GNU/Linux

• Desktop Environments/WMs

  • GNOME Desktop/GTK

    • Ruben Schade ☛ Trying the GNOME desktop for a few weeks

      Keen-eyed readers among you might have noticed my tribute to Bram Moolenaar was wrapped in GNOME window dressing. I haven’t made the switch, but it was fun experimenting again with what people on the other side of the fence use.

    • OMG! Linux ☛ Dim Inactive Windows to Help Focus Using a GNOME Extension

      Struggle staying on task when with multiple app windows open and in view?

Distributions and Operating Systems

• Systemd Free ☛ Fall 2023 hardcore list of 17 linux distributions without elogind and other systemd parts

  Welcome antiX and Noir linux to the strict list, with edition 23 antiX is fully functional and lighter than ever without a trace of elogind!

• Systemd Free ☛ When going gets tough those with ulterior motives find easier ways – eudev consolekit2

  Recent excitement revolves around talk about eudev deficiencies as a replacement for systemd’s udev.  Consolekit2 having too many functionalities missing against elogind that it will eventually run out of steam.  In particular this package named libgudev requires now particular version specific udev utilities to compile and eudev has not reached this stage of development.

• BSD

  • Dan Langille ☛ Moving time capsule from host to jail and connecting my MacBook to ZFS on FreeBSD

    I have Macbooks at home I use them. I use Time Capsule on ZFS on FreeBSD to back them up. In this post: FreeBSD 13.2 OSX Ventura 13.6 I first implemented this directly on the FreeBSD host. Today, I am moving that service into a jail.

• SUSE/OpenSUSE

  • SUSE's Corporate Blog ☛ SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications on AWS Marketplace, Annual Subscriptions and OS upgrades

    When customers run SAP workloads on AWS many choose to purchase SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications (SLES for SAP) via the AWS Marketplace.

• Debian Family

  • Sahilister ☛ Sahil Dhiman: Abraham Raji

    Man, you’re no longer with us, but I am touched by the number of people you have positively impacted. Almost every DebConf23 presentations by locals I saw after you, carried how you were instrumental in bringing them there. How you were a dear friend and brother.

    It’s a weird turn of events, that you left us during one thing we deeply cared and worked towards making possible since the last 3 years together. Who would have known, that “Sahil, I’m going back to my apartment tonight” and casual bye post that would be the last conversation we ever had.

  • Thomas Goirand: Searching for a Ryzen 9, 16 cores, small laptop

    The new 7945HX CPU from AMD is currently the most powerful. I’d love to have one of them, to replace the now aging 6 core Xeon that I’ve been using for more than 5 years. So, I’ve been searching for a laptop with that CPU.

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

• Web Browsers/Web Servers

  • Mozilla

    • OMG Ubuntu ☛ Firefox 118 Released With Killer New Feature

      Reading websites written in other languages is made MUCH easier in the latest version of Mozilla Firefox, which rolls out across all supported platforms today.

• Productivity Software/LibreOffice/Calligra

  • 9to5Linux ☛ LibreOffice 7.6.2 and 7.5.7 Released to Address Critical WebP Vulnerability

    LibreOffice 7.6.2 and LibreOffice 7.5.7 are now available for download to address a critical security vulnerability in the WebP codec. All users are urged to update as soon as possible.

Leftovers

• Ruben Schade ☛ Congrats to Grady for Practical Construction!

  Grady Hillhouse produces Practical Engineering, one of my favourite engineering channels. I love seeing his garage demonstrations of civil engineering concepts, and his enthusiasm for everything he discusses is infectious.

• Ruben Schade ☛ If in doubt, be polite

  Being polite, in the absence of other social information, gives you the best possible chance for success. It’s nice, paints you in the best possible light, keeps you on the high road, and can save you from saying or doing something inappropriate.

• Ruben Schade ☛ Irreducible complexity

  Those confused or uneducated about evolution often dismiss it for not explaining irreducible complexity. This is the idea that something complicated can’t possibly be simplified while maintaining function. I feel as though my brain is operating under a similar misapprehension, only instead of evolution, it’s about… everything!

• Ruben Schade ☛ Not stopping the escalator

  I was watching an escalator recently, like a gentleman. Weirdly, escalators always scared me far more than lifts as a kid; maybe it was all those spikes at the top, or the potential to trip and fall down. There was one escalator in Shaw House in Singapore that bridged across multiple floors which felt extremely precarious as a little guy. But I digress!

• Chris ☛ The Misunderstood Kelly Criterion

• Hardware

  • Zimbabwe ☛ Overheating iPhone 15s and upcoming S24s

    Does anyone remember the good ripe year of 2015 when Snapdragon, the biggest smartphone SoC manufacturer created the Snapdragon 810? It had massive overheating issues which really got smartphone makers in quite a frenzy. The Snapdragon 810 SoC has been shrouded in a lot of controversy ever since it was first announced.

  • Tedium ☛ Kill It With Fire

    Lessons on a summer with a smartphone-enabled itch-killing device. Yes—it works, even if a smartphone is a weird vessel for the Heat-It.

  • Linux Gizmos ☛ (Update) MediaTek presents Genio 1200 based SoM compatible with ADLINK’s carrier board

    MediaTek released a System on Module (SoM) that integrates their latest Genio 1200 AIoT (MT8395) System on Chip showcased last month. The LEC-MTK-I1200 features 8-cores (4x Cortex-A78/4x A55), 5-cores Arm Mali-G57 GPU and an APU system (5 TOPS).

  • Alan Pope ☛ Alan Pope: AMD GPU blob crashing

    My work computer is a ThinkPad Z13. It’s on most of the time, including overnight and during the weekend. I’m one of those horrible people who like to just wiggle their mouse, unlock, and get working. I often leave a ton of windows open, so I quite like to sit down and start working without having to wait for boot up, and subsequent app launch.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Latvia ☛ Rise in Covid deaths last week in Latvia

    Over the past three months, there were seven weeks in Latvia in which no lives were taken by Covid-19, while one or two victims died in other weeks. In turn, four Covid-19 patients died last week, a significant upturn, according to data from the Disease Prevention and Control Center (SPKC) September 26.

  • Reason ☛ Brickbat: He Doth Protest Too Much

    Canadian pastor Artur Pawlowski has been sentenced to 60 days in jail after being found guilty of criminal mischief for giving a speech to the trucker convoy that protested that nation's COVID-19 restrictions in 2022. The judge gave Pawlowski credit for the 78 days he was detained before the trial, so the pastor will serve…

  • University of Michigan ☛ Report finds link between geography, pandemic impact

    The latest report from U-M public health researchers studying how COVID-19 affected Michiganders found that the severity of illness or negative impact of the pandemic is strongly linked to where one lives.

  • Reason ☛ The Lockdowns Made Homeschooling More Diverse

    A new survey shows that, following the pandemic boom in homeschooling, homeschool families are more diverse and less religious.

  • RFA ☛ North Koreans in Russia received scant medical care during pandemic

    Workers can’t afford medical checkups, so serious diseases are only found after it’s too late.

  • Science Alert ☛ Study Shows Why We Need to Look Closer at The Placenta Following Pregnancy Loss

    It takes just 30 seconds.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Michael Geist ☛ The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 178: Bianca Wylie on Canada’s Failing AI Regulatory Process

    It’s been a dizzying stretch since the launch of Chat GPT, with artificial intelligence regulation and policy bursting forward as top concern in Canada and around the world. From a Canadian perspective, Bill C-27 got most of its initial attention for its privacy provisions, but its inclusion of an AI bill – AIDA – has emerged as a huge issue in its own right.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • WhichUK ☛ Fraudsters target Halifax customers

      Which? warns about new Halifax scam set up to steal online banking login details

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • EDRI ☛ Global civil society and experts statement: Stop facial recognition surveillance now

      180 civil society groups and eminent experts are calling on governments to stop the use of facial recognition surveillance by police, authorities and private companies.

    • Scoop News Group ☛ How a private company helps ICE track migrants’ every move

      Immigration and Customs Enforcement's claims about how long surveillance data is retained conflicts with internal records.

    • EDRI ☛ Press Release (CSA Regulation): Who benefits from the EU Commission’s mass surveillance law?

      A newly-published independent investigation uncovered that the European Commission has been promoting industry interests in its proposed law to regulate the spread of child sexual abuse material online. 

    • EDRI ☛ Are we about to lose the last pillar of our digital security?

      Breaking encryption and criminalising its use will not resolve the deep societal issues we are facing. Instead, governments should protect and promote the very tool that ensures our digital security.

    • Reason ☛ The UK adopts an Online Safety Bill that allows regulation of encrypted messaging

      Episode 473 of the Cyberlaw Podcast

    • Press Gazette ☛ Russell Brand investigation: Why Met Police issued statement to media despite privacy rules

      Met Police statement clearly refers to Russell Brand but does not name him.

    • Bruce Schneier ☛ Signal Will Leave the UK Rather Than Add a Backdoor

      Totally expected, but still good to hear:

      Onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023, Meredith Whittaker, the president of the Signal Foundation, which maintains the nonprofit Signal messaging app, reaffirmed that Signal would leave the U.K. if the country’s recently passed Online Safety Bill forced Signal to build “backdoors” into its end-to-end encryption.

• Defence/Aggression

  • IT Wire ☛ Canada site attacked after Ottawa claim of Indian role in assassination

    A group of attackers, calling itself Indian Cyber Force and claiming to be supporters of India, has broken into a website owned by a Canadian dental practice, and left evidence of its break-in with pro-India messages.

  • The Straits Times ☛ True Crimes of Asia: Suicidal people still baited on social media in Japan despite ‘Twitter murders’

    Takahiro Shiraishi killed nine people in less than three months in 2017 and sawed the corpses into parts.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Jury convicts man with ties to ‘boogaloo’ movement in 2020 killing of federal security officer

    A man with ties to the “boogaloo” extremist movement has been convicted of murder and attempted murder by a federal jury in the 2020 killing of a federal security officer in Northern California during protests against police brutality. The U.S. Attorney's Office says Robert Alvin Justus Jr. was convicted Tuesday. He now faces life in prison for the killing of Federal Protective Service Officer David Patrick Underwood. An attorney for Justus declined to comment on the verdict. Prosecutors say Justus was the driver for the gunman, who pleaded guilty last year in connection with the fatal attack.

  • New York Times ☛ Wednesday Briefing: South China Sea Tensions Cross a Line

    Plus presidential portraits, this time for Africa.

  • Mint Press News ☛ How America Hides the Human Toll of its Forever Wars, with Norman Solomon

    America is addicted to war. But its citizens rarely see the brutal realities of the U.S. military industrial complex up close. That is because our pliant media hides the carnage from the public, refusing to report on the victims of the war machine, and uses euphemisms like "surgical strikes" and "enhanced interrogation techniques" to mask the barbarity meted out by Washington around the world.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Off Guardian ☛ Inside Russia’s “digital transformation”

      Things are getting very digital in Russia. For your reading convenience I have decided to compile important updates about Russia’s “digital transformation” into a single blog post. Thank you for reading and have a relaxing Friday.

    • The Strategist ☛ Putin’s quest to disconnect Russia from the global internet

      In late June, in the aftermath of the failed Wagner Group rebellion, the Kremlin moved swiftly to censor social media and scrub the Russian internet of details of the attempted coup.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Ukraine’s drone army is bringing Putin’s invasion home to Russia

      Ukraine's increasingly formidable drone army is enabling Kyiv to bring Vladimir Putin's invasion home to Russia and strike strategic targets throughout the Russian Federation, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

    • ADF ☛ Wagner’s Future Uncertain in Post-Prigozhin Era

      ADF STAFF Weeks after the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the future of the mercenary operations led by Russia’s notorious Wagner Group remains uncertain. Prigozhin’s death “represents an inflection point in Russia-Africa relations,” according to Joseph Siegle, director of research at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.

    • PHR ☛ “A Mockery”: UN Member States Must Reject Russia’s Human Rights Council Bid

      In response to reports that the Russian Federation is attempting to rejoin the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), the following quote is attributable to Sam Zarifi, JD, LLM, executive director at PHR:  “Russian forces have routinely bombed hospitals, tortured civilians, abducted children, raped women, and destroyed critical infrastructure in Ukraine.

    • AntiWar ☛ One Western Official Finally Comes Clean About NATO Expansion

      Reprinted from The Libertarian Institute: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg likely surprised both factions in the ongoing debate about NATO expansion and its role in triggering the Russia-Ukraine War. He also undermined (perhaps fatally) the official cover story about the reasons for the Ukraine war.

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Russian hacking operations target Ukrainian law enforcement

      Ukrainian officials say Russian hackers targeted counter-intelligence and law enforcement data during the first half of this year.

    • France24 ☛ Russia says US Abrams tanks will 'burn' in Ukraine

      US supplies of long-range ATACMS missiles and Abrams tanks to Ukraine will not change the situation on the battlefield, the Kremlin warned on Tuesday, hours after the latest wave of Russian drones hit Ukraine's Danube river port of Izmail, damaging grain-exporting facilities.

    • France24 ☛ Canada parliament speaker quits after tribute to Nazi veteran

      The speaker of Canada's parliament resigned on Tuesday, days after publicly celebrating a Ukrainian veteran who fought for the Nazis during World War II.

    • teleSUR ☛ Tribute to Nazi Veteran in Canada Is Outrageous -Kremlin

      "This can cause fascism to appear here or there. And now we are seeing it practically trying to gain a foothold in the center of Europe, in Ukraine," Dmitry Peskov said.

    • New York Times ☛ Canadian Speaker in House of Commons Quits After Honoring Ukrainian Who Fought for Nazis

      Anthony Rota, the speaker of Canada’s House of Commons, introduced a 98-year-old veteran of an SS unit as a ‘hero’ in front of Ukraine’s president.

    • New York Times ☛ Canada’s Speaker Apologizes After Ukrainian Who Fought for Nazis Was Honored

      Jewish groups demanded an explanation after Anthony Rota, the speaker of Canada’s House of Commons, introduced a 98-year-old veteran of an SS unit as a “hero.”

    • New York Times ☛ American-Made Abrams Tanks Arrive in Ukraine, U.S. Officials Say

      U.S. officials said that an initial batch of the 31 M1 Abrams tanks promised to Ukraine by the Biden administration had been delivered, months ahead of estimates.

    • New York Times ☛ Amid Black Sea Threats, Ukraine Steps Up Use of New Shipping Route

      The route has allowed Kyiv to revive exports of grain and other goods across the Black Sea despite Russia’s wartime threats to commercial shipping.

    • Latvia ☛ Coalition supports idea of seizing cars with Russian, Belarusian plates

      In several countries, cars with Russian license plates are no longer allowed in, and there is currently discussion about how to treat those cars that were able to enter the European Union before the ban. Latvia is working on a framework that will determine the timeframe before these cars must be registered in Latvia or they should leave the territory of our country, as agreed on by the coalition on Monday, September 25.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian drone on the loose 'possibly' found in Russia

      The National Armed Forces have launched a service investigation into the surveillance drone lost along the Latvia-Russia border over the weekend. Meanwhile, information about a similar aircraft found in the Pskov area is already appearing on Russian social media, Latvian Television reported Monday.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvia's future security concept foresees no public media in Russian

      The draft new national security concept of Latvia indicates that from January 1, 2026, content created on public media should be only in Latvian and "languages belonging to the European cultural space". The supervisory body Public Electronic Mass Media Council (SEPLP) opposes this, LSM's Latvian-language service reports.

    • France24 ☛ Russian court rejects Kremlin critic Navalny’s appeal against 19-year prison sentence

      Russia on Tuesday rejected an appeal lodged by Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny against a court decision to jail him for 19 years in a maximum security prison on extremism charges.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China slams US sanctions over Iran aircraft programme

      Beijing said on Tuesday it “firmly opposes” American sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals the US Treasury Department says have connections to Iran’s drone and military aircraft development.

    • JURIST ☛ Russia opposition activist Kara-Murza transferred to maximum security prison

      Imprisoned Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza was transferred to a maximum security prison in Siberia and placed in a tiny “punishment cell,” his lawyer Vadim Prokhorov said Sunday in a Facebook post.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Court Rejects Navalny's Appeal Against His 19-Year Prison Term

      A Russian court has rejected Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny’s appeal against a decision to jail him on extremism charges for almost two decades.

    • RFERL ☛ Five Bulgarians Charged With Spying For Russia Remanded In Custody By London Court

      Five Bulgarian nationals charged in the U.K. with spying for Russia appeared in a London court on September 26 and were remanded in custody until their next hearing in mid-October.

    • RFERL ☛ Siberian Anti-War Feminist Activist Found Dead In Turkey

      Anastasia Yemelyanova, a noted anti-war feminist activist from the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, has been found dead in the eastern Turkish city of Erzurum, her friend Anastasia Polozkova said late on September 24.

    • YLE ☛ Police suspend probe into suspected vandalism of Russian consulate on Åland

      The incident occurred on May Day eve.

    • YLE ☛ US adds three Finnish firms to Russia blacklist

      The US Department of Commerce said the three Finnish firms have been part of a supply chain providing components to a St Petersburg company that manufactures drones for Russian military intelligence.

    • New York Times ☛ What to Know About 5 People Suspected of Spying for Russia in the U.K.

      Three men and two women, all citizens of Bulgaria, appeared via video in court on Tuesday after being charged with conspiracy to conduct espionage.

    • JURIST ☛ UN Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine publishes findings of widespread torture and rape

      The United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said on Monday that Russian occupiers tortured Ukrainians so brutally that some of their victims died, and forced families to listen as they raped women next door in their latest findings from the field, in its latest update.

    • JURIST ☛ Russian-installed Donetsk leader issues civilian restrictions under martial law

      Denis Pushilin, the Russian-backed leader of the Donetsk region, which is widely recognized as Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia, issued a decree on Sunday implementing public activity restrictions.  In the decree, Pushilin said the measures are necessary to “[s]trengthen the protection of public order and ensure public safety.”

    • RFERL ☛ Central European Countries Urge EU To Check Ukraine Grain 'Solidarity Corridors'

      Four Central European countries urged the EU on September 26 to thoroughly inspect the so-called "solidarity corridors" through which Ukrainian grain passes on its way to third countries.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukrainian Captain Gets 5 1/2 Year Sentence For Deadly Budapest Boat Accident

      A Ukrainian captain of a cruise liner was sentenced to five years in prison in Hungary for his role in a 2019 accident in which his boat hit and sank a smaller boat on the River Danube, killing 25 South Korean tourists and two crew.

    • RFERL ☛ Polish Experts Confirm Missile That Hit Grain Facility Was Ukrainian

      Polish experts have confirmed that a missile which killed two people at a grain facility in November was fired by Ukraine, the Rzeczpospolita daily reported, citing sources.

    • teleSUR ☛ Ukraine Receives US Abrams Battle Tanks

      Operated by a four-person crew, Abrams is a battle tank with a range of up to 420 km.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskiy Vows More Ukrainian Action Against Russia After Strike On Black Sea Fleet

      The Ukrainian military said 20 combat clashes took place on September 26 along the front line amid air strikes in the Donetsk region and fighting in the area around Bakhmut.

    • The Straits Times ☛ At UN, South-east Asia nations push for peace in Myanmar, South China Sea, Ukraine

      September 27, 2023 5:00 AM
      
      

      Leaders of South-east Asian countries called for peace and stability in Myanmar and the disputed South China Sea.

    • CS Monitor ☛ To forge bonds, Ukraine tries to bring kids back into schools – safely

      Another academic year is starting amid war in Ukraine, and some students are going back into classrooms. Schools have to fortify their facilities, but educators and parents view the in-person experience as worth the risk.

    • New York Times ☛ Did Ukraine Kill Russia’s Black Sea Fleet Commander in a Missile Strike?

      Moscow released video on Tuesday purporting to show that its Black Sea fleet commander is still alive, despite Ukraine’s claim that he was killed in a major missile strike.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia-Ukraine War: Ukraine Acknowledges Doubt After Russia Shows Video of Naval Commander ‘Allegedly Alive’

      A day after Ukraine claimed to have killed the commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, Russian state media broadcast footage of the admiral, Viktor Sokolov, in a meeting of defense officials.

    • New York Times ☛ Young Sailors in Odesa Are Severed From the Sea by Ukraine War

      With Russia trying to maintain military control of the Black Sea, Odesa is disconnected from its waters — and its history.

    • New York Times ☛ The U.S. Is Sending Depleted Uranium Munitions to Ukraine. What Does That Mean?

      The material is denser than steel, and shells made from it can penetrate enemy tanks’ armor. But they leave behind radioactive dust that can be harmful.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine-Russia War Shows Fight for Democracy Continues

      The war between Russia and Ukraine may be an extreme example of the fight over which form of government works best for its citizens, but there are others.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine Says It Killed Chief of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet

      As they ramp up attacks on occupied Crimea, Ukrainian forces are repeatedly targeting the fleet based there, a key to Russia’s attacks deep into Ukraine and its blockade of Ukrainian ports.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ China climate envoy says complete phasing out of fossil fuels ‘unrealistic’

      Climate-warming fuels must continue to play a vital role in maintaining global energy security, says Mr Xie Zhenhua.

• Finance

  • France24 ☛ With shutdown looming, US Senate offers stopgap budget fix

    The US Senate drafted a last-ditch short-term budget proposal Tuesday as time was running out for Congress to avoid a partial government shutdown, though the odds of it passing the House remained slim.

  • New York Times ☛ Senate Reaches Spending Deal to Head Off Government Shutdown

    An agreement between Senate Republicans and Democrats would keep agencies open through mid-November and provide billions in aid for Ukraine and disaster relief. But House Republicans are likely to balk.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Judge rules Donald Trump defrauded banks, insurers while building real estate empire

    A judge has ruled that Donald Trump committed fraud for years while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to fame and the White House. Judge Arthur Engoron, ruling in a civil lawsuit brought by New York’s attorney general, found that the former president and his company deceived banks, insurers and others by massively overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing. Engoron’s ruling resolves the key claim in Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit, but six others remain. James is seeking $250 million in penalties and a ban on Trump doing business in New York, his home state.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • RFERL ☛ Resist Russian Disinformation As Elections Loom, EU Minister Tells Big Tech

      European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova has urged Google, Microsoft, Meta, and TikTok to do more to tackle what she called Russia's "multimillion-euro weapon of mass manipulation" ahead of elections in Europe.

    • New York Times ☛ In Russia-Ukraine War, Disinformation Is a Weapon Regularly Deployed

      It is often hard to know when battlefield reports are false or why they may have been disseminated.

    • European Commission ☛ Press statement of Vice-President Jourova on the meeting with the Code of Practice on Disinformation Signatories

      European Commission Speech Brussels, 26 Sep 2023 Today, I wanted to update you on progress under anti-disinformation Code.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • RFA ☛ S Korean court rules anti-Pyongyang leaflets ban ‘unconstitutional’

    The controversial law restricted the nation’s constitutional value of free speech, the court said.

  • Reason ☛ Police Officer's Hanging Up on Caller Isn't a First Amendment Violation

    "[T]he First Amendment does not require government actors to listen to citizens' speech or guarantee the right to communicate one's views to a government audience for any length of time that the speaker desires," and this applies equally "when the audience is a police officer."

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Clothing that ‘hurts the feelings’ of the nation may soon be outlawed in China, but concern over scope of ban raised

    Clothing that “hurts the feelings” of the nation could soon be outlawed in China, according to recent draft revisions to legislation, with their vagueness sparking concern over the broad scope for interpretation and enforcement.

  • RFA ☛ What to do about ‘freedom from speech?’

    A poll of Southeast Asia shows it’s wrong to assume that it is only autocratic governments that stymie free speech.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Mint Press News ☛ Whistleblower Craig Murray Joins MintPress to Talk NATO Expansion, BRICS, Assange and More

    Craig Murray joins MintPress to talk NATO, BRICS, pro-war mainstream media, Assange, America's forever wars and much more.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • Patrick Louis ☛ Counterculture in the Age of Hyperconnectivity

    Life is pretty bland today! Indeed, we’re the cozy spectators of homogenization through globalization, pushed by a series of ephemeral trends, one dying after another, and carried by consumer society. It’s as if the cultural vibes all seem to walk in the same direction. What is this direction? Where did novelty go, have countercultures disappeared? Yet, they were omnipresent, bubbling and thriving, in yesteryears.
    What is a counterculture anyway?

  • France24 ☛ Hollywood writers guild ends strike after board approves deal with studios

    Leaders of the screenwriters union declared their nearly five-month-old strike over Tuesday after board members approved a contract agreement with studios, bringing Hollywood at least partly back from a historic halt in production.

  • The Kent Stater ☛ WGA strike: Hollywood studios send writers ‘best and final’ offer as deal nears on strike

    CNN– The major film and television studios on Saturday evening delivered their “best and final” offer to the striking writers, a person close to the situation told CNN, adding to significant hope that the negotiations to end the months-long strike will conclude with an agreement this weekend. Negotiators with the Writers Guild of America were...

  • University of Michigan ☛ Biden visits UAW picket line in Detroit

    President Joe Biden visited Detroit Tuesday afternoon to show solidarity with members of the United Auto Workers Union on the picket line. The UAW went on strike Friday after failing to come to a contract agreement with the Big Three automakers: General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. About 13,000 workers have been on strike since Friday.

  • New York Times ☛ Biden Joins UAW Picket Line in Michigan

    The president’s trip came a day before former President Donald J. Trump was scheduled to arrive in Michigan, as the two offer dueling messages in a key swing state.

  • France24 ☛ Hollywood writers reach tentative deal with studios to end strike

    Striking writers whose industrial action has paralyzed Hollywood said Sunday they had reached an "exceptional" deal with studios that could see them go back to work.

  • New Yorker ☛ Joy in Los Angeles as the Writers Reach a Tentative Deal

    A strike captain reflects on the emotional highs and lows of five months on the picket lines.

  • New York Times ☛ Hollywood Writers to Return to Work as WGA Votes to End Strike

    The leadership of the Writers Guild of America voted to end a 148-day strike. Members will start voting on the deal’s ratification next week.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Here’s when your favorite show may return as writers strike is on the verge of ending

    A tentative agreement between striking screenwriters and Hollywood studios offers some hope that the industry’s dual walkouts may be over soon. But when will your favorite shows return? Well, it's complicated. Late-night talk shows — and talk shows in general — will likely be the first productions to come back on the air. Actors remain on strike, and that will complicate the return of filming on shows such as “Stranger Things” and movies like the “Deadpool” sequel. Before shooting starts again on most projects, the 11,500-member Writers Guild of America must first approve the proposed agreement.

  • JURIST ☛ Thousands of Greece public workers strike against new labor laws

    Thousands of public sector workers in Greece took part in a strike on Thursday in opposition to new labor law put forth in the Hellenic Parliament. Workers including doctors, transport staff and firefighters protested in Athens, Greece to voice their objection.

  • RFA ☛ Myanmar junta extends sentences of 63 protesting prisoners

    They demonstrated against torture and the death penalty.

  • RFA ☛ Young political prisoner dies of heart attack in Myanmar prison

    The man experienced health problems after being tortured but was not treated.

  • NYPost ☛ More workers returning to NYC office buildings than previously reported: study

    There are lots more employees in Big Apple offices than the most often-cited “barometer” of attendance would have you believe.

  • RFA ☛ Rohingyas face prison-like conditions in Bangladesh camps: report

    Rohingya say movement restrictions are ‘violently enforced’ by Bangladesh security personnel.

  • RFERL ☛ Government Reportedly Ratcheting Up Pressure On Families Of Dead Iranian Protesters

    Iranian security forces are reported to have escalated their actions against the families of protesters killed during widespread protests last year as the government continues to try and put a lid on unrest triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Karabakh Armenians: no agreement yet with Azerbaijan on guarantees or amnesty

    The ethnic Armenian leadership of breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh said on Friday that there were no concrete results yet from talks with Azerbaijan on possible security guarantees or an amnesty that Baku is proposing.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Ruben Schade ☛ Why is web search getting worse?

    Charlie Warzel notes three reasons, in The Atlantic

    There is a creeping sense—among frustrated programmers, searchers, and even journalists—that the site is no longer as useful or intuitive as it once was. One reason for this feeling may be that Google’s algorithms have been successfully gamed by low-quality websites and search-engine-optimization companies that help their clickbaity clients show up in the first page of Google Search results.

  • APNIC ☛ How REx infers resource transfers

    Why add global information, where the data comes from, and how was it implemented?

  • APNIC ☛ Event Wrap: APrIGF 2023, Net Thing 2023, and PacIGF 2023

    APNIC and the APNIC Foundation actively participated in the APrIGF 2023, co-located with NetThing 2023 and PacIGF 2023 in Brisbane, Australia from 28 August to 1 September 2023.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ FCC seeks to reinstate 2015 net neutrality rules

    The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will soon launch an effort to reinstate net neutrality rules that were rescinded during the Trump administration, Reuters reported this morning in a move confirmed later by the FCC. FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel announced the initiative formally in a speech today.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Vice Media Group ☛ The New iPhone 15 Is Actually a Repair Nightmare

    Despite promising to make its products easier to repair, iFixit reports that Apple is screwing over customers once again.

• Monopolies

  • New York Times ☛ ‘Unprecedented’ Secrecy in Google Trial as Tech Giants Push to Limit Disclosures

    Efforts to seal testimony have increasingly raised questions as the federal antitrust case enters its third week in court.

  • Patents

    • Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 awarded for Third Iris video surveillance patent prior art

      Unified is pleased to announce PATROLL crowdsourcing contest winner, Ekta Aswal, who was awarded a cash prize of $2,000 for her prior art submission on U.S. Patent 8,558,888, owned by Third Iris Corp, an NPE.

    • JUVE ☛ Tergau & Walkenhorst hires Electrolux head of patents in firm realignment [Ed: This is not news. This is spam disguised as "journalism" from a site that also takes bribes to promote illegal agenda like UPC.]

      The internationally active German patent attorney firm Tergau & Walkenhorst has implemented a series of readjustment measures, following the unexpected death of partner Dietrich Tergau last year.

    • Unified Patents ☛ DynaIP entity, Silent Communication, telecom patent claim cancelled

      On September 25, 2023, the USPTO issued a Notice of Intent to Issue Ex Parte Reexamination Certificate in RE90/015,109, cancelling the lone claim of U.S. Patent 8,229,409, owned by Silent Communication, LLC, an NPE and DynaIP entity.

    • Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ Brazil: The Patent Office is Considering Changing Terms for Requesting Examination and Amending Patent Applications

      The BRPTO published on September 14 an invitation for interested parties to comment on a proposal to review the provisions of the Brazilian IP Statute regarding two relevant timeframes for patent owners filing applications in Brazil.

    • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Emails Analyzing Own Patents Likely Not Trade Secrets

      In most patent cases, the parties jointly agree to a system limiting the publication of confidential case information and typically file a stipulated motion for protective order seeking the a judicial order requiring the parties to comply. One problem with this approach is that it goes against our traditional notion that courts and court filings are open and accessible to the public.

    • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Federal Circuit Affirms Finding of Indefiniteness in Dispute Over Mobile Phone and Camera Patents

      The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently affirmed a finding by  Western District of Texas Judge Alan Albright that certain claims in two patents owned by WSOU Investments LLC were invalid as indefinite under 35 U.S.C. §112.  WSOU Invs., LLC v. Google LLC, Nos. 22-1066, -1067 (Fed. Cir. Sept. 25, 2023).  Although the decision is designated nonprecedential, it includes a number of interesting lessons on the requirements for definiteness and disclosure of corresponding structure under 35 U.S.C. §112.

    • JUVE ☛ Kühnen grapples with Mylan dura vs. Teva damages claim on final day of hearings [Ed: EPO keepe granting fake patents and only the litigation industry benefits.]

      Mylan dura is claiming €15 million in damages from competitor Teva in Germany. The case involves a preliminary injunction enforced for 15 months for a patent that the European Patent Office has since declared invalid.

  • Trademarks

    • TTAB Blog ☛ Rejecting Urban Dictionary Definition, TTAB Affirms 2(e)(4) Surname Refusal of LAFOND for Jellies and Jams

      Affirming a Section 2(e)(4) refusal, the Board found the proposed mark LAFOND for 'Fruit conserves; Fruit preserves; Fruit spreads; Jellies, jams; Nut butters" and for "Tea; Fruit sauces" to be primarily merely a surname. The Board agreed with Examining Attorney Claudia A. Kopenski that LAFOND is not an uncommon surname, that it has no other recognized meaning, and that the term has the look and sound of a surname. In re St. Dalfour International Incorporated, Serial No. 90527587 (September 21, 2013) [Opinion by Judge Thomas L. Casagrande].

  • Copyrights

    • Digital Music News ☛ Federal Judge Tosses Copyright Infringement Suit Filed Against Jay-Z, Timbaland, and Ginuwine by Soul Musician Ernie Hines

      A federal judge has officially tossed a copyright infringement suit filed by soul musician Ernie Hines against Warner Chappell, BMG, Jay-Z, Timbaland, and Ginuwine. Judge J. Paul Oetken just recently granted the defendants’ motions for summary judgement in the years-running case...

    • Digital Music News ☛ Ed Sheeran Beats Appeal in Marathon ‘Let’s Get It On’ Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

      Following a marathon legal battle – including a jury verdict in favor of Ed Sheeran – the estate of a Marvin Gaye collaborator has dropped its copyright infringement suit over “Thinking Out Loud.”

    • Digital Music News ☛ Major Music Publishers Hit Back at Twitter’s Move to Dismiss Infringement Lawsuit

      Major music publishers are pushing back on Elon Musk’s Twitter, insisting that the company is liable for the copyright infringement taking place on its platform, despite its efforts to dismiss their lawsuit.

    • Public Domain Review ☛ A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words (1860)

      This Victorian dictionary collects the cant of thieves, the slang of costermongers, and many other argots.