02.07.23

GNU/Linux

• Desktop/Laptop

  • ZDNet ☛ My idea for a great new beginner-friendly Linux distribution

    This could be the perfect solution: a distro designed to help new users migrate from Windows or MacOS to Linux.

  • SJVN ☛ 10 Years of Dell XPS13 developer laptops

    Back in 2006, Michael Dell told me that Dell was going to be the first major PC vendor to release and support desktop Linux. Six years after that, Dell went further. The Austin, Texas-based company released a laptop specifically for Linux and open-source developers: The Project Sputnik Dell XPS13. A decade later, Dell is still producing this popular programmers-first laptop.

    From the start, this powerhouse laptop family’s path forward has been shepherded by Barton George, Dell Technologies’ Developer Community manager. I’ve also been using and reviewing the Dell XPS13 Developer Edition since day one. They were great machines then. They’re great machines now.

• Server

  • The Next Platform ☛ The On-Premises Empire Strikes Back At AWS

    Anybody who can read a financial report knows they are paying too much for compute, storage, networking, and software at Amazon Web Services.…

  • Ubuntu ☛ Secure open source MLOps for AI/ML applications in financial services

    The adoption of AI/ML in financial services is increasing as companies seek to drive more robust, data-driven decision processes as part of their digital transformation journey. For global banking, McKinsey estimates that AI technologies could potentially deliver up to $1 trillion of additional value each year. But productionising machine learning at scale is challenging.

  • Container Journal ☛ Monitoring ML Models in Kubernetes

    Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration system that can be used to deploy and manage machine learning models. By using Kubernetes, you can easily scale your models, ensure high availability, and automate the deployment process. Additionally, Kubernetes can be used to manage the

• Applications

  • OMG! Linux ☛ New 2D CAD Software for Linux is Available for Testing – OMG! Linux

    Designers, makers, engineers, and hobbyists now have a new tool they can use to tackle 2D computer-aided design (CAD) projects on Linux.

    Design is a 2D CAD app for Linux created by developer Daniel Wood. The app has a noble aim: provide a first-class, native CAD software experience on Linux as free, open source software. It already has a small but functional feature set that makes a promising first impression.

  • OMG! Linux ☛ ’Cavalier’ is a Cute Audio Visualizer for Linux Desktops – OMG! Linux

    If you want something pretty to look at when listening to your favorite music check out Cavalier, a (relatively) new audio visualizer for Linux desktops.

    A beautifully simple app, Cavalier is made using Python and LibAdwaita. It offers 4 drawing modes, configurable color schemes (including gradients), plus lots of options to tweak the included animation spacing, padding, roundness, smoothness, noise reduction, etc.

  • OMG! Linux ☛ New Extension Lets You Pin App Folders in GNOME Shell’s Dash – OMG! Linux

    If you need quick access your favorite apps in GNOME Shell you can pin ’em to the Dash — or put them in a folder and pin that to the Dash.

    You can’t do this out of the box, but with new Pin App Folders to Dash GNOME extension installed, you can. It lets you add any app folder in GNOME Shell’s Applications screen to the Dash.

    For those confused, the Dash is the name of the dock/favorites bar you see in GNOME Shell when you enter the Activities overview. A number of Linux distributions (including Ubuntu) replace the Dash with an alternative launcher. This extension does not work with them.

• Instructionals/Technical

  • Citizix ☛ How to install and run Gatus for health check monitoring in Kubernetes

    Gatus is a health dashboard that gives you the ability to monitor your services using HTTP, ICMP, TCP, and even DNS queries as well as evaluate the result of said queries by using a list of conditions on values like the status code, the response time, the certificate expiration, the body and many others.

  • Trend Oceans ☛ How to Resolve Argument List Too Long Error in Linux Command

    Every command, such as cp, mv, rm, tar, rsync, grep, and so on, produces the error “command: argument list too long.” Why does this happen, and how do I fix it?

  • UNIX Cop ☛ How to generate SHA-256 Hash in Linux (Terminal)

    Hello, friends. You will learn in this post how to generate SHA-256 Hash on Linux using the terminal. This although simple [sic] allows you to compress and sign files for later verification. SHA-2 (Secure Hash Algorithm 2) is a set of cryptographic hash functions designed by the United States National Security Agency (NSA)…

  • FOSSLinux ☛ The Guide to Configuring Iptables Rules for Common Services

    Iptables is a powerful firewall tool for Linux systems that allows you to control incoming and outgoing traffic. It’s essential to configure Iptables rules to secure your server against malicious attacks. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to set up Iptables rules for common services like SSH, HTTP, and HTTPS. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have a better understanding of how to configure Iptables firewall rules to secure your Linux system.

  • H2S Media ☛ How to install balenaEtcher on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

    Creating a bootable Pen drive sometimes becomes problematic when you don’t have appropriate software in Linux.

  • Linux Capable ☛ How to Install Exaile on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04

    Exaile Music Player is a free and open-source music player for Ubuntu that provides a feature-rich and user-friendly experience for music lovers. With its intuitive interface and support for a wide range of audio formats, Exaile is a powerful tool for organizing and playing your music collection.

  • Linux Capable ☛ How to Install Kodi on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04

    Kodi is a versatile and powerful media center software that provides users with a seamless and engaging entertainment experience. With Kodi installed on your Ubuntu system, you can enjoy all your favorite movies, TV shows, music, and other digital media in one centralized location.

  • Linux Shell Tips ☛ How to Check Linux Server Geographic Location

    Sometimes, you might want to retrieve the geographical location of a Linux server due to a wide range of reasons. These include conducting cybercrime

• Desktop Environments/WMs

  • DebugPoint ☛ Xfce 4.18 Review: Desktop for Performance and Style

    With its classic yet modern design, Xfce delivers users with a friendly and efficient experience that has stood the test of time. The design with an icon-based menu and desktop icons is easy to use and makes you productive without needing to “learn” the interface.

    A few weeks back, Xfce 4.18 is released after almost two years of the development cycle. Yes, considering the leading desktops and distro, it’s a slow cycle, but sometimes it brings solid stability to your workflow.

    Let’s find out how the desktop performed.

  • K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt

    • OMG! Linux ☛ KDE’s Screenshot Tool Can Now Capture Screen Recordings – OMG! Linux

      Screen recording functionality is coming to Spectacle, KDE Plasma’s built-in screenshot tool.

      Developer Nate Graham reports that the upcoming Spectacle 23.04 release will boast expanded functionality when used in a KDE Plasma Wayland session.

      Now, a slew of Linux screen recording tools are available to KDE users but a user has to go out of their way to install them. With Spectacle they won’t need to as they’ll be able to record their entire workspace, screen, or individual app out-of-the-box on all Linux distros that ship it.

Distributions and Operating Systems

• New Releases

  • OMG! Linux ☛ elementary OS 7 is Now Available to Download – OMG! Linux

    A new version of elementary OS, a popular Ubuntu-based Linux distro, is available to download.

    The elementary OS 7 release is built on top of Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. This affords the distro a solid and stable foundation on which to build-out its bespoke elements, like the Gala window manager, Pantheon desktop environment, and various GTK-based first-party applications.

    In a blog post to introduce the update, elementary founder Danielle Foré says elementary OS 7 makes it easier for users to get the apps they want (like those distributed through ‘alternative’ app stores like Flathub), and ’empower’ them by adding new features and settings.

    The Pantheon desktop environment boasts few changes, but the user experience in elementary OS 7 is buffed through the addition of new config options. These include a much-requested way to disable “single click” folder opening in the Files file manager app.

• Fedora Family / IBM

  • Fedora Project ☛ Fedora Community Blog: Fedora Linux 39 development schedule

    Fedora Linux 38 branches from Rawhide today. While there’s still a lot of work before the Fedora Linux 38 release in April, this marks the beginning of the Fedora Linux 39 development cycle. The work you do in Rawhide will be in the Fedora Linux 39 release in October.

    With that in mind, here are some important milestones:

    • Wed 2022-06-21: Proposal submission deadline (Changes requiring infrastructure changes)
    • Tue 2022-06-27: Proposal submission deadline (Changes requiring mass rebuild & System-Wide Changes)
    • Tue 2023-07-18: Proposal submission deadline (Self Contained Changes)
    • Tue 2023-08-08:
      • Change Checkpoint: Completion deadline (testable)
      • Branch Fedora Linux 39 from Rawhide
    • Tue 2023-08-22:
      • Change Checkpoint: 100% Code Complete Deadline
      • Beta Freeze begins
    • Tue 2023-09-12: Beta release (early target date)
    • Tue 2023-09-19: Beta release (target date #1)
    • Tue 2023-10-03: Final Freeze begins
    • Tue 2023-10-17: Final release (early target date)
    • Tue 2023-10-24: Final release (target date #1)

  • OMG! Linux ☛ Manage Flatpak App Permissions Easily with Flatseal – OMG! Linux

    If you make frequent use of Flatpak apps and want a user-friendly front-end for managing app permissions, check out Flatseal.

    Flatseal is a GTK-based tool for Linux desktops that (I think) makes it easier to tweak general permissions and security settings for all the Flatpak apps you have installed.

  • OMG! Linux ☛ Fedora 38 Will Offer Full, Unfiltered Access to Flathub – OMG! Linux

    The Fedora Engineering and Steering Committee (aka the folx in charge of approving changes to the RedHat-backed Linux distro) have OK’d the proposal to provide users with access to “Unfiltered Flathub” in the next release.

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

• Productivity Software/LibreOffice/Calligra

  • Trend Oceans ☛ ONLYOFFICE Docs v7.3: It has improved forms, SmartArt, and a lot of other changes

    The latest version of ONLYOFFICE Docs 7.3 has been released and it comes with several new features and improvements that will be beneficial to users.

• Programming/Development

  • Rlang ☛ Passing a function from R to C++

    The algebraicMesh function of my package
    cgalMeshes
    takes as inputs a trivariate polynomial
    \(P(x,y,z)\), a number
    \(\ell\) and some other parameters, and
    it returns a mesh of the isosurfa…

  • Jon Udell ☛ Protocols, APIs, and conventions

    The Fediverse is wired together by protocols like ActivityPub and WebFinger which, as yet, I know very little about. That’s because the Steampipe plugin, which supports the dashboards I’ve been building and describing in this series, doesn’t require me to understand or use those protocols.

  • Daniel Stenberg ☛ Closing the NASA loop

    curl is actually something which is critical, especially to our data management system. It is being used very widely across NASA. Dr Steve Crawford 2020 Back in 2020 I started getting emails from NASA asking for details and specifics about curl’s origins and in particular about where contributors to the project works…

Leftovers

• Stacey on IoT ☛ What new NIST guidelines on trusted AI tell us about AI

  I’m all about the federal government in this week’s newsletter. To start with, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a risk management framework for artificial intelligence (AI).

• CNN ☛ More than 4,300 dead in Turkey and Syria after powerful quake

• Axios ☛ Quake death toll surpasses 5,000 as rescuers search for survivors in Turkey and Syria

• New York Times ☛ Live Updates: Earthquake’s Death Toll Jumps to Over 4,300 in Turkey and Syria

  A woman was rescued from rubble 22 hours after a magnitude-7.8 quake struck early Monday. Rescuers are digging overnight through flattened buildings and fighting near-freezing temperatures.

• Federal News Network ☛ Aid, rescuers rushed to Turkey, Syria after deadly quake

  Many governments have rushed to dispatch aid, personnel and equipment to help the rescue efforts in quake-stricken areas of Turkey and Syria. The European Union has mobilized search and rescue teams to help Turkey, and at least 13 member countries have offered assistance.

• Federal News Network ☛ The world’s deadliest earthquakes since 2000

  The Associated Press (AP) — A magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook Turkey and Syria on Monday, killing more than 3,400 people in the two countries. The death toll is expected to rise as rescuers search through…

• France24 ☛ ‘There’s no one to help us’: Syria’s rebel-controlled zones in ruins after devastating earthquake

  Entire neighbourhoods and villages in northwestern Syria were destroyed after a violent earthquake the morning of February 6 hit Turkey near the border.  In between internet outages, several of our Observers in opposition-controlled areas of Syria told us of the heartbreaking scenes as rescue workers struggle to keep up.

• France24 ☛ Prisoners mutiny, escape after quake hits Syria jail holding IS group members

  Prisoners mutinied in a northwestern Syria prison Monday following a deadly earthquake, with at least 20 escaping the jail holding mostly Islamic State group members, a source at the facility told AFP.

• teleSUR ☛ Europe Dispatches Rescue Teams To Quake-hit Türkiye, Syria

  “Speed is of the essence because so many people are still trapped under the rubble,” said Janez Lenarcic, EU Commissioner for Crisis Management. “The rescue teams will continue to work for as long as necessary.”

• New York Times ☛ Humanitarian Crisis in Syria Is Exacerbated By Deadly Earthquakes

  One of the hardest hit areas was northwestern Syria, where nearly three million people displaced by the country’s decade-long civil war were already living in precarious conditions.

• How can you help the earthquake struck area?

  Most needed materials are heaters, sanitary pads, blankets, bedlinen, and hygiene kits. The Red Cresent calls for people to donate blood.

• Call for solidarity with migrants in earthquake-affected provinces

  More than one million migrants from Syria live in the ten cities most affected by the deadly earthquake that hit the south of Türkiye this morning.

• NYPost ☛ Steady rains set off mudslides that kill at least 36 in Peru

  Constant rains are frequent in February in Peru and often cause deadly landslides.

• Science

  • uni Michigan ☛ Photonic fibers to enable invisible, indelible sorting labels

    Less than 15% of the 92 million tons of clothing and other textiles discarded annually are recycled. Woven-in labels made with inexpensive photonic fibers, developed by a team led by U-M, could change that.

  • uni Michigan ☛ Voice professor finds joy and solace in saltwater swimming

    Despite growing up in landlocked Colorado, Ann Evans Watson always felt drawn to the water and takes part in long-distance saltwater swims.

  • CNN ☛ Jupiter now has the most moons in the solar system after new discovery

    Jupiter already reigns as king of the planets — it’s the largest one in our solar system. And now, the gas giant has the most known moons, too.

  • Science Alert ☛ More Life Than We Ever Realized Could Survive in The Deep Dark of The Ocean

    Without a glimpse of sunlight.

  • Vice Media Group ☛ Scientists Discover Hidden Zone of Earth 100 Miles Beneath Surface

    A previously unknown layer of partially-molten rock extends below much of the planet’s surface, and could illuminate mysteries in plate tectonics.

  • Science Alert ☛ Astronomers Pinpoint The Mysterious ‘Engine’ of a Super-Powerful Intergalactic Light

    But what is it?

  • Science Alert ☛ JWST Has Accidentally Detected a Tiny Asteroid ‘Hidden’ Between Mars And Jupiter

    This is nuts.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Seismologist Explains The Science of The Devastating Türkiye-Syria Earthquake

    The scale of the tragedy is still unfolding.

• Hardware

  • IT Wire ☛ Tablet, Chromebook shipments followed downward trend last year

    Global shipments of tablets and Chromebooks both fell last year, with the former dropping 3.3% year-on-year while the latter fell a much bigger 48%, according to information technology analyst firm IDC.

  • IT Wire ☛ Top 10 OEMs’ chip spending fell by 7.6% in 2022: Gartner

    Spending on semiconductors by the world’s top 10 OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) fell by 7.6% year-on-year in 2022…

  • Tom’s Hardware ☛ Dell to Layoff 6,650 Employees Amid PC Industry Slump

    Dell’s latest round of job cuts will result in its lowest global employee footprint over the past six years.

  • US News And World Report ☛ Nintendo Trims Annual Profit Outlook on Firmer Yen

  • US News And World Report ☛ Boeing Plans to Cut About 2,000 Finance and HR Jobs in 2023

    Boeing says it plans to cut about 2,000 jobs from the aerospace company’s finance and human resources departments in 2023

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Quartz ☛ How Spain became Europe’s largest pork producer

    Spanish villages were promised that pork production would revitalize Spain’s rural communities, but it hasn’t turned out that way for some areas like Balsa de Ves. Spain’s rural population continues to decline, and now the growing number of pigs is linked to water contamination in some areas.

  • Federal News Network ☛ NYC ending COVID-19 vaccination mandate for city employees

    New York City is ending its COVID-19 vaccination mandate for municipal employees including police officers, firefighters and teachers. Mayor Eric Adams says the vaccine mandate will end Friday. Adams said Monday that with more than 96% of city employees and more than 80% of city residents having received their initial vaccine shots, this is the right moment for this decision.

  • NYPost ☛ At least 35 dead from mysterious meningitis outbreak in Mexico

    State officials in northern Mexico on Monday reported another death caused by a mysterious meningitis outbreak.

  • LRT ☛ ‘Murder, suicide, accidents’: Lithuania’s men-women disbalance remains high

    For the first time in three decades, Lithuania’s population grew in 2022. There are around 203,000 more women than men in Lithuania. Despite all efforts, male mortality remains extremely high, while women are facing poorer and lonelier life in their old age.

  • RFA ☛ Remembering Chinese whistleblower doctor 3 years after his death

    Dr. Li is regarded as symbol of freedom of speech in China

  • Danish medicines authority recalls antibiotic used by 35,000 people

    The Danish Medicines Agency, Lægemiddelstyrelsen, said on Monday that persons using the antibiotic medicine Dicillin, produced by Sandoz, should return it to pharmacies to be replaced.

  • Fire in İskenderun Port not yet put out

    A fire broke out yesterday in the toppled containers at the İskenderun International Port following the earthquake.

  • At least 1,444 people died in Syria in Maraş earthquakes

    80 buildings collapsed in Cindires and 30 in Afrin.

  • Axios ☛ The fake meat fad hits the chopping block

    Customers and investors alike are sticking a fork in fake meat.

    Why it matters:Eating plant-based meats is one of the easiest ways for Americans to reduce their overall carbon footprint. But after years of hype, the tide is turning against the first generation of plant-based protein makers.

• Proprietary

  • CNN ☛ Microsoft Outlook email experiences outage [Ed: E-mail is a brand new, cutting-edge technology; it's understandable that in 2023 Microsoft cannot assure decent uptime for E-mail, right? And has a constant stream of zero-days in Exchange, which means data breaches galore.]

    Microsoft Outlook experienced an outage late Monday night and into Tuesday morning.

• Security

  • Helsinki Times ☛ Suspect in Vastaamo hacking arrested in France

    A 25-YEAR-OLDFinnish man suspected of hacking into the client database of Psychotherapy Centre Vastaamo was arrested in France on Friday, according to the National Bureau of Investigation (KRP).

    KRP on Friday stated that the arrest was made by local police on grounds of an international arrest warrant, adding that it would initiate the extradition process without delay in co-operation with authorities in France.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong police deploy after iPhone automatically calls 999 with erroneous crash report

      Police deployed on Monday after an iPhone automatically dialled 999, wrongly believing its owner had been in a crash. In fact, the iPhone 14 had flown off the windscreen on Route Twisk on Monday morning and detected a sudden impact, causing it to alert the authorities.

• Defence/Aggression

  • AntiWar ☛ The War in Ukraine: Missed Opportunities

    The great tragedy of Ukraine is that so many opportunities to avoid or end the war have been missed.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ US says Chinese balloon gave up intelligence secrets before it was shot down

    by Sebastian Smith President Joe Biden on Monday defended the decision to wait until a Chinese balloon crossed the United States before shooting it down, and the White House said valuable intelligence was being culled from the device.

  • teleSUR ☛ UN Calls for an End to Female Genital Mutilation in Ethiopia

    The UNFPA and UNICEF made the call in line with the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, which is annually commemorated on Feb. 6.

  • CNN ☛ This 102-year-old Ukrainian survived Stalin’s forced famine. Now she is making camouflage sniper suits

    Traditional Ukrainian tapestries, family photos and pastoral scenes on cheap posters cover the walls of her cottage warmed by a wood-burning stove. The only record of her tragic past are her birth certificate and her memories.

  • AntiWar ☛ The Monroe Doctrine Is Soaked in Blood

    The Monroe Doctrine was first discussed under that name as justification for the U.S. war on Mexico that moved the western US border south, swallowing up the present-day states of California, Nevada, and Utah, most of New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado, and parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming.

  • Latvia ☛ Knitting for Ukrainian soldiers campaign relaunched in Latvia

    At the request of Ukraine, the campaign “Knit for Ukrainian Support” is resumed, during which, until March 17, knitwear can be donated at all Latvian Post departments, Latvian Television reported on February 6.

  • Latvia ☛ U.S. rotates ‘Atlantic Resolve’ equipment at Rīga port

    A giant transport ship, the Arc Defender, delivered armored vehicles and equipment belonging to the United States Army’s 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Calvary Division and the 4th Infantry Division’s headquarters element in late January at the port in Riga, according to the U.S. Army’s official website.

  • Latvia ☛ Only 4 percent of Latvian population is now pro-Putin

    Russian President Vladimir Putin and his invasion of Ukraine, together with his ally Belarus, is supported by only 4 percent of the population of Latvia, and their number has halved since March, according to a publicly available survey commissioned by the State Chancellery, reported the LETA newswire February 4.

  • The Kent Stater ☛ BREAKING: Large explosion at East Palestine train derailment

    Shortly before 5 p.m. Monday, there was a large explosion at the site of the train derailment in East Palestine. It happened just over an hour after crews began the process of releasing chemicals from the tanker cars. TV2’s Jacob Brooks has the latest.

  • The Kent Stater ☛ Pentagon says it had ‘an awareness gap’ that led to failure to detect 3 Chinese balloons under Trump

    The American military had a “domain awareness gap” that allowed three other suspected Chinese spy balloons to transit the continental United States undetected under the Trump administration, the Pentagon general responsible for providing air and missile defense over North America said on Monday.

  • Modern Diplomacy ☛ The U.S. Approach to Deal with China

    For all the talk about the World entering a new global era, the past year bears a striking resemblance to 2008. That year, Russia invaded its neighbor, Georgia, and tensions with Iran and North Korea were consistently high

  • NYPost ☛ Biden to visit Poland later this month to mark Ukraine war anniversary: report

    President Biden plans to visit Poland later this month to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a report.  The 80-year-old president is expected to make the trip to the Nato ally near the end of February, according to NBC News.

  • ACLU ☛ We’re Putting the Death Penalty on Trial in Kansas

    I have lived in flyover states my whole life. People tend to overlook the transformational change and creative organizing that happens in the Midwest. But I have known our capacity to show up for justice and equality for years.

    I went to law school in Kansas, and I stayed here because of the powerful community I found: organizers and activists who are “Midwest nice,” working tirelessly to make Kansas a more welcoming place for people like me — Black people, LGBTQIA people, and people with disabilities. It was in Kansas that I was able to reclaim my power and become an advocate for racial justice. Today in Wichita, I’m using that power with my colleagues at the ACLU of Kansas and the ACLU’s Capital Punishment Project to bring a constitutional challenge to the state’s death penalty on behalf of our client, Kyle Young.

  • The Strategist ☛ How Australia withstood China’s campaign of economic warfare

    It’s too soon to declare an end to China’s economic war against Australia, but the signs are all pointing in that direction…

  • The Strategist ☛ The next globalisation

    Is globalisation coming back to life? That was the big question at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, where WEF founder Klaus Schwab asked whether it is possible to have cooperation…

  • The Strategist ☛ Japan ditches attack helicopters—will Australia do the same?

    France invented the attack helicopter in 1956. Sixty-seven years later, Japan has decided that the idea has had its day.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ NATO is entering a new phase in the Indo-Pacific

    NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s visit to Japan and South Korea trip was striking both for its timing and for its messaging shift on China.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Hero Ukrainian medic: “Russia will not stop until it is stopped”

    Ukrainian military medic Yulia Paievska has a simple message for anyone who still believes in the possibility of a compromise peace with Putin’s Russia. “They will not stop until they are stopped,” she says.

  • France24 ☛ Russia’s Lavrov arrives in Mali for talks with junta leaders

    Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Mali early Tuesday for talks with its junta leaders seeking Moscow’s help in battling an Islamist insurgency that remains entrenched despite years of fighting.

  • Vice Media Group ☛ Taliban Bureaucrats Hate Working Online All Day, ‘Miss the Days of Jihad’

    Interviews with five former Taliban fighters reveal the crushing ennui of office life in the big city.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan to speed drone development, take lessons from Ukraine war

    National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology is taking the lead in the development push.

  • The Age AU ☛ Planes grounded as investigation starts on firebomber crash

    Pilots are “lucky to be alive” following a “miraculous” escape from their Boeing 737 firebomber crashing in Western Australia’s south on Monday.

  • US News And World Report ☛ Hope for Jobs Drives Recruitment by Militant Groups in Africa – Report

• Transparency/Investigative Reporting

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 11 Hong Kong green groups boycott closed-door gov’t ‘briefing’ over proposed Lantau artificial islands

    Eleven environmental concern groups have refused to attend a closed-door meeting hosted by the Hong Kong government to introduce its proposed artificial islands project off Lantau Island, saying the conference was “absolutely not an open and honest consultation.”

• Environment

  • CNN ☛ What it was like to spend the night on Mt. Washington in -108F wind chill, a likely US record

    Mount Washington Observatory in New Hampshire is known to have some of the wildest weather on the planet, and without a doubt, it takes the cake for the United States.

  • Latvia ☛ Biomass trading in Latvia begins on new platform

    February 6 sees the start of ‘biomass trading’ in Latvia, reports Labs of Latvia.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • CNN ☛ BP’s annual profit more than doubles to $28 billion

      BP’s annual profit more than doubled last year to nearly $28 billion, extending a record run of earnings for the world’s oil majors that is adding to calls for higher taxes on the windfall gains.

    • Is it a Good Idea to Invest in Cryptocurrency? Truth and Myths

      Myths And Real Facts About Cryptocurrency Just ten years ago, no one suspected that the investment market would undergo such revolutionary changes. Furthermore, after the announcement of Bitcoin’s development, most people were skeptical.

    • Renewable Energy World ☛ Interconnection pain points are a focus for panel members at inaugural GridTECH Connect Forum

      Interconnection is currently a “painful” process that speakers said will require organizational reform as well as innovative technology.

    • RFA ☛ Micronesia drops concerns about Japan’s plan to discharge treated nuclear water

      Micronesia’s president denounced Japan’s plan at the United Nations in September.

    • New Yorker ☛ The U.N. Secretary-General’s Searing Message for the Fossil-Fuel Industry

      Forget diplomatic language—it’s a moment for some home truths.

    • New Yorker ☛ Situations in Which You Absolutely Must Check Your E-Mail

      When you’re on the toilet (obviously). Also when you’re proposing marriage.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • US News And World Report ☛ Love of Sea Turtles Turns Philippine Poachers Into Protectors

• Finance

  • CNN ☛ CEO of America’s second-largest bank is preparing for possible US debt default

    Congress is once again bickering about raising the debt ceiling, the amount of money the US government can borrow to pay its bills on time. And that means that Corporate America has to be ready for the worst.

  • The Local SE ☛ Cost of living: ‘Enormous’ increase in food prices in January in Sweden

    Food prices are still on the increase in Sweden, at an even higher rate than at the end of 2022. Here’s why.

  • Helsinki Times ☛ Finland’s Rovio launches discussions regarding potential tender offer for shares

    FINNISH GAME STUDIO Rovio Entertainment on Monday said it will commence a strategic review and non-binding discussions regarding a potential tender offer for its shares.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Kansas City Southern announces US $200M investment in Mexico

    As the railroad merges with Canadian Pacific, its Mexico subsidiary is investing in making rail a competitive shipping alternative, says its president.

  • France24 ☛ Britain’s health workers stage biggest-ever walkout as pay negotiations hit stalemate

    Tens of thousands of nurses and ambulance workers joined Britain’s largest-ever health sector strike on Monday – the latest walkout to cause disruption at the National Health Service. Public support for striking staff remains high, but negotiations with the government over pay increases have reached a stalemate.

  • US News And World Report ☛ Asian Stocks Mixed After Wall St Sinks on Rate Fears

    Asian stock markets are mixed after Wall Street sank under pressure from worries about higher interest rates and Japan reported stronger wage gains than expected

  • HRW ☛ Pakistan: IMF Bailout Should Advance Economic Rights

  • RFERL ☛ Russian Pleads Guilty In U.S. On Money-Laundering Charge

    Russian citizen Denis Dubnikov pleaded guilty on February 6 to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to the U.S. District Court of Oregon.

  • RFERL ☛ U.S. Vice President To Map Out Next Steps To Aid Ukraine At Munich Security Conference

    U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to discuss Washington’s future support for Ukraine when she travels to a major security conference in Germany next week.

  • RFERL ☛ Ukraine’s Zelenskiy Invited To Take Part In EU Summit

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been invited to take part in a summit of European Union leaders, the EU said on February 6.

  • RFERL ☛ Ukraine, Russia Offer Help After Powerful Earthquake Strikes Turkey, Syria

    Ukraine and Russia are among the countries that immediately pledged to send rescuers and other aid after a powerful earthquake struck Turkey and Syria in the early hours of February 6.

  • RFERL ☛ Serbian PM Apologizes For Official Reference To ‘Republic Of Kosovo’

    Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic publicly apologized on February 6 for the appearance on the official government website of the phrase “Republic of Kosovo,” saying it was the result of an “unforgivable” translation error.

  • Bruce Schneier ☛ Attacking Machine Learning Systems

  • RFERL ☛ Astana Rejects Russian Court’s Summons Of Kazakh Journalists Over Ukraine War Article

    Kazakh Foreign Ministry officials have rejected a Russian court’s summoning of editors of the Arbat.media news website over an article it published about Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

  • US News And World Report ☛ France’s Macron Faces Third Round of Pension Reform Strikes

    President Emmanuel Macron and his government on Tuesday braced for a third wave of nationwide strikes and protests…

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Reason ☛ England Condemns Lawless Executive Power in Moscow

    From Rench v. City of Moscow, decided last week by Judge Morrison England (D. Idaho): Plaintiffs Gabriel Rench, Sean Bohnet, and Rachel Bohnet … initiated this action against Defendants City of Moscow …, a political subdivision of the State of Idaho [and Moscow officials] … for constitutional injuries purportedly sustained when Plaintiffs participated in a September…

  • New York Times ☛ Musk Pledged to Cleanse Twitter of Child Abuse Content. Is It Working?

    Child sexual abuse imagery spreads on Twitter even after the company is notified: One video drew 120,000 views. “Sewer rats,” as one regulator described bad actors, remain.

  • AccessNow ☛ TikTok’s “Focused View”: the creepy new feature aims to monetise your emotions

    Ever heard of TikTok’s “Focused View”? Learn how TikTok claims to tracks your emotions and invades your privacy for profit.

  • JURIST ☛ Ecuador voters reject referendum measures on constitutional reform

    Ecuadorians Sunday voted in local elections and a referendum containing a number of measures aimed at reforming Ecuador’s constitution. As of Monday night, all eight referendum measures have been defeated. President Guillermo Lasso proposed the referendum in September 2022.

  • JURIST ☛ National security trial for 47 pro-democracy activists commences in Hong Kong top court

    The national security trial of the 47 pro-democracy activists Monday commenced in the Hong Kong High Court, two years since their arrest in 2021. Amongst them, 16 defendants denied the charges.

  • AccessNow ☛ Privacy first: TikTok’s “Focused View” needs immediate review

    Access Now is demanding TikTok clarifies how it applies EU laws and human rights safeguards when using its new feature, “Focused View.”

  • AccessNow ☛ Open letter: TikTok’s ‘Focused View’ feature must respect human rights law

    In an open letter, Access Now is demanding TikTok clarifies how it applies human rights law when using its new feature, “Focused View.”

  • RFA ☛ Tibetan political prisoner and monk dies in Chinese custody

    Geshe Phende Gyaltsen served as mediator in conflicts and was active in renovating a monastery

  • RFA ☛ Imported white horses burnish Kim’s image and tie him to Korea’s mythical past

    But propaganda tool is expensive, and apparently not banned under UN sanctions on luxury goods

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • New York Times ☛ The People Onscreen Are Fake. The Disinformation Is Real.

      For the first time, A.I.-generated personas, often used for corporate trainings, were detected in a state-aligned information campaign — opening a new chapter in online manipulation.

• US News And World Report ☛ Big Tech Not Doing Enough to Remove Fake News, Activist NGO Avaaz Says

  Twitter, Google’s YouTube, Meta Platform’s Facebook, Microsoft’s LinkedIn and TikTok are not doing enough…

• Quartz ☛ Salman Rushdie is promoting his new novel with a little help from fellow authors

  Salman Rushdie’s new book is ready for release.

• Engadget ☛ Pakistan unblocks Wikipedia after a three-day ban

  People in Pakistan can once again use

  Wikipedia, three days after the country

  blocked the websiteover content that regulators deemed “sacrilegious.”

• CCIA ☛ Supreme Court to Hear First Ever Section 230 Case

  A generation after a law that made online commentary possible, long-standing rules of the road online have become a political football.

• New Yorker ☛ Watching Putin Burn with Pussy Riot

  Nadya Tolokonnikova, a founder of the feminist art collective, displays the Russian President’s “ashes” at a gallery show, in front of L.A. luminaries such as Kesha.

• The Straits Times ☛ Wikipedia back online in Pakistan after ‘blasphemy’ ban

  Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan.

Civil Rights/Policing

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Kai Tak residents rally against Hong Kong temporary public housing project

  A group of Kai Tak residents rallied outside Hong Kong’s Central Government Offices to oppose a proposed short-term public housing project in their district, saying the plan would negatively impact the area’s outlined transformation into the city’s second central business district (CBD).

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 5 arrested over alleged disorderly behaviour at Hong Kong chain store linked to 47 democrats case

  Five people, including two minors, have been arrested after they allegedly behaved in a disorderly manner at a Hong Kong retail chain store, whose owner is set to testify against his co-defendants in the city’s largest national security trial.

• CNET ☛ Google Is Feeling the Heat From Its Own Employees – CNET

  From a rally in New York to a strike in Texas, full-time employees and contractors are voicing their displeasure.

• Reason ☛ School District Consents to Protecting Citizens’ Rights to Read from School Library Books at Board Meetings

  “The Court permanently enjoins the District … from … prohibit[ing] … speakers … from reading or quoting verbatim from the text of any book or written works available in any FCS library or classroom, while addressing the school board during the public-comment period at school board meetings.”

• Reason ☛ An Iowa Town Charged a Man With Disorderly Conduct Because He Called a Cop a ‘Domestic Abuser’

  Now a judge has cleared him of wrongdoing and struck down the rule used to justify the arrest.

• Reason ☛ A Federal Judge Has Dismissed the Trump Campaign’s Defamation Lawsuit Against The Washington Post

  The last of the reelection campaign’s defamation lawsuits against media outlets looks like it is headed for defeat, like all the others.

• uni Stanford ☛ Pulitzer Prize-finalist Elif Batuman talks novels, sexuality and inspiration

  Renowned Turkish-American author Elif Batuman Ph.D. ’07 spoke to the Stanford community about her discovery of her sexuality and how she mirrored her journey through fiction-writing.

• HRW ☛ Lebanon Rejects Civil Marriages, Puts Children at Risk

• HRW ☛ Gaza: Sisters at Risk After Return to Father

• HRW ☛ France’s Anti-Racism Action Plan Ignores Institutional Racism

Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

• Geeks For Geeks ☛ 12 Best URL Shorteners for 2023

Digital Restrictions (DRM)

• The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian authorities clamp down on illegally modified motorcycles

  Heavily tinted or blacked out windows made up the highest number of offences.

• CS Monitor ☛ Do Americans have a right to fix their own stuff?

  A spate of right-to-repair bills is sweeping through state legislatures, demanding that even in a digital age, the people who buy something own it.

Monopolies

• Patents

  • Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 awarded for IP Investment entity, Alto Dynamics, activity monitoring patent prior art

    Unified is pleased to announce PATROLL crowdsourcing contest winner, Ekta Aswal, who was awarded $2,000 for her prior art submission on U.S. Patent 7,392,160, owned by Alto Dynamics, LLC, an IP Investment Group subsidiary.

• Software Patents

  • Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ “Thales” and “Bull” decisions: the French Supreme Court and the patentability of computer-implemented inventions [Ed: Quit calling software patents, which aren't permitted "per se" in Europe, "computer-implemented inventions". This is propaganda from nefarious interest groups and litigation profiteers.]

    In two decisions rendered on January 11, 2023, the French Supreme Court (“Cour de cassation”) ruled for the third time in almost 50 years on the patentability of computer-implemented inventions.

• Copyrights

  • MIT Technology Review ☛ The original startup behind Stable Diffusion has launched a generative AI for video

    Runway, the generative AI startup that co-created last year’s breakout text-to-image model Stable Diffusion, has released an AI model, called Gen-1, that can transform existing videos into new ones by applying any style specified by a text prompt or reference image. In a demo reel posted on its website, Runway shows how its software can…

Gemini* and Gopher

• Personal

  • Mead

    I’ve recently taken up brewing mead as a hobby. It’s been a bit of an investment but I’ve been enjoying it so far. It keeps my attention and gives me something to look forward to.

    Around the middle of last month I was especially bored and decided to search the local craigslist listings. I found a listing by a man who was selling a few gallons of honey for a steal. I think it was in the ballpark of $20/gal, or roughly $1.60/lb. On an impulse I reached out and was able to arrange to purchase the stuff. It turns out the person selling the honey owns some local timber land. A beekeeper that he’d worked with in the past had some of his hives destroyed by a bear, and offered the landowner several gallons of raw honey if he’d let him store his hives on the man’s property. I lucked out, as the man already had a lot of honey and so decided to try and sell some of it.

• Technical

  • MAC Attack!

    I just finished the third project for my security class. This project has been simultaneously the most difficult and most easy lab that I have done. I wanted to describe my experience of the lab here.

  • Internet/Gemini

    • A Blogging Retrospective

      As of last Saturday, I’ve been blogging consistently for two years.

      When I started out I was writing about everything from how my week was going to new tech I found to music or games I was getting into and making that writing available exclusively over the gemini protocol. Not much has changed in the topics I like to write about, but last year I started making my writing available over the web in addition to gemini. At first I was using Neocities, but recently I migrated to my own Hugo static site in an effort to streamline my publishing process.

      Here’s some of the things I’ve learned and come to enjoy in my two years of writing.