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Links 20/05/2022: Fedora BIOS Boot SIG



  • GNU/Linux

    • Audiocasts/Shows

    • Instructionals/Technical

      • uni TorontoWhy I'm not all that positive on working through serial consoles

        There are two ways for a server serial console to work in the x86 world. The first way is for all of the various consoles of Linux and the programs that use them to be explicitly pointed to a serial port, and for them to be prepared to work through the limited features of a serial port console instead of the video console. This means that the server BIOS, the bootloader, the Linux kernel, the init system, the OS installer, the OS recovery mode, and so on and so forth all have to support configuring a serial connection and being used over serial.

      • Nathan SmithUsing PGP Keys for SSH on Fedora

        I learned recently that PGP keys can be used for SSH authentication. This is quite convenient because if you’re already managing a PGP key to sign git commits (hint: you should probably be doing this), then you’ll have one less key to manage. As a bonus, if you’ve added your PGP public key to Github you can immediately use a subkey with authentication privileges to pull and push to your repositories over SSH.

      • Red Hat OfficialHow I got started with RHEL | Enable Sysadmin

        Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) celebrated its 20th anniversary days before RHEL 9 was released. See how some of our top authors evolved from "what's this?" to power users.

      • OpenSource.comHow to rename a branch, delete a branch, and find the author of a branch in Git | Opensource.com

        One of Git's primary strengths is its ability to "fork" work into different branches.

        If you're the only person using a repository, the benefits are modest, but once you start working with many other contributors, branching is essential. Git's branching mechanism allows multiple people to work on a project, and even on the same file, at the same time. Users can introduce different features, independent of one another, and then merge the changes back to a main branch later. A branch created specifically for one purpose, such as adding a new feature or fixing a known bug, is sometimes called a topic branch.

        Once you start working with branches, it's helpful to know how to manage them. Here are the most common tasks developers do with Git branches in the real world.

      • How to Kill a Process from the Linux | Mark Ai Code

        In Linux, a process is an instance of a running service, application, or script. When you execute a command, application, or program, a process is established for it. Each process has a unique process id connected with a particular user and group. If any processes use excessive amounts of resources or become unresponsive, it may be necessary to terminate them. In this scenario, the kill command may be used to terminate the process without restarting the server.

        In this article, we will demonstrate how to terminate Linux processes.

      • CitizixHow to Install and Configure KVM in ArchLinux/Manjaro

        Kernel-based Virtual Machine(KVM) is a virtualization module in the Linux kernel that allows the kernel to function as a hypervisor. It is the leading open source virtualisation technology for Linux. It installs natively on all Linux distributions and turns underlying physical servers into hypervisors so that they can host multiple, isolated virtual machines (VMs). KVM comes with no licenses, type-1 hypervisor capabilities and a variety of performance extensions which makes it an ideal candidate for virtualisation and cloud infrastructure implementation.

      • Linux HandbookHow to Go to a Specific Line in Vim

        Vim is a powerful editor that, at worst, will only feel fast. When you blaze through your work in Vim efficiently, you will feel higher than anyone.

        But for that to happen, you need to master the navigation in Vim. Let me share a few tricks with you.

      • Linux Shell TipsHow to Fix curl: (6) Could not resolve host Error in Linux

        As Linux users continue to skillfully nurture and grow their user experience, they soon realize that they become more performant and productive while in the Linux command-line environment.

        The Linux OS environment exposes its users to terminal-based tools like Curl for a non-interactive download and upload of targeted network/internet-based files, which is similar to the Wget utility and both share some similarities in their implementation and functionalities.

    • Games

      • Tom's HardwareCanonical Job Advert Suggests Expanding 'Ubuntu Gaming' Team

        Software Engineering vacancies at Canonical are numerous, with over 100 vacancies in this hugely important operational area for a software company. The new gaming specific role's full title is 'Software Engineer - Ubuntu Gaming Experience'.

      • Ruben SchadeTime splits between various OSs, via Mark C.

        I only arrived back on the Linux desktop recently in the context of games, thanks to all the work Valve and Wine have put into Windows compatibility (though I’ve since switched back to Fedora Workstation). Otherwise it’s FreeBSD and NetBSD, the former because the tooling is awesome and I prefer OpenZFS, and the latter because I still harbour a soft spot for its clean design and community.

      • Linux Links10 Fun Free and Open Source Turn-Based Strategy Games

        If you adore hectic racing games, death-defying first person shooters, entertaining arcade classics, or nervy tower defense games, this article might not up your street. Here we’re covering turn-based strategy games that require intelligence, and the ability to come up with an innovative plan that will leave the competition mesmerized. As the title indicates, we are covering a genre where players take turns when playing, strategically seeking to outsmart the enemy.

        Many of the biggest computer games concentrate on explosion-filled genres. But there is a place for high quality turn-based strategy games. It’s a neglected genre in the mainstream, yet contains many marvelous titles. The genre might conjure thoughts of board games with dice and individualized pieces. But, now, they can use the latest technology to make more realistic and immersive experiences.

        There are a vast range of open source games in this field. Turn-based strategy games lend themselves remarkably to open source development. This genre doesn’t need armies of artwork or computer modelling. Games of this type also have fairly modest system requirements, and gives gamers time to get to grips with the controls even if it can take many hours to learn all of the intricacies. You can sit back, strategize, and take a breath, considering all options before making a move. So if you’re looking for a change of pace, check out the following games.

  • Distributions and Operating Systems

  • Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

    • Web Browsers

      • Mozilla

        • The Register UKMozilla opens testing for Manifest v3 extensions in Firefox
          Mozilla on Wednesday launched a Developer Preview program to solicit feedback on Firefox extensions that implement Manifest v3, a Google-backed revision of browser extension architecture.

          Mozilla last year said it intended to support MV3 in Firefox extensions, though with some differences. Its implementation of the WebExtensions API in Firefox has now incorporated enough of MV3 plumbing that developers can set the appropriate browser flags and experiment with MV3 extensions in Firefox v101, now in beta and due for release at the end of May.

          Google Chrome is expected to stop supporting extensions created under the old MV2 specification in about a year, June 2023. And given Chrome's share of the browser market – about 64 per cent currently – extension developers will want to have updated their code by then and to have accounted for how MV3 works – or doesn't – in different browsers.

    • SaaS/Back End/Databases

      • DJ AdamsJSON object values into CSV with jq

        I wanted to grab a CSV version of a JSON representation of an entityset in the Northwind OData service. Here's how I converted the JSON structure into CSV with jq, and along the way, I talk about arrays, objects, iterators, object indices, variables, identity, array construction and format strings.

    • Programming/Development

      • Handwriting just might be the write pace for me

        I've loved typing for decades. But I recently got with handwriting implements, and was astonished by how less manic I felt capturing rumination at that pace.

        I think I've mentioned past love of writing little ditties on 3x5 cards, and it occurred to me perhaps I could cross that with this by handwriting to a 3x5, taking a photo of it on the phone, placing it in Google Drive, and making that available here by Drive's URL mechanism.

      • [Old] Nathan SmithSelf-Hosting II: Hosting Git

        When I started to self-host some of the online services I depend on, this was a natural first target. It’s a service that is close to my heart, but it’s also one that would help me in the whole self-hosting process; I could use it as a place to hold my Kubernetes configurations and other self-hosting related code.

        Thankfully, the quality of free and open source web based git repositories is really high. Here is a short list of the choices available: [...]

      • ErlangErlang/OTP 25.0 Release

        Erlang/OTP 25 is a new major release with new features, improvements as well as a few incompatibilities.

      • James GLearning PHP: The Beginning

        I wrote my first programs in PHP today (with a lot of help from the [Internet]). It's always exciting to learn something new. I am getting excited because I like knowing how my programming logic -- how instructions combine to do something -- applies to different languages. It's cool seeing what features a language does have, doesn't have, and implements differently from those that I already know. For instance, I learned today that PHP doesn't have an explicit "dictionary" data structure. Instead, you can create a dictionary-like object using an array. (Whereas in Python array and dictionary are explicit and different.)

      • Jim NielsenQuick and Dirty Text Diffing

        What I really want, though, is a solution that lets me diff two pieces of text that aren’t yet files. Copy/paste some text into pane 1, copy/paste some text into pane 2, and hit the big red “DIFF” button.

      • OpenSource.comA programmer's guide to GNU C Compiler | Opensource.com

        C is a well-known programming language, popular with experienced and new programmers alike. Source code written in C uses standard English terms, so it's considered human-readable. However, computers only understand binary code. To convert code into machine language, you use a tool called a compiler.

        A very common compiler is GCC (GNU C Compiler). The compilation process involves several intermediate steps and adjacent tools.

      • Shell/Bash/Zsh/Ksh

        • EarthlyUsing Bash to Read Files

          For programmers, Bash enables you to efficiently search for particular keywords or phrases by reading each line separately. Bash can also be used for reading files for a variety of reasons, like shell scripting, searching, text processing, building processes, logging data, and automating administrative tasks. When you’re done with this article, you’ll be able to use Bash to read files line by line, use custom delimiters, assign variables, and more.

  • Leftovers

    • Common DreamsOpinion | The Heart Is Mightier Than the Sword

      They're coming for me!

    • Barry HessWhy I Went HTML Only

      So I abandoned that idea for something else; something I hadn't done in fifteen years or so. I started using a third-party software. Micro.blog is an application I had tried in the past, but it hadn't quite clicked. This time I vowed to really dig in, and it turns out I do really like the service. There are plenty of templates, which you can customize yourself (I did not do that because it seemed too complex) and you can also insert your own CSS (which I did do to a complex degree). It's sometimes a bit hard to follow how you are to do things, but overall I quite like it.

    • Science

      • Dhole MomentsGuidance for Choosing an Elliptic Curve Signature Algorithm in 2022

        Earlier this year, Cendyne published A Deep Dive into Ed25519 Signatures, which covered some of the different types of digital signature algorithms, but mostly delved into the Ed25519 algorithm. Truth in advertising.

        This got me thinking, “Why isn’t there a better comparison of different elliptic curve signature algorithms available online?”

    • Hardware

      • HackadayHacking The Logitech Z906 Speaker System

        The Logitech Z906 is a well-rounded 5.1 surround sound system. It’s capable of putting out 1000W in peak power, and can decode Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks as you’d expect. It’s intended to be used as the heart of a home cinema system and used with a central command console. However, [zarpli] figured out the device’s serial secrets and can now run the device in a standalone manner.

      • HackadayPCB Linear Motors For Model Trains

        Modeling a railroad is hard. Railroads are large, linear pieces of civil engineering. So many modelers are drawn to the smallest scale they can use. Recently a new scale, named T, at 1:450 has been pushing this barrier. But fitting a reliable mechanical drive mechanism and MCU board in a package this size is a challenge. In practice, even more of a problem is getting reliable electrical contact through a metal wheel on metal track (about the worst possible design for a contact).

      • HackadayScott’s CPU From The Bottom Up

        It isn’t for everyone, but if you work much with computers at a low level, you’ll probably sooner or later entertain the idea of creating your own CPU. There was a time when that was a giant undertaking, but with today’s tools and FPGAs it is… well, not easy, but certainly easier. If you have the urge to try your own, you might have a look at [Simply Explained’s] video series called “Building Scott’s CPU.”

      • the new and upgraded framework laptop



        The mainboard I'm definitely excited about, especially the potential for power savings. However, for ~$450 which is half the price of the laptop, I have a much harder time justifying that purchase. I was hoping for an AMD or and ARM mainboard because I would be very interested in either of those.

        People online have been speculating that the reliance on thunderbolt 4 is preventing framework from selling an AMD mainboard, even thought it's just an implementation of USB4 and the new AMD CPUs support USB4.

    • Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

      • The Nation“Case Numbers Don’t Matter”—and Other Fatal Covid Fallacies

        Back at the start of February 2022, at what in retrospect was the peak of the Omicron surge, with over 2,500 deaths per day in the United States from the infection, Ashish Jha, then the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and now the White House Covid czar, told The New York Times’ David Leonhardt, “I don’t actually care about infections. I care about hospitalizations and deaths and long-term complications.”

      • Zach FlowerBalancing Parenthood and Startup Life

        There is nothing quite so humbling as being completely responsible for the wellbeing of another person. Your time is no longer completely our own, and if you want to survive the Parenthood Game, it's no longer your company's either.

      • The EconomistThe coming food catastrophe

        The widely accepted idea of a cost-of-living crisis does not begin to capture the gravity of what may lie ahead. António Guterres, the un secretary general, warned on May 18th that the coming months threaten “the spectre of a global food shortage” that could last for years. The high cost of staple foods has already raised the number of people who cannot be sure of getting enough to eat by 440m, to 1.6bn. Nearly 250m are on the brink of famine. If, as is likely, the war drags on and supplies from Russia and Ukraine are limited, hundreds of millions more people could fall into poverty. Political unrest will spread, children will be stunted and people will starve.

      • New ScientistPollution killed 9 million people worldwide in 2019 alone

        Pollution killed 9 million people globally in 2019, accounting for one in six deaths, an analysis suggests.

        Rich Fuller at the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution in Switzerland and his colleagues first assessed the impact of pollution on premature deaths in 2015, similarly finding it caused 9 million fatalities.

        To uncover how pollution-related deaths may have changed, the team repeated the analysis for 2019, using data from the ongoing Global Burden of Diseases Study.

      • New RepublicHow Bill Gates Impeded Global Access to Covid Vaccines

        Gates is certain he knows better. But his failure to anticipate a crisis of supply, and his refusal to engage those who predicted it, have complicated the carefully maintained image of an all-knowing, saintly mega-philanthropist. COVAX presents a high-stakes demonstration of Gates’s deepest ideological commitments, not just to intellectual [sic] property [sic] rights [sic] but also to the conflation of these rights with an imaginary free market in pharmaceuticals—an industry dominated by companies whose power derives from politically constructed and politically imposed monopolies. Gates has been tacitly and explicitly defending the legitimacy of knowledge monopolies since his first Gerald Ford–era missives against open-source software hobbyists. He was on the side of these monopolies during the miserable depths of the 1990s African AIDS crisis. He’s still there today, defending the status quo and running effective interference for those profiting by the billions from their control of Covid-19 vaccines.

      • TruthOutEnd of Free School Meals Will Be Catastrophic for Kids
      • Common DreamsOpinion | Why Seniors Like Me Are Fighting Against Medicare Direct Contracting and ACO REACH

        When I became eligible for Medicare I had to make the choice between Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage (MA), the version of Medicare run by for-profit insurance companies. At first glance, it was a no-brainer: Compared to Traditional Medicare, MA offered additional coverage such as vision, hearing, and dental, with a cap on out-of-pocket expenses. I took the bait and signed up for MA, but soon discovered this was a big mistake.

      • Taking a Break from Social Media Makes you Happier and Less Anxious - Study Hacks - Cal Newport
    • Security

      • Privacy/Surveillance

        • Common DreamsOpinion | ICE Is Spying on You

          Growing up in the Southern California suburbs, government surveillance never worried me. But my Syrian-American parents were more cautious. They would often warn me against talking about politics over the phone—in case Big Brother was snooping.

        • TechdirtClearview Settles Lawsuit, Agrees To Stop Doing Business In Illinois

          Clearview’s facial recognition AI business model has always been “fuck everything.” The company scraped the open web of all the data it could find, working its way towards a 100 billion image database that alchemizes social media posts into “intel” gold for Clearview.

        • The VergeTikTok reportedly plans a ‘major push’ into gaming and games livestreamers could play with viewers

          The outlet’s sources indicate the plan is for ad-supported games that draw from the library of its parent company, ByteDance, which could boost revenue and increase the amount of time people spend on the TikTok app — if that’s even possible.

        • Tanya GoodinYour Zoom Call Just Got Even More Uncomfortable

          Even the vice-president at Uniphore admits the limitations of the technology. “There is no real objective way to measure people’s emotions,” he said. “You could be smiling and nodding, and in fact, you’re thinking about your vacation next week.”

          Emotion AI has also consistently come under fire for the serious ethical concerns it raises. In 2019, the AI Now Institute called for a ban on the use of emotion AI in significant decisions such as hiring and when judging student performance. In 2021, the Brookings Institution called for it to be banned for use by law enforcement.

        • The ConversationFacebook Dating was set to take over the market – instead it was dead in the water

          But four years later, it hasn’t taken over the market – most people have simply forgotten about it. Numerous reports claim the dating app practically doesn’t function. Facebook’s own data suggest not many people use the service – about 300,000 in New York, compare with the claimed 3 million Bumble users in New York.

          As an online dating technology researcher, I had an eye on Facebook Dating since its announcement. But as I never heard anything about its market success, it took me a while to look into it. Now, I think I have a good idea why the app failed.

        • The VergeF-150 Lightning owners can’t use their phones as keys until ‘late summer’

          Anyone lucky enough to get an F-150 Lightning in the next few months will find that one of the features they may have opted for is missing: the ability to unlock and control the electric truck using a phone. According to screenshots of Special Service Message notices and in-app messages posted to the Lightning Owners’ Forum, Ford will be rolling out support for its Phone as a Key system in “late summer 2022” via a software update instead of shipping it with the truck at launch.

          Ford’s Phone as a Key system lets you use its FordPass app to unlock and start your vehicle, as well as control various things like the windows, lights, and front trunk. What makes the delay slightly puzzling is that this isn’t new tech from Ford — the company introduced it on a few 2020 Lincoln models, and it’s also available in its other battery EV, the Mustang Mach-E.

    • Defence/Aggression

      • NBCMichigan election chief: Trump suggested I be arrested for treason and executed

        Jocelyn Benson, Michigan’s top election official, faced an onslaught of threats after the 2020 presidential election for refusing to overturn results that showed Joe Biden had won the state. In those hectic weeks, she says she also received an especially disturbing piece of information: President Donald Trump suggested in a White House meeting that she should be arrested for treason and executed.

        Benson, a Democrat, revealed the alleged remark for the first time in an interview with NBC News. She said she learned of it from a source familiar with Trump’s White House meeting.

      • MedforthFor German courts, Islamist assassins are mentally ill, only right-wing extremist perpetrators are considered punishable by law

        Gabriele Tilmann, senior public prosecutor in Munich, has warned against automatically inferring religious motives when perpetrators of violence shout “Allahu Akbar”. Referring to the attack in Würzburg, she said: “During the attack, the man shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’. But even that does not necessarily point to an Islamist background,” she told the magazine Der Spiegel.

      • CBC'I knew that death was coming': Eagles of Death Metal singer testifies about Paris concert attack

        Guitar technician Eden Galindo's first thought had been that the sound system was exploding, but Hughes said he knew instantly the venue was under attack.

        "Being from a desert community in California, I know the sound of gunshots," Hughes told the trial of Salah Abdeslam, the only suspected surviving member of the squad that killed 130 people at several locations on Nov. 13, 2015.

      • Counter PunchMexico Leads in Opposing the Cuba Blockade and US Imperialism

        At that time AMLO, by virtue of Mexico serving as president pro tempore, presided over a summit meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean states (CELAC).€ He proposed building “in the Western Hemisphere something similar to what was the economic community that gave rise to the current European Union.”

        Two days later, AMLO included Diaz-Canel in a celebration of the 200th anniversary of Mexican independence. Praising Cuba’s dignity in resisting U.S. aggression, he called for an end to the blockade.

      • TechdirtNY Launches Ridiculous, Blatantly Unconstitutional ‘Investigations’ Into Twitch, Discord; Deflecting Blame From NY’s Own Failings

        I recognized that lots of people are angry and frustrated over the mass murdering jackass who killed ten people at a Buffalo grocery store last weekend. I’m angry and frustrated about it as well. But, the problem with anger and frustration is that it often leads people to lash out in irrational ways, and to “do something” even if that “something” is counterproductive and destructive. In this case, we’ve already seen politicians and the media trying to drive the conversation away from larger issues around racism, mental health, law enforcement, social safety nets and more… and look for something to blame.

      • Meduza‘It was the only option’ Russia casts doubt on prisoner exchange for soldiers from Ukraine’s Azov regiment

        After weeks of defending the Azovstal steel plant as Ukraine’s last stronghold in Mariupol, soldiers from the Azov Battalion began leaving the site on May 16. The troops were evacuated into Russian-controlled territory as part of what Kyiv describes as an ongoing “rescue operation.” However, officials in Russia and the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) have cast doubt on the possibility of swapping these soldiers in a prisoner exchange, calling instead for Azov troops to face a “tribunal” and even capital punishment.

      • Democracy NowNina Khrushcheva: Talks to End War in Ukraine Are Collapsing as U.S. Seeks Regime Change in Moscow

        As the United Nations warns about the devastating global impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, talks to negotiate a peace settlement appear to have collapsed. Russian President Vladimir Putin appears determined to push forward despite a more resilient Ukrainian defense than expected, as both sides seem to be fixated on gaining military and territorial victories. Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to pour millions of dollars in weapons into Ukraine. “It does seem that the United States thinks that Ukraine should be supported in its war effort, not its negotiation effort, until the very end,” says Nina Khrushcheva, professor at The New School and the great-granddaughter of former Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. She also speaks about the current climate of civil society within Russia and the faulty intelligence that led Putin to decide to invade Ukraine.

      • Democracy NowEnd the Filibuster: Senate Can’t Pass Gun Control Despite Public Support, 198 Mass Shootings in 2022

        The white supremacist who shot 10 people dead in Buffalo, New York, was able to buy an assault rifle months after New York state police took him into custody for making a threat about committing violence. The gun store owner who sold the weapon says a background check showed a clean record. We look at how background checks alone are not enough to prevent gun violence, as both mass shootings and weapons sales have skyrocketed in recent years without more legislation at the federal level. Multiple bills proposing harsher gun restrictions have been blocked by filibusters in Congress. “Our demand is that we renew an assault weapons ban at the federal level and also that we restrict the production of high-capacity magazines or large-capacity magazines,” says Kris Brown, president of Brady, one of the oldest gun violence prevention organizations in the U.S.

      • TechdirtLawsuit Attempts To Hold TikTok Responsible For Death Of 10-Year-Old Girl Who Engaged In A ‘Blackout Challenge’

        When a tragedy happens, lawsuits tend to follow. This is no exception. And while it’s understandable that grieving survivors often seek justice — whether it’s closure or compensation — through the legal system, the legal system is not there to provide solace. It’s there to determine whether anyone was legally culpable for the death.

      • TruthOutTalks to End War in Ukraine Are Collapsing as US Seeks Regime Change in Moscow
      • Site36Hypersonic weapons: China tests aircraft carrier killer in the desert

        The People’s Liberation Army is firing at dummy US warships in the Uighur region. The ability to deliver a sensitive first strike to enemy fleets is being tested.

      • Meduza‘I fired so they’d leave me alone’: The first Russian soldier charged with a war crime in Ukraine testifies in court, confessing to following orders

        On Thursday, the second court hearing of 21-year-old Russian Sergeant Vadim Shishimarin took place in Kyiv. Shishimarin is the first Russian soldier to face formal charges for war crimes in Ukraine. He is accused of murdering a 62-year-old man in the Sumy region named Oleksandr Shelipov. According to prosecutors, on February 28, Shishimarin and four other Russian servicemen ended up in the village of Chupakhivka after their convoy was attacked and dispersed. The soldiers then fired on and commandeered a private vehicle. While driving away, they saw a civilian with a bicycle who was speaking on a cell phone. On orders from his commanding officer, Shishimarin shot the man using his assault rifle. Not long thereafter, Ukrainian troops captured the sergeant and later charged him with violating the laws and customs of warfare, as well as committing a premeditated murder. Under these statutes, Shishimarin faces between 10 years in prison and life imprisonment.

      • ScheerpostGeorge W. Bush Condemns the ‘Unjustified and Brutal Invasion of Iraq’ in Telling Slip

        Jake Johnson reports on the ex-president's incredible slip.

      • Common DreamsIn Telling Slip, George W. Bush Condemns the 'Unjustified and Brutal Invasion of Iraq'

        Former President George W. Bush on Wednesday inadvertently condemned "the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq" as he delivered remarks criticizing Russia's assault on Ukraine.

        "Nothing will erase the memory of war criminal George W. Bush laughing—yes, laughing—about his grievously apt slip of the tongue."

      • ScheerpostTucker Carlson’s ‘Great Replacement’ Theory Comes from an Anti-American Nazi

        Why has the American far right adopted an anti-American conspiracy theory as its rallying cry?

    • Environment

      • The NationNations Are Nowhere on Their Climate Commitments, and Too Few Journalists Are Holding Them Accountable

        This story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration cofounded by Columbia Journalism Review and The Nation strengthening coverage of the climate story. The author is CCNow’s deputy director.

      • Common DreamsGlobal Climate Movement Warns Nations Have Just 6 Months to End Fossil Fuel Finance

        More than 120 civil society groups from around the world on Thursday warned that nations have only six months left to meet a collective commitment made at last year's United Nations Climate Conference to end public financing of fossil fuels.

        "The world must immediately stop all new fossil fuel investments to meet the survival target for many vulnerable and poor communities, island nations, and fragile ecosystems."

      • Common DreamsNow Do Windfall Tax, Say Climate Groups After Passage of Big Oil Price Gouging Bill

        While cheering U.S. House Democrats for passing a bill aimed at curbing Big Oil profiteering, progressive politicians and activists on Thursday pushed Congress to go even further and pass legislation imposing a windfall tax on fossil fuel corporations raking in record profits at the expense of consumers and the climate.

        "Enhanced investigatory powers won't be enough to stem Big Oil's greed and stop its exploitation. The House must move rapidly to tax the fossil fuel industry's record windfall profits."

      • Energy

        • David RosenthalMetastablecoins

          Ever since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in late 2008, central banks have kept real interest rates close to, and for much of the time below, zero. Around the beginning of this year it started to become obvious that the end of the era of "free money" was approaching, and that interest rates were going to go up. That real interest rates haven't yet risen much above zero is because of the rampant monopolization of the US economy; companies with market power have seized on the supply chain crisis and the Russian invasion of Ukraine to raise prices and thus the inflation rate.

        • Gustaf EriksonOil and gas industry inflates size by 15x

          The Australian Financial Review has repeated claims by oil and gas peak body APPEA that their industry is a $500 billion benefit to the economy. In reality, ABS data shows the total oil and gas industry’s value is $33.8 billion.

          The oil and gas industry is largely foreign-owned so outside of salaries paid in Australia most benefits of the industry’s activities go offshore. This is especially true given the extremely minimal tax paid by the industry, paying zero income tax and minimal amounts of PRRT on vast revenues.

          If all industries made the same claim, it would add up to 15X the actual value of the Australian economy according to economist Mark Ogge.

        • CBC[Cryptocurrency] markets tumble and investors get their fingers burned

          People who put their hard-earned cash into a tumbling cryptocurrency unit that is at the heart of the latest sharp decline in digital coins may be regretting they did not read a recent paper by Canadian financial technology scholar Ryan Clements demonstrating why it was bound to fail.

          In fact, all investors who have piled into any crypto assets since the end of 2020 and have not already sold may be feeling remorse for failing to take Clements's comments in my last column on cryptocurrency as a word to the wise. Most will be deeply under water: In other words, their investments will be worth a lot less than they paid for them.

        • Renewable Energy WorldU.S. Army launches renewable energy projects at military bases

          Ameresco has contracted LS Energy Solutions to supply a 6 MW/6 MWh lithium-ion battery storage system to be paired with an existing 18 MW solar PV system at the Fort Detrick Army Garrison in Maryland.

          The system will be microgrid-ready and is expected to come online in early 2023. The system has a 20-year operating lifetime, according to LS Energy.

    • Finance

      • Democracy NowAn End to Neoliberalism? How Chile Drafted New Constitution to Rewrite Pinochet-Era Laws

        In a historic milestone, Chile has finalized a draft of its first-ever democratically written constitution to replace the one created under the U.S.-backed neoliberal dictator Augusto Pinochet. The new constitution is expected to enshrine a wide range of human rights and social programs, including free universal access to healthcare, higher education, reproductive rights, as well as more robust environmental safeguards and policies to promote gender and racial equity. It will also for the first time recognize Chile’s Indigenous peoples and offer restitution for historically Indigenous lands, but does not include a measure to nationalize parts of the country’s mining industry. “It has been a demand of social movements, of the civil society in Chile for decades,” says Pablo Abufom, member of Chile’s “Solidaridad” movement.

      • TruthOut7 in 10 Young Voters Support Canceling Student Debt, Poll Finds
      • Common DreamsAnalysis: 26 US Billionaires Paid Average Tax Rate of Just 4.8% in Recent Years

        When their astronomical wealth gains are taken into account, dozens of the top billionaires in the United States paid an average federal tax rate of just 4.8% from 2013 to 2018—a significantly higher rate than the nation's average taxpayer.

        "As long as we fail to tax their main source of income—the growth in their fortunes—many billionaires will continue to live largely tax-free lives."

    • AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

    • Censorship/Free Speech

      • TechdirtHomeland Security Once Again Demonstrates Its Own Incompetence, ‘Pauses’ Orwellian Named Disinfo Board

        All of this was easily predictable for, well, basically anyone. The already Orwellian-named Department of Homeland Security last month announced the even more Orwellian-named Disinformation Governance Board, with no details, no explanation, and no nothing, other than naming a somewhat controversial researcher to lead it. We called out just how ridiculous the whole thing was at the time, for a variety of reasons, but just to recap:

      • The VergeMeta tells employees to stop discussing abortion at work

        A Meta executive told employees on Thursday that they are prohibited from talking about abortion on Workplace, an internal version of Facebook, citing “an increased risk” that the company is seen as a “hostile work environment.”

      • Frontpage MagazineMuslim Mob Beats, Stones, Torches a Female Christian Student in Nigeria

        The Christian girl had apparently challenged a group of Muslim students spreading Islamic propaganda, thereby rousing their ire in a nation where Christians are being purged in a genocide (and where just two days ago 29 other Christians were hacked to death by Muslims).

      • MedforthGermany: Berlin police may no longer report attacks on Jews and gays

        In future, the Berlin police may not transmit data on assaults to victim support institutions and counselling centres – because of data protection. This is what the data protection commissioner of the Berlin law enforcement agencies has decreed, as reported by the newspaper Berliner Zeitung. His reasoning in a memo seems absurd: “In order to prevent re-identification”, the information transmitted must not describe the crime, nor the place, for example the street, the time of the crime or the age of those involved. A note obtained by the Berliner Zeitung states that any reference to a person must be prevented: “The reference to a person includes all information that refers to a person. Every description of human behaviour or human characteristics has a reference to a person. The description of a crime therefore relates to a person.

    • Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

    • Civil Rights/Policing

    • Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

      • Internet SocietyStrengthening Africa’s Domain Name System

        In 2013, the Internet Society, in partnership with the Africa Top Level Domain (AfTLD) and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), launched the Africa Domain Name System (DNS) Forum. The goal was to improve the technical and governance operation levels in African country code top-level domain (ccTLD) registries and to foster Internet resilience.

      • TechdirtBillions In Broadband Funding Begin To Flow… Before We’ve Mapped Broadband Gaps

        As we’ve previously noted, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will dole out an historic $65 billion to shore up broadband access. $42 billion of that total will directly fund a Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grant program overseen by the NTIA. It’s a massive infusion of money, and much of it should have a genuine, productive impact on the nation’s longstanding broadband gaps.

      • AccessNowCoalition to Boris Johnson: Sanctions must protect Russian internet access

        Human rights and press freedom organizations in the U.K. and globally have called on the U.K. government to ensure its sanctions on Russia and Belarus protect digital rights.

        A coalition of groups led by Access Now published a letter to Boris Johnson’s government and U.K. sanctions authorities on Friday, urgently requesting a new “general license” that enables U.K. businesses — and those with U.K. operations — to maintain services that help people access the internet in Russia and Belarus.

        “In the face of rapidly escalating sanctions, many businesses have pulled out of Russia, leaving civil society and other democratic actors bereft of access to the global internet,” said Natalia Krapiva, Tech Legal Counsel at Access Now. “Despite Russian censorship and surveillance, the internet remains one of the last places for Russians to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas outside of President Putin’s grasp.”

      • AccessNowLetter to U.K. government: Do not disrupt internet access in Russia or Belarus

        Dear Rt Hon. Boris Johnson, Rt Hon Simon Clarke, The Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP, and Director Thomson,

        The signatories to this letter deplore Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, condemn in the strongest possible terms the grave violations committed by Russian forces there, and appreciate efforts by the United Kingdom and other governments to respond with strong and targeted measures. However, we write to express our concerns about new sanctions that may interfere with the Russian people’s access to the internet, which will obstruct attempts to organize in opposition to the war, report openly and honestly on events in Russia, and access information about what is happening in Ukraine and abroad.

        New measures implemented by the U.K. may impact business between companies operating in the U.K. and Russian telecommunications firms like TransTelekom, and carry the unintended consequence of disrupting internet access in Russia. There is also increasing pressure, internally and externally, on information and communications technology vendors like internet, telecommunications, and cloud service providers to voluntarily restrict or block access by users in Russia. Already, for example, tech companies are withdrawing paid applications and services, banning Russia entirely, and limiting services to civil society under vague justifications. These measures could unnecessarily facilitate further repression by the Russian government in Belarus, Ukraine, and beyond.

      • Ulrike Uhlig: How do kids conceive the internet? - part 2

        As said in my first post, I abandoned the idea to interview children younger than 9 years because it seems they are not necessarily aware that they are using the internet. But it turns out that some do have heard about the internet. My friend Anna, who has 9 younger siblings, tried to win some of her brothers and sisters for an interview with me. At the dinner table, this turned into a discussion and she sent me an incredibly funny video where two of her brothers and sisters, aged 5 and 6, discuss with her about the internet. I won’t share the video for privacy reasons — besides, the kids speak in the wondrous dialect of Vorarlberg, a region in western Austria, close to the border with Liechtenstein.

    • Monopolies

      • Copyrights

        • Torrent FreakMegaupload Pair Face 10 Years in Prison on New Organized Crime Charges

          Earlier this month, former Megaupload executives Mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk revealed that they had reached a deal with authorities to be charged in New Zealand, thereby avoiding extradition to the United States. According to charge sheets, each faces up to 10 years in prison for conspiring as part of an "organized criminal group."

        • Torrent FreakCourt: Foreign Torrent Site Operator Can Be Sued in the US

          The Pakistani operator of popular torrent site MKVCage can be held personally liable for contributory copyright infringement in the US. The case in question was filed by the makers of the film Hellboy. US District Court Judge Seabright concludes that the use of US-based services invokes jurisdiction, even though a magistrate judge concluded otherwise.

        • Creative CommonsEpisode 31: Open Culture VOICES – Buhle Mbambo-Thata

          Welcome to episode 31 of Open Culture VOICES! VOICES is a vlog series of short interviews with open GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) experts from around the world. The Open Culture Program at Creative Commons aims to promote better sharing of cultural heritage in GLAMs collections. With Open Culture VOICES, we’re thrilled to bring you various perspectives from dozens of experts speaking in many different languages on what it’s like to open up heritage content online. In this episode, we hear from Dr. Buhle Mbambo-Thata, University Librarian at the National University of Lesotho. Buhle is a distinguished librarian whose knowledge and expertise has been recognized with the following awards: the IFLA Medal for Distinguished Service to Libraries in Africa; the UNISA woman of the year award, as well as the Chancellor’s award for distinguished leadership. Her work spans international and continental work to advance the library sector as a key player in education and development.

        • Creative CommonsEpisode 32: Open Culture VOICES – Martine Denoyelle

          In this episode, we hear from Martine Denoyelle, Curator & Project Manager Digital Prospective at the Institut national d’Histoire de l’art. After having spent part of her career at the Department of Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities of the Louvre Museum, she was scientific advisor at the National Institute of Art History from 2008 to 2016, then in charge of the digital prospective mission responsible for the Images / Usages project. She has organized in Paris several events on Digital Art History and the actuality of Open GLAMs.



Recent Techrights' Posts

Comparing U.E.F.I. to B.I.O.S. (Bloat and Insecurity to K.I.S.S.)
By Sami Tikkanen
New 'Slides' From Stallman Support (stallmansupport.org) Site
"In celebration of RMS's birthday, we've been playing a bit. We extracted some quotes from the various articles, comments, letters, writings, etc. and put them in the form of a slideshow in the home page."
Thailand: GNU/Linux Up to 6% of Desktops/Laptops, According to statCounter
Desktop Operating System Market Share Thailand
António Campinos is Still 'The Fucking President' (in His Own Words) After a Fake 'Election' in 2022 (He Bribed All the Voters to Keep His Seat)
António Campinos and the Administrative Council, whose delegates he clearly bribed with EPO budget in exchange for votes
Adrian von Bidder, homeworking & Debian unexplained deaths
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
 
GNOME GUADEC 2022 & Debian Albanian women trafficked to Mexico?
Reprinted with permission from the Free Software Fellowship
Sainsbury's: It Takes Us Up to Two Days to Respond to Customers Upon Escalation (and Sometimes Even More Than Two Days)
It not only does groceries but also many other things, even banking
People Don't Just Kill Themselves (Same for Other Animals)
And recent reports about Boeing whistleblower John Barnett
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, March 18, 2024
IRC logs for Monday, March 18, 2024
Suicide Cluster Cover-up tactics & Debian exposed
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 19/03/2024: A Society That Lost Focus and Abandoning Social Control Media
Links for the day
Matthias Kirschner, FSFE: Plagiarism & Child labour in YH4F
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Linux Foundation Boasting About Being Connected to Bill Gates
Examples of boasting about the association
Alexandre Oliva's Article on Monstering Cults
"I'm told an earlier draft version of this post got published elsewhere. Please consider this IMHO improved version instead."
[Meme] 'Russian' Elections in Munich (Bavaria, Germany)
fake elections
Sainsbury's to Techrights: Yes, Our Web Site Broke Down, But We Cannot Say Which Part or Why
Windows TCO?
Plagiarism: Axel Beckert (ETH Zurich) & Debian Developer list hacking
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 18/03/2024: Putin Cements Power
Links for the day
Flashback 2003: Debian has always had a toxic culture
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Sainsbury’s Epic Downtime Seems to be Microsoft's Fault and Might Even Constitute a Data Breach (Legal Liability)
one of Britain's largest groceries (and beyond) chains
[Meme] You Know You're Winning the Argument When...
EPO management starts cursing at everybody (which is what's happening)
Catspaw With Attitude
The posts "they" complain about merely point out the facts about this harassment and doxing
'Clown Computing' Businesses Are Waning and the Same Will Happen to 'G.A.I.' Businesses (the 'Hey Hi' Fame)
decrease in "HEY HI" (AI) hype
Free Software Needs Watchdogs, Too
Gentle lapdogs prevent self-regulation and transparency
Matthias Kirschner, FSFE analogous to identity fraud
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 18/03/2024: LLM Inference and Can We Survive Technology?
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, March 17, 2024
IRC logs for Sunday, March 17, 2024
Links 17/03/2024: Microsoft Windows Shoves Ads Into Third-Party Software, More Countries Explore TikTok Ban
Links for the day
Molly Russell suicide & Debian Frans Pop, Lucy Wayland, social media deaths
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Our Plans for Spring
Later this year we turn 18 and a few months from now our IRC community turns 16
Open Invention Network (OIN) Fails to Explain If Linux is Safe From Microsoft's Software Patent Royalties (Charges)
Keith Bergelt has not replied to queries on this very important matter
RedHat.com, Brought to You by Microsoft Staff
This is totally normal, right?
USPTO Corruption: People Who Don't Use Microsoft Will Be Penalised ~$400 for Each Patent Filing
Not joking!
The Hobbyists of Mozilla, Where the CEO is a Bigger Liability Than All Liabilities Combined
the hobbyist in chief earns much more than colleagues, to say the least; the number quadrupled in a matter of years
Jim Zemlin Says Linux Foundation Should Combat Fraud Together With the Gates Foundation. Maybe They Should Start With Jim's Wife.
There's a class action lawsuit for securities fraud
Not About Linux at All!
nobody bothers with the site anymore; it's marketing, and now even Linux
Links 17/03/2024: Abuses Against Human Rights, Tesla Settlement (and Crash)
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, March 16, 2024
IRC logs for Saturday, March 16, 2024
Under Taliban, GNU/Linux Share Nearly Doubled in Afghanistan, Windows Sank From About 90% to 68.5%
Suffice to say, we're not meaning to imply Taliban is "good"
Debian aggression: woman asked about her profession
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 17/03/2024: Winter Can't Hurt Us Anymore and Playstation Plus
Links for the day