Bonum Certa Men Certa

Links 05/10/2022: Arti 1.0.1 Released and Microsoft Pluton/UEFI 'Secure' Boot Closing Computers Down (as GPL Circumvention Tools)



  • GNU/Linux

    • Desktop/Laptop

      • PC LinuxTestimonial: A Convert And Newbie

        It doesn't appear a lot of folks wanted to announce themselves. I guess I'll be the odd duck out here. I just wanted to say hey to everybody. I've been running ONLY Linux on my personal computers for 20 years or so. I converted my wife about 15 years ago. She now uses Linux on her home computer, but still has to use a Windows PC at work. Just ask her what she thinks and you'll get an earful about having to reboot the work computer 5 or 6 times a day. The good news is that she has finally decided to retire in a couple of months so I won't be hearing her complain about that.

        I ran PCLinuxOS a lot of years ago, but got away from it for whatever reason. I've run Debian/Ubuntu/Mint distros or their derivatives for a lot of years now. I began having some issues and wasn't getting a lot of them resolved on the various forums. I'm not sure what has changed, but I recently decided to do a lot of distro shopping and hopping to see if I could come up with something better. I was kind of disappointed when I was unable to get their latest releases installed on any of my laptops. Every distro I tried gave me some sort of fit when I tried the install. I had never had trouble like that in the last 10 years and was getting really frustrated.

        I decided to look for any distro that is NOT a derivative of that family. I also was looking for a non-systemd distro, and I prefer XFCE. Yep, up jumped PCLinuxOS. I decided to give it a whirl. I was really frustrated trying to get PCLinuxOS installed. The problem I was having was in partitioning my hard drive to suit PCLinuxOS. I was still partitioning for the distros I had been running. I don't use UEFI and I still use a DVD for the installation media. Yeah, I know, I'm a dinosaur.

      • PC LinuxBill Gates' Evil Prophecy

        At the beginning of the year, Matthew Garrett, the researcher who created the UEFI bootloader for Linux (which I do not agree with at all, as it sets a precedent for Microsoft to abuse the market, with its position of power, should not be allowed under any circumstances) said that the Pluton chip was not an attack on users' freedom to use whatever operating system they wanted, which was not a threat.

        In July 2022, he recanted, when he was unable to install Linux on a high-end Thinkpad Z13, complaining that this was not a legal practice by Lenovo.

        But, that's what Microsoft wants. Under the guise of enforcing security, it blocks the machine's access to the user himself, being the gatekeeper of personal computing. In other words, "my" microcomputer is over. From now on, it will be Microsoft's microcomputer, and only what it allows will run...

    • Server

      • OpenSource.comUse OCI containers to run WebAssembly workloads

        WebAssembly (also referred to as Wasm) has gained popularity as a portable binary instruction format with an embeddable and isolated execution environment for client and server applications. Think of WebAssembly as a small, fast, efficient, and very secure stack-based virtual machine designed to execute portable bytecode that doesn't care what CPU or operating system it runs on. WebAssembly was initially designed for web browsers to be a lightweight, fast, safe, and polyglot container for functions, but it's no longer limited to the web.

        On the web, WebAssembly uses the existing APIs provided by browsers. WebAssembly System Interface (WASI) was created to fill the void between WebAssembly and systems running outside the browser. This enables non-browser systems to leverage the portability of WebAssembly, making WASI a good choice for portability while distributing and isolation while running the workload.

        WebAssembly offers several advantages. Because it is platform neutral, one single binary can be compiled and executed on a variety of operating systems and architectures simultaneously, with a very low disk footprint and startup time. Useful security features include module signing and security knobs controllable at the run-time level rather than depending on the host operating system's user privilege. Sandboxed memory can still be managed by existing container tools infrastructure.

        In this article, I will walk through a scenario for configuring€ container runtimes to run Wasm workloads from lightweight container images.

    • Kernel Space

      • PC LinuxShort Topix: Removal Of Obsolete AMD Fix Speeds Up Kernel

        Back in 1996, APM (Advanced Power Management) was replaced by ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface). Linux did not gain ACPI support until 2002. ACPI was originally developed by Intel, Microsoft and Toshiba, with HP, Huawei and Phoenix joining the development at a later date.

        Back in 2002, to improve compatibility between Intel and certain AMD chips (remember the Athlon chips?), a special instruction set was added to the Linux kernel for AMD chips. It caused the processor to briefly stop/pause processing instructions, presumably to keep ACPI in "sync." However, the new AMD chips no longer require this intervention ... but it's still there. Or, at least it was.

        According to an article on The Register, Intel's Dave Hansen issued a patch that limits the instruction set to Intel CPUs only, since they use a different method to pause the CPU than AMD CPUs use. The new patch should be available when the Linux 6.0 kernel is released on October 2, 2022.

        EXCEPT ... PCLinuxOS users won't have to wait for the 6.0 kernel to appear. Texstar has applied the patch to the 5.19.12 kernel, and plans to also apply it to the LTS 5.15.71 kernel.

        Don't expect to see huge speed increases on AMD processors. Many of the AMD processors currently in use are faster than their 20-year-old predecessors, so desktop computing speeds are expected to be minimally affected, with little to no noticeable difference in speeds. Early reports indicate that the most noticeable differences are in a quicker boot time, and large programs at least appear to be launching a tad quicker.

      • InfoWorldLinux 6.0 kernel arrives, quietly | InfoWorld

        The Linux 6.0 kernel has been released with changes impacting areas such as chip hardware support, timer registers, and XFS file systems. Bigger changes such as Rust programming language support are lined up for Linux 6.1.

        Unveiling of the kernel was announced by Linux founder Linus Torvalds in a bulletin on October 2. The bulletin cites various changes including proper enablement of registers before accessing timers as well as ensuring that all MACs are powered down before reset and only doing PLL once after a reset. Other changes, cited by the lwn.net news site for Linux, include buffered writes to XFS file systems and zero-copy network transmission with io_uring.

    • Graphics Stack

      • GamingOnLinuxNVK is a new open source Mesa Vulkan driver for NVIDIA GPUs

        Jason Ekstrand of Collabora just announced NVK, a brand new open source Mesa Vulkan driver for NVIDIA GPUs. No you're not dreaming but it's also not from NVIDIA directly€ — as usual the open source community is doing the work.

    • Applications

      • Linux LinksBest Free and Open Source Alternatives to Microsoft Teams

        Microsoft’s stance for decades was that community creation and sharing of communal code (later to be known as free and open source software) represented a direct attack on their business. Their battle with Linux stretches back many years. Back in 2001, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer famously tarnished Linux “a cancer that attaches itself in an intellectual property sense to everything it touches”. Microsoft also initiated its “Get the Facts” marketing campaign from mid-2003, which specifically criticized Linux server usage, total cost of ownership, security, indemnification and reliability. The campaign was widely criticized for spreading misinformation.

      • Ubuntu Pit15 Best Linux Synthesizers for Digital Audio Production

        A synthesizer is a computer program that enables artists or music enthusiasts to create digital audio. They are also referred to as soft synths and comprise an integral part of the digital music industry. Synthesizers employ various methods to generate audio sound while at the same time offering a wide array of services essential for professional music production. As a significant player in the computing world, Linux supports some of the best synthesizer programs that can be used by both professionals and hobbyists alike. However, finding the right synthesizer can be daunting if you do not have prior knowledge. To help you bag the right synthesizer for your needs, we compiled this guide outlining the 15 best Linux synthesizers available right now.

      • Ubuntu Pit20 Best Disk and File Encryption Software for Linux Desktop

        The internet has transformed the world into a microcosm, which offers camaraderie through sharing information and values. Global cognitive norm is getting evaded regarding the data being spied on, which implies that internet security is at stake. Chameleon sources are tremendously cynical; hence, the free flow of information is getting impeded significantly. A continuing threat of hacking and spying proliferation has triggered the alarm to encrypt data to protect it from the brute-attacker. To this end, plenty of files and disk encryption software could be used on the Linux platform; thus, information and data would have had to be protected from the brute-attacker.

      • Ubuntu Pit20 Best Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) and DJ Software for Linux

        Today’s article has been specially designed for music lovers, editors, and those who want to be professional DJs. We all know that editing music is not a cup of tea. One has to put much effort and labor into doing this. But to reduce your toil, today we are going to introduce you to some top-rated Linux DAW and DJ software that you can also use for music-making or mixing purposes as a digital audio workstation.

        Linux has some astounding software for making editing easy and much painless. In addition to this, it is a huge opportunity for beginners who want to start editing music tracks. Linux has made this platform for you. So try to make the best use of it. If you are a Windows or macOS user, we have also covered you with our another article on the best DAW software for Windows and Macbooks.

      • Ubuntu Pit20+ Best Linux Camera Software | IP, Webcam, CCTV - Security Camera

        Linux is a strong open source platform where every type of necessary software tool is available for both beginners and professionals. If you are confused about which camera software or IP camera software to use in your Linux system, then I can only say that there are lots of IP, security, or surveillance camera software available for the Linux system. To help you sort it out, today, I will provide a list of Linux camera software where various kinds of webcam software, IP camera software, security camera software, and video surveillance software are included with focusing on various important features.

        [...]

        Webcamoid is a simple and versatile webcam program for Linux users. This online tool is written in C++ and Qt. It provides a huge number of options by which you can configure it as per your needs. It is suitable for both picture and video capture.

        Webcamoid has over 60 effects, including blur, broken TV, cartoon, color filter, edge detection, pixelate, photocopy, oil paint, scan lines, and many more. It has a great feature of custom controls for the webcam.

      • Wireshark €· Wireshark 4.0.0 Released

        We no longer ship official 32-bit Windows packages starting with this release. If you need to use Wireshark on that platform, we recommend using the latest 3.6 release. Issue 17779

        The display filter syntax is more powerful with many new extensions. See below for details.

        The Conversation and Endpoint dialogs have been redesigned. See below for details.

        The default main window layout has been changed so that the Packet Detail and Packet Bytes are side by side underneath the Packet List pane.

        Hex dump imports from Wireshark and from text2pcap have been improved. See below for details.

        Speed when using MaxMind geolocation has been greatly improved.

        The tools and libraries required to build Wireshark have changed. See “Other Development Changes” below for more details.

        Many other improvements have been made. See the “New and Updated Features” section below for more details.

    • Instructionals/Technical

      • Trend OceansThe touch Command Does Much More Than Just Create an Empty File

        Here we have come up with another article where you will learn how to use the touch command, which has been primarily used for creating empty files for a long time.

      • PC LinuxInkscape Tutorial: Repeat An Object Around A Shape

        I watch GIMP and Inkscape tutorials on YouTube, and have found several really great ones! The guy from Logos by Nick is very good, and posted one about putting a shape around another shape. This is useful if you have a pattern you want to use in a curved border or around a circle. Let's look at it.

        Start with a pattern or shape in Inkscape. I have a star I want to use for a flyer I'm making. I did an article similar to this in April, 2014, but we'll do a different project this time. Make sure that whatever you use (curves and shapes) can be changed to a path.

      • PC LinuxPDF Part One: Creating The Universal Document

        Way, way back in ancient computer times ... in this case, 30 years ago (1992) ... Adobe created the PDF file. The letters of the file extension stand for "Portable Document File." Up until that time, the sharing of documents was more difficult. There were various word processing programs around, and there was no guarantee that one word processor's files could be read by a different word processor. Plus, even then, not having the proper fonts installed on the "guest" system meant that the document might not display as it was intended.

      • Linux CapableHow to Install Linux Kernel 6.0 on Linux Mint 21 LTS

        Linux Kernel 6.0 is finally here, with many features, including support for the newest generation processors from Intel and AMD along with security updates to improve performance on various hardware devices! For end-users, the most significant change will likely be new capabilities added alongside stability improvements. Everyone should upgrade if they require only installing an updated version or understanding the risks involved in using mainline kernels.

      • Linux CapableHow to Install NixNote on Linux Mint 21 LTS

        NixNote is a popular unofficial Evernote client for Linux desktops. It was initially known as NeverNote. It used to be written in Java until NixNote 2 when it was switched to C++ with Qt framework for a smaller memory footprint and improved performance. The author has been using it since 2013 and provides an overview of the available features, installation, usage, and customization options.

        Available features include: creating notes, attaching images, searching notes, and synchronizing with Evernote servers. Installation is simple and only requires a few clicks, usage is straightforward, and the user interface is intuitive. Customization options are plentiful, allowing users to tailor NixNote to their needs. So if you are looking for a powerful note-taking app that runs on your Linux desktop, look no further than NixNote. It’s feature-rich, open-source, and completely free.

        In the following tutorial, you will learn how to install NixNote on Linux Mint 21 LTS release series desktop using the command line terminal with tips about installing the alternative development version and removing the application if required.

      • Ubuntu PitHow To Fix Broken Ubuntu OS without Reinstalling the System

        Linux users often face issues with broken operating systems due to many reasons. This issue frequently occurs when turning on the system after a major software crush, update failure, or physical damage to the system. It’s not undeniable that getting a shake on the hardware (especially in laptops) might break your current operating system. Now, there is no hassle if you’ve started using your Ubuntu fresh, but it would be havoc if you’ve been using Ubuntu professionally and there are tons of files on your system.

        In that case, you might not want to erase the current operating system entirely and reinstall Ubuntu. There are ways that you can use to fix your broken Ubuntu OS without reinstalling it on your machine.

      • Linux HintBash Export Command

        “Bash shell offers the export command, a built-in command that allows exporting variables in a shell to make them global, such that you can access them from another shell. With the export command, you export the environmental variables to other shells as a child process without tampering with the existing environmental variables. This guide discusses the Bash export command, giving examples of how you can use it.”

      • Linux HandbookHow to Create a Virtual Block or Loop Device in Linux

        Linux users can have a virtual block device called a "loop device" that maps a normal file to a virtual block, making it ideal for tasks related to isolating processes.

      • TecAdminHow to Install Skype on Ubuntu 22.04 [Ed: Rahul's TecAdmin has gone downhill lately; lots of Apple stuff, then Microsoft proprietary software, even spam. Now, telling GNU/Linux to install Microsoft malware for eavesdropping]
      • Red HatFilter content in HTML using regular expressions in grep | Red Hat Developer

        Use regular expressions to find and filter content in HTML pages in the grep and pcre2grep command-line utilities.

    • Games

  • Distributions and Operating Systems

    • PCLinuxOS/Mageia/Mandriva/OpenMandriva Family

      • PC LinuxFrom The Chief Editor's Desk...

        You and I both know that there are a lot of people who get caught up in "the numbers." We see it periodically when someone posts in the PCLinuxOS forum that PCLinuxOS fell two places in Distrowatch's "ranking." That "ranking" is a measurement of how many "hits" that distro's page has received in a day, averaged out.

        For what it's worth, PCLinuxOS still sits in the top 20 of the top 100 distros, as ranked by "hits per day" on Distrowatch. PCLinuxOS, at the time I'm writing this article, is solidly ranked 16th in the Distrowatch HPD rankings.

        I was around many years ago when PCLinuxOS actually (and briefly) held the number one rank for HPD on Distrowatch. It was somewhat chaotic, uncharacteristic for the calm that typically envelops the forum. Texstar and many others have stated they don't want to be the number one ranked Linux distro. It brings all the "weirdos" out from the woodwork. It makes you a target. After all, who does everyone aim for? Who does everyone look to "dethrone?" Of course, it's the "Big Guy" on top.

        [...]

        For the few of us that work on producing this magazine every month, it raises some questions for us. Like, are we not writing interesting enough articles? What could/should we be doing differently? What are we doing that isn't liked? Or, has our readership numbers just fallen to such lower levels because fewer people are using PCLinuxOS? These are all valid questions, I think.

        One of my guidelines on deciding what to write about every month goes something like this. First, cover PCLinuxOS first. Second, cover Linux. Third, cover computing and computing issues and advances. Fourth, cover things that PCLinuxOS/Linux users might find interesting. So, to that end, I do know that users of other distros do also read "our" magazine. I've heard it many times.

      • PC LinuxPCLinuxOS Screenshot Showcase
    • Fedora Family / IBM

      • Fedora MagazineWorking with Btrfs – General Concepts

        This article is part of a series of articles that takes a closer look at Btrfs. This is the default filesystem for Fedora Workstation and Fedora Silverblue since Fedora Linux 33.

        Filesystems are one of the foundations of modern computers. They are an essential part of every operating system and they usually work unnoticed. However, modern filesystems such as Btrfs offer many great features that make working with computers more convenient. Next to other things they can, for example, transparently compress your files for you or build a solid foundation for incremental backups.

        This article gives you a high-level overview of how the Btrfs filesystem works and some of the features it has. It will not go into much technical detail nor look at the implementation. More detailed explanations of some highlighted features follow in later articles of this series.

    • Canonical/Ubuntu Family

      • 9to5LinuxCanonical Launches Free Ubuntu Pro Subscriptions for Everyone

        Announced by Canonical last year, Ubuntu Pro is an expanded security maintenance and compliance subscription as part of Ubuntu Advantage, which was initially designed for enterprise customers offering global services who wanted long-term stability for their infrastructure and applications.

        Now, Canonical decided to expand Ubuntu Pro for personal and small-scale commercial use with a free tier for up to five machines, in an attempt to make open source more easily consumable by the masses and provide Ubuntu users with better security for their installations to up to 10 years.

    • Devices/Embedded

      • Linux GizmosGaming handheld console available for $124

        The Retroid Pocket 3 it’s a low-cost portable console based on the quad-core Unisoc T310 SoC. This handheld console packs a 4000mAh battery along with a 4.7” touch display, wireless connectivity support and a USB Type-C port for fast charging.

      • Linux GizmosBeelink SEi12 mini PC available for preorder at $459

        Beelink announced their latest mini PC which is based on a 12th Gen i5 Core processor from Intel. The SEi12 offers up to 32GB of RAM, 500GB of SSD storage, dual 4K displays and dual fans for efficient cooling.

    • Open Hardware/Modding

      • Stacey on IoTSomalytics turns paper into cheap proximity sensors

        Somalytics has used new materials — specifically carbon nanotubes — to create a new type of sensor manufactured in a way that enables them to be incredibly cheap and incredibly power efficient, and to sense movement and items more efficiently than any existing counterparts.

  • Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

    • OpenSSHAnnounce: OpenSSH 9.1 released

      OpenSSH 9.1 has just been released. It will be available from the mirrors listed at https://www.openssh.com/ shortly.

    • OpenSSHOpenSSH 9.1/9.1p1 (2022-10-04)

      This release contains fixes for three minor memory safety problems. None are believed to be exploitable, but we report most memory safety problems as potential security vulnerabilities out of caution.

    • Web Browsers/Web Servers

      • Tor/Arti and Censorship-Dodging

        • TorArti 1.0.1 is released: Bugfixes and groundwork

          The last month, our team's time has been filled with company meetings, vacations, COVID recovery, groundwork for anticensorship features, and followup from Arti 1.0.0. Thus, this has been a fairly small release, but we believe it's worth upgrading for.

        • EFFSnowflake Makes It Easy For Anyone to Fight Censorship

          Of course, ISPs in countries where Tor is banned are constantly trying to find the IP addresses of bridges and block them to prevent people from accessing Tor. Bridge connections can also be identified (or “fingerprinted”) as connections to the Tor network by an ISP using deep packet inspection. To deal with this, Tor has a clever solution called “pluggable transports.” Pluggable transports disguise your Tor connection as ordinary traffic to a well-known web service such as Google or Skype, and smuggles your Tor connection inside of the seemingly innocuous traffic.€ 

    • Standards/Consortia

      • MacRumorsEU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

        The proposal, known as a directive, forces all consumer electronics manufacturers who sell their products in Europe to ensure that a wide range of devices feature a USB-C port. This "common port" will be a world-first statute and impact Apple in particular since it widely uses the Lightning connector instead of USB-C on many of its devices. MEPs claim that the move will reduce electronic waste, address product sustainability, and make use of different devices more convenient.

        The directive received 602 votes in favor, 13 votes against, and eight abstentions. A press release issued by the European Parliament earlier today states: [...]

      • European ParliamentLong-awaited common charger for mobile devices will be a reality in 2024

        Regardless of their manufacturer, all new mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld videogame consoles and portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigation systems, earbuds and laptops that are rechargeable via a wired cable, operating with a power delivery of up to 100 Watts, will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C port.

        All devices that support fast charging will now have the same charging speed, allowing users to charge their devices at the same speed with any compatible charger.

  • Leftovers

    • The NationThe Gift of a Mixtape

      What do we owe our friends? Among other things, we owe our friends our discerning taste and sometimes, at the very least, a good mixtape—meticulously curated, every track selected with intention. Mixtapes have a theme, a mood, a message. They are given to friends for a birthday or a bad week. We anticipate what a friend might like, what might surprise them, what they might listen to when we’re not around, what might speak to their life separate from their relationship to us. Making a mixtape for a friend speaks to what we think we know about them and what we do not know—at least not yet.

    • Hackaday2022 Hackaday Supercon Speakers Will Inspire You

      The return of Supercon is taking place in just a month. We’ve got 45 fantastic talks and workshops planned for the three-day weekend, and they are as varied and inspiring as the Hackaday community itself. From molecules to military connectors, here’s an even dozen talks to whet your appetite.

    • Hardware

      • HackadayYou Can’t Be Too Rich Or Too Thin — A 2mm Thick Computer

        We’ve seen credit card-sized computers before, but [Kn/vD] shows us a PIC18-based computer with 9 components that is only 2 mm thick! With 13 K of RAM and 128 K of flash, you can’t do much with it, but a built-in BASIC interpreter can use half the flash like a disk drive and operate with the 20×4 LCD display and the PCB touch-panel keyboard.

      • HackadayCustom Macro Pad Helps Deliver Winning Formulas

        For those of us with science and engineering backgrounds, opening the character map or memorizing the Unicode shortcuts for various symbols is a tedious but familiar part of writing reports or presentations. [Magne Lauritzen] thought there had to be a better way and developed the Mathboard.

      • HackadayReverse-Engineering An ISA Card To Revive An Ancient CD-ROM Drive

        Being an early adopter is great if you enjoy showing off new gadgets to your friends. But any new technology also brings the risk of ending up at the wrong side of a format war: just ask anyone who committed to HD-DVD fifteen years ago. If, on the other hand, you were among the few who invested in CD-ROM when it was first released in the mid-1980s, you definitely made the right choice when it came to storage media. However, it was a bit of a different story for the interface that hooks up the CD drive to your computer, as [Tech Tangents] found out when he managed to get his hands on a first-generation CM100 drive. (Video, embedded below.)

      • HackadaySurface Mount Soldering Practice For Budding Electrical Engineers

        Electronics components are steadily moving away from through hole parts to using surface mount technology (SMT) exclusively. While the small size of the SMT components can be intimidating, with a little practice, soldering can come pretty naturally. To help folks get over their fear of soldering small parts, [Alpenglow Industries] have created a charming board to practice SMT soldering skills on.

      • HackadayHome Brew Sandblaster Is A Junk Bin Delight

        Opinions vary as to what actually constitutes a “complete” shop, but one thing is for sure: the more tools, the better. That doesn’t mean running out to buy a tool every time you have a need, of course. Sometimes you can throw together what you need from scrap, as with this ad hoc sandblaster. (Video, embedded below.)

      • Hackaday2022 Cyberdeck Contest: IP00-Minus, A Daring Wearable

        [Rob]’s IP00-Minus watch stands out on the Cyberdeck Contest project list page; it’s clear he decided to go a different path than most other hackers, and we can certainly see the advantages. For example, if there’s no case, there’s no need to redesign it each time you want to add a module — and [Rob] has added many, many modules to this watch.

    • Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

    • Proprietary

      • [Old] CNBCTikTok challenge spurs rise in thefts of Kia, Hyundai cars

        The trend challenges teens to steal a car off the street by breaking into the car, popping off the steering wheel column and hot wiring the vehicle using a USB cable, similar to the wire used to charge a phone.

        [...]

        McClain calls the issue a “defect.” His firm has filed class action lawsuits in 12 states so far: California, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio and Texas. He’s also preparing to file in as many as seven other states.

      • Vice Media GroupHow Ransomware Is Causing Chaos in American Schools [iophk: Windows TCO]

        Sierra College was just one of 1,043 schools and colleges—part of 62 school districts and the campuses of 26 colleges and universities—hit by ransomware hackers in 2021, according to Emsisoft, a cybersecurity company that tracks ransomware incidents. The company reports that, so far in 2022, there have been 27 districts with 1,735 schools hit with ransomware.

    • Security

      • Privacy/Surveillance

        • After a fatal accident, the smartphone itself called the police to the scene

          When the smartphone detects such a dangerous incident, the device alerts you and in the event of no response, automatically calls the emergency services after 20 seconds. After connecting with the dispatcher, the system plays an audio message informing that the user has had an accident and provides geographic coordinates.

        • Vox MediaOverwatch 2 will require a phone number to play — even if you’ve played the original

          SMS Protect is a security feature that has two purposes: to keep players accountable for what Blizzard calls “disruptive behavior,” and to protect accounts if they’re hacked. It requires all Overwatch 2 players to attach a unique phone number to their account. Blizzard said SMS Protect will target cheaters and harassers; if an account is banned, it’ll be harder for them to return to Overwatch 2. You can’t just enter any old phone number — you actually have to have access to a phone receiving texts to that number to get into your account.

        • NewsweekAretha Franklin's 'Every Move' Monitored by FBI, Declassified Files Reveal

          Aretha Franklin was closely monitored by the FBI for many years, recently declassified records have revealed.

          Journalist Jenn Dize shared details from the bureau's files on the "Queen of Soul" after requesting them under the Freedom of Information Act.

        • [Old] Aretha Franklin Was Heavily Surveilled by FBI, According to Declassified Files

          “Years ago, I FOIA’d @fbi files on Aretha Franklin. Today, I received the files,” the reporter began the thread. “While incomplete, they show repeated and disgusting suspicion of the famed Black singer, her work, and activists around her.”

        • [Old] CNNFBI file shows bureau kept tabs on Aretha Franklin’s activism, a common focus during the Civil Rights era

          The FBI kept a careful eye on the Queen of Soul and her activism, nothing unusual during the civil rights era when the bureau was monitoring a host of the movement’s luminaries. Franklin died in 2018, best known for her sturdy catalog of R&B and gospel hits, but her FBI file shows that her possible affiliation – both real and perceived – with Communist and Black liberation organizations was a regular focus for federal agents.

          Though the documents are redacted, the agents and investigators seemed to conclude there was no cause for alarm, despite the extensive monitoring. The file also outlines death threats and an extortion attempt targeting the singer, as well as a copyright infringement lawsuit.

        • ReasonThe FBI Closely Tracked Aretha Franklin's Appearances at Civil Rights Events

          The 270 pages of declassified FBI memos, released on the bureau website's FOIA vault, include a series of reports on the "communist infiltration" of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), whose first president was Martin Luther King Jr. The bureau said SCLC leadership "has taken a 'hate America' and a 'pro-communist' line, which the mass of Negroes will not recognize but which they will blindly follow."

          Franklin makes cameos in those records because she sang at several SCLC events between 1967 and 1968. One report on King's 1968 assassination notes that Franklin was booked to play a memorial concert for King at Atlanta Stadium, which a source warned could "provide emotional spark which could ignite racial disturbance this area." The SCLC ultimately scrapped plans for the concert.

          The FBI carefully followed Franklin's other appearances, planned appearances, and contacts with leftist groups or causes, such as the Boston branch of the Young Workers Liberation League, the Black Panther Party, and fundraisers for black radical Angela Davis.

        • Vice Media GroupCYBER: Inside the Tool the US Military Is Using to Monitor Emails and Web Traffic

          One of the companies buying up all that data is Team Cymru who watches over all of it with a tool it calls Augury. Who buys Augury? We’ve just learned a lot of agencies within the federal government. Cyber Command, the Army, the Navy, are all using Augury to paw through internet traffic. But what, exactly, are they looking for? And what can they even see?

        • Site36„Wicked problem“: Europol considers vulnerability exploitation to break encryption

          At a conference hosted by the EU police agency, three ways to decrypt communications and storage media were discussed. One of the approaches was apparently pushed by the Bavarian State Office of Criminal Investigation.

        • Site36Border surveillance: Frontex installs cameras in the stratosphere

          With high-altitude platforms, the EU border agency aims to close the gap between its planes, drones and satellites.

        • EFFNew Federal and State Court Rulings Show Courts are Divided on the Scope of Cell Phone Searches Post-Riley

          Riley didn’t articulate any standards that limit the scope of cell phone searches, and courts are taking different approaches. While some courts have constrained police searches to certain types of data on the phone, specific time periods, or limited the use of the data, other courts have authorized warrants that allow the police to search the entire phone.€ 

    • Defence/Aggression

      • New York TimesProsecution Says Oath Keepers ‘Concocted a Plan for Armed Rebellion’

        In his own opening statement, Phillip Linder, Mr. Rhodes’s lawyer, said Mr. Rhodes and his subordinates had never planned an attack against the government on Jan. 6. Instead, Mr. Linder said, the Oath Keepers were waiting for Mr. Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act — a move, they claim, that would have given the group standing as a militia to employ force of arms in support of Mr. Trump.

      • The NationThe Oath Keepers’ January 6 Defense Comes for Trump

        On January 6, 2021, as his comrades were smashing into the Capitol, right-wing Oath Keeper leader Stuart Rhodes yelled exactly what John Wilkes Booth did as he murdered President Abraham Lincoln in 1865: “Sic semper tyrannis!”

      • Eesti RahvusringhäälingEstonia hands confiscated crowdfunded Russian drones to Ukrainian Army

        The Internal Security Service (KAPO) wrote on social media: "Remember the drones we confiscated from a person trying to donate them for the Russian aggression in Ukraine? Well, these drones still made it to Ukraine. But the right way around and on the right side of the battlefront."

      • MeduzaWhen Kadyrov speaks, Prigozhin echoes The power struggle around Russia’s Defense Ministry — and what it means for Russia’s military — Meduza

        On Oct. 1, Russia’s Defense Ministry admitted that the Russian army had left Lyman, a city in the Donetsk region of Ukraine that had been captured by the occupying forces early last summer. According to the ministry, the Russian troops had now moved “to more advantageous positions.” That statement was followed by Ramzan Kadyrov’s derisive remark: “Yesterday, it was the parade in Izium, today it’s the Ukrainian flag in Lyman – and what about tomorrow? It would all be well and good if it weren’t so bad,” quipped the Head of the Chechen Republic. Shortly afterwards, Evgeny Prigozhin, the man behind the Wagner Group, replied to Kadyrov: “Beautiful, Ramzan, keep it up.” This wasn’t the first instance of Ramzan Kadyrov criticizing Russia’s Defense Ministry – and being seconded by Prigozhin. On Sept. 24, for example, the Chechen leader urged that 50 percent of the Russian law-enforcement troops be sent to the front. Immediately, Prigozhin spoke up – that Kadyrov was right. Meduza’s sources close to the Kremlin think this is something more than just a coincidence. Here are the connections they shared with us, and what this may mean for the future of Russia’s military.

      • MeduzaZelensky deems Putin’s Ukraine-related decrees ‘negligible’ — Meduza

        Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a decree “On the legally negligible status of legislation that violates the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.” This category includes a number of Vladimir Putin’s decrees. The document, published on Zelesnky’s official site, decrees:

      • Common DreamsDespite Calls for Diplomacy to End War, US Confirms More Weapons Headed to Ukraine

        "The chances of a nuclear war increase significantly every day that passes."

      • Meduza'Miss Crimea 2022' fined for singing Ukrainian song — Meduza

        A Russian court has fined 2022 Miss Crimea pageant winner Olga Valeyeva 40,000 rubles ($681) for singing the patriotic Ukrainian song Chervona Kalyna (“Red Guelder Rose”) in a video posted to Instagram, RIA Novosti reported on Monday. A friend of Valeyeva who also appeared in the video was sentenced to 10 days in prison.

      • Common DreamsOpinion | The Blob's Dangerous Talk of War World III in Ukraine
      • The NationA Farewell to Arms

        The border’s clogged, but, still, I’ve got To skip this war and not get shot. I’ll break an arm, so I can’t shoot. And better yet: I can’t salute.

      • Meduza‘Who are the fascists here?’ Free from Russian captivity, Azovstal defender Mykhailo Dianov tells his story — Meduza

        On the night of September 22, Ukraine and Russia conducted the largest prisoner swap since the start of Russia's invasion. Ukraine released 55 Russians and Pro-Kremlin Ukrainian opposition politician Viktor Medvedchuk in exchange for 215 Ukrainian soldiers, many of whom defended the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol when it came under siege by Russian forces in the spring. One of those soldiers was marine Mykhailo Dianov, whose face was seen around the world after he was photographed by his fellow serviceman Dmytro Kozatsky in the Azovstal plant. After the prisoner exchange, Dianov gave an hour-long interview to the Ukrainian media project Front 18. Meduza summarizes his account of his time in captivity.

      • Meduza‘We’re taking part, but we aren’t killing anyone.’ Lukashenko on Belarus’s role in Russia’s war against Ukraine. — Meduza

        Alexander Lukashenko said that Belarus is taking part in the “special military operation,” which Russia is conducting against Ukraine, but is not sending its troops into the conflict zone, reports Belta.

      • MeduzaKazakh Interior Ministry says more than 200,000 Russians have entered Kazakhstan — Meduza

        More than 200,000 Russians have entered Kazakhstan since Vladimir Putin announced mobilization on September 21, Kazakh Interior Minister Marat Akhmetzhanov reported on Tuesday. At the same time, he said, many of their stays have been short: between September 21 and October 4, about 147,000 Russians left Kazakhstan.

      • Counter PunchWar and Resistance in Putin’s Russia
      • Counter PunchWhy Dobbs Is a Recipe for Disaster in the Military

        Any military spouse with young children in tow who’s had to relocate somewhere in this nation’s vast network of military bases can tell you that just caring for another person is challenging in itself. Upon learning you’re pregnant, you practically need a Ph.D. to locate a competent obstetrician who also accepts military insurance.

      • Project CensoredThe Military Industrial Complex Wants You To Be More Media (l)literate! - Censored Notebook, Dispatches from Project Censored: On Media and Politics

        A September 2022 report from Tessa Jolls, president of the Center for Media Literacy, titled “Building Resiliency: Media Literacy as a Strategic Defense Strategy for the Transatlantic,” read like a blueprint for how to indoctrinate students in corporatism and militarism under the auspices of€  media literacy education. Jolls received a Fulbright-NATO Security Studies Award to study “aspects of the current information ecosystem and the state of media literacy in NATO countries.”

      • MeduzaZelensky reports eight more villages liberated in Kherson region — Meduza

        Ukraine’s military has liberated eight more villages in the country’s Kherson region from Russian occupation, Volodymyr Zelensky announced during his daily address to the nation on Tuesday.

      • MeduzaElon Musk’s Ukraine proposal delights the Kremlin Dmitry Medvedev thinks he might even be ‘worthy of a promotion’ — Meduza

        On October 3, Elon Musk outlined a four-point proposal for achieving peace in Ukraine. His plan involved concessions to Russia on a scale that Kyiv instantly deemed unacceptable. The Kremlin, on the other hand, responded to Musk’s “initiative” with apparent delight.

      • Meduza‘The sleeping majority has woken up, Putin himself woke it.’ Navalny associates announce relaunch of office network. — Meduza

        Alexey Navalny’s associates announced that they would relaunch the politician’s organization of regional offices.

      • MeduzaAfter Zelensky signs decree ruling out talks with Putin, Russia says it will 'wait for a future Ukrainian president' — Meduza

        Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a decree implementing a decision by the country's National Security and Defense Council on Ukraine’s response to Russia’s attempt to annex Ukrainian territory.

      • Meduza'They were serfs — now they’re slaves.' Russian pop legend Alla Pugacheva responds to critics after denouncing war. — Meduza

        In a new post on Instagram, 73-year-old Russian pop star Alla Pugacheva addressed her critics in the wake of her recent anti-war statement.

      • MeduzaNorth Korea supports results of Russia's 'referendums' on annexing Ukrainian territories — Meduza

        North Korea’s Foreign Ministry has expressed support for the results of the annexation “referendums” staged by Russia in multiple occupied Ukrainian territories in late September. In a statement, ministry spokesperson Jo Chol Su said the ministry “respects the will of the residents” of the annexed territories as well as the Russian government’s decision to annex the regions.

      • Democracy Now“​​A Complex and Devastating Crisis”: Burkina Faso Sees Second Military Coup This Year

        The western African nation of Burkina Faso is facing its second military coup in eight months. After a day of gunfire rang out Friday in the capital Ouagadougou, Captain Ibrahim Traoré announced on public television that he had replaced Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba as president. Corinne Dufka, West Africa director at Human Rights Watch, says Damiba’s inability to improve security in the face of an Islamist insurgency was “the primary reason for the coup d’état.” We also speak with Aziz Fall, coordinator for Justice for Sankara, an international campaign dedicated to uncovering the truth behind the 1987 assassination of Burkina Faso leader Thomas Sankara. He says the legacy of U.S. military intervention and French colonialism has led to instability in the region. “People are outraged with the role of France but also the role of the United States,” says Fall.

      • Democracy NowHow Elaine Massacre of 1919 Influenced Richard Wright, Acclaimed Author of “Black Boy” & “Native Son”

        This weekend marked the 103rd anniversary of the 1919 Elaine massacre, one of the deadliest episodes of racial violence in U.S. history. The violence started on September 30, 1919, when guards stopped two white men from breaking into a meeting between Black sharecroppers in Elaine, Arkansas, who were organizing to demand fair payments for their crops. After an exchange of gunfire, a white man was killed. White mobs, backed by the U.S. military, responded with three days of anti-Black violence, indiscriminately killing hundreds of Black people under the false claim of stopping a Black insurrection. Much of the Black farmers’ land was stolen as a result. We speak to Julia Wright, daughter of the acclaimed Black author Richard Wright, who called Elaine home and wrote about his great-uncle Silas Hoskins’s lynching in Elaine three years prior in 1916. Wright says she saw the lynching in a new light after the murder of George Floyd. “Two lynchings separated by so many years and yet so similar,” says Wright. We also speak with Paul Ortiz, historian at the University of Florida, who recalls the nationwide crusade, which included journalist Ida B. Wells, to seek justice for the Black farmers who remained and were taken into custody after the massacre, and ultimately won their freedom.

      • Telex (Hungary)Governing majority votes against Hungary ratifying the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO on Tuesday
      • Telex (Hungary)Put us on TV please, so Putin can see this!

        Thanks to our readers’ continued support, Telex was able to send a team to Ukraine again – just like we did at the beginning of the war. This time, our team is in Kupyansk, one of the towns recently liberated after six months of Russian occupation. This is the report they sent back. (Make sure to turn on the English subtitles!)

      • Meduza‘Anything but a hawk’: Elena Milashina has been writing about Chechnya for years — and thinks that Ramzan Kadyrov is trying to protect it from the worst — Meduza

        As a special correspondent for Novaya Gazeta, Elena Milashina has been writing about Chechnya and the Caucasus for over a decade. She has been brutally attacked and threatened with attacks in the past, in connection with her investigations. On February 8, 2022, Milashina was forced to leave Russia, following new threats from the head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov. Milashina’s new profile of Kadyrov for Novaya Gazeta and its web project, the Free Space, considers the inner life of the Chechen leader, and why he cannot be accurately described as “a hawk.” We have summarized Milashina’s long essay and present her understanding of Kadyrov in our own words.

      • Counter PunchAn Objective Look at US Foreign Policy: an Interview With Norman Solomon

        We are looking for paradigm-shift ideas for improving the prospects for peace. His responses below are exactly as he provided.

      • Counter PunchRussia's Draft and the US's Draft Registration

        Second, there was the recent arrest, prosecution, conviction, and 9-year jail sentence for Brittney Griner for violating Russia’s drug laws. Hey, the U.S. has drug laws too and also sends people away for long periods of time for drug-law violations.

      • Counter Punch"Home of the “Hellhounds:” Whiteman AFB Drone Squadron ‘Most Lethal’ in US

        Every military unit has a nickname, and the 20th Attack Squadron goes by the name Hellhounds. “We are very humbled and appreciative to receive such a prestigious award,” said Lt. Col. Daniel, 20th Attack Squadron commander, adding, “Everyone in the Hellhound organization worked incredibly hard to help accomplish our mission.” Col. Stephen Jones said, “Through their dedicated support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, the 20th Attack Squadron became the US Air Force’s most lethal squadron, achieving a 97 percent strike effectiveness rating.”

      • Counter PunchWelcoming Russians Who Refuse to Fight

        The scale of the recent exodus is enormous. Nearly 100,000 Russians entered Kazakhstan in the week following Putin’s military call-up, and large numbers entered Turkey and Armenia. More than 50,000 crossed into Finland before the border was closed, double the rate of previous weeks.

      • MeduzaRussian security official reports threefold rise in ‘extremist crime’ — Meduza

        Russian National Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev reported Wednesday that the level of “extremist crime” in the country has tripled in 2022.

      • Counter Punch‘Well of Solutions’ or Problems: Why Reforming the UN is Critical

        As is often the case, voices like those of Antonio Guterres – who called for “achieving and sustaining peace” – were drowned by those with the big guns and financial means to turn the Ukraine war into a long-drawn battlefield for their own strategic reasons.

      • MeduzaPutin signs laws to annex Ukrainian territories — Meduza

        Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed the v of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk “People’s Republics” and Ukraine’s partially occupied Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. He also signed the constitutional laws on the “incorporation” of the four territories into Russia.

      • MeduzaWanted former Russian state TV employee Marina Ovsyannikova declares ‘refusal’ to observe house arrest — Meduza

        Former Channel One employee Marina Ovsyannikova, who ran on stage with an anti-war banner during a live TV broadcast in March, announced Wednesday that she is intentionally not observing the house arrest she was put on in August. In a statement posted on Telegram, Ovsyannikova told Moscow’s Basmanny District Court that she’s decided to “absolve [herself]” from the measures.

    • Environment

      • Latest Update: September 2022: Princeton dissociates from segments of fossil fuel industry

        The Board of Trustees of Princeton University voted earlier this month to dissociate from 90 companies pursuant to a fossil fuel dissociation decision made last year that focused on the most-polluting segments of the industry and on concerns about corporate disinformation campaigns.

        As a step toward the Board’s related commitment to achieving a net-zero endowment portfolio over time, the Princeton University Investment Company (PRINCO) will also eliminate all holdings in publicly traded fossil fuel companies. PRINCO will also ensure that the endowment does not benefit from any future exposure to those companies.

      • Counter PunchWe’d Be Better Without the Border

        And so it continues. Today, more people are in danger of displacement for climate than for armed conflict.

      • Counter PunchWhat the new US Climate Law Does and Where It Fails

        The€ sweeping climate package,€ embedded alongside health care and tax reforms in the surprise passage of the more than€ 700-page€ Inflation Reduction Act, represents the largest U.S. funding boost to date to reduce greenhouse gases and promote climate-friendly “green” technologies. It is roughly four times what was authorized for climate action under President Biden’s Democratic predecessor Obama in 2009 in what was then the€ American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.€ This spending is in addition to the more than $200 billion in clean energy and climate action investments that a majority Democratic Congress already approved last year in a€ massive infrastructure funding bill.€ 

      • Common DreamsReport Reveals How Utilities' Climate Pledges Amount to 'Textbook Greenwashing'

        Compiled by the Sierra Club and Leah Stokes, a political scientist at the University of California in Santa Barbara, the report—titled The Dirty Truth About Utility Climate Pledges—is the authors' second to examine whether the nation's utilities are genuine in their pledges to help solve the climate crisis.

      • ScheerpostHow This Solar Town Survived Hurricane Ian Shows the Promise of a Green Energy Future

        Thom Hartmann writes about how the Babcock Ranch community near Ft Meyers shows building a resilient and low-carbon America will save both money and lives.

      • Common DreamsClimate Coalition Pushes Social Media CEOs to End Planet-Killing Disinformation

        In a letter to the CEOs of Facebook, TikTok, Google, Twitter, and Pinterest, 14 climate groups noted that the esteemed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has "named climate disinformation as a threat to the world's ability to effectively address" the planetary crisis, which is fueling deadly extreme weather events across the globe.

      • Common DreamsOpinion | Humanity's Greatest Challenge: Coming Together to Fight the Climate Emergency

        There’s nothing like a climate crisis to make everyone realize that they are living on the same planet. Wars, even international conflicts, are generally confined to one region. Economic downturns are sometimes so confined within national borders that they don’t even affect neighbors: consider North Korea’s “arduous march” of the 1990s and its lack of impact on South Korea’s economy.

      • DeSmogOld School Climate Science Denial Lingers on Outskirts of Tory Conference

        The party made Britain the first G7 country to adopt a legally-binding net zero target in 2019, but a refusal to accept established climate science persists at the margins. Climate campaigners fear that this sentiment could bolster a push against net zero by think tanks around new Prime Minister Liz Truss.

      • DeSmogPR Firm With Deep Ties to Big Oil Is a Major Presence at Tory Conference

        Events at the lounge include a number of invite-only events – such as a “Heads of Mission Reception” with James Cleverly, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs – as well as an international trade reception, according to a full-page advert in the party’s conference brochure.

      • Counter PunchFederal Judge Rules Massive Montana Coal Mine Expansion Illegal

        The court ruled that OSM failed to consider the impacts from this massive expansion on water resources, the Yellowstone River, and the climate. The expansion would allow the strip mining of an additional 6,500 acres containing about 70 million tons of coal, which would then be burned almost exclusively at the Colstrip power plant and release over 100 million tons of greenhouse gases. Burning the coal at the Colstrip Power Plant requires diverting 25,000 to 50,000 acre feet of water from the Yellowstone River each year.

      • Energy

        • Science Alert'Dark Data' Is Leaving a Huge Carbon Footprint, And We Have to Do Something About It

          More than half of the digital data firms generate is collected, processed, and stored for single-use purposes. Often, it is never re-used. This could be your multiple near-identical images held on Google Photos or iCloud, a business's outdated spreadsheets that will never be used again, or data from internet of things sensors that have no purpose.

          This "dark data" is anchored to the real world by the energy it requires. Even data that is stored and never used again takes up space on servers – typically huge banks of computers in warehouses. Those computers and those warehouses all use lots of electricity.

          This is a significant energy cost that is hidden in most organizations. Maintaining an effective organizational memory is a challenge, but at what cost to the environment?

        • Common DreamsOpinion | Manchin's 'Dirty Deal' Isn't Dead Yet—But We Have Shown It Can Be Killed

          Senator Joe Manchin failed in a bid last week to ram an environmental deregulation bill through Congress — despite support from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and the powerful fossil fuel industry. The West Virginia coal millionaire couldn’t muster the 60 votes needed from his colleagues to attach the bill to “must pass” government funding legislation.

        • Common DreamsKenyan President Says 'Wind and Solar Energy Can Power the Development of Africa'

          "The global transition to clean energy is now more urgent than ever."

        • Counter PunchThe Biggest Losers

          But the European Union is also a loser. Its members can no longer draw on cheap Russian gas, putting it at a disadvantage when it comes to competing with the US and China. Energy hungry industries like aluminum, steel, fertilisers and glass in the EU will all be hit. The EU’s GDP growth rate was already well behind that of the US since the financial crash in 2008/9 and even further behind China and the East Asian states.

        • Counter PunchEurope as Global Oil Cartel? Why Price Cap Won’t Work

          Saudi Arabia and even OPEC in the past failed as a cartel to control the price of global crude by controlling its supply. Yet the EU believes it can become a cartel and control the price of oil even globally even without influence over global supply.

      • Wildlife/Nature

        • AdafruitEarth.fm lets you listen to nature sounds from all over the world!

          Browse the map at earth.fm to discover immersive natural soundscapes! “Like Spotify, but for natural soundscapes.” Earth.fm adds new soundscapes every three days so you can access tons of variety.

        • Counter PunchA Fool's Errand: Trying to Influence Fire by Logging
        • Counter PunchWill China Deplete the Oceans?

          “Demand for€ seafood€ and advances in€ technology€ have led to fishing practices that are depleting fish and shellfish populations around the world. Fishers remove more than 77 billion kilograms (170 billion pounds) of wildlife from the sea each year. Scientists fear that continuing to fish at this rate may soon result in a collapse of the world’s fisheries.” (Source: Sustainable Fishing, National Geographic, June 2, 2022) As a follow up question to scientists’ concerns: Who’s counting the illegal catch?

        • Counter PunchThe Ongoing Struggle to Protect Sacred Lands

          Mauna Kea, a 13,802-foot dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii, is one example. The mountain is managed as public land by the state of Hawaii. Native Hawaiians have protested the state’s management of Mauna Kea for decades, saying Hawaii has allowed too many research buildings on their sacred mountain, which disrupts their ability to practice their religion.

        • Counter PunchAfter the Deluge

          Featuring scenes that have become more and more routine in recent years, summer in the northern hemisphere saw extreme heat and wildfires in many places, as well as torrential rains and colossal floods that washed away the products of human settlement in others. The worst hit by the latter, beginning in June, was Pakistan, where an agonizing humanitarian disaster put a third of the country under water and displaced 33 million people out of a population of 230 million.

    • Finance

    • AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

    • Censorship/Free Speech

    • Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

      • TruthOutA Bill Intended to Protect Journalists Could End Up Boosting Far Right Media
      • TechdirtTechdirt Podcast Episode 322: Celebrating 25 Years Of Techdirt

        As you probably already know, Techdirt recently marked its 25th anniversary and celebrated the occasion with an online party for our Insider subscribers. At the event, Mike was joined by Techdirt co-founder Dennis Yang for an interview conducted by Alex Feerst of Murmuration Labs, in which they looked back on the history of the site and took some questions from the audience. Now, you can listen to the full conversation on this week’s episode of the Techdirt Podcast.

      • The NationThe Language of Everyday Life

        By the 1950s, when Isaac Bashevis Singer’s Yiddish fiction was beginning to win acclaim in English translation, the future of the Yiddish language looked bleak. Its homeland in Eastern Europe had been destroyed in the Holocaust, and the largest remaining Jewish populations were now being raised to speak different languages: English in the United States, Russian in the Soviet Union, and Hebrew in Israel. The readers Singer had addressed for decades in The Forward, New York’s leading Yiddish daily paper, represented a significant share of the world’s surviving Yiddish speakers. Few of them were younger than him, and their numbers were shrinking.

    • Civil Rights/Policing

      • Pro PublicaNo-Knock Warrants Are Missing From Some Mississippi Courts

        It had happened two years earlier, after an informant bought less than a gram of marijuana from Antoine Bryant. Police broke open Bryant’s door with a battering ram, shattering the glass. Three children sleeping inside were startled awake.

      • Papers PleaseICAO expands travel tracking and control through RFID passports

        It’s been many years since the US delegation to an ICAO meeting has included a Cabinet member. Secretary Buttigieg’s presence brought greater public attention than usual to the ICAO general assembly and related side events.€  Unfortunately, news reports have focused on what Secretary Buttigieg said (mainly his comments about Taiwan) rather than on what ICAO is actually doing.

      • Common DreamsSupreme Court Poised to Shred What's Left of Voting Rights Act, Plaintiffs Warn

        "Without protections from Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, redistricting will be weaponized to strip Black communities of fair representation."

      • The NationThe Tyranny of the Supreme Court

        As Congress members fan out from Washington this week to hit the midterm campaign trail, the next Supreme Court term is lurching into gear. In the civics-textbook account of things, this is made to seem like a decorous upgrade in the conduct of the people’s business: the hectic and unruly discord of congressional lawmaking ceding ground to the duly credentialed and circumspect apostles of judicial review.

      • Democracy NowJustice Ketanji Brown Jackson Makes History; SCOTUS Poised to Roll Back Voting Rights & Affirmative Action

        As public support of the conservative-dominated Supreme Court falls to a record low, justices are set to hear major cases on affirmative action, voting rights and online speech. The court opened its term Monday with new Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson becoming the first Black woman in U.S. history to hear a Supreme Court case. Although Jackson is a welcome progressive voice on the bench, “all she’ll be able to do is to highlight the extremism of the conservative majority voting bloc on the Supreme Court,” says The Nation’s legal correspondent Elie Mystal. He adds that the term ahead includes challenges to Native American sovereignty, voting rights, LGBT rights and more.

      • TruthOutSupreme Court May Soon Roll Back Affirmative Action and Voting Rights
      • The NationBlack Trauma Is Not a Lesson

        One afternoon at the beginning of eighth grade, I was sitting in the room where Model United Nations met after school. Under the guise of open and inclusive debate, students played the roles of ambassadors. We talked about every political topic under the sun: the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the immigration policies of the Obama administration, police brutality in the United States.

      • The NationHope and Action for Puerto Rico
      • The NationIs the Idea of Masculinity Worth Saving?

        The masculine person is not someone going around wearing shoes they cannot walk in for more than a block. The classic masculine pursuits—hunting, fixing a car, throwing a ball—cannot really be performed in heels. The philosopher William James said the masculine virtues have historically derived from going to war or going to work; the Harvard professor Harvey Mansfield says it’s all about confidence in risky situations. Wrong and wrong. The quintessential masculine virtue is simply an unwillingness to put on immobilizing footwear. When you see a masculine person in a physically restricting accessory—straitjacket, leg-irons—you can be fairly confident it’s not voluntary.1

    • Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

      • TechdirtIn Agency First, FCC Employee Union Backs Gigi Sohn

        Despite being hugely qualified and popular across both sides of the aisle, Congress still hasn’t approved Gigi Sohn to the FCC, leaving the agency without the voting majority to do anything popular or even remotely controversial, such as restoring net neutrality, the FCC’s consumer protection authority, or the media consolidation rules stripped away during the Trump era.

    • Monopolies

      • Trademarks

        • TechdirtUK Taqueira Under Trademark Threat Gets 100k People Worth Of Public Support

          You will hopefully recall our recent discussion about a taco restaurant, or taqueria, in the UK being bullied by Worldwide Taqueria because the latter had somehow gotten a trademark on the word “taqueria.” As we pointed out in the original post on the topic, everything about this is ridiculous. First, it’s absurd that the company would have ever gotten a valid trademark for a word that is purely descriptive. “Taqueria” simply means “place that sells tacos.” But once that trademark was granted, it is equally silly for Worldwide Taqueria to go around issuing legal threats to other taco joints that use the word in their names and branding, which is what happened to Sonora Taqueria.

      • Copyrights

        • Torrent FreakDMCA Scammers Exploit Sites Linked to Mental Health Issues to Boost SEO

          A fake law firm is currently sending emails to sites, many of them linked to mental health issues, claiming that copyright infringements have been found and need to be rectified. Recipients are told that by including a credit and a link to a domain, no further action will be taken. The entire scheme is a massive scam but could be facing its last few hours of life.

        • Torrent FreakRightsholders Asked Google to Remove Six Billion 'Pirate' Links

          Copyright holders have asked Google to remove six billion links to 'pirate' search results over the past decade. The vast majority of these requests were honored. While copyright infringement can't be eradicated entirely, Google is slowly but steadily presenting itself as a willing partner in the anti-piracy fight.

        • Creative CommonsOpen Minds Podcast: Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker of Smarthistory

          Please subscribe to the show in whatever podcast app you use, so you don’t miss any of our conversations with people working to make the internet and our global culture more open and collaborative.

  • Gemini* and Gopher

    • Personal

      • The Overstated Criticism of BBC’s Sherlock

        I bounced off hard from the BBC version of Sherlock, I noped out after just two episodes. I didn’t and still don’t like the show. (There are other Sherlock Holmes versions I like better.)

        So when YouTubers started ragging on the show, I ate that up and believed every word.

        There are two things though, that I now, two years or so later, found out they were misrepresenting.

      • How I wish “My Two Dads” would’ve ended

        My Two Dads was an 1987–1990 TV show that I had never heard of until a just few years ago. It’s a standard multi-camera, limited-set, limited-continuity, laughter-added 22 min, 60 ep sitcom.

        The titular dads weren’t in a relationship with each other; they had been in a V triad with a woman; and years later, when she dies, the guys find out she had a daughter and they take her in. So the show is about this girl and her two dads. There aren’t that many gay jokes (compared to something like Three's Company) and overall the show is presenting their li’l family, an unusual one for the eighties, with a lot of heart. Hopefully it made a good job paving the road for marriage equality to become a reality thirty years later.

        [...]

        Now, I get it. A sitcom of this genre needs to wrap up every episode neatly; in a way, every episode is like a satisfying finale. Every episode is like “Oh, I think our li’l family is gonna make it, after all”. They’re gonna have to do something different for the finale, something to shake up the status quo. So while I bristled at the whole “Joe marries someone and moves to San Francisco” premise at first, and part of that was some misguided “shipping” mentality on my end (as in shipping the two dads with each other, but... that wouldn’t‘ve fit the show’s premise unless it had been part of a slow boil throughout the series, and it hadn’t) after I thought about it a bit I changed my mind to thinking it’s actually good. Except: Michael (the yuppie dad, played by Reiser) and Nicole (the daughter, played by Keanan) should’ve moved with him! They could, after an appropriate and dramatic amount of despair and hemming and hawing, have moved into some sort of one-big-happy-family house out there. Unrealistic? Sure. Would it have worked in real life? Maybe not. Would they have hated each other after three seconds? I guess. But in the wish-fulfilment world of sitcoms, it would’ve been perfect.

    • Politics

      • When the world needed doomers

        The general public are woefully unaware of how bad the climate situation is and how dire the straits are. Here’s where all y’all doomers and Debbie Downers can help educate them.

        People don’t know about tipping points, they don’t know about the methane in the melting tundra or in rice paddies, they don’t know what the heck a carbon “equivalent” is.

        [...]

        The problem is that there’s this huge excluded middle between people who think it’s not that bad (most people most of the time; people seem to be compartmentalizing this to a pretty wild degree) and people who are completely and utterly hopeless.

        That’s where you doomers can help! Educate people how bad it is without pulling them all the way to the “give up” part of the spectrum.

    • Technical

      • Migrating from Arch to GUIX, or, An Exercise in Toe-Dipping

        As a friend of GNU, a contributor to the EFF, a rabid follower of Cory Doctorow and RMS, a subscriber of all that is FOSS and the FSF, an all around RJ€¹ - and just an insufferable person in general - I've decided that the correct, moral, ethical, right, honorable, just, fair, proper, and applaudable thing to do is move more towards GNU as my choice of OS

        [...]

        GUIX is a package manager that can work on top of any existing flavour of Linux, and indeed can be considered a standalone OS in itself when deployed with either the linux-libre or the hurd kernel€².

      • Internet/Gemini

        • There Is No Content on Gemini

          Content is created with one purpose : being consumed. The target audience for any content is a consumer. You separate the world in two classes : content creators and content consumers. Creators being consumers themselves in their spare time.

          Content consumption implies an economical transaction. Consumers give some currency token to the distributor (which, most of the time, is not the creator). Historically, that currency was fiat money but, nowadays, new kinds of token have appeared : likes, retweets, comments and even "clicks". The whole point of the "clicks" is that the consumer exchanges it without even realising it.

          [...]

          Google and Facebook have a simple business model : they sell their own attention tokens against fiat money. Buy ads on Google and get a lot more clicks in your Google analytics. Buy page views on Facebook and get hits on your Facebook page. Buy ads on Twitter and get more random retweets.


* Gemini (Primer) links can be opened using Gemini software. It's like the World Wide Web but a lot lighter.



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