Leftovers

• Ravi Dwivedi: Budapest Travel

  In September 2025, I attended the annual LibreOffice conference in Budapest, Hungary. This gave me an opportunity to explore the city, which I will cover in this post.

  Let’s start with the currency. Although Hungary is a part of the European Union (EU), it doesn’t use the euro as its currency. Instead, it uses Hungarian forints (denoted by “Ft”). During my time in Hungary, 1 Indian rupee was equal to 4 Hungarian forints.

• Science / Mathematics / Computer Science

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ Michigan State grows grass science for FIFA World Cup

    Michigan State University experts helped supply turfgrass for soccer pitches in 16 cities across the US, Canada and Mexico for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which starts next month.

  • Futurism ☛ Scientists Rush to Save One of the World’s Rarest Trees as It Literally Falls Off a Cliff

    "It is a race against time."

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Solved an 'Impossible' Quantum Puzzle With a Personal Computer

    Anything you can do...

  • Science Alert ☛ Largest Ever Dinosaur Discovered in Southeast Asia Was a Real Doozy

    “Our dinosaur is big by most people’s standards.”

  • Science Alert ☛ Mysterious Stone in US Backyard Turns Out to Be an Archaeological Treasure

    How did it get there?

  • Science Alert ☛ The Sun Just Let Out The Longest Radio Burst We've Ever Seen

    It took four spacecrafts to build the full picture.

• Hardware

  • Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

    • Dedoimedo ☛ Fairphone 6 long-term usage report 1

      Are you being treated fairly? Ha ha. Well, if you're a smarthpone user, the answer is probably most definitely not. The smartphone is designed for on-the-go convenience, and as the favorite entertainment toy for the masses. Hence, if you're ever so slightly less simian, you will feel indignant by the state of current affairs, and seek refuge in something that promises more fun, less pain. Fairphone is one such formula. An Android-based device, with repairability and longevity as its main selling points, plus a rather clean Android experience.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • The Straits Times ☛ Thermos recalls 4 million vacuum food jars in China over defective stoppers

    The sealing stoppers may forcefully eject when opened, causing injury, the company warns.

  • New York Times ☛ China’s Rise in Drug Development Looms Over U.S.

    Clinical trials in China are getting attention at an international oncology gathering in Chicago. China’s surging biotechnology industry is fueling alarm that U.S. dominance in the field is waning.

  • New York Times ☛ White House Releases Results of Convicted Felon’s Latest Physical Exam

    The report by Hell Toupée’s physician said he was in “excellent health.” It showed that he had gained weight and that neurological and heart tests had come back “normal.”

  • France24 ☛ UK rape ruling sparks nationwide outcry

    Outrage over an UK judge’s decision to spare three teenage boys convicted of raping two girls from prison sentences. The UK attorney general has referred the judgement to the Court of Appeal. Also studies reveal that nearly two-thirds of women over 50 are struggling with their mental health; and not getting the professional help they so badly need. Annette Young talks to Professor Pooja Saini, a British mental health specialist as to why this is happening. Plus we meet Lhakpa Sherpa from Nepal who's broken the women's record for scaling the world's highest peak; making her 11th trip to the summit of Mount Everest in 26 years.

  • Futurism ☛ Kids Are Flying Into Lunatic Rages When Their iPads Are Taken Away

    iPad kids are exhibiting iPad rage.

  • Federal News Network ☛ How the Military Health System is reimagining health IT from the battlefield to the exam room

    AI is accelerating health IT integration, empowering providers and patients alike to more easily access and utilize data, according to Dr. Stephen Ferrara.

  • MIT Technology Review ☛ The deadly Ebola outbreak is proving difficult to control

    The alert was raised on May 5. Four health-care workers in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo had died from an unknown illness within four days.

  • The Straits Times ☛ 17 people hospitalised after chemical leak at South Korean university lab

    Students experienced symptoms such as breathing difficulties, nausea, dizziness and eye irritation.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Common Blood Pressure Drug Boosts Lifespan And Slows Aging in Animals

    The potential is immense.

  • Science Alert ☛ New Wearable Ultrasound Device Could 'Transform' Pregnancy Care

    A window into the womb.

• Proprietary / SaaS

  • Qt ☛ Qt Creator 20 - CMake Update

    Here are the new CMake changes in Qt Creator 20:

  • So-Called 'Artificial Intelligence' ('AI') / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Mystery company accidentally blew $500 million on Claude Hey Hi (AI) in a single month — failed to put usage limit on licenses for employees

      A new report cites an Hey Hi (AI) consultant claiming a client accidentally spent $500,000,000 on Claude in a single month.

    • Futurism ☛ Corporations Reeling From Huge Hey Hi (AI) Costs With No Clear Benefits

      They're not impressed so far.

    • Futurism ☛ Fans Aghast as New York Jets Say They’re Switching to AI

      "Jets finally acknowledging they need to outsource for intelligence as there is none in the building itself."

    • MIT Technology Review ☛ How the Pope’s Magnifica Humanitas offers a template for individuals to meet the Hey Hi (AI) moment

      Pope Leo XIV’s new encyclical on artificial intelligence includes a statement that warrants serious attention from technologists and policymakers: “Technology is never neutral.”

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • France24 ☛ ‘Scamdemic’: Inside Southeast Asia's cyber fraud industry

      It is one of the world's fastest-growing industries. Cyber fraud operated out of scam centres scattered across the Mekong region generates tens of billions of euros every year -- by some estimates, equivalent to 40 percent of the region's combined GDP. This edition of Access Asia takes a deep look inside the scam industry with analysis from Jason G. Tower, senior expert at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Federal News Network ☛ The same data that’s out there about you can also be used against you and now it is

      "It's really about your personal safety and the integrity of your family and what people can use to exploit," Ron Zayas said.

  • Confidentiality

    • Jon Chiappetta: Lessons Learned From Implementing Multi-Threaded VPNs!

      When reading packets or network data from a tunnel interface, the order in which they are read does matter as they can impact connectionless protocols and also cause stateful protocols to spend time re-ordering data! There were three techniques that I tried implementing to solve this issue: [...]

• Defence/Aggression

  • France24 ☛ US-Iran deal: Tehran demands release of frozen assets

    As the US and Iran continue to negotiate on proposals to end the war, a source close to negotiations told Iran's Fars news agency that the last real sticking point was $24 billion in Iranian funds frozen in banks around the world. FRANCE 24’s Camille Knight takes a look at what those assets are – and why it's such a thorny issue.

  • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man says he’s making final decision on Iran deal as Tehran slams ‘mixture of truth and lies’

    US President The Insurrectionist on Friday said he would be making a final decision on a potential deal to end the US-Israeli war against Iran ahead of a high-security meeting in the White House Situation Room. But after more than two hours of deliberations, no decision has yet been forthcoming.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China opposes any country using freedom of navigation to undermine sovereignty

    A Canadian warship passed through the Taiwan Strait last week.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Chinese leaders skip Asia defence summit headlined by US

    By Jan Hennop and Matthew Walsh Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth is the headline speaker at Asia’s premier defence summit opening Friday, but China’s top officials aren’t expected despite weighty questions like Taiwan and the war in Iran.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China blasts ‘illegal’ Japan-Philippines sea border talks

    China expressed strong opposition on Friday to a decision by Japan and the Philippines to start maritime border negotiations, calling the talks “illegal” and claiming exclusive control over the waters concerned.

  • ACLU ☛ Congress Must Preserve Military Women’s Ability to Serve in Ground Combat Roles

    After a decade of progress, the Convicted Felon administration wants to turn back the clock for women serving in ground combat roles. Congress must act.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian PM calls for greater pressure on Russia after drone strike in Romania

      Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė has called for increased pressure on Russia following a drone strike on an apartment building in Romania near the Ukrainian border.

    • New York Times ☛ What to Know About the Drones That Have Been Crossing Into Romania

      The strike on Friday, near the Ukrainian border, was the first to injure civilians in Romania, officials say. But drones from the nearby war have been a growing threat.

    • France24 ☛ Romania hit by drone strike: Foreign Minister speaks to FRANCE 24

      It was two o’clock in the morning when the explosion hit — a Russian drone smashing into the tenth floor of an apartment block in the Romanian town of Galati, just 11 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.

      Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets and a military helicopter, while emergency alerts were sent to residents across the affected region. Two people were injured and the apartment building was swiftly evacuated.

      The incident has sparked condemnation across NATO capitals and raised fresh concerns about the growing risks along the alliance’s eastern flank.

    • France24 ☛ Romania: Russian drone hits apartment building

      🇷🇴 🇷🇺 🇺🇦 A #Russian drone launched at #Ukraine struck an apartment building in #Romania early Friday.

      The incident injured two people in the #NATO-member country, prompting strong condemnation from the military alliance and the #EU.

    • New York Times ☛ U.N. Adds Israeli and Russian Forces to Sexual Violence List

      Israel has denied the accusations and condemned the report, which listed dozens of countries and nonstate groups as “credibly suspected” of patterns of rape and sexual violence.

    • New York Times ☛ Lithuania, Once Occupied by Germany, Is Glad German Troops Are Back

      Berlin has deployed forces to protect the Baltic country amid fears of increased Russian aggression in Europe. This time, the soldiers were welcomed.

    • New York Times ☛ Romania Says It Could Invoke NATO’s Article 4. What Would That Do?

      The clause in NATO’s founding treaty is an “instrument” Romania can use, the foreign minister said after a drone, alleged to be Russian, wounded two civilians.

    • France24 ☛ 'We need Operation Eastern Sentry': NATO's eastern flank 'facing Russian threat every week'

      Gavin Lee is pleased to welcome prominent Romanian journalist, TV anchor and military analyst Radu Tudor. As tensions continue to rise along NATO's eastern frontier, the latest drone incident in Romania has once again exposed the growing security dilemmas facing frontline alliance states. Tudor sees a pattern of Russian aggression, the vulnerabilities of NATO's eastern flank, and the urgent need for stronger allied military capabilities in the region.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • European Commission ☛ Commission approves €9 billion Spanish capacity mechanism for security of electricity supply

      The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €9 billion capacity mechanism for electricity supply for Spain. This aid measure aims to ensure that there is sufficient capacity to produce, store or flexibly consume electricity and that electricity production meets the expected demand.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ Foreign-owned homes in South Korea top 108,000; Chinese nationals hold more than half

    They were followed by the Americans, then Canadians and Taiwanese.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Locking in tax-free gains: The gold loophole to turn TSP profits into hard assets

    Federal employees over the age of 59½ and retirees don't have to choose between the risks of the C Fund and the inflation trap of the G Fund.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia PM Anwar under pressure amid growing defections from his party

    PKR defectors have mostly been rank-and-file members or local party officers.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Myanmar’s junta chief-turned-president heads to India, with an eye on China

    Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing will hold talks with India's Narendra Modimir during the five-day trip.

  • Quad’s Fiji port plan will challenge China’s Pacific supply-chain dominance

    Experts say the project signals to the region that the US, Japan, India, and Australia can offer more than Beijing.

  • New York Times ☛ Europe Is Edging Closer to a Trade War With China. Here’s Why.

    As cheap goods pour in, threatening the continent’s manufacturing sector, a search for solutions is becoming increasingly urgent.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Colombia votes for its next president, weighing social support against security

    Colombian voters are choosing between a continuation of outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s social welfare policies and a renewed focus on security.

  • JURIST ☛ South Africa president challenges corruption report in court amid ‘Farmgate’ scandal

    South African President Cyril Ramaphosa filed ​a claim in the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday, challenging a panel report alleging he violated the constitution during his “Farmgate” scandal. In 2020, thieves broke into President Ramaphosa’s farm and stole over half a million dollars from inside one of his couches.

  • Licensing / Legal

    • Robert Reich ☛ What Does Trump Do After He Rapes and Defames You?

      In May 2023, a federal jury in New York unanimously found that Trump was liable for sexually abusing Carroll. The judge in that trial clarified that Trump didn’t just “sexually abuse” her. He “raped” her: [...]

    • New York Times ☛ What We Know (and Don’t) About the E. Jean Carroll Lawsuits Inquiry

      Prosecutors would face substantial hurdles in potentially pursuing charges against Ms. Carroll, who twice won cases against The Insurrectionist, or the billionaire who helped pay her lawyers.

    • New York Times ☛ Who Is the Prosecutor Investigating E. Jean Carroll’s Lawsuits?

      Andrew S. Boutros, the Convicted Felon-appointed U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, is said to be overseeing the criminal investigation.

    • New York Times ☛ Judge Reopens Convicted Felon’s Lawsuit Demanding $10 Billion From IRS

      The ruling was a blow to both Hell Toupée, who had voluntarily dismissed the suit last week, and to the Justice Department, which used the suit to establish a fund likely intended for Convicted Felon allies.

• Civil Rights / Policing / Accessibility

  • When People Start "New Chapters"

    To me, the near-term future is clear (I said the same in a blog post when I turned 40); I need to – not only want to – promote Software Freedom and justice. Those two concepts are connected and they also involve journalism, particularly exposing corruption. It’s expensive to do so, but it must be done. If not us, then who? And if not right now, then when?

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • [Repeat] WordPress ☛ WP23 – WordPress News

    WordPress at 23 is simultaneously both the strongest and most precarious it’s ever been.

    Last week, we shipped WordPress 7 to the world. In seven days, 46% of all WordPresses, tens of millions across countless different hosting environments, are already on 7.0, auto-updated with no breakage. From a Raspberry Pi to the most secure sites in the world, like WhiteHouse.gov. Sit with that for a minute when you think of all the resources and all the projects that have had security problems in the past few weeks. No supply chain attacks, no security problems, just a stable, secure infrastructure doing its job invisibly to power a huge portion of the open [Internet].

• Monopolies/Monopsonies

  • Patents

    • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Old Soil, New Clock: The DTSA Discovery Rule After Insulet v. EOFlow

      Federal Circuit voids a $452M trade secret verdict on DTSA limitations grounds, applying a single-claim accrual rule that runs opposite to copyright.

    • JUVE ☛ Regional Court Munich issues ex parte PIs on SPC for parkinson drug Xadago

      The ex parte PIs are a particularly heavy blow for Vivanta Generics, Stadapharm and Aliud Pharma. They already market their generics of drug Xadago with the active ingredient safinamide in Germany. The dispute revolves around a new Parkinson’s therapy.

    • Unified Patents ☛ Portus security patent monopoly prior art found

      The team at Unified used Pearl to successfully identify and chart prior art against U.S. Patent 9,961,097, owned by Portus Singapore Pte Ltd, an NPE. The ‘097 patent monopoly relates to a home security and control system that lets a user monitor and control devices in a home remotely over the Internet.

  • Copyrights/Music

    • Digital Music News ☛ Last.fm is Still Scrobbling More Than Twenty Years Later (Seriously) — But It’s No Longer Part of Paramount Skydance

      Last.fm is independent again, nearly 20 years after it was acquired by CBS. And it’s still keeping track of your scrobbles across streaming platforms. Remember Last.fm?

    • Digital Music News ☛ Filing Frivolity Against Nelly? Judge Saddles Attorney Suing ‘Country Grammar’ Rapper With a Heavy Fine

      Ouch. The attorney who sued Nelly for allegedly excluding his former bandmates from credits for his wildly successful debut solo album Country Grammar has been ordered to pay the rapper’s legal fees.

    • Digital Music News ☛ Live Nation Settles With Beyond Wonderland Shooting Victims Ahead of Broader Trial

      Live Nation has settled a lawsuit with the families of two women shot and killed during the 2023 Beyond Wonderland festival at The Gorge Amphitheatre.

    • Digital Music News ☛ Katy Perry Secures Nearly $5M in Legal Victory After Mansion Purchase Goes Sour

      An LA court says a Texas millionaire has to pay Katy Perry nearly $5 million in legal fees after losing a court battle over the sale of a mansion. Katy Perry has been awarded over $3 million in legal fees following a multi-year legal battle against Carl Westcott over the sale of a California mansion.