Leftovers

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Finally Solve 70-Year Mystery of Sun's 'Impossible Heat'

    "This discovery ends a protracted search."

  • Science Alert ☛ Strange Glass in Australia Reveals a Massive Impact We Never Knew About

    But where’s the crater?

  • Science Alert ☛ One Simple Japanese Eating Habit Is Linked to Lower Weight Gain

    Here’s how to try it.

  • Science Alert ☛ Zoning Out May Be Your Brain's Rinse Cycle, Study Finds

    Here's why that's not ideal.

  • Science Alert ☛ We Were Wrong About Fasting, Massive Review Finds

    What is fasting doing to your brain?

  • Science Alert ☛ There's a Surprisingly Simple Way to Stop Crying Over Your Onions

    Do try this at home.

  • Science Alert ☛ Eerie 'Skull' Appears in a Giant Volcanic Pit in The Sahara

    Nightmarish.

  • Science Alert ☛ The Early Universe Let Black Holes Break The Rules, Briefly

    A new clue to their growth emerges.

  • Science Alert ☛ Should Bacon Come With a Cancer Warning?

    The message from researchers is clear.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Rare Genetic Condition Can Turn Healthy Foods Dangerous

    Many adults go undiagnosed for years.

• Career/Education

  • The Straits Times ☛ Bullies need not apply: South Korean university applicants rejected for school violence records

    All South Korean universities will be required to factor such records into admissions from 2026.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ The Headache Of Fake 74LS Logic Chips

    When you go on your favorite cheap online shopping platform and order a batch of  74LS logic ICs, what do you get? Most likely relabeled 74HC ICs, if the results of an AliExpress order by [More Fun Fixing It] on YouTube are anything to judge by. Despite the claims made by the somewhat suspect markings on the ICs, even the cheap component tester used immediately identified them as 74HC parts.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Supermicro’s stock tumbles on weak earnings and mixed guidance

    Server maker Super Micro Computer Inc.’s stock took a nosedive in extended trading today after the company missed expectations with its first-quarter results. The company’s stock fell more than 9% after it reported earnings before certain costs such as stock compensation of 35 cents per share, trailing Wall Street’s 40-cent-per-share forecast.

  • The evolution of my remote office setup – 2025

    Blog post describing the evolution of my "remote office" set up in the last couple of years.

    [...]

    My remote office setup is now lighter, more USB-C oriented, more security oriented, and slightly better suited for working anywhere — with fewer packages, fewer cables, and new tools.

    To be honest, having three screens instead of two makes little difference for me, except in video conferences. If you’re happy with one external screen and tripod, you don’t need this upgrade unless three screens really help you, or you share any of my use cases.

    I get some of the ideas for my “remote office” set up from Reddit [1][2][3]. If you have any further suggestion or question, please let me know. I am always willing to learn from others. Please check my previous article about this topic for elements I do not talk about in this one. Most likely, they have not changed.

  • Dan Langille ☛ [Repeat] What will I do with those 2 x 1TB drives?

    During zfs: setting compression and adding new vdevs I replace 2x 1TB drives with 2x 4TB drives. This afternoon as I was taking laundry down to the basement, I realized: I have two unused drives in the host. Either I remove them or I repurpose them. I know I have 4x 1TB drives (two SSDs and two NVMe).

  • Hackaday ☛ Reproduced And Recovered: The First Chinese Keyboard-based MingKwai Typewriter

    We all know what a typewriter looks like, and how this has been translated directly into the modern day computer keyboard, or at least many of us think we do. Many cultures do not use a writing system like the Roman or Cyrillic-style alphabets, with the Chinese writing system probably posing the biggest challenge. During the rise of mechanical typewriters, Chinese versions looked massive, clumsy and slow as they had to manage so many different symbols. All of them, except for one prototype of the MingKwai, which a group of Chinese enthusiasts have recently built themselves using the patent drawings.

  • Hackaday ☛ 2025 Component Abuse Challenge: Weigh With A TL074

    The late and lamented [Bob Pease] was one of a select band of engineers, each of whose authority in the field of analogue integrated circuit design was at the peak of the art. So when he remarks on something in his books, it’s worth taking notice. It was just such an observation that caught the eye of [Trashtronic]; that the pressure on a precision op-amp from curing resin could be enough to change the device’s offset voltage. Could this property be used for something? The op-amp as a load cell was born!

  • Hackaday ☛ Print In Place Pump Pushes Limits Of Printing

    3D printing has taken off into the hands of almost anyone with a knack for wanting something quick and easy. No more messing around with machining or complex assembly. However, with the general hands-off nature of most 3D prints, what could be possible with a little more intervention during the printing process? [Ben] from Designed to Make represents this perfectly with an entire centrifugal pump printed as one.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Federal News Network ☛ A Supreme Court ruling challenges NIH’s authority, leaving public health research hanging in the balance

    "The court concluded in a really strong opinion that the directives that the agency had issued were unlawful, arbitrary and capricious," said Shalini Agarwal.

  • Latvia ☛ Hospitals in Latvia get extra €9 million to perform basic functions

    On Tuesday, 4 November, the Government allocated a total of €8.98 million to hospitals to ensure continuity of healthcare, based on the hospitals' data on healthcare services provided.

  • Latvia ☛ Initiative against abortion limits in Latvia collects 10,000 signatures

    Over 10,000 signatures have been collected on the platform "ManaBalss.lv" against the idea of compulsory pre-abortion counselling, allowing the initiative to be submitted to the parliament, LETA reports.

  • Futurism ☛ China Installs Oven in Space Station, Astronauts Use It to Enjoy Succulent Barbecue Feast

    Incredible things are happening in orbit.

  • Science Alert ☛ Memory Problems Are Surging in Adults Under 40, Large US Study Finds

    Rates have nearly doubled in a decade.

• Proprietary

  • Qt WebEngine Custom Server Certificates

    In this blog post, we’re having a look at how we added support for custom server certificates to Qt WebEngine. This way an application can talk to a server using a self-signed TLS certificate without adding it to the system-wide certificate store.

  • Chris ☛ AWS DynamoDB Outage Analysis

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Security Week ☛ Claude Hey Hi (AI) Hey Hi (AI) Can Be Abused for Data Exfiltration

      An attacker can inject indirect prompts to trick the model into harvesting user data and sending it to the attacker’s account.

    • New York Times ☛ The Editor Got a Letter From ‘Dr. B.S.’ So Did a Lot of Other Editors.

      The rise of artificial intelligence has produced serial writers to science and medical journals, most likely using chatbots to boost the number of citations they’ve published.

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ 2008 financial crisis prophet bets against the Hey Hi (AI) bubble with potential $1 billion payout — Michael Burry reveals put options on Nvidia and Palantir

      Big bets are being put on the imminent decline of several big Hey Hi (AI) industry players.

    • Futurism ☛ Character.AI Users in Full Meltdown After Minors Banned From Chats

      "I guess that's the end of C.AI."

    • Futurism ☛ Don’t Panic, But Hey Hi (AI) Stocks Are Suddenly Lurching Downward

      Investors are terrified of an Hey Hi (AI) bubble.

  • Social Control Media

    • Digital Music News ☛ TikTok to Launch First-Ever US Creator Awards In Anticipation of ‘TikTok USA’

      Rather than twiddling its proverbial thumbs waiting for the launch of “TikTok USA,” Fentanylware (CheeTok) announces its first-ever US Fentanylware (CheeTok) Awards show. While the White House promises “TikTok USA” is on its way, the short-form video platform is banking on keeping the lights on in the United States.

    • New York Times ☛ TikTok and Optimism: How Rob Jetten Won Over the Netherlands

      Sleek social control media posts and a shift rightward on immigration helped a center-left party win last week’s election. But can its leader, Mr. Jetten, form a government?

• Entrapment (Microsoft GitHub)

  • It's FOSS ☛ GitHub’s 2025 Report Reveals Some Surprising Developer Trends [Ed: Well, proprietary prison GitHub is a mouthpiece of Microsoft and it has a pulse on prisoners of Microsoft, not "Developer Trends"]

    630 million repositories and 36 million new developers mark Microsoft's proprietary prison GitHub's biggest year.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hongkongers may use facial recognition clearance at more mainland China checkpoints

      Hong Kong residents will be able to use facial recognition fast lanes to enter and exit mainland China starting this week, as the use of the technology is set to be expanded to more immigration checkpoints.

    • ACLU ☛ Digital Driver’s Licenses Threaten to Create a “Great Internet Lockdown”

      Imagine you wake up one day, turn on your computer or phone, and try to log in to a social control media site. You’re greeted by a message: “We need to confirm your identity. Click here to send us your digital ID.” You’d signed up for a digital driver’s license months ago to access your IRS tax information online — but why is this social control media asking for it?

    • Citizen Lab ☛ Canada Isn’t Doing Its Part to Stop Hey Hi (AI) Government Surveillance, Citizen Lab Director Says: Financial Post

      AI is becoming a buzzword among Canadian policymakers, but should there be more focus on regulation than innovation? In a new article, Citizen Lab director Ron Deibert speaks with the Financial Post about the risks of AI. Generative Hey Hi (AI) is transformational technology, but lack of oversight poses ethical risks.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Hackaday ☛ A Paintball Turret Controlled Via Xbox Controller

    Video games, movies, and modern militaries are all full of robotic gun turrets that allow for remotely-controlled carnage. [Paul Junkin] decided to build his own, albeit in a less-destructive paint-hurling fashion.

  • New York Times ☛ Drone Strike Kills Dozens of Mourners at Funeral in Sudan

    The attack occurred in North Kordofan, which has seen an increased military buildup as the army and paramilitary forces jockey for control of the country.

  • New York Times ☛ Latest U.S. Strike on Suspected Drug Boat Kills 2 in Pacific, Hegseth Says

    It was the 16th announced attack in two months and raised the death toll to at least 67 people in both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Colorado’s Attorney General sues Convicted Felon Administration over Space Command relocation

    The lawsuit also names Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Department of the Air Force and Air Force Secretary Troy Meink as plaintiffs.

  • NYPost ☛ Iraqi PM: Let us join in America’s peaceful prosperity — and help calm the Middle East

    For decades, security concerns shaped relations between Iraq and the United States almost exclusively.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Pentagon looks to get pulse of small businesses as CMMC looms

    The new cybersecurity compliance survey comes as the Pentagon's CMMC acquisition rule becomes effective Nov. 10, regardless of the government shutdown.

  • CS Monitor ☛ An international force in Gaza? Israelis struggle with outsourcing security.

    Israel has long prided itself on “going it alone” in a region largely hostile to its existence. But as nations seek an international force to preserve the fragile Gaza ceasefire, Israelis are grappling with the notion of trusting their security to others.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Can India modernise its air force fast enough amid regional threats?

    India has complex security challenges, including border troubles with neighbours China and Pakistan.

  • Bamako under siege: why Mali’s army is struggling to break the jihadist blockade of the capital

  • The Strategist ☛ Criminal code amendment strengthens defences against state-sponsored terrorism

    Australia has closed a critical gap in national security legislation to ensure the government can designate foreign state entities as sponsors of terrorism and criminalise support for them.

  • New York Times ☛ Kim Yong-nam, Longtime Ceremonial Head of North Korea, Dead at 97

    In a country where political purges are frequent, Mr. Kim was a notable exception and served three generations of its dynastic rulers.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea says former ceremonial head of state Kim Yong Nam has died aged 97

    North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Mr Kim Yong Nam’s bier to express condolences early on Nov 4.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea says North Korea fired artillery rockets during Pete Hegseth visit

    Pyongyang also fired similar weapons minutes before the South Korean President held talks with Chinese leader Pooh-tin Jinping.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s spy agency sees chance of US-North Korea summit, lawmaker says

    Pyongyang may pursue a meeting after March 2026.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Japan PM Takaichi’s summit proposal gets no reply from North Korea

    The two countries have no official diplomatic ties.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan says China has added conditions to its attendance at Apec summit

    Taipei said Beijing has gone back on a commitment to allow “equal” participation.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China dismisses Taiwan safety concerns about hosting Apec in 2026

    It says Taiwan’s participation rests on its compliance with established practice and the “one China” principle.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China urges US to avoid ‘red lines’ after reaching trade truce

    Taiwan, democracy and human rights, China’s political system, and development rights are Beijing’s four red lines.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Head of Unification Church temporarily freed from South Korean jail

    Han Hak-ja, the leader of the Unification Church, was temporarily released on Tuesday from a South Korean jail on medical grounds after a court ruling, a court spokesperson and a church official said.

  • Scoop News Group ☛ North Korean companies, people sanctioned for money laundering from cybercrime, IT worker schemes

    The Treasury Department on Tuesday sanctioned eight people and two companies it accused of laundering money obtained from cybercrime and IT worker schemes to fund North Korean government objectives. According to the department, over the last three years North Korea-linked cybercriminals have stolen over $3 billion, mostly in cryptocurrency.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Seoul cafe removes ‘No Chinese’ Instagram bio after human rights probe

    The post sparked heated debates over racism and anti-China sentiment days before the Apec summit.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s Wang Yi slams Germany’s ‘microphone diplomacy’

    Mr Wang said the “one China” principle was the most important political foundation of China-Germany relations.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man tries old tactic with China on fentanyl – a new ‘working group’

    The deal revives a communications channel embraced by China, but long derided by Republican lawmakers.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China issues death sentences to 5 members of Myanmar gang

    Their activities included telecom fraud, operating gambling dens and intentional homicide, a report said.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China issues death sentences to 5 members of Myanmar criminal gang

    China sentenced five people to death on Tuesday for their involvement in a violent criminal gang with fraud operations in Myanmar’s Kokang region along the border, state media reported.

  • The Straits Times ☛ India ramps up support after Afghan quake, vying with China for influence

    India has shipped 15 tonnes of food to quake-struck Afghanistan and pledged more support.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Galicia advocates for “networked deterrence” to counter China in the Indo-Pacific

    On September 23, Scowcroft Center program assistant Bailey Galicia published an article with the Irregular Warfare Initiative titled, “Austronesian Identity as ‘Networked Deterrence’ in the Indo-Pacific.” He explores the potential of leveraging shared cultural identity in the Indo-Pacific to counter Chinese gray zone actions.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Report: Convicted Felon administration is planning a manned mission to fight cartels in Mexico

    The US has detailed plans " to send American troops and intelligence officers into Mexico to target drug cartels," NBC reported this week.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Seeks Two-Year U.N. Mandate for Gaza Stabilization Force

    A draft Security Council resolution said that an international force would ensure that Gaza be demilitarized, though specifics were unclear.

  • JURIST ☛ Ongoing killings and rights violations in Tanzania sparks international alarm

    Amnesty International reported Monday that the Tanzanian government has shut down internet access and electric power, suppressing attempts to gather information about nationwide unrest following its October 29 elections.

  • France24 ☛ Tanzania elections: HRW fears over 1,000 killed in post-election crackdown

    In Tanzania, authorities face mounting concern over killings during crackdown on protests following last week's election. The opposition claims that security forces are now secretly dumping bodies. Also, the U.S. says it’s “very engaged” in Sudan ceasefire talks as fears grow of humanitarian collapse across Darfur. Plus a community of artists in Kenya aims to help young people discover a creative future. The Wajukuu Art Project focuses on the intersection of art and community empowerment.

  • Jihadists have blockaded Mali’s capital – what’s at stake

    A coalition of jihadist groups affiliated with al-Qaida have laid siege to landlocked Mali’s capital.

  • Defence relations between France and Kenya cemented

    Kenya and France last week committed to defence co-operation by way of an agreement signed at Kenya Defence Forces’ headquarters [...]

  • France24 ☛ The political legacy of Dick Cheney, former US vice president

    Dick Cheney, the 46th vice president of the United States under President George W. Bush, died at 84. He was a central figure behind the 'war on terror' and the US invasion of Iraq. With a political career spanning five decades, he reshaped the role of the vice presidency and left a lasting mark on American foreign and security policy. FRANCE 24’s Angela Diffley reviews his career and analyses the legacy of this influential and often controversial statesman.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ A next-generation agenda: South Korea-US-Australia security cooperation

    Growing collaboration and cooperation between the United States, South Korea, and Australia could be key to maintaining security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. The Atlantic Council and the Korea Foundation gathered rising experts from the United States, South Korea, and Australia to identify obstacles to that cooperation and opportunities to overcome them.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ The Millennium Challenge Corporation is needed for peace in the Great Lakes Region—and US mineral security

    The Forrest Dump administration must back its diplomacy by demonstrating the United States' willingness to turn fragile deals into local development.

  • The Strategist ☛ Australia can’t ignore security and economic costs of not having civil defence

    Australia’s escalating geostrategic threats demand more than military might. They require a resilient, united and proactive civil defence framework.

  • The Strategist ☛ US and Australia deepen critical-minerals engagement to counter China

    Engagement between Australia and the United States on critical minerals has matured from technical cooperation into a strategic partnership, aligning resource security with clean energy and defence priorities.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Meduza ☛ How Putin beat Russia’s nationalists at their own game: Also, RFE/RL finds new evidence that the Kremlin lies about the president’s office work. — Meduza

    • Latvia ☛ Latvia still welcomes Ukrainian refugees every month

      Around 500-600 war refugees from Ukraine are still arriving in Latvia every month and will continue to receive first-time support, but the overall support programme is being reviewed for the next few years, Dace Meilija, representative of "I Want to Help Refugees" and UN Refugee Agency Latvia representative, told Latvian Radio in an interview on 4 November.

    • Latvia ☛ 65-car convoy on its way from Latvia to Ukraine

      A 65-car convoy is on its way to the Ukrainian front. They were jointly donated by Latvenergo and Sadales tīkls. This is the second time this year that such a large number of vehicles has been delivered to Ukraine, Latvian Television reported on 3 November.

    • NYPost ☛ Russia slaughters elderly Ukrainians and dog toting white flag in horrific drone attack

      The two civilians carried with them a white flag indicating that they were not combatants – meaning that killing them could be considered a war crime.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man has an opportunity to unblock Ukraine’s EU accession in his meeting with Orbán

      Getting Hungary to drop its opposition to Ukraine’s European Union accession would be a strategic coup for Ukraine, Europe, and Washington.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ EU praises Ukraine’s progress but warns Zelenskyy over corruption

      Ukraine’s bid to join the EU received a boost this week with the release of a report praising the country’s progress toward future membership, but EU officials also warned President Zelenskyy about the dangers of backsliding on anti-corruption reforms, writes Peter Dickinson.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Facing the threat of US strikes, Maduro has requested Russia’s help. He shouldn’t expect much.

      Focused on its war against Ukraine and struggling with the effects of Western sanctions, the Kremlin is unlikely to provide significant assistance to the Maduro regime.

    • France24 ☛ Ukraine: Battle for key city of Pokrovsk rages on

      Russian and Ukrainian forces clashed on Tuesday in Pokrovsk, a key transport and logistics hub in eastern Ukraine that Moscow has sought to capture for over a year. Ukraine reported heavy fighting in areas crucial for frontline logistics, sending reinforcements and additional equipment. Meanwhile, Russia claimed to have cleared 35 buildings of Ukrainian troops and said it was pressuring surrounded forces near Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region.

    • RFERL ☛ EU Calls Georgia Candidate 'In Name Only' After Backsliding On Reforms

      The European Commission has issued a damning assessment of Georgia's progress toward joining the European Union, accusing it of "serious democratic backsliding" that has left the Caucasus nation as a candidate for membership "in name only."

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine Strikes Petrochemical Plant Deep Inside Russia Amid Escalating Long-Range Attacks

      Ukrainian drones struck a petrochemical plant almost 1,500 km (932 miles) inside Russia early on November 4 as Kyiv continues to step up long-range air strikes aimed at key Russian infrastructure.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine Strikes Petrochemical Plant Deep Inside Russia As Battle For Pokrovsk Rages

      Ukrainian drones struck a petrochemical plant almost 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) inside Russia early on November 4 while the battle for the key Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk continued amid contradicting official statements by Moscow and Kyiv.

    • CS Monitor ☛ To ‘Defending Ukraine’ curriculum, high schools add ‘How to fly a drone’

      Ukraine’s prewar “Defending Ukraine” course featured marching and wooden guns. The new curriculum includes hands-on work with first aid, radios, and drones.

    • Meduza ☛ How many soldiers have Russia and Ukraine lost? And how do their armies compare? Meduza’s military analysts answer readers’ biggest questions about the war (part 3) — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine Moves to Revamp Military Service

      The country will introduce fixed-term military contracts to try to attract recruits and ease the strain on soldiers after years of fighting.

    • LRT ☛ With border closed, travellers seek detours to Belarus

      Following the closure of Lithuania’s remaining border crossings with Belarus, direct bus routes from Lithuania to the neighbouring country have been suspended. However, some companies are now offering long detour routes, including a 46-hour bus journey to Minsk via Latvia, Estonia and Russia, costing just over €100 one way.

    • The Straits Times ☛ China, Russia vow joint response to ‘unilateral’ sanctions during Russian PM’s visit

      They stressed the need to “prevent some country from abusing their monopoly“.

    • The Straits Times ☛ China’s Pooh-tin seeks to boost investment, expand economic ties with Russia

      Both countries agreed to “strengthen cooperation in all spheres and respond appropriately to external challenges".

    • ADF ☛ Ugandans Fear Russian Traffic Monitoring System is a Tool for Spying

      At Uganda’s border crossings with Kenya and Tanzania, every vehicle entering the country gets fitted with a new license plate that lets the government track it and monitor the driver’s activity.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Cynical and completely reckless’: Latvia has the highest femicide rate in Europe — including Russia. Its parliament just voted to exit a treaty protecting women from violence. — Meduza

    • LRT ☛ Vilnius airspace closures revive idea to build new mega airport?

      Vilnius Airport lies just 30 kilometres from the Belarusian border. Over the past two weeks, it has been forced to close five times due to smuggling balloons launched from Belarus, which has revived ideas for building a new, mega airport deeper inside the country.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ Hong Kong logs warmest October on record

    It is due to “a stronger than normal upper-air anticyclone covering southern China”, the weatherman said.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong logs hottest October for second consecutive year

    Hong Kong has logged the hottest October for the second consecutive year, with the average temperature reaching a new high since records began in 1884.

  • New York Times ☛ Amazon Oil Drilling Undermines Brazil’s Climate Credibility Before COP30

    Brazil, which is hosting the 30th U.N. Climate Change Conference this month, wants to show the world it is a leader in safeguarding the planet. Its record tells a more complicated story.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • CNX Software ☛ This battery-powered NB-IoT/LTE-M industrial data logger is designed to run for years

      NORVI EC-M12-BC-C6-C-A (or EC-M12 for shorts) is a battery-powered cellular IoT industrial data logger offering NB-IoT and LTE-M connectivity, 2G fallback, two 4-20mA sensor inputs, an RS485 interface, and two 3.6V/19,000mAh non-rechargeable Lithium batteries for up to 5-7 years of operation. The IP67-rated data logger is built around a low-power STM32L072 Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller, and features a SIM7070 cellular IoT modem, a microSD card slot for data storage, and a single 8-pin M8 connector carrying analog input and RS485 signals.

    • Hackaday ☛ Lithium-Ion Batteries: WHY They Demand Respect

      This summer, we saw the WHY (What Hackers Yearn) event happen in Netherlands, of course, with a badge to match. Many badges these days embrace the QWERTY computer aesthetic, which I’m personally genuinely happy about. This one used 18650 batteries for power, in a dual parallel cell configuration… Oh snap, that’s my favourite LiIon cell in my favourite configuration, too! Surely, nothing bad could happen?

    • Hackaday ☛ Rocket Roll Control, The Old Fashioned Way

      The vast majority of model rockets go vaguely up and float vaguely downwards without a lot of control. However, [newaysfactory] built a few rockets that were altogether more precise in their flight, thanks to his efforts to master active roll control.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • NYPost ☛ 2nd monkey that escaped from overturned truck gunned down in Mississippi, 1 more still on the loose

      The Jasper County Sheriff's Department originally warned locals that the monkeys were all infected with COVID, hepatitis C, and herpes, which wasn't true.

• Finance

  • France24 ☛ France: 2026 budget bill debate continues

    French left-wing parties boycotted a budget meeting, demanding stronger tax justice measures. Without their support, the bill faces hurdles, while MPs reinstated an expatriation tax and debate on the Social Security Financing Bill continues ahead of the November 23 deadline.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Federal workers stock food banks, as judges intervene on SNAP benefits

    The food drive comes as some federal employees who have missed one full paycheck and a partial paycheck during the shutdown are tightening their belts.

  • WhichUK ☛ Big banks fail to keep up with rates from lesser-known savings providers

    Latest Which? research reveals the top savings providers are digital banks and building societies

  • France24 ☛ Food banks struggle as government shutdown enters 35th day

    As the US government shutdown enters its 35th day, food banks across the country are facing growing strain. With federal support delayed, many organizations are struggling to meet the rising demand from families relying on emergency food assistance. Volunteers and local communities are stepping in, but experts warn that prolonged closures could push more Americans into food insecurity.

  • France24 ☛ France's struggle to pass a budget is 'the failure of Macron's second mandate', analyst says

    Debates on France’s state budget continued on Tuesday, with the health budget at the centre of discussions—a sensitive issue as the government seeks to make savings while maintaining access to healthcare. The executive remains in a precarious situation: without a majority in the National Assembly, it risks failing to pass the budget before the end of the year. We speak with Renaud Foucart, Senior Lecturer in Economics at Lancaster University.

  • WhichUK ☛ Scam watch: 'A very convincing banking scam - except I don't bank there'

    Fraudsters' mundane email could lull victims into sharing their login details

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia defends US trade deal as concerns grow over sovereignty

    Malaysia has the unilateral right to end the trade agreement at any time, the Attorney-General’s Chambers said.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China launches import promotions to address imbalance concerns

    The nation's exports to other countries have soared in 2025 as shipments to the US have slumped.

  • Breach Media ☛ The corporate blueprint behind the eviction of Ottawa’s most diverse neighbourhood

    Behind Heron Gate’s destruction lies a broader shift in Canada’s housing system—financial firms, pension funds, and private equity investors have transformed rental housing into a speculative asset class, driving up rents and displacing racialized tenants

  • Green Party UK ☛ Zack Polanski responds to Rachel Reeves pre-budget speech

    Responding to Rachel Reeves speech this morning in which she said she will make the ‘necessary choices’ in the budget, Green Party leader Zack Polanski said: “Rachel Reeves breakfast time speech will have left millions spitting out their cornflakes as this was clearly looking to prepare the nation for tax rises.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Federal News Network ☛ Shutdown staffing shortages strain some Social Security offices, air traffic controllers

    An SSA spokesperson said two field offices were closed Monday, "due to limited staffing," and that one of them reopened for normal operations on Tuesday.

  • Latvia ☛ Prison administration official accused in child porn case

    The Internal Security Bureau (IDB) proposes to prosecute an official of the Prison Administration for circulation of pornographic material, fornication and sexual activity with a person under 16 years of age. The official is currently in custody, the IDB said.

  • New Yorker ☛ Restoring America’s Strong American Future by Eradicating Its Un-American Past

    Once this policy is enacted, it will be illegal for Americans to retain any mental impression longer than that little haptic buzz you get when you use Fashion Company Apple Pay.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • Citizen Lab ☛ Prison Break – Israeli Disinfo Operations: New Episode on the Iran Podcast

      Citizen Lab senior researcher Alberto Fittarelli speaks with Negar Mortazavi, host of The Iran Podcast, about Israel-linked influence operations pushing for regime change in Iran. Fittarelli explains how an artificial network of users on X amplified calls for unrest, sometimes with the aid of AI-generated images and videos.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian police confirm rapper Namewee detained over Taiwanese influencer’s death

    Police earlier said the singer had gone missing, shortly after Ms Iris Hsieh’s death was reclassified as murder.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia police to make arrest soon in Taiwanese influencer murder probe

    The suspect believed to have been last seen with the victim will be called in to assist in investigations.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘I will not run’: Malaysian rapper Namewee reports to police over Taiwanese influencer’s death

    Police earlier said the singer, who said he was in Johor Bahru, had went missing.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ UK university caved to China pressure over Xinjiang forced labour research, professor says

    A UK university halted research into forced labour in China following pressure from Beijing, a professor who has spearheaded the work and successfully fought the move said Monday.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • JURIST ☛ Illinois advocates sue federal authorities over ‘inhumane’ conditions at ICE facility

    Advocacy groups in Illinois filed a class action lawsuit against US federal authorities on Friday over “inhumane” conditions at a Chicago-area federal immigration facility, claiming violations of detainees’ constitutional rights as well as federal regulations.

  • JURIST ☛ Judge dismisses Texas bid to enforce abortion judgment against New York doctor

    A New York judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit by Texas that sought to enforce a six-figure civil judgment against a physician for unlawfully prescribing an abortion medication to a patient in the state.

  • New York Times ☛ A Big Moment for Women in India

    My colleague Mujib Mashal writes about how a huge victory on the cricket ground could change the lives of women and girls.

  • Citizen Lab ☛ Ron Deibert Awarded SFU’s 2025 Sterling Prize in Support of Controversy

    Citizen Lab director Ron Deibert is the recipient of the 2025 Sterling Prize in Support of Controversy by Simon Fraser University (SFU). The award recognizes his ongoing work at the intersection of global security, digital technologies, and human rights.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • dwaves.de ☛ CEO destroying eBay on purpose? look at the most fucked up GUI a user can imagine

    the user thought the left menu of wordpress was massive? the user thought the menus of GIMP and Photoshop were way too much?

  • APNIC ☛ Circuit design and active/active considerations: Part 1 — Network edge design

    Guest Post: Path diversity, ASN filtering, and resiliance are all important condsiderations when designing your network edge. What else should you be thinking about?

  • AccessNow ☛ #KeepItOn: Authorities in Nigeria must reconnect people in Zamfara North now

    Access Now and the global #KeepItOn coalition are dismayed by reports of ongoing internet disruptions in Nigeria’s Zamfara North and demand that authorities immediately restore access across the senatorial district. 

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Director Squires Denies 13 IPRs With No Explanation: A New Era of Opacity

    On October 31, 2025, USPTO Director John Squires issued a one-page Notice of Decisions on Institution denying institution in thirteen pending inter partes review proceedings without a single word of explanation. The notice, signed solely by Squires, lists only the IPR docket numbers and concludes: "Petitions are denied, and no trial is instituted," citing 35 U.S.C. § 314(a). No panel composition, no reasoning, no indication of PTAB participation appears on the face of the order, which denied institution petitions filed by Apple, Snap, Amazon, AT&T, and others.

  • Unified Patents ☛ Defensive Alliance to Shield Hey Hi (AI) Companies from Patent Troll Litigation

    Unified Patents is happy to launch the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Zone. This new Zone will deter patent monopoly abuse and bring together a large and growing network of members to address non-practicing entities that assert vague software patents.

    The Zone combines ex parte reexamination challenges, litigation trend monitoring, ownership intelligence, prior‑art workflows, and USPTO challenges to change trolls’ cost–benefit calculus across Hey Hi (AI) domains.

    Members gain access to shared data on litigation trends, patent monopoly ownership changes, and aggressive actors in the Hey Hi (AI) patent monopoly space. As part of the AI Zone, Unified Patents has developed the first-ever GenAI patent monopoly landscape. 

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ AMD hit with lawsuit over hybrid bonding tech behind potent 3D V-Cache — Adeia claims company's gaming chip infringes 10 of its patents

    Adeia has filed a pair of patent monopoly infringement lawsuits against AMD in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, accusing the chipmaker of using its hybrid bonding and advanced node technologies without permission.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Secret Springing Prior Art and Joint Research: Lessons from Merck v. Hopewell

    Merck v. Hopewell clarifies when a collaborator's patent monopoly is prior art "by another," and why modern joint research agreements avoid these problems.

  • Unified Patents ☛ Unified Patents Approved for Proprietary Chaffbot Company Zero Data Retention; Equivalent Zero-Retention Configuration Confirmed for Gemini

    Unified Patents, LLC secured approval from OpenAI for Zero Data Retention (ZDR) following an individual review process. ZDR removes OpenAI’s standard API log retention for our approved use cases. In parallel, our Gemini integrations on Surveillance Giant Google Cloud are configured for an equivalent zero-retention posture, including disabling context caching and avoiding features that store prompts or responses.

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ German market in turmoil [Ed: They should instead mention UPC is illegal and is causing turmoil]

      Since its launch more than two years ago, the Unified Patent Court has developed into a significant forum for patent monopoly disputes in Europe.

    • JUVE ☛ EPO and UPC align in decision to uphold Edwards Lifesciences’ heart valve patent [Ed: Corrupt patent office on cocaine agrees with illegal court controlled by corporations]

      The EPO’s Opposition Division has upheld Edwards Lifesciences’ EP 4 151 181 in amended form, following a recent decision by the UPC. In a preliminary opinion, the EPO had previously acknowledged the novelty of claim 1.

  • Software Patents

    • Digital Music News ☛ Ticketmaster Faces Patent Infringement Lawsuit Over Rotating Barcode Technology

      A new lawsuit alleges that Ticketmaster’s SafeTix mobile ticketing platform’s rotating barcode technology infringes on another company’s patent. Ticketmaster is the focus of a new lawsuit alleging that the company’s mobile ticketing platform SafeTix copies patented rotating barcode technology.

    • JUVE ☛ InterDigital and Arnold Ruess win injunction against Disney [Ed: EPO granted software patents, illegally, as usual]

      According to a press release from InterDigital, the Munich Regional Court issued a decision on the merits, banning Disney from infringing EP 1 905 233 (case ID: 7 O 1297/25). InterDigital’s patent monopoly enables a method for dynamically overlaying a first video stream with a second video stream comprising, for example, subtitles.

    • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Final But Not Final: Federal Circuit Rejects PornHub Litigation Request

      Federal Circuit denies Pornhub parent's mandamus petition seeking EPR stay, while district court limits prejudicial references to adult business.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ Which of These Three Section 2(d) Refusals Was/Were Reversed?

    The TTAB affirmance rate for Section 2(d) appeals last year fell just under 90%. So far this year it's back to 90%. Here are three recent Board decisions, at least one of which reversed the refusal. How do you think they came out? [Answer in first comment].

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ Artist-Led Class Action Against Spotify Claims ‘Mass-Scale Fraud’ Involving ‘Billions’ of Drake Streams

    A class action lawsuit against Spotify alleges the company has ignored “mass-scale” fraudulent streams of Drake’s catalog. Spotify faces a new class action lawsuit that alleges the company has “turned a blind eye” to “mass-scale fraudulent streaming” on its platform.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Consumer Class Action Filed Against StubHub Over ‘FanProtect Guarantee’

    A Taylor Swift fan leads a class action lawsuit against StubHub over its “FanProtect Guarantee,” which the company allegedly refuses to honor.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Federal Judge Tosses $107 Million Death Row Records Lawsuit Against Snoop Dogg, Lucian Grainge, Jimmy Iovine, and Others

    Universal Music head Lucian Grainge, Snoop Dogg, Jimmy Iovine, and others are off the hook in the $107 million Death Row Records lawsuit filed against them by Lydia Harris.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Oasis Praises Victoria’s Strict Anti-Scalping Laws While on Tour in Oz — “We Can Stop Large-Scale Scalping In Its Tracks”

    Oasis applauds Victoria for its strict anti-scalping laws that shut ‘bad actors’ (i.e., Viagogo) out of its three sold-out Melbourne shows. British pop duo Oasis has praised Victoria for its efforts to crack down on scalpers, effectively shutting them out of the band’s three sold-out shows at Docklands near Melbourne.

  • Public Domain Review ☛ Perverse, Grotesque, Sensuous, Inimitable: A Selection of Works by Aubrey Beardsley

    Selections from an artist whose phantasmagoric works defined an era.

  • Mixed UK High Court Ruling Fails to Answer Fundamental Questions of Hey Hi (AI) Copyright Infringement

    Today, Mrs Justice Joanna Smith DBE of the United Kingdom’s High Court of Justice issued a highly awaited ruling in Getty Images (US) Inc. v. Stability Hey Hi (AI) Ltd., a case which was expected to have major implications in determining liability for generative artificial intelligence (AI) developers under UK intellectual property law.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Getty vs Stability Hey Hi (AI) ruling is ‘damp squib’ that fails to create precedent

    Getty parallel case against Stability Hey Hi (AI) in the US continues.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Suno Faces Yet Another Copyright Suit — Denmark’s Koda Sues Over Allegedly Unauthorized Training, Infringing Outputs, and More

    Suno is facing yet another copyright monopoly complaint – this time from Denmark’s Koda, which has accused the Hey Hi (AI) music generator of infringing on its members’ works in training as well as outputs.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ UK court mostly sides with Stability Hey Hi (AI) in Hey Hi (AI) copyright monopoly lawsuit

    A U.K. court has mostly sided with Stability Hey Hi (AI) Ltd. in a case that focused on the startup’s use of copyrighted images to train artificial intelligence models. The High Court of Justice issued the ruling today. London-based Stability Hey Hi (AI) is an Hey Hi (AI) model developer backed by more than $170 million in funding.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Who’s suing Hey Hi (AI) and who’s signing: Getty signs with Perplexity, Penske Media sues Surveillance Giant Google over Hey Hi (AI) Overviews

    Plus: Ziff Davis sues Proprietary Chaffbot Company while The Washington Post signs.

  • Licensing / Legal

    • Society for Scholarly Publishing ☛ Can a CC License Constrain Fair Use or Other Copyright Limitations or Exemptions?

      Creative Commons (CC) licenses have become the lingua franca of sharing in the digital age. From research articles to photographs to slide decks to learning objects, they are the scaffolding of an open culture that invites reuse, remixing, and redistribution. Their icons — those familiar CC circles — signal permission and generosity, the optimism of a democratizing Internet where information flows freely for the benefit of all.

      Yet, for all their ubiquity, CC licenses are also misunderstood. The very utility that makes them powerful — their ability to simplify and pre-authorize use — can obscure a key fact: a CC license can only grant rights that users otherwise would not have. It cannot restrict what is already allowed under fair use, right of first sale, or other copyright exceptions or limitations. Increasingly, it seems this distinction is being lost in public and academic discussions of open access, particularly in debates over the use of scholarly materials to train large language models (LLMs).