Leftovers

• New York Times ☛ Bunnies, Bonnets, Brights and Blooms at New York’s Easter Parade

  Time for revelry, and a celebration of spring, on a Sunday in the city.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Amazing Physics Experiment Reveals 'Quantum Rain' For The First Time

    Eerily familiar.

  • New York Times ☛ When They Don’t Recognize You Anymore

    People with dementia often forget even close family members as the disease advances. “It can throw people into an existential crisis,” one expert said.

  • Science Alert ☛ Using Tech as You Get Older Could Reduce Your Risk of Dementia

    A new benefit to screen time emerges.

  • Science Alert ☛ Brains That Age Faster May Drive Schizophrenia, Research Finds

    It's a complex disorder.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Sign Deep Inside Your Eyes Could Warn of Early Dementia

    Windows to your brain.

  • Science Alert ☛ This Overlooked Bodily Waste Product Is Proving Useful For Medical Research

    A potential goldmine.

  • Science Alert ☛ Physicists Found an Entirely New Way to Measure Time

    Your time starts now.

  • Science Alert ☛ Strange Bacteria That Can't Live Alone Hint at Early Steps to Complex Life

    They team up in an entirely unexpected way.

• Hardware

  • The Straits Times ☛ Analysts warn US could be handing crucial chip market to China

    New US licensing rules for chips exported to China are incentivising Chinese tech firms to become even more competitive.

  • Hackaday ☛ China Hosts Robot Marathon

    China played host to what, presumably, was the world’s first robot and human half-marathon. You can check out the action and the Tiangong Ultra robot that won in the video below. The event took place in Beijing and spanned 21.1 km. There was, however, a barrier between lanes for humans and machines.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Humanoid robots stride into the future with world’s first android half-marathon race in China

    By Glenda Kwek and Qian Ye with Luna Lin Step by mechanical step, dozens of humanoid robots took to the streets of Beijing early on Saturday, joining thousands of their flesh-and-blood counterparts in a world-first half marathon showcasing China’s drive to lead the global race in cutting-edge technology.

  • Hackaday ☛ MilliForth-6502, A Forth For The 6502 CPU

    Forth is popular on small computers because it is simple to implement, yet quite powerful. But what happens when you really need to shrink it? Well, if your target is the 6502, there’s milliForth-6502.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s manufacturing backbone feels pinch of Convicted Felon trade war

    By Peter Catterall Sky-high tariffs imposed on China by US President The Insurrectionist have triggered a slump in factory orders, manufacturers told AFP this week — with some fearing business may never return.

  • Hackaday ☛ Low Cost Oscilloscope Gets Low Cost Upgrades

    Entry-level oscilloscopes are a great way to get some low-cost instrumentation on a test bench, whether it’s for a garage lab or a schoolroom. But the cheapest ones are often cheap for a reason, and even though they work well for the price they won’t stand up to more advanced equipment. But missing features don’t have to stay missing forever, as it’s possible to augment them to get some of these features. [Tommy’s] project shows you one way to make a silk purse from a sow’s ear, at least as it relates to oscilloscopes.

  • Hackaday ☛ The Most Printable 3D Printer Yet

    Despite the best efforts of the RepRap community over the last twenty years, self-replicating 3D printers have remained a stubbornly elusive goal, largely due to the difficulty of printing electronics. [Brian Minnick]’s fully-printed 3D printer could eventually change that, and he’s already solved an impressive number of technical challenges in the process.[Brian]’s first step was to make a 3D-printable motor. Instead of the more conventional stepper motors, he designed a fully 3D-printed 3-pole brushed motor. The motor coils are made from solder paste, which the printer applies using a custom syringe-based extruder. The paste is then sintered at a moderate temperature, resulting in traces with a resistivity as low as 0.001 Ω mm, low enough to make effective magnetic coils.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • France24 ☛ Reunion Island hospital boss calls for reinforcements amid virus outbreak

    Hospitals on the French Indian Ocean Island of Reunion are reaching breaking point amid a chikungunya virus outbreak that has claimed six lives since January, affecting one out of nine people. Health officials are calling for urgent reinforcements to manage the crisis, just days before President Emmanuel Macron’s scheduled visit.

  • NYPost ☛ Exercising during this 3-hour window linked to lowest risk of heart disease and stroke

    Do you prefer working out in the morning or the afternoon? This study suggests it can make a big difference to your heart health.

  • Ruben Schade ☛ #Japan2025 Flying into Haneda

    Yesterday we flew into Haneda Airport in Tōkyō to start our Japan trip! Non-stop Japan Airlines trips used to fly from Sydney to Narita, but this seems to have switched to Handea after COVID started.

    JAL remains one of my favourite airlines. It doesn’t have that premium feeling of Singapore Airlines, but it’s as punctual, clean, well-maintained, and friendly as you’d expect of a Japanese carrier. I rate planes by their bathrooms, and they were immaculate.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • It's FOSS ☛ Tuning Local LLMs With RAG Using Ollama and Langchain

      Interested in taking your local Hey Hi (AI) set up to the next step? Here's a sample PDF-based RAG project.

  • Social Control Media

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Chinese social control media users vent anger at Convicted Felon’s trade war with memes, mockery

      While China’s leaders use their economic and political might to fight The Insurrectionist’s trade war “to the end”, its army of social control media soldiers are embarking on a more humorous campaign online.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Social media helps fuel growing sex tourism in Japan

      Tourists are being drawn by videos on platforms such as Fentanylware (TikTok) or the Chinese Bilibili.

• Security

  • Confidentiality

    • New York Times ☛ Hegseth Said to Have Shared Attack Details in Second Signal Chat

      The defense secretary sent sensitive information about strikes in Yemen to an encrypted group chat that included his wife and brother, people familiar with the matter said.

    • France24 ☛ US defense chief Hegseth shared Yemen strike details in second Signal chat, says report

      Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared details of a military operation against Yemen's Houthis in a private Signal group on his personal phone, including his wife, brother, and lawyer. The chat, created during his confirmation, remained active post-confirmation with over a dozen members, the New York Times said.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean military under fire for ‘lack of discipline’ after series of major accidents

    On April 18, the Air Force accidentally dropped two gun pods from a KA-1 light attack aircraft.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea's acting president says tariff talks with US may not be easy

    South Korea's acting President Han Duck-soo said on Monday he expected trade talks with the United States this week in Washington to be the start of meaningful cooperation, but added that negotiations may not be easy.

  • JURIST ☛ Federal judge orders detained Türkiye student be returned to Vermont to await trial

    A federal judge on Friday ordered Turkish national Rumeysa Ozturk to be returned to Vermont, where she will remain in custody, pending a bail hearing. Ozturk, a PhD student at Tufts University, was detained by Department of Homeland (DHS) agents near the university’s Massachusetts campus last month after her F-1 student visa was revoked.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Security issues in tariff talks not appropriate, says Japan’s PM Ishiba

    The Insurrectionist wants America’s allies to pay more for the protection the US provides.

  • JURIST ☛ US judge puts Homeland Security efforts to remove non-citizens on hold

    A federal judge in Massachusetts on Friday barred the Convicted Felon administration from implementing a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy allowing it to rapidly deport hundreds of migrants to countries other than their own without due process. US District Court Judge Brian Murphy granted the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction on the DHS policy.

  • France24 ☛ Israel: Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar to respond to firing in court

    Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) Director Ronen Bar is expected to submit an affidavit to the High Court of Justice on April 20, in connection with petitions challenging his dismissal. Alon Pinkas, a retired ambassador and former Foreign Ministry Chief of Staff, joined us to provide further insight.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China navy says Philippine frigate illegally entered Scarborough Shoal waters

    China's Southern Theatre navy said a Philippines frigate had "illegally intruded" into the waters of Scarborough Shoal on Sunday, "seriously violating" Chinese sovereignty and laws, according to a statement.

  • The Straits Times ☛ US, Philippines open ‘Super Bowl’ of military drills amid China tensions

    The drills show the Convicted Felon administration is keeping Washington’s military support for its ally.

  • University of Michigan ☛ From The Daily Weekly: Anti-ICE Rally, pro-Palestine Protesters Suspended

    This week, The Daily covered UMich’s ⁠firing and suspension of employees⁠ in relation to a pro-Palestinian protest, an ⁠anti-ICE rally⁠ in the Diag, a ⁠Black Student Union protest⁠ against DEI cuts and U-M’s announcement it will ⁠continue funding current LEAD Scholars⁠ until their graduation.

  • France24 ☛ Gaza: New Israeli strikes to pressure Hamas to release hostages

    Israeli strikes in Gaza have killed more than 90 people in 48 hours, Gaza’s Health Ministry said on April 19 as Israeli troops increase their attacks to pressure Hamas to release remaining hostages and disarm.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Beijing slams ‘appeasement’ of US in trade deals that hurt China

    Appeasement will not bring peace, and compromise will not be respected, a Chinese govt spokesman says.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Beijing slams ‘appeasement’ of US in trade deals that hurt China

    China on Monday hit out at other countries making trade deals with the United States at Beijing’s expense, promising countermeasures against those who “appease” Washington in the blistering tariff war.

  • France24 ☛ Beijing warns of retaliation against nations who 'appease' US in tariff war

    China on Monday criticised countries making trade deals with the US at its expense, warning of countermeasures against those "appeasing" Washington. While global tariffs stand at 10%, China faces duties up to 145%. Beijing has retaliated with 125% tariffs on US goods amid the escalating trade war.

  • NYPost ☛ Boeing jet returns to US from China — a victim of Convicted Felon’s tariff war

    A Boeing jet intended for use by a Chinese airline landed back at the planemaker's US production hub on Saturday, a victim of the tit-for-tat bilateral tariffs launched by President Dihydroxyacetone Man in his global trade offensive.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Boeing jet returns to US from China, a victim of Convicted Felon’s tariff war

    The aircraft was meant for China’s Xiamen Airlines.

  • NYPost ☛ China’s export controls are curbing critical mineral shipments to the world

    China's export controls on three metals important across the defense and chip sectors are keeping shipments at historically low levels despite high prices worldwide as Beijing flexes its control over the minerals supply chain.

  • New York Times ☛ How Violence Erupted On Syria’s Coast

    Massacres have spread across once-quiet towns on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, in the deadliest outbreak of sectarian violence since rebels toppled the dictator Bashar al-Assad. Christina Goldbaum, The New York Times’s bureau chief in Syria, traveled to the area to get a sense of who was responsible.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel’s Military Cites ‘Professional Failures’ in Killings of Gaza Medics

    In a statement and a briefing summarizing its investigation into the deadly episode, the military said a deputy commander would be dismissed.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • LRT ☛ ‘I’m a post-colonial product’: Lives of Russian-speaking youths in Lithuania

      "I am a postcolonial product, a product of the Russian world. My friends were from Russia and Belarus and we watched the same TV channels and children's cartoons. With Lithuanians, it's like we were from slightly different worlds," says Irina Jarec.

    • New York Times ☛ Monday Briefing: A Broken Truce in Ukraine

      Plus, a Senegalese strawberry farmer on a mission.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine Says Russia Violated Easter Truce

      President Zelensky said that the front lines had seen artillery fire and drone attacks and that his troops were responding. Russia accused Ukraine of breaking the cease-fire.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Will Observe Easter Truce But Accuses Russia Of Immediate Violations

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country will abide by a 30-hour Easter cease-fire called by Moscow, but he accused Russia of already violating the truce by launching drone and artillery attacks on Ukrainian cities.

    • RFERL ☛ Vaunted Easter Truce Appears To Bring No Relief In Ukraine

      A 30-hour truce in fighting between Russia and Ukraine does not appear to be fully holding, with both sides accusing the other of violations.

    • LRT ☛ The death of frozen conflicts – opinion

      The creation of frozen conflicts has remained a long-standing part of Russian foreign policy. This approach, however, has been finally challenged in Ukraine. Only Kyiv’s victory can end this Kremlin strategy once and for all. Khusanboy Kotibjonov writes for the New Eastern Europe magazine, partners of LRT English.

    • France24 ☛ Russia is creating 'impression of a ceasefire' while continuing attacks, Zelensky says

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Russia’s declared Easter ceasefire is a facade, citing continued shelling, drone strikes and assaults along the front. Despite Moscow’s claims of restraint, Kyiv reported 59 instances of Russian shelling attacks, questioning the Kremlin’s commitment to peace.

    • France24 ☛ 🌟The Bright Side: Christians worldwide celebrate Easter amid joy, war, and resilience

      From jubilant crowds in Vatican City to solemn prayers in war-torn regions, Christians across the globe celebrated Easter Sunday. Pope Francis made a surprise appearance in Rome, while believers in places like Ukraine and Lebanon observed the holiday amid conflict and recovery.

    • RFERL ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Expresses Hope For Ukraine-Russia Deal 'This Week' Even As Easter Truce Expires

      An Easter truce in fighting between Russia and Ukraine appeared to reduce some air strikes on Ukrainian cities, but Kyiv claimed hundreds of violations by Moscow’s forces while calls for an extension went unheeded by the Kremlin.

    • France24 ☛ Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of breaching Easter truce

      Russia and Ukraine on April 20 accused each other of violating an Easter truce announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin. France 24's Douglas Herbert tells us more.

    • France24 ☛ War in Ukraine: Kyiv says Moscow violated Easter truce

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia on April 20 of creating a false appearance of honoring an Easter ceasefire, saying Moscow continued to launch attacks overnight after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a unilateral temporary truce in Ukraine.

• Environment

  • New York Times ☛ 3 Dead in Oklahoma in Severe Weather After Tornadoes Strike Texas

    Two people died after their vehicle was trapped in floodwaters and one person was killed in a tornado, officials said. Severe weather threatened parts of Arkansas and Missouri on Sunday.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Hackaday ☛ Preventing Galvanic Corrosion In Water Cooling Loops

      Water is an excellent coolant, but the flip side is that it is also an excellent solvent. This, in short, is why any water cooling loop is also a prime candidate for an interesting introduction to the galvanic metal series, resulting in severe corrosion that commences immediately. In a recent video by [der8aer], this issue is demonstrated using a GPU cold plate. The part is made out of nickel-plated copper and features many small channels to increase surface area with the coolant.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia bids goodbye to pandas Fu Wa and Feng Yi, which are returning to China

      The pair of pandas will depart for China in May.

    • Science Alert ☛ Our Relationships With Indoor Plants Come in 4 Types, Study Finds

      Which one are you?

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ Mega-city Chengdu bucks trend, drawing young Chinese with jobs, work-life balance and lower costs

    Its resident population rose by 71,000 in 2024, amid a fall in China's population for the 3rd consecutive year.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s leading presidential candidate vows to address ‘Korea Discount’ [Ed: It's not a discount, it's just called not lying or lying less]

    The discount refers to the lower valuations that Korean companies typically trade on relative to global peers.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Still no update on cash aid, say victims of Subang Jaya fire in Malaysia

    Some affected residents say they were still awaiting further details about aid promised by the state.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Pos Malaysia chief apologises for response to mailman who asked about replacing torn uniform

    Pos Malaysia said they would ensure that uniforms are replaced in a more timely and efficient manner.

  • Jim Nielsen ☛ You’re Only As Strong As Your Weakest Point

    In April 1945, as US soldiers overtook Merkers, Germany, stories began to surface to Army officials of stolen Nazi riches stored in the local salt mine.

    Eventually, the Americans found the mine and began exploring it, ending up at a vaulted door. Here’s the story, as told by Greg Bradsher: [...]

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Bryan Lunduke ☛ Ars Technica Goes Hard Anti-Dihydroxyacetone Man

    The prominent Tech Publication is not just Anti-Dihydroxyacetone Man...

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Seymour’s Shadow: Reviving the Supreme Court’s Standard for Prior Art Enablement

    Pending Supreme Court petition in Converter Manufacturing v. Tekni-Plex (No. 24-866), focuses on the question of who bears the burden of proving whether prior art references enable the claimed invention, and what standard should apply. As far as I can discern, the Federal Circuit's basic approach stems from ex parte patent monopoly appeals and has three key elements: [...]

  • Software Patents

    • Unified Patents ☛ Dynamic IP Deals entity, AK Meeting, groupware patent monopoly challenged

      On April 17, 2025, Unified Patents filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 10,180,765, owned and asserted by AK Meeting, an NPE and Dynamic IP Deals entity.

    • Fox Succeeds in Scrapping Machine Learning Claims at CAFC Under 101

      The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) on Friday addressed an issue of first impression in the patent monopoly eligibility context, holding that “claims that do no more than apply established methods of machine learning to a new data environment” are not patent monopoly eligible.

    • Unified Patents ☛ $4,000 awarded for STT WebOS web-based communication patents prior art [Ed: Palm OS turned out to be enabling software patent trolls]

      Unified is pleased to announce PATROLL crowdsourcing contest winners below totaling $4,000 in cash prizes. The patents are owned by STT WebOS, Inc. The patents relate to web based control management systems and communications.