Leftovers

• [Repeat] Noel Rappin ☛ Conway’s Law

  Hi – I thought I’d do something a little different this time. We’ll be back to more Better Know Ruby things next time, but I’ve been sitting on this essay for a while and wanted it to get out.

  You can also find this newsletter on the web on Buttondown’s site at https://buttondown.email/noelrap/archive/conways-law/, where you can also comment on it.

• LRT ☛ Lithuanian Season in France to feature art, photography in Paris metro, and gastronomy

  The Lithuanian Season in France, which starts this autumn, has attracted more than 500 artists, experts and performers from both countries, who will organise over 300 different events in different cities, from poetry readings at the Pompidou Art Centre to photography exhibitions in Paris metro stations.

• Science

  • Hackaday ☛ Remembering Peter Higgs And The Gravity Of His Contributions To Physics

    There are probably very few people on this globe who at some point in time haven’t heard the term ‘Higgs Boson’  zip past, along with the term ‘God Particle’. As during the 2010s the scientists at CERN were trying to find evidence for the existence of this scalar boson and with it evidence for the existence of the Higgs field that according to the Standard Model gives mass to gauge bosons like photons, this effort got communicated in the international media and elsewhere in a variety of ways.

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-09 [Older] Nobel Prize-winning physicist Peter Higgs dies, aged 94

• Education

  • CBC ☛ 2024-04-08 [Older] Sask. teachers intensify job action Monday with provincewide work-to-rule

• Hardware

  • CNX Software ☛ Review of GEEKOM XT12 Pro (Intel Core i9-12900H) Mini PC – Part 1: Specs, unboxing, and teardown

    GEEKOM XT12 Pro is a backdoored Windows 11 Pro mini PC powered by a 12th Gen defective chip maker Intel Core i9-12900H 14-core Alder Lake processor clocked up to 5 GHz with support for 8K video output, up to four 4K displays, 2.5Gbps Ethernet, and a WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 wireless module. The mini PC supports up to 64GB DDR4 memory, 2TB M.2 NVMe SSD, and 1TB M.2 SATA SSD, and also comes with multiple USB ports (USB4, USB 3.2, and

  • Hackaday ☛ Plasma Cutter On The Cheap Reviewed

    If you have a well-equipped shop, it isn’t unusual to have a welder. Stick welders have become a commodity and even some that use shield gas are cheap if you don’t count buying the bottle of gas. But plasma cutters are still a bit pricey. Can you get one from China for under $300? Yes. Do you want one that cheap? [Metal Massacre Fab Shop] answers that question in the video below.

  • Hackaday ☛ Compaq Portable III Is More Than Meets The Eye

    The Compaq Portable III hails from the 386 era — in the days before the laptop form factor was what we know today. It’s got a bit of an odd design, but a compelling one, and the keyboard is pretty nifty, too. [r0r0] found one of these old-school machines and decided it was well worth refitting it to give it some modern grunt.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Samsung wins $6.4B in CHIPS Act funding for Texas semiconductor complex [Ed: US taxpayers bailing out corporations from Korea]

    The U.S. Commerce Department announced today that Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. will receive up to $6.4 billion worth of federal grants to build a chip complex in Taylor, Texas. The project’s total price tag is expected to exceed $40 billion.

  • Hackaday ☛ Building A Tape Echo In A Coke Can Tape Player That Doesn’t Really Work

    Back in the 1990s, you could get a tape player shaped like a can of Coca Cola. [Simon the Magpie] scored one of these decks and decided to turn it into a tape echo effect instead. It didn’t work so well, but the concept is a compelling one. You can see the result in the video below.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-09 [Older] Why is China canceling US wheat shipments?

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-08 [Older] Are glasses or contacts better for the environment?

  • CBC ☛ 2024-04-09 [Older] Ontario man guilty of allergy testing fraud in U.S. was key employee of DNA lab in paternity controversy

  • CBC ☛ 2024-04-08 [Older] Severe COVID leads to higher risk of pulmonary fibrosis: research

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-08 [Older] New guidelines to help kids overcome food allergies

  • JURIST ☛ Germany expert commission releases report recommending legalization of early-stage abortion and amended laws for later-term pregnancies

    The Commission on Reproductive Self-Determination and Reproductive Medicine in Germany on Monday submitted a final report recommending the legalization of abortion within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy in the country.

  • ACLU ☛ Our New 4/20 Merch and Ongoing Fight for Legalization

    For decades, the ACLU has fought against the war on drugs. The criminalization of cannabis has led to far too many unjust incarcerations, which waste critical resources and billions of dollars. According to numbers from our 2020 report, it also disproportionately affects Black Americans, who continue to be almost four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white person, despite equal reported use rates.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-05 [Older] German police seize $100 million in US-bound fake bills

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Project Censored ☛ 2024-04-09 [Older] Illegal Tracking of “Concerning People” Using Cell-Site Simulators, Revealed by OIG Report

    • Techdirt ☛ Partisan Bullshit Tanks House Section 702 Reform Efforts

      It took the FBI carelessly, stupidly, and unlawfully targeting members of Trump’s inner circle to make Section 702 program reform a thing that might actually happen.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Beijing expresses ‘deep concern’ and urges ‘relevant parties’ to exercise restraint over Iran attack on Israel

    Beijing expressed “deep concern” on Sunday over Iran’s missile and drone attack on Israel, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said. “China expresses deep concern over the current escalation and calls on relevant parties to exercise calm and restraint to prevent further escalations,” the unnamed spokesman said.

  • CBC ☛ 2024-04-08 [Older] 2 dead, 1 seriously injured in shooting at south Edmonton construction site

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-09 [Older] US, Japan and Philippines summit: What's next for Asia?

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-08 [Older] Germany sends first soldiers for permanent Lithuania force

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-08 [Older] Germany: Suspect charged with planning 'coup' attempt

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-05 [Older] Europol maps out 821 'most threatening' crime groups

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-05 [Older] German government wants 'war-ready' troops

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-05 [Older] EU, NATO growing in popularity in Germany

  • Project Censored ☛ 2024-04-08 [Older] Chinese Cyberwarfare Heightens Tensions in Southeast Asia

  • Project Censored ☛ 2024-04-09 [Older] Phoenix Police Face Scrutiny Over Inconsistencies in Jacob Harris Shooting Case

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-06 [Older] France: 15-year old boy dies after attack near school

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-06 [Older] Germany: Violent crime reaches 15-year high — report

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-08 [Older] Mozambique: More than 90 killed as overcrowded boat sinks

  • Project Censored ☛ 2024-04-10 [Older] Constitutional Loophole Propels Xenophobic Border Policies in Texas

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-07 [Older] Rwanda marks 30 years since 1994 genocide of Tutsis

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-07 [Older] Germany: Hundreds march in solidarity after synagogue attack

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-07 [Older] Germany: Police charge suspect in Halle bomb-making case

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-07 [Older] Ecuador: US, Spain, Honduras slam Mexico embassy raid

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-08 [Older] Trump's attempt to delay hush money trial fails

  • France24 ☛ Paris Olympics opening ceremony on the Seine could move for security reasons, says Macron

    French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics planned on the River Seine could be shifted instead to the Stade de France if the security threat is deemed too high.

  • France24 ☛ 🔴 Live: Israel says it will respond to Iran's attack

    Israel will respond to Iran's weekend missile and drone attack on its territory, the military chief of staff said on Monday. "This launch of so many missiles, cruise missiles, and drones into Israeli territory will be met with a response," Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said. World leaders are urging Israel not to retaliate.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Jimmy Lai wanted to ‘purify’ radical Hong Kong protesters in 2019 over fears of losing international support, court hears

    Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai hoped to contact protesters leading the “valiant camp” during the 2019 unrest and “purify” them, out of concerns they would lose the pro-democracy movement international support, an activist has testified during Lai’s landmark national security trial.

  • New York Times ☛ Families of Manchester Bombing Victims File Lawsuit Against MI5

    The suit comes after an independent public inquiry said the 2017 bombing at an Ariana Grande concert was a “significant missed opportunity” for the U.K. spy agency.

  • Techdirt ☛ DeSantis Signs Bills To Create 25-Foot Halo Around Cops, Strip Oversight Boards Of Independence

    Here come more bad laws, courtesy of the Florida legislature — a government body that hasn’t met a right it isn’t willing to violate to further its bigoted agenda.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Why Trump criminal trial is about more than hush money

    The so-called hush money case has been billed as one of the less important lawsuits facing former President Donald Trump. But it’s the one underway.

  • France24 ☛ Iran's staged celebrations: Public sentiment vs. regime spectacle during missile attack on Israel

    Even before the drones and missiles had reached Israeli territory, the Islamic Republic of Iran, via its paramilitary Basiji forces, had already organised state-sanctioned street parties to celebrate. A video posted half an hour before the first missiles arrived in Israel shows hundreds of people waving Iranian flags and chanting: “Supreme leader, we are ready [to go to war].” In contrast to the apparently orchestrated public events, on social control media many Iranians expressed grave misgivings about the attack and the possibility of war and further economic turmoil.

  • The Straits Times ☛ US, China officials discuss Middle East, Taiwan, South China Sea

    The talks are the latest effort by the two countries to stabilise rocky ties.

  • RFA ☛ Vietnam mulls own territorial line in Tonkin Gulf

    The move follows Beijing’s announcement of a new baseline in waters shared with Vietnam.

  • RFA ☛ Marcos says Duterte struck ‘secret’ deal with Beijing on South China Sea

    The Philippine president says the insistence of the Chinese government convinces him his predecessor made an agreement.

  • RFA ☛ Solomon Islands election to test pro-China leader’s hold on power

    Voters in the Pacific island country are concerned by crumbling roads and lack of economic opportunity.

  • RFA ☛ Crumbling roads, rising prices: Solomon Islands election highlights frustrations, flashpoints

    Beijing’s funding has met some of the Pacific island country’s development needs.

  • RFA ☛ Hong Kong loses 10,000 civil servants amid political crackdown

    Government talent programs have yet to bear fruit, as brain drain from once-prestigious jobs persists.

  • RFA ☛ Cambodia deports 130 online scam suspects to China

    The deportations follow raids in Sihanoukville last month that included the seizure of computers and mobile phones.

  • RFERL ☛ Former U.S. National-Security Adviser Says Strong Israeli Response To Iran Attack Would Be Justified

    Former U.S. national-security adviser John Bolton says Israel is entitled to retaliate against Iran for its weekend attack, including destroying its nuclear weapons program, and stands by his comment that President Joe Biden is "an embarrassment" for urging Israel not to respond.

• Transparency/Investigative Reporting

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Boeing pushes back on whistleblower’s allegations and details how airframes are put together

    By DAVID KOENIG (AP Airlines Writer) Boeing is defending the integrity of the fuselages on two of its largest planes, which have come under criticism from a whistleblower who warns that panels on the outside of one of the planes could eventually break apart during flight.

• Environment

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-08 [Older] Targeting fast fashion, France aims to slow wasteful industry

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-09 [Older] Record hot March caps warmest 12 months on record — report

  • Science Alert ☛ Record-Breaking Ocean Heat Triggers 4th Global Coral Bleaching Event

    Clear evidence of the climate crisis.

  • Project Censored ☛ 2024-04-09 [Older] Wildfires in Chile Challenge Its Goal to be Carbon Neutral by 2050

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-07 [Older] Greece raises wildfire alert amid early blazes

  • Science Alert ☛ Trillions of Tons of Carbon Left Out of Environmental Models, Scientists Warn

    Something so obvious, but we missed it.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Unlock The Mystery of How We Taste Bitterness

    The bitter truth is finally revealed.

  • Science Alert ☛ There Could Be a Strange Link Between Menstrual Cycles And The Moon After All

    It's not as simple as you'd think.

  • Project Censored ☛ 2024-04-09 [Older] Activists Rally outside Insurance Giants, Denouncing Fossil Fuel Investments

  • CBC ☛ 2024-04-08 [Older] Fate of giant carbon capture project still uncertain, but oilsands consortium hopes for deal with feds

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-10 [Older] What are El Nino and La Nina?

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Security Week ☛ Former Security Engineer Sentenced to Prison for Hacking Crypto Exchanges

      Former security engineer Shakeeb Ahmed was sentenced to prison for hacking and defrauding cryptocurrency exchanges.

    • Silicon Angle ☛ Tesla lays off 10% of its workforce amid demand slowdown

      Shares of Tesla Inc. dropped 5% today after the automaker announced plans to let go more than a tenth of its workforce. The company had 140,473 employees last December, which suggests over 14,000 staffers may be leaving the company.

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-08 [Older] RECOMMENDED —The Pakistan-Iran natural gas pipeline has been decades in the making. But the project is still thwarted by US sanctions against Tehran

    • Project Censored ☛ 2024-04-08 [Older] Leaked Plans for Dam Removals Spur Controversy in the Pacific Northwest

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-09 [Older] Italy dam blast leaves several dead and missing

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-09 [Older] Nigeria: electricity tariff hike causes outrage

    • CBC ☛ 2024-04-05 [Older] May startup of Trans Mountain pipeline expansion surprises analysts

    • CBC ☛ 2024-04-04 [Older] Ford delays start of EV production at Ontario plant until 2027

    • CBC ☛ 2024-04-05 [Older] Rotating brownouts leave thousands of Albertans without power Friday

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-08 [Older] German airports reach agreement to end strike action

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • CBC ☛ 2024-04-06 [Older] A smoky summer is expected in parts of Canada as wildfire season begins. Here's how to prepare now

• Finance

  • CBC ☛ 2024-04-06 [Older] Whitehorse Star to close permanently after 124 years

  • Healthtech Zoe announces 20% cost cutting, detailing redundancy packages

    UK gut health startup Zoe — one of Europe’s best-funded direct-to-consumer healthtechs — has announced it will reduce its costs by 20%.

  • The Print ☛ Background-screening firm Checkr cuts 32% of workforce, source says

    Background-screening platform Checkr has cut 382 jobs, or 32% of its workforce, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, the latest company in the tech industry to resort to layoffs to reduce costs in an uncertain economy.

  • Be mindful of what you post on social media after a layoff, experts say

    While some workers might post a note on LinkedIn or stay silent on social media altogether, a trend has been emerging where gen Z and millennial employees are filming the emotional experience and broadcasting it on social media apps such as TikTok for the world to see.

  • India Today ☛ Ex-Amazon employee found out about her layoff after being locked out of PC, says half of her team lost jobs

    Earlier this month, hundreds of employees losing their jobs at AWS (Amazon Web Services) was all that the tech world could talk about. News of Amazon's latest round of layoffs spread quickly and people started sharing their stories on social media. Popular job-search website LinkedIn is also full of such stories. While some people are trying to look for better opportunities, others are simply venting out and seeking some kind of reassurance from others in their professional network. One such former Amazon employee took to the platform and shared how she found out that she had been laid off only when she was logged out of her system.

  • Business Insider ☛ I had to put LinkedIn workers on performance-improvement plans — then I got laid off myself

    LinkedIn then laid off more than 1,400 workers in two rounds of job cuts last year.

  • ABP ☛ Major Layoffs In 2024: Tesla, Apple, McKinsey, Google, Amazon And Many More

    Major Layoffs In 2024: In the last few months of 2024, the industry has experienced a surge in layoffs from major players across various sectors, leaving a significant number of employees without jobs

  • CBC ☛ 2024-04-09 [Older] Ontario man's fraud charge dropped while he was allegedly running $10M Ponzi scheme: lawsuits

  • CBC ☛ 2024-04-06 [Older] People are fed up with Loblaw stores' rising prices. Would a boycott accomplish anything?

  • New York Times ☛ China’s First Quarter Results Show Growth Propelled by Its Factories

    China’s big bet on exports has helped to counteract its housing slowdown, but other countries are worried about a flood of Chinese goods.

  • YLE ☛ PM Orpo, government enter "extremely difficult" budget talks

    On Monday morning government parties agreed on the need to make more savings, but not on how to find the money.

  • YLE ☛ Lapland tourism workers mourn dead colleague — "I have never worked in such a bad company"

    Seasonal workers in the Lapland tourism sector have long complained about excessive working hours, insufficient rest time between shifts and poor working conditions.

  • YLE ☛ Culture and arts groups protest government's planned funding cuts

    "The planned sum is so small that it will not save the economy, but it would be a deep blow to the cultural sector," writer Rosa Meriläinen told Yle.

  • YLE ☛ Inflation drops to 2.2% in March

    The latest inflation figures reflect a long-term downward trend in consumer prices.

  • Yahoo News ☛ Ex-Blizzard Exec Dragged For Suggesting Gamers Start Tipping

    Former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra made waves recently when he suggested that gamers might want to start tipping their favorite games extra. “I’ve often thought ‘I wish I could give these folks another $10 or $20 because it was worth more than my initial $70 and they didn’t try to nickel and dime me every second,’” he tweeted last week. It was a well-intentioned thought experiment that seemed to miss the forest for the trees.

  • Electronic Arts Announces Price Hike For Standard And Pro EA Play Subscriptions

    Electronic Arts is set to raise the price of EA Play this summer for both its Standard and Pro subscription tiers. According to GamesIndustry.biz, the publisher recently started sending out emails notifying users of the impending price increase with details on how much they’ll be tacking on to the current monthly subscription prices.

  • Business Insider ☛ The full list of major US companies slashing staff this year, from Tesla to Google and Apple

    Another major factor is artificial intelligence. Around four in 10 respondents said they'll conduct layoffs as they replace workers with AI. Dropbox, Google, and IBM have already announced job cuts related to AI.

  • Reuters ☛ Background-screening firm Checkr cuts 32% of workforce, source says

    Background-screening platform Checkr has cut 382 jobs, or 32% of its workforce, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, the latest company in the tech industry to resort to layoffs to reduce costs in an uncertain economy.

  • TikTok Layoffs 2024: Over 250 Employees To Be Sacked in Ireland by Popular Short-Video Hosting Company As Par of Restructuring

    Tiktok layoffs will reportedly begin today as the short-video hosting platform cuts over 250 employees in Ireland. In February, it was anticipated that Tiktok was planning to cut nearly 300 jobs in Ireland following a "restructuring" exercise. It was reported that the short-video platform would also cut hundreds of jobs internationally.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-10 [Older] South Korea: Opposition set to boost majority — exit polls

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-08 [Older] South Korea elections: What is at stake?

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea Yoon orders preemptive response to Middle East tensions

    SEOUL - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Tuesday there should be preemptive response to any risk factors arising from the tensions in the Middle East following Iran's attack on Israel due to the country's energy dependence on the region.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea foreign ministry summons Japan diplomat over disputed islands

    SEOUL - South Korea's foreign ministry summoned a Japanese diplomat on Tuesday to protest a claim in Japan's annual diplomatic policy Bluebook over a group of islands between the countries at the centre of a longstanding territorial row, Yonhap news reported.

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-08 [Older] Sudanese despair as war nears 1-year anniversary

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-05 [Older] EU and US pledge fresh financial support for Armenia

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-05 [Older] Chinese subsidies endanger world economy, says US' Yellen

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-05 [Older] Egypt: Cash helps now, but only reforms secure the future

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-10 [Older] Why Germany needs a new national port strategy

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-09 [Older] Ecuador: Ex-vice president hospitalized after embassy raid

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-09 [Older] Georgia: Thousands protest 'foreign agent' law

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-09 [Older] India elections: Why are expats important to BJP?

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-09 [Older] Germany: Minister demands 'zero tolerance' for violent crime

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-09 [Older] Djibouti: Dozens of migrants die in shipwreck

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-06 [Older] US, China to hold 'intensive exchanges on balanced growth'

  • New York Times ☛ China’s Nuclear Ambitions Have Changed the World

    Should the U.S. forswear launching nukes first in combat?

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong slams ‘political manoeuvres’ as US and Canada urge travellers to exercise caution in city

    US and Canadian authorities’ calls for caution when travelling to Hong Kong following the enactment of new security legislation amounted to “political manoeuvres” and “twisted remarks,” the city’s government has said.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 5 Hongkongers acquitted of loitering in store linked to 47 democrats case after court issues bind-over orders

    Five Hongkongers who were charged with loitering at a chain store linked to the city’s largest national security case have been acquitted after a court issued good behaviour orders.

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-06 [Older] Senegal's new government full of fresh faces

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-06 [Older] Hungary: Tens of thousands rally in support of Orban rival

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-07 [Older] US-China relationship on 'more stable footing' Yellen says

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Organisers of Beijing half marathon look into ’embarrassing’ win by China’s He Jie

    Beijing half marathon organisers said Monday they were investigating after footage shared widely online appeared to show three African runners deliberately allowing China’s He Jie to win. Video clips of Sunday’s race showed the Kenyans Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat, Dejene Hailu of Ethiopia and home runner He approaching the finish.

  • New York Times ☛ Inside the Manhattan Courtroom Where Trump Is on Trial

    Protesters railed outside, media and security swarmed the area, and inside the courtroom, Donald J. Trump appeared to nod off.

  • JURIST ☛ Australia judge rules in defamation trial that former government adviser raped colleague in parliament

    Australia Federal Court Justice Michael Lee found that former government adviser Bruce Lehrmann raped a colleague in a Parliament House office on Monday. The judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit Lehrmann brought against the Australian media company Network Ten after it aired an interview with his accuser, Brittany Higgin.

  • Reason ☛ Defendant in Federal Case Alleging Long-Ago Sexual Assault of Minor Can't Get Materials Sealed …

    based on state sealing law. The lawsuit is against a current Vermont legislator, and alleges the defendant had aided and abetted the sexual assault of the then-16-to-17-year-old plaintiff in 1968-70.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • Techdirt ☛ Fake ‘Pink Slime’ Propaganda Newspapers Surge Ahead Of Fall Election

      For decades, academics have been trying to warn anybody who’d listen that the death of your local newspaper and the steady consolidation of local TV broadcasters was creating either “news deserts,” or local news that’s mostly just low-calorie puffery and simulacrum. Despite claims that the “internet would fix this,” fixing local journalism just wasn’t profitable enough for the dipsy brunchlords that fail upward into positions of prominence at most media companies, so the internet… didn’t.

    • Silicon Angle ☛ Cyabra exposes disinformation campaign on X targeting Intel’s stock price

      A new report released today by social threat intelligence company Cyabra Strategy Ltd. is warning of attempts to manipulate the stock price of defective chip maker Intel Corp. on X, the service previously known as Twitter.

    • Techdirt ☛ Elon Is Now Forcing Bluechecks On Users Who Don’t Want Them, And Refusing To Let Them Hide Them

      Apparently, the forced bluechecking will continue until the culture on ExTwitter improves.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Jacobin Magazine ☛ 2024-04-04 [Older] Giorgia Meloni’s Grip on Italian TV Is Turning Off Viewers

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Reason ☛ Biden Hints at Freedom for Julian Assange

    U.S. need for Australia’s cooperation in the Pacific may win the journalist’s release.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • Project Censored ☛ 2024-04-08 [Older] Appalachian State Fires LGBTQ+ Staff Amidst Rollback of DEI Initiatives

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-05 [Older] Germany: Many far-right extremists licensed to own arms

  • RFA ☛ What do women want? Mandarin pop song lyrics reveal a shift, study shows

    Hong Kong researchers find fewer songs about love and more about freedom and self-determination.

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-04-05 [Older] India: How will Uniform Civil Code impact women's rights?

  • Project Censored ☛ 2024-04-09 [Older] Guatemalan Call Center Workers Demand Better Conditions

  • Project Censored ☛ 2024-04-09 [Older] Forced Labor Traps Adopted Children in Paraguay

  • Meduza ☛ Physical brawl erupts in Georgia’s parliament as lawmakers consider resurrected ‘foreign agents’ bill — Meduza

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Public Knowledge ☛ Public Knowledge Joins More Than 200 Groups Urging Congress To Save Affordable Connectivity Program

    More than 200 groups and local governments urge Congress to fund the ACP to keep families connected.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Dolphin Publications B V ☛ Liveblog Broadcom/VMware: EU antitrust unit probing Broadcom

  In this blog, Techzine reports on the latest developments surrounding VMware’s acquisition of Broadcom.

  April 16 – The European Commission has inquired about Broadcom’s heavily modified VMware licences. This shows that Brussels is heeding the call by CIO organisations (see 29 March). A spokesperson confirmed that the Commission received information about Broadcom’s changed licensing and support policies.

  Broadcom has already refuted the claims made by the interest groups. According to the company, its new bundling of services is more advantageous than before for most customers. The great dissatisfaction among many VMware customers and partners shows that this argument is not very persuasive.

  The EU investigation currently consists only of several questions from the European Commission’s antitrust unit. Previous similar investigations mostly consist of a round-up of competitors to determine whether action is needed from EU regulators. It is uncertain whether and when these initial procedures will be followed up.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ Precedential No. 5: TTAB Finds SAGEFORTH Confusable With SAGE CENTRAL for Medical Information Services, Dismisses Section 18 Counterclaim Without Prejudice

    The Board sustained this straightforward Section 2(d) opposition to registration of the mark SAGEFORTH for "providing information in the field of psychological counseling, assessments, diagnosis, and treatment," in view of the registered mark SAGE CENTRAL for "providing health and medical information about postpartum depression and treatment." The only somewhat interesting part of the decision concerned the Board's dismissal (without prejudice) of applicant's counterclaim to restrict four additional pleaded registrations that the Board did not include in its Section 2(d) analysis. Sage Therapeutics, Inc. v. SageForth Psychological Services, LLC,, Opposition No. 91270181 (April 12, 2024) [precedential] (Opinion by Judge Mark A. Thurmon).