Leftovers

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong authorities launch probe after wedding planner’s vanishing act leaves trail of over 200 victims

  A Hong Kong wedding planner’s sudden disappearance has taken more than 200 customers by surprise, prompting authorities to launch an investigation.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Your Stress Could Be a Hidden Trigger For Future Dementia

    Here's what you can do about it.

  • Science Alert ☛ China's Tianwen-2 Launches to Grab First 'Living Fossil' Asteroid Samples

    That's not all it's doing.

  • Science Alert ☛ Blood-Brain Barrier 'Guardian' Shows Promise Against Alzheimer's

    "A completely new approach for Alzheimer's disease treatment."

  • Science Alert ☛ SpaceX Starship's Latest Test Ends in Destruction Over Indian Ocean [Ed: No-talent MElon just knows how to hang out with and suck up to other bigots, who are corrupt enough to pass to him taxpayers' money]

    Another rapid unscheduled disassembly.

• Career/Education

  • CS Monitor ☛ A pivotal grade at a pivotal time: What is it like being an eighth grader today?

    Today’s eighth graders are shaped by pandemic learning and issues with student engagement that followed school shutdowns. What do they have to say about their education – and how it looks moving forward?

  • CS Monitor ☛ A 15-year legal battle ends. Harvard relinquishes images of enslaved family.

    Harvard University agreed in a settlement to transfer photographs of enslaved people to an African American history museum. Tamara Lanier sued the Ivy League in 2019 for the exploitation of those she identifies as her ancestors.

• Hardware

  • The Next Platform ☛ Nvidia Does Not Need China, But It Craves It And That Is Risky

    “No.”

    That’s probably a word that Jensen Huang, co-founder and chief executive officer of Nvidia, doesn’t hear a lot.

  • James Brown ☛ New Keyboard

    I've been using the Happy Hacking Keyboard in various configurations for the last 12 years; it's a great design for a 60% scale keyboard with all the keys that a Unix person needs and nothing they don't; in particular, I credit its lack of arrow keys with finally getting me to use vim motions correctly. Oh, I've dallied with other keyboards; for a while at work I had an Fashion Company Apple Wireless Keyboard, and in 2019 I bought a tenkeyless keyboard from the now-defunct WASD Keyboards¹, but I always come back to the HHKB.

  • Hackaday ☛ Tool Turns SVGs Into Multicolor 3D Prints

    Want to turn a scaled vector graphic into a multicolor 3D print, like a sign? You’ll want to check out [erkannt]’s svg2solid, a web-based tool that reads an SVG and breaks the shapes up by color into individual STL files. Drag those into your slicer (treating them as a single object with multiple parts) and you’re off to the races.

  • Hackaday ☛ A Love Letter To Embedded Systems By V. Hunter Adams

    Today we’re going to make a little digression from things that we do to look at perhaps why we do the things that we do. This one is philosophical folks, so strap yourselves in. We’ve had an interesting item arrive on the tips line from [Bunchabits] who wanted to let us know about a video, Love Letter to Embedded Systems, from [V. Hunter Adams].

  • Hackaday ☛ From Burnt To Brilliant: A Toaster’s Makeover

    Appliances fail, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end for them. This impressive hack from [solopilot] shows the results possible when not just fixing but also improving upon its original form. The toaster’s failed function selector switch presented an opportunity to add smart features to the function selection and refine control over its various settings.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Zimbabwe ☛ China’s Robot KickBoxing Match Feels Less Fun Now that Hey Hi (AI) is Starting to Disobey

      China just hosted the world’s first humanoid robot boxing match — and I’m not sure whether to cheer or panic.

    • The Strategist ☛ Uncensored Hey Hi (AI) models pose an urgent risk to global security

      The global Hey Hi (AI) race is rapidly accelerating, with states and corporations investing billions into Hey Hi (AI) for commercial, strategic and defence purposes.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Czech foreign minister summons Chinese ambassador over cyberattack

    China’s ambassador to the Czech Republic was summoned on Wednesday over a cyberattack that targeted Prague’s foreign ministry, Czech officials said. The Czech foreign ministry said an extensive investigation of the attack “led to a high degree of certainty about the responsible actor”, naming it as China-linked group APT31.

  • Security Week ☛ Czech Government Condemns Chinese Hack on Critical Infrastructure

    The Czech government issues a blunt warning to China after APT31 hackers linked to intrusion at critical infrastructure network.

  • LRT ☛ Cybersecurity report records more attacks against Lithuania

    Lithuania recorded 63 percent more cyber incidents in 2024 than in 2023, according to the 2024 National Cybersecurity Status Report.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ US vows to ‘aggressively’ oust Chinese students, enhance scrutiny of visa applications from China, Hong Kong

    The Insurrectionist’s administration on Wednesday vowed to “aggressively” revoke visas of Chinese students, one of the largest sources of revenue for American universities, in his latest broadside against US higher education.

  • Chronicle Of Higher Education ☛ Colleges Across U.S. Fear Chill on Enrollments of Foreign Students

    At a conference of international educators, there were mounting worries that an "America First" president could diminish U.S. higher education's global preeminence.

  • Defence Web ☛ Geopolitical tensions lead to increasing risks for shipping sector globally

    The fast-changing geopolitical landscape is creating new risks and challenges for a shipping industry already juggling the energy transition and the legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Allianz Commercial’s latest Safety and Shipping Review.

  • JURIST ☛ US Homeland Security asks Supreme Court to stay temporary block on migrants deportations to third countries

    The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to stay an injunction, which could allow for DHS to continue the deportations of migrants to third countries without due process.

  • BIA Net ☛ Organized crime suspect builds gendarmerie station

    The company from Kulp tasked with constructing a gendarmerie station in the Hesandin highland, allegedly for security reasons, is owned by individuals currently on trial for "membership in a criminal organization established to commit crimes" and other charges.

  • JURIST ☛ UN Security Council urged to renew arms embargo against South Sudan

    Amnesty International on Wednesday urged the UN Security Council (UNSC) to renew its arms embargo against South Sudan. The embargo is a part of a series of sanctions that have been in place since 2015, stemming from human rights abuses carried out during the civil war.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China flexed military muscle with East Asian naval activity, sources say

    Over the past two weeks China declared several live-fire drill areas off its coast.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Japan expands military push against China as US commitment remains in doubt

    For the first time, Japan sent destroyers through the Taiwan Strait on two occasions in recent months.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China launches space probe seeking asteroid samples

    The probe is tasked with collecting samples from the near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3, and exploring the comet 311P.

  • Pro Publica ☛ Sexual Violence, Human Trafficking: Fallout From U.S. Aid Withdrawal Hits Malawi

  • Pro Publica ☛ Illinois Bans Police From Ticketing, Fining Students for Minor Infractions in School

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Sectarianism, social control media, and Syria’s information blackhole

    Since Assad’s December ousting, Syrians have struggled to sift the truth from fake claims about security incidents across the country.

  • The Strategist ☛ Beyond Defence: ASPI’s The Cost of Defence 2025–26 looks broadly at national security spending

    Australia faces a perilous strategic environment with multiple threats overlapping and, in some cases, converging.

  • Defence Web ☛ Lamola to participate in DRC, Sudan peace efforts

    International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Ronald Lamola, is currently in Kampala, Uganda, to attend the 12th High-Level Meeting of the Regional Oversight Mechanism (ROM) for the Peace, Security, and Cooperation (PSC) Framework concerning the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

  • LRT ☛ Former Lithuanian defence chief charged over alleged misuse of military dental care

    Prosecutors have charged former Lithuanian Armed Forces Commander Valdemaras Rupšys with abuse of office, fraud, and document forgery in a case involving military-funded dental care, Lithuania’s Special Investigation Service (STT) announced Tuesday.

  • New York Times ☛ Crime Rings Plotted to Trade Cocaine for Syrian Weapons, Prosecutors Say

    The intricate scheme, spanning four continents, appears to justify concerns that the military arsenal of Bashar al-Assad, the deposed Syrian dictator, could fall into dangerous hands.

  • France24 ☛ EU sanctions Syrian militia groups over ethnic violence targeting Alawites

    The EU on Wednesday imposed sanctions on three Syrian militia groups and two of their leaders over human rights abuses committed against members of Syria's Alawite minority during a round of deadly ethnic violence in March. It came a week after the 27-nation bloc agreed to lift sanctions on Syria in a bid to help the country recover after Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

  • RFERL ☛ Iran Executes Man Accused Of Spying For Israel As Human Rights Groups Condemn 'Killing Spree'

    Iran says it executed Pedram Madani, who was accused of "spying for Israel" in a case human rights groups said was filled with "fundamental flaws" and based on confessions made under duress.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia rejects LGBTQ culture, orders probe into pride event

    Any effort to normalise LGBTQ is against the Federal Constitution, existing laws and official policy, a minister said.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Meduza ☛ St. Petersburg proposes ban on foreign nationals working as couriers and taxi drivers — Meduza

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ China offers Pacific Islands more support in addressing climate change

    Beijing will undertake 100 "small but beautiful" projects across the island countries over the next three years.

  • New York Times ☛ German Court Dismisses Climate Lawsuit Against RWE

    The judges ruled that German civil law could be used to hold companies accountable for the worldwide effects of their emissions.

  • Science Alert ☛ UN Warns: High Odds We'll Exceed 1.5°C Temp Rise by 2029

    "We have just experienced the 10 warmest years on record."

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Trail of Bits ☛ The Custodial Stablecoin Rekt Test

      Introducing the Custodial Stablecoin Rekt Test; a new spin on the classic Rekt Test for evaluating the security maturity of stablecoin issuers.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Science Alert ☛ Dolphins Give Themselves Names That Could Hide Secret Information

      Pleased to meet you.

    • Science Alert ☛ Anti-Aging Cocktail Extends Mouse Lifespan by About 30 Percent

      What could it do for us?

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • European Commission ☛ Keynote speech by Commissioner Kubilius at the Charlemagne Prize Forum: "Europe without US - is it possible?"

  • Federal News Network ☛ A judge refuses to toss states’ lawsuit against MElon and DOGE

    The states, through their attorneys general, sued in February over the defendants’ alleged constitutional violations.

  • Federal News Network ☛ DOJ expands DEI crackdown with new Civil Rights Fraud Initiative centered on False Claims Act enforcement

    This initiative represents the DOJ's clearest statement yet that it intends to treat violations of civil rights laws as fraud on the federal government.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • The Straits Times ☛ Hanoi bans The Economist's printed issue with Vietnam's top leader on cover, say distributor sources

    The Economist's latest printed edition for Asia featuring Vietnam's top leader To Lam on its cover has been banned in Vietnam, sources at two local media distributors told Reuters, in a new instance of censorship in the Communist-run country.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • CS Monitor ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man claims NPR is too liberal. NPR fights federal cuts with a lawsuit.

    National Public Radio and three of its local stations are suing President The Insurrectionist. The 246-station network, which provides the backbone for emergency alert systems across the country, says the funding cuts are unconstitutional.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Press Gazette launches paid access to online content [Ed: This will only doom this site even faster]

    Metered paywall will help fund next stage of Press Gazette expansion.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • ACLU ☛ George Takei: How the Alien Enemies Act Paved the Way for the Incarceration of My Family

    George Takei has joined the ACLU as a special guest contributor for Asian American Pacific Islander History Month.

    On March 14, The Insurrectionist signed a proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act to carry out his mass deportations. The last time this law was invoked was during World War II, when it was weaponized to pave the way for the incarceration of Japanese Americans, including my family. Now, I see history echoing in disturbing ways.

  • New Yorker ☛ The Criminalization of Venezuelan Street Culture

    The Forrest Dump Administration is using an “Alien Enemy Validation Guide” to target supposed members of Tren de Aragua, but many of the items on the list—tattoos, sports jerseys, Jordans—are commonplace in urban style and music.

  • Science Alert ☛ Over 2 Million Americans Went 'Missing' During 2020 And 2021

    "A national scandal."

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ Towards a more inclusive Internet in Nepal

    Guest Post: UA Day Nepal 2025 launches the nation’s first native-language domain and empowers youth for an inclusive digital future.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Unified Patents ☛ $9,000 awarded for Polaris PowerLED memory controller patents prior art

    Unified is pleased to announce PATROLL crowdsourcing contest winners below totaling $9,000 in cash prizes. The patents are owned by Polaris PowerLED Technologies, LLC, an NPE. The patents generally relate to various nonvolatile memory technologies.

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

  • JUVE ☛ Top litigation firms in Austria 2025 [Ed: Advertising spam disguised as "top" list; follow the money, those are ads]

  • JUVE ☛ Top filing firms in Austria 2025 [Ed: More of JUVE's spam space]

  • JUVE ☛ Top filing and litigation firms in Austria 2025 [Ed: Pure marketing, pure spam for SEO; this is not a legit ladder]

  • JUVE ☛ Austrian market shifts as patent monopoly litigation business shrinks [Ed: The "patent monopoly litigation business"? No, litigation like this is not a business but a parasitic activity. Also, the UPC is illegal, keep omitting what really happened in violation of the Vienna Convention and constitutions.]

    Although not everyone anticipates a downturn, “patent litigation is losing importance” is a common refrain among Viennese IP partners when discussing their practice development. Austrian SMEs and companies from various hi-tech sectors are increasingly taking their cases to the UPC. Only pharmaceutical companies still predominantly fight for their most important products in national courts.

  • JUVE ☛ Arbutus and Brinkhof celebrate interim success in mRNA case against Moderna [Ed: That just simply means prices will go up; everyone loses]

    Since the ‘long-arm jurisdiction’ ruling of the Düsseldorf local division in Fujifilm vs Kodak, and following the CJEU’s decision in BSH Hausgeräte vs Electrolux, pan-European cross-border injunctions have become a hot topic.

  • Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ Brazil – Updates on the Partnerships for Productive Development (PDPs) [Ed: Conflating patent monopolies with something they clearly are not]

    Brazil’s long-running effort to internalize drug manufacture through state-backed technology transfer agreements continues to face scrutiny.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Uninvited Guests: The Federal Circuit’s Problematic Revival of Waived Arguments

    In a number of recent opinions, the Federal Circuit decided the case on grounds that were not raised on appeal by either party.  This unusual approach is something bound to happen with expert tribunals such as the Federal Circuit.  The problems with this approach: it undermines the adversarial process, creates a fairness problem, and depriving the parties of a meaningful opportunity to address—and potentially correct—issues pivotal to the court’s ultimate determination. A recently filed petition for certiorari asks the Supreme Court to step-in and provide the CAFC with guidance in the impropriety of the Federal Circuit's sua sponte revival of arguments that the government has impliedly waived in the appeal. In McLeay v. Stewart, petitioner Dr. Matthew McLeay particularly challenges the Federal Circuit's decision to affirm the rejection of his patent monopoly application based on enablement sub-grounds that the USPTO had effectively abandoned in its briefing. [Read the Petition].

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ An overview of all technically qualified UPC judges [Ed: UPC is illegal, but this site is paid to try to legitimise this illegality (still)]

• Copyrights

  • Public Domain Review ☛ Bernard Sleigh’s Anciente Mappe of Fairyland (ca. 1920 edition)

    A stunning six-foot-long map that joins the worlds of various myths and stories for the childhood adventurer.