Leftovers

• Robert Birming ☛ Happy cinnamon bun day

  We even love them so much that we’ve dedicated a special day to honor this delicious pastry: Kanelbullens dag (Cinnamon Bun Day). And that day is today! 😋

• Ahmad Alfy ☛ How Functional Programming Shaped (and Twisted) Frontend Development

  I laughed, but his confusion cut deeper than he realized. He remembered a web where CSS cascaded naturally, where the DOM was something you worked with, where the browser handled routing, forms, and events without twenty abstractions in between. To him, our modern frontend stack looked like we’d declared war on the platform itself.

  He asked me to explain how we got here. That conversation became this essay.

• Bryan Cantrill ☛ A parade in Oakland

  These players know the significance of it all: they — like Oakland — have something to prove. The Pioneer League is a development league, so while we see some returning players next year, many will also move on. Some will move to other independent leagues, chasing their major league dream. Others will presumably hang it up, just as everyone hangs it up eventually. But for all of them, wherever their careers may take them, they will forever remember that electric Sunday night in West Oakland, when they proved what is possible when we refuse to give up on ourselves.

• Science

  • Interesting Engineering ☛ Faces of hundreds of years old Colombian mummies reconstructed

    The Face Lab team digitally “peeled back” the masks to reveal the face and used CT X-ray scans to capture 3D images of it.

• Career/Education

  • Futurism ☛ You Are Not Prepared for Merriam-Webster's Announcement of Its New AI Model

    “It never hallucinates. It does not require data centers, and uses no electricity,” the booming voice continues. “It’s a powerful tool that will change how you communicate — forever.”

    Then the video cuts to the reveal. It’s Merriam-Webster’s newest “Collegiate Dictionary,” the 12th edition, which was announced last week. A glorious, actually physical book, slowly rotating. Not a prompt box in sight. A red tome, as opposed to a black box.

  • Sean Goedecke ☛ How I influence tech company politics as a staff software engineer

    The easiest way is to actively work to make a high-profile project successful. This is more or less what you ought to be doing anyway, just as part of your ordinary job. If your company is heavily investing in some new project - these days, likely an AI project - using your engineering skill to make it successful2 is a politically advantageous move for whatever VP or executive is spearheading that project. In return, you’ll get the rewards that executives can give at tech companies: bonuses, help with promotions, and positions on future high-profile projects. I wrote about this almost a year ago in Ratchet effects determine engineer reputation at large companies.

  • University of Toronto ☛ Using systems because you know them already

    This has a flipside, where you use a tool because you know it even if there might be a significantly better option, one that would actually be easier overall even accounting for needing to learn the new option and build up the environment around it. What we could call "familiarity-driven design" is a thing, and it can even be a confining thing, one where you shape your problems to conform to the tools you already know.

• Hardware

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-29 [Older] Nvidia's Armenian AI factory to boost local tech talent and opportunities [Ed: Bubble targets LOW wages]

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-29 [Older] How a gloomy German loaf of bread went viral in the US

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-28 [Older] H3N2 influenza spreads rapidly in Delhi, northern India

  • US News And World Report ☛ How to Grow a Giant Pumpkin, With Help From Science

    Giant pumpkins can guzzle hundreds of gallons of water in a day and make their own food from sunlight just like regular-sized plants do. Their internal plumbing system is more robust, allowing them to drink up sugary water and nutrients faster.

    As the leafy patch begins to expand, growers remove smaller pumpkins so all the water and nutrients funnel into a single fruit.

  • [Old] AARP ☛ Jane Goodall Launches Vegan Cookbook

    A longtime vegetarian and now vegan, Goodall — who wrote the cookbook's foreword and offers nuggets of wisdom throughout — shared why she and her eponymous institute decided to create this collection now: “It's becoming more and more clear that the obsession with eating meat and dairy products and eggs is totally destroying the environment. It's creating methane, it's wasting water, and it's bad for our health."

• Proprietary

  • Gamers owe Lina Khan an apology after Microsoft price hikes

    The viral meme circulating social media tells the story perfectly: a long line of people waiting to "Apologize to LINA KHAN" while an empty booth sits beside it offering "Join Game Pass with new prices." Former FTC Chair Lina Khan was right all along about the Microsoft-Activision merger, and the gaming community owes her an apology.

  • The Express Tribune ☛ Ex-FTC chair criticises Microsoft over 50% Game Pass price hike after Activision Blizzard merger

    Former Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chair Lina Khan has criticised Microsoft following a 50 per cent rise in the price of its Game Pass subscription service. The increase comes two years after Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard in a $70 billion deal.

    Khan, who led the FTC’s attempt to block the merger during the Biden administration, posted on social media that Microsoft’s behaviour exemplified the risks of corporate dominance.

    “As dominant firms become too-big-to-care, they can make things worse for their customers without having to worry about the consequences,” she wrote, a day after the price of Game Pass Ultimate rose to $30 a month.

  • Former FTC Chair Fires Shots at Game Pass Price Hike: ‘They Can Make Things Worse’

    It has been a busy few weeks for Microsoft. First, the cost of the Xbox Series consoles skyrockets, then Game Pass undergoes an overhaul that leads to a massive price hike, and then the firm’s leadership comes out in stalwart defence of those decisions that are being lambasted across social media.

    Now, former Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan, who sat through the FTC vs. Microsoft tumult during the Activision acquisition, has taken to social media to slam Microsoft’s latest price hikes.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Microsoft reportedly mulls ad-infested free Xbox Cloud Gaming plan — Game Pass Ultimate subscriber allegedly catches ad during game loading

    The main caveat with free Xbox Cloud Gaming will be the presence of ads. Sources close to the matter tell The Verge that two-minute-long pre-roll ads will play before each gaming session, which will be limited to just an hour. A monthly cap of five hours will be imposed, meaning you cannot simply start new one-hour sessions each time your previous one expires. What's funny, though, is that ads seem to permeate Xbox Cloud Gaming in the Game Pass Ultimate tier as well, as one user on Twitter angrily pointed out.

  • Darren Goossens ☛ Zoom on Debian – DSPACE

    Install Zoom on Debian. Does not really need a blog post, but I did it, so why not? Really all you need is: [...]

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-29 [Older] Lufthansa to shed 4,000 jobs with help from AI [Ed: "help from AI" is a lie; it's a cut due to income problems]

    • Vox ☛ Is AI-generated actress Tilly Norwood the next Scarlett Johansson?

      It’s safe to say that Norwood’s image has gone viral over the past week, more so out of panic and scrutiny than genuine interest in her as a future Hollywood commodity. (Although, the Free Press published a column praising the creation, while also strangely describing Norwood as a “virgin.”) The buzz started after Deadline published an exclusive report on Particle6’s new AI talent studio, and Van der Velden claimed that “the 21st [century] will be defined by synthetic talent.” Other entertainment industry trade publications picked up the story, and strong reactions from various actors came rolling in. In addition to the SAG-AFTRA statement, British actors’ union Equity dismissed Norwood as not an actress but an “AI tool.” Emily Blunt, who’s currently promoting the film The Smashing Machine, said on a Variety podcast that she found Norwood “terrifying” and begged Hollywood to “please stop taking away our human connection.” Other actors, such as Melissa Barrera and Whoopi Goldberg, have publicly condemned the potential use of the AI actress.

    • The Register UK ☛ AI devs close to scraping bottom of data barrel

      The problem is finding enough quality data, according to Neema Raphael, Goldman Sachs' chief data officer and head of data engineering. Some developers may be resorting to synthetic data or training models on the output of existing AI systems.

    • International Business Times ☛ AI 'Homeless Man' Challenge Sparks Outrage as Police Called Over Dangerous Viral Trend

      The stunt, which uses Snapchat's AI features, aims to trick parents into believing a homeless person has broken into their home, leading to real-world panic. Ultimately, a video uploaded by user 'aubreydontknowyou' showed uniformed police officers interrogating both the TikTok user and a possible sibling in the aftermath of the stunt.

    • Cassidy Williams ☛ A moose playing Go in a park while drinking boba

      Before you say, “Now, Cassidy, you’re being a bit strict with these AI tools, these are pretty dang close. One might say, even, that they are okay.” Sure, sure. But, I counter: no human artist would ever make these mistakes. If I asked an artist to draw/paint/create a moose playing go in the park while drinking boba, the straw would be in the cup. The go board would be valid. A man would not be drinking the boba. The moose would be a moose.

    • Pivot to AI ☛ YouTube’s AI DJ interrupts your paid ad-free music

      You switch this on in YouTube Labs, if you’re one of the lucky few selected users. Once it’s switched on, you can’t switch it off! You can “Snooze for 1 hour” or “Snooze for a day.” You can apparently only switch it off entirely by leaving YouTube Labs.

  • Social Control Media

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-28 [Older] Argentina: Thousands march for women murdered on livestream

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Putin’s Moldova election failure highlights Russia's declining influence

      Moldova’s recent parliamentary election was widely billed as a straight choice between rival European and Russian trajectories, with the Kremlin accused of unprecedented interference in a bid to sway the vote in Moscow’s favor.

    • The Record ☛ Dutch court rules Meta violated European law by pushing users to profiled feeds

      The decision comes in response to a lawsuit filed by the Dutch nonprofit Bits of Freedom, which argued that by controlling users’ feeds Meta has been improperly skewing what news consumers receive.

      “A non‑persistent choice option for a recommendation system runs counter to the purpose of the DSA, which is to give users genuine autonomy, freedom of choice, and control over how information is presented to them,” the judge wrote.

      Meta’s actions constitute a “significant disruption of the autonomy of Facebook and Instagram users,” the ruling says.

      The DSA holds that users should have control over the information they are exposed to on social media.

    • Court House News ☛ Meta must ease access to non-profiled timeline: Dutch court

      The court gave Meta two weeks to ensure users have access to a different timeline — for example in chronological order — if they wish.

      User preferences must also be retained, rather than automatically switched back to a profiled timeline, the court said.

    • Reuters ☛ Dutch court orders Meta to change Facebook and Instagram timeline settings

      A Dutch court on Thursday ordered Meta Platforms (META.O) , opens new tab to provide Facebook and Instagram users with simpler options for a timeline that does not rely on profiling. The court said elements of the design of both platforms were not in line with the European Union's Digital Services Act. It gave Meta two weeks to offer users a "direct and simple" way to opt out of a timeline with recommended content.

    • Dutch News ☛ Court tells Meta to give Dutch users algorithm-free feed option - DutchNews.nl

      The case was brought by digital rights group Bits of Freedom, which argued that Meta’s current design violates the European Digital Services Act (DSA). The court agreed, saying users must have genuine control over how content is presented.

      At present, both apps offer a chronological timeline, but the feature is hidden and cannot be made the default. The court said this undermines the autonomy promised by the DSA.

    • Maine Morning Star ☛ Suicide claims more Gen Z lives than previous generation

      Theories behind the increase range from bullying on social media, since Gen Z was the first generation to grow up with the internet [sic], to economic despair, to cultural resistance to seeking help for depression.

    • CS Monitor ☛ Gen Z protesters worldwide organize on social media to oust governments

      It’s the latest in a wave of youth discontent rolling across continents. The president of Madagascar dissolved his government this week following youth-led protests, mirroring similar demonstrations in Nepal less than a month earlier that forced the resignation of the prime minister there. Through social media, Gen Z – or typically those born between 1997 and 2012 – are channeling long-simmering frustrations into decentralized protest movements that are toppling governments and connecting struggles across borders.

    • Tim Bray ☛ Social Media Provenance Challenge

      At a a recent online conference, I said that we can “change the global Internet conversation for the better, by making it harder for liars to lie and easier for truth-tellers to be believed.” I was talking about media — images, video, audio. We can make it much easier to tell when media is faked and when it’s real. There’s work to do, but it’s straightforward stuff and we could get there soon. Here’s how.

  • Windows TCO / Windows Bot Nets

    • The Register UK ☛ No suds for you! Asahi attack leaves Japanese drinkers dry

      Asahi hasn't responded to our questions about the incident. However, it has confirmed ransomware was to blame in its press release and said there are traces suggesting a possible unauthorized data transfer.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong to install surveillance cameras with AI facial recognition

      Eric Lai, a Senior Fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, said Hong Kong’s police have not been subject to effective oversight by independent watchdogs and the city has no clear rules on AI use by law enforcement agencies.

      “It is therefore questionable whether the existing legal and regulatory framework is sufficient to prevent police abuse of power in deploying AI technology for surveillance, or whether procurement processes are conducted with proper regard for human rights due diligence,” Lai told AFP.

    • Reuters ☛ Microsoft's LinkedIn sued for disclosing customer information to train AI models

      LinkedIn has been sued by Premium customers who said the business-focused social media platform disclosed their private messages to third parties without permission to train generative artificial intelligence models.

      According to a proposed class action filed on Tuesday night on behalf of millions of LinkedIn Premium customers, LinkedIn quietly introduced a privacy setting last August that let users enable or disable the sharing of their personal data.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Star Tribune ☛ Trump officials discussed sending elite Army division to Portland, text messages show

    The Trump administration ordered National Guard troops — not the 82nd Airborne — to Portland this week. The messages suggest that the once-extraordinary step of sending military troops into an American city has been normalized within the administration, the subject of a chat in a public place.

  • Mike Brock ☛ Bad Bunny - by Mike Brock

    Let us be clear about what’s happening here: the federal government is announcing it will use immigration enforcement as a tool of cultural intimidation.

  • Rolling Stone ☛ Trump's NPSM-7 Memo Could Enable Crackdown on Opposition

    On Tuesday, Donald Trump stood in front of more than 800 generals and admirals in the U.S. military and informed them of their new enemy: their fellow Americans.

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-29 [Older] UNGA: North Korea vows never to give up its nuclear weapons

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-29 [Older] North Korea, China agree to deepen ties against hegemonism

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-29 [Older] India watches as Cheeto Mussolini moves closer to Pakistan

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-29 [Older] Asia Cup 2025: India, Pakistan cricket teams spar

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-10-01 [Older] Cheeto Mussolini's Gaza plan finds Indonesia, Pakistan as Asian backers

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-29 [Older] Iran: What's next as UN sanctions snap back?

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-28 [Older] Denmark bans civil drones after more sightings

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-29 [Older] Moldova: Ruling pro-EU party wins election

• Environment

  • Renewable Energy World ☛ Trump administration cuts nearly $8B in clean energy projects in states that backed Harris

    The cuts are likely to affect battery plants, hydrogen technology projects, upgrades to the electric grid and carbon-capture efforts, among many others, according to the environmental nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council.

  • Vintage Everyday ☛ 18 Amazing Photos of a Young Jane Goodall in the 1960s and 1970s

    Her popular book, In the Shadow of Man, an account of her early years at Gombe, was published in 1971 and became an international bestseller.

    Realizing that the survival of the chimpanzees was threatened by habitat loss and poaching, she made the critical decision to leave her life as a full-time field researcher. She founded the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) to support the ongoing research at Gombe and to expand efforts for chimpanzee protection and conservation across Africa. This marked the beginning of her career as a global advocate and environmentalist.

  • Wired ☛ China Is Leading the World in the Clean Energy Transition. Here's What That Looks Like

    The march of the energy transition is a long one, but it has to start somewhere. And with this approach, China has already taken quite a few steps.

  • Renew Economy AU ☛ Renewables overtake coal for first time on monthly basis in Australia's main grid

    Renewables – a combination of solar PV, wind, hydro and biomass – overtook coal on a monthly basis for the first time in September, according to a leading energy analyst.

    David Dixon, from Rystag Energy, says renewables produced 8.48 terrawatt hours in September, the second highest ever, to claim a record share of generation of 48.8 per cent. That eclipsed coal for the first time, which accounted for 47.6 per cent over the month.

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-29 [Older] Typhoon Bualoi lashes Vietnam, killing at least 13

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-29 [Older] Environmental damage threatens prosperity in Europe

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Futurism ☛ AI Data Centers Are Skyrocketing Regular People's Energy Bills

      A very granular Bloomberg analysis of wholesale electricity prices across the country paints a picture of doubled wholesale prices and soaring consumer costs over the past five years. It’s complex, but one thing is for certain: those within 50 miles of data centers are bearing the brunt of it.

      The issue is that about two thirds of the country’s power consumption runs on either a state or regional grid. This means the costs necessary for network expansion and maintenance is trickling down to residents and businesses’ electricity bills.

    • Vintage Everyday ☛ Maserati Boomerang: The Futuristic Wedge-Shaped Concept Car of the 1970s

      The Maserati Boomerang is one of the most striking concept cars of the 1970s, a radical design that pushed the boundaries of automotive styling. First shown as a static model at the 1971 Turin Motor Show and later unveiled as a fully functional prototype at Geneva in 1972, the Boomerang was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign.

    • The Register UK ☛ Bezos dreams of orbital datacenters powered by the sun

      However, even if we can make putting bit barns in orbit economical, there is no shortage of challenges to overcome. Datacenters are massively complex facilities. Even with an abundant supply of power, an orbital datacenter would still need a way to reject a gigawatt of thermal energy through radiation.

      For reference, the ISS's radiators are capable of rejecting about 70 kilowatts of thermal energy. Bit barn operators will also have to contend with bit-flips on a fairly regular basis unless the hull can be sufficiently hardened against charged particles from the sun and cosmic rays from the outer reaches of space — standard ECC probably isn't going to cut it.

    • Wired ☛ Why US Power Bills Are Surging

      The US has a particularly chaotic energy system. How much people pay to light their homes, stay warm, and get around varies a lot from state to state and even among neighbors. For example, Texas households tend to spend a larger share of their budgets on keeping their pickup trucks running, while families in Massachusetts spend a greater portion on staying warm.

    • Ruben Schade ☛ Younger people and AA batteries

      Old millennials like me, and those of you who grew up with battery-operated toys and devices, know instinctively what these barrel batteries are. They’re: [...]

    • Jon Udell ☛ Maps old and new

      I’m not blaming the tech, it is a miracle I will never take for granted. The fault is entirely mine for not having a real map, spreading it out on the kitchen table before we left, enjoying a beautiful and information-dense work of cartographic art, and planning the trip with the big picture in view. That would have been another nice juxtaposition of old and new. On my next GPS-guided trip to town I’ll pick up a real map: another miracle I should never take for granted.

    • The Verge ☛ X-ray scans reveal the hidden risks of cheap batteries

      Lumafield has released the results of a new study of lithium-ion batteries that “reveals an enormous gap in quality between brand-name batteries and low-cost cells” that are readily available through online stores including Amazon and Temu. The company used its computed tomography (CT) scanners, capable of peering inside objects in 3D using X-rays, to analyze over 1,000 lithium-ion batteries. It found dangerous manufacturing defects in low-cost and counterfeit batteries that could potentially lead to fires and explosions.

    • YLE ☛ Electric cars fare worse in Finnish car inspections – up to half of Teslas flunk

      Car inspectors tell Yle that the root cause of the problem is that EVs are often built on platforms that do not sufficiently support the weight of the car, including the battery, and the wear and tear of the structures over time. Teslas particularly have suspension problems, they say. Few problems have been detected with EVs’ electrical technology.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-30 [Older] World Animal Day: Does Germany champion animal protection?

    • The Walrus ☛ How Jane Goodall’s Breakthrough Began with a Chimpanzee in Tanzania

      Goodall knew that modifying a natural object for a particular purpose is the very definition of tool use. Before her discovery, scientists had regarded the ability to make and use tools as unique to the human species—a behaviour and cognitive ability that set us apart from the other primates.

      Goodall sent telegrams—the text messages of the 1960s—to her mentor, Louis Leakey, sharing her observations. Leakey received Goodall’s communications with wild enthusiasm. He cabled a message back to the young primatologist immediately: “Now we must redefine ‘tool,’ redefine ‘man,’ or accept chimpanzees as humans.”

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Doc Searls ☛ Questions of Law, not Just Politics

    Seems to me these violate the Hatch Act, aka “An Act to Prevent Pernicious Political Activities.” It was passed in 1939 and amended a couple of times since then. I am not a lawyer, but I know some, and I can read. One useful source is this guidance from the Office of the Special Counsel.Reading that tells me all this stuff crosses the Hatch Act line. But there are maybes in there. For example, this: “…activity directed at the success or failure of a political party, candidate for partisan political office, or partisan political group — then the expression is not permitted while the employee is on duty.”

  • Don Marti ☛ private right of action

    It doesn’t have to be that way. We can have private right of action without statutory damages for bugs, bullshit, or failing to hire the right compliance consultant. State legislators aren’t technically in the antitrust business, but there are some ways that a next-generation state privacy law can avoid doing severe competition harms while making real-world privacy worse. You have to look at the details of the private right of action. Is it a hunting license to go after legit small businesses, or a way to align the interests of lawyers in private practice with the state’s interest in having a thriving business scene, satisfied consumers, and citizens protected from fraud and disinformation?

  • CoryDoctorow ☛ Pluralistic: Blue Bonds

    In a nutshell: the states have total power over their affairs, except where the Constitution says otherwise.

    Lawsuits by state attorneys general have thus far done little to stanch the bleeding. Lawsuits are slow, and they rely on judges upholding the law, a task the Supreme Court has abandoned with sadistic glee.

    The people need money, not legal briefs.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • RFERL ☛ Georgian Riot Police Break Up Tbilisi Demonstration, Detain Protest Organizers

    The opposition also criticized what it saw as the government's growing Russia-friendly policies.

    The anti-government protests have largely quieted down over recent months following earlier crackdowns.

  • RFERL ☛ Georgian Police Deploy Pepper Spray, Water Cannons As Thousands Protest In Tbilisi

    Their aim was to revitalize daily demonstrations that began last year following alleged violations in parliamentary elections and a subsequent government decision to halt talks on joining the European Union.

  • The Kyiv Independent ☛ Georgian police crack down on protesters as thousands march on presidential palace

    Georgian police cracked down on protesters with water cannons and pepper spray the evening of Oct. 4 as activists attempted to break into the presidential palace in Tbilisi.

    The protests coincide with local elections, which have spurred opposition parties to call for mass demonstrations against the ruling Georgian Dream party.

  • Techdirt ☛ DOJ Demands Removal Of ICEBlock App; Why Are The ‘Free Speech Warriors’ Suddenly So Quiet?

    But now we have an actual, crystal-clear example of government officials using direct threats to pressure a tech company into removing disfavored speech—and suddenly, the free speech warriors have gone mysteriously quiet.

  • The Register UK ☛ Apple ices ICE agent tracker app under government heat

    The tech giant confirmed it had removed ICEBlock and other similar software from its App Store at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi.

  • 404 Media ☛ ICEBlock Owner After Apple Removes App: ‘We Are Determined to Fight This’

    Apple removed ICEBlock reportedly after direct pressure from Department of Justice officials. “I am incredibly disappointed by Apple's actions today. Capitulating to an authoritarian regime is never the right move,” the developer said.

  • Matt Birchler ☛ Thank you sir, can I have another?

    Setting aside how this is a much more extreme case, wasn’t the whole radicalizing force behind the rightward shift of people like Rogan and Zuckerberg that the federal government was suggesting tech platforms moderate legal speech? Now the federal government is demanding legal speech be taken down and there’s nary a peep from the free speech crowd on this one. Not surprising, I guess, that's kinda their thing now.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • The Moscow Times ☛ Macron Blames Russia as Drone Kills French Photojournalist in Ukraine - The Moscow Times

    Antoni Lallican, 37, was embedded with Ukraine's Fourth Armored Brigade near the front line in the Donbas region when he was killed in a drone attack on the area, said Ukrainian authorities.

  • Ben Werdmuller ☛ Don’t dwell on “democracy,” and other new findings about how to market local news

    It seems to me that, like all products, the question is: what do you actually get from it? It’s no surprise to me that the messages that worked were along the lines of “trustworthy local information”.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-29 [Older] New FIFPRO report raises concerns over 2026 World Cup

  • El País ☛ County jails operating as detention centers: A gray zone that has expanded under Trump

    By comparing the list of detention centers on the immigration agency’s website with an index of county jails and sheriff’s offices that have 287(g) agreements, EL PAÍS found that, nationwide, there are more than 500 local facilities that are not recognized as formal detention centers on the ICE website, even though they operate as such.

  • Los Angeles Times ☛ Election ballots mailed on Nov. 4 may not be counted, state officials warn

    California voters living 50 or more miles from six mail processing facilities risk having their Nov. 4 ballots uncounted due to Postal Service changes.

  • Jacobin Magazine ☛ Elites Always Say We Can’t Have Nice Things. They’re Wrong.

    All throughout American history, political and economic elites have insisted that better policies — ending child labor, establishing a weekend — were impossible to achieve. They were lying then, and they’re lying now.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • India Times ☛ Google, NBCUniversal reach agreement to keep shows on YouTube TV

    YouTube, which is also a unit of Alphabet, will also offer NBCUniversal's Peacock streaming service through its Primetime Channels, a marketplace where users can subscribe to third-party streaming services through the YouTube app.

  • The Verge ☛ Daniel Ek stepping down changes nothing for artists boycotting Spotify

    The Verge reached out to a number of artists and labels who had removed their music from Spotify, and it doesn’t sound like any of them plan to change their tune anytime soon. Part of this is due to the fact that Ek’s title change is little more than that. He will remain the executive chairman and, even in the announcement of Gustav Söderström and Alex Norström being named the new co-CEOs, Ek immediately undercut their authority, saying, “Gustav and Alex will continue to report to me … I will be more hands on than some of my U.S. peers who have a Chairman title.” When asked for clarification about how Ek’s role would change, Spotify declined to comment.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Idiomdrottning ☛ Our hard-earned dystopia

  I had a hard time getting along with the people around me (still do) so for me the digital world was a paradise. All positive. It wasn’t until Facebook won the internet that I wanted out. And heaven knows that I want out. I’ve been fighting to get out for a long time. First of October was my eight year anniversary without smart phone. A decade prior to that I spent one year without internet at home, only at work (and that, 2007, was before I got smartphone, which I got in fall of 2009 and had for eight years until fall of 2017).

  As I rail against The Internet, I have to remind myself that people wanted it. I wanted it. Yes, I didn’t want the Meta-owned Google-goopy AppStore-locked prison toy internet full of brownshirted redcaps but I shoulda coulda woulda seen the writing on the wall. The network effect is a helluva drug.

• Trademarks

  • Right of Publicity

    • David Mosher ☛ Sora 2 Bugs

      For those who haven’t been through it yet, when you onboard to Sora, it has you perform a rather sci-fi ritual. You read a sequence of numbers out loud while it captures an audio fingerprint—essentially training the model to understand the unique characteristics of your voice so it can synthesize it in generated videos. It does the same dance with your face, capturing a “likeness fingerprint.”