Leftovers

• New York Times ☛ Tear It Down, They Said. He Just Kept Building.

  Defying demolition orders, a Chinese man turned his home into a rickety 11-story tower. Now tourists are coming.

• Standards/Consortia

  • IT Wire ☛ Why the Future of PACS Depends on Open Standards

    However, more than 90% of PACS installed today still rely on the Wiegand protocol, making it the most common communication method used by access control devices. The Wiegand standard was developed in the 1980s, so was not designed to keep pace with the security demands of today’s organisations and the increasingly complex threats that are emerging.

    In a recent survey of IT professionals, facility managers and physical security leaders conducted by HID, respondents said they were aware (39%) or somewhat aware (36%) of the security risks associated with the Wiegand protocol, yet continue to use it, while the remaining respondents (25%) reported being completely unaware of the security risks.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Humanity Has Dammed So Much Water It's Shifted Earth's Magnetic Poles

    Yikes.

  • Science Alert ☛ Virus Traces Discovered in The Brain Lining of People With Schizophrenia

    A startling new link emerges.

  • Science Alert ☛ Confirmed: Uranus Really Is Hotter Than It Has Any Right to Be

    A mystery for the ages.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ Punch Card Controlled Cyberdeck Lives In 80s Toy

    Have you ever seen a toy and said “That wants to be a deck”? [Attoparsec] did, when his eyes fell upon the Little Talking Scholar, a punch card driven toy from the 1980s. It’s now a punch card driven cyberdeck.

  • Hackaday ☛ Neon Lamp Detects Lightning Strikes

    For as mysterious, fascinating, and beautiful as lightning is at a distance, it’s not exactly a peaceful phenomenon up close. Not many things are built to withstand millions of volts and tens to hundreds of thousands of amps. Unsurprisingly, there’s a huge amount of effort put into lightning protection systems for equipment and resources that need to be outside where thunderstorms sometimes happen. Although most of us won’t be building personal substations, church steeples, or city-scale water towers in our backyards, we might have a few radio antennas up in the air, so it’s a good idea to have some lightning protection and possibly an alert system like [Joe] built.

  • Hackaday ☛ PicoGUS Adds CD-ROM Emulation To ISA Bus

    Everything fails eventually, but moving parts fail fastest of all– and optical drives seemingly more than others, at least in our experience. Even when they work, vintage drives often have trouble with CD-R, and original media isn’t always easy to find. That’s why it’s so wonderful that [polpo]’s RP2040 ISA card, the PicoGUS 2.0, now supports CD-ROM emulation.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • France24 ☛ Babies born from three-person IVF trial

    Eight healthy babies have been born in the UK using a new IVF technique that successfully reduced their risk of inheriting genetic diseases from their mothers, according to the results of a world-first trial published on July 16. Senior Group Leader at Francis Crick Institute of London, D. Robin Lovell-Badges explains.

  • Stanford University ☛ From the Community | What we’re getting wrong about mental health — and what neuroscience really tells us

    Stanford researcher Abhinav Anne argues for better mental health care centered around neuroscience research and proactive measures, not only at elite research institutions, but in community clinics as well.

• Proprietary

  • Social Control Media

    • The Straits Times ☛ Cool photo spots, viral food videos: Malaysia plans to woo Chinese tourists via social control media

      It is part of Tourism Malaysia's efforts to reach out to the Chinese market for Visit Malaysia 2026.

    • New York Times ☛ Astronomer CEO Andy Byron Resigns After Video at Coldplay Concert Exposes Alleged Affair

      A video from a concert dominated internet discourse, and it led to the resignation of a company’s C.E.O.

    • NYPost ☛ Internet trolls roasted Astronomer CEO and HR chief for Coldplay scandal — here’s what they said

      It was the Coldplay canoodle heard ‘round the world -- and it broke the internet.

• Entrapment (Microsoft GitHub)

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Boot exploit for software-bricked Wii U consoles discovered by repairing Nintendo factory's destroyed and trashed SD cards — team posts 'paid the beak' exploit to Microsoft's proprietary prison Microsoft's proprietary prison GitHub

    The discarded Nintendo SD cards contained a boot image that Nintendo used for the factory setup of its Wii U consoles.

• Security

  • France24 ☛ Singapore facing 'serious' cyberattack by espionage group with alleged China ties

    Singapore said Friday it was responding to a major cyberattack on its critical infrastructure carried out by an espionage group that security experts allege is linked to China. The Chinese embassy in Singapore described the allegations as "unwarranted smearing".

  • The Straits Times ☛ How China’s growing cyber-hacking capabilities have raised alarm around the world

    Calling out Chinese-linked hacking has become more common, particularly among Western countries.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ U.S. legislators criticize decision to resume Nvidia H20 GPU shipments to China — demand new export rules for Hey Hi (AI) hardware

    Legislators criticize the U.S. government for allowing AMD and Nvidia to sell Hey Hi (AI) GPUs to China again, but instead of reinstating the ban, they call for new export rules based on what China can build itself.

  • JURIST ☛ UN chief demands justice after killings and mass displacement in Syria city of Suweida

    UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk called for urgent accountability and a halt to escalating violence in the southern Syrian city of Suweida on Friday, following credible reports of mass killings, arbitrary executions, looting, and the forced displacement of civilians.

  • JURIST ☛ US House approves $9B in budget cuts to public broadcasting and foreign aid

    US House voted in favor of House Resolution 4 (HR4) Thursday, which will retract approximately $9 billion in funds that had already been allocated for the next two fiscal years. 

  • New York Times ☛ Gaza Health Ministry Says Israeli Military Killed 32 Near Aid Site

    The latest deaths add to U.N. figures showing that more than 670 Palestinians have been killed since May near sites built under a new Israel-backed aid system.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s ex-president Yoon indicted again as martial law probe continues

    The new charges include obstruction of the exercise of others’ rights by abuse of authority.

  • CS Monitor ☛ South Korea ex-President Yoon indicted on additional criminal charges

    South Korea’s former President Yoon Suk Yeol faces new criminal charges for abusing power and fabricating documents related to his martial law declaration.

  • The Straits Times ☛ From propaganda to passion: N. Korean TV show mimics K-drama to fend off banned media from the South

    It is likely a move towards more engaging content, to prevent North Koreans from consuming foreign media.

  • JURIST ☛ France withdraws last troops in Senegal, ending permanent presence

    France officially transferred control of its last military installations in Senegal to local authorities in a ceremony on Thursday, concluding over 350 French troops’ permanent deployment since Senegal gained independence in 1960.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • RFERL ☛ Nearly 400 Drones, Missiles Fired At Ukraine As Russia Shows No Signs Of Let-Up

      Russian drones and missiles unleashed a deadly assault on Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa and other cities on July 19, leaving at least one dead and several injured, as Moscow's relentless attacks on civilian areas escalate amid faltering cease-fire efforts.

    • JURIST ☛ UK sanctions Russia intelligence force, including those responsible for Mariupol theater bombing

      The UK announced new sanctions Friday against Russia directed at three units of the Russian military intelligence agency “GRU” and 18 military intelligence officers “responsible for spreading chaos and disorder on Putin’s orders” and malicious cyber activity over many years, according to local media.

    • France24 ☛ Zelensky calls for new peace talks as Russian strikes kill three in Ukraine

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday said Kyiv has proposed renewed peace talks with Moscow next week, urging direct negotiations with President Vladimir Putin. The call comes as Russian strikes killed at least three people in Ukraine, with both sides continuing to escalate aerial assaults despite mounting international pressure to reach a ceasefire.

    • France24 ☛ Russian strikes kill at least three across Ukraine amid escalating drone attacks

      Russian missile strikes killed three people across Ukraine on Saturday, while Ukrainian drone attacks briefly halted train services in Russia’s Rostov region. The conflict, now in its third year, continues to escalate despite mounting international pressure and new EU sanctions targeting Moscow’s war funding. Shirli Sitbon has this story.

    • JURIST ☛ Russia prisoner sentenced to additional years for discussing Ukraine invasion with cellmates

      A Russian military court sentenced a prisoner to an additional six years of imprisonment and a fine of 49,000 rubles (approximately $600) on the charges of public calls to terrorism and the spread of “war fakes,” according to local media. >

    • RFERL ☛ Usyk Knocks Out Dubois In Fifth Round To Reclaim Undisputed Heavyweight Title

      Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk knocked out Daniel Dubois in the fifth round of their heavyweight bout in Wembley Stadium in London on July 19, earning Usyk the title of undisputed world heavyweight champion for a second time.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Makes Gains in Ukraine in Summer Offensive

      The most important factors may be far from the battlefield.

    • France24 ☛ New Russian law criminalizes online searches for controversial content

      Russian lawmakers on Thursday approved a contentious law that significantly broadens the government's power to penalize internet users — not for posting banned content, but merely for searching or viewing it. Liza Kaminov has more.

    • Marcy Wheeler ☛ The Secrets about Russia’s Influence Operation that Tulsi Gabbard Is Still Keeping from Us

      At least as part of her information operation, Tulsi Gabbard released a newly declassified version of the 2017 Intelligence Assessment on the 2016 Russian attack.

• Environment

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Tropical Cyclone Wipha: Hong Kong raises T3 storm signal, will consider T8 in early hours of Sunday

    The Observatory raised the T3 storm signal at 2:20pm on Saturday as Tropical Cyclone Wipha closed in on China’s southern coast.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Typhoon Wipha: Hong Kong hoists T10 hurricane warning – highest signal – as residents urged to stay home

    The Observatory has raised the 10 storm signal, as hurricane-force Wipha descends on China’s southern coast. After hoisting highest storm signal at 9:20am on Sunday, the Observatory said that the alert would probably stay in place for some time: “Do not go outside and stay away from exposed windows and doors.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Hong Kong axes flights, classes as Typhoon Wipha nears

    China’s Hainan and Guangdong provinces were also put on high alert.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Three dead, three missing after South Korea landslide

    Heavy rain pounding the country had unleashed the landslide that buried two houses in a village.

  • The Straits Times ☛ One killed as South Korea rain death toll rises to 11

    Authorities said at least four people are believed to be missing.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea pulls plane crash report after victims’ families protest

      Relatives of the victims disrupted a news conference after finding the report into the deadly Jeju Air crash inadequate.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Autogate glitch at Malaysia’s major checkpoints causes chaos for S’porean and foreign travellers

      However, Malaysian passport holders are able to use the autogates without any issues.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man duties to decimate China profits, says Bloomberg Economics

    Tariffs may prompt – in the worst case – layoffs and potentially a wave of bankruptcies and closures.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China vows tougher action against smuggling of strategic minerals

    The government has accused foreign spy agencies of having tried to 'steal' rare earths.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China defends growth model, says domestic consumption is driving the economy

    A senior finance official said China’s “certainty and stability” are what the global economy “needs most right now”.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ GTA 5 finally launches in Saudi Arabia and the UAE 12 years after its global release — will be age-rated 21+ as part of the new regulatory framework

    GTA 5 was released worldwide in 2013. Now, almost 12 years later, gamers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE can finally enjoy the game legally, as it launches in the region under a new 21+ age rating.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • France24 ☛ The Insurrectionist escalates war on the press as journalists face mounting pressure

    The Forrest Dump lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal is the latest move by the U.S. President to exert pressure on the media group and the press in the United States. Critics say it could stifle free speech in America. Shirli Sitbon reports.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • JURIST ☛ US citizen and veteran says immigration officials detained him for 3 days without explanation

    US citizen and Army veteran George Retes on Wednesday spoke out after being arrested during an immigration raid at his work in a California cannabis farm, stating that he was arrested and detained for three days without explanation.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Hackaday ☛ A Spectrophotometer Jailbreak To Resolve Colorful Disputes

    The human eye’s color perception is notoriously variable (see, for example, the famous dress), which makes it difficult to standardize colours. This is where spectrophotometers come in: they measure colours reliably and repeatably, and can match them against a library of standard colors. Unfortunately, they tend to be expensive, so when Hackaday’s own [Adam Zeloof] ran across two astonishingly cheap X-Rite/Pantone RM200 spectrophotometers on eBay, he took the chance that they might still be working.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Copyrights

  • JURIST ☛ US federal judge certifies class action against Anthropic over Hey Hi (AI) training piracy

    A US federal judge in California certified a class action lawsuit against the Hey Hi (AI) company Anthropic on Thursday. The lawsuit encompasses millions of copyrighted books that were allegedly pirated to train Anthropic’s Claude Hey Hi (AI) platform, setting the stage for what may become one of the largest copyright monopoly infringement cases in US history.