Leftovers

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Cantopop star Hins Cheung to mentor former 2019 protesters in Security Bureau rehabilitation programme

  Cantopop star Hins Cheung has said he will serve as a mentor in a Security Bureau programme aimed at rehabilitating former 2019 protesters. Chinese state-backed newspaper Wen Wei Po published an interview with Cheung on Saturday, in which the singer said he used to be “ignorant” and “rash.”

• Jim Nielsen ☛ That’s a Skill Issue

  I quipped on BlueSky:

  It’s interesting how Hey Hi (AI) proponents are often like "skill issue" when the LLM doesn't work like someone expects.

  Whereas when human-centered UX people see someone using it wrong, they're like "skill issue on us, the people who made this"

  This is top of mind because I’ve been working with Jan Miksovsky on his project Web Origami and he exemplified this to me recently.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Taking Too Much Vitamin D Can Backfire, Scientists Warn

    It's not without its risks.

  • Science Alert ☛ Quantum Computers Could Break Encryption Far Sooner Than We Realized

    This raises the threat of quantum attacks.

  • Science Alert ☛ Ocean Heat Waves Are 'Supercharging' Hurricane Damage, Scientists Warn

    "This is shocking but should also be alarming for people.”

  • Science Alert ☛ This Tiny Wildflower Could Be a Secret Weapon Against Superbugs

    A traditional medicine reveals a potent surprise.

  • Science Alert ☛ This RNA Almost Self-Replicates, Which Could Explain Life's Origins

    We're so close to understanding.

  • NYPost ☛ Costco travel perks that could save you hundreds on your next trip

    Costco is introducing bundled hotel pricing, waived rental car fees and digital gift cards to use in-store after your trip.

• Hardware

  • CNX Software ☛ Homture Magic Frame smart photo display integrates generative Hey Hi (AI) and 60 GHz mmWave radar (Sponsored)

    The Homture Magic Frame is the world’s first smart photo display that integrates generative Hey Hi (AI) video and a 60 GHz mmWave radar. Artificial intelligence transforms static photos into interactive, living windows of memory, while the 60 GHz radar detects a person’s presence within a 2-meter range.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Futurism ☛ CDC Caught Burying Report on Real Effects of COVID Vaccine

    RFK Jr "has a fixed, immutable belief that vaccines cause harm."

  • New York Times ☛ Rejected by Dozens of Emergency Rooms: South Korea’s Medical Crisis

    Hundreds of patients every year have trouble finding emergency care, even though the country has a world-class medical system. For some, the delays have been fatal.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China plans to care for 400 million seniors by 2035, and Singapore has a stake

    In March, the government announced plans to roll out a long-term care insurance system nationwide.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippines says any energy deals with China must respect its sovereignty

    Manila also said any deals would be made strictly in line with its Constitution.

• Proprietary

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Veteran Abusive Monopolist Microsoft engineer says original Task Manager was only 80KB so it could run smoothly on 90s computers — original utility used a smart technique to determine whether it was the only running instance

    Dave Plummer used several clever techniques to ensure that backdoored Windows Task Manager will always run while cutting the performance hit on your hardware when when it's opened.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Futurism ☛ OpenAI’s Latest Thing It’s Bragging About Is Actually Kind of Sad

      This compute measuring contest is just pitiful.

    • Futurism ☛ OpenAI Staffers Horrified When Senior Leadership Hatched “Insane” Plan to Pit World Governments Against Each Other

      "It worked for nuclear weapons, why not AI?"

    • Futurism ☛ Research Finds That Hey Hi (AI) Has Already Replaced Work for 20 Percent of Jobs [Ed: No, a rotting economy causes layoffs; chatbots are just "entertainment", says Microsoft]

      "The policy window to shape how Hey Hi (AI) transforms work is probably closing faster than most governments realize."

    • Futurism ☛ OpenAI Backing Law That Protects It When Hey Hi (AI) Causes Mass Deaths and Other Mayhem

      How convenient.

    • Futurism ☛ Nike’s Hey Hi (AI) Designed World Cup Jerseys Are a Disaster

      "This is a stupid, STUPID design."

    • Futurism ☛ Man Suing City After Hey Hi (AI) Camera Flags Him For Wrongful Arrest

      He was a "100 percent match."

    • New York Times ☛ The Escalating Global Hey Hi (AI) Arms Race

      China, the U.S., Russia and others have ramped up their contest over artificial-intelligence-backed weapons and military systems. The buildup has been compared to the dawn of the nuclear weapons age.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong coming-of-age documentary pulled from Italy film festival amid privacy row

      A controversial coming-of-age documentary has been pulled from an Italian film festival after two of its subjects protested the screening over privacy concerns. Golden Scene, the film’s distributor, said in a statement on Sunday that To My Nineteen-Year-Old Self will not be screened at the Far East Film Festival in Udine.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ Video of Pakistani detainee escaping from Malaysian jail during transfer goes viral

    The clip shows the man breaking away from a line of inmates getting down from the back of a truck.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Intelligence Shows China Taking a More Active Role in Iran War

    China may have shipped missiles to Iran, and Beijing is allowing some companies to sell Tehran supplies that can be used in military production, American officials said.

  • New York Times ☛ China’s Electrostate Is Poised to Win From War in the Middle East

    A cluster of Chinese firms is poised to win big from the energy crisis set off by the war in the Middle East, building on booming investment in artificial intelligence.

  • The Straits Times ☛ At US-Iran talks, Pakistan’s field marshal takes centre stage

    Field Marshal Asim Munir, a former intelligence chief, appears to be far more hands-on in matters of foreign policy than his predecessors.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea and Poland to upgrade ties as Tusk calls Seoul key ally after US

    The leaders agreed to upgrade ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Australia appoints woman to lead its army for the first time

    Her appointment comes as Australia’s military seeks to boost the number of female officers in its ranks.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippines says Chinese boats’ use of cyanide threatens outpost in disputed waters

    Manila and Beijing are locked in a territorial dispute in the South China Sea.

  • The Straits Times ☛ US, Australia and the Philippines hold second joint drills in South China Sea in 2026

    The drills came ahead of the April 20 opening of the annual large-scale war games called Balikatan.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Three killed as armed men attack Pakistan Coast Guards in Arabian Sea

    QUETTA, Pakistan, April 12 - Separatist insurgents killed three Pakistan Coast Guard personnel on Sunday in the first-ever attack on one of the maritime authority's patrol boats operating in the Arabian Sea, security officials said.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan government should lead engagement with China on new measures, says senior official

    Taiwan's government should lead engagement with China on a series of new steps Beijing has proposed loosening controls on trade and tourism, rather than relying on private party-to-party contacts, a senior Taiwanese security official said on Monday.

  • New York Times ☛ Scores Killed in Nigerian Military Strikes as Clashes With Militants Intensify

    Nigerian officials said they attacked a terrorist enclave, but locals and rights groups said the airstrikes hit a popular market, killing many civilians.

  • France24 ☛ Military air strikes kill dozens of people in northeast Nigeria, Amnesty International says

    Military air strikes on a village in northeastern Nigeria killed dozens of people on Saturday, Amnesty International reported Sunday. The country's air force initially said it had struck a "known terrorist enclave and logistics hub" before later saying it was launching an investigation into the attack following reports of civilian casualties.

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ Having Failed to Win a “Marathon” [sic] without Training, Convicted Felon Announces Blockade of Iran’s Blockade

    Dihydroxyacetone Man's brilliant plan to blockade Iran's blockade seems to forget that Iran has a backdoor via which Convicted Felon's best buddy Vladimir Putin has been supplying Iran.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine, Russia Report Thousands Of Easter Truce Violations

      Ukraine and Russia again accused each other of violating an Orthodox Easter truce, with both sides alleging thousands of attacks and other violations.

    • France24 ☛ Russia–Ukraine Easter truce expires amid mutual accusations of violations

      A 32-hour Easter truce between Russia and Ukraine expired on Monday, with both sides accusing each other of thousands of violations despite a brief lull in air and missile strikes along the 1,200-kilometre front line. The ceasefire period still saw ongoing drone and artillery activity, officials said, alongside continued mutual allegations of breaches.

• Environment

  • Futurism ☛ Heat Waves Are Getting So Brutal That They Just Kill You, Full Stop

    "If it's already happening now, then what does a future that is two or three degrees warmer hold?"

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Futurism ☛ MElon Says He Could Definitely Build a Public Transit System Better Than Anything In China If He Tried

      Sure.

    • Futurism ☛ There’s a Glaring Safety Problem With Nuclear Energy Startups

      Move fast, break isotopes.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Suspected gas explosion in South Korea injures 15

      Explosion at the three-story commercial building believed to have been caused by a gas leak.

    • The Straits Times ☛ High diesel prices will impact roadworks nationwide, says Malaysian lawmaker

      He estimated that over a third of the 855 ongoing projects under his ministry would face delays.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Australia PM to travel to Malaysia, Brunei for fuel talks

      It is a continuation of regional efforts to shore up fuel supplies for Australia.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Same road, different rules: How Malaysia’s fuel crisis exposed its leaders’ double standards

      Public anger grows over perceived double standards in leaders’ travel and advice.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia detains two tankers suspected of illegally transferring diesel

      The total amount seized was estimated to be around 800,000 litres and valued at about $1.74 million.

    • New York Times ☛ Aiming at China, Malaysia Puts New Restrictions on Electric Cars

      The move was a tacit acknowledgment of China’s dominance in the global market and the power of its automakers to keep prices low.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Prabowo heads to Russia to secure energy, fertiliser stocks for Indonesia amid Middle East tensions

      Indonesia is taking proactive steps to ensure its national energy resilience and secure agricultural materials it needs.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ Middle East war takes a bite out of Filipino street food vendors

    “I’m only earning 1,500 pesos (per day), because the rest is spent on LPG,” said one vendor.

  • New York Times ☛ How 6 People in New York City Are Coping With Higher Costs

    Surging inflation and rising prices have some people re-evaluating date nights and how much of their splurges they can share with friends.

  • Futurism ☛ Google Says Showing Polymarket Bets on Surveillance Giant Google News Was a Mistake

    Interesting definition of "news."

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • France24 ☛ Hungarian election-winner Magyar says country ‘liberated’, Orban concedes defeat

    The outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban conceded defeat in Sunday’s election and congratulated his opponent Peter Magyar during a brief speech at his campaign headquarters. The election saw record turnout, with young people turning out in large numbers. Read about the day’s events as they unfolded on our liveblog.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez urges China to take bigger role in multipolar order

    Mr Sanchez is making his fourth visit to China in four years.

  • RFERL ☛ Hungarian Opposition Leader Magyar Scores Landslide Win To Oust Orban

    Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar has scored a landmark election victory over Prime Minister Viktor Orban, ousting US President The Insurrectionist's closest ally in Europe on promises of rebuilding the country's European Union ties and curbing them with Moscow.

  • Ruben Schade ☛ Goodbye, Orban 🇭🇺

    It’s grim times in the world right now, but we got a glimmer of hope from Europe over the weekend. Via the Kyiv Independent: [...]

  • France24 ☛ Hungary's 'return to Europe: Peaceful revolution' embraces new path away from Russia and autocracy

    As Péter Magyar is set to become Hungary's new prime minister, with an astounding supermajority, FRANCE 24's Senior European Editor Armen Georgian is pleased to welcome Tamás Harangozó, Deputy Leader of the MSZP Socialists in Hungary's parliament. According to Harangozó, this election is nothing short of a collective civic awakening, whereby both citizens and lawmakers, across ideological lines, prioritise the country's future over traditional party divisions. For the deputy leader, we are witnessing a commitment to Europe over isolation and to democratic pluralism over autocratic rule.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • Ruben Schade ☛ Correcting the ABC on the RMS Titanic

      I’m an ocean liner tragic. Clara and I specifically went to Melbourne for the Titanic exhibition, and to Long Beach when we were in LA to see the Queen Mary.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • JURIST ☛ HRW condemns Georgia expulsion of Azerbaijan journalist amid persecution risk

    Human Rights Watch on Friday condemned the Georgian authorities for their expulsion of Azerbaijani journalist, Afgan Sadigov, to Azerbaijan, exposing him to a credible risk of politically motivated prosecution and ill-treatment.

  • France24 ☛ 'Undeterred’: Hungarian investigative journalist faces threats and espionage accusations from Orbán

    Gavin Lee is pleased to welcome Szabolcs Panyi, VSquare’s Budapest-based lead investigative editor in charge of Central European investigations and investigative journalist at Direkt36. His reporting into alleged ties between Hungary’s political leadership and Russian state actors triggered an unprecedented response: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán publicly accused him of espionage. According to Panyi, Orbán seeks to discredit independent journalism with false narratives of conspiracies against the government.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ South Korea’s telecom giants surprise 7 million users with unlimited, universal internet — net access declared a 'basic telecommunications right,' 400 Kbps data after monthly plans run out

    South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT said that the country’s three major carriers will provide more than seven million mobile subscribers with unmetered 400 Kbps data.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Software Patents

    • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ PTAB Inventory Drops Below 2,000 for the First Time in 20 Years

      PTAB inventory drops below 2,000 for the first time as appeal pendency falls to 9 months and IPR institutions decline 43% under Dir. Squires.