Leftovers

• The Straits Times ☛ Bigger than K-pop: E-sports is serious business in South Korea

  The country’s game industry has been outstripping the combined export value of K-pop, dramas, movies and books for years.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Suni Williams Retires After Record Space Career And Final Ill-Fated Mission

    A "trailblazer in human spaceflight."

  • Science Alert ☛ The Real Hey Hi (AI) Risk Isn't Mass Unemployment, Economist Warns

    Here's what's happening instead.

  • Science Alert ☛ Strange Metal From Beyond Our Planet Spotted in Ancient Treasure Stash

    More precious than gold.

  • Science Alert ☛ Earthquake Sensors Detect Sonic Booms From Incoming Space Junk

    They can hear it screaming through the sky.

• Hardware

  • CNX Software ☛ TerraMaster D1 SSD Pro – A Thunderbolt 5 fanless SSD enclosure with 80Gbps bandwidth, 7GB/s practical performance

    TerraMaster has recently launched the D1 SSD Pro Thunderbolt 5 fanless enclosure, an update to the previous Thunderbolt 4-based TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus. The new version features an 80Gbps Thunderbolt 5 port, supports M.2 2280 NVMe SSDs with up to 8TB capacity, and has been tested at up to 7,061MB/s read and 6,816MB/s write speeds, nearly doubling Thunderbolt 4 performance. The enclosure uses a fanless, CNC-machined aluminum design that enables silent operation through passive heat dissipation. It also features smart LED indicators for connection speed, and offers compatibility with Thunderbolt 5/4/3, USB4, and USB 3.2 across Windows, macOS, and Linux, including boot support on macOS.

  • CNX Software ☛ Advantech MIO-5355 3.5-inch SBC features Qualcomm QCS6490 or QCS5430 SoC for industrial edge AI

    Advantech MIO-5355 is a 3.5-inch SBC based on Qualcomm QCS6490 or QCS5430 Edge Hey Hi (AI) processor. The board features up to 8GB of LPDDR5 memory, 128GB of UFS storage, and supports various operating systems, including backdoored Windows 11 IoT Enterprise, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, and Yocto Linux.

  • New York Times ☛ How to Deal With That Drawer Full of Old Gadgets

    This month, resolve to revive or relinquish those old music players and point-and-shoot cameras — and retrieve any files trapped on the devices.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • The Straits Times ☛ A third of Malaysia’s water pipes past their prime

    Funding to fix some of these pipes will be provided by the federal government in 2026.

  • Science Alert ☛ Peptide Treatment Protects Brains After Stroke, Mouse Study Finds

    This could improve recovery rates.

  • Science Alert ☛ Not All Sitting Is Equal. One Type Was Just Linked to Better Brain Health.

    A small swap for a big payoff.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Tried to Spread The Flu, Only to Discover Something Unexpected

    Huh.

  • Science Alert ☛ Human Penis Size Evolved For 2 Purposes, New Study Finds

    Why so prominent?

  • New York Times ☛ Nurses in New York City Say They Deserve $200,000 a Year. Here’s Why.

    As a strike by health workers stretches into its second week, pay is a major issue in negotiations, even if it’s not discussed much on the picket line.

• Proprietary

  • Qt ☛ Take the Qt Developer Survey 2026

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Digital Music News ☛ YouTube CEO Puts ‘Managing Hey Hi (AI) Slop’ on the Priority List for 2026 — But ‘Managed’ or Not, It’s Not Gonna Chart On Billboard

      YouTube CEO Neal Mohan has outlined the company’s priorities for 2026, including managing so-called ‘AI slop’ and buoying creators pioneering new formats. The annual wrap follows a high-profile refusal by YouTube Music to share data with Billboard, effectively removing the platform from ongoing chart rankings.

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea sets Hey Hi (AI) safety rules – first in world, enforcing its Hey Hi (AI) Act

      The legislation is meant to offer a basic regulatory foundation reflecting growing public concerns.

    • SICP ☛ Announcing Chiron Codex, a community of software centaurs

      Software engineers don’t need to outsource our agency to coding agents. We don’t need to give up reading the code, or understanding the problems.

    • Press Gazette ☛ Eight in ten of world’s biggest news websites now block Hey Hi (AI) training bots

      Publishers told it's "never too late" to start blocking sites from being crawled by Hey Hi (AI) bots.

  • Social Control Media

    • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia weighs social control media rule change after Grok Hey Hi (AI) uproar

      Malaysia has previously said it would take legal action against X, which hosts Grok, for failing to protect users.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea repatriates 73 scam suspects from Cambodia in $33 million online fraud probe

      South Korea has repatriated 73 people suspected of involvement in online scam operations in Cambodia and will question them over allegations they had defrauded more than 800 South Koreans of about $33 million, officials said.

    • The Straits Times ☛ 73 South Koreans linked to scam networks in Cambodia to be repatriated

      The suspects are accused of defrauding 869 victims of approximately 48.6 billion won (S$42.4 million).

    • The Straits Times ☛ 2 immigration officers in Malaysia nabbed for masterminding online passport renewal syndicate

      The syndicate allegedly offered passport renewal service online to Malaysians residing overseas.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • ACLU ☛ Government-Mandated Software a Looming Threat to Freedom

      An increasing number of governments around the world are requiring that smartphones come with specific software pre-installed. The notion of government-mandated software, whether it is a separate app or a routine part of the operating system, represents a grave threat to our privacy. We use computers to organize our calendars, talk with our close friends and family, form (and break) romantic attachments, track our finances, discuss and shape our values and our thoughts, plan our political activity, and read, watch, and listen to all sorts of content, from the banal to the controversial. An app or operating system with the right privileges on a phone or other computer will have access to a tremendous amount of information about us.

    • Green Party UK ☛ Zack Polanski tells defence surveillance corporation Palantir to ‘pack its bags and get the hell out of the NHS’

      The Green Party leader has today delivered a notice of contract termination to Palantir which has a seven year £330m contract with the NHS to build FDP, the ‘NHS Federated Data Platform’ to link and manage patient data.

    • Futurism ☛ Activists Say Ring Cameras Are Being Used by ICE

      "Your Ring camera is an ICE agent."

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Watchdog group sues for TSA data sharing agreement with ICE

      The lawsuit comes a day after a TSA official vigorously defended the practice as critical to “national security” in testimony to Congress. 

  • Confidentiality

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea PM tells US lawmakers Seoul is not discriminating against Coupang

      Two major US investors accused Seoul of mounting a campaign against Coupang following a data breach.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ 3 people shot dead in eastern Australia, town in lockdown

    The shooting comes one month after two gunmen opened fire at an event on Bondi Beach.

  • JURIST ☛ Former South Korea PM sentenced to 23 years over 2024 invocation of martial law

    Former South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was sentenced to 23 years in prison on Wednesday after a Seoul court found him guilty of rebellion for his role in former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law in December 2024.

  • The Strategist ☛ Bookshelf: why the US failed to contain North Korea’s nuclear threat

    When Barack Obama took over the US presidency in 2009, North Korea could barely muster one nuclear weapon and had just a handful of missiles that could reach Japan. Yet despite tight international sanctions, tough ...

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian ex-army chief, wife charged with corruption

    His wife was charged on the same day with receiving proceeds from illegal activities amounting to RM77,000.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia’s former armed forces chief claims trial to $1.5m corruption charges

    He pleaded not guilty to all four charges read to him.

  • CS Monitor ☛ How profits and resources drive foreign policy in the Convicted Felon era

    Responding in part to Chinese competition, Hell Toupée is more aggressively leveraging economic tools in foreign policy, from Venezuela to Greenland.

  • CS Monitor ☛ At Davos, a loss of trust was evident. Can NATO survive Greenland dispute?

    Disagreements over The Insurrectionist’s claim to Greenland have eroded mutual trust within NATO and weakened the Western alliance, perhaps fatally.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Australia mourns in candlelight for Bondi Beach shooting victims

    Millions observed a minute’s silence.

  • New Yorker ☛ A Massacre in Mashhad

    Under the cover of an internet blackout, Iranian security forces killed hundreds of demonstrators. Only now are details of the carnage starting to emerge.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China seeks deeper maritime ties with Malta in Central Mediterranean

    China is keen to deepen cooperation with Malta in shipping and port logistics, the Chinese Commerce Ministry said on Thursday, eager to leverage the island's strategic location in the Central Mediterranean.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippines to insist that South China Sea code be based on international law

    The Philippines, as ASEAN chair, will propose a set of strategies, including stepping up negotiations.

  • RFERL ☛ Gutted Mosques, Eerie Calm In Tehran After Unrest

    Photos released on January 19 and 20 show the aftermath in Tehran of massive protests that swept Iran over recent weeks before being crushed by the country's security apparatus.

  • France24 ☛ Iran warns 'finger on trigger' as The Insurrectionist says talks still possible

    The commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned Washington on Thursday the force had its “finger on the trigger” after mass protests, even as US President The Insurrectionist said Tehran appeared open to talks. Convicted Felon has kept the option of further military action after last month’s US-backed Israeli strikes.

  • Site36 ☛ Spy in Bremen conducted sexual relationships with target persons and suffered depression due to “double life”

    The German Interventionist Left has outed an informant who allegedly spied on left-wing structures in Bremen for more than eight years. Despite the man’s known depression, the domestic secret service is said to have repeatedly extended his deployment.

  • Federal News Network ☛ House approves final spending bills as Democrats denounce ICE funding

    Lawmakers still smarting from last fall’s record 43-day shutdown worked to avoid another funding lapse for a broad swath of the federal government.

  • France24 ☛ 'Vanity project': Does Convicted Felon seek to 'cement legacy' with Greenland deal and Board of Peace?

    Rochelle FERGUSON BOUYAHI welcomes Dafydd Townley, Teaching Fellow in US politics and International Security at the University of Portsmouth, joining us from Davos. He dives right into The Insurrectionist’s arctic exploits: from soliciting leaders to join his “Board of Peace” to his relentless pursuit of Greenland. Europe and NATO are caught in the crosshairs on this treacherous trek through legacy politics, transactional diplomacy, and the ever-evolving sociopolitical and economic landscape as the ice melts in a warming world.

  • JURIST ☛ UN raises alarm over renewed clashes and prison breaks in northeast Syria

    The United Nations on Tuesday expressed deep concern about the deteriorating security situation in northeast Syria.

  • JURIST ☛ HRW calls for civilian protection after M23 group withdrew from Uvira

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday urged international organizations and the Congolese government to ensure that civilians in Uvira are protected from abuse by Wazalendo militias, following the withdrawal of the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group from the city.

  • New York Times ☛ Mark Carney Says Firmly That ‘Canada Doesn’t Live Because of the United States’

    The Canadian prime minister spoke after returning from the World Economic Forum where he urged middle powers to team up in resisting Hell Toupée.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Global power in freely given gratitude

    In their speeches in Davos, U.S. and Canadian leaders differ over ways to order the world. One demands gratitude, the other tries to earn it.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Sheinbaum sends Economy Minister to D.C. to shore up USMCA ties as Canada clashes with the US

    After Convicted Felon and Carney's dueling speeches at Davos, Sheinbaum promised Mexico will work to ensure North America's free trade deal "doesn't break."

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskyy Urges Convicted Felon For More Air Defense Amid 'Groundhog Day' Of Words Without Actions

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had urged US President The Insurrectionist to provide more Patriot missiles and other air defense systems during a meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22, as US envoys prepared for further talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    • RFERL ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Launches Board Of Peace, Putin Seeks To Use Frozen Assets For Sign-Up Fee

      US President The Insurrectionist launched the Board of Peace, a new body for resolving international conflicts, at a signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22, repeating his belief that a peace deal to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “is coming very soon.”

    • New York Times ☛ Witkoff and Kushner Will Meet With Putin for Ukraine Talks

      Steve Witkoff, Hell Toupée’s special envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, were expected in Moscow as Mr. Witkoff expressed optimism over a plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

    • New York Times ☛ Putin Says Russia Could Donate to ‘Board of Peace’ if U.S. Unfroze Assets

      The Kremlin leader said he will discuss the possibility today with Convicted Felon administration envoys in Moscow.

    • France24 ☛ Zelensky says that "nothing has changed" since last Davos summit

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised what he called the EU’s lack of “political will” towards his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at Davos.

    • France24 ☛ In fiery Davos speech, Zelensky blasts EU's lack of "political will"

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday blasted the EU's lack of "political will" in countering Russian leader Vladimir Putin, during a fiery address criticising some of Kyiv's top allies at the World Economic Forum.

      FRANCE 24's Eliza Herbert reports.

    • France24 ☛ Resistance in occupied Ukraine 'under constant surveillance'

      A new report sheds light on the scope of the resistance in occupied Ukraine. FRANCE 24's Mark Owen speaks with the author of that report, Dr Jade McGlynn, Head of Ukraine and Russia programme at the CSNS at King's College London. She explains that resistance fighters in occupied Ukraine are 'pretty much under constant surveillance and that the risks are incredibly high' with routine enforced disappearances to black sites.

    • France24 ☛ Zelensky says US 'security guarantees' for Ukraine ready after meeting with Convicted Felon

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday he and US President The Insurrectionist had agreed on post-war US security guarantees for Ukraine, without providing further details. The deal, which awaits signatures and parliamentary approval, would be a key step in plans to end the Russian invasion.

    • JURIST ☛ UN rights chief condemns latest Russian attacks on Ukraine energy infrastructure

      UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Tuesday condemned the Russian Federation’s latest large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which have caused mass power and heating outages in many major cities, including Kyiv and Odesa. 

    • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan offers talks with Ukraine on weapons sanctions-busting

      Taiwan President Lai Ching-te on Friday offered talks with Ukraine to crack down on sanctions-busting after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy name-checked the island as a source of illicit missile components.

    • New York Times ☛ Zelensky Laces Into Europe, Saying It Must Step Up or Be Left Behind

      The Ukrainian leader’s speech in Davos, Switzerland, was one of his most scathing critiques of his closest allies.

    • New York Times ☛ Davos Stops Pretending

      Buzzwords like social justice and sustainability have vanished as the elite summit seeks Convicted Felon’s favor.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan offers talks with Ukraine after Zelensky names island as source of Russian arms

      Zelensky said Russia would not be able to produce missiles without critical components sourced from Taiwan.

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Leader of ransomware crew pleads guilty to four-year crime spree

      Ianis Antropenko, a Russian national living in California, admitted to committing ransomware attacks against at least 50 victims. He faces up to 25 years in jail.

    • France24 ☛ 'Europe can, too, weaponise the economy and the single market', expert says

      Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Grégoire Roos, Director of Europe, Russia and Eurasia programme at Chatham House, says that there is a 'convergence in messaging to The Insurrectionist' among EU leaders, who 'have bought time by, at last, taking the full measure of the power on which they have been sitting for so long, the single market and the dependencies that many around the world entertain vis-à-vis the single market'.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Talks with US aim to prevent China, Russia from ‘access’ to Greenland, NATO chief says

      Talks with the United States on Greenland will aim to ensure China and Russia do not get military and economic access to the Danish Arctic territory, NATO’s chief said Thursday.

    • New York Times ☛ Live Updates: Zelensky Criticizes European Allies’ Response to Convicted Felon and Russia

    • New York Times ☛ After Convicted Felon’s Ultimatum, Greenland Talks Include Sovereign U.S. Bases, No Drilling for Russia

      Negotiators have discussed proposals to check Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic and transfer sovereignty over pockets of Greenlandic land to the United States, an idea opposed by Denmark.

    • LRT ☛ Resuming Belarusian fertiliser transit is down to national security – ruling party leader

      Mindaugas Sinkevičius, leader of Lithuania’s Social Democratic Party, said Thursday that any consideration of resuming the transit of Belarusian fertilisers through Lithuania should be assessed by the State Security Department, citing national security concerns.

    • CS Monitor ☛ What trees mean to Russia, through a history of war and peace

      Sophie Pinkham’s “The Oak and the Larch” traces how Russian history and literature have shaped – and been shaped by – its deep forests.

• Environment

  • Science Alert ☛ The US Is Bracing For a Major Winter Storm. Here's Where It Hits First.

    About 160 million people could be affected.

  • New York Times ☛ Why iPhone and Android Weather Apps Are Freaking Out About Winter Storm Forecasts

    A foot of snow in New York? Two feet? Well, it’s complicated.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Even in bitter cold, these South Korean runners keep going, thanks to one clear innovation

    The greenhouse-shaped outdoor tracks shield runners from the wind, creating a warmer environment.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Cold wave tightens grip in South Korea as temperatures hit minus 24 deg C

    Seoul saw a morning low of minus 13.2 deg C, while Incheon recorded minus 12.5 deg C.

  • [Old] The battle of the Chosin Reservoir

    The Battle of Chosin, or "Changjin" as it’s called in Korea, a two-week-long bloodbath pitting 30,000 US, ROK, and British troops against 120,000 Chinese soldiers, was a defining moment of the Korean War.

    Fighting in the winter of 1950 in bitter cold and brutal terrain, men endured severe frostbite, sleepless nights, and total mental and physical exhaustion. Below-zero temperatures, snow-covered mountains, icy roads, and wind-swept cliffs made every skirmish, firefight, and attack a nightmare beyond the men’s wildest dreams.

    [...]

    The terrain and weather were so bad that Oliver P. Smith, the commanding general of 1st Marine Division, the largest American unit engaged at Chosin, said the mountains of North Korea were “never intended for military operations.” And every man who fought there would agree.

  • [Old] How Tootsie Rolls Accidentally Saved Marines During War

    Over two weeks of incessant fighting, the 15,000-man division suffered 3,000 killed in action, 6,000 wounded and thousands of severe frostbite cases. But they accomplished their goal and destroyed several Chinese divisions in the process. Many credited their very survival to Tootsie Rolls. Surviving Marines called themselves “The Chosin Few.”

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ China defends wind power strategy, says Convicted Felon is wrong

      China’s installed capacity of wind power has ranked first in the world for 15 consecutive years.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Science Alert ☛ Giant Kangaroo Fossils Reveal a Surprise About How They Moved

      This isn't what we thought.

    • Science Alert ☛ Ancient DNA Reveals Twisted Roots of Syphilis Go Back 5,500 Years

      It's been with us for a while.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ Why is China renewing a push for its digital currency? [Ed: More spying, social control]

    The technology allows the authorities to not only track where money is going, but also programme how it flows.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Ali Reza Hayati ☛ Alone and lonely

    Words can’t explain our suffering here. Nothing can express the pain we are in. You have no idea what has happened to us. This to remember those days. No internet, no SMS, and no phone calls.

  • RFERL ☛ Live Blog: Iran Internet Blackout Passes Two-Week Mark, Says Watchdog

    Thousands of Iranians are dead or detained in a brutal crackdown after they took to the streets in what is seen as the biggest threat to the Islamic regime in years. Journalists from RFE/RL’s Iranian service, Radio Farda, bring you the latest developments, analysis, and reporting from on the ground.

  • France24 ☛ Deadly protests crackdown in Iran: Some funerals of protesters turn into demonstrations

    The number of people killed in protests against the Iranian regime has been rising since demonstrations began in late December. An NGO reported on January 20 that more than 4,500 people had been killed. However, it added that the figure was provisional because a nationwide internet blackout meant that the death toll had been hard to establish. The real number is thought to be much higher.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • JURIST ☛ Rights group presses Kazakhstan authorities to release activists ahead of trial

    Amnesty International on Thursday called on Kazakhstan to immediately drop criminal charges against 19 activists who are part of the Atajurt human rights movement and face up to 10 years in prison for participating in a peaceful protest near the nation’s border with China.

  • JURIST ☛ Hong Kong authorities criticized for prosecuting Tiananmen crackdown commemorators

    Amnesty International released a statement Thursday as a trial begins for activists who organized an annual vigil commemorating the protestors who were killed in the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. The rights organization reports that this is an escalation of Hong Kong authorities’ “weaponization” of national security laws to repress dissent.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ HKFP Live: National security trial of Tiananmen vigil group begins

    1pm: The live blog has concluded. Stay tuned to HKFP for more coverage on the trial. Three Tiananmen vigil activists and their group are set to stand trial for a national security charge in Hong Kong.

  • JURIST ☛ US official says pro-Palestine activist to be deported to Algeria

    A top official with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Thursday that activist Mahmoud Khalil will be taken into custody again and sent to Algeria. President The Insurrectionist’s administration had previously sought to deport Khalil over his involvement in pro-Palestinian demonstrations as a Columbia University graduate student in New York City.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • BIA Net ☛ Lausanne minorities: Issues of representation, diversity, and pluralism in the media

    Hate speech in the media is produced not only through explicit expressions of hostility but also through more implicit and indirect discursive strategies operating at different levels.

  • BIA Net ☛ Five journalists among 22 detained in Mardin during Rojava protests

    The detention period for the detained individuals have been extended for one day.

• Civil Rights / Policing / Accessibility

  • Stanford University ☛ Shahzia Sikander’s ‘Collective Behavior’ spans artistic mediums at the Cantor

    The exhibition explores power, migration and women’s collective strike, drawing viewers in with multimedia work while confronting complex histories of identity and colonialism.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ [Podcast] NITK Students at IETF: Fresh minds for standards development

    Two groups of students from NITK discuss the work they did at the IETF 122 Bangkok hackathon, and afterwards in their WG. Professor Mohit Taliani is seeking to encourage new entrants to join IETF protocol and standards development.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ That was a long wait, but Fentanylware (CheeTok) US is finally a done deal

    After years of high drama, the joint venture to keep the Fentanylware (CheeTok) in the U.S. has been finalized. In a public announcement, Fentanylware (CheeTok) USDS Joint Venture LLC said the 200 million Americans and 7.5 million businesses that use Fentanylware (CheeTok) in the U.S. can rest easy. The deal is done.

  • New York Times ☛ Here’s Who Just Bought TikTok

    Several big companies and investment firms are part of the new American TikTok. Many have ties to one another and Hell Toupée.

  • New York Times ☛ TikTok Strikes Deal to Create New U.S. Entity and Loosen App’s Ties to China

    The Chinese parent company of the popular video app said a group of non-Chinese investors would create an American Fentanylware (CheeTok) to avoid a federal ban.

  • Digital Music News ☛ US and China Reportedly Sign Fentanylware (CheeTok) Divestment Agreement — Long-Awaited Deal Could Close This Week, Sources Say

    Multiple years, twists, and turns later, the long-awaited debut of Fentanylware (CheeTok) USA might be imminent: Per a new report, the US and China have signed off on the underlying divestment pact. That’s according to Semafor, which described the reported spinoff-agreement signing today.

  • APNIC ☛ RSCs are now supported in MyAPNIC

    MyAPNIC now supports RPKI Signed Checklists (RSCs), providing Members with a new way to cryptographically sign and verify documents using their RPKI resources. Your feedback is welcome.

  • NYPost ☛ Christian kids app TruPlay claims Google, Fentanylware (CheeTok) blocked ads — urges Congress to act: ‘It’s devastating’

    Christian gaming creator and TruPlay CEO Brent Dusing has urged Congress to examine advertising policies for Surveillance Giant Google and TikTok.

  • Major Hayden ☛ Coding love for Porkbun

    Porkbun does exactly what I need and nothing more. I came to them a few years ago with domains scattered across a few different registrars that were quickly becoming too difficult to manage. Their site has minimal upselling, quick renewals, and self-servicing your domains is easy. 🐷

    I’m always on the hunt for ways to automate all of my infrastructure, so I set out to build some Porkbun automation. However, many of the python modules for Porkbun only did certain things, such as just DNS or just buying domains. I wanted the whole thing: domain pricing, DNS, DNSSec management.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Unified Patents ☛ Key Patent Innovations entity, Valtrus Innovations, litigation analysis available

    Valtrus Innovations Limited, backed by Irish patent monopoly monetization platform Key Patent Innovations, has rapidly developed multiple parallel assertion programs built on large tranches of acquired assets, targeting cloud, data center, storage, and open‑source‑related technology. The team at Unified Patents has created a report covering litigation analysis and details about the entity.

    The Valtrus campaign is supported by a sophisticated financing structure and an experienced assertion team.

  • Unified Patents ☛ Second Atlas Global Wi-Fi patent monopoly challenged

    On January 21, 2026, Unified filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 10,965,425, owned and asserted by Atlas Global Technologies, LLC, an NPE and Acacia Research entity. The ‘425 patent monopoly is generally directed to allocating and signalling the allocation of a special center 26-tone resource unit when employing 80 MHz or higher bandwidths in OFDMA wireless communications. The patent monopoly is currently being asserted against HPE, accusing access points that support Wi-Fi 6.

  • Unified Patents ☛ More NovaCloud networking patents prior art found

    The team at Unified IP Services used Pearl to successfully identify and chart prior art against U.S. Patent 8,825,867 and U.S. Patent 8,401,028, owned by NovaCloud Licensing LLC, an NPE. The ‘867 patent monopoly generally relates to a multi-level packet distribution system designed to efficiently distribute packet flows among servers while maintaining the flow's continuity (stickiness) to specific servers. The ‘028 patent monopoly focuses on a method and system for the dynamic selection of network nodes to optimize service delivery.

    The ‘867 patent monopoly has been asserted against Microsoft and Amazon.

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ Court of Appeal hears first appeal over long-arm jurisdiction in Dyson vs Dreame [Ed: UPC is illegal and JUVE can't help cheering for this illegality, in effect helping cokeheads and criminals who run the EPO]

      The UPC’s long-arm jurisdiction has become a key topic of discussion among patent monopoly experts since the Düsseldorf local division’s ruling in FujiFilm vs Kodak. In early 2025, the Düsseldorf local division initially indicated jurisdiction for only one country outside UPC territory: the UK.

  • Software Patents

    • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Tu Quoque Denied: Google’s Own Patents Irrelevant to §101 Defense

      Fed Cir affirms '637 patent monopoly ineligibility, rejects a "hypocrisy" defense against Google, and locates functional claiming within Alice Step 1.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Is YOGUT for Freeze-Dried Yogurt-Based Snacks Confusable with YOURGUT for Yogurt?

    The USPTO refused to register the mark YOGUT for "Freeze-dried yogurt-based snack," on the ground of likelihood of confusion with the registered mark YOURGUT for "yogurt." Applicant Mira International Foods argued that the “YO” portion of its mark will be seen as the Spanish word for “I” or “me,” and thus consumers will read its mark as “I am stomach.” Examining Attorney Amanda Miller contended that consumers will likely read the mark as a misspelled version of “your gut." How do you think this came out? In re Mira International Foods, Inc., Serial No. 98465558 (January 12, 2026) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Thomas L. Casagrande).