Leftovers

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ This Week in Science: Meat-Eater Longevity, Space Viruses, And More!

    Our weekly science news roundup.

  • Science Alert ☛ Carbon Dioxide 'Pulses' Clears Toxins From Parkinson's Brains in Recent Study

    A tantalizing possibility.

  • Science Alert ☛ Got an Annoying Twitch? Here's What to Consider Before You Think The Worst

    It could be a simple fix.

  • Science Alert ☛ Roots of Many Miscarriages May Trace Back To Before The Mother Is Even Born

    Based on data from nearly 140,000 embryos.

  • Science Alert ☛ Giant Virus Discovered in Japanese Pond May Hint at Multicellular Life's Origins

    Did viruses create us?

• Hardware

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ RTX 4090’s 16-pin power connector erupts in smoke in shocking live footage — GPU melts during Marvel Rivals gameplay

    An RTX 4090 has been caught melting on camera, with streamer "jessick" being lucky enough to record the incident for the internet. The GPU caught fire while playing and streaming Marvel Rivals on Twitch, and the video shows a wire melting with visible smoke. For some reason, jessick didn't immediately turn off her PC after seeing something on fire inside.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • The Straits Times ☛ Thai FDA warns about unapproved herbal inhaler registration misuse

    Its registration certificate number G belongs to a different product and is not linked to the popular-brand inhaler.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Oh crumbs! South Korea weighs new sugar tax amid craze over Dubai chewy cookie

    The viral, high-calorie dessert reflects the country's fascination with fads, but also sets off alarm bells.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Rise of no-viewing funerals in South Korea

    No-viewing funerals are a rational alternative that allows for quiet remembrance, said an expert.

• Proprietary

  • Games

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Duke Nukem 3D turns 30 years old, brought swaggering FPS action to real-world environments — 1996 release broke the Doom clone mold while adding humor and personality

      Duke Nukem 3D smashed the 3D FPS Doom clone mold in 1996.

    • Matt ☛ It’s OK to not be OK (at solving cryptic crosswords)

      When you’re new to doing cryptics, they can be incredibly intimidating. Even when you’ve been told all the clue types and a load of the tricks that setters use, it’s not uncommon to sit staring at a grid that’s barely started, unable to get anything further. It can be disheartening and feel like you’re maybe never going to get anywhere.

    • Linus Åkesson ☛ Quondam Tunneling

      This was my contribution to the tunnel compo at Fjälldata 2026: A full-screen 3D tunnel on the Commodore 64.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Nvidia's plan to invest $100 billion in Proprietary Chaffbot Company appears unlikely — Jensen reportedly criticizing OpenAI's business decisions in private discussions

      Nvidia and Proprietary Chaffbot Company are still in talks about the $100-billion MOU the two parties signed in September 2025, and it seems that deal will be modified for a much "smaller" sum of tens of billions of dollars.

    • Futurism ☛ If You’re a Real Person Looking for a Job, the Flood of Fake Hey Hi (AI) Job Applications Will Make Your Blood Boil

      "Within 12 hours of posting the role, we received more than 400 applications."

    • Futurism ☛ You Will Laugh Out Loud When You Hear What the Tech Industry Is Spending a Swimming Pool’s Worth of Money to Convince the Public

      Who's buying this?

    • Futurism ☛ Chinese Adults Taking Strange Hey Hi (AI) Devices to Bed With Them

      "It feels like something is waiting for me."

• Security

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Botnet smashes DDoS traffic record, equivalent to streaming 2.2 million DRM spreader Netflix 4K movies at once — 31.4 Tb/s attack was large enough to take entire countries offline

    Aisuru-Kimwolf botnet smashes DDoS traffic record at 31.4 Tb/s

  • Security Week ☛ eScan Antivirus Delivers Malware in Supply Chain Attack

    Hackers compromised a MicroWorld Technologies update server and fed a malicious file to eScan customers.

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • JURIST ☛ China executes 11 gang members linked to Myanmar scam compounds

      The Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China announced a group execution Thursday that brought a landmark cross-border crime case to a close. The eleven ringleaders from the northern Myanmar Ming family criminal syndicate and its affiliated fraud groups have been executed.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ Regime Change By Patrick Deneen

    Introduction to new series on the post-liberal state, or the neo-royalists. Or whatever the right-wing "intellectuals" call their new vision.

  • France24 ☛ Blockade, strikes: What are the US military's options in Iran?

    As more warships arrive near Iran to reinforce what US President The Insurrectionist calls the "Armada", what are the US's military options if it goes ahead with an intervention? Several scenarios are emerging, including a naval blockade that would prevent Iran from exporting its oil. Or surgical strikes against what remains of the Iranian regime's nuclear and ballistic programs.

  • France24 ☛ Venezuelan interim president proposes mass amnesty law, closure of notorious prison

    Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez announced on Friday a push for mass amnesty in the country, saying she will propose a "general amnesty law covering the entire period of political violence from 1999 to the present." She also announced plans to close the notorious El Helicoide prison in Caracas, where rights groups say political prisoners were tortured by Nicolas Maduro's intelligence services.

  • JURIST ☛ UN expert urges to recognize hostage-taking as crime against humanity

    A UN expert urged states to recognize hostage-taking as a crime against humanity on Thursday. The statement comes as a preparatory committee is drafting a treaty on crimes against humanity.

  • The Straits Times ☛ 10 security officials, 11 civilians, 67 militants killed in south-west Pakistan attacks: Official

    Pakistan has been battling a separatist insurgency in Balochistan province for decades.

  • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man’s policies ‘erodes the fabric of global cooperation’, ex-Swedish PM Bildt says

    As the UN stands on the brink of financial collapse, Iran stands on the brink of possible US strikes and many world leaders navigate how to handle US President The Insurrectionist, FRANCE 24 spoke to Carl Bildt, Sweden’s former prime minister, about the impact of the US leader’s foreign policies on the international community and rules-based order.

  • France24 ☛ 'There's no ceasefire': Israeli strikes kill 30 Palestinians, including children, in Gaza

    Israeli air strikes killed at east 30 people in Gaza Saturday, including children, according to hospitals, as the military said it attacked in response to a Hamas ceasefire violation. Despite a US-brokered ceasefire entering its second phase earlier this month, violence in the Palestinian territory has continued, with both Israel and Hamas accusing each other of violating the truce agreement.

  • France24 ☛ Israeli strikes on Gaza kill dozens as violence continues despite ceasefire

    Hospitals in Gaza said Israeli strikes killed at least 29 Palestinians Saturday, one of the highest tolls since the October ceasefire aimed at stopping the fighting. A day after Israel accused Hamas of new ceasefire violations, strikes hit locations throughout Gaza, including lethal ones on an apartment building in Gaza City and a tent camp in Khan Younis, officials at hospitals that received the bodies said.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel Launches Attack in Gaza

    A local health official said at least 26 people had been killed in the attacks, which the Israeli military said had targeted Hamas commanders.

  • France24 ☛ Israeli strikes kill at least 30 across Gaza in one of highest tolls since October ceasefire

    New Israeli air strikes slammed targets across Gaza on Saturday, including a Gaza City residential building and a tent camp Khan Younis, killing at least 30 people, hospital officials said. The strikes come just a day before the announced reopening of the enclave's Rafah crossing with Egypt and mark a continually rising death toll as Israel and Hamas trade accusations of violating the ceasefire.

  • France24 ☛ Who are the Baloch Liberation Army, the group behind Pakistan attacks?

    Some 10 police and security personnel and 11 civilians were killed during orchestrated militant attacks across the southwestern province of Balochistan Saturday, Pakistan officials said. The banned separatist group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attacks in a region that has faced a decades-long insurgency by ethnic Baloch militant groups. France 24’s correspondent Shahzaib Wahlah takes a closer look.

  • France24 ☛ Scores killed in Baloch separatist attack in southwest Pakistan

    Baloch separatists launched a deadly series of "coordinated' attacks at more than 12 locations in Pakistan's Balochistan province on Saturday, an official said. At least 11 civilians, 10 security officials and 67 insurgents were killed, according to authorities.

  • JURIST ☛ New York judge drops death penalty charges for Luigi Mangione

    Editor’s note: This story is part of ongoing coverage of the lead up to Mangione’s trial. Read coverage of federal oral arguments to dismiss Counts Three and Four here.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Britain, Japan agree to deepen defence and security cooperation

    Mr Starmer arrived on a one-day Tokyo stop after a four-day visit to China.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ UK Ministry of Defense backs new Drone Engineering Degree to make the army 10X more lethal using know-how from Ukraine

      A new cutting-edge Drone Engineering Degree course will welcome its first intake of students in the UK, this year.

    • RFERL ☛ Power Restored In Moldova After Ukraine Grid Failure Triggered Blackout

      Major power disruptions struck Moldova on January 31 after severe problems in Ukraine’s electricity network triggered a cascading failure, amid harsh winter weather and ongoing damage from Russia’s full-scale invasion.

    • France24 ☛ 'Technical malfunction' causes mass power outages in Ukraine

      Ukraine reported mass power outages across its power grid on Saturday due to a "technical malfunction" affecting international power lines. The power cuts come as Ukraine faces a particularly harsh winter and increased Russian attacks on energy infrastructure that have caused major disruption to heat, electricity and water provision in recent weeks.

    • France24 ☛ US envoy Witkoff holds ‘constructive’ Ukraine talks with Russia

      US envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday said he had "productive and constructive meetings" with Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin's top economic adviser and special envoy, in Florida. The talks came a day before a scheduled meeting in Abu Dhabi between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators amid the Convicted Felon administration's drive to end the Ukraine war.

• Transparency/Investigative Reporting

  • NYPost ☛ Brett Ratner – director of ‘Melania’ – embraces woman on couch next to Jeffrey Epstein in DOJ photo dump

    Hollywood filmmaker Brett Ratner, who most recently directed “Melania,” was caught up in the DOJ’s latest Epstein Files dump – as he’s seen sitting on a couch with arms wrapped around...

  • New York Times ☛ ‘Melania’ Arrives With Strong Box Office Showing for a Documentary

    Amazon backed up the Brink’s trucks to promote the vanity film, resulting in opening-weekend ticket sales of roughly $8 million, or 60 percent more than expected.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ Little-known Malaysian volunteer firefighters among flood rescuers in Thailand

    The volunteer teams’ first-ever cross-border mission in late 2025 saved over 3,000 people.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Toilets at Malaysia’s Kota Kinabalu airport to get $3.8m upgrade amid questions over high cost

      The renovation involved 196 toilet cubicles.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia seizes tankers with $160 million worth of crude

      Malaysia pledged in 2025 to crack down on illegal activities in its maritime zones.

    • Futurism ☛ The Amount of New Solar Power Production Capacity China Is Manufacturing Is Legitimately Mind-Blowing

      Simply incredible.

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ World's largest particle accelerator begins warming thousands of local French residents with waste energy from the 16-mile Large Hadron Collider — CERN's accelerator leverages its massive cooling network to help slash local carbon emissions

      A new heat exchange system between the LHC and the French town of Ferney-Voltaire is directing waste heat energy from CERN's accelerator to warm thousands of homes and businesses.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia’s Oil Revenue Is Plummeting

      The new reality has forced the Kremlin to raise taxes and increase debt, and hovers over peace talks with Ukraine.

    • The Straits Times ☛ US pitches Venezuelan crude to India as its Russian oil imports slow: Sources

      It wants India to cut Russian oil purchases that are funding the war in Ukraine.

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Wisconsin towns reportedly signed secret NDAs for billion-dollar data center deals — Abusive Monopolist Microsoft and Meta hide behind confidential agreements

      At least four Wisconsin municipalities are understood to have signed underhanded nondisclosure agreements concerning new data centers while negotiating their development.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Science Alert ☛ Expired Cans of Salmon From Decades Ago Preserved a Huge Surprise

      A real can of worms.

    • Science Alert ☛ Endangered Galapagos Seabird Makes 3,000-Mile-Detour to California

      Leaving researchers puzzled.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ Over 1.2 million Malaysians still living in poverty: Minister

    Sabah recorded the highest number of poor people, followed by Kelantan and Terengganu.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Allies Are Drawing Closer to China, but on Beijing’s Terms

    As Washington unsettles its partners, Beijing is reaping diplomatic gains, without backing down on human rights, trade or security.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Britain's Starmer ends China trip aimed at reset despite Convicted Felon warning

    A series of agreements were made with, including planned visa-free travel for British citizens.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Elephants and football diplomacy on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s ‘historic’ China trip

    British Prime Minister Keir Starmer concludes an official visit to China on Saturday — a four-day tour of Beijing and Shanghai that he described as “historic”. While in the country, Starmer discussed trade, football and elephants with Chinese leader Pooh-tin Jinping. Here is what to know about the trip.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s corruption watchdog probing emergency management minister

    It is relatively rare for a sitting minister to undergo investigation.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian Cabinet agrees to PM’s 10-year, 2-term limit, says law minister

    The proposal to limit the tenure aims to prevent excessive concentration of power, she said.

  • New York Times ☛ Should Any Programs Help Minority Groups? In Lawsuits, Conservatives Say No.

    Lawyers have filed a rush of lawsuits against corporations, law firms, health care companies, art groups and nonprofits. And they are mostly winning.

  • RFERL ☛ Iran Signals Readiness For Nuclear Talks With US, Draws Red Lines On Missiles

    Iran’s foreign minister has signaled a readiness to resume nuclear talks with the United States, while once again drawing firm red lines around Tehran’s missile program and defensive capabilities, as regional mediation efforts accelerate amid escalating threats from The Insurrectionist.

  • JURIST ☛ FTC issues antitrust warning to law firms over diversity certification program

    The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Friday issued warning letters to 42 law firms, explaining that their participation in a diversity certification program may violate federal antitrust laws. The letters from FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson targeted firms enrolled in the Mansfield Certification program, operated by consulting company Diversity Lab.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • New York Times ☛ Pentagon Defends Restrictions on Media Outlets

    The purpose of the new rules is to “stop activity that could compromise national security,” the Defense Department said in response to a New York Times lawsuit.

  • Evan Hahn ☛ Notes from January 2026

    Happy new year! Here are some of my notes from the first month of 2026.

    New job at Ghost!

    I started a new job as a Staff Engineer at Ghost this month. According to our homepage, Ghost is “for professional publishers to create, share, and grow a business around their content.” I’m looking forward to building software for independent journalists.

• Civil Rights / Policing / Accessibility

  • France24 ☛ French tech giant Capgemini assists US Dept. of Homeland Security

    French technology company Capgemini has been assisting ICE immigration agents with expelling illegal immigrants from the United States. This discovery has led some to question whether this is work the company should be doing.

  • New Yorker ☛ ICE’s Assault on a Minnesota School District

    Liam Ramos, whose photo became a symbol of Operation Metro Surge, is one of several students in Columbia Heights who are now in federal custody.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ U.K. internet provider's bailout cancelled because rats chewed through its fiber optic cables — biodegradable cable jackets use soy- or corn-based materials, attracting hungry rats

    A British broadband internet provider refused to buy a distressed competitor as its entire fiber network has reportedly been chewed up by rats and rodents.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Supreme Court IP Docket February 1, 2026: Hikma Leads, Section 101 and IPR Questions on Deck

    Hikma v. Amarin is the term's only granted patent monopoly case. Three other petitions received response requests, signaling potential Court interest.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ Precedential No. 12 - TTAB Re-designates Decision: DANKE Not Confusable with MERCI for Chocolates

    On January 27th, the Board re-designated as precedential its November 14, 2025 opinion in the DANKE/MERCI opposition, in which it concluded that DANKE (Stylized) is not confusable with MERCI for chocolate, despite their identical meaning in English. The original TTABlog post may be found here. Perhaps some of the comments to that blog post, including one by Professor McCarthy, played a role in the Board's re-assessment of the opinion.