Leftovers

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Why Do Some People Need Less Sleep? The Answer Lies in Our Genes.

    Here’s what we know.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Massive Cloud of Saharan Dust Is About to Hit The United States

    An Atlantic odyssey.

  • Science Alert ☛ 20-Year Mystery of The Muon's Wiggle May Finally Be Solved

    How disappointing.

  • Science Alert ☛ Something Strange Happens to Your Eyes When You're Sexually Aroused

    Do you like what you see?

  • Science Alert ☛ Menopause Drug Reduces Breast Cancer Growth In Clinical Trial

    Two treatments in one medication.

  • Science Alert ☛ Texas Woman Dies From Brain-Eating Amoeba After Flushing Sinuses

    Take care with what you put in your nose.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Giant Mouth Has Opened on The Sun And Even It Looks Surprised

    Burp.

• Career/Education

  • New York Times ☛ China Really Wants to Attract Talented Scientists. Convicted Felon Just Helped.

    Even before the U.S. threatened to bar international students and besieged universities, China’s huge spending campaign on the sciences was bearing fruit.

  • Chronicle Of Higher Education ☛ Why This Is the Most Damaging Time to Restrict Student Visas

    As a weapon against colleges, Convicted Felon’s halt on interviews couldn’t be timed any better.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China really wants to attract talented scientists, and Convicted Felon just helped

    The Forrest Dump administration recently said it would “aggressively revoke” Chinese student visas.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China rolls out major reforms ahead of gaokao, its national college entrance exam

    New developments include the roll-out of exam reforms in additional provinces and expanded university enrolment.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ Adding Assistive Technology To A Doorbell

    The advent of affordable computing over the last few decades has certainly been a boon for many people with disabilities, making it easier to access things like text-to-speech technology, automation, or mobility devices, and even going as far as making it easier to work in general by making remote work possible. Some things still lag behind, though, like user interfaces that don’t take the colorblind into account, or appliances that only use an audio cue to signal to their users. This doorbell, for example, is one such device and [ydiaeresis] is adding features to it to help their mother with some hearing issues.

  • CNX Software ☛ Vortex86EX3 Twin Core x86 processor targets legacy industrial applications running Windows, Linux, DOS, WinCE, QNX…

    D&MP Vortex86EX3 is a Twin Core x86 SoC for industrial applications with a master CPU and a Slave CPU,  each capable of running an operating system independently, be it backdoored Windows 10 IoT, Linux, legacy OS like WinCE or DOS, or an RTOS like QNX. Like its predecessors, such as the DM&P Vortex86EX2 or Vortex86DX3, the Vortex86EX3 – also written Vortex86 EX3 –  supports older PCI and ISA interfaces, as well as more recent interfaces such as PCIe, and the usual serial, CAN Bus, and GPIO found in this type of processor.

  • Hackaday ☛ A Vintage ‘Scope Comes Back To Life

    We’re suckers for a vintage electronic teardown here at Hackaday, and thus it’s pleasing to see [Thomas Scherrer OZ2CPU] with a 1962 AEG oscilloscope on his bench. It’s definitely seen better days, and is a single-trace 10 MHz unit of the type you might have seen in a typical general purpose electronics lab back in the day.

  • Hackaday ☛ Making Solder Wick Less Painful

    For some people (e.g. this author) solder wick is a tool of last resort. Unfortunately, solder suckers and vacuum pumps lose most of their utility when you move from through-hole to SMD components, forcing us to use the dreaded wick. For those of us in this mindset, [nanofix]’s recent video which we’ve placed below the break on tips for solder wick could make desoldering a much less annoying experience.Most of the tips have to do with maintaining proper control of heat flow and distribution. [nanofix]’s first recommendation is to cut off short segments of wick, rather than using it straight from the roll, which reduces the amount of heat lost to conduction along the rest of the length. It’s also important to maintain a certain amount of solder on the soldering iron’s tip to improve conduction between the tip and the wick, and to periodically re-tin the tip to replace absorbed solder. Counterintuitively, [nanofix] explains that a low temperature on the soldering iron is more likely to damage the board than a high temperature, since solder wick getting stuck to a pad risks tearing the traces. [nanofix] also notes that most boards come from the factory with lead-free solder, which has a higher melting point than tin-lead solder, and thus makes it harder to wick. He recommends first adding eutectic lead-based solder to the pads, then wicking away the new, lower melting-point mixture. Other miscellaneous tips include cutting a more precise tip into pieces of wick, always using flux, avoiding small soldering iron tips, and preheating the board with hot air. We’ve seen a couple of guides to desoldering before. If you’re looking for more exotic methods for easing the task, you can always use bismuth.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Self-destructing graphics cards: Why are power connectors melting, and what can you do about it?

    12VHPWR and 12V-2x6 power connectors are still melting and taking graphics cards with them.

  • Hackaday ☛ Slide Rule By Helix

    It is no secret that we like slide rules around the Hackaday bunker, and among our favorites are the cylindrical slide rules. [Chris Staecker] likes them, too, and recently even 3D printed a version. But spurred by comments on his video, he decided to try something that might be unique: a helical slide rule. You can see how it works in the video below.

  • Hackaday ☛ Passive Saturation Box Is A Cheap Way To Distort Your Sound

    Distortion pedals and overdrive effects usually have a bunch of lovely transistors or op-amps inside and lots of knobs and dials to tweak the sound to your personal taste. However, it’s possible to get some crunchiness in your audio signal without all that fuss, as [Simon Hutchinson] demonstrates with his $2 “analog saturation box”.

  • Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

    • The Register UK ☛ Cops want Apple, Google to kill stolen phones remotely

      In a one-off evidence session in the House of Commons yesterday, angered Members of Parliament voiced concern that commercial incentives might be behind the tech giant's apparent lack of willingness to comply with calls from the Metropolitan Police, the UK's largest force.

      In response, Apple said remotely locking stolen phones after they were stolen or blocking cloud services might create other attack vectors for fraud against legitimate smartphone users. Google said its relationship with customers was through its cloud accounts, not the device.

    • Zimbabwe ☛ The EU is forcing phone makers to support their devices longer, could Zimbos benefit too?

      Anyway, the EU is coming up with rules that will force smartphone manufacturers to support their devices for longer, both in terms of software updates and hardware repairs.

      That sounds like a win for consumers in Europe, but what about us here in Zimbabwe? Could these rules improve the phone experience even for Zimbos?

      Let’s take a look.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • University of Michigan ☛ Worldproof the child, don’t childproof the world

    Content warning: This article contains mention of depression and trauma related to homophobia. I pride myself on the fact that I’ve never had a Fentanylware (TikTok) account. Instead, I balance my media consumption out on other platforms.

  • Federal News Network ☛ HHS relied on ‘error-ridden’ data to cut 10,000 jobs, former staff allege in lawsuit

  • Science Alert ☛ Bowel Cancer in Young People Is Rising – Here's How to Reduce Your Risk

    What’s driving this increase?

  • PHR ☛ By Rescinding EMTALA Guidance, Convicted Felon Administration Endangers Pregnant Patients and Expands Attacks on Science: PHR

    In response to the Convicted Felon administration rescinding guidance around the federal rule EMTALA (Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act), which requires hospitals to stabilize patients experiencing medical emergencies, including patients with pregnancy complications, the following quote is attributable to Payal Shah, JD, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) director of research, legal, and advocacy: [...]

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Budget Eliminates Funding for Crucial Global Vaccination Programs

    The spending proposal terminates support of health programs that, according to the proposal, “do not make Americans safer.”

  • JURIST ☛ UN: Nearly 16 million people in Syria need urgent humanitarian health support

    In a press briefing Tuesday, the spokesman for the UN Secretary-General forewarned that Syria’s health system “remains under severe strain,” leaving almost 16 million people in urgent need of humanitarian support amid continued threats posed by explosive remnants of war (ERWs).

  • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man orders inquiry into 'conspiracy' to cover up Biden's declining cognitive health

    US President The Insurrectionist on Wednesday directed an investigation into Republican claims of a "conspiracy" to conceal Joe Biden's alleged cognitive decline while in office. The move escalates Convicted Felon's years-long effort to undermine his Democratic predecessor, a campaign amplified by GOP lawmakers and conservative media allies.

  • NYPost ☛ Luigi Mangione’s ‘manifesto’ reveals reason for targeting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, failed plot for mass casualty event: court docs

    “So say you want to rebel against the deadly, greed fueled health insurance cartel. Do you bomb the HQ? No. Bombs=terrorism,” Mangione wrote.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ ‘When we open the tap, we are poisoning ourselves’: Mayor of Guanajuato town confronts water contamination crisis head-on

    As communities around San Miguel de Allende expand, groundwater contamination has become increasingly prevalent, posing mounting health risks and sparking growing public concern.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Feds with Benefits: Proposed 2025 budget bill will make health savings accounts more generous

    HSAs will gain increased flexibility and higher contribution limits, making HDHPs an even more attractive choice for federal employees.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Water Supplies Department ‘concerned’ after reports of residents experiencing diarrhoea amid water quality complaints

    The Water Supplies Department has expressed concerns about some residents reportedly suffering from diarrhoea after unknown black particles were found in drinking water at two government housing estates in Fanling.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Indonesia’s Health Ministry issues warning over Covid-19 surge in Asia

    The surge is caused by a more transmissible but less deadly Omicron sub-variant.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Covid-19 cases surge in Thailand; over 28,000 new cases in two days

    As at May 27, the cumulative total of Covid-19 cases in the country for 2025 stood at 323,301.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • New York Times ☛ Reddit Sues Anthropic, Accusing It of Illegally Using Data From Its Site

      In its lawsuit, Reddit said Anthropic had also declined to enter into a licensing agreement for data and had unjustly enriched itself at Reddit’s expense.

    • Russell Coker ☛ Russell Coker: Trying DeepSeek R1

      I saw this document on running DeepSeek R1 [1] and decided to give it a go. I downloaded the llama.cpp source and compiled it and downloaded the 131G of data as described. Running it with the default options gave about 7 CPU cores in use. Changing the --threads parameter to 44 caused it to use 17 CPU cores (changing it to larger numbers like 80 made it drop to 2.5 cores). I used the --n-gpu-layers parameter with the value of 1 as I currently have a GPU with only 6G of RAM (AliExpress is delaying my delivery of a PCIe power adaptor for a better GPU). Running it like this makes the GPU take 12W more power than standby and using 5.5G of VRAM according to nvidia-smi so it is doing a small amount of work, but not much. The documentation refers to the DeepSeek R1 1.58bit model which I’m using as having 61 layers so presumably less than 2% of the work is done on the GPU.

• Pseudo-Open Source

  • Openwashing

    • It's FOSS ☛ My Favorite Obsidian Plugins and Their Hidden Settings [Ed: "Non-FOSS Warning!" So it's once again a site called "It's FOSS" promoting the anti-FOSS options!]

      Sharing my favorite Obsidian plugins that add useful extra features to my knowledge base.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Salesfarce customers duped by series of social-engineering attacks

      Google Threat Intelligence Group said about 20 organizations have been hit by a cybercrime group it tracks as UNC6040.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • The Straits Times ☛ New Zealand PM floats privacy laws after aide accused of filming women

      The new privacy laws could be drafted to clear up the legal grey area.

    • OpenRightsGroup ☛ UK Privacy Erosion Sparks EU Civil Society Call to Review Data Deal

      European civil society organisations have written to European Commissioner, Michael McGrath over concerns about the erosion of privacy and data protection in the UK.  The organisations argue that the divergence from standards required by GDPR and the Law Enforcement Directive mean that the UK’s adequacy status should be re-evaluated.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong police charge man, 35, with making hoax bomb threats

    A 35-year-old man has been charged with four counts of making hoax bomb threats, two days after his arrest by the national security police. Zhang Kejia, a Chinese national who claimed to be self-employed, appeared at Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday afternoon.

  • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man signs proclamation banning travel from 12 countries, including Iran, Afghanistan and Haiti

    US President The Insurrectionist revived his first-term travel ban late Wednesday, barring entry to people from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, and Somalia. The proclamation also covers Burma, Chad, Congo, Eritrea, Haiti, Sudan, Yemen, and Equatorial Guinea. Critics call the policy discriminatory, while the administration cites security concerns.

  • France24 ☛ US vetoes Gaza ceasefire resolution at UN Security Council, saying it emboldens Hamas

    The United States on Wednesday blocked a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and unrestricted aid into war-ravaged Gaza. The US was the only member of the 15-nation council to go against the vote, saying the resolution would only work to embolden Hamas because it did not call for the militant group to disarm.

  • New York Times ☛ L.A. County to Pay $2.7 Million to Teen Beaten in Juvenile Hall ‘Gladiator Fight’

    Surveillance video captured a 16-year-old being repeatedly punched, kicked and stomped by juveniles while probation officers watched.

  • LRT ☛ Lithuania eases procurement rules to acquire military drones

    Lithuania’s government has eased procurement rules when buying drones, counter-drone systems, optical surveillance equipment and laser target designators.

  • Pro Publica ☛ Thomas Fugate, the 22-Year-Old Leading Trump’s Terrorism Prevention Hub

    When Thomas Fugate graduated from college last year with a degree in politics, he celebrated in a social media post about the exciting opportunities that lay beyond campus life in Texas. “Onward and upward!” he wrote, with an emoji of a rocket shooting into space.

    His career blastoff came quickly. A year after graduation, the 22-year-old with no apparent national security expertise is now a Department of Homeland Security official overseeing the government’s main hub for terrorism prevention, including an $18 million grant program intended to help communities combat violent extremism.

  • CS Monitor ☛ How Iran has gone from ‘Death to America’ to nuclear talks with Convicted Felon

    Even as the United States and Iran grapple with each other’s nuclear red lines, the simple fact of engagement underscores a pragmatic turn for Tehran regarding President The Insurrectionist.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ The Pentagon’s software approval process is broken. Here’s how to fix it.

    To equip US military personnel with the tools they need, the Department of Defense must treat secure software delivery as a warfighting imperative.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea pulls capsized warship upright after botched launch, report says

    Satellite imagery from June 2 showed the ship upright for the first time since the May 21 accident.

  • North Korean warship that tipped over during launch is upright again

    Satellite imagery suggests workers used ropes and balloons to hoist up the destroyer, 2 weeks after launch failure.

  • Will South Korea’s new president restart dialogue with North Korea?

    Election of liberal, pro-engagement candidate Lee Jae-Myung marks a major political change in Seoul but will Kim Jo

  • New York Times ☛ Why South Korea’s New Leader Name Checked North Korea but Not China

    Lee Jae-myung’s inauguration speech was a sign of the diplomatic maneuvering he will need to pull off to navigate relations with China and the United States.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China offers bounty on hackers it says are linked to Taiwan

    The undisclosed bounty is for more than 20 people suspected of carrying out cyber attacks in China.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Chinese authorities issue bounty for hackers said to be linked to Taiwan

    The undisclosed bounty is for more than 20 people suspected of carrying out cyber attacks in China.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China urges EU to stop 'provoking trouble' in South China Sea

    The Chinese embassy in the Philippines urged the European Union to stop "provoking trouble" in the South China Sea on Thursday, and advised Manila not to "fantasise" about relying on outside forces to resolve disputes in the waterway.

  • New York Times ☛ Judge Blocks Deportation of Family of Suspect in Colorado Attack

    Lawyers for the wife and children of the man charged with attacking an event supporting hostages in Gaza filed a lawsuit on Wednesday seeking their release.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Vetoes U.N. Resolution Demanding Immediate Gaza Cease-Fire

    The Security Council resolution also sought the release of all the hostages and the resumption of full-scale aid deliveries.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Expanding missile threats and airspace closures are straining airlines

    The aviation industry is investing more in data and security planning.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Latvia ☛ Transport to Belarus, Russia on the decline in Latvia

      Both passenger and freight transport to and from Russia and Belarus is decreasing, but there is reason to believe that sanctions imposed on the aggressor countries are being circumvented.

    • The Strategist ☛ Get on with it, Defence. Counter-drone capability is urgent

      After watching videos of flaming Russian bombers on Sunday, Canberra decision makers have no excuse for foot-dragging in fielding counters to small, cheap drones.

    • LRT ☛ Rutte: NATO must spend more on defence or risk ‘speaking Russian’ – interview

      NATO members are ramping up military spending and will agree on a new target, says Secretary General Mark Rutte, which will be well north of 3% GDP for “hard” defence. Otherwise, he warns, “you will still have all your wealth, but you’ll have to speak Russian”.

    • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea slams Macron’s ‘shocking claptrap’ about its ties with Russia

      An analyst took aim at comments by Mr Macron during the recent Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Sanctions-hit Belarus lauded by Pooh-tin as China's true friend

      Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping praised Belarus as a true friend of China as he met Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of the sanctions-hit European nation, on Wednesday and urged the Russian ally to join Beijing in opposing "hegemony and bullying".

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Images of loneliness’: Russian photographer Alexander Gronsky on what it’s like to document a country closing in on itself — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Man who posted anti-Chechen videos abducted in Moscow by men in official-looking car — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Kremlin confirms latest Ukrainian attack on Crimean Bridge, says ‘nothing was damaged’ — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Ukraine’s ‘Spiderweb’ operation damaged 40 Russian aircraft, destroying at least 10–13, senior NATO official says — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Ukraine’s Security Service releases new drone footage of attacks on Russian air bases — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Five dead, including one-year-old, in Russian drone strike on Ukraine’s Chernihiv region — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ As Convicted Felon Wavers, Europe Is More Optimistic About Defending Ukraine

      Europe has the money and the artillery shells, but key U.S. capabilities like operational intelligence and air defense would be difficult to replace.

    • New York Times ☛ Drone Attacks Are the New Front in War. Can NATO Keep Up?

      Assaults in Russia and Ukraine have shown major military powers that they are unprepared for evolving forms of warfare, and need to adapt.

    • Marcy Wheeler ☛ The Art of War, Ukraine Edition

      Details of Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb seem rather specific, as if they contained a message.

    • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea’s Kim vows ‘unconditional support’ for Russia’s war in Ukraine

      The two sides agreed to “continue to dynamically expand” relations, KCNA reported.

    • RFERL ☛ IAEA Chief Warns Of Persistent Nuclear Safety Risks In Ukraine Amid Air Raids

      The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned about the ongoing risk of a nuclear accident in Ukraine, saying the "dangers to nuclear safety continue to be very real and ever-present.”

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian volunteer fighter declared missing in Ukraine

      A Lithuanian volunteer fighter has gone missing in Ukraine, the Lithuanian embassy in Kyiv confirmed to LRT.

    • France24 ☛ Empty chair policy ? US defence secretary skips Nato Ukraine support meeting

      Ukraine’s 'no surrender' attitude is on display.

    • Latvia ☛ Defense Tech for Ukraine brings straight talking on drone warfare to Rīga

      The Drone Summit held in Rīga last week was notable for several reasons. Most obviously, it was the first of its kind, and came with the acknowledgement that drones have fundamentally changed many (though by no means all) aspects of modern warfare.

    • European Commission ☛ Remarks by Commissioner Brunner on a common European path for the future of Ukrainians in the EU

    • CS Monitor ☛ Ukraine drone strike exposed Russian vulnerability, and sent a signal to Convicted Felon

      Ukraine’s asymmetric drone attack caught the world’s attention and dealt a significant blow to Russia’s defense. Peace prospects may hinge on how Vladimir Putin and The Insurrectionist respond.

    • New York Times ☛ Putin Intends to Respond to Ukraine Strikes on Russian Bombers, Convicted Felon Says

      Hell Toupée spoke with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia amid escalating attacks between Russia and Ukraine, even as their officials have been engaged in direct talks.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskyy Calls On Putin To Sign Cease-Fire, Meet Him 'Any Day'

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has challenged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to sign a cease-fire to end fighting as the two sides work to set up a meeting to create a last peace after more than three years of war sparked by Moscow's full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

    • RFERL ☛ Putin 'Strongly' Warns Convicted Felon Of Response To Ukraine's Drone Strikes On Russia's Air Bases

      US President The Insurrectionist says his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, warned him "very strongly" of Russia’s intention to respond to Ukraine’s drone attack, which struck dozens of long-range bomber aircraft across Russian regions over the weekend.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian War Plans Stretch Into Next Year, Ukrainian Officer Says

      A Ukrainian military officer said Russian forces are preparing major advances lasting into next year as Moscow seeks to establish a buffer zone along the Ukraine-Russia border.

    • France24 ☛ 'Artificial diplomacy': Zelensky, Putin trade accusations of bringing false pretexts to peace talks

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday accused each other of not genuinely seeking an end to the the nearly 3.5-year-long war. While Zelensky said Moscow was using stalling tactics to avoid a truce, Putin blamed Kyiv for a deadly attack in Russia at the weekend that he said was meant to undermine Monday’s talks in Istanbul.

    • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man says Putin told him that Russia will respond to Ukrainian attack on airfields

      U.S. President The Insurrectionist said that Russian President Vladimir Putin told him “very strongly” in a phone call Wednesday that he will respond to Ukraine’s weekend drone attack on Russian airfields as the deadlock over the war drags on and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismisses Russia's ceasefire proposal. FRANCE 24's Fraser Jackson reports from Washington.

    • Meduza ☛ Trump holds phone call with Putin, calls it ‘a good conversation,’ but says it won’t ‘lead to immediate Peace’ — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Putin appears to rule out ceasefire, accusing Ukraine of ‘terrorist attacks’ and disrupting peace talks — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Following Trump–Putin call, Zelensky says ‘Russia is giving the finger to the entire world’ — Meduza

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Even ‘White Lotus’ buzz isn’t reviving Thailand’s tourism slump, as foreign arrivals fall again

      Foreign arrivals dropped for the fourth straight month in May, slipping 14 per cent to 2.6 million.

    • The Straits Times ☛ VEP requirement for Singapore-registered cars to be enforced by Malaysia from July 1

      A RM300 (S$91) fine will be imposed for privately owned vehicles without a valid VEP.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia to install guard rails at all train station platforms after fatal incident

      A man in his 60s died after falling onto the tracks at Pusat Bandar Puchong LRT station on June 3.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • The Straits Times ☛ Rare clouded leopard captured in viral video calmly exploring Malaysia road

      The animal’s appearance during the day is most likely due to disturbances in its habitat.

    • New York Times ☛ Ancient Trees, Dwindling in the Wild, Thrive on Sacred Ground

      Buddhist temples in China are home to trees from dozens of endangered species, a new study shows. Some of them are almost 2,000 years old.

• Finance

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man’s Trade War with China Risks Sending Production To China

    China's hardball with rare earth metals export licenses become a bigger issue may explain why Scott Bessent's description of negotiations with China sounded like a hostage video.

  • France24 ☛ The real target is the Chinese economy, trade expert says, as 50% metals tariffs take effect

    FRANCE 24's Mark Owen speaks to Gavin Bade, trade and economic policy reporter at the Wall Street Journal, about the 50% tariffs on aluminium and steel imports to the United States coming into effect on Wednesday. He says that 'the real target is the Chinese economy' and that the Convicted Felon administration is applying blanket tariffs to avoid so-called transhipments that would allow China to circumvent US levies.

  • The Strategist ☛ As US resists China, some leaders resist making a choice

    The struggle between China and the US defines this century.

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man’s Policy Bill Would Add $2.4 Trillion to Debt, Budget Office Says

    The estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office is all but certain to inflame an already intense debate inside the G.O.P. about the fiscal consequences of its bill to enact Hell Toupée’s agenda.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Is Trimming Back Its Collection of Consumer Price Data

    The cutbacks would have “minimal impact,” the government said, but economists warned of reduced confidence in inflation data produced by a struggling statistical system.

  • New York Times ☛ Tariffs Make the World Poorer and More Perilous

    Free trade reduces the frictions that can arise between nations. Tariffs will only take away stability.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian entrepreneur apologises for spending only $300k on daughter’s 11th birthday

    She also gave her daughter an Fashion Company Apple computer, a Rolex watch and a Toyota Vellfire MPV.

  • BIA Net ☛ Strike in İzmir ends as agreement reached

    DİSK Genel-İş has accepted the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality’s (İzBB) offer of a 30% wage increase and a 19% inflation adjustment. Thus, the strike in İzmir has come to an end, after lasting for a week.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Like a graveyard’: South Korea’s Lee Jae-myung on empty presidential office

    He says the presidential office will soon be relocated to its previous spot in Cheong Wa Dae.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Continuity or reset? Japan, China seek clues to S. Korea President Lee Jae-myung’s foreign policy

    There are perceptions that South Korean diplomacy oscillates wildly, depending on the ruling party of the day.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung takes office

    South Korea has elected liberal Lee Jae-myung as president to lead the country through a tumultuous period that will require negotiating trade tariffs with the U.S. and mending the scars from his ousted predecessor's shock martial law declaration.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Young South Korean women help propel liberal candidate Lee to victory

    Around 58 per cent of women voters in their 20s and 57 per cent in their 30s voted for Mr Lee.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Legal challenges facing South Korea’s new President Lee Jae-myung

    While a president has immunity from most crimes, it is unclear if this applies to cases that start before he takes office.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Liberal Lee Jae-myung wins South Korea presidency in martial law ‘judgment day’

    PPP candidate Kim Moon-soo conceded the race and congratulated Mr Lee in brief remarks to reporters.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Like a graveyard’: South Korea President Lee Jae-myung on the empty presidential office

    Mr Lee said the presidential office would soon be relocated to its previous spot in Cheong Wa Dae.

  • The Strategist ☛ On climate, new administration must go beyond South Korea’s borders

    Lee Jae-myung’s victory in South Korea’s snap presidential elections have ended six months of political turmoil. The time is ripe for the country to lift its engagement on regional issues, including climate change.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea President Lee Jae-myung unveils 1st batch of key nominations including PM, top aides

    He says all the people he nominated are not only loyal to the people, but also competent.

  • The Straits Times ☛ From triumph to Convicted Felon: S. Korea President Lee Jae-myung starts term with full plate

    Mr Lee's first day in office was marked by the US doubling of steel and aluminium tariffs coming into effect.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korean state media report on South Korea's presidential election

    North Korean state media on Thursday reported for the first time on the outcome of South Korea's presidential election held earlier this week.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Lee won South Korea elections, but concerns over his integrity narrowed the race

    After a tighter-than-expected presidential election, Lee Jae-myung aims to restore stability to a nation wracked by months of political upheaval. But issues of trust remain.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s new President Lee Jae-myung vows to revive economy

    With all the ballots counted, Mr Lee won 49.42 per cent of the nearly 35 million votes cast.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Japan PM Ishiba vows to ‘energise’ South Korea cooperation under new leader Lee

    Mr Ishiba also said he hopes for a Japan-South Korea summit in the near future.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea's new President Lee begins moves to tackle economic 'crisis'

    South Korea's new President Lee Jae-myung held his first cabinet meeting on Thursday focused on devising an emergency package to address stagnating economic growth and aid households, moving swiftly to start tackling a top campaign pledge.

  • New Yorker ☛ Democracy Wins a Referendum in South Korea

    The newly elected President defeated an increasingly authoritarian rival party. Can he bring the country back together?

  • Pro Publica ☛ Trump DEI Purge Made Black Women in Federal Jobs an “Easy Target”

    In February 2020, President Donald Trump’s first education secretary issued a memo to employees emphasizing the department’s policy “to ensure that diversity, inclusiveness, and respect are integral parts of our day-to-day management and work.”

    “Diversity and inclusion are the cornerstone of high organizational performance,” Betsy DeVos continued, adding that all people were welcome in the Department of Education. The memo ended with a call for employees to “actively embrace” principles of diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • The Straits Times ☛ China's Tiananmen Square demonstrations and crackdown

    Wednesday marks the 36th anniversary of China's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in and around central Beijing's Tiananmen Square, when Chinese troops opened fire on their own people.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Ex-district councillor’s candle shop inspected by Hong Kong customs officers on eve of Tiananmen anniversary

    Hong Kong customs officers inspected ex-district councillor Katrina Chan’s incense shop for hours on the eve of the Tiananmen crackdown anniversary, accusing her of failing to comply with product safety regulations.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Foreign diplomatic missions in Hong Kong mourn Tiananmen crackdown with social control media posts

    Four diplomatic missions in Hong Kong – the consulates general of Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US – have taken to social control media to commemorate the 36th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown in Beijing.

  • JURIST ☛ Rights group urges China to address Tiananmen Massacre after 36 years

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged China on Tuesday to address the Tiananmen Massacre, including halting censorship, allowing commemorations, compensating the victims’ families, and holding the perpetrators accountable. This follows the 36th anniversary of the killing of numerous peaceful pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, on June 4, 1989.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ In Pictures: Hong Kong police deploy armoured vehicle in Causeway Bay on Tiananmen crackdown anniversary

    Police have deployed an armoured vehicle in Hong Kong’s commercial heart, amidst an ongoing heavy security presence on the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China calls Rubio’s comments on Tiananmen Square crackdown an ‘attack’

    The US Secretary of State said the world will “never forget” the 1989 incident.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China calls US State Secretary Rubio’s comments on Tiananmen Square crackdown an ‘attack’

    Beijing hit back Wednesday at US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for saying that the world will “never forget” the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, describing his remarks as an “attack” on China. Chinese troops and tanks forcibly cleared peaceful protesters from Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, after weeks-long demonstrations demanding greater political freedoms.

  • Meduza ☛ Telegram’s abandoned legal battle How Pavel Durov walked away from a landmark case against Russian censorship at Europe’s highest human rights court — Meduza

  • CS Monitor ☛ Does Boulder attack on Jews mark new front in ‘war on free speech’?

    Some 80% of Americans agree at least slightly with the statement that “Words can be violence,” and a growing number believe that violence can be justified to silence ideas they find dangerous. What will that mean for freedom of speech?

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • The Straits Times ☛ China's Sichuan province to offer extended marriage and maternity leave

    HONG KONG - Health authorities in China's southwestern Sichuan province are proposing to extend marriage leave up to 25 days and maternity leave up to 150 days, to help create a "fertility-friendly society" which boosts the country's population.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Public Knowledge ☛ Public Knowledge Urges President, Senate To Preserve FCC’s Bipartisanship in New Nominations [Ed: Still tainted by Microsoft in the Board]

    Today, Commissioner Nathan Simington announced that he would be stepping down from his role at the Federal Communications Commission on June 6.

  • APNIC ☛ APNIC community engagement on the ICP-2 Review

    Many thanks to everyone who provided feedback on the draft RIR Governance Document.

  • Standards/Consortia

    • Mark Nottingham ☛ Using AI to Evaluate Internet Standards

      Evaluating these factors requires a fair amount of context and nuance. What’s the most 2025 way to avoid that work? Using AI, of course.

      Some colleagues were using AI to ask similar questions, and that inspired me to wonder whether it would be a useful option for policymakers who want to evaluate the openness of Internet standards. Let’s find out.

    • Wired ☛ A GPS Blackout Would Shut Down the World

      Thousands of planes in the air, which use GPS among other systems for navigation and precision landing, would face a wave of uncertainty. Then other critical parts of society—from financial transactions to energy production systems—which have come to rely upon the precision positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) provided by the US-owned constellation of 31 GPS satellites may start to stutter. The ripples would be felt around the world.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Market Definition: The Cornerstone for Antitrust Analysis and the Major Flaw in the FTC’s Case Against Meta

  The trial for the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) case against Meta concluded last month.

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Strict Standard for Overriding Patent Lexicography in COVID Vaccine Patent Battle

    In a decision that reinforces the controlling force of explicit patent monopoly definitions, the Federal Circuit affirmed a district court's claim construction that effectively ended Alnylam Pharmaceuticals' patent monopoly infringement suit against Moderna over lipid nanoparticle technology used in COVID-19 vaccines. Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Moderna, Inc., No. 2023-2357 (Fed. Cir. June 4, 2025). Writing for a unanimous panel, Judge Taranto explained that when a patent monopoly specification clearly defines a claim term, the patentee faces a demanding standard to establish exceptions to that definition, even where the definition might exclude disclosed embodiments or seemingly conflict with other parts of the specification.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ The USPTO’s Statement on Required Practitioner Review of Information on an IDS

    Dennis pointed out that the Director has in Ecto World, LLC v. RAI Strategic Holdings, Inc, IPR2024-01280_paper_13_20250519 made it very difficult to obtain institution if a petition is based on art that was listed on an IDS even if it was not actually applied by an examiner, unless the art was listed on a “voluminous” IDS.  That is a step back from the more real-world approach that had included examining whether the reference had actually been applied.

  • Unified Patents ☛ Polaris PowerLED circuit power management patent monopoly challenged

    On May 30, 2025, Unified Patents filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 8,181,042, owned by Polaris PowerLED Technologies, LLC, an NPE. The ‘042 patent monopoly generally relates to power management in integrated circuits.

  • Software Patents

    • Unified Patents ☛ MAF Holdings entity, Weple IP, streaming patent monopoly challenge instituted

      On March 11, 2025, three weeks after Unified filed an ex parte reexamination, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) granted Unified’s request, finding substantial new questions of patentability on the challenged claims of U.S. Patent 11,734,739, owned and asserted by Weple IP Holdings LLC, an NPE and entity of MAF Holdings LLC.

    • Unified Patents ☛ Another AutoConnect Holdings vehicle app management patent monopoly challenged

      On June 2, 2025, Unified Patents filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 9,098,367, owned and asserted by AutoConnect Holdings LLC, an NPE.

    • Unified Patents ☛ Rothschild entity, Quantum Technology Innovations, media streaming patent monopoly found invalid

      On June 3, 2025, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) entered a notice of intent to issue a reexamination certificate cancelling all challenged claims of U.S. Patent 7,650,376, owned and asserted by Quantum Technology Innovations, LLC, an NPE and Leigh Rothschild entity. The '376 patent monopoly relates to the distribution of content over a network.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ Updated Roster of TTAB Administrative Trademark Judges

    With the recent departures of Judges Michael B. Adlin, Robert H. Coggins, and Cynthia C. Lynch from the TTAB, the Board’s membership now stands at twenty-four (24) Administrative Trademark Judges. The current roster is set forth below, beginning with Acting Chief Judge Thomas V. Shaw and Acting Deputy Chief Judge Melanye K. Johnson, and then proceeding alphabetically.

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ Brazil is Cracking Down on YouTuber Ripper Yout.com

    Yout is a stream ripping website at the center of a high-profile criminal prosecution in Brazil—marking a significant escalation in the fight against online copyright monopoly infringement. This prosecution comes in the wake of the Recording Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) legal campaign against all stream-ripping services.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Federal Court Orders Stay in Lydia Harris v. Death Row Legal Battle Pending Dismissal Motion Resolutions

    A federal court has officially ordered a stay in Lydia Harris’ $107 million lawsuit against Snoop Dogg, Universal Music, Death Row Records, and several others. Judge David Hittner just recently signed off on the defendants’ stay request pending the resolution of their respective dismissal pushes.

  • Digital Music News ☛ It Gets Crazier: UMG Allegedly Threatened to Block Pop Smoke’s Posthumous Album Over Drake Diss Lyrics

    UMG allegedly threatened to nix Pop Smoke’s posthumous debut album over their belief that a guest verse by Pusha T featured a Drake diss. Just after Pusha T dropped a bombshell claim that Def Jam urged him to censor a Kendrick Lamar guest verse on Clipse’s forthcoming album, his manager drops another.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Is the Drake v. UMG Feud Killing Major Label Diss Tracks? Pusha T Says Def Jam Refused to Release a Kendrick Lamar Guest Verse

    Let the Drake v. Universal Music fallout continue: According to Pusha T, execs at the major’s Def Jam subsidiary urged him to censor a Kendrick Lamar guest verse on Clipse’s forthcoming album. The ‘request’ ended up blowing up the label deal.

• Gemini* and Gopher

  • Personal/Opinions

    • 🔤SpellBinding: AHIKWRO Wordo: STAVE