Leftovers

• Standards/Consortia

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ HaLow Wi-Fi has now been tested at 9.9 miles — new Wi-Fi world record is a near 5X increase over previous best

    Back in January, Morse Micro achieved a world record of WiFi range using the HaLow (802.11ah) standard, by conducting a video call over a distance of 1.8 miles through a high-interference San Francisco beach area and proving it worked— and now, in the rural Joshua Tree National Park, they've broken the world record again, almost five times over, with a distance of 9.9 miles, or 15.9 kilometers.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Physicists Have Created a One-Dimensional Gas Made Out of Light

    Playing by quantum rules.

  • Science Alert ☛ Dogs' Brains Sync With Ours When We Gaze Into Their Eyes, Study Finds

    Bonding on a deeper level.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Distant Spacecraft Has Confirmed That Earth Is Habitable

    All signs point to yes.

  • Science Alert ☛ Marmosets Have a Skill Only Seen in Dolphins, Elephants, And You

    Do not underestimate them.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Discover a Hidden Clue to Tell When a Frozen Corpse Died

    Not every lead is a dead end.

  • Science Alert ☛ Your Old School Friends' Genes Could Be Impacting Your Health, Study Finds

    Choose your friends wisely.

• Hardware

  • Doug Brown ☛ Fixing an Elgato HD60 S HDMI capture device with the help of Ghidra

    This post has a little bit of everything. Hardware diagnostics, some suspiciously similar datasheets from two separate Taiwan chip manufacturers, and firmware reverse engineering. Read on if that sounds like fun! Lately, I’ve been enjoying watching random electronics repair channels on YouTube.

  • Hackaday ☛ Exploring TapTo NFC Inegration On The MiSTer

    [Ken] from the YouTube channel What’s Ken Making is back with another MiSTer video detailing the TapTo project and its integration into MiSTer. MiSTer, as some may recall, is a set of FPGA images and a supporting ecosystem for the Terasic DE10-Nano FPGA board, which hosts the very capable Altera Cyclone V FPGA.

  • Russell Coker ☛ Russell Coker: Kogan AX1800 Wifi6 Mesh

    I previously blogged about the difficulties in getting a good Wifi mesh network setup [1].

    I bought the Kogan AX1800 Wifi6 Mesh with 3 nodes for $140, the price has now dropped to $130. It’s only Wifi 6 (not 6E which has the extra 6GHz frequency) because all the 6E ones were more expensive than I felt like paying.

  • Hackaday ☛ Archiving Data On Paper Using 2D Images

    It seems like only yesterday we covered a project using QR codes to archive data on paper (OK, it was last Thursday), so here’s another way to do it, this time with a dedicated codec using the full page. Optar or OPTical ARchiver is a project capable of squeezing a whopping 200 Kb of data onto a single A4 sheet of paper, with writing and reading achieved with a standard laser printer and a scanner. It’s a bit harder than you might think to get that much data on the page, given that even a 600 DPI printer can’t reliably place every dot each time. Additionally, paper is rarely uniform at the microscopic scale, so Optar utilizes a forward error-correcting coding scheme to cater for a little irregularity in both printing and scanning.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Advanced Nvidia Hey Hi (AI) GPUs get UAE G42 green light from U.S. authorities, says new report

    G42 gets a serious boost with an Nvidia export license for high-end Hey Hi (AI) GPUs.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Verizon Layoffs: US-Based Telecom Giant to Cut Nearly 5,000 Jobs amid Cost-cutting and Reorganisation

    Verizon Communications, a US-based telecommunication giant, will reportedly lay off around 5,000 employees by March 2025. The telecom company said half of the employees would be laid off in September 2024. Verizon layoffs would reportedly affect around 4.5% of the total staff employed by the company.

  • Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

    • Zimbabwe ☛ Have an iPhone and a Windows PC? Here's how you get them to play together well

      Pretty much all the benefits of iPhone-Mac integration can be had between Android and Windows now. There actually are some neat features on that side that Apple users don’t have.

• Defence/Aggression

  • New York Times ☛ 3 Hostages Likely Killed by Israeli Strike Last Fall, I.D.F. Says

    An inquiry into the deaths of three Israeli hostages determined that they probably died as a result of a military airstrike targeting a Hamas commander.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ On the third AUKUS anniversary, a toast to ITAR reform and a call to keep going

    The landmark trilateral security partnership has come a long way, but current reform efforts will only reach their potential if additional regulatory adjustments are made.

  • JURIST ☛ UN reduces operations in Yemen amid Houthi crackdown

    The United Nations has curtailed its humanitarian activities in Yemen due to severe restrictions imposed by Houthi authorities. This adjustment follows a crackdown on aid workers and escalating security concerns in areas controlled by the Houthis.

  • France24 ☛ Netanyahu warns Yemen's Houthi rebels of 'heavy price' after first missile attack on central Israel

    Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Yemen's Houthi rebels would pay "a heavy price" after the group claimed responsibility for a rare missile attack launched from Lebanon on Israel's Upper Galilee region and the annexed Golan Heights. The attack, which caused no casualties, spurred a rush to shelters throughout central Israel and was praised by Hamas, which said "Israel will not enjoy security" until it ceases its operations in the Gaza Strip.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China says German military ships in Taiwan Strait heightens ‘security risks’

    China on Saturday accused Berlin of heightening security risks in the Taiwan Strait, a day after two German military vessels sailed through the sensitive waters. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius confirmed on Friday that the frigate Baden-Wuerttemberg and the supply vessel Frankfurt am Main sailed through the strait.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Western powers make plans to secure submarine communications cables, excluding Chinese firms and technology

    The United States and its allies are preparing a document that outlines the steps they need to take to ensure the security of their undersea communications cables.

  • RFA ☛ Philippine coast guard ship leaves disputed shoal in South China Sea

    The BRP Teresa Magbanua has left Sabina Shoal after a five-month standoff with Chinese ships.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippines to continue to deploy vessels in contested South China Sea shoal

    The PCG's vessel, Teresa Magbanua, was deployed to Sabina Shoal in April.

  • JURIST ☛ US ex-president Trump unharmed following probable assassination attempt—developing story

    Former US President Donald Trump is safe after US Secret Service Agents shot at a man pointing an AK-47-style rifle through a fence while the ex-president was golfing at his West Palm Beach, Florida course, authorities confirmed during a press conference Sunday.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • RFERL ☛ Iran's President To Attend BRICS Summit In Russia

      Iran's President Masud Pezeshkian will attend the upcoming BRICS summit in Russia, state media cited Tehran's ambassador in Moscow as saying on September 15, amid tensions with the West over military cooperation between the two countries.

    • New York Times ☛ Despite Relentless Russian Attack, Life in Kharkiv Endures Underground

      Kharkiv, Ukraine, has adjusted to life amid the threat of bombings. Its resilience is manifested in a curious blend of life above and below ground.

    • New York Times ☛ Trump Dislikes Ukraine for the Most MAGA of Reasons

      The country lies at the heart of overlapping conspiracy theories important to the former president.

    • New York Times ☛ Suspected Gunman at Trump Golf Course Said He Was Willing to Fight and Die in Ukraine

      Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, told The New York Times in 2023 that he had traveled to Ukraine and wanted to recruit Afghan soldiers to fight there.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskiy Says Speedy Aid 'Critically Important' As Lammy Dismisses Moscow 'Bluster'

      President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has again urged the United States and other allies to "promptly implement" agreements on weapons and other supplies to help Ukraine fight Russia's invasion, underscoring Western debates on the extent and current restrictions on military aid to Kyiv.

    • LRT ☛ Should NATO shoot down Russian drones over western Ukraine?

      Russian drones and missiles targeting Ukraine continue to violate NATO airspace, putting citizens in the Eastern regions of the alliance at risk. Experts propose possible NATO responses.

    • France24 ☛ Biden to use rest of term putting Ukraine in 'best possible' position to prevail, adviser says

      US President Joe Biden will use the rest of his term in office "to put Ukraine in the best possible position to prevail" against Russia, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Saturday during a speech given remotely to a forum in Kyiv. Sullivan also said Biden will be meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in late September at the UN General Assembly in New York to discuss aid to Ukraine.

    • France24 ☛ Deadly shelling in Ukraine's Pokrovsk as Russia gains ground

      At least one person was killed by Russian shelling in eastern Ukraine city of Pokrovsk on Sunday, while Moscow's troops advanced around the city.

    • France24 ☛ Lithuanian artists affirm identity, Western links with major cultural festival in France

      With the shadow of the war in Ukraine to its east, the Baltic nation is seeking to reaffirm its ties with the West. The Season of Lithuania in France, running from September to December, will be an opportunity for Lithuania to anchor itself in the West with over 200 events programmed across France highlighting a vibrant culture based on liberal values that emerged after decades of Soviet domination.

• Environment

  • France24 ☛ More than 100 die in Myanmar floods, landslides caused by Typhoon Yagi

    At least 113 people have been killed in Myanmar in the wake of Typhoon Yagi, Asia's most powerful storm this year, state media reported on Sunday. Remote areas reported increasing numbers of missing people, although information has been limited by downed phone and internet lines and damaged roads. Myanmar's junta chief made a rare request on Saturday for foreign aid to help deal with the aftermath of the storm.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Flights grounded in Shanghai as China braces for Typhoon Bebinca

    All flights at Shanghai’s two main airports were cancelled on Sunday as authorities in the Chinese megacity prepared for a strong typhoon bringing high winds and heavy rain.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Tedium ☛ No Plane? No Problem

      What it’s like to travel across the country via Amtrak—and what you need to know if you want to do it yourself.

    • New York Times ☛ Going the Distance at the Tram Driver Olympics

      Europe’s public transit captains showed off their skills at an annual championship. “We have been practicing,” a Dutch competitor said. “But the other teams have also been practicing, too.”

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea’s Parliament to convene session to discuss constitutional amendment

    Its rubber-stamp Parliament rarely meets and usually serves to approve decisions on issues.

  • RFA ☛ An overdue farewell to Southeast Asia’s pro-democracy icons

    The region's voters and well-wishers in the West must focus on supporting institutions that outlast personalities.

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ Ball of Thread: The Mueller Investigation

    In our Mueller investigation podcast, I explain to LOLGOP my belief that Volume II of the report was an impeachment referral designed to permit further investigation that Trump couldn't destroy with pardons. It didn't work out that way.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ ‘The chilling effect’: Where does the Stand News verdict leave opinion writers in Hong Kong?

    Well, now that it’s over and we can comment on the Stand News case, we may note first of all the existence of a concept common in the academic circles where the fine points of free speech are explored: the chilling effect.

  • JURIST ☛ Hong Kong authorities condemn UK report criticizing national security legislation

    The UK’s latest report on Hong Kong, which said on Thursday that the city’s focus on national security was undermining its international reputation, sparked condemnation from Hong Kong over its “absurd and false contents”.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • France24 ☛ Two years after Mahsa Amini's death in Iran, protest movement endures harsh persecution

    Two years have gone by since a massive protest movement erupted in Iran following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini after she was detained for allegedly violating the dress code for women. Dozens of women prisoners went on hunger strike to mark the anniversary. Opposition to the Islamic regime still faces a dire situation amid rampant executions and repression of women.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 6 Hong Kong police officers found guilty of perverting justice over planting drugs to frame homeless man

    Six police officers have been found guilty of perverting the course of justice over planting drugs and covering up surveillance cameras to frame a street sleeper during a drug sweep in Sham Shui Po four years ago.

  • JURIST ☛ Kentucky resident sentenced to twenty months imprisonment for Jan. 6 police officer assault

    The US District Court for the District of Columbia sentenced Kentucky resident Luke Hoffman to twenty months imprisonment Friday for assaulting police officers during the January 6 Capitol Riot.

  • RFERL ☛ Mahsa Amini's Family 'Surrounded,' Ordered To Stay Home On Anniversary Of Iranian Student's Death In Custody

    Sources close to the family of the late Iranian-Kurdish student Mahsa Amini have told Radio Farda on September 15 that security forces "have surrounded their home" in Saghez and prevented them from leaving the house as the second anniversary passed of her death in custody.

  • New York Times ☛ An Era of Chinese Adoption Ends, and Families Are Torn Over Its Legacy

    More than 80,000 children from China were adopted by American families. While many appreciate how the adoptions reshaped their own lives, they are also glad to see the program conclude.

  • New York Times ☛ Why is Ye, Formerly Kanye West, Doing a Show in China?

    The provocative artist once known as Kanye West has received approval that was denied to Maroon 5 and Bon Jovi. China’s economic woes might be why.

  • New York Times ☛ Morning Briefing: The Fallout of Trump’s False Claims

    Plus, Ye performs in China.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Data Swamp ☛ I moved my emails to Proton Mail

    I recently took a very hard decision: I moved my emails to Proton Mail.

    This is certainly a shock for people following this blog for a long time, this was a shock for me as well! This was actually pretty difficult to think this topic objectively, I would like to explain how I came up to this decision.

    I have been self-hosting my own email server since I bought my first domain name, back in 2009. The server have been migrated multiple times, from hosting companies to another and regularly changing the underlying operating system for fun. It has been running on: Slackware, NetBSD, FreeBSD, NixOS and Guix.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Supreme Court’s Patent Docket: A Preview of the October 2024 Term

    The Supreme Court’s October 2024 term begins a day early this year. On September 30, the Court will meet for what has become known as the “long conference” — passing judgment on dozens of petitions that have been briefed over the summer break.  The long conference is primarily a time to deny a large swath of petitions with very few certiorari grants.  Petitioners are usually simply hoping for a relist — holding over their case for some future conference and a more complete consideration.

    A number of patent monopoly cases will be reviewed that day.