Leftovers

• Career/Education

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean teacher and mother arrested for stealing exam papers

    The student, who had maintained top grades since enrolling in 2023, has been expelled.

  • Daniel Lemire ☛ Innovation starts with consumers, not academia

    “All innovation comes from industry is just wrong, universities invented many useful things.” But that’s not the argument. Nobody thinks that Knuth contributed nothing to software programming.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ Club Drugs Strain Health System on Ibiza, Spain’s Party Island

    Drug-related calls from nightclubs are driving Ibiza’s ambulance services to collapse, health workers say. It’s the latest example of tensions in Europe over tourism.

  • The Straits Times ☛ India’s river divers risk health in search for hidden treasures

    They often risk their health in their search for riches in polluted waters.

  • MIT Technology Review ☛ Researchers announce babies born from a trial of three-person IVF

    Eight babies have been born in the UK thanks to a technology that uses DNA from three people: the two biological parents plus a third person who supplies healthy mitochondrial DNA. The babies were born to mothers who carry genes for mitochondrial diseases and risked passing on severe disorders.

  • Latvia ☛ Pilot project lets pharmacists consult patients who take a lot of pills

    Medication review is a new service provided by pharmacists in Latvia, currently being implemented as a pilot project in 50 pharmacies. Patients with at least two chronic diseases and at least five prescription medicines are invited to apply for consultations, pharmacists told the Latvian Radio programme "How to live better" on 16 June.

  • New Yorker ☛ Gentle Parenting My Smartphone Addiction

    An app called Opal finally succeeded at curbing my time spent on social control media through a combination of mild friction, encouragement, and guilt.

  • Ruben Schade ☛ Got the flu again

    In the space of two months I’ve had the flu, Covid, a cold, a sprained finger, and a respiratiory infection! Now I’ve got the flu again, if the RAT is to be believed. No, not that rat… but I know which I’d rather watch!

• Proprietary

  • Mashable ☛ Microsoft’s Xbox Reportedly Replaces 200 Candy Crush Saga Staff With AI Tools They Built; Internet Is Livid [Ed: Trying to frame a Microsoft failure of "hey hi" success story]

    One of the world’s most popular free tile-matching video games, Candy Crush’s maker King laid off 200 developers earlier. This was a part of the larger layoff at Microsoft’s Xbox. Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard in 2023, which is parent to Activision, Blizzard, and King.Com Limited. Reportedly the company is now replacing the axed staff with AI. In a leaked memo (the veracity of which is yet to be ascertained), the Candy Crush developer states, “Why is this happening?”

  • Virtuos Lays Off 300 In Wake Of Microsoft Replacing Jobs With AI [Ed: Same here]

    Virtuos, the global co-development studio known for high-profile remasters and technical support on AAA titles, is undergoing a sharp and sudden contraction. According to journalist Gauthier “Gautoz” Andres (@gautoz.cool) in a Bluesky thread that began circulating late Tuesday, the studio is preparing to cut around 300 jobs—roughly 7% of its total workforce. While the majority of those layoffs will reportedly hit its China operations (roughly 200 positions), teams across Europe and North America are also expected to be affected, including the French studios behind The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered.

• Entrapment (Microsoft GitHub)

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel releases new tool to measure gaming image quality — Hey Hi (AI) tool measures impact of upscalers, frame gen, others; Computer Graphics Video Quality Metric now available on Microsoft's proprietary prison GitHub

    Intel has just released its new Computer Graphics Video Quality Metric on Microsoft's proprietary prison GitHub , a new measure designed to capture the complex artifacts found in modern rendering techniques in computer graphics.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Sven Hoexter: Surveillance Giant Google Cloud Oddities Summer 2025 Edition

      Latest oddities I ran into with Surveillance Giant Google Cloud products before I start to forget about them again.

    • EDRI ☛ Civil society files joint DSA complaint against X for targeting people with ads using their sensitive personal data

      Nine civil society organisations, including EDRi, submitted a complaint against X for violating the Digital Services Act (DSA) by using people’s sensitive personal data for targeted ads. Together, we are calling for Digital Services Coordinators and the European Commission to promptly investigate X, and hold it to accountable for undermining users’ fundamental rights.

    • WhichUK ☛ How much do apps know about you? 5 ways to improve your app privacy

      Popular apps such as Facebook, Fentanylware (TikTok) and Temu say your privacy is important to them. What they do tells a different story

    • The Straits Times ☛ Smart toilets measuring stool’s colour, hardness on sale in Japan, targeting health-conscious users

      Up to six users can check the stool data on their smartphones

  • Confidentiality

    • Federal News Network ☛ How CMMC is addressing years of systemic failures in protecting sensitive data

      The CMMC program is the DoD's answer to years of security gaps, cyber breaches and noncompliance with cyber requirements.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea summons Japan’s defence attache in protest over island claims

    The islands are currently controlled by Seoul with a small contingent of coast guards.

• Environment

  • Latvia ☛ What? Where? When? Reflection of climate risks in financial stability reports

    The topic of climate is becoming increasingly prominent in society, as people grow more aware of climate change and feel it firsthand. Surveillance Giant Google Trend data (Chart 1) show the following trends:

  • The Straits Times ☛ New Zealand weather events prompt rethink of government housing protections

    The New Zealand government is considering ending bailouts for homeowners affected by floods and landslides as it develops a framework for addressing the impact of climate change.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ ‘My car is being swept away’: Man’s last phone call to wife in flood-hit South Korea province

      The victim was found in his car by rescue authorities in the early hours of July 17.

  • Overpopulation

    • Mexico News Daily ☛ Oaxaca Mayor Raymundo Chagoya is saving his city’s water with people power

      Raymundo Chagoya's plan to revitalize Oaxaca uses neighborhood groups to excite residents about creating a cleaner, environmentally healthier city together.

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea moves to end ‘baby exports’; state to take full responsibility for adoptions

      For over 70 years, South Korea sent more than 170,000 children overseas for adoption.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea's top court clears Samsung Chairman Lee in 2015 merger fraud case

    The Supreme Court’s verdict permanently removes a long-running legal distraction for Lee.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s President Lee extends apology to bereaved families of major disasters

    He said that previous administrations had failed to admit the state's liability in the deadly incidents.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s President Lee orders new investigation team to look into deadly Halloween 2022 crush

    He promised to make the country safer, to prevent any repeat of disasters in recent years.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia in tight spot as pressure builds to reject Convicted Felon’s ‘alpha male’ pick as ambassador

    Ambassador-nominee Nick Adams railed against alleged efforts to teach Islam in US schools, sparking outrage in Malaysia.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘It is absolute madness’: Malaysian minister on video of baby being raped sold online

    Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said it was a "serious matter".

  • The Straits Times ☛ Former deputy minister seen as surprise front runner for Malaysia’s next chief justice: Sources

    The judiciary has faced scrutiny amid delayed appointments and concerns over judicial independence.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Public Knowledge ☛ Annual IP3 Awards 2025

    Get ready to celebrate the visionaries shaping our digital future! We’re excited to announce that the 2025 Annual IP3 Awards will take place on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. The evening begins at 6:30 PM.

  • Public Knowledge ☛ Privileged Conversations | Aug. 2025

    Public Knowledge has the pleasure of inviting you to a multifaceted program focused on training and developing the next generation of tech policy experts and public interest advocates that reflects the diversity of voices and experiences in our society. Please join us for our monthly Career Breakfast Series.

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