Leftovers

• Otto Kekäläinen: Managing procrastination and distractions

  I’ve noticed that procrastination and inability to be consistently productive at work has become quite common in recent years. This is clearly visible in younger people who have grown up with an endless stream of entertainment literally at their fingertips, on their mobile phone. It is however a trap one can escape from with a little bit of help.

• Science

  • New York Times ☛ Historians See Autocratic Playbook in Convicted Felon’s Attacks on Science

    Authoritarians have long feared and suppressed science as a rival for social influence. Experts see Hell Toupée as borrowing some of their tactics.

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ RFK Jr. DNR’d the US Healthcare System

    I'm recovering from a bout of COVID. Sick as I was, the bug bothered me much less than RFK Jr.s' attack on the CDC.

  • New Yorker ☛ How Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.,’s Anti-Vax Agenda Is Infecting America

    A vaccine expert warns that the Secretary of Health and Human Services is deliberately sowing confusion in order to drive down immunization uptake.

  • Hackaday ☛ This Soviet-Style Clock Uses Homemade Nixie Tubes And Glowing Logic

    The Neon glow of a Nixie tube makes for an attractive clock, but that’s not enough neon for some people. [Changliang Li] is apparently one of those people, because he’s using soviet-era cold-cathode tubes as the logic for his “Soviet-Era Style Clock”

  • Science Alert ☛ This Rare Fungus Can Kill Cancer Cells, And We Finally Know Its Secret

    We need this.

  • Science Alert ☛ Earth's Seasons Are Out of Sync, Scientists Discover From Space

    These mismatches have surprising consequences.

  • Science Alert ☛ Hidden Rhythms Between Your Stomach And Brain Could Shape Your Mood

    A gut feeling.

  • Hackaday ☛ NASA Is Taking Suggestions For Raising Swift’s Orbit

    Launched in 2004, the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory – formerly the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Explorer – has been dutifully studying gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) during its two-year mission, before moving on to a more general space observation role during its ongoing mission. Unfortunately, the observatory is in LEO, at an altitude of around 370 km. The natural orbital decay combined with increased solar activity now threatens to end Swift’s mission, unless NASA can find someone who can boost its orbit.

  • Hackaday ☛ Lightning Talks On Time, With This Device

    Ask a Hackaday scribe who’s helped run the lightning talks at one of our events, and they’ll tell you that keeping the speakers on time is a challenge. Conversely if the staffer is trying to indicate to the speaker how much time they have left, it must be difficult from the podium to keep track while delivering your talk. Fortunately there’s [makeTVee] waiting in the wings with a solution, a cube whose faces each have a custom 5×7 LED matrix on them. The countdown is clear and unambiguous, and should provide no distractions.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • The Straits Times ☛ Why is going zero-plastic in South Korea so difficult?

    South Korea’s reluctance to go all-in on zero-plastic policies begins with its economic structure.

• Proprietary

  • Hackaday ☛ Microsoft Removed WMR Headset Support? No Problem!

    In late 2024 Microsoft removed support for WMR (Windows Mixed Reality), and they didn’t just cease development. As of Windows 11 version 24H2, headsets like the HP Reverb and others by Acer, Samsung, Lenovo, and Dell stopped working at all. But the good news is developer [Matthieu Bucchianeri] created the Oasis driver for Windows Mixed Reality which allows WMR headsets (and their controllers) to work again.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • France24 ☛ Summer of Hey Hi (AI) psychosis: stories of tragic chatbot interactions multiply

      Stein-Erik Soelberg killed his mother and himself in Connecticut earlier this month, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot fuelled his irrational fears about her. Meanwhile a couple in California has filed a lawsuit against Proprietary Chaffbot Company after the suicide of their son, accusing Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot of helping him do it. In this week's Tech 24, we explore what's behind the increase in tragic stories that's accompanied the boom in people talking to Hey Hi (AI) chatbots.

    • New York Times ☛ How ‘Clanker’ Became an Anti-A.I. Rallying Cry

      The term, which was popularized by a “Star Wars” show and is rooted in real frustrations with technology, has become a go-to slur against artificial intelligence and robots.

  • Social Control Media

    • NYPost ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man defiantly addresses health speculation with Truth Social response

      Dihydroxyacetone Man bounced back onto Truth Social after a relatively quiet weekend while he was golfing at his resort in Virginia.

• Security

  • SANS ☛ pdf-parser: All Streams, (Sun, Aug 31st)

    A user reported a bug in pdf-parser: when dumping all filtered streams, an error would occur:

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Strategist ☛ When everyone wants something, but no one can decide how to pay for it

    ‘Everybody wants to rule the world’, sang Tears for Fears, a line later reimagined by Lorde that still resonates today.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea's Kim inspects new missile production line

    His visit to the missile production line came ahead of a planned trip to Beijing to attend a military parade.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Pacifist Japan struggles to boost troops as anxiety over China grows

    In 2023, the Japan Self-Defense Forces aimed to hire almost 20,000 people, but recruited just half.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s Pooh-tin made four suggestions to deepen bilateral ties, says India’s foreign secretary

    Mr Pooh-tin called for stronger “strategic communication” and deepening mutual trust.

  • The Straits Times ☛ With China and Japan, Modi counts on Asia solidarity as India navigates Convicted Felon’s tariffs

    India is looking at other countries to diversify export markets.

  • The Straits Times ☛ India and China are partners, not rivals, Modi and Pooh-tin say

    Mr Modi said India and China's ties should not be seen through the lens of a third country.

  • France24 ☛ India and China seek a business reboot

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to China this weekend for his first visit in seven years, joining Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a regional security summit in Tianjin. The trip comes amid strained relations with Washington, just days after the US doubled tariffs on Indian exports to 50% in response to New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil. FRANCE 24 welcomes the editor-in-chief of the China-Global South Project, Eric Olander, to discuss the rapprochement between India and China.

  • The Straits Times ☛ India watches with caution as Dhaka and Islamabad reset ties

    There are concerns in New Delhi around a potential alliance between China, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Motorcades, barricades and red carpets: Tianjin stages China’s biggest SCO summit

    More than 20 world leaders arrive as China pitches itself as an alternative to the US-led international order.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Thousands in Australia march against immigration, government condemns rally

    Australia has been grappling with a rise in right-wing extremism, including protests by neo-Nazis.

  • JURIST ☛ US appeals court rules against DHS in Venezuela TPS fight

    The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Friday held that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) likely acted unlawfully when it tried to roll back Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Judge bars Convicted Felon administration from deporting Guatemalan children, for now

    The judge ruled Sunday after their lawyers said the youngsters were loaded onto planes in violation of laws affording protections for migrant kids. The judge, in Washington, says the children need to be taken off the planes while the legal process plays out.

  • New York Times ☛ Rudy Giuliani Is Hurt in Car Crash in New Hampshire

    Mr. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and lawyer for Hell Toupée, suffered a fractured vertebra, his head of security said.

  • France24 ☛ Palestinians conduct night patrols to prevent West Bank settler attacks

    In the West Bank, Palestinians have begun organizing night patrols to safeguard their communities from settler attacks, a practice that has become an essential element of local security amid rising tensions with Israeli settlers. These patrols serve as both a measure of self-defense and a symbol of resilience in the face of persistent violence. Yinka Oyetade reports.

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ It’s Time to Call Out the National Gourd

    Dihydroxyacetone Man's stunt with the National Guard in DC has been opposed by lawsuits, but this isn't enough. It's time to call out the National Gourd.

  • France24 ☛ Houthi rebels detain at least 11 UN personnel, envoy to Yemen says

    The United Nations envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, condemned the “arbitrary detentions” of  at least 11 UN staff by Houthi rebels on Sunday and demanded that they be “immediately and unconditionally” released. Those arrested included seven World Food Programme employees and three UNICEF workers, a security source in Sanaa told AFP.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • RFERL ☛ Europe 'Moving Forward' On Plans For Ukraine Peace Force With US Backing, Von Der Leyen Says

      Ukraine's European allies are working on “pretty precise plans” and a "clear road map" for a potential deployment of troops to the country should a peace deal be struck between Kyiv and Moscow, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s Pooh-tin hosts Putin, Modi and other Global South leaders at key summit

      President Pooh-tin Jinping gathered the leaders of Russia and India among dignitaries from around 20 Eurasian countries on Sunday to kick off a showpiece summit aimed at putting China front and centre of regional relations.

    • France24 ☛ SCO Summit: Putin, Modi join Pooh-tin in Tianjin amid Convicted Felon tariff war

      China’s Pooh-tin Jinping welcomed on Sunday Russia’s Vladimir Putin, India’s Narendra Modi and leaders from around 20 countries to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, a high-security gathering aimed at boosting Beijing’s influence and promoting "a multipolar world order". France24 correspondent Jan Camenzind Broomby reports from Tapei, Taiwan.

    • France24 ☛ Sco Summit: Pooh-tin aims at showing global south unity, with Modi and Putin

      China’s Pooh-tin Jinping welcomed on Sunday Russia’s Vladimir Putin, India’s Narendra Modi and leaders from around 20 countries to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, a high-security gathering aimed at boosting Beijing’s influence and promoting "a multipolar world order". Shirli Sitbon has more.

    • France24 ☛ China-Russia trade booms in border towns

      This week offers another occasion for Russia and China to showcase what they describe as a ‘no-limits’ partnership. It isn’t just about politics: their intertwined, though unequal, economic relationship is also key to understanding their ties. France 24 correspondent Yena Lee reports from Suifenhe, China.

    • New York Times ☛ Russian Strikes on Western Assets in Ukraine Send an Ominous Message

      Hitting an American-run factory and European diplomatic offices, the Kremlin appeared to signal that it would resist Western efforts to make peace and protect Ukraine, analysts and officials said.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskyy Says Suspect Held In Killing Of Ukrainian Politician Parubiy

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a suspect has been apprehended in the killing of Andriy Parubiy, a nationalist lawmaker and former parliament speaker, who was gunned down on a street in the western city of Lviv.

    • France24 ☛ Leading Ukrainian 'statesman' and Maidan protest leader assassinated in Ukraine

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the “horrific murder” of Andriy Parubiy, a leading figure in Ukraine’s 2014 pro-European "Maidan" protest movement, who was shot and killed in Lviv on Saturday. A former speaker of parliament, Parubiy, 54, also previously served as secretary of the National Security and Defence Council. Caroline Baum reports.

    • New York Times ☛ China Shows Off Its Power

      Xi Jinping is using a summit with leaders like Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin as an opportunity to pull countries away from the U.S.

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Hits Ukrainian Power Grid As Allies Of Slain Politician Parubiy Blame Moscow

      Russia kept up its relentless air attacks on Ukraine, hitting energy facilities in at least two regions and targeting several other locations across the country amid uncertainty over the prospects for peace efforts following summits in the United States in recent weeks.

• Environment

  • France24 ☛ Pakistan evacuates half a million people as latest floods kill 30

    Nearly half a million people have been displaced in eastern Pakistan after days of torrential rain caused rivers to overflow, rescue officials said, as large-scale operations continue amid a devastating monsoon season. The Punjab Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reported Saturday that since June 26, the monsoon has claimed 835 lives nationwide, including 195 in Punjab province. Shirli Sitbon reports.

• Finance

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China manufacturing shrinks in August despite new US trade truce

    China’s factory output ticked up in August but still recorded a fifth straight month of contraction, official data showed Sunday, as Beijing and Washington press on with trade talks.

  • NYPost ☛ US makes it harder for SK Hynix, Samsung to make chips in China

    The US Commerce Department had given the companies exemptions to sweeping restrictions created in 2022 on the sale of US semiconductor equipment to China.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • The Straits Times ☛ Some minors in Japan using Hey Hi (AI) to generate sexual images of peers from school photos

      Police throughout the country are receiving an increasing number of reports about such cases.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • New York Times ☛ The Corporate Logo That Broke the Internet

    How to bend political reality in two easy steps.