Leftovers

• Science

  • New York Times ☛ NASA Will Bring I.S.S. Astronauts Home Early After Medical Issue

    After canceling a spacewalk planned for Thursday, the space agency’s administrator said it was erring on the side of caution and bringing a crew of four home in the coming days.

  • New York Times ☛ Dogs Build Their Vocabularies Like Toddlers

    Eavesdropping on their owners seems to help some toy-crazy and talented pups learn more words.

  • Futurism ☛ Chinese Moon Astronauts Emerge From Month-Long Journey Into Deep Cave

    "In that kind of darkness, the mental pressure is overwhelming."

  • Science Alert ☛ Watch a Supernova's Expansion Over 25 Years in Dramatic NASA Timelapse

    This is pretty special.

  • Science Alert ☛ NASA Evacuating ISS Crew After Unprecedented Medical Situation

    It's the first time we've seen this happen.

• Career/Education

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong independent bookseller pleads not guilty to charges over running ‘unregistered school’

    Hong Kong independent bookseller Pong Yat-ming has pleaded not guilty to five charges alleging that he ran an “unregistered school” at his Book Punch bookstore.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ The Time Clock Has Stood The Test Of Time

    No matter the item on my list of childhood occupational dreams, one constant ran throughout: I saw myself using an old-fashioned punch clock with the longish time cards and everything. I now realize that I have some trouble with the daily transitions of life. In my childish wisdom, I somehow knew that doing this one thing would be enough to signify the beginning and end of work for the day, effectively putting me in the mood, and then pulling me back out of it.

  • CNX Software ☛ Nordic Semi nRF54LM20B wireless SoC integrates 128 MHz Axon NPU for Edge Hey Hi (AI) workloads

    Nordic Semi nRF54ML20B Arm Cortex-M33 wireless SoC is the first nRF54L microcontroller to integrate the ultra-efficient Axon Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for edge Hey Hi (AI) workloads. The NPU is said to deliver up to 7 times faster performance and up to 8 times higher energy efficiency versus (unnamed) competing wireless solutions for tasks such as sound classification, keyword spotting, and image-based detection. The Axon NPU is also about 15x faster compared to using the Cortex-M33 CPU for the same task.

  • Hackaday ☛ Repairing Brittle Plastic Retro Computer Cases

    As computers like the venerable breadbox Commodore 64 age, their plastic doesn’t just turn increasing shades of yellow and brown, the ABS plastic also tends to get brittle. This is a problem that seems to plague many plastic cases and enclosures, but fortunately there are some ways to halt or even reverse the heavy toll of time, with the [More Fun Making It] YouTube channel exploring a number of methods, including UV-curable resin, PETG 3D-printed clips and silicone molds.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • The Straits Times ☛ Thai FDA seeks to tighten controls on GLP-1 ‘slimming pens’, proposing special controlled-drug status

    The move will limit sales to pharmacies with a doctor’s prescription amid misuse online.

  • Science Alert ☛ Stopping GLP-1 Drugs Triggers Weight Regain 4x Faster Than Ending Exercise

    It's not a cure.

  • Science Alert ☛ Major Studies Link Food Preservatives to Higher Risk of Cancer And Diabetes

    "The message for the general public is to choose the least processed foods."

  • New York Times ☛ The Rise of the Self-Serve Blood Test

    The start-up Function will send practically anyone to a lab for extensive medical testing, no physical required. Is that a good thing?

  • MIT Technology Review ☛ America’s new dietary guidelines ignore decades of scientific research

    The new year has barely begun, but the first days of 2026 have brought big news for health. On Monday, the US’s federal health agency upended its recommendations for routine childhood vaccinations—a move that health associations worry puts children at unnecessary risk of preventable disease.

  • France24 ☛ NASA ends ISS mission early after astronaut suffers medical issue

    NASA said on Thursday it will return a crew from the International Space Station to Earth within days after an astronaut experienced a medical issue, marking the orbital lab’s first evacuation for health reasons. The agency said the unidentified crewmember is stable and the condition was not caused by an onboard injury or station operations.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • New York Times ☛ Google and Character.AI to Settle Lawsuit Over Teenager’s Death

      The settlement came in the case of a 14-year-old in Florida who had killed himself after developing a relationship with an Hey Hi (AI) chatbot.

    • Science Alert ☛ AI Faces Fool Most of Us, But 5 Minutes of Training May Help You Spot Fakes

      Can you pick the real faces here?

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • SANS ☛ A phishing campaign with QR codes rendered using an HTML table, (Wed, Jan 7th)

      Malicious use of QR codes has long been ubiquitous, both in the real world as well as in electronic communication. This is hardly surprising given that a scan of a QR code can lead one to a phishing page as easily as clicking a link in an e-mail.

    • New York Times ☛ Why Cambodia Handed Over a Man Accused of Stealing Billions in Crypto Scam

      Experts say the scam industry has become a pillar of Cambodia’s economy, but it is under pressure from other countries to crack down.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Why Cambodia handed over Chen Zhi, accused of billion-dollar crypto scam, to China

      It is a sign that Cambodia is starting to yield to pressure from China to take action against cyberscammers.

    • Site36 ☛ German “Kommando Angry Birds” claims responsibility for serious attack attempt and calls for sabotage network

      A serious attack attempt on a transformer station in the German city Erkrath became known this week through a claim of responsibility on Indymedia. An accompanying manual calls for the establishment of a sabotage network.

    • Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

      • The Verge ☛ The Trump phone just missed another release date

        When we started writing about Trump Mobile regularly, it all began with a simple post pointing out that the company’s T1 Phone had missed its original release date. Now, three months later, it’s missed another one.

        When it was announced in June, the Trump phone was promised to launch in both August and September (one of the many impossible details in the launch announcement). At some point that was updated on the Trump Mobile site to instead say “later this year.”

        That was last year.

      • Techdirt ☛ ‘Trump Phone’ Delayed Again, Lazy Grifters Falsely Blame Government Shutdown

        The phone, had it actually become available, appears to just be a sloppy reskin of a much cheaper sub-$200 phone produced in China; ironic coming from the MAGA folks who’ve spent the last decade whining about the national security threats posed by Chinese companies like Huawei and TikTok. The delays are also quite likely caused by either rank incompetence or the pointless tariffs, which they obviously can’t admit.

      • Krebs On Security ☛ Who Benefited from the Aisuru and Kimwolf Botnets?

        Our first story of 2026 revealed how a destructive new botnet called Kimwolf has infected more than two million devices by mass-compromising a vast number of unofficial Android TV streaming boxes. Today, we’ll dig through digital clues left behind by the hackers, network operators and services that appear to have benefitted from Kimwolf’s spread.

      • [Repeat] Futurism ☛ Trump's Golden Smartphone Is Getting Sketchier and Sketchier

        But despite promising that the phone would be released in 2025, the company was seemingly caught off guard by the dawn of a new year, with the Financial Times reporting on December 31 that Trump Mobile was delaying the launch of the handheld, dubbed T1, blaming the government shutdown. (How exactly the shutdown impacted the private business remains unclear.)

• Defence/Aggression

  • New York Times ☛ Families of Slain Idaho Students Sue the University the Killer Attended

    A new lawsuit claims that Washington State University, where Bryan Kohberger was a Ph.D. student, failed to take decisive action on earlier complaints that he was stalking women.

  • France24 ☛ Israeli strikes kill at least 13 in Gaza, including children, civil defence says

    Israel strikes in Gaza on Thursday killed at least 13 people, including five children, the Hamas-run civil defence agency said, despite a ceasefire that has largely halted fighting. A drone hit a tent for displaced people in the south, killing four, while separate strikes killed others across the Gaza Strip.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Venezuelans wanted change, but post-US strike they worry it’s ‘more of the same’

    Euphoria often follows the fall of an unpopular leader. But in Venezuela, residents are unsure what the political rupture means.

  • France24 ☛ No call for reform: Amid nationwide protests, do Iranians envision new regime in free secular Iran?

    As Iran's nationwide protests increase the pressure on the Islamic regime and the Ayatollah Khamenei, Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome Dr. Ammar Maleki, Director/Founder of GAMAAN research foundation and Professor of Political Science at Tilburg University. Dr. Maleki breaks down the protests in Iran into a broader sociopolitical and historical context: Widespread public dissatisfaction linked to decades of brutal repression, multiple economic crises and a faltering regime severely weakened regionally and globally.

  • The Strategist ☛ Maduro seizure: implications for US allies and China

    The United States’ capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro raises issues for us and other US allies. To start, we need to get a few things straight, including the point that the operation was a ...

  • The Strategist ☛ Facing China’s threat, Australia–Japan alignment is indispensable

    The deteriorating strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific makes an Australia-Japan defence alignment central to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific by deterring China in the region.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Meduza ☛ The sound of silence While the Kremlin promotes pro-war singers and punishes anti-war ones, Russia’s biggest hits come from those who say nothing — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ Russian Propaganda Ramps Up After U.S. Raid in Venezuela

      A network of websites known as “Portal Kombat” is spreading messages about U.S. military hardware, according to tracking firms.

    • New York Times ☛ U.S. Navy Is Chasing Several Oil Tankers in the Atlantic

      A mass departure by sanctioned tankers, some switching to Russian flags, has triggered a fresh effort by the United States to pursue Venezuelan oil shipments at sea.

    • New York Times ☛ French Researcher and Russian Basketball Player Released in a Prisoner Swap

      Laurent Vinatier, a French citizen and researcher, was freed in exchange for the release of Daniil Kasatkin, a Russian basketball player.

    • RFERL ☛ Diplomatic Breakthrough: Paris And Moscow Trade Detainees In High-Profile Swap

      Russia has freed imprisoned French researcher Laurent Vinatier in exchange for a Russian basketball player held in France and wanted in the United States for alleged ties to a computer hacking group.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine Awards Major Lithium Project to Investors With Links to Convicted Felon

      Ronald S. Lauder, a billionaire friend of Mr. Convicted Felon, is among the investors. The move comes as the Convicted Felon administration looks for investment opportunities in Ukraine.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Appears to Use Nuclear-Capable Missile in Ukraine

      If confirmed, the use of the missile, would be an ominous threat to Ukraine and its Western allies.

    • Meduza ☛ Russia hits gas field near Lviv in Oreshnik ballistic missile strike in retaliation for alleged Ukrainian attack on Putin’s Valdai residence — Meduza

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Ukraine’s robot army will be crucial in 2026 but drones can’t replace infantry

      Ukraine's growing robot army of land drones will play a vital role in the country's defense during 2026, but they are not wonder weapons and cannot serve as a miracle cure for Kyiv’s manpower shortages, writes David Kirichenko.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Russia’s war on Ukrainian farmers threatens global food security

      By attacking Ukrainian farmers, Russia seeks to undermine Ukraine’s food security, just as it targets the country’s energy infrastructure to deprive the civilian population of access to electricity and heating, writes Oleksandr Tolokonnikov.

    • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea’s Kim pledges to ‘unconditionally support’ Putin

      North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he felt “true comradely relations” with Russian president Putin.

    • NYPost ☛ With Convicted Felon on board, Congress needs to pass tough Russia sanctions NOW

      President The Insurrectionist has come out in support of the bipartisan bill to impose "secondary sanctions" on Vladimir Putin's Russia.

    • Meduza ☛ From master spy to lead negotiator What does Zelensky’s new chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, bring to the peace talks? — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘A new precedent’ In an interview with Meduza, expert Pierre Thévenin breaks down the maritime law behind Washington’s recent tanker seizures — Meduza

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Hackaday ☛ The Full-Sized 32-Wheeled, Articulated Bus Built For A 1976 Movie

      Regardless of what your opinion is on cult-classic movies that got mixed-to-negative box office reviews when they were released, you have to admire the ones that went all out on practical effects and full-size constructions rather than CGI and scale models. Case in point the 1976 satirical comedy film The Big Bus that featured an absolutely massive articulated double-decker bus. With 32 wheels and multiple levels you’d think that a scale model would be used since most interior shots were done in the studio, but instead they built a real bus.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • CS Monitor ☛ Crowdsourcing the awe of nature

      As discoveries of species on Earth as well as objects in space speed up exponentially, new technology and “citizen science” are broadening channels for learning – and connecting.

    • The Straits Times ☛ China praises Indonesia on first ever panda cub’s birth

      The Chinese ambassador to Jakarta spoke during the first announcement of the cub's birth.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s President Lee to visit Japan for a summit with PM Takaichi

    The leaders will hold the summit in Nara City on Jan 13, followed by a dinner.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Hopes rise for Hallyu thaw following South Korea President’s China visit

    China is the world’s fifth-largest music market, ranking two places above South Korea.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Italian PM Meloni to visit South Korea for summit with President Lee

    Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's visit is the first by an Italian leader to S. Korea in 19 years.

  • The Straits Times ☛ More than 57,000 Malaysians renounced their citizenship for Singapore’s over last 5 years: Report

    On average, 10,000 people apply to renounce their Malaysian citizenship a year.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • Futurism ☛ Researchers Just Discovered Something Extremely Unflattering About People Who Believe Conspiracy Theories

      "Few, if any, researchers have taken into account the 'cover up' perspective of conspiracy believers."

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • JURIST ☛ Group warns UK protest restrictions undermine democracy and human rights

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Wednesday that UK authorities have “severely restricted” the right to protest, contravening international human rights obligations and creating an environment where peaceful dissent is treated as a criminal act. The report indicated that the UK’s Labour government has not reversed extensive anti-protest laws introduced by the previous Conservative administration.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ BBC’s Noor Nanji on investigating her own employer

    BBC News demonstrated editorial independence with Masterchef investigation.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ Listening and responding to Member and community feedback from the second half of 2025

    APNIC is acting on feedback to improve services, products, Member experience, and community engagement across the region.

  • MWL ☛ 2025 Income Sources

    I make a living writing by earning money from every available channel. That means I need to see which channels are worth my time, which I should benignly neglect, and which I should partially or completely drop.

  • Jeff Geerling ☛ Local Email Debugging with Mailpit

    For the past decade, I've used Mailhog for local email debugging. Besides working on web applications that deal with email, I've long used email as the primary notification system for comments on the blog.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Copyrights

  • Creative Commons ☛ Building the Future in 2026

    In 2026, Creative Commons will continue to ensure that technological change strengthens, not erodes, the commons and improves the acts of sharing and access that are part of our everyday lives. We do this by applying first principles, practical strategies, and lessons learned from decades of advancing the commons. Sharing of research, educational materials, heritage, and creative works are acts of generosity—these are the gifts people give to the commons. Access to these same shared resources enables collaboration, innovation, and understanding. Together, this is how we improve access to knowledge and build a more equitable future.  

  • Games

    • Techdirt ☛ ‘Anthem’ Shuts Down January 12th And, Poof!, There Goes All That Creative Culture

      When games disappear, that is culture disappearing. When no effort is made to preserve this art, either directly or by prematurely freeing the art into the public domain, that breaks the copyright bargain. The publisher got the monoploy, but the public doesn’t get their end of the deal. Honestly, none of the above should be terribly controversial.

• Gemini* and Gopher

  • Personal/Opinions

    • 🔤SpellBinding: YEHLPSC Wordo: CIGAR

    • kulturni boj

      something is happening in nightfall.city

      i should go and have look for myself.