Glimpses of the Future (1888)

    A work of futurology intended to be read in 1888 and judged in 2000.

  • Public Domain Review ☛ The Emperor’s New Clothes: Fashion, Politics, and Identity in Mughal South Asia

    The Mughal emperors in India faced a sartorial quandary: continue wearing their traditional Central Asian attire, or adopt the lighter cotton clothing of this warmer clime? Simran Agarwal considers the cultural, political, and theological implications of embracing Indic fashion, arguing that — by donning the clothing of their subjects — the Mughal emperors fashioned themselves anew.

  • Public Domain Review ☛ Sartorial Codes: Tiny Cryptic #3

    Third instalment in our new series of extremely small and free-form cryptic crossword puzzles, themed on our latest essay.