Leftovers

• New York Times ☛ I Want a City, Not a Museum

  New York’s layers of laws to protect existing buildings has led to a shortage of housing.

• Hackaday ☛ Don’t Give Up

  I’m at Chaos Communication Congress this weekend, and it’s like being surrounded by the brightest, most creative, and being honest, nerdiest crowd imaginable. And that’s super invigorating.

• Hackaday ☛ 37C3: When Apple Ditches Thuderbolt, Hack USB-C

  [Thomas Roth], aka [Ghidraninja], and author of the [Stacksmashing] YouTube channel, investigated Apple’s Lightning port and created a cool debugging tool that allowed one to get JTAG on the device. Then, Apple went to USB-C for their new phones, and all his work went to waste. Oh well, start again — and take a look at USB-C.

• Hackaday ☛ 37C3: You Think It’s Bad With Pluto? A History Of The Planets

  Not every talk at the Chaos Communication Congress is about hacking computers. In this outstanding and educational talk, [Michael Büker] walks us through the history of our understanding of the planets.

• YLE ☛ Majority of Finnish cities not hosting official firework shows

  Local news conglomerate Uutissuomalainen asked 20 Finnish cities, of which only seven said they would organise official firework displays.

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ HKFP Year in Review: What did Hongkongers Google in 2023?

  From extreme weather and crypto scandals, to local politics and cinema, Hong Kong experienced several events this year that captured public attention and inspired curiosity.

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Why Gustave Eiffel's name remains famous 100 years after his death

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] France: Eiffel Tower staff goes on strike

• Science

  • The Conversation ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] A brief history of time – as told by a watchmaker

  • The Conversation ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Why some people don't trust science – and how to change their minds

  • CBC ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] This UBC grad has discovered thousands of likely planets across our cosmos

• Education

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Has Germany's state education system failed?

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Retro Gaming Watch flips open at Kickstarter — tiny gaming device features 1.5MB of RAM and Arm Cortex M33 CPU

    Jason Rogers has launched a Kickstarter campaign for his retro gaming watch project, which has already reached its funding goal with plenty of time to spare.

Hardware

• Doug Brown ☛ More fun with Apple’s internal tools: creating a PDS card

  In my last post, I figured out how to use Apple’s leaked Flasher utility from the 1990s to reflash a ROM SIMM inside of my Performa 630. It’s basically the Mac equivalent of a BIOS update, but only for Apple’s developers.

• Tom's Hardware ☛ China's x86 chipmaker adopts sophisticated boost tech — Zhaoxin enables preferred core support to target the fastest cores

  Zhaoxin aims to boost single-thread performance by enabling preferred cores support.

• Tom's Hardware ☛ Retro Gaming Watch flips open at Kickstarter — tiny gaming device features 1.5MB of RAM and Arm Cortex M33 CPU

  Jason Rogers has launched a Kickstarter campaign for his retro gaming watch project, which has already reached its funding goal with plenty of time to spare.

Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

• Science Alert ☛ Brain Function Dramatically Boosted by Certain Fragrances During Sleep

  An astonishing 226% increase in test results.

• CBC ☛ 2023-12-26 [Older] Canadian universities aim to boost plant-based options on menus in 2024 to meet student demand

• CBC ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] BlendJet recall of millions of blenders over fire hazard, breaking blades includes 117,000 in Canada

• Science Alert ☛ A Nutritionist Reveals The Secret to Making Friends With Salad

  Make a new friend in 2024.

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] US paramedics guilty for overdosing Black man with ketamine

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Hundreds of Airbus staff sick after holiday meal in France

• BIA Net ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Banned chlorpyrifos detected in 27 food products exported from Turkey

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] German doctors go on strike as virus season hits

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] German doctors on strike at the height of COVID, flu season

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] Leftover food: Reheat and live to tell the tale

Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• Engadget ☛ 2023-12-26 [Older] Microsoft bet big on AI in 2023, but its AI future is still unclear [Ed: Bubble, lawsuits, and losses]

• The Verge ☛ 2023-12-26 [Older] Bobby Kotick Is Out as Microsoft Takes Control of Activision [Ed: Leaving the corpse to Satya Nadella; India Times ☛ layoffs already]

• Gizmodo ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] Apple's 12 Most Embarrassing Product Failures

• Bloomberg ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] Gurman: Tang Tan, Apple’s Departing VP of iPhone and Watch Design, to Join LoveFrom to Work on ‘AI Hardware’ With OpenAI

• Engadget ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] Apple's iPhone designer is leaving to work with Jony Ive and Sam Altman on AI hardware

• NL Times ☛ 2023-12-24 [Older] Apple reseller Amac facing possible employee strike on Sunday

• Engadget ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] The Morning After: TheApple Watch ban and Sony seems to be winning the console war

• Medium ☛ The Ugly Truth About Steve Jobs

  Being a cruel and abusive boss? There’s a guy for that!

  Berating and intimidating your pregnant girlfriend?

Security

• Privacy/Surveillance

  • Security Week ☛ Google Settles $5 Billion Privacy Lawsuit Over Tracking People Using ‘Incognito Mode’

    Google agreed to settle a $5 billion privacy lawsuit claiming that it continued spying on people who used the “incognito” mode in its Chrome browser.

  • Engadget ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Apple reportedly faces pressure in India after sending out warnings of state-sponsored hacking

  • EFF ☛ States Attack Young People’s Constitutional Right to Use Social Media: 2023 Year in Review

    Fourteen months after California passed the AADC, it feels like a dam has broken.

    How did we get to a point where state lawmakers are willing to censor large parts of the internet? In many ways, California’s Age Appropriate Design Code Act (AADC), passed in September of 2022, set the stage for this year’s battle. EFF asked Governor Newsom to veto that bill before it was signed into law, despite its good intentions in seeking to protect the privacy and well-being of children. Like many of the bills that followed it this year, it runs the risk of imposing surveillance requirements and content restrictions on a broader audience than intended. A federal court blocked the AADC earlier this year, and California has appealed that decision.

    Fourteen months after California passed the AADC, it feels like a dam has broken: we’ve seen dangerous social media regulations for young people introduced across the country, and passed in several states, including Utah, Arkansas, and Texas. The severity and individual components of these regulations vary. Like California’s, many of these bills would introduce age verification requirements, forcing sites to identify all of their users, harming both minors’ and adults’ ability to access information online. We oppose age verification requirements, which are the wrong approach to protecting young people online. No one should have to hand over their driver’s license, or, worse, provide biometric information, just to access lawful speech on websites.

  • EFF ☛ Fighting European Threats to Encryption: 2023 Year in Review

    But we pushed back in the EU, and so far, we’ve succeeded. EFF spent this year fighting hard against an EU proposal (text) that, if it became law, would have been a disaster for online privacy in the EU and throughout the world. In the name of fighting online child abuse, the European Commission, the EU’s executive body, put forward a draft bill that would allow EU authorities to compel online services to scan user data and check it against law enforcement databases. The proposal would have pressured online services to abandon end-to-end encryption. The Commission even suggested using AI to rifle through peoples’ text messages, leading some opponents to call the proposal “chat control.”

    EFF has been opposed to this proposal since it was unveiled last year. We joined together with EU allies and urged people to sign the “Don’t Scan Me” petition. We lobbied EU lawmakers and urged them to protect their constituents’ human right to have a private conversation—backed up by strong encryption. 

Defence/Aggression

• France24 ☛ France to deploy 90,000 police officers to patrol New Year’s Eve festivities

  Security will be tight across France on New Year’s Eve, with 90,000 law enforcement officers set to be deployed, domestic intelligence chief Céline Berthon said Friday. Of those, 6,000 will be in Paris, where French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said over 1.5 million people are expected to attend celebrations on the Champs-Elysees.

• RFERL ☛ UN Security Council Calls For Afghan Special Envoy

  The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on December 29 calling for the appointment of a special envoy for Afghanistan to increase engagement with the country and its Taliban leaders.

• JURIST ☛ Turkish authorities detain 32 with suspected links to Islamic State

  Turkish authorities detained 32 people on Friday that they claimed had links to the Islamic State (IS). Authorities allege that the individuals were planning to carry out attacks on synagogues and churches as well as the Iranian embassy.

• The Straits Times ☛ North Korea to launch new satellites, build drones as it warns war is inevitable

  December 31, 2023 7:03 AM
  
  

  Leader Kim Jong Un said United States policy is making war inevitable.

• The Straits Times ☛ China calls Taiwan presidential front runner a destroyer of peace

  December 31, 2023 9:28 AM
  
  

  China's Taiwan Affairs Office also said Mr Lai had "exposed his true face as a stubborn worker for Taiwan independence".

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China ties dominate Taiwan presidential debate

  Taiwan’s presidential candidates clashed on Saturday over their positions on the self-ruled island’s relations with China, in a debate before an upcoming vote closely watched from Beijing to Washington.

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Chinese ex-central bank exec. Sun Guofeng sentenced to 16 years for graft

  A former senior official at China’s central bank has been sentenced to more than 16 years in prison for corruption, Chinese media reported on Thursday.

• France24 ☛ China expels nine army officials from parliament in latest reshuffle under new defence minister

  China has expelled nine military officials from its parliament, including four generals of the army’s strategic missile unit, in a sweeping reshuffle following the appointment of a new defence minister.

• France24 ☛ Netanyahu says war with Hamas will continue ‘for many months’

  Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Saturday that Israel’s war with Palestinian militant group Hamas will “continue for many months until Hamas is eliminated and the hostages are returned”. Netanyahu was speaking at a news conference hours after the health ministry in Gaza said more than 21,670 people have been killed and more than 56,160 injured from Israeli strikes in the enclave since October 7, the date of the deadly Hamas-led attack on Israel.

• ANF News ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] YPG Spokesperson: Turkey must be saved from this mafia and terror regime

• ANF News ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Turkey bombs a village in Sulaymaniyah countryside

• ANF News ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Turkey bombs villages in Qandil

• US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Turkey Conducts Air Strikes in Northern Iraq, Syria After 12 Soldiers Killed

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Germany mulls reintroduction of compulsory military service

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Israel's ambassador to Germany warns of soaring antisemitism

• CBC ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Uber Eats creates Palestinian category after Toronto restaurant controversy

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Sudan: RSF leader visits Ethiopia in rare public trip abroad

• US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Turkey Steps up Airstrikes Against Kurdish Groups in Syria and Iraq After 12 Soldiers Were Killed

• ANF News ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Turkish army targets infrastructure in Northern and Eastern Syria

• ANF News ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Turkish bombardments cause power outages in northern Syria

• ANF News ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] Activists in Vienna protest attacks carried out by Turkey against Northern and Eastern Syria

• ANF News ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Kurds in Frankfurt, Kiel and Aachen condemn attacks against Northern and Eastern Syria

• US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-26 [Older] Bodies of Kuwaiti and Saudi Missing in Iraq Have Been Found

• US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-26 [Older] Kuwaiti and Saudi Hunters Killed by a Leftover Islamic State Group Explosive in Iraq, Officials Say

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Yemen's peace plan boosts Houthis' regional influence

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Can Bollywood bring India and Pakistan closer together?

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] China urges nationals to leave Myanmar border district

• Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Exploring Switzerland’s Role in Enhancing Security and Stability in the Horn of Africa

• ANF News ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Hunger strikers in Antalya High Security Prison sentenced to 10 days solitary confinement

• US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] France to Step up Security Measures for New Year's Celebrations

• Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-26 [Older] China private security to protect overseas interests in unstable regions

• The Age AU ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Security to be reviewed after pro-Palestinian protesters interrupt Carols by Candlelight

• US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Security Hiked at Cologne Cathedral for Christmas Amid Attack Threat

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] German police warn of possible attack at Cologne Cathedral

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-26 [Older] Germany: Man detained over Cologne Cathedral threat

• Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-26 [Older] Navalny says he's fine' after arrival in Arctic penal colony

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Poland says Russian missile entered then exited its airspace

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Russia, China ahead in race for Bolivia's lithium

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Ukraine updates: Russia launches 'massive missile attack'

  • International Business Times ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Russian Celebrities' 'Almost Naked' Party Amid Ongoing War Causes Massive Outrage

  • The Age AU ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Russia launches huge aerial attack on Ukraine

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] A Look at Russian Missile Attacks on Ukrainian Targets Since the War Began in February 2022

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] An Associate of Russian Opposition Leader Navalny Is Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Kremlin Says It Has List of Western Assets to Be Seized if Russian Assets Are Confiscated

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] NATO Air Forces Scrambled Over 300 Times in 2023 Due to Russian Military Aircraft

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] One Killed, 15 Injured in Russian Missile Attacks on Kyiv, Kharkiv -Officials

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Poland Says 'Everything Indicates' a Russian Missile Briefly Entered Its Airspace and Left

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Russia Launches the Biggest Aerial Barrage of the War and Kills 30 Civilians, Ukraine Says

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Russia's Biggest Air Attack of War Kills 31 in Ukraine, Officials Say

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Russian Court Sentences Navalny Ally in Siberia to 9.5 Years in Prison

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Two Killed, 15 Injured in Russian Strike on Odesa - Governor

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Poland Says Russian Rocket Likely to Have Entered Its Airspace

  • Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Sleeping on Russia’s naval resurgence in the Pacific

  • CBC ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Russian celebrity sued for hosting 'almost naked'-themed party in Moscow after outcry

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Russia, US extend joint ISS flights to 2025: Roscosmos

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Ukraine updates: UK says Russian ship 'completely destroyed'

  • Engadget ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Russia will assist NASA with ISS space flights through 2025

  • International Business Times ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Sport Giant Decathlon Exposed For Ignoring EU Sanctions Against Russia Under 'Secret Contract'

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Russian Tech Company Arenadata Plans to Hold IPO in 2024 - Sources

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Russian Stars' Semi-Naked Party Sparks Wartime Backlash

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] West to Blame for World Turmoil, Says Russia's Lavrov

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Factbox-What and Where Are Russia's $300 Billion in Reserves Frozen in the West?

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] Russia pivots oil sales to India amid Ukraine sanctions

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] Russia Charges Six Danes With Being Mercenaries -Russian Embassy

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-26 [Older] Ukraine updates: Fighters hit Russian ship, port in Crimea

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-26 [Older] Russian Forces Shell Kherson Rail Station, One Policeman Dead -Ukraine Interior Minister

  • Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Here’s How Russia Could Help Ethiopia In Its Peaceful Quest For A Port

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Russia: Alexei Navalny located in Siberia prison, allies say

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Russia says West inciting Serbia protests as dozens arrested

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Russia, Ukraine Report Six Civilians Killed in Attacks on Kherson, Horlivka

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Belarus Leader Says Russian Nuclear Weapons Shipments Are Completed, Raising Concern in the Region

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Imprisoned Russian Politician Navalny Is Now in a Penal Colony Near the Arctic Circle

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Russian-Backed Union Signs Free Trade Pact With Iran

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Russian Forces Gain Control of Maryinka in East Ukraine, Defence Minister Says

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Russian Has the Upper Hand in Arms Race With the West - Russian Minister Says

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Russia's Navalny Tracked Down to 'Polar Wolf' Prison in the Arctic

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Ukraine Celebrates Christmas on Dec. 25 for the First Time, Distancing Itself From Russia

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Ukraine's Air Defence Destroys 28 Out of 31 Russia-Launched Drones, Kyiv Says

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Ukraine Says It Shot Down Russian Fighter Jets and Drones as the Country Officially Marks Christmas

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] US Welcomes Russia's Navalny Being Located, Concerned for His Well-Being

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-24 [Older] Ukraine updates: Russian strikes kill 4 in Kherson

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-24 [Older] Fire Briefly Breaks Out on Russian Nuclear-Powered Icebreaker

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-24 [Older] Russian Shelling Kills 4 as Ukraine Prepares to Observe Christmas on Dec. 25 for the First Time

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-24 [Older] Russia, Ukraine Exchange Claims Over Downed Military Aircraft

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-24 [Older] Russia Short of Around 4.8 Million Workers in 2023, Crunch to Persist - Izvestia

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-24 [Older] Ukraine Says It Shoots Down 14 of 15 Russian Drones

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Ukraine updates: Kyiv claims downing of Russian SU-34 jets

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Ukraine Claims to Down Three Russian Fighter-Bomber Jets

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] A Pro-Peace Russian Presidential Hopeful Is Blocked by the Election Commission

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Russian Shelling Kills One, Injures Seven in Southern Ukraine - Officials

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Anti-War Challenger Duntsova Blocked From Running Against Russia's Putin

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Britain to Send 200 Air Defence Missiles to Ukraine

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] Ukraine updates: War costs Kyiv €120 million per day

  • Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-24 [Older] Millions in Ukraine are “paying the highest price for freedom”

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Ukraine and Hungary Prepare for Zelenskiy, Orban Meeting Amid Tensions

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Ukraine Government Donor Letter No Grounds for Panic, Says Ukrinform

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Missile Strikes in Ukraine Show Putin 'Must Be Stopped,' Biden Says

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Zelenskiy Visits Ukraine's Embattled Eastern Town of Avdiivka

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Ukraine Gives More Details of Latest Alleged Killing of POWs

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Ukraine Official Says Drone Debris Hits Odesa High-Rise Building

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Ukraine's Zelenskiy Says He Discussed Peace Formula With Pope

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Ukraine, Without Foreign Aid, May Postpone Pension Indexation - Minister

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] War in Ukraine sparks German rethink on defense, security

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] US Announces New Weapons Package for Ukraine, as Funds Dwindle and Congress Is Stalled on Aid Bill

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] US to Provide up to $250 Million in Arms, Equipment to Ukraine -Blinken

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-26 [Older] Commander Says Ukrainian Forces Still in Shattered Town

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-26 [Older] Ukraine's Top General Criticises Draft Offices in Rare Press Conference

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Ukraine updates: Ukrainians mark first Christmas on Dec 25

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Ukraine Draft Law Proposes Lowering Mobilisation Age to 25 From 27

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Ukraine Received $1.34 Billion Under World Bank Project - Finance Ministry

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Ukraine Seeks to Terminate Free Trade Deal With Belarus

  • Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-24 [Older] Ukraine: EU had no idea how to win, now what?

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-24 [Older] Ukraine's New Christmas Day Unites Catholic-Orthodox Family

  • Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] EU accession a ‘symbolic victory’ for Ukraine to cover up ‘real fatigue’

  • Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Georgieva: Ukraine’s economic recovery depends on extra allied aid

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Polish Farmers to Suspend Protest at Ukraine Border, Truckers Stay On

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Ukrainian Catholic Church Says Document on Blessing Same-Sex Couples Does Not Apply

Environment

• Counter Punch ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] How to Make Recyclable Plastics Out of CO2 to Slow Climate Change

• US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Warming Climate Could Bring Flesh-Eating Bacteria to More U.S. Waters

• CBC ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Olive oil is getting more expensive — and these Italian farmers can tell you why

• Jacobin Magazine ☛ 2023-12-24 [Older] Bidenomics Puts Business, Not Workers, First

• Truthdig ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Why People Still Believe Climate Disinformation

• Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Beyond Borders and Billionaires at COP28: Rethinking Elite Accountability for Climate Justice

• Vox ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] How 7 scientists feel after the hottest year on record

• The Age AU ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] Ghost forests: Australia’s snow gums under threat from climate change

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] How is climate change affecting Europe's ski season?

• Truthdig ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Climate Change Linked to Spate of Rare Disease Outbreaks in 2023

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] 2023: Defining moments for the climate and environment

• Counter Punch ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Sleep Now in the Fire: the Year in Climate

• CBC ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Climate-fuelled wildfires testing the limits of Canada's aging water bombers

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] Germany: 2023 set to be warmest year on record

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] China: Sub-zero Beijing breaks December cold weather record

• Energy/Transportation

  • Hackaday ☛ How To Build A Small Solar Power System

    We live in an exciting time with respect to electrical power, one in which it has never been easier to break free from mains electricity, and low-frequency AC power in general. A confluence of lower-power appliances and devices using low-voltage external switch-mode supplies, readily available solar panels and electronic modules, and inexpensive high-capacity batteries, means that being your own power provider can be as simple as making an online order.

  • CBC ☛ 2023-12-24 [Older] Energy regulator rejects FortisBC's $327M application for natural gas pipeline

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-24 [Older] Nevada Tribe Says Coalitions, Not Lawsuits, Will Protect Sacred Sites as US Advances Energy Agenda

  • Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2023-12-24 [Older] From Ethnic Cleansing to Energy Goals

  • CBC ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] The federal government wants Canadians to switch to electric vehicles. Are they interested?

  • Counter Punch ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Europe Is Moving Farther to the Right on Energy and Immigration

  • CBC ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Ontario's automotive workforce needs a boost to be ready for the EV boom

  • International Business Times ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] Energy Bills in the UK is set to Decrease by a Significant Amount in 2024

  • NL Times ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Netherlands still vulnerable over natural gas supply; Energy conservation still needed

  • NL Times ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Conflict of interest questions arise over minister's work as energy lobbyist

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Michigan has a new way to fight climate change: Energy from cow poop and urine

  • Truthdig ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] 2023 Was a Big Year for Climate Litigation

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-26 [Older] Towns Reinforce Dikes as Heavy Rains Send Rivers Over Their Banks in Germany and the Netherlands

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] German auto industry: Will 2024 mark a turning point?

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] VW's Dieselgate: Ex-CEO market manipulation trial to resume

• Wildlife/Nature

  • Science Alert ☛ Jellyfish Can Regrow Their Tentacles, And We Finally Know How

  • The Conversation ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] Which zoo animals are most active in winter and what times are best to see them?

  • Science Alert ☛ Wild Images Reveal a Shock Wave Traveling Through a Single Cell

    Simply amazing to see.

  • CBC ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Demand for gold means the Amazon has reached 'tipping point' of mercury contamination from illegal mining

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Brazil Cracks Down as Wildcat Miners in the Amazon Shift Their Operations

  • CBC ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] After a devastating 2023, B.C.'s wildfire service is already preparing for next year's wildfire season

Finance

• The Age AU ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Costs stack up as payments go digital, but some insist we’ll never go cashless

• CBC ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] PHOTOS | Thousands in Argentina protest President Javier Milei's proposed economic reforms

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] Argentina: Protesters march against Milei's economic reforms

• CBC ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] After years of turbulence, small clothing designers struggle for a sustainable model

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-24 [Older] Germany's government fails to slash growing homelessness

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-26 [Older] Homelessness climbs sharply in rural England

• CBC ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Canadians hit hard by inflation cut back for Christmas

• Yearender 2023: Global layoffs impacting the gaming industry

  It was a year of massive changes, and several layoffs took place in 2023- which shook almost every existing industry. It was recently reported that layoffs have affected at least 9,000 globally. Here are a few companies which took the massive step of letting go of people, to sustain and survive in the competitive environment.

• Mansueto Ventures ☛ Google's CEO, Sundar Pichai, Says Laying Off 12,000 Workers Was the Worst Moment in the Company's 25-Year History

  I've said before that if you're the CEO of a company and you decide that your best strategy moving forward is to lay off a bunch of the people who work for you, that's a failure of your leadership, full stop. In a scenario where CEOs were held accountable, you would be one of the people who lose their jobs.

• CBC ☛ 2023-12-24 [Older] Have you seen viral videos of long lineups of people looking for work? Here's the possible reason for them

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Top subsidiaries of property giant Signa file for bankruptcy

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] UK celebrates Brexit dividend with pint-sized wine bottles

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

• University of Michigan ☛ Former Assistant US Attorney Kevin J. O’Brien talks state Supreme Court ruling on Trump and the 2024 election

  On Monday, the Michigan Supreme Court upheld a ruling from the Michigan Court of Appeals saying former President Donald Trump can appear on the Republican primary ballot in the state.

• CBC ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] New Order of Canada inductees include journalist who investigated Trump's finances, 1st Inuk senator

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Will BRICS expansion set a new agenda for the Global South?

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] German police say political failure fuels New Year danger

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] Germany: AfD a growing threat to democracy, says minister

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] Congo police seek to disperse banned election protest

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-26 [Older] DRC: Government bans protest against election

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-26 [Older] Azerbaijan expels French diplomats amid Armenia tensions

• Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Kull, Thomas: Safeguarding democracy from artificial intelligence

    AI has opened up new possibilities for distorting the democratic process by generating fake voices in the service of special interests.

Censorship/Free Speech

• Reason ☛ "Fake Sherlock," or Fake Allegations by New York Magazine?

  An interesting false light lawsuit filed today, Walter v. Herbert (M.D. Pa.), over New York magazine's "The Case of the Fake Sherlock" article (see pp. 11-19 of this PDF for a paywall-free version).

• Reason ☛ October 7: A Turning Point for Free Speech?

  Restricting speech about the world's most pressing problems does not make them go away, nor does it settle any disputes.

• TruthOut ☛ 2023-12-24 [Older] Grandparents for Truth Takes on Book Bans and Censorship in Schools

• Engadget ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Federal judge rejects X’s claim that California’s content moderation law violates free speech

• The Age AU ☛ 2023-12-24 [Older] Suspect arrested in alleged theft of a Banksy stop sign decorated with military drones

• US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-24 [Older] Second Suspect Arrested in Theft of Banksy Stop Sign Artwork Featuring Military Drones

• CBC ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Suspect arrested after Banksy stop sign decorated with military drones stolen in London

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] London police arrest man following removal of Banksy artwork

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Police make new arrest following removal of Banksy artwork

• US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Suspect Arrested in Alleged Theft of a Banksy Stop Sign Decorated With Military Drones

Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] Poland puts state media into liquidation amid political row

Civil Rights/Policing

• Truthdig ☛ 2023-12-26 [Older] How Solidarity Got Amazon Workers a Raise Before a Union [Ed: The employer that injures you and throws you away, like the wife of Jeff Bezos]

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] France grounds plane over suspected 'human trafficking'

• US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-23 [Older] Twitter Violated Contract by Failing to Pay Millions in Bonuses, US Judge Rules

• US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] In Nigeria and Much of Africa, Catholic Same-Sex Couples See No Blessings Soon

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] After a new constitution, what's next for Chad?

• CBC ☛ 2023-12-26 [Older] Quebec reaches tentative deals on working conditions with unions that are part of labour alliance

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-25 [Older] Do India's new criminal laws give police too much power?

Digital Restrictions (DRM)

• CBC ☛ 2023-12-29 [Older] Amazon's Prime Video to start showing commercials in February [Ed: DRM garbage gravitates towards disinformation, including "ads"]

• Engadget ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] Amazon's Prime Video will start serving ads on January 29 unless you pay extra [Ed: Getting no misinformation is going to become a "premium" (but you already paid!)]

• US News And World Report ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] Amazon Prime Ads on Movies and TV Shows Will Begin in Late January [Ed: Enjoy paying to watch ads]

• The Verge ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] Amazon Prime Video Will Start Showing Ads Next Month

Copyrights

• The Age AU ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] New York Times sues Microsoft and OpenAI for copyright infringement

• The Age AU ☛ 2023-12-28 [Older] New York Times sues OpenAI, Microsoft

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] ChatGPT: New York Times sues OpenAI over article usage

• Engadget ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] The New York Times is suing OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement

• IP Kat ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] Chinese court deems AI-generated image has copyright – Assessing the possibly over-hasty ‘spring breeze’ case

• IP Kat ☛ 2023-12-27 [Older] “Vaccinated, chipped, dewormed” insufficiently original to be protected by copyright

Gemini* and Gopher

• Personal/Opinions

  • For the greater good, let's do it the hard way

    I wasn't planning on this being my 2024 resolution. I am not overly certain why I made the title. Must have felt like it last night. Nevertheless, this is the mood I'm in right now, at the end of 2023 going into 2024.

  • New year, only slightly new resolutions

    A couple of years ago I put up a new year resolution generator...

  • Hey, 2024! No promises.

    The change of a digit in my calendar doesn't mean much to me. I have plans and hopes for the coming months anyway and I'm not gonna turn them into New Year resolutions.

    I've had to pause so many plans for the past few months because of life and finances. There's just not been room for much. Some of that pressure is easing in the near future, thankfully, which will hopefully give me the opportunity to follow through on some things.

  • The New Year

    Hello fellow patrons of this fine establishment! The new year is coming!

  • 🔤SpellBinding: GIWNOUK Wordo: DULLS

  • Fungocalypse

    Woke up from another nightmare about what happened in our D&D game.

  • Toward purple

    Two days ago, I received a gift of fountain pen ink from an old friend. It's a color I've never used before, a dark grey with purple undertones. To use it, I had the pleasure of removing the old ink from my fountain pen, washing it, and letting it dry.

  • The answer my friend is

  • 2024 is starting... A few ideas before the year finishes

    Year is doing +1 in a few hours and after seeing a few messages about it (thanks for sharing) I wanted to share publicly a few ideas (it was supposed to be a private reflection that I'm too lazy to finish 🏁).

• Technology and Free Software

  • My Site Now Specifies Language

    I updated bergelmir (my HTTP+Gemini+Gopher+Finger server) to allow me to specify languages for pages when folks visit my site using a Gemini client. I also updated huginn (my Gemtext file to HTML + Gophermap file converter) to specify languages for pages when folks visit my site using a web browser.

  • 2023

    I was wondering whether I should make this post, but seeing one of the smol.pub users I like do it, I decided, why not? There are many highlights to this year, but I won't bother you with all of that. One interesting thing that happened, I ate a snake. It coiled desperately as I tried to open it up, even though the head had been severed for a while already. It reminded me so much to that book I read earlier this year[1] that argues that the whole organism is alive, not just some part of it such as the brain.

  • Wanting to socialize

    So yeah, trying to get into Matrix. The chat protocol, not the movies or whatever things the *normies* watch. I'm not sure how to choose a home server. The name makes research harder, and I'm finding more material about self hosting than about instances to go to. On Mastodon I would go on a public instance and look where the cool people have created their accounts, but Matrix rooms are not public, it's a blind guess.

  • Licenses guarantees

    He mentioned a problem with licenses not being enough to guarantee open-source. I guess this is kind of expected, laws always have holes and never actually *prevent* things. I'm not sure that you can really fix human dishonesty with a license. Should still try though.

    ...and I just realized how true "everything a company has goes wrong" was. I actually can't think of a large project "owned" by a company that behaves anything like an open-source community.