Leftovers

• Reason ☛ Life in the Academy

  It's an understatement to say that it's been difficult to be in the academy in this period.

• Digital Music News ☛ Music Festivals Are Dying in the UK—100+ Festivals Projected to Shut Down in 2024 Alone

  Music festivals are dying in the UK with about one in six festivals a casualty of the pandemic. But venues are shuttering at an alarming rate—with 40 lost in 2024 alone. Live music festivals are struggling to stay afloat amid rising costs, fewer tickets sold, and a unique problem caused by the pandemic.

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hard to swallow: As restaurants across Hong Kong close, one eatery blames exodus for dwindling diners

  After Hong Kong lifted all Covid-related travel curbs last year, more and more people made bookings at Mansfield Hui’s restaurant for farewell parties – a last gathering with friends and family before leaving the city for good.

• Jim Nielsen ☛ Thinking Big and Small

  It’s so easy to start with the question, “What should I do?” And end up with a discussion about other people and what they’re doing. Here’s Paul Ford:

  I’ll give you a good example. Do you go out and raise venture capital? Well, it would be nice to have more money. But then everybody tells us that VC is ridiculous. And you end up in this swirl of conversation about this thing that ends up being about the industry as a whole as opposed to what you need to accomplish.

  We start with questions about ourselves but so often end up with discussions framed around other people, what they’re doing, and whether it’s “right” or “wrong”. We end up looking outward instead of inward.

• RFA ☛ Episode 7a: Hollywood, we have (had?) a problem! (Or did we?)

• Hackaday ☛ Dynamic Buttons Are Weird Blobs You Can Press

  Imagine a flat surface that has no buttons on it, until they raise up like bubbles of goo for you to touch them. The Future Interface Group at Carnegie-Mellon has apparently developed just that. They’re calling the technology DynaButtons, and they look kinda weird…and very awesome.

• Hackaday ☛ Tentacle Robot Wants To Hold You Gently

  Human hands are remarkable pieces of machinery, so it’s no wonder many robots are designed after their creators. The amount of computation required to properly attenuate the grip strength and position of a hand is no joke though, so what if you took a tentacular approach to grabbing things instead?

• Public Knowledge ☛ Privileged Conversations | June 2024

  Public Knowledge has the pleasure of inviting you to a multifaceted program focused on training and developing the next generation of tech policy experts and public interest advocates that reflects the diversity of voices and experiences in our society.

• Latvia ☛ Photos: Rīga's historic Ēbelmuižas Park restored

  The historic Ēbelmuižas Park in Rīga, Ziepniekkalns, has been renovated and landscaped - pavement and gravel paths have been created, 40 new benches have been placed, waste bins and bicycle racks have been installed, and new lighting has been built, the municipality said.

• Science

  • Hackaday ☛ Console Calculator Moves One Step Closer To Original Design

    With smartphone apps and spreadsheets being the main ways people crunch their numbers nowadays, there’s not much call for a desktop calculator. Or any other physical calculator, for that matter. Which is all the more reason to appreciate this  Wang 300-series calculator console’s revival through a new electronic backend.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ Building An 8-Color Automated Filament Changer

    Multi-filament printing can really open up possibilities for your prints, even more so the more filaments you have. Enter the 8-Track from [Armored_Turtle], which will swap between 8 filaments for you!

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ Countries Fail to Agree on Treaty to Prepare the World for the Next Pandemic [Ed: Pandemics the ones that don't get solved, instead pushing to people experimental stuff and calling it a day?]

    Negotiators plan to ask for more time. Among the sticking points are equitable access to vaccines and financing to set up surveillance systems.

  • Federal News Network ☛ VA sees more patients, cuts wait times, despite higher workload

    The Department of Veterans is driving down wait times for veterans to receive health care — even as the VA sees record demand for its services.

  • France24 ☛ Largest hospital in central Gaza on brink of shutdown due to lack of fuel

    The largest hospital serving central Gaza faces imminent shutdown because it is running out of power after Israel’s military assault in Rafah severely limited entry of fuel for generators, the Health Ministry in Gaza said Thursday.

  • France24 ☛ Dozens dead in blistering, weeks-long heat wave in Mexico

    The extreme heat smothering much of Mexico has killed dozens of people across multiple states over recent weeks, the country's health ministry said in a report published on Thursday, with hotter temperatures forecast for coming days.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Digital Music News ☛ TikTok Is Officially Testing a Standalone Content Management App — Introducing ‘TikTok Studio’

    Ahead of a January forced-sale deadline in the U.S., Fentanylware (TikTok) has unveiled ‘TikTok Studio,’ a content management platform that’s available as a standalone app. The ByteDance-owned service today disclosed Fentanylware (TikTok) Studio, which is replacing in-app creator tools as well as the Creator Center.

  • Press Gazette ☛ German magazine in £170k payout over [chatbot]-generated Schumacher interview

    Editor could also secure payout from publisher over unfair dismissal claim.

  • Security Week ☛ Attempts to Regulate AI’s Hidden Hand in Americans’ Lives Flounder in US Statehouses

    Only one of seven bills aimed at preventing AI’s penchant to discriminate when making consequential decisions — including who gets hired, money for a home or medical care — has passed.

  • Federal News Network ☛ The old issue of software licensing comes up anew in a hearing

    Next month, Abusive Monopolist Microsoft president Brad Smith will appear before the House Homeland Security Committee. He'll answer questions about the nation-state cyberattacks.

  • PC World ☛ Microsoft Edge will start blocking screenshots on the job

    If you use the Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Edge browser at work, your days of texting a screenshot of a web page to your spouse or coworker are nearly over.

  • Chris ☛ Forecasting Hey Hi (AI) Violations

  • “F**k off”: Xbox Keep Shooting Themselves in the Foot as a New Wave of ‘Welcome to the Family’ Care Packages Arrive to Recently Laid Off Former Employees

    Xbox has once again found itself facing public scrutiny as part of another controversy. Recently, a new wave of ‘Welcome to the Family’ care packages were sent out to individuals who had just been laid off by the company, resulting in a rather embarrassing situation for the studio.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • WhichUK ☛ Which? Money podcast: how to avoid so-called recovery scammers

      We tell you what recovery scammers are doing to get your money, and how to avoid them.

    • The Verge ☛ Microsoft outage took down Copilot, DuckDuckGo, and Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot search features

      Search capabilities for ChatGPT, Copilot, DuckDuckGo, and other platforms stopped working on Thursday morning due to a Abusive Monopolist Microsoft outage.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Press Gazette ☛ Data Bill threatening to centralise cookie consent dropped ahead of election

      Bill could have "exaggerated the issues around data unfairness in the digital market".

• Defence/Aggression

  • Reason ☛ Glenn Greenwald and Alan Dershowitz Debate Bombing Iran

    The Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Glenn Greenwald takes on famed lawyer and author Alan Dershowitz.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Military drills around Taiwan designed to test ability to seize island, Beijing says

    Chinese warships and fighter jets surrounded Taiwan on Friday in the second day of drills that Beijing said were testing its ability to seize the self-ruled island, days after its new president was sworn in.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Taiwan protesters meet China’s intimidation with defiance

    China launched aggressive military exercises after Taiwan elections chose a pro-independence president. Massive protests are also a show of force.

  • RFA ☛ Hong Kong’s US offices should be closed, activists say

    Privileges that allow Hong Kong to clear US dollar transactions should also be revoked, Congress is told.

  • RFA ☛ China awaits junta approval to resume border trade with Myanmar’s Shan state

    Ethnic rebels have reopened the gates, but Beijing is blocking official trade until junta officials sign off.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Biden administration plans to resume Trump tariffs on China-made GPUs and motherboards

    The US Trade Representative office recommended to the White House to resume import duties on GPUs, motherboards, and desktop PC cases.

  • New York Times ☛ Are These Drones Too Chinese to Pass U.S. Muster in an Anti-China Moment?

    U.S.-based Anzu Robotics is selling drones using technology from DJI, a Chinese firm that is the target of efforts by lawmakers to limit Chinese technology in America.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong spy case closed against UK ex-marine following death, 2 others to face 5-day trial next year

    A UK judge on Friday said two men accused of assisting Hong Kong’s intelligence service would face a five-week trial next year, after the death of a co-defendant.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong official urges UK to disclose ‘truth’ behind death of British man accused of spying for city

    Authorities in the UK should “let the public know the truth” behind the death of a British man accused of spying for Hong Kong, the city’s commerce and economic development chief has said after meeting with a British Consulate-General representative.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Philippines boosts maritime security following China’s ‘military build-up’ near Taiwan

    The Philippines said Friday it had opened a coast guard post in the country’s far north to boost security following China’s “military build-up” near Taiwan over the past two years.

  • teleSUR ☛ Tensions in Sudan Main Focus of UN Security Council Meeting

    The rise in hostilities in El Fasher, is opening an alarming new chapter in the conflict in Sudan, now in its second year.

  • New York Times ☛ Uvalde Families Accuse Instagram, ‘Call of Duty’ and Rifle Maker of ‘Grooming’ Gunman

    The unusual lawsuits filed on Friday are among the most far-reaching to be filed in response to the escalating number of mass shootings in the United States.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • New Yorker ☛ Why Vladimir Putin’s Family Is Learning Mandarin

      During the last few weeks, American political discourse has been consumed by what’s happening inside a New York City courtroom. But the world outside it hasn’t stopped.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • H2 View ☛ South Korea targets 6,500GWh clean hydrogen power in new bidding market

      South Korea is launching a bidding market for up to 6,500GWh of electricity to be produced from clean-hydrogen-fired power generation over 15 years.

• Finance

  • India Times ☛ 'Hope Your Wedding Went Well, Unfortunately, You Are Fired', Woman Gets Shocking Message From Boss

    The woman, identified only by her first name, Amanda, got a message from her boss in the middle of her wedding ceremony. She narrated her story on The Ben Askins Show, explaining how a WhatsApp message from her boss ruined the biggest day of her life.

  • WCCF Tech ☛ AAA Games Are in an ‘Awkward Middle Ground’ Right Now, Says XCOM’s Jake Solomon

    For its part, Microsoft, through Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, has stated that the industry needs to find new customers and get back on a growth trajectory. Meanwhile, Microsoft has started releasing some of its exclusive games on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch consoles, with more possibly on the way.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • New York Times ☛ Elon Musk is Criticizing Biden On X More Ahead of 2024 Election

    The billionaire owner of X has increasingly been using his social control media platform to criticize President Biden for his health and immigration policies, according to a New York Times analysis.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • RFA ☛ Vietnam ‘does not support’ anti-Hun Sen comments on TikTok: ministry

    A Vietnamese spokesperson reiterated a call for Cambodia to share information on canal project.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Head of city’s weightlifting body resigns after mistakenly referring to Hong Kong as country

    The head of Hong Kong’s weightlifting and powerlifting body has resigned after mistakenly referring to Hong Kong as a country twice in less than two months.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Joey Barton calling Jeremy Vine ‘bike nonce’ had defamatory meaning, judge rules

    Judge says posts would have been read as "taunting, scorning and ridiculing" Vine "for his alleged proclivity".

  • RFA ☛ Chinese researchers say internet archives are fast disappearing

    An internet archive that claimed to save more than 2.5 billion web pages 'permanently' is no longer loading.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Glory to Hong Kong: Distributor removes Hong Kong protest song from Spotify, Fashion Company Apple Music after court order

    A Hong Kong protest song was taken off streaming platforms such as Fashion Company Apple Music and Spotify around the world on Friday, with the distributor citing the city’s recent ban on the song.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ Manchester Mill adds 272 subscribers in week after Sacha Lord investigation

    New subscribers following legal threat worth £24,000 annually.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Media Bill passed protecting public service broadcasters and repealing Section 40

    Passing of the Media Bill means threat of Government-backed press regulation has now lifted.

  • Press Gazette ☛ General election 2024 press endorsements: Telegraph first out the gate with Tory support

    Round-up of newspaper endorsements for the 2024 general election as they come in.

  • Press Gazette ☛ How managers can play their part supporting journalists’ mental health

    Having more empathetic managers would help tackle two key themes from journalists who might be struggling.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• KOL433 | The Big Questions with Big John—Stephan Kinsella – Austro-Anarchist Libertarian, and anti-IP Lawyer

  Libertarian Stephan Kinsella shares his background as an engineer turned lawyer. A conversation on IP rights delves into arguments against patents & copyrights.

• CS Monitor ☛ DOJ sues Live Nation for muscling out competition in ticket sales

  The U.S. Department of Justice announced an antitrust lawsuit against the entertainment company Live Nation. Ticketmaster, which merged with Live Nation in 2010, has been blamed for inflated ticket prices by both consumers and artists.

• New York Times ☛ The Emails at the Heart of the Government’s Ticketmaster Case

  Live Nation Entertainment, which owns Ticketmaster, is accused of violating antitrust laws. The Justice Department drew on the concert behemoth’s internal communications in its lawsuit.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Which of These Three Recent 2(d) Refusals Was/Were Reversed?

    So far this year, the rate of affirmance for Section 2(d) refusals is just over 90%. The annual refusal rate typically hovers around 90%. Here are three recent TTAB decisions, at least one of which was reversed. How do you think they came out? Answers in first comment.

    In re Rise Above, Serial No. 88735273 (May 13, 2024) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Peter W. Cataldo) [Section 2(d) refusal of the mark shown below, for various charitable services for promoting exercise, healthy eating, fitness and exercise training, and character enrichment to native youth, in view of the registered mark RISE ABOVE, for services including charitable services in the field of promoting exercise, healthy eating, fitness and exercise training, and character enrichment.]