Leftovers

• New York Times ☛ New Banksy Mural Outside Royal Courts of Justice Depicts Judge Attacking Protester

  The mural that appeared outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Monday depicted a judge attacking a demonstrator with a gavel.

• Ruben Schade ☛ Comfort viewing

  The ABC ran an article about comfort viewing, which they define as a form of nostalgic escapism where you watch the same things from your childhood rather than exploring something new. As a purveyor of fine and pointless nostalgia, I have thoughts!

• Games

  • Wouter Groeneveld ☛ The Flemish Trick Taking Tradition

    Which trick taking games using a classic deck of cards are traditionally played the most here in Flanders? We’ve already briefly touched on four variants but there are a few more worth mentioning. Let’s quickly inspect all variants. That way, if you ever visit us, you won’t be left in the dark when we suddenly decide to pull out a deck of cards.

  • Jack Baty ☛ PEZ: Portable Executable Zork

    Zork, yes, one of the original text adventure games, was one of the only games I’ve ever bothered to finish. It’s from Christopher Drum and it’s called pez: Portable Executable Zork.

• Science

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ ‘Blood Moon’ rises during total lunar eclipse visible across Asia

    Stargazers enjoyed a “Blood Moon” Sunday night during a total lunar eclipse visible across Asia and swathes of Europe and Africa. When the Sun, Earth and Moon line up, the shadow cast by the planet on its satellite makes it appear an eerie, deep red colour that has astounded humans for millennia.

  • MIT Technology Review ☛ How Convicted Felon’s policies are affecting early-career scientists—in their own words

    This story is part of MIT Technology Review’s “America Undone” series, examining how the foundations of US success in science and innovation are currently under threat. You can read the rest here. Every year MIT Technology Review celebrates accomplished young scientists, entrepreneurs, and inventors from around the world in our Innovators Under 35 list.

  • Latvia ☛ Hackathon targets microelectronics and communication technology solutions

    Aspiring engineers and technology enthusiasts are gathering at Riga Technical University’s (RTU) Science and Innovation Centre from 9th to 11th September for the international hackathon “Small components, Big ideas: Hackathon for Tomorrow’s Electronics Solutions”, aimed at developing innovative microelectronics and communication technology solutions.

  • LRT ☛ Lithuanians witness rare total lunar eclipse, ‘Blood Moon’ – photos

    Lithuanians were treated to a rare sight on September 7: a total lunar eclipse, also known as a “Blood Moon”, when Earth’s shadow casts a reddish glow over its natural satellite. LRT.lt photographers captured the spectacle.

  • Science Alert ☛ Images Show Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS Is Now Growing a Tail

    And it's getting bigger!

  • Science Alert ☛ Daily Samurai Routine Could Reduce Risk of Falls in Seniors

    Not just for warriors.

• Career/Education

  • Daniel Stenberg ☛ giants, standing on the shoulders of

    This was the title of my keynote at the Open Source Summit Europe 2025 conference in Amsterdam that I delivered on August 25, 2025.

  • Invidious ☛ Keynote: Giants, Standing on the Shoulders Of - Daniel Stenberg, Founder of the Curl Project

    In this keynote, Daniel shares what it’s like to run curl in 2025 - an almost 30-year-old Open Source project installed in over 20 billion instances. He reflects on the realities of maintaining widely used software in a shifting landscape and offers a candid look at what it really takes to keep Open Source sustainable for the long haul.

  • APNIC ☛ APNIC begins transition to refocused Development activities

    With a primary focus to improve the deployment and management of Internet number resources in the region, modifications will soon be made to the training curriculum, training labs, online Academy platform, Community Trainer program, and M-Root deployment support.

• Hardware

  • Ruben Schade ☛ #SciArtSeptember: Element

    I hope you’re all enjoying this #SciArtSeptember prompt series, or maybe tolerating it? It’s been a lot of fun writing something out of the blue every day on topics I’d otherwise not think about. Today’s prompt is element.

    This is another silly memory that only just came to me. When my dad and I were getting into DSLR photography in the 2000s, we evaluated many different tools. We eventually settled on Photoshop Elements, which my dad insisted on calling Photoshop Elephants. He’s take photos and process it in Elephants, and import old SLR photos using our EPSOM SCSI scanner, because he was an industrial chemist with solutions.

    Much of this hardware would also sit on IKEA furniture, which we also had names for. Most of these I’ve forgotten alas, though I still remember that AMEBODAs were AMOEBAs.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ U.S. government considers annual permits for Samsung and SK hynix to supply equipment to their Chinese fabs

    The U.S. plans to replace Samsung and SK hynix's indefinite export permissions for chipmaking tools with annual site-specific licenses, a move that adds regulatory complexity but avoids disrupting memory fab operations in China and the global DRAM and NAND supply chain.

  • CNX Software ☛ Axelera Metis M.2 Max Edge Hey Hi (AI) module doubles LLM and VLM processing speed

    Axelera AI’s Metis M.2 Max is an M.2 module based on an upgraded Metis Hey Hi (AI) processor unit (AIPU) delivering twice the memory bandwidth of the current Metis M.2 module for compute-intensive Edge Hey Hi (AI) inference applications such as large language models (LLMs) and vision language models (VLMs). >

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ Vaccine skepticism puts Michigan kids’ health at risk, doctors group warns

    As the federal government moves away from widely recommending vaccines, the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians continues to promote immunizations as safe and effective.

  • Latvia ☛ Reminder: All children must wear helmets when cycling in Latvia

    Every autumn, when children go back to school, traffic in cities intensifies. In these circumstances, it is particularly important to think about safety. The Road Traffic Safety Directorate reminds the public that helmets are compulsory for all cyclists and their passengers up to the age of 16, Latvian Television reports on 8 September.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Cosmic ray exposure can be occupational hazard for ex-flight attendant: South Korea court

    The plaintiff was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2019 and claimed the decade of being a flight attendant led to the cancer.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Meta whistleblowers claim company buried information on child safety

    Meta Platforms Inc. reportedly suppressed internal research into safety concerns on its virtual reality platforms, including findings that a child under the age of 10 had been sexually propositioned in-app. “Meta knew that underage children were using its products, but figured, ‘Hey, kids drive engagement,’ and it was making them cash,” Jason Sattizahn [...]

  • New York Times ☛ Whistle-Blower Sues Meta Over Claims of WhatsApp Security Flaws

    In a lawsuit filed Monday, the former head of security for the messaging app accused the social control media company of putting billions of users at risk. Meta pushed back on his claim.

  • Press Gazette ☛ News diary 8-14 September: Meta whistleblower allegations in US Senate, Lords debate assisted dying, iPhone 17 launch

• Proprietary

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Early backdoored Windows 11 25H2 benchmarks confirm the update provides no performance improvements over 24H2

    Phoronix tests backdoored Windows 11 25H2 against 24H2, Ubuntu 25.10, and Ubuntu 24.0.3 LTS. But testing shows that 25H2 has no additional optimizations under the hood, matching 24H2 in performance.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Bruce Schneier ☛ AI in Government

      Just a few months after MElon’s retreat from his unofficial role leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), we have a clearer picture of his vision of government powered by artificial intelligence, and it has a lot more to do with consolidating power than benefitting the public. Even so, we must not lose sight of the fact that a different administration could wield the same technology to advance a more positive future for Hey Hi (AI) in government.

      To most on the American left, the DOGE end game is a dystopic vision of a government run by machines that benefits an elite few at the expense of the people. .

    • Bruce Schneier ☛ Signed Copies of Rewiring Democracy

      When I announced my latest book last week, I forgot to mention that you can pre-order a signed copy here. I will ship the books the week of 10/20, when it is published.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Purism ☛ California’s New Privacy Rules Are a National Signal

      California’s New Privacy Rules Are a National Signal The California Privacy Protection Agency’s latest regulations redraw the playing field.

• Defence/Aggression

  • JURIST ☛ Rights group supports rare trial against Türkiye police torture

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday announced that the trial of 13 law enforcement officers accused of torture and involvement in death in custody is an opportunity for justice over rights abuses in Türkiye.

  • JURIST ☛ US federal court rules government cannot remove existing protections from Venezuela and Haiti migrants

    The US District Court for the Northern District of California on Friday ruled that President The Insurrectionist’s administration must continue to provide legal protection for Venezuelan and Haitian migrants. Over 1 million migrants from the two countries faced deportation under a plan from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

  • Defence Web ☛ US forces targeted by indirect fire in Somalia as air strikes continue

    US forces and African partner forces were targeted by indirect fire in the vicinity of Kismayo, Somalia, last week, but there were no US or partner force injuries or casualties as a result of the attack.

  • BIA Net ☛ Juvenile kills two police officers in western Turkey, shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’

    Two other officers were wounded in the police station attack, one of them in serious condition.

  • New York Times ☛ A View From Inside Iran

    Our correspondent found a sense of apprehension in the country after the 12-day war with Israel.

  • New York Times ☛ After 2 Teenagers Are Killed in West Bank, Israeli Military Opens Inquiry

    Two boys, both 14, were killed by gunfire from Israeli soldiers, according to the Palestinian Authority health ministry. Israel said that the shooting was “under review.”

  • The Straits Times ☛ ICC postpones hearing for Philippines’ Duterte for health assessment

    Duterte was arrested on murder charges linked to his “war on drugs” in which thousands were killed.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea, Japan defence ministers pledge to work with US to deter North Korea threats

    It was the first official trip to Seoul by a Japanese defence minister since 2015.

  • The Strategist ☛ Bookshelf: North Korea’s unique autocratic bloodline

    More than 30 years after his death, North Korean dictator Kim Il-sung’s legacy endures. This sets Kim apart from tyrants such as Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong and Francisco Franco, whose deaths were catalysts for political ...

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea’s Kim oversees ICBM engine test: State media

    Images carried by state media showed Mr Kim looking at the flame from the engine test with binoculars.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea to send chartered plane to Atlanta to bring back workers detained in US

    South Korea will send a chartered plane to Atlanta as early as Wednesday to bring back workers detained during a huge immigration raid last week on a car battery plant in the U.S. state of Georgia, a Korean Air spokesperson said on Tuesday.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea wants workers detained in Hyundai immigration raid to be able to re-enter US

    Dihydroxyacetone Man has ramped up deportations nationwide as his administration cracks down on illegal immigrants.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Raid on Hyundai-LG plant in US points to Convicted Felon’s focus on immigration enforcement

    To South Korea, the raid is seen as a public shaming and a "betrayal of trust".

  • JURIST ☛ South Korean officials obtain release of detained workers after US immigration raid

    South Korea’s foreign ministry announced Monday that South Korean nationals detained in a recent US immigration raid are expected to return home voluntarily, avoiding formal deportation. News outlets and South Korean presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik revealed return plans for detained South Korean workers following negotiations with the US.

  • New York Times ☛ In a First, Korean Women Target U.S. Military in Suit Over Prostitution

    Dozens of women who worked in the sex trade in South Korea are seeking an apology and compensation for the rights abuses they suffered while catering to American G.I.s.

  • Defence Web ☛ Motshekga in Korea for Seoul Defence Dialogue and UN Command anniversary

    South African Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga is presently in the Republic of Korea (RoK) attending – by invitation – the Seoul Defence Dialogue 2025 (SSD 2025).

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s Pooh-tin backs closer cooperation with North Korea

    The leaders of the two nuclear-armed neighbours met in Beijing last week.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Beijing sanctions China-born Japan lawmaker; Tokyo slams ‘unacceptable’ move

    Tokyo condemned the move as an unacceptable attempt to stifle free expression.

• The Straits Times ☛ China says it ‘firmly opposes’ Convicted Felon’s blacklist of countries

  Hell Toupée said the US will designate “state sponsors of wrongful detention".

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China says ‘firmly opposes’ Convicted Felon’s blacklist of countries that detain Americans

  Beijing on Monday said it “firmly opposes” US President The Insurrectionist’s decision to create a blacklist of countries Washington says unjustly detain Americans, which his administration has said could include China.

Transparency/Investigative Reporting

• Federal News Network ☛ FEMA letter signers claim retaliation by DHS

  FEMA staff who signed the "Katrina Declaration" argue DHS violated whistleblower protection laws when it placed the employees on administrative leave.

Environment

• Energy/Transportation

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean budget carrier T’way Air to be renamed Trinity Airways as part of brand refresh

    Currently, T’way Air flies routes to Seoul and Jeju in South Korea, from Singapore.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian tycoon faces graft charges as stalled KL airport highway sinks deeper in turmoil

    The graft charges throw fresh scrutiny on the highway connecting Putrajaya to the KLIA.

  • New York Times ☛ China’s Renewable Energy Investment Helping Stem Fossil Fuel Growth, Report Says

    Its vast investment in solar, wind and batteries is on track to end an era of global growth in the use of coal, oil and gas, the researchers said.

  • New York Times ☛ Millions of Londoners Face Transit Disruption as Tube Strike Takes Effect

    A days-long strike on the London Underground over pay and conditions began in earnest on Monday, threatening to upend commuter journeys for most of the week.

  • New York Times ☛ Five Things to Know About London’s Tube Strike

    What to know about the disruption to the city’s underground transit system this week, and alternative ways to travel.

  • New York Times ☛ London’s Commuters Wrestle With a Massive Tube Strike: ‘It’s Just Annoying’

    Some people were able to work from home. Others crammed onto buses or spent hours trying to reach their destinations.

  • New York Times ☛ London Tube Strike Takes Effect, Causing Travel Chaos

    Underground stations were closed and buses were crammed with commuters grappling with a walkout by transit workers that is expected to continue until Friday.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Coca-Cola’s Hong Kong plant reinstates driver fired over traffic accident after union strike

    Coca-Cola’s Hong Kong plant has reinstated a truck driver fired over a traffic accident after some 180 workers staged a strike to protest what the union called his “unfair” dismissal.

• Wildlife/Nature

  • New York Times ☛ A New, ‘Adorable’ Deep-Sea Fish Swims Into View

    The bumpy snailfish, discovered 10,000 feet down off the coast of California, shows that not all denizens of the abyss are frightening.

  • New York Times ☛ Webb Telescope Studies Hopeful Hint of Earthlike Atmosphere on Trappist-1e Planet

    Scientists are steadily ruling out habitable conditions on the seven planets of the star Trappist-1. On one of the worlds, a nitrogen gas-rich veil remains a possibility.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Humanity’s mission’: Malaysian cop wins hearts for saving kitten wandering on busy road

    A video showing the officer saving the kitten has gone viral.

Finance

• France24 ☛ 'Intergenerational fairness': In final speech to parliament, Bayrou unveils how pension is funded

  As France's embattled Prime Minister makes one final appeal to French Parliament, FRANCE 24's François Picard welcomes Renaud Foucart, Economist and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics at Lancaster University Management School. While Mr. Foucart does take issue with Bayrou's previous warning that the IMF has France on its radar, he does agree that France must reduce debt, 'cannot ignore this anymore', likening the current situation to the 'proverbial boiling frog'.

• The Straits Times ☛ China office developers offer sweeteners, lower rents to lure tenants

  Empty offices are increasingly common even in top cities such as Shenzhen and Shanghai.

Censorship/Free Speech

• ACLU ☛ Revisiting the NEA Four: Free Speech Battles in the Arts

  At the beginning of this year, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), a federal agency that provides grants to arts organizations nationwide, imposed a new requirement on grant applicants to certify that they will not use federal funds to “promote gender ideology” and banning any projects that appear to from receiving funding. The ACLU sued, and the NEA claims it has shifted its policy over the course of our litigation, but at its core, the issue is the same: the NEA now disfavors and disadvantages projects that express views about gender that the government does not like.

  For impacted artists, this was an old fight in a new form.

• Meduza ☛ What would Meduza look like under Kremlin censorship? See for yourself. — Meduza

Civil Rights/Policing

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ LGBTQ groups urge Hong Kong to ‘fully recognise’ same-sex partnerships ahead of bill’s second reading

  Overseas-based LGBTQ groups have urged the Hong Kong government to “fully recognise” same-sex partnerships ahead of the resumption of the second reading of a bill that proposes to grant limited rights to gay couples.

Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

• APNIC ☛ Welcome to APNIC 60

  Welcome to APNIC 60! Here’s how to get the most from your conference experience.