GNU/Linux

• Server

  • Ubuntu Pit ☛ 20 Things to Know for Becoming a Successful GNU/Linux System Administrator

    Linux system administrators are people who are responsible for managing IT infrastructures that are powered by Linux. It is one of the most sought after positions by modern enterprises. Competetive sysadmins are always in high demand and will get rewarding workplace benefits.

Leftovers

• New Yorker ☛ The Frightening Familiarity of Late-Nineties Office Photos

  Lars Tunbjörk documented the rise of alienating online work. His images should remind us that it didn’t have to be this way.

• RFA ☛ Did a photo of Hua Chunying and her daughter in the US leak online?

  Verdict: False

• Science

  • Hackaday ☛ Classic Heathkit OL-1 Scope Gets Some TLC

    These days, not only are oscilloscopes very common, but even a cheap instrument today would have been the envy of the world’s greatest labs not that long ago. But back in the day, the home experimenter basically had two choices: buy a surplus scope that a big company was getting rid of or build a Heathkit. [Radiotvphononut] bought an old Heathkit OL-1 scope at an estate sale and set about putting it back in service.

  • Science Alert ☛ This Mysterious Molecule Is Crucial to Brain Health, And We May Finally Know Why

    The garbage collector of the brain?

  • Science Alert ☛ Alcohol Can Trigger Serious Cardiac Effects in Young People

    Drink less – your heart will thank you.

  • Science Alert ☛ Boosting Exercise Intensity Reduces Mortality Risk, Study Suggests

    Keep pushing!

  • Science Alert ☛ Most Powerful Gamma Rays Ever Seen in Galaxy's Center Detected by Scientists

    But what is making them?

  • Stanford University ☛ Remembering Philip Zimbardo, the famed psychologist behind the Stanford Prison Experiment

    Philip Zimbardo, known for his controversial Stanford Prison Experiment, is remembered by his graduate students and colleagues for his intellect and dedication to psychology.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ Silent Antenna Tuning

    If you want to deliver the maximum power to a load — say from a transmitter to an antenna — then both the source and the load need to have the same impedance. In much of the radio communication world, that impedance happens to be 50Ω. But in the real world, your antenna may not give you quite the match you hoped for. For that reason, many hams use antenna tuners. This is especially important for modern radios that tend to fold their power output back if the mismatch is too great to protect their circuitry from high voltage spikes. But a tuner has to be adjusted, and often, you have to put a signal out over the air to make the adjustments to match your antenna to your transmitter.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Nvidia's Jensen Huang admits Hey Hi (AI) chip design flaw was '100% Nvidia's fault' — TSMC not to blame, now-fixed Blackwell chips are in production

    Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admitted Wednesday that Nvidia was 100% at fault for a design flaw in the company's new Blackwell Hey Hi (AI) chips. The flaw has been fixed and the chips are now in production.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Arm moves to cancel Qualcomm’s instruction set architecture license

    Arm Holdings plc plans to cancel a license that gives Qualcomm Inc. permission to use its instruction set architecture in chips. Bloomberg reported the development today. Qualcomm, the world’s top maker of Android handset processors, acknowledged the licensing dispute in a statement.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Science Alert ☛ Cognitive Flexibility Could Help Boost Vaccine Uptake. Here's Why.

    This is important.

  • Cloudbooklet ☛ WCED Condemns Viral Fake Hey Hi (AI) Cheating Video in Exams

    The WCED condemns a viral Fake Hey Hi (AI) Cheating Video in Exams, stressing the importance of maintaining exam integrity and protecting students' mental health.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean doctor under fire for labelling patient’s fat tissue as ‘lard’ in medical report

    The woman has also filed a defamation complaint against the doctor.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian student hid vape device resembling pen in her underwear

    One teacher said the devices often look “exactly like stationery items”, making them hard to find during spot checks.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Two new HHS programs to help with complicated health challenges

    "A lot of the efforts that we're doing across the government have a plug into the artificial intelligence world," said Andy Kilianski.

  • New York Times ☛ Character.ai Faces Lawsuit After Teen’s Suicide

    The mother of a 14-year-old Florida boy says he became obsessed with a chatbot on Character.AI before his death.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • New York Times ☛ Thursday Briefing: How the U.S. Election is Viewed Abroad

    Plus, the dark side of Hey Hi (AI) companionship apps.

  • New York Times ☛ New York’s Old Guard Meets Feeld, a Very Sex-Positive Dating App

    The literary establishment welcomes Feeld, a very sex-positive dating app, at a party on the Upper East Side.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Apple reportedly slows down Vision Pro production — a more affordable version may be in the works

    Apple is set to cut Vision Pro production, possibly winding it down entirely by November as it works on making something more affordable.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Apple and Goldman Sachs ordered to pay $89 million after Fashion Company Apple Card failures

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, CFPB, announced today it’s fining Fashion Company Apple Inc. and Goldman Sachs $89 million over practices involving the Fashion Company Apple Card. CFPB says hundreds of thousands of Fashion Company Apple Card users were affected when the two companies “illegally mishandled transaction disputes and misled iPhone purchasers about interest-free payment options.”

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • WhichUK ☛ Scamwatch: 'I lost over £7k in an elaborate Facebook (Farcebook) Marketplace scam'

      Which? explains what you can do if your Facebook (Farcebook) Marketplace purchase turns out to be a scam

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Bruce Schneier ☛ Are Automatic License Plate Scanners Constitutional?

      An advocacy groups is filing a Fourth Amendment challenge against automatic license plate readers.

• Defence/Aggression

  • France24 ☛ Live: Israeli strikes in Syria kill at least one, Syrian Defense Ministry says

    Israeli strikes killed one soldier and injured seven in the Syrian cities of Damascus and Homs early Thursday, according to the Syrian Defense Ministry. Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin communicated his 'deep concern' to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over reports of Israeli strikes on the Lebanese army on Wednesday, urging Gallant to ensure the security and safety of the Lebanese armed forces.

  • France24 ☛ Lebanese see Netanyahu as 'uncontrollable', not interested in peace: political analyst

    Israel carried out a wave of air strikes on Hezbollah's southern Beirut stronghold on Wednesday night, destroying a residential complex. FRANCE 24's Catherine Norris-Trent reports from southern Lebanon. Sharon Gaffney speaks to Salah Hijazi, deputy chief at the political desk at 'L’Orient-Le Jour', who says that Lebanese see Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu as 'uncontrollable' and that he is not interested in a ceasefire deal.

  • France24 ☛ Israeli strikes pound Lebanese city of Tyre after issuing evacuation warning

    Israeli jets struck multiple buildings in Lebanon's southern coastal city of Tyre on Wednesday, sending up large clouds of black smoke, while Hezbollah confirmed that a top official widely expected to be the militant group's next leader had been killed in an Israeli strike. More information with Catherine Norris Trent.

  • France24 ☛ 🔴 Live: Hezbollah confirms Israel strike killed potential Nasrallah successor Hashem Safieddine

  • France24 ☛ Hezbollah confirms that Hashem Safieddine, heir apparent to Nasrallah, was killed in Israeli attack

    Israel's army said it had killed the cleric tipped to succeed slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an air strike on Beirut three weeks ago that targeted commanders of the Iran-backed militant group. Story by Emerald Maxwell and Léo Paichard.

  • Defence Web ☛ Department of Defence tops government irregular expenditure list

    The Department of Defence (DoD) accounted for the vast majority of irregular expenditure recorded by the Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) over the last five years, at R14.39 billion. The AGSA made this known during a briefing to the Standing Committee on Appropriations (SCOA) on Tuesday 22 October.

  • The Strategist ☛ China’s missile test demonstrates disrespect for Pacific

    China’s launch of a missile with a dummy warhead across the Pacific on 25 September and responses from Beijing and Paris reveal a lack of respect for Pacific island countries.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ China’s support for Maduro should be a warning to democracies in Latin America

    China’s backing of Nicolás Maduro over the will of the Venezuelan people severely undermines Beijing’s claim to noninterference in Latin America.

  • New York Times ☛ India and China Reach Border Deal That Could Ease Tension

    Four years ago, several soldiers from both sides were killed in a bloody melee. Any thaw between the countries could have global implications.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China-India border deal a positive step with Xi-Modi meeting, but trust issues remain

    Analysts say other tension points are harder to resolve.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Armed group says it takes control of Myanmar rare earth mining hub

    An armed group fighting Myanmar's ruling military said it has taken control of a mining hub that is a major supplier of rare earth oxides to China, likely disrupting shipments of elements used in clean energy and other technologies.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Moon sample talks show space engagement by rivals US and China

    NASA and Chinese officials are engaged in talks to let American scientists analyze rocks retrieved by China from the moon, according to the head of the U.S. space agency, as Washington pursues improved communication with Beijing on issues involving space.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China says foreign spies trying to steal space programme secrets

    It did not name any specific countries.

  • RFA ☛ China's Pooh-tin meets India's Modi after signing border dispute agreement

    The deal could alleviate military clashes, but there are other issues in the bilateral relationship.

  • RFA ☛ 15 countries call on China to release Uyghur and Tibetan prisoners

    The statement drew a strong rebuke from China at the UN.

  • RFA ☛ Uyghur advocacy group to hold elections despite threats by China

    Only 1 candidate is running for World Uyghur Congress president as others have pulled out amid intimidation.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Balancing a culture of secrecy and collaboration: Information sharing with hostage families

    US policies enshrine a requirement for intelligence sharing between the US government and hostage families.

  • New York Times ☛ Manchester Arena Bombing Survivors Win Lawsuit Against Conspiracy Theorist

    A British court found that a conspiracy theorist who claimed the 2017 bombing at an Ariana Grande concert was a hoax had harassed victims and abused media freedom.

  • New York Times ☛ After Israel’s Strike at a Hospital Near Beirut, Search Teams Comb the Ruin

    As search teams combed the ruins of residential buildings across from Rafik Hariri University Hospital just south of Lebanon’s capital, locals listened for signs of their loved ones in the wreckage.

  • The Straits Times ☛ US warns of attack threat on Sri Lanka surfing hot spot

    The island nation’s police have pledged more security for tourists.

  • LRT ☛ Lithuania appoints new chiefs of police, firefighters

    The Lithuanian government on Wednesday appointed new chiefs for the police, the Public Security Service (VST), and the Fire and Rescue Department (PAGD)

  • Defence Web ☛ Crime statistics: who are we to believe?

    Once again, statistics on crime from the country’s two most important sources wildly contradict each other. South African Police Service (SAPS) crime statistics do not match those of the Victims of Crime Survey (VOCS) released by Statistics South Africa at the end of August 2024.

  • Scoop News Group ☛ 5 cyber issues the next presidential administration needs to prioritize immediately

    The next administration must do better on cyber than previous ones, two experts behind a new McCrary Institute and Cyberspace Solarium Commission 2.0 report argue.

  • Federal News Network ☛ GAO urges NRC to improve its policy for fission materials

    "Some of these materials that currently have kind of weaker security requirements really could harm the public if they were misused," said Allison Bawden.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Sledgehammer: The Wagner cult in Syria

      In Season 2, Episode 6 of the Guns for Hire podcast, host Alia Brahimi chats with defense researcher Jack Margolin about his new book on the Wagner Group. They focus on its operations in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the country’s central place within the Wagner subculture.

• Transparency/Investigative Reporting

  • Federal News Network ☛ Open-source intelligence professionalism: Distinguishing ‘OSINT’ from ‘Pro-SINT’

    Embracing a distinction between OSINT and Pro-SINT ensures intelligence collections by those paid for the work are professional, ethical and legally defensible.

• Environment

  • France24 ☛ Increasing the 'sponginess' of cities: How can urban centres adapt to heavy rainfall?

    In the past year, many regions across France have faced "exceptional" levels of rainfall. According to the national weather agency, the country experienced on average almost 30 percent more rain than in 2023. This is partly due to climate change. But elsewhere in the world, too, many cities are experiencing significant flooding and some have decided to rethink urban planning as a result.

• Finance

  • Defence Web ☛ Veterans’ housing – builds nowhere near targets

    The perennial under-performance of the Department of Military Veterans (DMV) was again highlighted in the reply to a Parliamentary question, this one regarding housing for old soldiers. Provision of housing is, along with pensions and healthcare, seen as priorities for the veteran component of current defence minister Angie Motshekga’s portfolio.

  • Breach Media ☛ Investors, not immigrants, are fuelling the housing crisis

    Poilievre’s rhetoric about immigrants causing Canada’s housing crisis doesn’t track

  • New York Times ☛ I.M.F. Says Inflation Fight Is Largely Over but Warns of New Threats

    The International Monetary Fund said protectionism and new trade wars could weigh on growth.

  • Latvia ☛ Latvia Fintech Forum coming soon

    The Latvia Fintech Forum will take place for the third time on November 5 in Rīga, bringing together around 250 representatives of the financial technology (fintech) ecosystem..

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • New York Times ☛ Vatican and China Extend Agreement on Catholic Bishops

    Critics argue the pact legitimizes China’s control over church affairs, while defenders say it helps support Catholics faithful to the Vatican in the Communist country.

  • RFA ☛ China, Vatican extend controversial deal on appointment of bishops

    A report details Beijing’s persecution of 10 Catholic bishops for refusing to renounce the Pope’s authority.

  • France24 ☛ US Justice Department warns Musk over $1 mn giveaway: reports

    Billionaire Elon Musk's America PAC has been warned by the Justice Department that its $1 million daily giveaways to registered voters may violate federal law, US media reported Wednesday. Musk, the world's richest man, announced the contest on Saturday in Pennsylvania, one of the seven "swing states" that will likely determine who will become the next US president -- Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. FRANCE 24's Emily Boyle reports. Fraser Jackson is on the campaign trail in Philadelphia.

  • New York Times ☛ Son of Singapore’s First Prime Minister Says He Is Granted Asylum in the U.K.

    Lee Hsien Yang accused his brother, a former prime minister, of persecuting him politically, inflaming the feud in Singapore’s first family.

  • Stressing The Protocol

    I’m trying to import as many of my old tweets as I can to Bluesky. Which is fun, because I have a lot of them.

  • University of Michigan ☛ Coping with election anxiety: Focus on other activities

    Endless streams of political commercials. Spirited social control media sparring between friends and families over candidates and issues. With the campaign in its closing weeks, many people still feel stressed. Psychology professor David Dunning discusses how people can lower their election anxiety.

  • New York Times ☛ Bots Linked to China Target Republican House and Senate Candidates, Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Says [Ed: Microsoft, whose infra got cracked by both Russia and China, enabling political espionage, is quoted by NY Times like some kind of expert. Amazing!]

    Chinese influence operations have focused less on this year’s presidential race and more on down-ballot races.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • Cloudbooklet ☛ Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum Hey Hi (AI) Video Real or Fake?

      The viral Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum Hey Hi (AI) Video raises ethical concerns: is it real or fake? As Hey Hi (AI) advances, the debate on authenticity and misuse intensifies.

    • New York Times ☛ As Election Looms, Disinformation ‘Has Never Been Worse’

      A torrent of falsehoods, from home and abroad, have undermined what was once a shared faith in the honesty of America’s democracy.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • JURIST ☛ ECHR finds Türkiye detention of political activist violated right to liberty and freedom of expression

    The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled Tuesday that Türkiye’s pre-trial detainment of political activist Kamuran Yüksek violated his right to liberty, security, and freedom of expression.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ Reach expands central editorial team with hire of 60 journalists

    Writers will cover topics like TV/film, gardening and DIY.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • JURIST ☛ Amnesty International designates 4 as prisoners of conscience in Cuba

    Amnesty International announced on Wednesday that it designated four people in Cuba as prisoners of conscience. The prisoners of conscience include political dissident Félix Navarro, independent journalist Sayli Navarro, protester Roberto Pérez Fonseca, and activist Luis Robles. The term “prisoner of conscience” refers to people who are imprisoned for peacefully expressing their conscientious beliefs.

  • NYPost ☛ Roman Polanski avoids trial for alleged 1973 sexual assault of minor as settlement reached

    Roman Polanski settled a lawsuit over an alleged sexual assault of a minor more than 50 years ago.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Simple, but fierce’: Malaysians divided over national costume for Miss Universe pageant

    The costume is inspired by a Pahang Malay folktale of a warrior princess named Walinong Sari.

  • JURIST ☛ Federal judge throws out RNC lawsuit claiming Michigan government failed to clear voter lists

    A federal court on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit by the Republican National Committee (RNC) alleging the Michigan state government failed to properly clear its voting records in accordance with federal voting registration laws.

  • ACLU ☛ Three Ways the ACLU is Protecting Our Right Vote

    Election Day is less than two weeks away. Right now, the race remains tight and, while we may have a clear winner on November 6th, that day could also mark the start of a prolonged period of uncertainty while votes are counted, recounted, contested and certified.

    At the ACLU, we know that our country was built on the freedom to vote and elect leaders who govern in our name. Right now, however, certain politicians are spreading lies and putting in place deliberate barriers to voting. We’re dedicated to ensuring that every voter is able to cast a ballot that is both counted and respected.

  • New York Times ☛ Boeing Union Workers Reject Contract

    The vote, hours after Boeing reported a $6.1 billion loss, will extend a nearly six-week-long strike at factories where the company makes its best-selling commercial plane.

  • France24 ☛ Boeing workers to extend strike after rejecting latest contract offer, says union

    Almost two-thirds of the members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751, in the Seattle area, rejected Boeing's latest offer after the aerospace company failed to include a pension plan, prolonging a strike that started on September 13.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong’s national security committee weighed in on refusal of prisoner’s early release under new law, court hears

    Hong Kong’s national security committee weighed in on a decision made by the city’s correctional authorities to deny a prisoner early release for good conduct in jail under a newly-enacted security law, a court has heard.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong social service organisations face staffing shortages, declining donations, study finds

    Social service groups in Hong Kong are facing human resources and fundraising challenges in the post-pandemic era, a council coordinating local NGOs has said.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Hackaday ☛ Will .IO Domain Names Survive A Geopolitical Rearrangement?

    The Domain Name System (DNS) is a major functional component of the modern Internet. We rely on it for just about everything! It’s responsible for translating human-friendly domain names into numerical IP addresses that get traffic where it needs to go. At the heart of the system are the top-level domains (TLDs)—these sit atop the whole domain name hierarchy.

  • RFA ☛ Thai police cut internet cable across the Mekong that served Lao scam centers

    The network of cables found under a bridge were used to target Thais with fake calls and messages.

  • Ruben Schade ☛ A ping DUP!

    I was struggling with some flaky, tethered Optus Internet earlier this week, so I tried to ping Quad9: [...]

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Unified Patents ☛ Only lawyers benefit: Less than 4% of [patent trolls] gains reach inventors

    The Perryman Group, in a recent economic study commissioned by Unified Edge, has found that less than 4% of the gains from patents sold to NPEs is realized by the original assignee. The findings reveal that selling a patent monopoly to an NPE is a highly inefficient mechanism for an original inventor to monetize its patents. The study suggests that other options, such as patent monopoly pools, are more likely to ensure that innovators reap the rewards for their contributions to new tech.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Free Post: Patent Exceptionalism and Procedural Silence: A New Challenge to Federal Circuit Practice

    A compelling new petition for certiorari submitted by Island Intellectual Property LLC challenges both the Federal Circuit’s frequent use of one-word Rule 36 affirmances and what petitioner sees as an improper Federal-Circuit patent-specific exception to summary judgment standards. I like this case as an important vehicle for addressing transparency issues that have been plaguing patent monopoly appeals for years.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ China semiconductor patent monopoly applications skyrocket amid US export restrictions — country sees a 42% increase in patent monopoly filings

    Despite the declining chip companies, the number of semiconductor-related patents skyrockets in China.

  • JUVE ☛ Peugeot and August Debouzy keep scooters rolling in France [Ed: European Patents against greener transport (smaller)]

    Piaggio is known for its Vespas but it also manufactures two- and three-wheeled motorcycles. The Italian manufacturer accuses French automotive company Peugeot of infringing several property rights with its motorcycle model “Metropolis”.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Is FIJIAN SPICE COMPANY for Spices Confusable with FIJI for Drinking Water?

    Fiji Water opposed an application to register the mark FIJIAN SPICE COMPANY & Design, shown below, for spices [SPICE COMPANY disclaimed], alleging a likelihood of confusion with its registered mark FIJI for "“natural, spring and artesian water for drinking." Applicant Hitesh Patel employed a rope-a-dope strategy, taking no testimony and submitting no evidence and no trial brief. The Board found that the FIJI mark "falls on the very strong side of the spectrum from very strong to very weak." But are the marks similar enough? Are the goods related? How do think this came out? Fiji Water Company Pte. Ltd. v. Hitesh Patel, Opposition No. 91280233 (October 18, 2024) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Martha B. Allard).

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ SiriusXM Voluntarily Dismisses SoundExchange Counterclaims in Ongoing Unpaid Royalties Dispute

    Less than three months later, SiriusXM has dropped its counterclaims against SoundExchange in their high-stakes legal battle over allegedly unpaid royalties. That interesting move from SiriusXM emerged in a brief notice of dismissal, after the satellite radio giant fired off the counteraction in mid-August.

  • Public Domain Review ☛ Etching of a Sámi Drum from the Dutch Edition of Johannes Schefferus’ Lapponia (1682)

    A shamanistic tool as described by one of the earliest studies of the indigenous peoples of Fennoscandia.