Leftovers

• Federal News Network ☛ How to stay good with EEO even without DEI

  Federal managers have been asking themselves, how the heck can I operate in the chaotic environment of DOGE and not run afoul of equal opportunity rules?

• Standards/Consortia

  • Doc Searls ☛ Radio’s Death Knells

    I also just learned that WINZ/940, one of Miami's landmark signals, will drop six of its seven towers, go from 50,000 watts by day and 10,000 watts by night down to just 16 (sixteen!) watts at night, meaning hardly on the air at all. Meanwhile, in Chicago, WSCR/670 and WBBM/780 are moving to lesser facilities, with smaller signals, so the land underneath their tower and its ground system can be sold off. The list is long and goes on and on.

  • The Verge ☛ FCC chair says we’re too dependent on GPS and wants to explore ‘alternatives’

    Carr says that while GPS has been “indispensable,” the technology “isn’t infallible” and that “disruptions to GPS have the potential to undermine the nation’s economic and national security.” Carr says that “we need to develop redundant technologies,” which is why the FCC will “vote on an inquiry to explore other Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) systems” that can serve as “complements or alternatives” to GPS.

  • Inside Towers ☛ Europe’s Biggest Telecoms Say Europe is Not Winning 5G War

    Della Valle said, “In this global race, Europe’s falling behind. In the 5G era, we’re trailing.” Many executives see mergers as the solution, but regulators across Europe have repeatedly thwarted or altered deals that would shrink the number of operators per market from four to three, prioritizing affordable customer prices, notes the Times of India.

  • PC World ☛ Bluetooth 6 arrives: Meet its powerful next-gen features

    Bluetooth 5.0 was officially announced almost nine years ago. The wireless technology has undergone several updates up to the current version (5.4), but we had to wait a long time for the next big thing. Now the time has finally come: Bluetooth 6.0 is just around the corner. Read on to find out what’s in it for you and what capabilities the developers have given the new wireless standard.

  • Evan Hahn ☛ Notes from "Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement"

    I just finished James Vincent’s Beyond Measure, a 2023 book about the history of measurement and its impact on our lives.

    The book reveals how the meter’s length is tied to the French Revolution. It highlights many scientific discoveries linked to advances in measurement. It links land surveying and the genocide of Native Americans. It even explains why the US and UK stubbornly refuse to adopt the metric system!

  • The Register UK ☛ Earthly satnav systems worked for Blue Ghost Moon lander

    On Monday, LuGRE picked up signals from both America's Global Positioning System (GPS) and the EU's Galileo satnav constellations. The instrument then managed to acquire a navigational fix on the lunar surface using those signals, some 225,000 miles from Earth. That's gotta involve some very cool mathematics to achieve that.

• Science

  • New York Times ☛ Intuitive Machines’ Athena Lander Is on the Moon, but Its Fate Is Unclear

    After hours of uncertainty, officials from the Houston company said there are clues that the spacecraft is on its side, which could limit the mission’s scientific accomplishments.

  • New York Times ☛ SpaceX’s Starship Rocket Disrupts Florida Airports With Unsuccessful Test Flight

    Video showed the upper stage of the most powerful rocket ever built spinning out of control in space, a repeat of an unsuccessful test flight in January that led to debris falling over the Caribbean.

• Career/Education

  • Pro Publica ☛ Valere Public Schools Superintendent Makes Up to $870,000. His District Serves 1,000 Students.

    Over the last three years, the head of a small charter school network that serves fewer than 1,000 students has taken home up to $870,000 annually, a startling amount that appears to be the highest for any public school superintendent in the state and among the top in the nation.

    Valere Public Schools Superintendent Salvador Cavazos’ compensation to run three campuses in Austin, Corpus Christi and Brownsville exceeds the less than $450,000 that New York City’s chancellor makes to run the largest school system in the country.

• Hardware

  • Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

    • Matt Birchler ☛ I'm setting the bar too low

      I've been a proponent of high-refresh rate displays for years now, and I think it's pretty ridiculous that Apple doesn't put these displays in their sub-$1,000 iPhones. [...]

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Pro Publica ☛ Industry-Backed Bills Target EPA’s Science on Toxic Chemicals

    For decades, Republican lawmakers and industry lobbyists have tried to chip away at the small program in the Environmental Protection Agency that measures the threat of toxic chemicals.

    Most people don’t know IRIS, as the program is called, but it is the scientific engine of the agency that protects human health and the environment. Its scientists assess the toxicity of chemicals, estimating the amount of each that triggers cancer and other health effects. And these values serve as the independent, nonpartisan basis for the rules, regulations and permits that limit our exposure to toxic chemicals.

  • CS Monitor ☛ When slash-and-burn plantation fires spread, these Indonesian women douse the flames

    The palm oil industry has put Indonesian Borneo at risk of devastating wildfires. Ahead of International Women’s Day, The Christian Science Monitor joins an all-female firefighting force on patrol.

  • Latvia ☛ Flu incidence still on the rise in Latvia

    The incidence of influenza continues to rise, with 440 cases clinically diagnosed last week (compared to 349 previously), Disease Prevention and Control Center said on March 5.

  • New York Times ☛ Unvaccinated New Mexico Resident Dies of Suspected Measles

    The patient tested positive for the infection, but state health officials could not confirm that it was the cause of death.

  • New York Times ☛ As Ebola Spreads in Uganda, Convicted Felon Aid Freeze Hinders Effort to Contain It, U.S. Officials Fear

    Two more people are reported dead from the disease, and dozens are in isolation, as the outbreak grows.

  • New York Times ☛ Defunded Aid Programs Are Asked by Convicted Felon Administration to Prove Their Value, on a Scale of 1 to 5

    A week after terminating thousands of contracts, the administration has sent questionnaires to those programs asking how their work benefits the U.S. national interest.

• Defence/Aggression

  • North Korea to have first early warning aircraft, satellite image shows

    The plane is expected to help Pyongyang detect South Korean, US aircraft, ships and missiles.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • RFERL ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Tells NATO Allies To Hike Spending Or Don't Count On US Help

      U.S. President The Insurrectionist, who has long questioned the viability of NATO, cast doubt on his willingness to support the Western military alliance, saying he would not come to members aid if they didn’t pay enough for their own defense.

    • LRT ☛ Two Lithuanians suspected of spying for Belarus

      The Prosecutor General’s Office has handed over to the court a criminal case in which two Lithuanian citizens are accused of espionage for Belarus.

    • New York Times ☛ There Is a Way Out in Ukraine

      It is by supporting Zelensky that we give ending the war a real shot.

    • European Commission ☛ Doorstep by President von der Leyen with President Costa and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy ahead of the special European Council meeting of 6 March 2025

    • The Strategist ☛ If Convicted Felon’s US abandons liberal idealism, others must pick up the baton

      The Insurrectionist’s description of himself during last week’s excruciating Oval Office meeting as a ‘mediator’ between Russia and Ukraine was revealing even by the standards of the past six weeks.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ How European leaders are responding to Convicted Felon’s approach to Ukraine and Europe

      From London and Berlin to Paris and Brussels, European leaders have taken several notable steps this week on security. This follows the blow-up between the Ukrainian and US presidents on February 28.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Is Convicted Felon’s Russia reset overshadowing the Ukraine peace process?

      US President The Insurrectionist campaigned last year on a promise to end the Russia-Ukraine War. His efforts to achieve this goal are now rapidly transforming the geopolitical landscape, writes Katherine Spencer.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ US peace initiative can help bring Ukraine’s abducted children home

      Securing the return of the thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia since 2022 must play a part in the peace efforts recently initiated by US President The Insurrectionist, write Kristina Hook and Iuliia Hoban.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ The real reason Russia invaded Ukraine (hint: it’s not NATO expansion)

      Russia invaded Ukraine not because of NATO expansion, but because the West failed to back up Europe’s post-Cold War security architecture with hard power.

    • France24 ☛ US, Ukraine teams to hold talks in Saudi Arabia, Zelensky says

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said talks between Ukraine and the US on ending the war will take place in Saudi Arabia next week. The Ukrainian leader said he would travel to Riyadh on Monday and his team would stay on to hold talks with US officials.

    • France24 ☛ 'Things have become too important for silly political games', analyst says as Hungary sidelined

      European Union leaders at a summit in Brussels on Thursday approved a statement in support of Ukraine without the backing of Hungary, an EU official said. Sven Biscop, Director of the 'Europe in the World' Programme at the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations in Brussels, says that the statement is a sign that the EU recognizes that 'things have become too important for silly political games and if Orban wants to play them, he's pushed aside'.

    • France24 ☛ No, the French President did not declare the Minsk agreements as ‘worthless’

      The French President made a stark speech to the nation, where he called Russia a threat to France and Europe, and said Moscow can no longer be trusted as it violated the Minsk agreements by starting the war in Ukraine. Barely 24 hours later, pro-Russian accounts have spread misinformation that President Macron himself called the agreements “worthless” back in 2022, by using out-of-context and selective footage from a documentary. Vedika Bahl fact-checks in this edition of Truth or Fake.

    • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man to decide whether to revoke legal status of Ukrainians who fled to US

      U.S. President The Insurrectionist said on Thursday he will make a decision soon on whether to revoke temporary legal status for some 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia. The love would potentially put Ukranian migrants on a fast-track to deportation. FRANCE 24's Yinka Oyetade reports.

    • France24 ☛ Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket successfully puts French spy satellite into orbit

      Europe's new heavy-lift rocket Ariane 6 carried out its first commercial mission on Thursday, launching without a hitch and deploying a French military reconnaissance satellite into orbit. The success of the mission means that Europe can now put large satellites into orbit on its own, as Russia pulled its Soyuz rockets after invading Ukraine in 2022.

    • JURIST ☛ Report sees Russian ‘war crimes’ and ‘crimes against humanity’ against Ukrainian POWs and detainees

      Amnesty International published a report on Tuesday exposing Russia’s mistreatment of both Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) and civilian captives currently held in detention within Ukrainian territory and Russia. The report determined that Russia’s treatment of detained Ukrainians amounted to war crimes and potentially crimes against humanity.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine's Opposition Leaders Reject Holding Wartime Elections

      Ukrainian opposition leaders Petro Poroshenko and Yulia Tymoshenko have dismissed the possibility of elections in the country during Russia’s full-scale invasion after media reports suggested US officials had approached them about the idea.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Attacks Target Ukrainian Civilians As Zelenskyy Attends EU Defense Summit

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will join EU leaders in Brussels for a summit to discuss an 800 billion euro plan to bolster Europe's defense industry, ramp up military capability, and help provide urgent military support for Ukraine.

    • RFERL ☛ Macron Suggests Extending Nuclear Umbrella To European Allies In Face Of Russian Aggression

      French President Emmanuel Macron said it would be “madness” to ignore the threat Russia has become for Europe and said he is open to discussing the extension of France's nuclear deterrence to Paris's European allies.

    • The Straits Times ☛ China says Russia ties are a ‘constant in a turbulent world’, Ukraine tragedy avoidable

      On the Ukraine war, China's Foreign Minister said “conflict has no winners, and peace has no losers”.

    • CS Monitor ☛ As Convicted Felon proves unreliable, Europe rushes to firm up defenses on its own

      For Europe to defend both itself and Ukraine from Russia, Europeans will need to agree on what sacrifices they will make and who will pay.

    • CS Monitor ☛ US moves on Ukraine make Europeans wonder: Is America an ally?

      Hell Toupée’s overtures to Russia and hostility to Ukraine’s leader have undermined the historic US alliance with democratic European partners.

    • New York Times ☛ U.S. and Ukrainian Officials to Meet Next Week About Path to End War

      The officials plan to meet next week to discuss the first steps of an agreement, after Hell Toupée cast doubt on U.S. support for Ukraine in recent days.

    • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Delayed Most New Tariffs on Canada and Mexico

      Also, the U.S. scheduled talks with Ukraine. Here’s the latest at the end of Thursday.

    • New York Times ☛ During the War in Ukraine, a Military Orchestra Has a Key Task

      As Ukrainian casualties spiral after years of war, a military band has the melancholy but key task of bidding farewell to troops and raising morale.

    • New York Times ☛ Missile Strikes Hotel in Zelensky’s Hometown in Ukraine

      At least four people were killed in a Russian attack, Ukraine said, amid concerns about air defenses after the U.S. said it was suspending military and intelligence aid.

    • New York Times ☛ New Zealand Dismisses Top Diplomat in U.K. After His Remarks on Convicted Felon

      The envoy, Phil Goff, questioned Hell Toupée’s understanding of history at a public event about the war in Ukraine.

    • New York Times ☛ Friday Briefing: A ‘Watershed Moment’ for Europe

      Plus, Bong Joon Ho’s “Mickey 17.”

    • France24 ☛ EU leaders vow to re-arm Europe amid US retreat on Ukraine

      European leaders pledged to dramatically boost defence spending and build a stronger, more sovereign military bloc at a crisis summit Thursday, as fears grow that the United States – long Europe’s security guarantor – is stepping back from its commitments.

    • Meduza ☛ Trump wants to tie Ukraine minerals deal to demand for quick ceasefire — Bloomberg — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Thanks, Uncle Vova’: Moscow invests in pro-Russian influencers to spread propaganda in occupied Ukraine — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Zelensky announces new U.S.-Ukraine meeting

    • Meduza ☛ Ukrainian troops try to seize initiative from Russia For first time in months, invasion forces find themselves on backfoot in some areas — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Behind the president’s back Trump team reportedly holding talks with Zelensky’s political rivals to discuss possible early elections in Ukraine — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Trump administration to revoke legal status of 240,000 Ukrainian refugees — Reuters — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ U.S. pause on intelligence sharing with Ukraine affects info about incoming Russian strikes — NYT — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Rubio says U.S. is engaged in ‘proxy war’ with Russia by helping Ukraine — Meduza

    • Latvia ☛ Kozlovskis calls on EU to stop issuing Schengen visas to Russian tourists

      At this week's meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Union in Brussels, Latvian Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis (New Unity) called on the EU to stop issuing Schengen tourist visas to Russian citizens, the Ministry of the Interior said in a press release.

    • France24 ☛ As faith in the US wavers, can France’s nuclear umbrella deter Russia?

      A pillar of French sovereignty and source of national pride, France’s nuclear deterrent has long served as a symbol of the country’s independence from Washington. But as Europe’s faith in American protection wavers, does France’s nuclear umbrella offer a realistic alternative?

    • France24 ☛ EU countries greenlight plan to boost bloc's defence: spokeswoman

      EU countries on Thursday gave a green light to plans to boost the bloc's defences as a bulwark against Russia, as President The Insurrectionist pivots away from America's transatlantic partners, a spokeswoman for the European Council said. The text endorses a European Commission plan that aims to mobilise 800 billion euros ($863 billion) to "re-arm Europe. FRANCE 24's Armen Georgian reports from Brussels.

    • France24 ☛ EU leaders gather at 'historical, unprecedented juncture' for the bloc

      European Union leaders from 27 countries gathered in Brussels on Thursday at a " historical, unprecedented juncture" for the bloc, said FRANCE 24's Europe Editor Armen Georgian. The leaders are set to rapidly bolster Europe's defence capability amid fears that the US, under Convicted Felon's administration, will no longer defend its NATO allies from Russian aggression.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian president says Macron’s nuclear deterrence suggestion ‘interesting idea’

      President Emmanuel Macron’s suggestion to extend France’s nuclear deterrent to cover Europe is an “interesting idea”, says Lithuanian leader Gitanas Nausėda, adding that it would be a serious deterrent to Russia.

    • Russia, Southeast Asia draw closer in pursuit of multipolar political, trade ties

      Commerce between the two sides has rebounded, rising 10% to $17 billion in first 3 quarters of 2024.

    • Myanmar sends first workers to Russia; junta chief to Belarus

      Junta chief also discussed cooperation in all areas of defense, media reported.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Latvia ☛ Latvia's new Education, Welfare, Transport ministers confirmed

    On Thursday, March 6, the Saeima approved the appointments of Dace Melbārde (New Unity) as Minister of Education and Science, Reinis Uzulnieks (Greens and Farmers Union) as Minister of Welfare, and Atis Švinka (Progressives) as Minister of Transport.

  • France24 ☛ Pope Francis, still hospitalised, thanks faithful in rare audio message

    Pope Francis, speaking in a frail and breathless voice, thanked the faithful for their prayers in an audio message broadcast Thursday. It was his first public communication since being hospitalised three weeks ago with double pneumonia. The 88-year-old pope’s weakened condition has sidelined him for the longest stretch of his papacy and raised fresh concerns about his health and future.

  • Pro Publica ☛ Pastor Steve Berger, Speaker Johnson, Rep. Ogles: D.C. Roomies?

    For a project explicitly designed to influence Congress, Steve Berger’s operation has left a scant paper trail. The archconservative evangelical pastor, who started a D.C. nonprofit a few years ago to shape national policy, does not file lobbying reports. His group does not show up in campaign finance records.

    There is a simple way to glimpse his effort’s expanding reach in Washington, however: Pay attention to who is walking out the front door of his Capitol Hill townhouse. New evidence suggests Berger may be running what amounts to a group house for conservative lawmakers, with multiple members of Congress living with him at his organization’s headquarters.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • OpenRightsGroup ☛ Home Office announces further delays to the e-Visa scheme

    The Home Office has again extended the deadline for implementing its eVisa scheme. The scheme was initially due to come into effect on January 1, 2025 but because of multiple problems, it was delayed until April 1, 2025.

  • JURIST ☛ Rights group urges Egypt to cease reprisals against prisoners on hunger strike

    Amnesty International on Thursday called on Egyptian authorities to cease their retaliatory actions against prisoners at the 10th of Ramadan Prison who have embarked on a hunger strike. The detainees are protesting against their arbitrary detention and demanding an end to the harsh and inhumane conditions they are being subjected to.

  • European Commission ☛ Commissioner Lahbib's Speech on Inclusive Futures: Shaping Gender Equality in Europe's Hey Hi (AI) Era

  • European Commission ☛ Commissioner Lahbib's Speech at the European Parliament on Strengthening the Women, Peace and Security Agenda

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Is an Angry Little Boy on a Great White Horse

    Dihydroxyacetone Man lives for perpetual conflict and endless domination games — not a great fit for democracy.

  • LRT ☛ Olympic Casino fined after Lithuanian fund manager gambles millions

    Lithuania’s Gaming Control Authority has fined Olympic Casino Group Baltija almost 8.4 million euros after a fund manager allegedly gambled away large sums of money he embezzled from his fund.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Estoppel Timing and Procedural Traps in Patent Challenges

    In February 2021, Gesture Technology sued several companies, including Apple, LG Electronics, and Google, for infringing its U.S. Patent No. 7,933,431. The patent, which expired in July 2020, covers technology for using cameras to detect user gestures as input for controlling handheld computing devices.  Four IPR petitions followed: [...]