Leftovers

• Hackaday ☛ Give Your Band The Music Of The Bands

  The way to get into radio, and thence electronics, in the middle years of the last century, was to fire up a shortwave receiver and tune across the bands. In the days when every country worth its salt had a shortwave station, Cold War adversaries boomed propaganda across the airwaves, and even radio amateurs used AM that could be listened to on a consumer radio, a session in front of the dial was sure to turn up a few surprises. It’s a lost world in the 21st century, as the Internet has provided an easier worldwide medium and switch-mode power supplies have created a blanket of noise. The sounds of shortwave are thus no longer well known to anyone but a few enthusiasts, but that hasn’t stopped [gnd buzz] investigating their potential in electronic music.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Cephalopods Passed a Cognitive Test Intended For Human Children

    We, for one, welcome our new cuttlefish overlords.

  • New York Times ☛ How Did Hands Evolve? Look to Your Anus, a New Study Suggests.

    The evolutionary blueprint for hands was borrowed in part from a much older genetic plan for our nether regions, a new study suggests.

  • Science Alert ☛ Bacteria-Made Material Could Replace Petroleum in Biodegradable Plastic

    We need this yesterday.

  • Science Alert ☛ Look Up This Week to See a Rare Triple Conjunction 'Smiling' Down

    It's one of the year's best!

  • Science Alert ☛ Stunningly Complete Dome-Headed Dinosaur Emerges From The Sands of Mongolia

    "It literally took my breath away."

  • Science Alert ☛ Did an Exploding Comet Wipe Out The Clovis Culture? New Evidence Says Yes

    New clues revive the debate.

• Hardware

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ China's largest chipmaker testing first homegrown immersion DUV litho tool — SMIC takes significant step on road to wafer fab equipment self-sufficiency

    SMIC is testing a domestically built immersion DUV lithography system developed by Yuliangsheng and capable of 28nm-class process technology. But while it is said that the tool could be used to make 7nm or even 5nm-class chips with multipatterning, it remains to be seen whether this is going to happen any time soon.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Exploring the RTX Pro 6000D, Nvidia's China-only GPU, which is now banned from sale — neutered specs cannot compete with grey-market chips

    Nvidia's RTX 6000D might be banned from sale in China, but what lies inside the GPU itself? We explore why it's not as good a deal as grey-market RTX 5090s in the region.

  • Hackaday ☛ It’s A Variable Capacitor, But Not As We Know It

    Radio experimenters often need a variable capacitor to tune their circuits, as the saying goes, for maximum smoke. In decades past these were readily available from almost any scrap radio, but the varicap diode and then the PLL have removed the need for them in consumer electronics. There have been various attempts at building variable capacitors, and here’s [radiofun232] with a novel approach.

  • Hackaday ☛ Getting The Most Out Of ISM Transceivers Using Math

    WiFi is an excellent protocol, but it certainly has its weaknesses. Its range in even a normal home is relatively limited, so you could imagine the sort of performance you’d expect through the hundred meters of dense woodland that [DO3RB] is trying to penetrate. So naturally the solution was to develop a new wireless transceiver for the ISM band. 

  • Hackaday ☛ When Is Your Pyrex Not The Pyrex You Expect?

    It’s not often that Hackaday brings you something from a cooking channel, but [I Want To Cook] has a fascinating look at Pyrex glassware that’s definitely worth watching. If you know anything about Pyrex it’s probably that it’s the glass you’ll see in laboratories and many pieces of cookware, and its special trick is that it can handle high temperatures. The video takes a look at this, and reveals that not all Pyrex is the same.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Sean Whitton: Southern Biscuits with British ingredients

    I miss the US more and more, and have recently been trying to perfect Southern Biscuits using British ingredients. It took me eight or nine tries before I was consistently getting good results. Here is my recipe.

  • France24 ☛ New York judge drops terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione

    A New York judge on Tuesday threw out terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione, rejecting the Manhattan district attorney’s theory in a state murder case that the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was “intended to evoke terror.” Jessica Le Masurier has more.

  • JURIST ☛ FDA issues warning letters to drug companies alleging misleading advertisements

    The US Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday released approximately 100 warning letters it had sent to drug companies on September 9, alleging that the companies made false or misleading claims on their websites or in electronic advertisements.

  • New York Times ☛ Senator and Insurers Cast Doubt on U.S. Vaccine Panel as It Readies Review

    Insurers suggested they would still cover routine shots even if a C.D.C. panel tried to limit them, as an influential senator warned against new restrictions.

  • New York Times ☛ How Vaccines Are Revealing Cracks in Convicted Felon’s G.O.P.

    Some Republicans are starting to worry that the issue of health care could cost them politically.

  • New York Times ☛ Senator Suggests Meeting Between Kennedy and His C.D.C. Director Was Recorded, Then Backtracks

    The senator, Markwayne Mullin, quickly backtracked after pressing the now former director, Susan Monarez, on an exchange with the health secretary.

  • New York Times ☛ Pig Organ Transplants May Pose a Dilemma for Some Jews and Muslims

    The taboo against pork is deeply entrenched in both religious traditions. But the prohibition is not absolute.

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ Michigan chronic absenteeism inches down but remains higher than pre-pandemic

    More than 1 in 4 students are chronically absent across the state. School leaders told researchers that absenteeism was a top priority in 2024-2025 school year.

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ Whitmer directs state agencies to promote COVID-19 vaccine access

    The governor’s directive comes ahead of a pivotal meeting of a federal vaccine advisory panel this week, which is set to issue new guidance on childhood immunizations.

• Proprietary

  • LWN ☛ Systemd v258 released

    Systemd v258 has been released with a long list of new features and changes; slice units now have basic workload management features, quotas for tmpfs have been added, the "systemctl start" command now has a verbose (-v) option, and more. This release also, finally, completely removes support for control groups v1 support. LWN covered some of systemd v258's features and changes in August.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Hong Kong to ‘fast-track’ mega-project near border

    The new hub would aim to house businesses and 2.5 million people between Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

  • JURIST ☛ UN experts say US strike on vessel violated right to life

    United Nations human rights experts said Tuesday that a US strike on a vessel alleged to be operated by “narco-terrorists” violated the right to life. The statement follows the deadly incident in which two civilian boats were attacked on the high seas.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel Strikes Houthi Sites at Hudaydah Port Amid Gaza City Assault

    Israel has accused the militant group of using the vital port to transfer Iranian weaponry used in recent attacks amid the wider regional war.

  • BIA Net ☛ Turkish Medical Association calls for probe into Israeli doctors' alleged involvement in torture of Gazans

    “We declare to our Israeli colleagues and the global medical community that, unless the professional obligations outlined above are fulfilled, we will cease all communication and collaboration with the Israeli Medical Association and will encourage other national medical bodies to do the same,” said the TTB.

  • European Commission ☛ Remarks by Commissioner Šuica on the package of proposals on Israel

    You have said it already, the situation in Gaza and in the West Bank is unacceptable.

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ JD Vance in Michigan: Convicted Felon will send National Guard to Detroit if Whitmer asks

    Vice President JD Vance offered to send National Guard troops to Detroit in a speech touting the Convicted Felon administration’s new tax-and-spending law. Bridge checked key facts from speeches by Vance and others.

  • France24 ☛ Netanyahu's Sparta speech: PM's call for self-reliance sparks widespread panic in business community

    Israel is urging European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to withdraw a proposal that would curb trade ties in a bid to pressure Israel to end the war in Gaza. The EU executive also plans to propose sanctions against "extremist ministers" and "violent settlers". For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, Angela Diffley welcomes Dr. Michael Ben-Gad, Professor of Economics in the School of Policy and Global Affairs of City University of London.

  • NYPost ☛ Mom of two gunned down by ex-bf just minutes after posting on Facebook (Farcebook) that he was ‘stalking’ her: report

    Mariah Rosanna Samuels was shot multiple times in the chest and torso allegedly by an ex-boyfriend against whom she had an order of protection

  • Thai security forces clash with Cambodian protesters at disputed border

    Tear gas and rubber bullets threatens a fragile truce reached in July.

  • JURIST ☛ Illinois governor calls for transparency from ICE over traffic stop shooting

    At a press conference on Monday, the Governor of Illinois called for transparency from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after a man was fatally shot by an ICE officer last Friday. The incident took place in Franklin Park, a suburb west of Chicago.

  • NYPost ☛ Reps. Lawler, Gottheimer rip Mamdani for scrapping Holocaust group’s antisemitism definition

    A bipartisan duo in Congress representing both sides of the Hudson joined forces to slam Democratic mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani for wanting to scrap a Holocaust remembrance group’s definition of “antisemitism.”

  • JURIST ☛ Utah prosecutors seek death penalty in Charlie Kirk killing

    Prosecutors revealed Tuesday that the state of Utah will seek the death penalty against the man who allegedly shot and killed conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. The state and lead attorney, Jeffrey Gray, charged Tyler Robinson with seven offenses, including aggravated murder with a targeted victim enhancement.

  • New Yorker ☛ Charlie Kirk and Tyler Robinson Came from the Same Warped Online Worlds

    The right-wing activist and his alleged assassin were both creatures of a digital ecosystem that rewards viral engagement at all costs.

  • JURIST ☛ UN Human Rights Council urged to maintain international scrutiny in Sri Lanka

    International civil rights groups on Monday urged the UN Human Rights Council to maintain its oversight of the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. The appeal comes ahead of the council’s 60th session, where member states’ compliance with international human rights treaties is reviewed annually.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan shows off first missile to be jointly made with US firm

    Taiwan is racing to bolster its armed forces to counter China's military threat.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Manila to hold its ground at Scarborough Shoal even as Beijing cranks up pressure

    The Philippines will keep up patrols in the area despite China’s nature reserve claim over the disputed reef.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean Chief Justice denies collusion claims over guilty verdict for then presidential-race front runner Lee Jae Myung

    This came amid political pressure urging the Chief Justice to resign from the post.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Democrats stake out opposition to spending bill, raising threat of a shutdown

    They warned Republicans they will not support a measure that doesn’t address concerns on the soaring cost of health insurance for millions of Americans.

  • France24 ☛ Brazil's Bolsonaro diagnosed with skin cancer, adding to his medical issues

    Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro has been diagnosed with skin cancer, his doctor said Wednesday. Bolsonaro’s latest health issue comes after his conviction last week on charges that he plotted to overthrow leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who beat him in the 2022 presidential elections.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Meduza ☛ Putin in uniform, U.S. observers, and Z-bloggers’: reactions Key takeaways from Russia and Belarus’s Zapad-2025 war games — Meduza

    • The Straits Times ☛ EU eyes deeper India alliance despite concern over Moscow ties

      BRUSSELS - The European Commission set out plans on Wednesday to deepen cooperation with India in fields such as defence, technology and trade, despite tensions over New Delhi's close ties to Moscow.

    • Meduza ☛ Nearly one in five Russians unable to make loan payments, survey finds — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russia’s State Duma votes to withdraw from European Convention against Torture — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Dmitry Kozak, only senior Russian official thought to oppose the war, reportedly resigns as Kremlin deputy chief of staff — Meduza

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania says it busted Russian-linked network that planned terror attacks in Europe

      Lithuanian prosecutors said Wednesday they uncovered a network of suspects who planned to carry out four terrorist attacks across Europe, using parcel services to send incendiary explosives hidden in everyday items.

    • Meduza ☛ An Australian is representing the U.S. at Russia’s Eurovision rival. After the announcement, her LGBTQ advocacy briefly vanished from Wikipedia. — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Nothing short of delightful’ How a corruption scandal and power struggle in the Z-blogosphere could paralyze the Russian military’s grassroots funding pipeline — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russian contract soldier sent back to prison for murdering ‘rude’ civilian while AWOL — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ Denmark to Buy Long-Range Weapons in ‘Paradigm Shift’

      Denmark says Russia is a threat. Russia calls the Danish plans “pure madness.”

    • New York Times ☛ U.S. Government to Invest $75 Million in Ukraine’s Minerals

      The investment will ease fears in Kyiv that Washington is pulling back from Ukraine’s war effort. It also underscores the mercantile nature of the U.S.-Ukrainian alliance under Hell Toupée.

    • LRT ☛ David vs Goliath: Moldova’s fight for European democracy against Russia – opinion

      While much of Europe’s attention has been on Ukraine’s heroic fight against the Russian invasion, another European country is waging its own battle against the Kremlin’s aggression – a fight for democracy and for a European future: Moldova.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Europe needs a new approach to Belarus focused on practical outcomes

      Belarus is a strategically crucial European nation that no European leader can afford to ignore. Evidently, the policies adopted in 2020 have not prevented the country's slide into deepening dictatorship. It is therefore time to consider new approaches and initiatives, writes Valery Kavaleuski.

    • NYPost ☛ Russia resorts to using Nazi weapons in Ukraine war as Moscow raids museums to restock arms

      Ukraine's "Tur" reconnaissance unit claimed to have discovered Nazi detonators inside a Russian ammunition depot, posting photos of the cone-shaped devices inscribed with the Nazi Reichsadler eagle and swastika symbol stamped with the year 1934.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Vladimir Putin is responsible for the murder of my husband’: Navalny’s team obtained evidence he was poisoned in Arctic prison, widow says — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ Navalny Vomited and Convulsed in Prison Before Dying, His Wife Says

      The organization founded by Aleksei A. Navalny, the Kremlin’s most prominent political opponent, presented what it called new information to support its claim that he was poisoned.

    • France24 ☛ Alexei Navalny’s widow says tests 'prove he was poisoned’

      The widow of #Russian opposition leader Alexei #Navalny spoke out on September 17, claiming she has proof her husband was "poisoned" and directly accusing Vladimir #Putin.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania moves to give military faster authority to neutralize drones

      The government on Wednesday approved draft changes to aviation and military force laws intended to let the armed forces more quickly and easily neutralise drones that threaten the country’s airspace, but the measures must still be adopted by parliament.

    • Meduza ☛ FSB arrests three in St. Petersburg over alleged car bomb plot — Meduza

• Transparency/Investigative Reporting

  • Pro Publica ☛ ProPublica, Other News Organizations Fight to Unseal Ken Paxton Divorce Records

    A group of state and national media organizations, including The Texas Newsroom, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, are arguing in court that records in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s divorce case should be made available to the public.

    The organizations filed their plea to intervene with the Collin County district court handling the Paxtons’ case on Tuesday. The filing requests that the court reverse a July decision to seal the case records, arguing that both the attorney general and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, are elected officials subject to public scrutiny. The documents should be available for “review and inspection” with limited exceptions, the media organizations said.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Strategist ☛ Shanghai University’s uncrewed vessels support China’s maritime push

      ASPI’s newly expanded China Defence Universities Tracker reveals how leading Chinese research institutions, including Shanghai University (SHU), are developing advanced uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) to boost China’s military and territorial ambitions.

    • Pro Publica ☛ The Environmental and Regulatory Scrutiny Elon Musk’s Companies Have Faced

      Before and after the 2024 election, Elon Musk made it clear he disliked environmental regulations and considered them a barrier to innovation, especially given the quick timelines his companies prefer to operate on.

      The billionaire spent more than $250 million to help elect President Donald Trump and, in the first months of Trump’s second term, Musk led the Department of Government Efficiency, making cuts to the federal bureaucracy and regulatory staff, including environmental agencies, before a dramatic falling out with the president.

• Finance

  • CS Monitor ☛ Fed cuts interest rates in response to a slowing job market

    After months of White House pressure, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a quarter of a point on Wednesday, signaling two more cuts may follow, given job market woes.

  • New York Times ☛ Is the Economy as Healthy as Convicted Felon Claims?

    As the Fed meets, we examine the nation’s economic health.

  • New York Times ☛ How China Is Losing Its Title as the World’s Sneaker Factory

    For American manufacturers, it is hard to quit China and its unrivaled factories. One industry is defying that reality as it shifts more production to Vietnam.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • ACLU ☛ How Convicted Felon's Attacks on Democracy Put the Constitution at Risk

    In 1952, seven years after the end of the Second World War, Congress established Constitution Day to celebrate our country’s sacred foundational document. In the more than 70 years since, most Americans have taken for granted the fundamental freedoms this day honors. There are no parades, no barbecues, and no mattress sales for Constitution Day. In many ways, this low profile is a sign of strength.

    But this year, that complacency feels perilous. Fundamental pillars of our democracy are under assault, and the situation is more dire than many realize. That’s why we can no longer assume the Constitution will simply survive through benign neglect.We must fight to protect and strengthen it.

  • New York Times ☛ The Forrest Dump Fantasy Is Unraveling

    The president’s voters wanted to have it both ways. Reality said no.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • France24 ☛ How both conservatives and liberals doctored the same photo of the Charlie Kirk murder suspect

      There is widespread debate on social control media about the political affiliation of Tyler Robinson, the main suspect in the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Some Republicans have been claiming that he was a supporter of former Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris … and they even have a photo to prove it. But Democrats have also been sharing a photo of Robinson that they say shows he was a Convicted Felon supporter. It turns out that the photos shared by both camps are false – and are actually doctored versions of the same original image.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • AccessNow ☛ Access Now at the 12th edition of CIPESA’s FIFAfrica

  • CS Monitor ☛ The simple solutions to hate speech

    The accused killer of Charlie Kirk wrote: “Some hate can’t be negotiated out.” One survivor of an assassination attempt points to peaceful ways to “negotiate” with hate.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • France24 ☛ ABC pulls late-night host Jimmy Kimmel off air after Charlie Kirk comments

    ABC says late night show Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be suspended immediately after Kimmel accused Republicans of doing "everything they can to score political points" from Kirk’s killing. ABC’s announcement came just minutes after one of the biggest owners of TV stations in the US, Nexstar Media, said it would replace Kimmel's show with other programming.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • France24 ☛ French strikes delay Bayeux Tapestry transfer ahead of British Museum loan

    Nationwide strikes planned for Thursday in France have forced a delay in the transfer to another location of the Bayeux Tapestry ahead of its historic planned loan to the British Museum in London next year, an official said.

  • France24 ☛ France’s new prime minister faces a bumpy ride with nationwide strikes ahead

    Leaders of France's Socialist Party met with new Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Wednesday, seeking to get big concessions on the budget in talks that could shape the final stretch of President Emmanuel Macron's second term.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ [Podcast] Faster Network design with simpler hardware: TCP Flow control and ECN

    Geoff Huston discusses AusNOG 2025, and his measurement of ECN

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taliban announces ban on Internet in Northern Afghanistan

    It is first such internet ban since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taliban extend crackdown on internet access in Afghanistan

    Taliban officials say the ban is a campaign against “vice”.

  • Hackaday ☛ Forgotten Internet: The Story Of Email

    It is a common occurrence in old movies: Our hero checks in at a hotel in some exotic locale, and the desk clerk says, “Ah, Mr. Barker, there’s a letter for you.” Or maybe a telegram. Either way, since humans learned to write, they’ve been obsessed with getting their writing in the hands of someone else. Back when we were wondering what people would do if they had a computer in their homes, most of us never guessed it would be: write to each other. Yet that turned out to be the killer app, or, at least, one of them.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Digital Music News ☛ Rothschild Downgrades Live Nation Stock Amid DOJ Antitrust Suit, Broader Growth-Trajectory Concerns

  Earlier this month, Live Nation stock (NYSE: LYV) hit a record high of over $175 per share. But now, as the Ticketmaster parent grapples with a DOJ antitrust action and adjacent regulatory scrutiny, Rothschild has downgraded its LYV rating. Rothschild & Co Redburn (formerly Redburn Atlantic) just recently disclosed its adjusted Live Nation stock outlook.

• Patents

  • JUVE ☛ Epic battle over Stelara continues with win for Janssen against Samsung Bioepis

    In a long-awaited judgment, the District Court The Hague has upheld Janssen’s EP 3 883 606. The patent monopoly covers a second medical use of Janssen’s blockbuster drug Stelara, with claims to the antibody ustekinumab for treating ulcerative colitis.

  • Unified Patents ☛ New Hey Hi (AI) NPE Campaign — Prior Art Found

    Unified’s IP Services using Pearl has successfully identified and charted prior art against a patent monopoly owned by the Artificial Intelligence Industry Association Incorporated, an NPE.  These patents generally relate to machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies. They have been asserted against Osaro, Topaz Labs, Elementary Robotics, and Geisel Software.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Promoting the Progress: Patents, Knowledge, and the Pursuit of Happiness

    It is Constitution Day 2025, and I am freshly inspired by a lecture from my Colleague Dr. Carli Conklin on the "pursuit of happiness" as used in the Declaration of Independence. Her scholarship reveals the phrase is not a hedonistic right that might be implied when used today, but rather part a collective project of human flourishing rooted in virtue, knowledge, and useful improvements.  Although the Declaration is not directly part of the Constitution document, Professor Akhil Reed Amar's new book, BORN EQUAL: Remaking America's Constitution, 1840-1920, argues that the Declaration's ideals and commitments continued to reshape American constitutional development long after the founding era.  In this book, he particularly focuses on how it worked through President Abraham Lincoln during and immediately after the Civil War.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Do you want to weigh in on the upcoming USMCA negotiations? Here’s how

    Mexico and the United States have invited members of the public and productive sectors to comment on issues, experiences and strategies related to North American economic security and competitiveness.

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ Settlement Talks Stall Between X and Music Publishers — Litigants ‘Will Continue Their Discussions’ As the Case Resumes

    Back in June, X and several major music publishers moved to pause their copyright monopoly infringement battle to explore settlement discussions. Now, the parties have revealed that the talks failed to produce a resolution. The social platform and the NMPA-corralled plaintiffs relayed as much to the court in a brief notice.

  • Public Domain Review ☛ A Collection of Old English Customs, and Curious Bequests and Charities (1842)

    A compilation of historical gifting traditions in England, with a focus on the peculiar.

  • Digital Music News ☛ South Korea Clocks a $560 Million Music Trade Surplus in H1 (Thanks K-Pop!)

    In the first half of the year, South Korea raked in its largest half-year content trade surplus to date, driven by the enduring popularity of K-pop. South Korea’s content industry is thriving, with the country recording its largest-ever trade surplus on a half-year basis since statistics began in 2010.

  • Public Domain Review ☛ “You Think Me a Bold Cheat”: Mary Carleton, Counterfeit Princess

    Accused of posing as foreign royalty to lure her young suitor into a bigamous marriage, Mary Carleton was the subject of dozens of pamphlets and broadsides published in the mid-17th century, including by Carleton herself. Investigating the fraudster’s life, Laura Kolb finds a self-fashioning figure who both influenced the emergence of the English novel and serves as a strange precursor to our modern-day fascination with conwomen and counterfeits, like the heiress manqué Anna Delvey.