Leftovers

• Ravi Dwivedi: Getting Brunei visa

  In December 2024, my friend Badri and I were planning a trip to Southeast Asia. At this point, we were planning to visit Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam. My Singapore visa had already been approved, and Malaysia was visa-free for us. For Vietnam, we had to apply for an e-visa online.

  We considered adding Brunei to our itinerary. I saw some videos of the Brunei visa process and got the impression that we needed to go to the Brunei embassy in Kuching, Malaysia in person.

• New Yorker ☛ The Magic of Daylight in a Land of Sun Worship

  With “P’unchaw,” the photographer Victor Zea captures the light falling on Cuzco, Peru, where people have mixed Catholic and Indigenous Andean beliefs.

• Hackaday ☛ An Adaptive Soundtrack For Bike Tricks

  If you’ve put in all the necessary practice to learn bike tricks, you’d probably like an appropriately dramatic soundtrack to accompany your stunts. A team of students working on a capstone project at the University of Washington took this natural desire a step further with the Music Bike, a system that generates adaptive music in response to the bike’s motion.

• Standards/Consortia

  • Martin Hähne ☛ CSS (not only) Font Sizing Using the rem Unit

    rem units are nice, because the are always relative to the font size of the root element, which makes them consistent (and accessible) no matter the Zoom, etc. that the use may have chosen.

  • Hackaday ☛ Retrotechtacular: 1970s Radio

    Before YouTube, you had to watch your educational videos on film. In the 1970s, if you studied radio, you might have seen the video from Universal Education and Visual Arts, titled Understanding Electronics Basic Radio Circuitry. The video’s been restored, and it appears on the [CHAP] YouTube channel.

  • Macworld ☛ RIP IEEE 1394: macOS Tahoe drops FireWire support, killing the original iPod

    It’s actually impressive that Apple has supported FireWire for so long, since Apple tends to drop old tech in a few years. Known by the standard name of IEEE 1394 (FireWire is Apple’s branding), Apple led its development in the late 1980s as a solution for devices that needed high-speed connectivity. In the 2000s, USB became popular and FireWire ports on Macs were eventually dropped, but support had been kept in macOS until Tahoe.

• Science

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Chinese researchers invent silicon photonic multiplexer chip that uses light instead of electricity for communication — CCP says China's early steps into light-based chips precede 'major breakthroughs' in three years

    Fudan University researchers have allegedly developed a photonics-based multiplexer chip, supporting up to 38 Tbps data transmission. While not yet a full CPU, Chinese industry observers believe China's big breakthrough in photonics will arrive in "three to five years".

  • Science Alert ☛ Fast Radio Bursts Reveal Where The Universe's Missing Matter Is Hiding

    We finally found it.

  • Science Alert ☛ What Really Killed The Neanderthals? A Space Physicist Has a Radical Idea

    Reopening the debate.

  • Science Alert ☛ Entire Genus of Jumping Spiders Found Hidden in New Zealand

    "They were extremely difficult to see."

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists May Have Finally Figured Out How Bats Avoid Cancer

    A delicate balancing act.

  • Science Alert ☛ The Sad Case of The World's Youngest-Ever Alzheimer's Diagnosis

    There's so much we still don't understand.

  • Hackaday ☛ Measurement Is Science

    I was watching Ben Krasnow making iron nitride permanent magnets and was struck by the fact that about half of the video was about making a magnetometer – a device for measuring and characterizing the magnet that he’d just made. This is really the difference between doing science and just messing around: if you want to test or improve on a procedure, you have to be able to measure how well it works.

• Hardware

  • CNX Software ☛ MEEPO V5 electric skateboard review – Unboxing, teardown, features and performance testing

    I’ve just received an electric skateboard for review: the MEEPO V5. I initially thought I would skip that one since it’s not super relevant to the usual topics covered on CNX Software, but seeing bolts on the photos, I figured out it might still be interesting to do a teardown of the skateboard to see how it works. So here I am.

  • Hackaday ☛ Replacing Crude Oil Fractional Distillation With Microporous Polyimine Membranes

    Currently the typical way that crude oil is processed involves a fractional distillation column, in which heated crude oil is separated into the various hydrocarbon compounds using distinct boiling points. This requires the addition of significant thermal energy and is thus fairly energy intensive. A possible alternative has been proposed by [Tae Hoon Lee] et al. with a research article in Science. They adapted membranes used with reverse-osmosis filtration to instead filter crude oil into its constituents, which could enable skipping the heating step and thus save a lot of energy.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ We Don’t Have to Give In to the Smartphones

    They haven’t defeated us. Yet.

  • Science Alert ☛ Compound That Turns People Yellow Could Protect Against Malaria

    Your body is just trying to help.

• Proprietary

  • Reflections on proprietary trap AWS Summit Mumbai 2025

    Just wrapped up an exciting day at proprietary trap AWS Summit Mumbai 2025! And here are my reflections on the event!

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Windows updates might finally be getting better — Abusive Monopolist Microsoft to remove legacy drivers from backdoored Windows Update to boost security [Ed: This does not improve anything]

    Microsoft is planning on removing unwanted/legacy drivers from its backdoored Windows update catalog to boost the security of its backdoored Windows user base. The first phase of this cleanup will encompass older legacy drivers that already have newer replacements in Microsoft's database.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel to outsource marketing to Accenture and AI, resulting in more layoffs

      Intel is outsourcing much of its marketing work to Accenture, aiming to cut costs and automate tasks using AI, which will reshape the company's longtime approach to customer engagement.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Defence Web ☛ Two soldiers dead in murder-suicide

    In what the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has described as an “unfortunate incident,” an altercation involving soldiers saw one fatally stab another before committing suicide. The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning (21 June) at the Macadamia Military Base near Komatipoort in Mpumalanga.

  • JURIST ☛ UN expert: States must stop targeting and killing health and care workers

    UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health Tlaleng Mofokeng on Thursday called on states to stop the targeting and killing of health and care workers and immediately release all health workers being detained, harassed, and tortured.

  • Hackaday ☛ Tamagotchi Torture Chamber Is Equal Parts Nostalgia And Sadism

    Coming in hot from Cornell University, students [Amanda Huang], [Caroline Hohner], and [Rhea Goswami] bring a project that is guaranteed to tickle the funny bone of anyone in the under-40 set, and sadists of all ages: The Tamagochi Torture Chamber.

  • France24 ☛ Israeli strikes kill Iranian commander: the latest on the ground in Tehran

    Israel said Saturday it had killed three more Iranian commanders in its unprecedented bombing campaign against the Islamic republic, which Foreign Minister Gideon Saar claimed had delayed Tehran's alleged progress towards a nuclear weapon by two years. Details by FRANCE 24 correspondent in Tehran, Saeed Azimi.

  • France24 ☛ Israel claims its strikes have set back Iran's nuclear program by two or three years

    As Israel continues to strike Iran's nuclear facilities and military targets, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar claimed said in an interview that by his country's own assessment, it had "already delayed for at least two or three years the possibility for them to have a nuclear bomb." How accurate is this claim? Analysis by FRANCE 24 international affairs editor, Kethevane Gorjestani.

  • France24 ☛ Iran: Israel strikes key nuclear site of Isfahan, authorities report no hazardous leak

    Israel's military said Saturday it struck an Iranian nuclear research facility overnight and killed three senior Iranian commanders in targeted attacks. Early Saturday, smoke could be seen rising from an area near a mountain in Isfahan, where a local official said Israel had attacked the nuclear research facility in two waves. Story by Shirli Sitbon.

  • France24 ☛ Israel says strikes Iran's military infrastructure and nuclear sites

    Israel's military said Saturday it struck an Iranian nuclear research facility overnight and killed three senior Iranian commanders in targeted attacks, while emphasizing it was preparing for the possibility that the war could turn into a lengthy campaign. Analysis by Scott Lucas, a professor at Clinton Institute of the University College of Dublin.

  • France24 ☛ Israeli military says killed Iran's Hamas coordinator

    Israel's military said Saturday it had killed a top Iranian commander in charge of military coordination with Palestinian militant group Hamas in a strike on Qom, south of Tehran. Detailsb y FRANCE 24 correspondent in Jerusalem, Noga Tarnopolsky.

  • France24 ☛ Iranians flee war-torn country in long and dangerous journey

    Facing heavy missile strikes from Tel Aviv, Iranians are fleeing the country, notably from Tehran. Lines have begun to form at Iran's border with Turkey. Story France 2 and Caroline Baum.

  • RFERL ☛ Israel Strikes Iranian Nuclear Research Facility, ‘Military Infrastructure’ In Fresh Wave Of Attacks

    Iran and Israel exchanged fresh attacks early on June 21, triggering air raid sirens across parts of central Israel, including Tel Aviv, after Tehran said it would not negotiate over its nuclear program until Israel stops its attacks.

  • New York Times ☛ Why Israel Had to Act

    The Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel showed the need for Israel to pre-empt threats against it rather than react defensively.

  • France24 ☛ Former member of the Iranian nuclear negotiating team speaks to FRANCE 24

    FRANCE 24 had the opportunity to speak to Sayed Hossein Mousavian, former ambassador of Iran to Germany, former member of the Iranian nuclear negotiation team -- and currently a research scholar at the program on Science and Global Security at Princeton University. If he was in the negotiation room in Geneva, what efforts would he take to win back the international community’s trust regarding Iran's nuclear program? FRANCE 24’s Jean-Emile Jammine asked him.

  • New York Times ☛ Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Planning for His Possible Assassination, Picks Successors

    Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not only picked replacements in his chain of military command in case they are killed in Israeli strikes, he has also named three senior clerics to replace him should he, too, be slain.

  • NYPost ☛ Here are some of the US bases and assets Iran could target in retaliation for Convicted Felon strikes

    The US has several bases and military assets in the Middle East that Iran could target in retaliation for the strikes Hell Toupée ordered earlier today.

  • NYPost ☛ Live: Convicted Felon addresses the nation after launching military strike on Iran

    Hell Toupée is set to address the nation at 10pm EST, after the United States military launched airstrikes on Iran Saturday night in a historic attack. “We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space,” Convicted Felon...

  • NYPost ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man’s Iran attack catches world off-guard after fakeouts with B-2 flights and ‘two weeks’ timeframe

    Hell Toupée caught the world off-guard Saturday by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites — after his apparently strategic deception indicating that such strikes weren't imminent and trickery with the deployment of US Air Force B-2 bombers.

  • NYPost ☛ GOP leaders, Sen. John Fetterman commend Convicted Felon’s strikes on Iran: ‘The correct move’

    "As I’ve long maintained, this was the correct move by @POTUS," the Pennsylvania Democrat posted on X.

  • NYPost ☛ US has bombed three nuclear sites in Iran, Convicted Felon announces: ‘Now is the time for peace’

    The attack came days after Hell Toupée unleashed an open threat to Tehran to give up its nuclear program and called for Iran's "unconditional surrender."

  • RFERL ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Says US Has Carried Out 'Very Successful' Strikes on Iranian Nuclear Sites, Including Fordow

    US President The Insurrectionist says the US military struck three nuclear sites in Iran -- Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan -- and the aircraft that carried out the mission already are on their way back to the United States.

  • RFERL ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Says US Has Carried Out 'Very Successful' Strikes on Iranian Nuclear Sites, Including Fordow

    President The Insurrectionist said the US forces have carried out three "very successful strikes" on nuclear site in Iran.

  • New Yorker ☛ Where Is the Iran-Israel Conflict Headed?

    President The Insurrectionist’s decision on whether to attack Iran may prove to be the most consequential of his Presidency yet.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Deploys B-2 Bombers as Convicted Felon Plans to Meet National Security Team

    The planes can carry bombs capable of striking an underground nuclear facility in Iran if Hell Toupée decides to join the conflict.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China downplayed nuclear-capable missile test, classified New Zealand gov’t papers show

    China tried to mislead foreign governments in 2024 by playing down the importance of a nuclear-capable missile test over the Pacific Ocean, New Zealand diplomats privately warned in documents obtained by AFP.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China offers to be peacemaker in Iran-Israel war, but is unlikely to intervene

    At stake for China is energy imports. China is the largest buyer of Iranian oil.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Japan-US-Philippines coast guards simulate crisis amid China threat

    Helicopters buzzed in the shadow of a smouldering volcano and boats rescued dummies from the sea this week in a show of maritime unity by Japan, the United States and the Philippines.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • LRT ☛ Vilnius exhibition confronts legacy of repressive regimes through art

      The Contemporary Art Centre (ŠMC) in Vilnius has opened its summer exhibition season with a show exploring the enduring scars left by repressive regimes. The exhibition also features Lithuanian artist Gerda Paliušytė’s photographic reflections on resilience in the face of external forces.

    • France24 ☛ Belarus pardons, frees opposition leader Tikhanovsky following visit from Convicted Felon envoy

      Belarus released opposition figure Sergei Tikhanovsky from jail after receiving a pardon following a meeting between Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and US President The Insurrectionist's Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg in Minsk, his wife Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said Saturday.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine Received 20 Bodies Of Russian Soldiers In War Dead Exchanges, Zelenskyy Says

      Kyiv received the bodies of at least 20 Russian soldiers instead of Ukrainian ones during recent exchanges of war dead with Moscow, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, accusing Russia of "not checking" who they were sending.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Overnight Attack Injures One In Kremenchuk, Damages Refinery

      A Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian coastal city of Odesa has killed one person and injured at least 13 others -- including three rescue workers -- as the capital, Kyiv, continues to reel from deadly air strikes earlier this week.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine Warns Teenagers the Enemy Is Inside Their Phones

      Ukraine’s security service is holding classes at high schools to alert teenagers of Russian efforts to recruit them.

    • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Sends Envoy to Belarus, Courting Ties With Russia’s Close Ally

      The outreach to Belarus’s autocratic leader, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, comes as the country has released at least 14 political prisoners.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Sign of sovereignty: Prabowo skips G-7 for Russia, drawing scrutiny over Indonesia’s neutrality

      Analysts say the visit signals the president's assertive, personalised diplomacy.

    • RFERL ☛ Belarus Releases 14 Prisoners Including Opposition Politician Tsikhanouski, Journalist Karnei

      Belarus has released 14 prisoners, including  Syarhey Tsikhanouski, who was detained in May 2020 while attempting to run for president against authoritarian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko.

    • CS Monitor ☛ Belarus frees 14 political prisoners after rare visit by US envoy. Many more remain.

      Key dissendent figure Siarhei Tsikhanouski, longtime radio correspondent Ihar Karnei, and 12 others walked free after authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko met with a top U.S. official in Minsk.

    • LRT ☛ Belarus opposition leader ‘safe in Lithuania’ – minister

      Fourteen Belarusian political prisoners including opposition leader Siarhei Tsikhanousky were released from prison and were now "safe in Lithuania", Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys confirmed on X.

• Environment

  • France24 ☛ France grapples with its first heatwave of the year

    French authorities have renewed their calls for caution in the face of the heatwave that reaches its peak across the country on Saturday, with 16 departments still under orange heatwave alert. In the western part of the country, temperatures could reach 39°C. Story by Catherine Viette.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • New York Times ☛ ‘Jaws’ at 50: Scientists Are Still Studying the Mysteries of Sharks

      The film’s release in 1975 haunted the reputation of sharks worldwide. But a generation of scientists helped to turn the tide.

    • New York Times ☛ Why ‘Jaws’ Would Never Be Made Today

      Would “Jaws,” the first blockbuster, be greenlit today? Probably not. Alissa Wilkinson, a New York Times film critic, breaks down why.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ Two years ahead of next polls, Malaysia’s opposition seeks to settle leadership line-up

    Main opposition parties engaged in succession plans but Muhyiddin still set to be PM candidate.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Makes my blood boil’: Pahang Sultan sees red as tensions rise over prized Malaysian durians

    Hundreds of millions of ringgit are at stake in the long-standing dispute.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s top HK official says security will ensure city’s success

    His comments build on China’s emphasis on national security in recent years.

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man’s Immigration Crackdown Endures Despite Release of Targeted Students

    An effort to expel students the administration says are a national security threat has given way to a broad campaign that touches many corners of American life.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ ‘It has been so long’: Hongkongers acquitted in 2019 protest cases face lengthy legal battle after gov’t appeals

    Chan Lok-sun, 31, appeared calm earlier this month when he heard he was found guilty of rioting for an event that took place almost six years ago in Hong Kong. His conviction came nearly four years after the same court acquitted him of the same charge.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • New York Times ☛ Iranians Find Pockets of Connection Amid Internet Blackout

    Iranians managed to gain some unreliable connection to the internet on Friday after a near-total blackout that lasted four days.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Prosecution Laches from Woodbridge to Sonos: A 170-Year Continuation?

    I did a double-take earlier this week as I read the 1923 Supreme Court case of Woodbridge v. U.S., 263 U.S. 50, 44 S.Ct. 45. Although the case was decided after WWI, the facts center on a cannon projectile patent monopoly originally filed in 1852 – well before the U.S. Civil War.  The 70 year saga involved the inventor’s prolonged quest for a patent monopoly (and later for compensation).

• Copyrights

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Greek man gets 5 years in prison for running a now-defunct torrenting site 10 years ago — Greece goes tough on torrenting

    A Greek man appealing his judgment in a case involving a 10-plus-year-old torrenting site was handed down an immediate 5-year jail sentence and €11,800 in fines in court this week.