Leftovers

• Tedium ☛ Entering The Fray

  Becoming a commentator-turned-creator? Hope you’re getting hazard pay. Some thoughts on the art of creation when you’re usually a critic.

  If you’re someone who creates things, you have a giant target on your back, and you are at risk of sniping by people who weren’t involved in the creation of your work. Any commentator or critic who wants to can easily knock you down a peg. But what happens when the critic flips sides and takes a stab at creative output? Well, there’s a chance you’re going to create something great—but a much higher chance that you’re opening yourself up to a boatload of criticism. Just ask Marques Brownlee, who has spent the last week getting roasted for releasing a wallpaper app that many fans see as overly expensive and half-baked. Is it even possible to step out of your lane in that way? Today’s Tedium considers the fate of the critic-turned-creator.

• Ruben Schade ☛ Ganggajang, Sounds of Then

  Today’s Music Monday is a song about music, which I’m uploading on a Monday. What are the odds!? Don’t answer that.

  I heard this absolute pinnacle of Australian 1980s music on the radio this morning, and consider it my patriotic duty to repost it. It was the first time I saw the actual music video too. Can something be too 80s?

• Ruben Schade ☛ The gorgeous SDS 940 from 1966

  I realised my blog here has reached 940 pages. With ten posts per page, that’s a lot of posts. But who’s counting posts? Not me, I’m only counting pages.

  As I read that number on my site footer however, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this number held significance for some reason. Wikipedia jogged my memory:

  The SDS 940 was Scientific Data Systems’ (SDS) first machine designed to directly support time-sharing. The 940 was based on the SDS 930’s 24-bit CPU, with additional circuitry to provide protected memory and virtual memory.

• Ruben Schade ☛ Konrad Zuse via Joshua Coleman

  Joshua Coleman (web feed) has so many cool retro hardware projects. But this quote was the highlight for me today:

  The danger of computers becoming like humans is not as great as the danger of humans becoming like computers.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ NASA Is Going Ahead With Plans to Set a Time Zone on The Moon

    A new era is coming for lunar exploration.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Spider Was Filmed Eating a Shrew, And You Can't Unsee This

    Click if you dare.

  • Science Alert ☛ Medical Imaging Technique Reveals What Truly Lies Beneath a Volcano

    Like a fiery iceberg.

  • Science Alert ☛ Our Atmosphere Transforms Dust From The Sahara Into Minerals That Fuel Life

    Everything’s connected.

  • Science Alert ☛ Not A Placebo: Study Finds Meditation Offers Genuine Pain Relief

    It's all in your head - and that's exactly why it works.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ Some SPI Flash Chip Nuances Worth Learning

    Some hackers have the skills to help us find noteworthy lessons in even the most basic of repairs. For instance, is your computer failing to boot? Guess what, it could just be a flash chip that’s to blame — and, there’s more you should know about such a failure mode. [Manawyrm] and [tSYS] over at the Kittenlabs blog show us a server motherboard fix involving a SPI flash chip replacement, and tell us every single detail we should know if we ever encounter such a case.

  • Hackaday ☛ First Tentative Sales Of Tandem Perovskite-Silicon PV Panels

    To anyone who has spent some time in photovoltaic (PV) power circles, the word ‘perovskite’ probably sounds familiar. Offering arguably better bandgap properties than traditional silicon cells, perovskite-based PV panels also promise to be cheaper and (literally) more flexible, but commercialization has been elusive. This is something which Oxford PV seeks to change, with the claim that they will be shipping the first hybrid perovskite-silicon panels to a US customer.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel motherboard partners begin to roll out Raptor Lake microcode updates to banish Vmin Shift Instabilities

    Intel motherboard partners like Asus, ASRock, and MSI have started to roll out the first batch of microcode updates directly addressing Vmin Shift Instability.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Huawei guns for Nvidia market share in China — Ascend 910C GPU customer sampling begins

    Huawei's latest GPU for AI, the Ascend 910C, has finally hit the sampling stage.

  • Hackaday ☛ Curing CRT Cataracts Freshens Up Retro Roundy TVs

    It’s been a long time since the family TV has had a CRT in it, and even longer since that it was using what was basically an overgrown oscilloscope tube. But “roundies” were once a thing, and even back in the early 80s you’d still find them in living rooms on TV repair calls, usually sporting a characteristic and unsightly bullseye discoloration.

  • Hackaday ☛ Thinkpad 13 Gets NVMe Support With Three Jumpers

    Hardware restrictions can be unreasonable, and at times, it can be downright puzzling just how arbitrary they are. Such is the case with the Lenovo ThinkPad 13 — it’s got a M.2 M-key socket, yet somehow only supports SATA SSDs in it, despite the CPU being new enough to support both SATA and NVMe effortlessly. [treble] got one of those laptops from a recycler, and decided to figure out just what this laptop’s deal is.

  • Hackaday ☛ Seven Day Movement Makes A Rubbish Clock

    We see a lot of clocks here at Hackaday. Some of them are better than others, but this one from [John Graham-Cumming] is definitely a rubbish clock. It performs the simple yet vital task of keeping track of which day is which when it comes to trash collection.

  • Hackaday ☛ Shoot Smooth Video From Your Phone With The Syringe Slider

    We love the idea [Btoretsukuru] shared that uses a simple setup called the Syringe Slider to take smoothly-tracked video footage of small scenes like model trains in action. The post is in Japanese, but the video is very much “show, don’t tell” and it’s perfectly clear how it all works. The results look fantastic!

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Microsoft’s latest game division layoffs affect nearly 400 Activision-Blizzard employees

    The second week of September brought more bad news for game workers in Microsoft, as the company confirmed another 650 layoffs were coming that would “mostly” affect its gaming division according to a memo from CEO Phil Spencer, followed by later reporting that seemed to suggest that Blizzard would be taking the brunt. We now have official confirmation that, indeed, Blizzard will be the primary focus of these job cuts, to the tune of nearly 400 employees.

    The layoffs in question will be focused in California, affecting 140 employees in Irvine, 110 in Santa Monica, and 143 in Playa Vista. As Spencer’s memo noted, the cuts are directed at what Blizzard terms as “corporate and supporting roles” according to a statement from spokeswoman Delay Simmons, including accountants, software engineers, World of Warcraft’s HR director, artists, and game producers, among others.

  • Video Game Giant Set to Lay Off West LA Workers: Report

    The Layoffs Also Extend to the Company’s Irvine Location, Where 140 Jobs Are Set to Be Eliminated

    Video game giant Activision Blizzard is set to lay off hundreds of workers at its Santa Monica and Playa Vista locations next month as part of its parent company Microsoft Corp.’s broader cost-cutting measures, according to reports.

    Activision Blizzard, headquartered in Santa Monica, notified the state of California on Sept. 12 that it would be laying off 110 employees from its Santa Monica facility by December, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. In addition, 143 employees at its Playa Vista location will be let go starting in November. The job cuts are part of Microsoft’s decision to reduce its gaming workforce by 3%, or about 650 employees globally, the Times reported.

  • Games ☛ Nexon America lays off "small number" of staff

    Nexon America has been hit with layoffs, with an unknown number of employees affected.

    As reported by Game Developer , the firm said the redundancies would impact a "small number" of employees. It clarified the decision was made following a restructuring plan announced earlier this month.

    "The re-organisation includes the elimination of a small number of roles, with severance offered to those leaving," the company said. "However, Nexon America is now hiring to fill out the new development team, including engineers and designers."

    On September 3, Nexon president and CEO Junghun Lee and CFO Shiro Uemura announced a mid-term growth strategy for the firm.

  • Don Marti ☛ Don Marti: fair use alignment chart [Ed: Mozilla cargo cultists (who used to work for Microsoft) try to tilt CC to be more plagiarism-friendly]

    Tantek Çelik suggests that Creative Commons should add a CC-NT license, like the existing Creative Commons licenses, but written to make it clear that the content is not licensed for generative Hey Hi (AI) training. Manton Reece likes the idea, and would allow training—but understands why publishers would choose not to. Hey Hi (AI) training permissions are becoming a huge deal, and there is a need for more licensing options. disclaimer: we’re taking steps in this area at work now. This is a personal blog post though, not speaking for employer or anyone else. In the 2024 Hey Hi (AI) Training Survey Results from Draft2Digital, only 5% of the authors surveyed said that scraping and training without a license is fair use.

    Tantek links to the Creative Commons Position Paper on Preference Signals, which states,

  • Games

    • Wouter Groeneveld ☛ Experiencing Old Games In New Eras

      ill from The Retro Sofa claims that the original Legend of Zelda is Unplayable in 2024 and wonders why that is and what we can do about it. That video was a very timely Stumble Upon as a week ago Florian from the DOS Game Club had:

      "[…] this idea of starting reading old game magazines and experiencing the hardware and games from the era “in realtime”. I’m turning 40 next year and thinking about entering a pretend 1985 and always following gaming news with a 40 year offset."

    • CBC ☛ How Dungeons & Dragons went from 'satanic panic' to pop culture fixture

      "It's not just nerds playing the game anymore. A lot of people from all sorts of different aspects of life have been drawn to the game," John Dempsey, who runs games of Dungeons & Dragons in Toronto, told The Current host Matt Galloway.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • WhichUK ☛ The investment fraud refund lottery – will your bank help you?

      Which? investigates how banks handling fraud complaints about rogue investment schemes refund some customers in full, but leave others high and dry.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • New York Times ☛ California Passes Law Protecting Consumer Brain Data

      The state extended its current personal privacy law to include the neural data increasingly coveted by technology companies.

    • JURIST ☛ Canada parliamentary watchdog finds intelligence agency hiring practice violates privacy

      The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) of Canada announced that the Communications Security Establishment’s (CSE) use of polygraphs for security screening during the hiring process likely breaches the privacy rights of prospective employees.

• Defence/Aggression

  • New York Times ☛ Israel Strikes the Houthis, an Iranian Ally, in Yemen

    The strike on power stations and a seaport, which killed four people, was the second known time that Israel has retaliated against the militant group’s attacks by striking in Yemen.

  • New York Times ☛ Netanyahu, Ignoring Allies and Defying Critics, Basks in a Rare Triumph

    Israel’s strike on Hassan Nasrallah was the culmination of several startling moves that suggest the Israeli prime minister feels unconstrained by foreign criticism.

  • New York Times ☛ Iran Projects Caution After Israeli Strikes Against Hezbollah

    Leaders in Tehran suggested it would be the Lebanese militia that would strike back at Israel after the killing of Hassan Nasrallah and bombings in Beirut.

  • Sky News ☛ Israel-Hezbollah latest: Next phase of war to begin soon, Israel says; US sending thousands of additional troops to Middle East

    Israel's defence minister Yoav Gallant says "the next stage in the war against Hezbollah will begin soon" as it reportedly plans an imminent ground assault in Lebanon. Watch our Q&A below with Sky correspondents Alex Crawford and Alistair Bunkall on what's next for the Middle East.

  • JURIST ☛ Israel airstrike on residential building in Lebanon kills Hezbollah leader

    The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Saturday that an IDF strike targeting Hezbollah’s Central Headquarters, underneath residential buildings in Beirut, killed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese Shia organization Hezbollah on Friday night. The IDF claims that the headquarters were a “legitimate military target under international law”.

  • France24 ☛ 🔴 Live: Israel pounds Hezbollah in Lebanon and strikes Yemen’s Houthis

    The Israeli military launched consecutive strikes on Lebanon on Sunday while appearing to expand its confrontation against Iranian-backed proxies in the region by striking dozens of Houthi targets in Yemen. This comes a day after Hezbollah confirmed its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah had been killed in a dramatic escalation of the conflict roiling the region. Read our blog for the latest developments from the Middle East.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian parties and foreign policy – Taiwan no longer a focus

      The foreign policy focus on Lithuania's political parties is shifting – Taiwan is no longer mentioned in the Conservatives' election programme and reapproachment with Beijing is no longer an elephant in the room. Three scholars at the Vilnius University's Institute of International Relations and Political Science (TSPMI) take a look at the proposed foreign policy directions of the key parties in Lithuania's upcoming October election.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • New York Times ☛ Why Stellantis, Owner of Chrysler, Jeep and Ram, Is Struggling

      The automaker, created by a 2021 merger, is dealing with labor unrest, slumping sales and a revolt from its dealers.

    • France24 ☛ Hurricane Helene kills dozens as emergency supplies are rushed to North Carolina, Florida

      Hurricane Helene unleashed torrential rains, leaving scores stranded or homeless, as recovery efforts commence after the storm claimed dozens of lives. The hurricane caused billions of dollars in damage across the US Southeast, with several million residents left without power as of Sunday.

• Finance

  • SHEIN lays off 17 employees in SG despite local growth plans

    Popular fast fashion retailer SHEIN has laid 17 employees in Singapore, as confirmed by the company to MARKETECH APAC. This is despite reported plans that the brand is aiming for an IPO at the London Stock Exchange (LSE).

    In a statement by a SHEIN spokesperson, it had stated that the employees come from the company’s IT research and development (R&D) arm, and were notified on September 25.

    “As SHEIN continues to grow its operations in Singapore with a newly expanded office to accommodate its increasing workforce, the company has also restructured the Singapore arm of its IT R&D team, relocating some positions to other markets as part of its ongoing strategy for continued global expansion, localisation and to drive efficiency. A total of 17 employees in the Singapore office have been affected and were notified on September 25, 2024,” the spokesperson told MARKETECH APAC.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • New York Times ☛ Harris to Discuss Race and Police Brutality on Sports Podcast

    A nearly hourlong conversation on “All the Smoke” could help Vice President Kamala Harris reach Black men in the closing weeks of her presidential campaign.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ California Gov. Gavin Newsom shoots down divisive Hey Hi (AI) safety bill SB 1047

    California Governor Gavin Newsom shot down a sweeping bill that was proposed to impose safety vetting requirements on developers of the most powerful artificial intelligence models, taking the side of most though not all of Silicon Valley and a number of leading Democrats.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • University of Michigan ☛ To read or not to read: Does COVID-19 belong in our books?

    As is the case for many, reading for me serves the purpose of escaping reality; there is nothing better than curling up with a book and forgetting everything on my to-do list for a few hours. When lost in a good book, it’s easy to forget the pains of day-to-day life.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • JURIST ☛ Former Stand News editor sentenced to prison for sedition in Hong Kong

    A Hong Kong court sentenced Chung Pui-kuen, former editor-in-chief of the now-defunct pro-democracy news outlet Stand News, to 21 months in prison on Thursday. Patrick Lam, the former acting editor-in-chief, was released with a reduced sentence due to health issues.

  • Barrons ☛ Assange To Highlight British Detention In First Comments Since Release

    Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will on Tuesday make his first public address since his release from a British prison, speaking about his detention at the Council of Europe rights body.

    Assange will be at a hearing in Strasbourg from 0630 GMT at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) which issued a report expressing alarm at the whistleblower's treatment.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Senate Committee Punts on PERA and PREVAIL—For Now

    This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee canceled its Executive Business Meeting. Two controversial bills—PERA and the PREVAIL Act—were on the agenda for the cancelled meeting. With lawmakers headed back to states until after the election in November, PERA and PREVAIL are stalled—for now. They should be put away permanently.