Leftovers

• Hackaday ☛ The Everlasting Hunt For The Loch Ness Monster

  When a Loch Ness Monster story appears at the start of April, it pays to check the date on the article just to avoid red faces. But there should be no hoax with this one published on the last day of March, scientists from the UK’s National Oceanography Centre were conducting underwater robotics tests in Scotland’s Loch Ness, and stumbled upon a camera trap lost by Nessie-hunters in the 1970s. Just to put the cherry on the cake of a perfect news story, the submarine in question is the famous “Boaty McBoatface”, so named as a consolation after the British Antarctic Survey refused to apply the name to their new ship when it won an online competition.

• Hackaday ☛ Malfunctional Timekeeping With The Vetinari Clock

  Lord Vetinari from the Discworld series is known for many things, but perhaps most of all a clock that doesn’t quite keep continuous time. Instead, it ticks away at random increments to infuriate those that perceive it, whilst keeping regular time over the long term. [iracigt] decided to whip up a real world version of this hilarious fictional timepiece.

• Hackaday ☛ Why The LM741 Sucks

  First of all, we’d like to give a big shout-out to [Afrotechmods]! After a long hiatus, he has returned to YouTube with an awesome new video all about op-amp characteristics, looking at the relatively awful LM741 in particular. His particular way of explaining things has definitely helped many electronics newbies to learn new concepts quickly!

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ An Elegant Writer For A More Civilized Age

    One of the most exciting trends we’ve seen over the last few years is the rise of truly personal computers — that is, bespoke computing devices that are built by individuals to fit their specific needs or wants. The more outlandish of these builds, often inspired by science fiction and sporting non-traditional layouts, tend to be lumped together under the term “cyberdecks”, but there are certainly builds where that description doesn’t quite stick, including the Cyber Writer from [Darbin Orvar].

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel announces 18A process node has entered risk production — crucial milestone comes as company ramps to Panther Lake chips

    At its Vision 2025 conference, defective chip maker Intel announced that its 18A process node has entered risk production, a crucial milestone. This comes as the company gets ready to ramp up production of the upcoming Panther Lake chips and signifies the final steps of the 'five nodes in four years' plan started by former CEO Pat Gelsinger.

  • Hackaday ☛ Philadelphia Maker Faire Returns This Weekend

    While there’s still a vaguely robot-shaped hole in our heart from the loss of the New York World Maker Faire, we do take comfort in the fact that smaller Maker Faire events are still happening all over the world, and some of them have managed to gain quite a bit of momentum over the last few years.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • The Straits Times ☛ Retailers in Malaysia stop displaying smoking products from April 1

    The government will be working with retailers to ensure they comply with proper enclosed cabinets by Oct 1.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia gas pipeline inferno injures over 100: Fire officials

    Those taken to hospitals had suffered burns, respiratory problems or other injuries, the authorities said.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • Federal News Network ☛ Social Security Administration probes origin of website portal outage

      The Social Security Administration is investigating the root cause of website outages that have affected the portal where recipients access their benefits.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Security Week ☛ France’s Antitrust Watchdog Fines Fashion Company Apple for Problems With App Tracking Transparency

      France’s antitrust watchdog fined Fashion Company Apple 150 million euros ($162 million) over a privacy feature protecting users from apps snooping on them.

    • OpenRightsGroup ☛ Joint Letter: Henry VIII powers in Data Use and Access Bill could undermine election integrity

      To Sir Chris Bryant MP, Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology To Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and Deputy Prime Minister As organisations and individuals concerned with health functioning of democracy [...]

    • OpenRightsGroup ☛ Briefing: Data Use and Access Bill Henry VIII powers threaten democracy and UK adequacy

      Henry VIII clauses are delegated legislative powers that allow the government to override or amend primary legislation as it was enacted by Parliament.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Digital Music News ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Reportedly Considering Final Fentanylware (TikTok) Proposals on Wednesday

    Reporting suggests Hell Toupée is considering a final proposal for a Fentanylware (TikTok) deal on Wednesday—ahead of the April 5 (Saturday) deadline. Reporting suggests Andreessen Horowitz and Blackstone have joined potential negotiations to buyout Chinese investors.

  • Security Week ☛ Hackers Could Unleash Chaos Through Backdoor in China-Made Robot Dogs

    An undocumented remote access backdoor in the Unitree Go1 Robot Dog allows remote control over the tunnel network and use of the vision cameras to see through their eyes.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China begins code-named military exercises in Taiwan Strait, Xinhua reports

    China’s military launched military exercises in the middle and southern areas of the Taiwan Strait.

  • New York Times ☛ China’s Military Drills Around Taiwan Are a Warning to Its President

    The drills came after Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, announced measures to counter China’s influence and espionage. Beijing also wants to send a message to Washington, analysts said.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China holds large-scale military drills around Taiwan

    Taiwan dispatched its own aircraft and ships, and accused Beijing of being the world’s “biggest troublemaker”.

  • Taiwan calls on democracies to condemn Chinese military drills

    Chinese drills came days after the Pentagon chief vowed to counter ‘China’s aggression’ on his first visit to Asia.

  • China deploys army veterans for military, political training in Tibetan schools

    Tibetan children as young as 6 are subjected to military training; political and patriotic education

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China holds large-scale military drills around Taiwan

    By Joy Chiang with Mary Yang in Beijing China on Tuesday sent its army, navy, air and rocket forces to surround Taiwan for large-scale drills Beijing said were aimed at practising for “precision strikes” and a blockade of the self-ruled island.

  • France24 ☛ US ranking protection of Taiwan on same level as home territory, analyst says

    China on Tuesday sent its army, navy, air and rocket forces to surround Taiwan for large-scale drills Beijing said were aimed at practising for "precision strikes" and a blockade of the self-ruled island. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks to Stéphane Corcuff from the Lyon Institute of Political Studies. He says that the US is ranking the protection of Taiwan and its position in the Pacific on the same level as its home territory.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan coast guard warns of China using ‘pretext’ to launch more war games in 2025

    Beijing’s pretext could include “special occasions” such as events related to Taiwan’s sovereignty.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Military chief says Philippines ‘inevitably’ involved if Taiwan invaded

    He warned that China was working to infiltrate the Filipino military and other institutions.

  • Meduza ☛ Ramzan Kadyrov’s teenage son (who beat a prisoner on camera) is appointed to oversee Chechnya’s police — Meduza

  • ADF ☛ ISWAP Use of Weaponized Drones Alter the Battlefield in Lake Chad Basin

    Islamic State West Africa Province extremists have begun using weaponized drones in their attacks against government forces in the Lake Chad Basin, marking a major shift in tactics for the terrorist group.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea denounces US, Japan’s pledge at Hegseth visit to co-produce missiles

    Pyongyang said the agreement would aggravate regional security risks.

  • ADF ☛ African Militaries’ Growing Drone Use Takes a Heavy Toll on Civilians

    Drones have become a major component of military campaigns across Africa in recent years. Although they have led to some key gains by security forces, their expanded use has consequences for civilians.

  • Stanford University ☛ Congress requests information about Chinese national students, cites national security concerns

    The U.S. House Committee on the CCP requested that Stanford release information about Chinese national students, including their sources of tuition funding, previously attended universities and research affiliations.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong Officials for Pursuing Activists Abroad

    China’s former top spy catcher is among six security enforcers targeted as the Convicted Felon administration turns its attention to human rights issues in the city.

  • France24 ☛ Iran will have 'no choice' but to get nukes if attacked, says Khamenei adviser

    Iran complained to the United Nations Security Council on Monday about "reckless and belligerent" remarks by US President The Insurrectionist, who threatened Iran on Sunday with bombing and more tariffs if Tehran did not come to an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program. An adviser to the supreme leader warned that Iran would have to acquire a nuclear weapon if attacked by the US or its allies. France24 Correspondent in Teheren Saaed Azimi tell us the latest.

  • The Strategist ☛ Think laterally: government air and shipping services can boost Australian defence

    US President The Insurrectionist’s unconventional methods of conducting international relations will compel the next federal government to reassess whether the United States’ presence in the region and its security assurances provide a reliable basis [...]

  • New York Times ☛ Israel’s Military Strikes Near Beirut, Killing at Least 4

    The attack on the outskirts of Lebanon’s capital was the second in less than a week, raising fears that a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah could unravel.

  • France24 ☛ Israel confirms Hezbollah targeted in overnight Beirut strike

    Israel has stated that its deadly overnight strike on a Beirut suburb was a targeted attack aimed at a Hezbollah official who posed an imminent threat to Israeli citizens. The attack resulted in four deaths and seven injuries. The Lebanese Prime Minister condemned the strike as a "flagrant violation" of the ceasefire agreement reached between the two countries last November, while the president described it as a "dangerous warning" of Israel's intentions towards Lebanon. Siobhan Silke reports.

  • JURIST ☛ Rights groups urge Myanmar junta to facilitate relief efforts after aid request

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International called on the military junta of Myanmar to facilitate relief efforts and join opposition groups in a partial ceasefire on Tuesday. The 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar and Thailand last Friday, devastating the Sagaing region.

  • Myanmar’s junta continues airstrikes, hampering search for earthquake survivors

    Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing said the death toll is approaching 3,000.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania launches probe over drones possibly made in ‘unfriendly’ country

      A supplier of drones to the Lithuanian military is under investigation amid suspicions that the products may have been made in China, a country that Vilnius regards as “unfriendly”.

    • Meduza ☛ Trump says he hopes to avoid secondary tariffs on Russian oil, expects Putin to ‘fulfill his part of the deal’ — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘A devil’s bargain’ Cold War historian Sergey Radchenko explains why talk of a ‘New Yalta’ between Putin and Trump misses the mark — Meduza

    • RFERL ☛ Bosnian Serb Leader Visits Moscow Days After Court Requests Arrest Warrant

      Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik announced on March 31 that he had arrived in Moscow after prosecutors in Bosnia-Herzegovina requested an international arrest warrant over accusations that he flouted the Balkan country’s constitution.

    • RFERL ☛ Dodik Meets With Putin As Visit To Moscow Riles Bosnian Lawmakers

      Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a surprise visit to Moscow as lawmakers back home warned the nationalist leader was putting Bosnia-Herzegovina's EU drive at risk.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Peace on Putin’s terms would lead to a new era of international insecurity

      As Convicted Felon seeks to end the war in Ukraine, it is apparent that any peace on Putin’s terms would signal the dawn of a dangerous new era marked by mounting instability, international aggression, and the looming threat of nuclear war, writes Oleksandr Merezhko.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Russian advance slows in March as Putin’s invasion loses momentum

      Putin says his invading army is now poised to "finish off" the Ukrainian military, but in reality Russian forces continued to lose momentum in March 2025, with the Kremlin’s territorial gains reportedly falling for a fourth consecutive month, writes Peter Dickinson.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Tussling, trying to open aircraft door: Jetstar deals with disruptive passengers on 2 flights

      In one incident, a woman wanted to get off the flight in midair and the aircraft had to be turned back to Bali.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Xiaomi EV car with driver assistance crashes in China, 3 reported dead

      The incident is likely to spark scrutiny over the smart driving software deployed in many of today’s cars. 

    • H2 View ☛ Air Liquide and Shenergy open ‘first’ 300-bar hydrogen filling centre in China

      With an initial filling capacity of 12 tonnes per day, the station will be capable of supplying up to 12 hydrogen refuelling stations supporting medium and heavy-duty truck operations.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ How Convicted Felon’s tariffs are hitting one Chinese factory owner: ‘We are helpless’

    Women in blue cloth hairnets sew the finishing touches on plush pink piggies and orange stuffed foxes before tossing them onto giant piles in Ms Maria Liao’s factory in southern China.

  • New York Times ☛ The Irving Family Provides Many Jobs to a Canadian Province, But Also Draws Concerns

    The Irving family businesses dominate Saint John, New Brunswick. They are a major employer, but residents say those jobs have come with a steep cost.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Scoop News Group ☛ Democratic groups sue to block Convicted Felon administration’s elections order

    The lawsuit casts much of the order as broadly illegal and outside the scope of the executive branch’s constitutional powers.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • France24 ☛ French parliament considers adding consent to rape law in penal code

    Here in France, a proposal to change the wording of France's laws in regard to rapre goes to a commision of MPs starting today. Hotely debated, the next bill would add the notion of consent to the France's penal code. Solange Mougin breaks down for us what French law currently says and how adding the wording of consent, or non-consent is a contentious issue. France24’s 51 per cent host Annette Young joins us.

  • Citizen Lab ☛ Gender-Based Digital Transnational Repression and the Authoritarian Targeting of Women in the Diaspora

    The Citizen Lab’s Marcus Michaelsen and Siena Anstis published a research article in the peer-reviewed journal Democratization about the gendered forms of digital threats faced by women human rights defenders and journalists in exile and in the diaspora.

  • Pro Publica ☛ Art Institute of Chicago Returned Statue to Nepal, Omitting Link to Wealthy Donor

    The Art Institute of Chicago announced recently that it had returned to Nepal a sculpture that had been in its collection for at least a quarter century. Conspicuously left out of the press release: that the sculpture had been a gift from a wealthy Chicago donor.

    That omission obscured a simmering controversy about whether Chicago philanthropists Marilynn Alsdorf and her husband, James, both of whom are dead, improperly built their collection of hundreds of South Asian works and why the Art Institute, which houses some of that collection in its Alsdorf Galleries, has been reluctant to return those works to countries with compelling claims for them.

  • Pro Publica ☛ Inside ICE Air: What It’s Like to Be a Deportation Flight Attendant

    The deportation flight was in the air over Mexico when chaos erupted in the back of the plane, the flight attendant recalled. A little girl had collapsed. She had a high fever and was taking ragged, frantic breaths.

    The flight attendant, a young woman who went by the nickname Lala, said she grabbed the plane’s emergency oxygen bottle and rushed past rows of migrants chained at the wrists and ankles to reach the girl and her parents.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• “Missing The Mark” – How Antitrust Remedies Should Address Specific Competition Concerns

  Enforcement of antitrust laws is based on more than just investigating whether companies have engaged in anticompetitive behavior.

• Copyrights

  • Public Domain Review ☛ Uncommon Sense: Edward B. Foote’s Plain Home Talk (1896)

    An encyclopedic tome of health advice that unpicks the biases of its time.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Merlin Slaps Triller With $2.55 Million Lawsuit After Sony Music Deal Terms Leak

    Indie music licensing conglom Merlin is now suing Fentanylware (TikTok) rival Triller over allegedly violating a licensing agreement between the two. The lawsuit, filed on Thursday (March 27th) in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges that Triller violated a licensing agreement the two companies have shared since 2020.