Leftovers

• Hackaday ☛ 2024 Business Card Contest: A Game For Two

  If you want to make a good first impression on someone, it seems like the longer you can keep them talking, the better. After all, if they want to keep talking, that’s a pretty good sign that even if you don’t become business partners, you might end up friends. What better way to make an acquaintance than over a friendly game of tic-tac-toe?

• Hackaday ☛ Clock Mixes Analog, Digital, Retrograde Displays

  Unique clocks are a mainstay around here, and while plenty are “human readable” without any instruction, there are a few that take a bit of practice before someone can glean the current time from them. Word clocks are perhaps on the easier side of non-traditional displays but at the other end are binary clocks or even things like QR code clocks. To get the best of both worlds, though, multiple clock faces can be combined into one large display like this clock build from [imitche3].

• Science

  • New Yorker ☛ “Matrescence,” and the Transformations of Motherhood

    In her new book—part memoir, part science writing—Lucy Jones argues that having a baby changes the body as much as adolescence, and should be taken as seriously.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Confirm The Planet Vulcan Doesn't Actually Exist After All

    Sorry Spock.

  • Science Alert ☛ There's a Hole on The Surface of Mars And Scientists Have No Idea What's Inside It

    This can't end well.

  • Science Alert ☛ New Hope Discovered For Children Whose Soft Tissues Slowly Turn to Bone

    This could change lives.

  • Science Alert ☛ Strange Metal From Beyond Our Planet Found in Ancient Treasure Stash

  • Jim Nielsen ☛ Overcomplicating Things Is So Easy

    Maciej Cegłowski writing about “The Lunacy of Artemis”:

    You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to wonder what’s going on here. If we can put a man on the moon, then why can't we just go do it again? The moon hasn’t changed since the 1960’s, while every technology we used to get there has seen staggering advances. It took NASA eight years to go from nothing to a moon landing at the dawn of the Space Age. But today, twenty years and $93 billion after the space agency announced our return to the moon, the goal seems as far out of reach as ever.

    Sounds like vaporware: lots of money and time invested, but little progress made towards your goal.

    Advocates for Artemis insist that the program is more than Apollo 2.0. But as we’ll see, Artemis can't even measure up to Apollo 1.0. It costs more, does less, flies less frequently, and exposes crews to risks that the steely-eyed missile men of the Apollo era found unacceptable.

    Sounds typical of software going from version 1.0 to 2.0 🥁

• Hardware

  • IT Wire ☛ IDC sees global smartphone shipments rising by 4% this year

    The company said in a statement that this growth would add momentum to the overall recovery it expected as consumer demand slowly rebounded from the dismal showing of the last few years.

    Slower growth of 2.3% was expected in 2025, followed by low single-digit growth for the rest of the forecast period, resulting in a five-year compound annual growth rate of 2.3%, IDC said.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Dell’s stock plummets as rising demand for Hey Hi (AI) servers eats away at its gross margin [Ed: This is from a Dell-funded 'news' site]

    Shares of Dell Technologies Inc. cratered in extended trading today as analysts raised concerns over the impact of rising demand for artificial intelligence servers on the company’s overall profitability. >

  • Hackaday ☛ Fixing A Camera’s WiFi Connectivity With Ghidra

    If your old camera’s WiFi picture upload feature breaks, what do you do? Begrudgingly get a new one? Well, if you’re like [Ge0rg], you break out Ghidra and find the culprit. He’s been hacking on Samsung’s connected cameras for a fair bit now, and we’ve covered his adventures hacking on Samsung’s Linux-powered camera series throughout the last decade, from getting root on them for fun, to deep dives into the series. Now, it was time to try and fix a problem with one particular camera, Samsung WB850F, which had its picture upload feature break at some point.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Former SK hynix employee charged with stealing tech for Huawei — Chinese national was arrested at airport

    An unidentified Chinese national who once worked for South Korea's SK hynix allegedly took more than 3,000 pages worth of proprietary technology printouts to Huawei

  • Hackaday ☛ Old Spotify Car Thing Hacks Gain New Attention

    If you haven’t heard by now, Spotify is shutting down support for their “Car Thing” on December 9th of this year. Once that happens the automotive media player will officially be useless, with users being advised to literally throw them in the trash come December 10th. Call it an early Christmas present from your friends at the multi-billion dollar streaming company.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ PTSD Has Surged Among College Students

    The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder among college students rose to 7.5 percent in 2022, more than double the rate five years earlier, researchers found.

  • Science Alert ☛ Orange Peels Could Have Surprising Health Benefits For Your Heart

    And your gut.

  • France24 ☛ French pharmacists strike over drug shortages and pay, closing shops nationwide

    French pharmacists launched their first walkout in 10 years on Thursday, closing up shop over drug shortages, pharmacy closures and fears medications could be sold online, as well as higher pay.

  • Reason ☛ The COVID-19 Vaccines Shouldn't Have Been Free [Ed: Free? They were never free, just prepaid.]

    So many problems would have disappeared if we had treated them like a normal product.

  • Hackaday ☛ Noodles Time Themselves While Cooking

    Despite the name, so-called “instant” noodles still need to sit for a few minutes before they’re actually ready to eat. Most people would likely use a simple kitchen timer to let them know when it’s time to chow down, but this unique mechanical timer uses the weight of the noodles themselves to power a timing mechanism.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Press Gazette ☛ Early signs show Surveillance Giant Google Hey Hi (AI) Overviews won’t mean ‘dramatic downward dive’ for news traffic

    Meanwhile Surveillance Giant Google news partnerships boss says "overly summarising" news content runs counter to its mission.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Latvia ☛ New details emerge in Pegasus spyware scandal in Latvia

      The Pegasus spyware program – available only to selected government agencies by its Israeli developer, NSO Group – infected or attempted to infect the phones of at least seven journalists and politicians in Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, an examination by Canada's Citizen Lab (at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto) and the NGO Access Now confirmed May 30.

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Phones of journalists and activists in Europe targeted with Pegasus

      The notorious Israeli spyware was used to target journalists often working in exile from their authoritarian home countries, report finds. 

    • Reason ☛ The Illusion of Financial Privacy

      Decades of legislation have chipped away at the financial privacy Americans believe they still have.

    • EDRI ☛ The future is now

      Reclaiming connections between people, the planet and technology

• Defence/Aggression

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Guerrero mayoral candidate killed at final campaign event

    Alfredo Cabrera, who had armed federal protection, was shot shortly before giving a speech in the municipality of Coyca de Benítez, near Acapulco.

  • Defence Web ☛ Greek bulk carrier Laax damaged after being struck by three Houthi missiles

    The Yemeni-based Houthis have struck again. This time the victim is a Greek-owned and operated bulk carrier sailing in the lower Red Sea, which was hit on 28 May.

  • France24 ☛ US and UK air strikes hit several strategic sites across Yemen

    The U.S. and Britain struck 13 Houthi targets in several locations in Yemen on Thursday in response to a recent surge in attacks by the Iran-backed militia group on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, three U.S. officials said.

  • RFA ☛ In Xinjiang, China's security chief calls for normalization of counterterrorism steps

    Move comes as China declares it hasn’t had any terrorist attacks in 7 years.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Immigration is rising in the US and Mexico. Why it’s only an election issue in the US.

    The different ways in which immigration is influencing elections in the United States and in Mexico underscores each country’s distinct relationships with migrants and asylum-seekers.

  • Michael Geist ☛ This is Who We Are Now

    There was another shooting at a Jewish school in Montreal yesterday, which led to what has become the Canadian version of “thoughts and prayers”, namely a politician lamenting that “this isn’t who we are.”

  • Digital Music News ☛ ByteDance Offered U.S. Government Major Fentanylware (TikTok) Oversight—Including a “Kill Switch”

    A new report suggests ByteDance offered the U.S. government oversight over TikTok’s American operations—including a ‘kill switch’ if necessary. The Biden administration turned down this offer in 2022. The Washington Post reports Chinese company ByteDance made this offer in 2022, amid fierce debate over legislation to ban Fentanylware (TikTok) in the United States.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • RFERL ☛ U.S. Treasury Sanctions Wagner-Linked C.A.R. Companies

      The U.S. Treasury announced sanctions on two Central African Republic companies on May 30 for their alleged involvement with the Russian Wagner private military company.

    • RFERL ☛ Hague Officials Reject Move To Name Street After Navalny

      City officials in The Hague have turned down a request by activists to rename a street in the Dutch city in honor of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, who died in February under suspicious circumstances in an Arctic prison.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ If the West wants a sustainable peace it must commit to Ukrainian victory

      Since 2022, Western policies of escalation management have failed to appease Putin and have only emboldened the Kremlin. If the West wants peace, it must help Ukraine win, write Hanna Hopko and Andrius Kubilius.

• Environment

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong Observatory issues first T1 typhoon signal of the year as tropical depression approaches

    The Hong Kong Observatory has raised its first typhoon warning signal of the year, issuing the Standby Signal Number 1 at 5.40 pm on Thursday as a tropical depression approached the city.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Fisker initiates another round of job cuts

      During a meeting earlier this week, Fisker reportedly announced another round of layoffs for its workforce. Former employees estimate that only a fraction of the company’s employees remain at Fisker.

      Citing multiple current and former Fisker employees, TechCrunch noted in a report that alarm bells rang for workers on Wednesday when Fisker announced that they should work from home. This was a rather unusual directive from the automaker, and during an all-hands meeting on Wednesday morning, their suspicions were confirmed.

      The publication’s sources noted that CEO Henrik Fisker informed employees that a large investor that Fisker owes money to was pushing for more staff cuts. While Fisker reportedly remained tight-lipped about the investor’s identity, the CEO reportedly referenced Heights Capital Management during the meeting. Heights Capital Management is an affiliate of Susquehanna International Group.

    • European Commission ☛ Press remarks by Commissioner Simson at the Energy Council

      I would like to start by congratulating Minister Van der Straeten on the success of the Belgian Presidency.

    • New York Times ☛ Man Dies After Climbing Into Jet Engine at Amsterdam Airport

      The Dutch military police identified the man only as “an employee of a company operating at” Schiphol Airport. His death on Wednesday has been ruled a suicide.

• Finance

  • New York Times ☛ Why Are People So Down About the Economy? Theories Abound. [Ed: Down about a down economy? Must be conspiracy theory!!!]

    Things look strong on paper, but many Americans remain unconvinced. We asked economic officials, the woman who coined “vibecession” and Charlamagne Tha God what they think is happening.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong justice dept. to launch appeal bid against 2 democrats cleared of subversion charge

    Hong Kong’s Department of Justice has announced it intends to appeal the acquittal of two pro-democracy figures, who were found not guilty of conspiring to commit conspiracy over their roles in an unofficial primary election in July 2020.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 14 Hong Kong democrats convicted of subversion conspiracy in landmark national security trial, 2 cleared

    Fourteen Hong Kong democrats have been found guilty and two have been cleared of taking part in a conspiracy to commit subversion in a landmark national security trial revolving around their roles in an unofficial primary election in July 2020.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong press on as Beijing seeks to make example of them in court

    For decades, Hong Kong’s activists have been fighting for democracy. The Hong Kong court on May 30 convicted 14 pro-democracy activists in the city’s biggest national security case under a law imposed by Beijing that has all but wiped out public dissent.

  • New York Times ☛ How ‘Election Integrity’ Can Change the People Around Trump

    Some people really believe the fraud claims, and people don’t but make it sound as if they did. Both seem likely to be a part of the Trump future.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong nat. security police praise own investigation after 14 democrats convicted, EU raps prosecution

    The Hong Kong police national security unit praised its own “good-quality” investigation after 14 democrats were convicted on Thursday of subversion under the security law, while the European Union criticised what it called a “politically motivated prosecution.”

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ After EU, US criticise arrests under new Hong Kong security law, China’s foreign ministry says ‘stop interfering’

    China on Thursday told international critics of Hong Kong’s security law to “stop interfering” following condemnation of the arrests of seven people for posting “seditious” online messages. The seven were arrested Tuesday and Wednesday for “offences in connection with seditious intention” in relation to social control media posts commemorating Beijing’s 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.

  • JURIST ☛ Hong Kong court convicts 14 activists over subverting state power by controlling legislature

    The Hong Kong Court of First Instance (CFI) convicted 14 of 16 democracy activists of conspiring to commit subversion under Article 22(3) of the China-imposed National Security Law on Thursday over their roles in subverting state power to gain a controlling majority in the 2020 Legislative Council election [...]

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong 47: 5 members of pro-democracy League of Social Democrats arrested over conduct outside court

    Five members of pro-democracy party the League of Social Democrats were arrested on Thursday after attempting to stage a protest outside the courthouse where 14 democrats were convicted of subversion under the national security law. ]

  • CS Monitor ☛ What’s cute, black and white, and returning to America? China is sending pandas back to D.C.

    Two new giant pandas are returning to Washington’s National Zoo from China this year. The announcement from the Smithsonian Institution on May 29 reverses the trend of American zoos sending pandas back to China as loan agreements lapsed.

  • Pro Publica ☛ Texas AG Ken Paxton Is Using Consumer Protection Laws to Pursue His Political Targets

    The men knocked on the door of a two-story, red-brick building in downtown El Paso one chilly morning in February. When a volunteer answered, they handed her a document they said gave them the right to go inside and review records kept by Annunciation House, a nonprofit that for decades has served immigrants and refugees seeking shelter.

    An employee phoned Ruben Garcia, the nonprofit’s director and founder, who was at one of the organization’s other properties. Feeling a calling to do more to help immigrants and other people experiencing poverty, Garcia was part of a small group that formed the nonprofit in the 1970s. He’s since become an unofficial historian of the migration patterns and political response to immigration and immigrants.

  • Pro Publica ☛ Ken Paxton Has Used Consumer Protection Law to Target These Organizations

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has repeatedly used the state’s powerful consumer protection laws to investigate organizations whose work conflicts in some way with his political views or the views of his conservative base, an analysis by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found.

  • New York Times ☛ South Korean Marine’s Death Becomes Impeachment Threat for President

    President Yoon Suk Yeol has been accused of intervening in an inquiry into an accidental death during a peacetime search and rescue operation.

  • The Straits Times ☛ N. Korea says Kim guided multiple rocket launchers demonstration

    North Korea fired a salvo of at least 10 short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast.

  • RFA ☛ Defiant North Korea tests missiles, jams South Korean GPS

    The launches came a day after the North sent more than 250 balloons carrying trash into South Korea.

  • RFA ☛ After 7-year hiatus, US groups resume humanitarian aid to North Korea

    The shipments were mostly medical and lab equipment, US Commerce Department data shows.

  • France24 ☛ Hong Kong court finds 14 democracy campaigners guilty of subversion

    A Hong Kong court found 14 people guilty of subversion on Thursday in the biggest case against pro-democracy campaigners since China imposed a national security law to crush dissent.

  • New York Times ☛ Hong Kong Convicts 14 Democracy Activists in Largest National Security Trial

    As part of China’s crackdown on even peaceful opposition, a court in Hong Kong convicted 14 people, who now face prison time along with dozens of others.

  • RFA ☛ Hong Kong High Court finds 14 democracy activists guilty of subversion

    Trial is the biggest prosecution of activists and pro-democracy politicians in the former British colony.

  • RFA ☛ Did Trump say that China has ‘no drug problem’?

    Verdict: Missing context

  • RFA ☛ Tiananmen massacre play premieres in London for 35th anniversary

    Banned in Hong Kong, the play about a bereaved family has been translated into English and recast.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s leader Pooh-tin Jinping calls for Middle East peace conference as he addresses Arab leaders

    Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping called on Thursday for a peace conference on the war between Israel and Hamas, as he addressed Arab leaders at a forum aimed at bolstering ties with the region.

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ “True:” Hunter Biden Prosecutor Derek Hines Claims 80-Plus Equals “A Couple”

    The same guy who claimed a Keith Ablow photo showing sawdust was proof of Hunter Biden's cocaine use now claims that he can use the content of digital communications to prove their authenticity.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Reason ☛ Unanimous First Amendment Victory for the NRA (Represented by the ACLU)

  • ACLU ☛ Protecting Students' Free Speech: Anthony Romero's Message to Graduates

    Executive Director Anthony D. Romero spoke to graduates at the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership. He stressed the critical need to protect free speech on college campuses. He calls on universities to uphold the principles of open debate and academic freedom, while also prioritizing the safety and well-being of students from discrimination and violence. Romero inspires graduates to seize leadership opportunities with bravery and compassion, recognizing their potential to make a positive impact on the world.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Why some Indian journalists are trading newsrooms for YouTube [Ed: Very bad strategy, as it gives Google control over them]

    New curbs on press freedom have forced journalists in India to migrate from traditional outlets to YouTube.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ FT to ‘vigorously defend’ Crispin Odey libel claim

    FT issued with legal claim almost 12 months after investigation published.

  • Press Gazette ☛ How alt text can stop visual data journalism being ‘unequal’ experience

    Not enough thought, time or resources are being put into making visual data more accessible.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Immediate Media CEO: Talent and brands will win out in world of infinite content

    Digital subscriptions at Immediate Media have recently overtaken print - and the ad business is growing too.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Labour and welfare chief to take ‘gatekeeper’ role in social worker affairs, Hong Kong official says

    Hong Kong’s labour and welfare chief will act as “gatekeeper” in some matters concerning social workers in Hong Kong, including enforcing the sector’s code of practice and the formation of its disciplinary committee, the city’s current labour and welfare minister has said.

  • ACLU ☛ The Long History of Discrimination in Job Hiring Assessments

    Applying for jobs can be a difficult and frustrating experience: you’re putting forward your qualifications to be judged by a prospective employer. We all want to be treated fairly. We want our qualifications to speak for themselves. But for job seekers who have been historically excluded or discriminated against because of their race, gender identity, or disability, there can be another question lurking in the background: Am I being judged, not for my ability to do the job, but for my identity?

    Automated decision-making tools, including those using artificial intelligence, or AI, and algorithms, have been widely adopted in hiring. Today seven out of 10 employers use them.

  • France24 ☛ Black passengers who were ordered to leave a flight sue American Airlines

    Black passengers who were briefly ordered off an American Airlines plane in January sued the airline Wednesday, alleging that they were victims of racial discrimination.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Accuses Hyundai and Two Other Companies of Using Child Labor

    The Labor Department filed a lawsuit accusing Hyundai, one of its suppliers and a staffing company of jointly employing a 13-year-old on an auto body parts assembly line in Alabama.

  • ACLU ☛ Anti-Abortion Extremists Want to Use the 150-Year-Old Comstock Act to Ban Abortion Nationwide

    The outcome of the 2024 election will have a profound impact on access to abortion care in this country. Donald Trump’s allies have drawn up an agenda for a potential second presidential term, and they have made clear that if Trump is elected, he will dust off a 150-year-old federal statute called the Comstock Act to ban all abortions nationwide without any need for congressional action.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Internet Society ☛ Bill S-210 Threatens Canadians’ Access to the Internet

    Canadian Bill S-210 threatens to break the Internet in Canada and fragment Canadians' access. Help spread the word that it must not pass.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Digital Music News ☛ Federal Court Approves Spotify Request to Delay MLC Lawsuit Response — New Deadline Set for July 19th

    Two weeks back, the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) sued Spotify over an alleged royalties underpayment stemming from bundling. Now, the presiding judge has granted the defendant’s request to delay its response.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Spotify Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over Bricked Car Thing

    Spotify is facing a class action lawsuit from consumers who purchased the Car Thing—which the company has announced it will no longer support. Plaintiffs Hamza Mazumder, Anthony Bracarello, and Luke Martin have brought the class action complaint against Spotify for anyone who purchased the Spotify Car Thing between 2019 and 2024.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Unified Patents ☛ IP Investments Group entity, DataCloud Tech, cloud networking patent monopoly found invalid

    On May 30, 2024, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) issued a notice of intent to issue a reexamination certificate cancelling all 20 claims of U.S. Patent 8,762,498, owned by DataCloud Technologies, LLC, an NPE and an IP Investments Group entity.

  • Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ Lenovo v Ericsson: anti-suit injunctions “by the back door” in FRAND SEP cases

    On the 23 May 2024, the English Patents Court dismissed an application by Lenovo for an interim injunction to prevent Ericsson infringing one of Lenovo’s patents pending the outcome of the UK proceedings ([2024] EWHC 1267 (Ch)).

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Implied Contracts with the Government over Counterfeit Coins

    Although not expressly an IP case, the Federal Circuit’s new decision in The Portland Mint v. United States does focus on counterfeiting coins as well as implied contracts with the Federal Government.

    The key facts are as follows: The Portland Mint (a private company) participated in the U.S. Mint’s Mutilated Coin Redemption Program, which allowed individuals and businesses to submit bent or partial coins to the U.S. Mint in exchange for payment. The U.S. Mint then uses the mutilated coins to manufacture new coinage.

  • The Ripple Effects of Patent Venue

    A recent article described the outsized roles that two modest cities in Texas play in U.S. patent monopoly litigation, but there’s more to the story of America’s odd patent monopoly venue rules. The article alludes to T.C. Heartland, the 2017 Supreme Court decision that tightened patent monopoly venue and Apple’s decision to close some of its stores.

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ “Despite the UPC’s smooth running, the court still has some surprises” [Ed: This "court" is illegal and unconstitutional, but JUVE got paid to promote it and legitimise the illegality (still)]

      It is part of the patent monopoly litigator, and certainly the Unified Patent Court representative, toolbox: a poker face with the calm answer, “Everything is going as we expected in the launch phase”. But what falls by the wayside is something that is interesting to scrutinise.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTAB Issues Correction of CINNAMON DONUT STOUT Opinion Regarding Genericness Burden of Proof

    The Board has issued a corrected opinion (here) in the CINNAMON DONUT STOUT appeal because it misstated the USPTO's burden of proof for establishing genericness. As pointed out by the TTABlogger and Michael Hall, the original opinion (TTABlogged here) stated that "clear and convincing" evidence was required. Not so, according to last year's precedential Uman Diagnostics ruling, which held that the USPTO's burden is a preponderance of the evidence.

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: How Did These Three Section 2(e)(1) Mere Descriptiveness Appeals Turn Out?

    So far this year, the Board has affirmed about 90% of the Section 2(e)(1) mere descriptiveness refusals reviewed on appeal. Here are three more. How do you think they came out? [Results in first comment].

    
    

    In re Track Draft, LLC, Serial No. 90704707 (May 28, 2024) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Mark Lebow). [Mere descriptiveness refusal of TRACK DRAFT for, inter alia, online gaming services in the nature of motorsports, automobile racing, and motorcycle racing gambling,]

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ Ryan Castro Wins $2 Million Judgement Against King Records Over Unpaid Royalties, Contract Breaches

    Reggaeton artist Ryan Castro wins his lawsuit against King Records, regaining the rights to his music as the label is ordered to pay $2 million.

• Gemini* and Gopher

  • Personal/Opinions

    • Chicken Of The Woods 2024

      I was really surprised to see that my favourite mushroom was ready to harvest this early on in the year. And it grew even bigger this time. Today I have completed the fourth harvest already! It will continue to grow some more I'm sure, but not by all that much. Last year's harvest was a full three months later... so maybe it will sprout a second time this year?

    • Frames Of Reference- Chapter 20

      I trod out onto the driveway. There’s hail this week, it’s been tapping on the roof and I can make out a few dents on the Camry. Sheila hasn’t asked about the side, I’ve taken the time to buy a blowtorch and weld it a little into a more suitable form. Even then, she’d be hesitant to ask me about anything, given the circumstances.

      Up above the clouds pour down, the little orbs of ice pock my skin, they bounce off the bushes and thence roll onto the contrasted tan dirt, giving the land a distinct impression of disease.

  • Science

    • The Beauty of Go

      I'm a casual chess player, as you might have guessed from my first gemlog post. I started playing chess as a child the same way quite many people do: I thought of my grandpa as the ultimate final boss of chess. At a later age I got a few times to try out Go in different events. I thought it was an interesting game, but sticked to chess as that was the game I knew. Now that I have started playing Go for myself I have found out that - even though I'm still clearly better at chess than at Go - it is in a certain way more beautiful than chess.

  • Technology and Free Software

    • A brief few morning moments

      It's just a weird morning on the heels of intensely real dreams.

      Of late have I been living online life in a tmux window of four evenly sized longer-vertical-than-horizontal panes.