Leftovers

• Hackaday ☛ Deep Drawing With Ultrasonics

  Small cylindrical parts are often formed through deep drawing — a process by which a punch forms the finished piece from a flat sheet of metal using a forming die. If it sounds like that stresses the metal, it does. But researchers at Fraunhofer have found a way to reduce friction protecting both the material and the tools that do the forming. The process — known as VibroDraw — uses ultrasonic vibrations at around 500 Hz.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Wholemeal or Wholegrain? An Expert Explains How to Choose Your Bread.

    When toast gets confusing.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Spooky 'Blood Moon' Is About to Appear. Here's How to See It.

    The first total lunar eclipse in nearly two-and-a-half years.

• Hardware

  • CNX Software ☛ ASRock iEP-7040E fanless industrial IoT controllers feature defective chip maker Intel Core Ultra Arrow Lake-H CPU, 36V DI/DO

  • Hackaday ☛ Fixing An Unpleasant SD Card Slot Issue In A NanoVNA

    SD cards & the much smaller microSD cards are found on many devices, with the card often accessible from outside the enclosure. Unfortunately there’s a solid chance that especially small microSD cards will find their way past the microSD card reader slot and into the enclosure. This is what happened to [Rob] of the SevenFortyOne Radios and Repairs channel on YouTube with a NanoVNA unit. While shaking the unit, you can clearly hear the microSD card rattling inside, courtesy of the rather large gap above the card slot.

  • CNX Software ☛ ASRock iEP-7040E fanless industrial IoT controllers features defective chip maker Intel Core Ultra Arrow Lake-H CPU, 36V DI/DO

    ASRock has recently released the iEP-7040E series which are Arrow Lake-H industrial IoT controllers powered by defective chip maker Intel Core Ultra “Arrow Lake-H” SoCs with defective chip maker Intel Arc graphics and defective chip maker Intel Hey Hi (AI) Boost.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • The Straits Times ☛ U-turn on medical school admission leaves South Korean students, parents reeling

    Students preparing for medical school now face an unpredictable admissions landscape.

  • The Straits Times ☛ 9-year-old boy in South Korea performs CPR to save his mother

    Officers revived the woman's pulse and breathing with a defibrillator before taking her to the hospital.

  • Science Alert ☛ An Ancient Disease Has Reappeared in The US. This Could Be Why.

    One person can infect 10 to 15 more.

  • Science Alert ☛ Men Have Higher Risk of Parkinson's, And We May Finally Know Why

    "We could potentially develop therapies."

  • Science Alert ☛ This Common Blood Pressure Drug Extends Lifespan And Slows Aging in Animals

    The potential is immense.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Hidden Awakening in The Brain May Explain Why Females Age Slower

    "The silent X in females actually reawakens late in life."

  • Science Alert ☛ Having Kids Linked to Younger Looking Brains Later in Life, Study Finds

    Maybe not during the baby stage...

  • Science Alert ☛ Dead Bacteria Dissolve Their Own Corpses as a Parting Gift For Relatives

    How generous.

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-03-04 [Older] Why Sleep Gets Harder With Age And How To Sleep Better

• Proprietary

  • Ruben Schade ☛ The Flufi third-party Instagram photo browser

    A lot of musicians and coffee shops I love host their material exclusively on Instagram. I used to have an account there, but I haven’t felt compelled to give The Zuck any more of my attention.

    A friend clued me into Flufi, an alternative web interface to Instagram. You type the name of the handle, or a link to the image you need to view, and it will present it in-browser without requiring a login. Huzzah!

  • Business Insider ☛ The surprising truth about low performers

    Firing them doesn't "raise the bar." It actually lowers everything from innovation to profitability.

  • Games

    • [Old] The Digital Antiquarian ☛ » The CRPG Renaissance, Part 1: Fallout The Digital Antiquarian

      Those of you who are regular readers of these histories will surely have noticed the relative dearth of coverage of the CRPG genre over the last few years. This isn’t reflective of any big shift in editorial policy; it’s rather reflective of the fortunes of the genre itself, which were not particularly good in the mid-1990s. Let’s take a moment to review how the CRPG found itself on the outside looking in while the rest of the games industry was growing by leaps and bounds.

      The early efforts of pioneers like Jon Freeman, Richard Garriott, Robert Woodhead, and Andrew Greenberg culminated in the CRPG’s commercial breakout in 1985. That year Ultima IV and The Bard’s Tale, conveying two very different but equally tempting visions of what the genre could do and be, both became major hits. CRPGs continued on a steady upward trajectory thereafter, with ever more of them being released. Another watershed was reached in 1988, when Pool of Radiance, the first full-fledged, licensed implementation of the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop rules on computers, sold over 250,000 copies to become the most successful game ever published by SSI, heretofore a modest purveyor of computerized wargames. More CRPGs came thick and fast after that.

    • [Old] The Digital Antiquarian ☛ » The CRPG Renaissance, Part 2: Might and Magic VI The Digital Antiquarian

      From the 1980s until well into the 1990s, the CRPG genre was typically dumped into the same broad bucket as the adventure game by the gaming press. Indeed, as late as the turn of the millennium, Computer Gaming World magazine had an “Adventure/RPG” department, complete with regular columnists whose beat encompassed both genres. Looking back, this lack of distinction might strike us as odd: CRPGs, which are to a greater or lesser extent simulations of an imaginary world with a considerable degree of emergent behavior, are far more procedurally intensive than traditional adventure games and provide a very different experience.

    • The Digital Antiquarian ☛ » The CRPG Renaissance, Part 3: TSR is Dead… The Digital Antiquarian

      The tabletop truly is a brutally challenging place to try to earn money, one which you have to be either wildly deluded or unbelievably passionate to even contemplate entering. Nevertheless, people have been making a go of it there for quite some decades by now. We’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that love rather than mental illness is the motivating force. For, whatever else you can say about these folks, nobody is more passionate about their hobby than old-school tabletoppers.

    • Game over: The epidemic of mass layoffs in the video game industry

      It was a Microsoft Teams notification from my supervisor informing me of a surprise meeting with human resources at 9 a.m.

• Entrapment (Microsoft GitHub)

  • Linuxiac ☛ Framework Mono 6.14 Released as the First Stable Update in Five Years

    Framework Mono 6.14 debuts under the WineHQ umbrella with native ARM64 macOS support, X11 backdoored Windows Forms enhancements, and more.

• Security

  • SANS ☛ Commonly Probed Webshell URLs, (Sun, Mar 9th)

    Looking over some weblogs on my way back from class in Baltimore, I feel a reminder is appropriate that (a) weblogs are still a thing and (b) what some of the common webshells are that attackers are looking for.

  • APNIC ☛ Building a host telemetry solution using Tailscale

    Guest Post: How to collect and analyse host flow data for network traffic insights.

  • CISA

    • CISA ☛ 2025-03-06 [Older] CISA Releases Three Industrial Control Systems Advisories

    • CISA ☛ 2025-03-06 [Older] FBI Warns of Data Extortion Scam Targeting Corporate Executives

    • CISA ☛ 2025-03-06 [Older] Hitachi Energy PCU400

    • CISA ☛ 2025-03-06 [Older] Hitachi Energy Relion 670/650/SAM600-IO

    • CISA ☛ 2025-03-04 [Older] CISA Adds Four Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog

    • CISA ☛ 2025-03-04 [Older] CISA Releases Eight Industrial Control Systems Advisories

    • CISA ☛ 2025-03-04 [Older] Carrier Block Load

    • CISA ☛ 2025-03-04 [Older] Keysight Ixia Vision Product Family

    • CISA ☛ 2025-03-04 [Older] Hitachi Energy MACH PS700

    • CISA ☛ 2025-03-04 [Older] Hitachi Energy XMC20

    • CISA ☛ 2025-03-04 [Older] Hitachi Energy UNEM/ECST

    • CISA ☛ 2025-03-04 [Older] Delta Electronics CNCSoft-G2

    • CISA ☛ 2025-03-04 [Older] GMOD Apollo

    • CISA ☛ 2025-03-04 [Older] Edimax IC-7100 IP Camera

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Ruben Schade ☛ A weekend paying for everything with cash

      I pay for everything using cards, as I suspect most Australians my age and younger do. It was less a deliberate decision, and more something that “just happened”. Thing is, I don’t like when something “just happens”, and would rather reflect on such circumstances and make a concious choice than let the “invisible hand” of the “inverted commas” decide for me. So I made an effort to pay for things with cash last weekend just to see. This included lunch, groceries, topping up my Opal public transport card, and a couple of coffees.

      I had no idea how ingrained the act of using a card was. I would reach for one of two cards I use to pay for things—depending on what the store accepts—before taking a metaphorical step back and remembering that I was supposed to be paying with flexible pieces of plastic and rigid metal tokens instead. I re-sheathed the cards, opened the bifold of the wallet instead, and began the process of paying physically.

• Defence/Aggression

  • New Yorker ☛ The Fate of Migrants Detained at Guantánamo

    In the early nineteen-nineties, Haitian refugees and asylum seekers were held on the base in abysmal conditions. Their experience now seems like a preview of what’s to come.

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-03-02 [Older] 'Tsunami of antisemitism' on German campuses, report finds

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-03-02 [Older] US carrier docks in South Korea after North's missile tests

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-03-02 [Older] Outrage as IDF admits failures over Hamas' October 7 attack

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-03-02 [Older] IDF on October 7: 'An intelligence failure of many years'

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-03-02 [Older] Israel stops aid entries into Gaza

  • The Straits Times ☛ Xi calls on China’s military to tighten anti-corruption controls

    Anti-corruption campaigns have ensnared a record number of senior officials in recent years.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippines says it acts in national interest in South China Sea

    The Philippines has embarked on what it calls a transparency initiative to shed light on China’s actions in the South China Sea.

  • OPINION: Resuming bilateral Cambodian military drills won’t be enough for the US

    A proposed resumption of Angkor Sentinel exercises comes as Phnom Penh weighs reliance on China.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong security chief slams Ming Pao reporter over question on unannounced Thailand trip

    Hong Kong’s security chief has accused a Ming Pao reporter of attempting to undermine the credibility of the government after the journalist asked why the official did not announce his trip to Thailand.

  • Chinese journalists return to North Korea after 5 years: South Korean ministry

    The return of foreign media could suggest an opening up but comes days after foreign tourist arrivals were halted.

  • The Strategist ☛ China’s navy sends a steady drumbeat of ships around Australia

    China’s deployment of a potent surface action group around Australia over the past two weeks is unprecedented but not unique.

  • New York Times ☛ Violence Sweeps Coastal Syria, Sowing Chaos: ‘We Have to Get Out of Here’

    Residents described shootings outside their homes and bodies in the streets in Syria’s worst unrest since Bashar al-Assad’s ouster. More than 1,000 people have been killed since Thursday, a war monitor said.

  • France24 ☛ Syria's Sharaa calls for peace as communal violence against Alawites continues

    Syrian war monitor says more than a thousand people have been killed during days of fighting between Syrian security forces and loyalists of ousted longtime President Bashar al-Assad. The violence erupted on Thursday across the Latakia and Tartus provinces, areas predominantly inhabited by the ethno-religious Alawite minority to which al-Assad belongs. For some analysis, we welcome Ziad Majed, Professor of Political Science at the American University of Paris.

  • France24 ☛ Turkey, Jordan, Syria and Iraq delegations to meet in Amman for security talks on Syria

    High-level delegations from Turkey, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq will meet in Amman on Sunday to discuss security cooperation and regional developments, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Saturday. The four countries stated that their aim is to meet to jointly fight the Islamic State in the region. This comes as Western and regional countries have warned of a possible resurgence of the Islamic State since the fall of former regime leader Bashar al-Assad. France24 Senior Journalist Andrew Hilliar joins us to discuss the topic.

  • France24 ☛ Syria calls for probe into killings targetting Alawite minority group

    Syrian government forces and their allies were responsible for the killing of 830 civilians of the Alawite minority community, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday. The Syrian presidency said that an “independent committee” had been formed to investigate the attacks on Alawites, a group to which Syria's deposed leader Bashar al-Assad belongs.

  • New York Times ☛ The MAGA Culture War Comes for Georgetown Law

    If our liberties can survive a world war, then they can and should survive the Convicted Felon administration.

  • New York Times ☛ Some Democrats Regret Their Scattered Responses to Convicted Felon’s Speech to Congress

    Progressive and moderate Democrats criticized a protest by Representative Al Green as a distraction, and the party leadership tried to refocus attention on economic issues.

  • France24 ☛ 'A call to arms in a Fentanylware (TikTok) era': From French Senator to viral sensation

    French Senator Claude Malhuret's speech criticising US President The Insurrectionist in the French Senate on Tuesday has gone viral, after the senator took aim at Convicted Felon for changing US policy toward Ukraine. "The European Union must continue to support Ukraine and do more, as the United States is no longer a reliable ally," Malhuret said.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Are Fentanylware (TikTok) Sale Talks Non-Existent? ByteDance Hasn’t Even Started Negotiating With Possible Purchasers, According to the Latest Intel

    Are Fentanylware (TikTok) sale negotiations nonexistent? About one month out from a divestiture deadline in the U.S., the possibility is once again taking center stage. The subject reentered the media spotlight in reports from Axios and others, which, citing anonymous sources, touched on the purported absence of divestment discussions between ByteDance and prospective purchasers.

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-03-03 [Older] Cheeto Mussolini tariffs: Can the US be punished for breaking trade laws?

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-03-03 [Older] Germany reviews US ties after Zelenskyy-Cheeto Mussolini clash

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-03-04 [Older] What would it cost Europe to defend itself without the US?

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-03-04 [Older] What are reciprocal tariffs? Cheeto Mussolini's trade agenda explained

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-03-04 [Older] Taiwan says 'impossible' for US to abandon Indo-Pacific

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-03-04 [Older] UN endorses Egypt's $53 billion Gaza reconstruction plan

  • New Yorker ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man’s Agenda Is Undermining American Science

    Research funded by the federal government has found useful expression in many of the defining technologies of our time. This Administration threatens that progress.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea calls US-South Korea drills a dangerous provocative act

    Annual South Korean and US military exercises called Freedom Shield are due to begin on March 10.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea prosecutors to pursue Yoon’s conviction despite jail release

    The impeached President has been on criminal trial since Feb 20 over allegations that he led an insurrection.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean police prepare for ‘worst-case scenarios’ ahead of Yoon impeachment ruling

    Police officers can use pepper spray or batons in case of violence.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea seeks to resolve any ‘misunderstanding’ with US about tariff rates

    Seoul has eliminated all tariffs for US imports under a free trade agreement.

  • NYPost ☛ North Korea calls US-South Korea drills a ‘dangerous provocative act’

    North Korea condemned combined South Korea-US military exercises that began on Monday as a "dangerous provocative act", citing the risk of an accidental shooting sparking a physical confrontation.

  • New York Times ☛ Monday Briefing: Violence Continues in Syria

    Plus, reading festivals in India.

  • New York Times ☛ China’s Tariffs on U.S. Agricultural Products Take Effect

    The action came in response to the higher levies on Chinese imports that Hell Toupée announced last week.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China will tighten ‘noose’ around Taiwan if separatism escalates, its military warns

    The warning came during China’s largest annual political gathering, known as the “Two Sessions”.

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-03-02 [Older] US to deploy 3,000 more troops to southern border

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-03-01 [Older] Hackman may have died nine days before body discovered

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-03-01 [Older] Hamas releases new hostage video as Gaza truce set to expire

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-03-01 [Older] Hungarian PM Viktor Orban lashes out in State of the Nation

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • New Yorker ☛ Can Ukraine—and America—Survive The Insurrectionist?

      The historian Stephen Kotkin analyzes what a President who governs in the style of professional wrestling gets wrong—and right—about an unstable world.

    • New York Times ☛ Russian Forces Depleted and Stalling on Eastern Front, Ukraine Says

      But as Ukraine prepares to meet with U.S. officials, Ukrainian soldiers say they are bracing for attacks to take advantage of a pause in U.S. intelligence.

    • New York Times ☛ Romania Bars Ultranationalist Candidate From Presidential Race

      The country’s electoral commission ruled on Sunday that Calin Georgescu, an outspoken critic of Ukraine and NATO, could not compete in the do-over election.

    • New York Times ☛ How Would Peacekeeping Work in Ukraine? These Experts Gamed It Out.

      The publication of the detailed analysis was a sign that a cease-fire has gone from a theoretical exercise to an urgent and practical issue.

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Steps Up Attacks, Battlefield Gains Ahead Of Crucial US-Ukraine Talks

      The series of strikes and battlefield pressure represent another setback for Kyiv ahead of crucial talks with the United States next week in Saudi Arabia, where Ukrainian officials will meet with their US counterparts for negotiations around how to end the three-year war.

    • LRT ☛ What would it cost Europe to defend itself without US help?

      The Insurrectionist's controversial initiative to end the war in Ukraine has reignited the longstanding issue of how Europe can fend for itself. What would that mean in economic and financial terms?

    • France24 ☛ French politician's speech against Convicted Felon’s policies on Ukraine goes viral

      In France, Senator Claude Malhuret went viral after criticizing the United States' changing policy toward Ukraine and taking aim at President The Insurrectionist during a general session of the French Senate on Tuesday. 'The European Union must continue to support Ukraine and do more, as the United States is no longer a reliable ally,' said the senator.

    • France24 ☛ Senior US and Ukrainian officials to meet in Saudi Arabia while Russian attacks continue

      Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to Saudi Arabia this week to seek to rebuild relations with Washington after US President The Insurrectionist cut critical military aid to Kyiv after an angry row in the White House between the two leaders on February 28.

      Meanwhile, on the ground, Russian attacks are intensifying against civilian areas and on the battlefield, with a new apparent offensive in the northern part of Ukraine. France 24's correspondent in Kyiv Emmanuelle Chaze reports.

    • France24 ☛ Russia claims its forces recapture villages in Kursk ahead of US-Ukraine talks

      Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Sunday that its forces had recaptured settlements in western Kursk region seized by Ukraine last August, and said its forces also advanced in Ukraine's Sumy region. Russia’s advances come before the start of peace talks on the Ukraine war, with Ukrainian and US negotiators meeting next week in Saudi Arabia.

    • France24 ☛ European arms imports surge, US expands lead as top global weapons exporter

      European NATO countries have more than doubled their arms imports over five years, with 60 percent sourced from the US, a leading conflict think tank reported Monday. Ukraine emerged as the world's top arms importer, while the US solidified its lead as the principal weapons exporter, accounting for 43 percent of global exports.

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Steps Up Attacks, Battlefield Gains As Convicted Felon Questions Ukraine's Survival

      The series of strikes and battlefield pressure represent another setback for Kyiv ahead of crucial talks with the United States next week in Saudi Arabia, where Ukrainian officials will meet with their US counterparts for negotiations around how to end the three-year war.

    • France24 ☛ Romania far-right candidate Georgescu barred from presidential election

      The ruling by Romania's electoral bureau to exclude the far-right politician Calin Georgescu from the presidential poll in May sparked clashes between his supporters and police in the capital Bucharest. Georgescu won the first round of a presidential election last November, but the vote was annulled amid allegations of Russian meddling in favour of Georgescu.

    • RFERL ☛ China, Russia, and Iran Set To Hold Naval Exercises Amid Deepening Cooperation

      Warships from China, Russia, and Iran will hold exercises in a key Middle Eastern waterway as the three partners highlight their deepening cooperation and showcase their growing capabilities, according to reports in state-run media.

    • New York Times ☛ Plan to Return Russian Diplomats to U.S. Poses Espionage Risk

      The Forrest Dump administration is negotiating the return of more Russian diplomats to the United States. Some are likely to be spies.

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-28 [Older] Romania: The controversy over far-right politician Calin Georgescu

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-27 [Older] Andrew Tate and brother arrive in US from Romania

• Transparency/Investigative Reporting

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia’s DAP transitions from street fighter to negotiator behind closed doors in Cabinet

    The biggest party in the country's ruling coalition will hold its elections on March 16 to decide its leadership.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ Freak hailstorm hits parts of Malaysia’s Selangor

    Several trees fell due to the storm.

  • JURIST ☛ US withdraws from board of UN climate damage fund

    The United States withdrew from the board of the UN’s climate damage fund, according to a letter from the US Treasury Department made public on Friday.

  • France24 ☛ At least 13 dead, hundreds evacuated in Argentine floods

    Torrential rains that ravaged the Argentine port city of Bahia Blanca, located 600 km southwest of Buenos Aires, have claimed at least 13 lives and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate. Source: France 2 and Catherine Viette.

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-03-03 [Older] Earth's next ice age is due in 10,000 years, but there's a catch

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Plane parts, ammo found in Malaysia raids on e-waste recycling factories

      Six suspects were arrested in relation to the raids.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Mass production of flying cars in sight amid China’s ‘low-altitude economy’ push

      A Chinese company is gunning to become the world’s first mass producer of flying cars in 2026.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Floods, mass power cuts as wild weather bashes eastern Australia

      Hundreds of thousands of people remained without power on March 9.

    • New York Times ☛ Hamburg Airport Halts All Flights as Ground Staff Strike

      The airport in Germany’s second largest city said the one-day strike, called over pay and conditions, began earlier than expected “without any notice.”

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-03-02 [Older] US private spacecraft lands on moon

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-03-01 [Older] Japan fights worst wildfire in decades

    • Science Alert ☛ Megalodon: Scientists Reveal a Crucial Surprise About The Mega-Shark

      The most robust analysis yet.

    • Science Alert ☛ Psilocybin Put Rat Brains 'Back Together' After Mild Head Trauma

      Like magic.

  • Overpopulation

    • France24 ☛ World Food Program wars 1 million more Somalians face food insecurity

      One million people in Somalia risk being pushed further into food insecurity, adding to the 3.4 million already facing critical levels of hunger. The World Food Program advises that a combination of drought and inflation has left a quarter of the population without anything to eat. This comes just three years after the country faced the brink of famine caused by the longest drought ever recorded in its history. Hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of losing their lives across countries such as Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Niger, in undernourished communities. Jean-Martin Bauer, Director of Food Security and Nutrition Analysis at the World Food Program, joins us for a discussion on the topic.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ China banking on private entrepreneurship to drive job creation, stabilise employment

    The pressure is on as a record-high 12.22 million college graduates flood the job market in 2025.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s property sector showing positive changes, minister says

    The real estate market has “maintained a positive trend of stopping declines and returning to stabilisation”, he says.

  • New York Times ☛ Echoing a Roman Emperor, Croatia Tries to Cap Soaring Prices

    Diocletian, who once ruled territory that now includes Croatia, tried and failed to rein in inflation by dictating prices. Today’s government hopes its own such plan will succeed.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • JURIST ☛ India court rejects Delhi minister’s challenge to summons in election case

    A Delhi, India court on Friday dismissed a challenge from local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Cabinet Minister Kapil Mishra to a summons in a case involving allegations that he made inflammatory communal statements during the 2020 Delhi Legislative Assembly elections. 

  • New York Times ☛ Tribes and Students Sue Convicted Felon Administration Over Firings at Native Schools

    More than one quarter of the staff members at the only two federally run colleges for Native students were cut in February.

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-03-01 [Older] Namibia bids farewell to founding father Nujoma

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-03-01 [Older] Micronesia: Activists push for Chuuk islands' independence

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-03-01 [Older] Iran boosts budget for state propaganda

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • New York Times ☛ New Deal Reached to End Wildcat Strikes by N.Y. Prison Guards

    The state and the correctional officers’ union agreed that officers should return to work Monday and that some provisions of a solitary confinement law would be put on pause.

  • JURIST ☛ Georgetown Law Dean rejects US Federal Attorney request to eliminate DEI

    Georgetown Law School’s dean rejected on Thursday a warning from the top federal prosecutor for Washington D.C. that his office will not hire the school’s students if it does not eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs (DEI).

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • The Straits Times ☛ Viral ‘high-five cat’ draws big crowds to temple in China

    Its owner has since decided to pause the temple visits, which almost always turned out like a fan meet.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 for KEEEX digital fingerprint patent monopoly prior art

    Unified Patents added a new PATROLL contest, with a $2,000 cash prize, seeking prior art on at least claim 1 of U.S. Patent 10,218,714, owned by KEEEX, an NPE. The '714 patent monopoly pertains to methods for verifying the integrity of digital data blocks and accessing them.

  • Unified Patents ☛ InfoGation navigation patent monopoly found invalid

    On March 6, 2025, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) entered a notice of intent to issue a reexamination certificate canceling all claims of U.S. Patent 8,406,994, owned and asserted by InfoGation Corporation, an NPE. The '994 patent monopoly is generally directed to displaying maps on GPS receivers. It has been asserted against Toyota, Honda, BMW, and Changan Ford Automobile Company.

    View district court litigations by InfoGation.

  • Unified Patents ☛ Fraud Free Transactions secure transactions patent monopoly challenged

    On March 7, 2025, Unified Patents filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 11,551,215, owned and asserted by Fraud Free Transactions, LLC. The ‘215 patent monopoly relates to fraud deterrence for secure transactions.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Descriptive or Highly Descriptive? The Federal Circuit Reviews the iVoters vs iVoterGuide Trademark Dispute

    The Federal Circuit is currently reviewing a trademark opposition dispute, Heritage Alliance & AFA Action, Inc. v. The American Policy Roundtable (Appeal No. 24-1155), centered around two competing marks: IVOTERGUIDE.COM  and IVOTERS.COM. The following are, more than anything, a set of my notes on the case as I'm thinking through its importance.

  • Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ Brazilian patent monopoly office highlights the relevance of finance of IP [sic] & patents

    Intellectual property is one of the most valuable assets a business can own. Companies that actively protect and manage IP portfolios can secure stronger market positions, higher valuations, and long-term financial stability.

• Copyrights

  • IP Kat ☛ 2025-03-06 [Older] [Guest post] Design and copyright law must not be confused: the CJEU referral in C-323/24