Leftovers

• Science

  • Federal News Network ☛ The Schedule Policy/Career rule raises alarms about the independence of federal science

    "Is this a solution in search of a problem? Because we don't really have data that says poor performance is an issue here around policy making," said Bonner.

  • New York Times ☛ NASA’s Asteroid-Smashing DART Mission Sped Up Space Rock’s Orbit Around the Sun

    New data about the DART spacecraft’s effects adds evidence that Earth could be defended from future deadly asteroids by diverting their orbits.

  • New York Times ☛ Lawmaker Asks Court to Block Convicted Felon From Closing Kennedy Center

    The president has said he plans to shut down the center for two years starting this summer for a “complete rebuilding.”

  • Science Alert ☛ Rare Glass Blobs in Brazil Reveal an Ancient Impact, But Something Is Missing

    Where's the crater?

  • Science Alert ☛ Ozempic-Like Drugs Linked With Lower Risk of Substance Addiction

    Saving lives in a variety of ways.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Invented an Entirely New Method of Refrigeration

    This is super cool!

  • Science Alert ☛ Exercise Protects Against Alzheimer's, And Scientists May Finally Know Why

    A crucial chain reaction.

  • Science Alert ☛ Confirmed: Humanity Changed an Object's Orbit Around The Sun For The First Time

    This is huge.

  • Science Alert ☛ Living at High Altitude May Have a Surprising Impact on Diabetes Risk

    We never understood this – until now.

  • Science Alert ☛ Black Sesame: Are The Viral Health Claims True? Here's The Science.

    Can it really reverse gray hair?

• Hardware

  • Ruben Schade ☛ “Do you know how to fix phones?”

    I was waiting for the Sydney Metro earlier this week—like a gentleman—when an older person walked up and tapped me on the shoulder. It gave me a bit of a shock! But I paused my music and asked what was up.

    She looked at me with a mix of exacerbation and exhaustion. She pointed down at my Walkman (it’s about the size and shape of a phone), and said “you know how to fix these?”

    I wasn’t sure how to respond, at least not immediately.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • PHR ☛ PHR Demands Protection for Medical Workers and Facilities Amid Middle East Escalation

    As the military conflict between Iran, Israel, and the United States escalates and spreads across the Middle East, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) calls on all parties to comply with international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including by protecting medical personnel and health facilities from attack and ensuring health care can function unimpeded.

  • Futurism ☛ Famed Plastic Surgeon Weighs in on Jim Carrey’s Face

    Is that a reasonable, maybe even plausible, take we hear?

  • New York Times ☛ ‘Liquor Capital of China’ Is Trying to Save Its Fortunes

    Once celebrated for its fiery spirits, the town of Maotai has reeled from a bad Chinese economy, changing tastes and a crackdown on boozy official banquets.

  • New York Times ☛ He Had a Purple Heart, PTSD and a Rap Sheet. He Had to Leave the U.S.

    After a long battle with drug addiction, Sae Joon Park felt settled in a new life. But he was deported last year and is now fighting to get back to Hawaii.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Futurism ☛ AI CEOs Worried About Chernobyl-Style Event Where Their Tech Causes a Horrific Catastrophe

      It's only a matter of time, they fear.

    • Futurism ☛ AI Use at Work Is Causing “Brain Fry,” Researchers Find, Especially Among High Performers

      "My thinking wasn't broken, just noisy — like mental static."

    • Federal News Network ☛ Pentagon says it is labeling Hey Hi (AI) company Anthropic a supply chain risk ‘effective immediately’

      The Forrest Dump administration is following through with its threat to designate Hey Hi (AI) company Anthropic as a supply chain risk in an unprecedented move.

  • Social Control Media

    • New York Times ☛ Mamdani Defends Wife Amid Criticism of Her Support for Palestinian Cause

      Rama Duwaji, Mr. Mamdani’s wife, had liked Instagram posts related to the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

    • The Straits Times ☛ India’s tech state Karnataka bans social control media for children under 16

      India is the world's second-biggest smartphone market with 750 million devices and a billion internet users.

    • France24 ☛ White House criticised for gamifying Iran war on social control media

      The White House is facing criticism for its messaging over the Iran war. Social media trolling and memes were already a hallmark of Donald trump's presidency. But the White House's latest videos have proved particularly offensive, as US strikes in Iran struggle to garner support.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Security Week ☛ FBI Investigating ‘Suspicious’ Cyber Activity on System Holding Sensitive Surveillance Information

      The bureau is working to determine the scope and impact of the problem, according to a notification sent to members of Congress.

    • Federal News Network ☛ FBI investigating ‘suspicious’ cyber activity on system holding sensitive surveillance information

      “The FBI identified and addressed suspicious activities on FBI networks, and we have leveraged all technical capabilities to respond,” the FBI said.

    • Privacy International ☛ What does it mean when Big Tech goes to war?

• Defence/Aggression

  • JURIST ☛ US appeals court rules Convicted Felon may suspend refugee admissions

    The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Thursday that President The Insurrectionist has the power to suspend refugee admissions to the United States, though the court provided some relief to refugees who had been previously conditionally approved before the policy was implemented.

  • France24 ☛ 51 people have been killed in the last 24 hours in Sudan's Kordofan region

    First, 51 people have been killed in the last 24 hours in Sudan's Kordofan region due to clashes between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Also, UN Secretary General Anotnio Guterres appoints Former US diplomat James Swan as the new head of the MONUSCO in DR Congo. And, we will take a look at the "WOMANAKWA" photo exhibition launched here in Paris.

  • The Strategist ☛ Opportunity for China: US depletes interceptor stocks in Middle East

    The US- and Israeli-led war on Iran has been, with a few key caveats, a quick military success for the United States and its allies. That doesn’t mean it’ll be a strategic success.

  • New York Times ☛ For Xi, Convicted Felon’s Embrace of War Proves China Needs More Power

    China is learning lessons from the war in Iran. Chief among them, the United States may pose an even greater threat than Beijing thought.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China rebuts Australia’s claim of ‘unsafe’ army chopper incident

    China described the actions of its aircraft as “legitimate, reasonable and professional”.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Australia complains to China after encounter between military helicopters

    It is the latest in a series of military encounters involving China that Australia has called out publicly.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ UK MP quits parliament group as husband accused of spying for China

    A UK lawmaker said Thursday she was stepping out of the parliamentary group of the governing party after her husband was reportedly arrested on suspicion of spying for China. UK police on Thursday said they had released three people, reportedly including David Taylor, the husband of Labour member of parliament Joani Reid.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian PM Anwar, police chief sued over calling out alleged plot to overthrow government

    Anwar and Mahathir have been locked in an on-off rivalry that has shaped Malaysia’s politics for decades.

  • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man demands Iran 'unconditional surrender' as Moscow helps Tehran target US forces

    President The Insurrectionist said on March 6 that only Iran's "unconditional surrender" would bring an end to the Middle East war. ⁠this comes as The Washington Post reports that Russia is providing Iran ⁠with targeting information ​that includes locations of U.S. warships and aircraft in the Middle East. On the eve of the first week of this war, FRANCE 24's Douglas Herbert looks at where the conflict stands.

  • Futurism ☛ Iran Is Bombing Data Centers in Retaliation

    Not the data centers!

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ ‘Your inner self is red’: UK border officer accused of ‘infiltrating’ Hong Kong pro-democracy group

    A man facing national security charges in the UK provided information on pro-democracy dissidents to former Hong Kong police officers, a London court has heard.

  • France24 ☛ 'Purely defensive' posture: Europe’s reluctant role in an expanding Middle East conflict

    Alison Sargent is pleased to welcome James J. Townsend Jr, the Atlantic Council's Senior Advisor in the Scowcroft Center's Transatlantic Security Initiative. He asserts that European military involvement in the widening Middle Eastern conflict should not be interpreted as entry into the war itself, but rather as a reluctant defensive response to the conflict’s spillover effects across the entire region. European governments did not seek participation in the military operations initiated by Israel and the United States, yet the regional expansion of the war has placed European citizens, economic interests, and diplomatic partners at risk.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Futurism ☛ eBay Is Selling a Cornucopia of Russian Peptides

      Buyer beware.

    • France24 ☛ Russia is helping Iran target US military forces, officials say

      Russia has shared intelligence with Iran that could help Tehran strike US warships, aircraft and other American assets in the region, according to two officials familiar with US intelligence – the first indication Moscow may be stepping into the war launched last week by the United States and Israel.

    • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Calls On Private Companies to Take On a Bigger Role in Cyber

      In his National Cybersecurity Strategy, Hell Toupée sought an expanded role for private firms in cyberwarfare. He did not take on China or Russia in the document.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian intelligence says Baltic Sea infrastructure incidents were not sabotage

      Recent incidents involving damage to strategically important underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea from 2023 to 2025 were not caused by deliberate actions by Russian ships, according to a security threat assessment released Friday.

    • LRT ☛ Five men charged in Lithuania over parcel arson plot linked to Russian intelligence

      Lithuanian prosecutors have charged five men in a terrorism investigation involving incendiary devices sent through parcel delivery companies, officials said Friday, adding that the case has been referred to court.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Gets Silent Treatment in Paralympics Return

      Russia’s flag was paraded at the opening ceremony of the Paralympics for the first time since 2014 prompting a boycott by several nations led by Ukraine.

    • CS Monitor ☛ In Russia, distrust toward Convicted Felon grows as war on its ally Iran rages

      The U.S.-Israeli war against Iran is crystallizing Russian perspectives on Hell Toupée, and may reshape how the Kremlin deals with the White House.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Body parts found on Bali beach belonged to kidnapped Ukrainian tourist: Indonesian police

      Police say the motive for the crime is still under investigation.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian intelligence says Russia won’t threaten NATO while Ukraine war continues

      Lithuania’s intelligence services say the country’s security is closely linked to the course of Russia’s war against Ukraine, noting that as long as Moscow devotes most of its resources to the conflict, its ability to pose a direct military threat to Lithuania and other NATO countries remains limited.

    • LRT ☛ Russia spends millions to recruit war veterans into paralympic sports – investigation

      Soldiers fighting against Ukraine are becoming in Russia an inexhaustible reserve for replenishing Paralympic national teams. Those who became disabled at the front are taken into sport directly from their hospital beds by representatives of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC).

    • H2 View ☛ Ukraine and Austria partner on green hydrogen development

      Ukraine and Austria will collaborate on green hydrogen under a freshly signed cooperation agreement.

    • France24 ☛ Winter Paralympics officially open, Russian athletes greeted with boos

      Some spectators booed Russia's athletes as they marched under their own flag in the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics on Friday. The International Paralympic Committee in February lifted a long-running ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes competing under their own flags and anthems due to their role in the ongoing war in Ukraine.

    • France24 ☛ Zelensky visits eastern front as Ukraine and Russia complete POW swap

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited frontline troops in eastern Ukraine on Friday as Kyiv and Moscow completed a two-day prisoner-of-war exchange involving 500 soldiers from each side. The swap was one of the few tangible outcomes of ongoing diplomatic talks aimed at ending the war.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvia becomes first country to recognise Ukrainian e-signatures

      Latvia has become the first country in the world to legally recognize Ukrainian e-signatures, reports Labs of Latvia.

    • New York Times ☛ As Convicted Felon Out-Putins Putin, Russia’s Global Influence Erodes

      The conflict in Iran may give Moscow a short-term boost economically and in Ukraine. But it has also shown the limits of Russia’s partnerships.

    • LRT ☛ Intelligence report: Lithuania-registered firms used to bypass sanctions, access tech

      Companies registered in Lithuania have been used to help bypass international sanctions and gain access to Western technologies, according to the latest national security threat assessment released by the State Security Department of Lithuania and the Second Investigation Department under the Ministry of National Defence.

• Transparency/Investigative Reporting

  • New York Times ☛ From 1991: Suicide of Jiang Qing, Mao’s Widow, Is Reported

    A former actress who grew up in poverty, she was one of the most hated women in modern Chinese history for her role in the Cultural Revolution.

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ The Alleged Convicted Felon Victim’s Claims about Blackmail Are as Important as Her Claims about Rape

    One day before Jeffrey Epstein suicided, the woman who claimed The Insurrectionist had abused her told the FBI that Epstein and Convicted Felon had spoken about blackmail in front of her.

    >

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ Prudence or backsliding? China’s new climate target mirrors shifting realities

    The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has affected China's energy security, prompting a reassessment.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • New York Times ☛ S.E.C. Settles Its Case Against Justin Sun, an Investor in the Convicted Felons’ Crypto Coins

      The decision to settle the court action is particularly striking because the defendant was accused of a serious violation of securities laws. He denied the charges.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Family of Hong Kong firefighter killed in Tai Po blaze to receive HK$6.15 million in gov’t financial aid

      The family of the Hong Kong firefighter who died battling November’s Wang Fuk Court fire in Tai Po will receive HK$6.15 million in financial support, the government has announced. Ho Wai-ho, 37, was among the 168 lives lost in Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in almost eight decades.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Mexico News Daily ☛ The butterfly effect: What the monarch migration teaches us about life and death

      The annual migration of monarch butterflies between Canada and Mexico helps keep forests alive, and does much more on literal and metaphorical levels.

    • Latvia ☛ Black storks return to Latvia earlier than usual

      Black storks (Ciconia nigra) have returned to Latvia earlier than in previous years, according to information on the website "Dabasdati.lv," where nature observers record their observations.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ A technocrat wants to uplift China’s slowest-growing province. Can he succeed?

    Corruption, red tape and entrenched officialdom has Liaoning one of the country’s toughest places to do business.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China says ‘clearly aware’ of economic risks, vows to boost spending

    China’s leaders are “clearly aware” of challenges facing growth, the head of the country’s top economic planning body said on Friday, vowing to boost sluggish domestic consumption.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China to import more to balance trade as surplus causes friction with partners

    Its push for domestic spending will exceed efforts in 2025.

  • Business Standard ☛ Flipkart lays off 250-300 employees after reviewing performance

    Flipkart has asked about 250-300 employees to leave this year following performance reviews, according to people familiar with the matter. The cuts represent roughly 2 per cent of the company’s workforce — same as the typical 1-2 per cent of employees the firm parts with annually, as part of routine performance management.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • Press Gazette ☛ Daily Mail amends electric car story after Yougov poll showed public could have been misled

      Story said average cost of petrol car was £22,000 in 'flawed comparison'.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • The Straits Times ☛ How one woman got a sexist Malaysian billboard taken down – and how to stop more from appearing

    Complaints can be lodged with watchdogs like Advertising Standards Malaysia.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ How The Atlantic won ‘tortoise and hare’ race versus digital news start-ups

    Editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg told Press Gazette title is in 'virtue cycle' of profit and growth.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Axel Springer ousts DMGT with deal to buy Telegraph for £575m

    Axel Springer promises investment in The Telegraph to become leading centre-right publication globally.

• Civil Rights / Policing / Accessibility

  • BIA Net ☛ Urfa femicide perpetrator sentenced to life imprisonment after ‘good conduct’ reduction

    “Although we consider the application of the good conduct reduction to be unlawful, the fact that he was convicted of intentional killing has relieved the public conscience," said the plaintiff's lawyer.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ NIR updates at APRICOT 2026: IPv6 progress, RPKI plans, and strengthening coordination

    All seven NIRs reflected an active and collaborative NIR community across the Asia Pacific region.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Soak and Pounce: 1920’s Style Submarine Patents

    by Dennis Crouch

    Long before patent monopoly lawyers coined the term “submarine patent,” practitioners had a different name for the same mischief. I was reading through briefing in the old laches case of Chapman v. Wintroath, 252 U.S. 126 (1920) where respondent’s counsel Paul Synnestvedt described the practice of letting an application

    Soak in the office for years until the trade had  independently developed the invention, when the applicant would come out with a divisional application and pounce upon the unfortunates who had proceeded to build up a business on the invention.

  • Unified Patents ☛ DataCloud network communication patent monopoly campaign - invalidity charts coming soon

    The team at Unified IP Services is using Pearl to identify and chart prior art against U.S. Patent 7,209,959, owned by DataCloud Technologies, LLC, an NPE and entity of IP Investments Group. The ‘959 patent monopoly relates to a method, apparatus, and system for anonymous network communication through an ad hoc virtual domain.

  • Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 for High Velocity Capital media patent monopoly prior art

    Unified Patents added a new PATROLL contest, with a $2,000 cash prize, seeking prior art on at least claim 1 of U.S. Patent 8,249,912, owned by High Velocity Capital LLC, an NPE. The '912 patent monopoly relates to a method and system for analyzing and optimizing advertising effectiveness across various media platforms.

    The contest will expire on April 30, 2026. Please visit PATROLL for more information and to submit an entry for the contest..

  • Unified Patents ☛ Two AX Wireless Wi-Fi patents challenged

    On February 26, 2026, Unified filed two ex parte reexamination proceedings against U.S. Patent 10,917,272 and U.S. Patent 11,777,776, owned by AX Wireless, LLC, an NPE and entity of IdeaHub. Both patents generally relate to header field configurations (e.g., header repetition) in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) communication systems (802.11n). The patents have been asserted against Sony, TP Link, Ubiquiti, D-Link, Vantiva, and ASUSTek.

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ UPC Court of Appeal refers long-arm jurisdiction issue to the CJEU [Ed: CJEU needs too properly deal with the very existence of UPC, as it violates constitutions]

      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.

• Copyrights

  • Creative Commons ☛ CC Hosts Open Heritage Statement Event in Amsterdam

    On Monday 2 March 2026, Creative Commons (CC) and Internet Archive Europe, together with the support of Open Nederland, hosted an event entitled “Ensuring equitable access to heritage in the digital environment: A leading role for the Netherlands on the global stage.” In this blog post, we offer a recap of the dynamic discussions and share why they matter for CC.