Leftovers

• Olaf Alders ☛ Building Your Race Calendar

  Races get scattered across ticket platforms and grassroots events on Facebook (Farcebook) or Instagram. My Mind is Racing lets you search them, star what you like, and sync one calendar to your devices.

• Science / Mathematics / Computer Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Wild Experiment Reveals Quantum Objects Do Obey Gravity

    Exploring "one of the most fundamental questions in physics."

  • Federal News Network ☛ There’s been a shift in where people earning STEM Ph.D.s are ending up [iophk: The Bologna Treaty more or less killed academia, and the post Bologna PhDs are not as valuable degrees anyway, especially as institutions have started churning them out as fast and as many as they are allowed to.]

    "Today, we produce many more Ph.D.s in computer science, but about three-quarters of those Ph.D.s are going anywhere but academia" said Dr. Erwin Gianchandani.

  • Science Alert ☛ Your Body Doesn't Age Steadily – It Ages in Two Big Bursts, Study Finds

    Aging isn't a straight line.

  • Science Alert ☛ Antique 'Fox Head' Bought at Auction Wasn't a Fox at All. It Was a Long-Extinct Species.

    "It was like a bolt of lightning to my brain and eyes that it wasn't a fox."

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Find Parasites in Almost Every Fish From a Recent Tuna Haul – 96% Were Infected

    Some were in the muscle, too.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Scientist Says We've Been Wrong About Where Life on Earth Began

    Back to the drawing board.

• Hardware

  • CNX Software ☛ Amlogic A311Y3 Cortex-A78/A55 Edge Hey Hi (AI) system-on-module delivers up to 8 TOPS

    Boardcon CM311Y3 system-on-module (SoM) is powered by an Amlogic A311Y3 octa-core Cortex-A78/A55 SoC with an 8 TOPS NPU and targets 4K video surveillance systems, Hey Hi (AI) edge computing devices, interactive terminals, enterprise thin clients, and autonomous robots.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Iconic Packard Bell brand rises from the ashes after 13 years with the DotBook 14 at IFA — colorful and affordable defective chip maker Intel Twin Lake laptop is Europe-only, for now

    Packard Bell is back, under the wing of Acer at IFA 2026, with the Taiwanese PC maker’s unveiling of the colorful Dot family, including a laptop, headphones, input peripherals, and more.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New Yorker ☛ Have We Destroyed Childhood?

    We blame smartphones—but the problem might be us.

  • Ruben Schade ☛ Back up to ten thousand steps [Ed: Counting them is pointless, doing exercise is not]

    The last couple of months have been rough in the health department, as evidenced in both Clara’s and my sudden drop in step count and general physical activity.

  • Federal News Network ☛ EPA proposal could leave the public in the dark on data center plans

    The EPA proposal would eliminate a federal requirement that states notify the public and seek comment before issuing air pollution permits for data centers.

  • Science Alert ☛ Cerebral Palsy Might Not Actually Be a Disease, Scientists Say

    What if we had this wrong?

  • Science Alert ☛ Peppermint Oil Lowered Blood Pressure by 8 Points in Just 20 Days, Trial Finds

    Staying in mint condition.

  • Science Alert ☛ There's Enough Rare Earth Metal in US Coal Waste to Cut China Out of The Supply Chain, Study Finds

    A homegrown supply.

  • Science Alert ☛ Experimental One-Dose Treatment Cuts 'Bad' Cholesterol by 52% in First Human Trial

    This could be a breakthrough.

  • New York Times ☛ Haze From Indonesian Wildfires Blankets Parts of Malaysia, Philippines

    A powerful El Niño is fanning what could be Indonesia’s worst fire season in years, one that is also raising fears of a regional health crisis.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia’s Sarawak declares emergency in Serian district due to haze

    Serian recorded a hazardous air pollutant index reading of 518 as at 10am on Sept 4.

  • New York Times ☛ The Search for New Cures Is Broken

    It is too hard for medical researchers to launch clinical trials.

• Proprietary / Vendor Lock-in / Malware

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

    • International Business Times ☛ Bernie Sanders' New Hey Hi (AI) Bill Could Shut Down Companies and Jail Developers for 20 Years

      Senators propose a bill to ban superintelligent AI, impose severe penalties for violations, and establish a federal agency to regulate Hey Hi (AI) development and ensure public safety.

    • Futurism ☛ World Plunged Into Chaos as ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok Suddenly Go Down Simultaneously: “Finally I Can See the Sun!” [Ed: Chaos? For who? Plagiarists?]

      "And for a brief moment, millions of people had to use their brains again."

    • Futurism ☛ Zohran Mamdani Bans Hey Hi (AI) for NYC Public School Students Up to Eighth Grade

      "I have yet to see a study showing that Hey Hi (AI) is beneficial for students in elementary and middle school."

    • New York Times ☛ Why the Hugging Face Hack Should Make You Worry More About A.I.

      The attack by an aggressive “collective” of Proprietary Chaffbot Company agents shows the danger of artificial intelligence systems that organize themselves.

    • Andy Simpkins ☛ Andy Simpkins: A quick experiment with vibe coding

      I spent 6 hours working with an Hey Hi (AI) to write a bash script that would show me both active & inactive reserved DHCP addresses, as well as active leases from pool. I am pretty sure that it would have taken me similar or even less time not to use the Hey Hi (AI) assistant, but that was not the purpose of this test.

    • OpenRightsGroup ☛ AI and the Public Sector: A Human Rights Approach

      The UK is at a crossroads. Before it is an opportunity to govern one of the most disruptive technologies in history: AI. Yet the manner in which Hey Hi (AI) is currently being approached risks cementing this technology as an obstacle – one that obstructs the functioning of a fair, just and prosperous society.

    • OpenRightsGroup ☛ ORG and MPs call for public sector use of Hey Hi (AI) to be regulated

      The report finds that the UK’s adoption of Hey Hi (AI) is a key part of state strategy that appears to be principally motivated by improving economic performance and bolstering innovation. The paper highlights risks resulting from how Hey Hi (AI) systems are being developed, procured and deployed across the public sector.

  • Social Control Media

    • New York Times ☛ Inside Mamdani’s Private Army of Public Influencers

      Zohran Mamdani is seen as a social control media wizard. Some of his popularity stems from an influencer operation run by the mayor’s office.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong police arrest 21 men, including private tutor, for sharing indecent images of children

      Hong Kong police have arrested 21 men, including a private tutor, for allegedly producing indecent images of children and sharing them on social control media platforms.

    • Ruben Schade ☛ Names in common with lost friends

      Every time I launch Thunderbird to read my RSS feeds, I’m reminded that not one, but two people I follow have the same names as friends who are no longer with us. I noticed this on Mastodon too, before I took my current social control media hiatus.

Security

• Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

  • Bruce Schneier ☛ Researching Employment Scams

    Researchers built a fake company to study fake employee scams.

• Privacy/Surveillance

  • Latvia ☛ Saeima tightens up Latvia's e-identity laws

    On Thursday, September 3rd, the Saeima supported amendments to the Law on Personal Identification Documents and amendments to the Law on Electronic Identification of Natural Persons in their final reading.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Flock cameras: How a police tool sparked a surveillance revolt in the US

    Flock Safety cameras, the most widely used automatic license plate readers in the country, are facing new pushback in response to privacy concerns.

  • Cloudbooklet ☛ California Pushes Bill to Ban Hey Hi (AI) Chatbot Toys for Kids

    What happens when a toy can talk back? California wants to Ban Hey Hi (AI) Chatbot Toys for kids, raising fresh questions about safety, privacy, and Hey Hi (AI) control.

• Confidentiality

  • Security Week ☛ 153 Million Driver License Images Offered on Dark Web

    Cybercriminals are offering digital scans of US and Canadian driver’s licenses, likely stolen from IDScan.net.

Defence/Aggression

• JURIST ☛ Angolans fleeing drought face arrest and deportation in Namibia, report says

  Angolans who fled prolonged drought into Namibia face arrest, detention, denial of health care, and deportation because Namibian law gives them no route to legal status, Amnesty International said in a report Wednesday.

• Federal News Network ☛ Postal Service finalizes election ballot mail portal

  USPS is facing new questions from lawmakers about the portal after a whistleblower claimed that the portal has been hastily built and could fail.

• New York Times ☛ Israeli Military Kills Two Palestinian Youths in Village Raid, Residents Say

  Al Mughayir, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has become a focal point for rising settler violence, with the latest deadly episode starting in a dispute over livestock.

• The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan condemns China’s ‘wolf warrior’ behaviour at Pacific forum

  This year's Pacific Islands Forum was overshadowed by China's objections to the presence of Taiwan at the summit.

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Palau urges ‘unified’ Pacific response to China’s intercontinental ballistic test

  Palau’s president called on Thursday for a “unified” Pacific response to July’s missile test by China on the final day of a summit clouded by alleged Beijing meddling.

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Pacific leaders issue joint rebuke over China missile test

  Pacific Island nations condemned a Chinese missile test into their midst in a joint statement agreed Thursday, despite pressure from Beijing on Palau, the host of a regional leaders’ meeting.

• CS Monitor ☛ How growing Israeli-Turkish tensions led to a strike on a Syrian air base

  Could the growing regional rivalry between Turkey and Israel lead to a military clash? A recent Israeli strike on an air base in northern Syria illustrated the two countries’ conflicting strategic interests, but analysts say neither wants war.

• France24 ☛ Tigray's fragile recovery at risk as drone strikes reignite war fears

  Over the past month, drone strikes have hit several parts of Ethiopia's Tigray region, sparking fears of a renewed war. The last conflict left an estimated 600,000 people dead, making it the deadliest conflict of the 21st century. As the region has not yet rebuilt or recovered from that damage, health experts are warning of the potential impact on patients if another war were to break out.

• Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

  • LRT ☛ Lithuanian parliament speaker urges contacts with Belarusian govt, but stronger sanctions

    Lithuania should continue seeking ways to communicate with Belarusian authorities despite strained relations, Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas said Thursday, while stressing that sanctions against Minsk should be strengthened rather than eased.

  • LRT ☛ Lithuanian intelligence sees no increased threat from Belarus

    Lithuanian intelligence currently sees no increased threat from Belarus, Deividas Matulionis, President Gitanas Nausėda’s chief national security adviser, said Thursday.

  • Latvia ☛ Belarus conference to take place in Rīga

    On Friday, 4th September from 10.00 to 13.30, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will host an international conference titled 'Conference on Belarus 2026'. The event is organised jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Latvian Institute of International Affairs.

  • New York Times ☛ Norway Seizes Russian Ship, Testing Moscow in the High Arctic

    Empowered by an international court order, Norway captured the vessel as part of a global effort to seize Russian assets. The Russians called it “piracy.”

  • New York Times ☛ The Risk of Russian Sabotage in Europe: A Fight That Spirals Out of Control

    Europe’s options are limited in responding to an unnerving series of plots and provocations. But the odds of unpredictable consequences are rising.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Mongolia bears brunt of Russia's fuel crunch, official says

    Mongolia, Russia's long-term trading partner, is feeling the pinch of fuel shortages in its neighbour, the dominant supplier of gasoline and diesel, a Mongolian official told Reuters.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Prabowo offers Indonesia as Russia’s gateway to ASEAN

    Indonesian President calls for deeper trade, investment and transport links with Russia.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Vietnam’s globetrotting leader To Lam to visit Russia, France, US in September: Sources

    The pace of high-profile overseas trips is exceptional even for To Lam.

  • LRT ☛ Belarusian opposition leader says Russia could use Belarus to provoke NATO

    Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya warned that Russia could use Belarusian territory to escalate tensions and provoke NATO member states.

  • New York Times ☛ The New Jet-Powered Drones That Are Breeding Anxiety in Ukraine

    These Russian drones are more destructive, faster and harder to shoot down than the propeller-driven models that Moscow has used throughout the war.

  • New York Times ☛ Rival Ukrainian Intelligence Units Open Fire Against Each Other in Kyiv

    President Volodymyr Zelensky described the shootout on the streets of the Ukrainian capital as an “absolutely shameful event” and ordered an investigation.

  • New York Times ☛ For Russia and Ukraine, an Escalating Spiral With No End in Sight

    Each side is using missiles and drones to try to pound the other into giving up, breeding ceaseless human suffering. But there is no sign that either country’s determination will weaken.

  • New York Times ☛ A Surge of Russian Sabotage Attacks in Europe, and MElon’s Political War Chest

    Plus, your Friday news quiz.

  • New York Times ☛ After Fighting Russia Fiercely, He Wants to Forge Ukraine’s Path to Peace

    Kyrylo Budanov, a decorated soldier and former military spy chief, advocates a negotiated settlement. Talks are expected to resume this month.

  • CS Monitor ☛ This week, Germany stopped putting up with Russia’s hybrid war

    Germany has been wary of calling out Russian hybrid warfare, but the discovery of two drones in Leipzig last month proved the last straw for Berlin.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Test for the West as it anticipates more Russian interference

    The U.S. and its Western allies are watching to see whether Russia will ratchet up pressure on Ukraine’s European backers and test their response.

  • MIT Technology Review ☛ Data from drones in Ukraine is fueling a new Wild West marketplace

    Battlefields in Ukraine are littered with the remnants of drones, which are now firmly established as a critical weapon of modern warfare. But behind all that wreckage, there’s a new gold mine for the defense sector.

  • RFERL ☛ Zelenskyy Blasts 'Disgraceful' Kyiv Shoot-Out Between Ukraine's Security Agencies

    KYIV -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for “accountability” and “personnel decisions” after a shootout in Kyiv involving the country’s major security services.

  • RFERL ☛ Zelenskyy Says US Envoys To Visit Kyiv, Moscow As Russia Again Strikes Ukraine's Capital

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he spoke with the two US special envoys who told him they will visit Kyiv "in the coming days" and that they will also travel to Moscow for talks, even as Russian strikes continued on the Ukrainian capital.

  • RFERL ☛ Ukraine 'Optimistic' On Russia Sanctions Bill But Obstacles Loom

    Ukraine’s top sanctions official says he remains optimistic about prospects for a sweeping Russia sanctions bill in the US Congress despite growing uncertainty over when the House will take it up, as lawmakers face a sharply shortened legislative calendar ahead of the November elections.

  • LRT ☛ Lithuania tightens inspections of Russian grain amid concerns over Ukrainian cargo

    Lithuania is tightening inspections of Russian grain moving through the port of Klaipėda after some stevedoring companies resumed handling the cargo, Agriculture Minister Kęstutis Mažeika said.

  • BBC ☛ Europe targeted by spiralling campaign of sabotage - and Russia is the chief suspect

    As summer temperatures in Europe smashed records and many politicians shifted to holiday mode, Russia remained focused on its war.

    Not only did its military attacks across Ukraine intensify last month, becoming ever more deadly for civilians, Russia also appears to have escalated its sabotage campaign across Europe.

  • Le Monde ☛ The need for European deterrence against Russia

    When Germany attributed the attempted, and potentially devastating, explosives drone attack on its soil to Russia on September 1, a month after the incident, it finally put into words what had become obvious. Because of their support for Ukraine, which became central after Donald Trump's United States refused to come to the aid of an invaded nation fighting bravely for its freedom, European countries have become targets of an expanded theater of war orchestrated by Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

    This point should silence those voices across Europe that continue to claim that the Russian president remains a negotiating partner willing to find a way out of the war he brought upon his country. Trapped in a conventional conflict he has so far proved unable to win, Putin has never considered anything but the subjugation of Kyiv, a goal that has led him to the current escalation.

Environment

• Futurism ☛ United Nations Concedes That Efforts to Arrest Climate Change Have Failed, and the Planet Is Now Spiraling Into Environmental Catastrophe

  We now need to "face the inevitability of exceeding global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius."

• JURIST ☛ UN raises concern for women and girls amid mounting death toll in Nepal floods

  The United Nations stated Tuesday that Nepal’s catastrophic flash floods had killed more than 1,000 people, while thousands remain missing. The statement especially noted that women and girls face shortages of food, safe water, healthcare and protection in the wake of the disaster.

• The Straits Times ☛ Nepali survivor recounts 'fight through darkness' to escape flood-hit tunnel

  Dhan Bahadur Tamang was at work in a hydropower project near Nepal's border with China when he sensed a sudden air pressure change in the underground tunnel at the Upper Trishuli 1 hydropower project.

• Energy/Transportation

  • Futurism ☛ China Installing Huge Facility That Turns Plastic Waste Into Jet Fuel

    A potential game changer.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Diesel Prices Set New High

    Because of the war in Iran, the cost has climbed past the record it reached in 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

• Wildlife/Nature

  • Science Alert ☛ A Billion Tons of Ice Are Hiding Under Utah, Study Finds

    An incredible discovery.

Finance

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Singapore says China arrests 52 citizens in pyramid scheme clampdown [Ed: They should have called it "AI" of "crypto", then be bailed out rather than arrested]

  China has arrested 52 Singaporeans suspected of involvement in pyramid schemes, Singapore said Friday, in what local media in the city-state said could be the largest detention of its citizens overseas to date.

• New York Times ☛ The Bond Markets Are Pushing Up Rates. Will Central Banks Follow?

  Around the world, rising bond yields reflect shifting expectations on how fast policymakers will raise interest rates.

• The Straits Times ☛ Japan budget requests swell to pandemic-era scale under Takaichi

  The increase underscores tension at the heart of Takaichi’s economic agenda.

• New York Times ☛ Mortgage Rates Hit 6.71%, Their Highest Level Since July 2025

  Higher costs for home loans have put a squeeze on the housing market, adding pressure to consumers already struggling with elevated inflation.

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

• New York Times ☛ Gloria Steinem: A Life in Pictures

  Steinem was one of the faces of the modern women’s rights movement.

• International Business Times ☛ Nigel Farage Aide 'Suggests' Way Around Donations Law in Undercover Sting as Reform Leader Listens

  An undercover investigation reveals Reform UK officials discussing ways to bypass UK electoral laws for a £500,000 foreign donation, sparking calls for legal scrutiny.

• New York Times ☛ Lake Ontario Is One of Many Bodies of Water Caught in a Naming Fight

  Hell Toupée’s bid to call it ‘Lake America’ stands out in a world full of contested place names, which often represent deeper political or territorial disputes.

• New York Times ☛ China Boycotts a Top Art Festival Over Taiwan Exhibition

  China said the Gwangju Biennale in South Korea was misrepresenting Taiwan as an independent nation. Beijing claims it as its own.

• The Straits Times ☛ China artists quit South Korea exhibition over Taiwan row

  It comes after organisers of the Gwangju Biennale allowed "Taiwan" to be used in the name of an exhibition.

• International Business Times ☛ China Threatens France Over New Shein and Temu Levy as Paris Defends 'Eco-Friendly' Fashion Crackdown

  France enacts a law imposing levies on ultra-fast fashion brands like Shein and Temu to curb environmental impact, sparking opposition from China, which views the measure as discriminatory.

• The Straits Times ☛ China urges France to ‘halt’ fast-fashion law, warns of countermeasures

  The law, which came into effect on Sept 1, imposes fees on certain items.

Censorship/Free Speech

• BIA Net ☛ Suspect detained for hate speech against Kurdish Amedspor fans

  The AKP and HÜDA PAR made statements calling for an investigation. The individual was ultimately detained.

Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

• BIA Net ☛ In Pursuit of Rights-Based Peace Journalism on Television: The 'Syria' Agenda

  The research examined TV broadcasts about North and East Syria, also known as Rojava, and found that coverage largely focused on security and war measures, and often using polarizing, “othering” language when discussing Kurds.

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ CNBC latest to pull back from Hong Kong as local office closes, shows axed

  CNBC has become the latest media outlet to pull back from Hong Kong, with owner Versant Media Group closing its local office as part of “programming and production restructuring,” according to Bloomberg.

Civil Rights / Policing / Accessibility

• Far Out Mag ☛ Gloria Steinem: a life through the lens of the women she inspired

  Kathleen Hanna was just nine years old when she discovered her feminist heroine, Gloria Steinem. “It was the first time I had ever been in a big crowd of women yelling, and it really made me want to do it forever,” she later recalled.

  Later, when Hanna realised her potential as the next leading figure in emotionally-charged, unfiltered, raw feminism, she became a spoken word poet, before transitioning to an explosive force in the riot grrrl movement as the face of Bikini Kill.

Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

• APNIC ☛ Community consultation on increasing diversity in APNIC community leadership: Stage 1 report released

  The APNIC Executive Council has released the Stage 1 report on APNIC’s community consultation on increasing diversity in APNIC community leadership. The discussion will continue at APNIC 62 in Mumbai, with remote participation available.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• New York Times ☛ Why the Courts Are Hesitant to Punish Tech Giants Like Meta and Google

  After finding antitrust violations, federal courts have been reluctant to impose harsh sanctions. They fear meddling in markets where technology is racing ahead.

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Strings Attached: The House Hearing on Renewing USPTO Fee Setting Authority

    House IP subcommittee hearing on USPTO fee setting renewal: Wasserman's grant-incentive research, the 2024 fee study that never tested it, and PTAB and PPAC strings.

  • Unified Patents ☛ DynaIP entity WirelessWerx IP geofencing patent monopoly challenge granted

    On September 2, 2026, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) granted Unified’s request, finding substantial new questions of patentability on challenged claims 19, 28, 42, 53, and 61 of U.S. Patent 7,323,982, owned by WirelessWerx IP LLC, an NPE and Dynamic IP Deals LLC entity. The ‘982 patent monopoly is directed to tracking and managing wireless devices using geofencing techniques.

  • JUVE ☛ A&O Shearman ramps up US patent monopoly practice with prominent judge [Ed: Judges becoming employees in private law firms is classic corruption. It must never happen. Then again, Albright was always a shill of patent trolls, now he's clearly "cashing in" from subverting a court.]

    Alan D Albright joins A&O Shearman’s patent monopoly group from the federal bench, where he served as a United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas from 2018. In May it became public that the well-known judge would be stepping down from his tenure in Waco at the end of August.

  • Unified Patents ☛ UBQS-IP file collaboration patent monopoly challenged

    On September 2, 2026, Unified filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 7,313,580, owned and asserted by UBQS-IP LLC, an NPE and entity of Pueblo Nuevo LLC. The '580 patent monopoly is directed to sharing information between a user group and an associated document using decentralized storage.

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ G1/25: Patent holders must amend patent monopoly specifications – but not in every case [Ed: Kangaroo court of the corrupt EPO with the political appointee connected to the corruption, Carl Josefsson]

      Must the description of a European patent monopoly align with amended patent monopoly claims? That was the main question confronting the Enlarged Board of Appeal under its president Carl Josefsson in opposition proceedings between Knauf Insulation and Rockwool.

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ South Korean Prosecutors Push for Indictment of BTS Founder Bang Si-Hyuk Over Allegations of Fraud

    South Korean authorities are seeking an indictment of Bang Si-Hyuk, K-pop music mogul and founder and chairman of Hybe, over alleged investor fraud.

  • International Business Times ☛ 'I've Never Seen Taylor Swift Do This': Olivia Rodrigo Accused of Refusing Photo With Israeli Fan

    Olivia Rodrigo is accused of refusing a photo with a fan from Israel, but viral footage does not establish that nationality was the reason