Leftovers

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 8 social workers suspended over protest-related convictions by Hong Kong’s restructured licensing body

  Hong Kong’s new social work licensing body has suspended 11 social workers of their qualifications for up to three years, including eight with convictions related to the protests in 2019.

• Hackaday ☛ Retrotechtacular: Making Enough Merlins To Win A War

  From the earliest days of warfare, it’s never been enough to be able to build a deadlier weapon than your enemy can. Making a sharper spear, an arrow that flies farther and straighter, or a more accurate rifle are all important, but if you can’t make a lot of those spears, arrows, or guns, their quality doesn’t matter. As the saying goes, quantity has a quality of its own.

• Science

  • New York Times ☛ That 800-Year-Old Corpse in the Well? Early Biological Warfare.

    Archaeologists in Norway have confirmed that an ancient set of human remains known as the Well Man were intended to make the locals unwell.

  • Science Alert ☛ Amateur Discovers The Largest Known Prime Number And It's Huge

    Absolutely mind-boggling!

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ DIY 3D Hand Controller Using A Webcam And Scripting

    Are you ready to elevate your interactive possibilities without breaking the bank? If so, explore [Caio Bassetti]’s tutorial on creating a full 3D hand controller using only a webcam, MediaPipe Hands, and Three.js. This hack lets you transform a 2D screen into a fully interactive 3D scene—all with your hand movements. If you’re passionate about low-cost, accessible tech, try this yourself – not much else is needed but a webcam and a browser!

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel CEO is "frustrated" with CHIPS Act payout progress — defective chip maker Intel has received $0 from the $8.5 billion that the US government promised [Ed: Intel is not US "national security"; it's lots of back doors and environmental disaster. Every taxpayer dime given to Intel is money down the brain [1, 2].]

    In an interview, Pat Gelsinger told the New York Times that he has been "frustrated with the process" of securing promised CHIPS Act funding. Biden's CHIPS Act promised $8.5b for Intel, but defective chip maker Intel has seen none of it so far.

  • JURIST ☛ EU Court of Justice rules for defective chip maker Intel in battle with EU regulators

    The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), ruled in favor of on defective chip maker Intel Thursday, annulling a €1.06 billion fine imposed by the European Commission nearly 15 years ago.

  • Jonathan Dowland ☛ Jonathan Dowland: Behringer Model-D (synths I didn't buy)

    In common with the original Minimoog, it's a monophonic analogue synth, featuring three audible oscillators³ , Moog's famous 12-ladder filter and a basic envelope generator. The model-d has lost the keyboard from the original and added some patch points for the different stages, enabling some slight re-routing of the audio components.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ New DNA storage tech aims for 215,000 TB per gram goal — writes to the 'epi-bits' of existing DNA with movable-type-based method

    Peking University researchers recently published their study outlining a new method for encoding data on DNA strands. Rather than traditional methods which create new strands "de novo", this method uses a movable-type system based on DNA methylation which can encode data on existing strands.

  • CNX Software ☛ Portwell WEBS-21J0-ASL – A rugged embedded system with defective chip maker Intel Atom x7000RE Nano-ITX motherboard and Hailo-8 Hey Hi (AI) accelerator

    Portwell’s WEBS-21J0-ASL is a fanless, rugged embedded system with a Nano-ITX motherboard powered by an defective chip maker Intel Atom x7000RE Series processor and optimized for industrial IoT applications.

  • CNX Software ☛ SONOFF ZBMINIR2 review – A mini Zigbee switch & Zigbee router tested with eWeLink and Home Assistant

    We have received another Zigbee device from SONOFF for review, namely the ZBMINIR2 which we’ll review with both eWelink adn Home Assistant. Many people may be familiar with the first-generation mini Zigbee Switch that SONOFF released in 2020, known as the ZBMINI. ZBMINI was one of the early Zigbee Switch models, which also acted as a Zigbee Router.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ Malaria Is Surging in Ethiopia, Reversing a Decade of Progress Against the Disease

    Climate change, civil conflict and growing resistance to insecticides and treatments are all contributing to an alarming spread of cases.

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Other voices: Simple economics can help cut health care costs

    "Increasing the supply of highly qualified workers who can perform needed tasks -- whatever their degree -- is the most straightforward way to lower costs."

  • Latvia ☛ Latvian Radio investigates help for mothers with postpartum depression

    Latvian Radio's investigative strand 'Atvērtie Faili' (Open Files) on October 24 centered on the potentially unnecessary stresses of giving birth in Latvia and the linked condition of postnatal or postpartum depression.

  • Science Alert ☛ Time-Restricted Eating Helps Control Blood Sugar in Type 2 Diabetes

    A stepping stone to good health.

  • Science Alert ☛ One Type of Fiber May Have Weight Loss Benefits Similar to Ozempic

    And it's found in everyday foods.

  • Science Alert ☛ 'Hangxiety': If You Feel Anxious After Drinking, This Is Why

    There's a scientific explanation.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Unravel Link Between ADHD And Coffee During Pregnancy

    Here's what we know.

  • JURIST ☛ Ohio judge strikes down abortion ban following constitutional amendment

    Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Christian Jenkins struck down Ohio’s restrictive abortion ban on Thursday, citing the 2023 voter-approved Reproductive Freedom Amendment that protects the right to abortion under the state constitution.

  • New York Times ☛ Phil Lesh Made Organ Donation His Personal Cause

    For the past 25 years, the founding member of the Grateful Dead made a nightly speech about a topic that helped him stay performing into his 80s.

  • New York Times ☛ The Elon-ction + Can Hey Hi (AI) Be Blamed for a Teen’s Suicide?

    The 2024 election has a new main character.

  • Cloudbooklet ☛ Is Character.AI Responsible for Florida Teen Suicide?

    The Florida teen suicide raises questions about the impact of Character.AI and whether it contributed to the tragedy, sparking a debate on online safety.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • EFF ☛ The Real Monsters of Street Level Surveillance

      If your blood runs too cold, take a break with our favorite digital rights legends— the Encryptids.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Defence Web ☛ Defence ministry has plans in place to handle Auditor-General concerns

    A three-part overview of the first 100 days of South Africa’s second government of national unity (GNU) focusing on defence and military veterans by Bantu Holomisa, one of two deputy ministers to Angie Motshekga, has drawn official media reaction from the Defence Ministry.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te says island ‘won’t yield an inch’ of its territory on anniversary of Kinmen battle

    Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said Friday the island will not cede an inch of its territory, as China maintains military pressure on Taipei to accept its claim of sovereignty.

  • New York Times ☛ Gang Gunfire in Haiti Hits U.S. Embassy Vehicles and U.N. Helicopter

    The attacks this week point to an escalation of violence as the situation worsens and gangs overwhelm security forces, including a multinational force.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong gov’t to train community care teams to promote awareness of national security, official says

    The Hong Kong government will train community care team members to help raise national security awareness in their respective districts, the city’s home and youth affairs minister has said.

  • New York Times ☛ Election Officials Face Torrent of Threats as Nov. 5 Looms

    Law enforcement’s task for Election Day this year goes far beyond providing physical security, to the essential mission of safeguarding democracy.

  • Digital Music News ☛ IMPALA Turns Up the Pressure As Fentanylware (TikTok) Direct Deal Deadline Arrives, Warns of ‘Significant Risks’ for the App’s ‘Long-Term Interests’

    The deadline for indie labels to sign direct deals with Fentanylware (TikTok) (or see their catalogs pulled) is here, and IMPALA is upping the pressure by publicly calling for “a strong, cooperative partnership without strong-arm tactics.”

  • NYPost ☛ TikToker who tore down Greek flags thinking they were Israeli dubbed ‘one of the dumbest people on Earth’ by frustrated locals

    “If you’re going to make that kind of statement, at least know your flag."

  • The Straits Times ☛ How an anxious China is backing Myanmar’s faltering junta in civil war

    China is increasingly alarmed by the Myanmar military's degeneration.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan President says ‘won’t yield an inch’ in defence of island’s territory

    This comes just days after Taiwan and China held drills in nearby waters.

  • The Straits Times ☛ India, China begin implementing new border pact, ending Himalayan face-off

    The nuclear-armed neighbours struck a deal this week on patrolling the frontier.

  • The Straits Times ☛ What was the India-China military clash in 2020 about?

    Troops from India and China have begun stepping back from two final stand-off positions along their disputed Himalayan frontier, paving the way to end a four-year military face-off.

  • France24 ☛ Israel launches air strikes on targets in Iran

    Israel has launched airstrikes on Iran in a retaliatory attack that could push the Middle East closer to a regional war. Explosions were reported around Tehran, in the early hours of Saturday, as Israeli jets struck what were described as “military targets” in the country. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the country’s military, confirmed that it had begun to launch strikes against Iran. The United States described the strikes as "an exercise of self-defence".

  • The Straits Times ☛ Israeli airstrike attacks Syrian military targets, SANA says

    An Israeli airstrike targeted some military sites in Syria's central and southern parts early on Saturday, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.

  • France24 ☛ 'Israel is trying to terrorise journalists' Lebanese reporters react

    Three journalists have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on a building known to be housing reporters in south-eastern Lebanon. They were staying there after having fled Marjayoun where they were originally based, after Israel's attacks made it too dangerous. The three men who were killed worked for broadcasters Al-Manar TV and Al Mayadeen TV, which issued statements paying tribute to their killed employees.

  • JURIST ☛ Israel airstrike kills three journalists in Lebanon, UNHCR warns displacement crisis

    An Israeli strike in south Lebanon resulted in the deaths of three journalists, Lebanon’s health ministry said on Friday. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has raised concerns over Israeli airstrikes impacting a border crossing with Syria.

  • New York Times ☛ Israeli Strike Kills 3 Journalists in Southern Lebanon

    The three worked for Lebanese news organizations, their employers said. Lebanon’s health ministry said they had been staying in a residence housing journalists.

  • RFERL ☛ Blinken Warns Of 'Real Urgency' To End Mideast Conflict

    U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned of an urgent need to reach a diplomatic resolution to the war in Gaza and Lebanon as the UN refugee agency raised concerns over Israeli air strikes, saying they endangered those fleeing the war.

  • New York Times ☛ Media Organizations Criticize Israeli Strike That Killed Three Journalists

    Israel says it was bombing a structure associated with Hezbollah and says it is reviewing the strike.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel Pummels Gaza and Lebanon With Hundreds of Deadly Airstrikes

    Gaza’s health ministry reported that dozens of people had been killed in a residential area of Khan Younis, as Israel launched a barrage of attacks across the region on Friday.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ The Modi-Xi fence-mending is a sign of the times

    The recent meeting between the Chinese leader and the Indian prime minister in Russia reveals a lot about the current geopolitical landscape.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • France24 ☛ Putin is the 'biggest promoter' of EU enlargement, Croatian PM Plenkovic says

      We speak to one of the most seasoned players on the European stage, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. During his eight years in office, he has experienced the latter stages of the 2015-16 migrant crisis, the Covid pandemic, and the impact of the war in Ukraine, as well as overseeing his country’s entry into the eurozone and the Schengen free-travel area. We discuss topical issues in the EU as well as in his region, particularly EU enlargement towards the Western Balkans.

    • New York Times ☛ As Georgia Decides Its Future, Artists Are Worried About Theirs

      Two new laws, and a looming election, in the former Soviet republic of Georgia have artists reconsidering their livelihoods and even whether they can stay in the country.

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea slams Russian move to ratify defence treaty with North Korea

      Seoul called on Moscow to stop its “illegal cooperation” with Pyongyang.

    • The Straits Times ☛ PM Chinh says Vietnam to work with BRICS as he meets with China, Russia leaders

      Vietnam is ready to work with BRICS, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said as he attended the group's summit for the first time this week and held meetings with Chinese and Russian leaders.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Raises Interest Rate to 21 Percent, Its Highest in Decades

      Military spending and recruitment are causing the country’s economy to overheat, leaving regulators in a struggle to rein in rising prices.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Could Expand Its Assistance to Houthis, U.S. Says

      The group’s attacks in the Red Sea have driven up shipping costs and forced the United States and its allies to increase their naval presence in the region.

    • Meduza ☛ Denis Leontovich landed a government job in Russia, despite being openly gay. Then online harassment forced him to flee the country. — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Dispatch from Issyk-Kul How nationalizing Kyrgyzstan’s largest gold mine won President Japarov the people’s support (for now) — Meduza

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Air Strikes Kill At Least 4 In Ukraine

      Russian air strikes late on October 25 that hit civilian buildings in Kyiv and Dnipro killed at least four people, local officials in the Ukrainian cities said.

    • RFERL ☛ Exclusive: Belarus Halts Construction Of Military Camp Near Ukraine Border

      The construction of a new military camp in the Homel region of Belarus, which some analysts warned could be used as an attack base targeting Ukraine, has ground to a halt, RFE/RL has learned.

    • RFERL ☛ Russia To Send North Korean Troops Into Battle Within Days, Zelenskiy Warns

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has warned that Russia intends to deploy troops from North Korea in combat areas as early as October 27. He also called for "tangible" international pressure on the two countries to get them to respect UN legislation.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Who are North Korea's military partners around the world?

      SEOUL - North Korea has been accused this week of sending thousands of troops to Russia, potentially to take part in the war in Ukraine, in a step that could bring the isolated country's first large-scale military deployment overseas since the Vietnam War.

    • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea's military is one of world's largest: how powerful is it?

      North Korea's military has come under the spotlight after the United States joined South Korea and Ukraine this week to accuse Pyongyang of dispatching thousands of troops to Russia, potentially to ready them for combat in the Ukraine war.  

    • New York Times ☛ North Korean Troops Assemble in Russia’s Kursk Region, U.S. Officials Say

      Thousands of soldiers from an elite unit of the Korean People’s Army began arriving on Wednesday and are expected to try to help expel Ukrainian forces from Russian territory.

    • New York Times ☛ Videos Appear to Show North Korean Troops in Russia Amid Ukraine War

      Footage was filmed in the Russian Far East, which the United States says is hosting thousands of North Korean soldiers.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ The North Korea-Russia relationship is blossoming into a common market of autocracies

      Moscow and Pyongyang are devising and developing new business practices to supply each other while evading the reach of many US sanctions.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Andrew A. Michta testifies to the Helsinki Commission on Russia’s aggression in Central and Eastern Europe

      Andrew A. Michta, director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, testified before the Helsinki Commission on Russia’s imperial ambitions in Central and Eastern Europe.

    • France24 ☛ At odds with the EU, Georgia cosies up to Russia as legislative vote looms

      Elements in Georgia are distancing themselves from the EU, publicly denouncing the “hostility” of the West and playing into Russia's hands ahead of Saturday's parliamentary elections. It is a political shift driven by Georgia’s richest man and former prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, who made his fortune in Russia before returning home in 2003.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania to dismantle power lines with Russia, Belarus in 2025, says TSO

      Power transmission lines with Russia and Belarus will be disconnected in February next year as part of the synchronisation of the Baltic energy systems with Western Europe and will be dismantled afterwards, the Lithuanian electricity transmission system operator Litgrid has said.

    • RFERL ☛ Moldovan Police Accuse Pro-Russian Oligarch Of $39M Vote-Buying Scheme

      Moldovan police say convicted fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor has transferred $39 million into the bank accounts of thousands of Moldovans over the past two months allegedly to buy votes for the pro-Russia camp at last week's referendum and first round of presidential elections.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian, Ukrainian customs agree on automated exchange of information

      Heads of Ukrainian and Lithuanian customs authorities signed a memorandum of understanding in Kyiv on preparations to implement the automated exchange of customs information, the Lithuanian Customs said on Friday.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Hungary’s Russian oil deal threatens EU solidarity

      By striking a deal to resume Russian oil transit through Ukraine, Hungarian oil and gas company MOL undermines Europe's collective action against Russia. The European Union must respond quickly and decisively with solidarity to close sanctions loopholes.

    • Stanford University ☛ Lithuanian ambassador urges resistance to Russia

      More than two years into the Russia-Ukraine war, the Lithuanian ambassador to the U.S. stressed the importance of international support for and aid to Ukraine to protect the global political order.

    • New York Times ☛ BRICS Summit Offers a Glimpse Inside Putin’s Alternate Reality

      At a meeting of emerging economies, Vladimir Putin positioned himself as a respected and powerful leader, ignoring the condemnation he receives from the West.

    • Marcy Wheeler ☛ If Putin Is Running Musk, Trump Should Be Terrified

      Elon Musk's reported ties to Vladimir Putin and other top Russians are more of a concern because of Musk's willingness to use Xitter to stoke violence and JD Vance's centrality in Musk's role on Trump's campaign.

    • France24 ☛ Elon Musk donates millions for Trump as Kremlin denies regular Putin talks

      Billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest man and an avid supporter of Donald Trump, was the object of new controversy on Friday after the Wall Street Journal published a report that he is in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin's spokesman rejected the report, saying "it's all untrue, absolutely false information".

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian leaders slam UN chief meeting Putin, Lukashenko in Russia

      The participation of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the BRICS summit in Kazan, as well as his refusal to go to the Ukraine peace summit, is a “mistake”, says Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.

    • JURIST ☛ ICC finds Mongolia violated Rome Statute by failing to arrest Putin

      The International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled unanimously on Thursday that Mongolia violated Rome Statute by failing to comply with its request to arrest and surrender Russian President Vladimir Putin during his recent visit to the Asian country.

    • France24 ☛ US Elex, Putin’s Orbit, Blinken, War & Poetry

      It has been a good week in the polls for Donald Trump. For the first time in two months several US election forecasters have suggested that he is ahead in the key swing states, by a wafer thin margin. And this comes despite his character being questioned again. Meanwhile in the battle for headlines on the campaign trail, Elon Musk has been offering million dollar giveaways to registered voters, and Trump “was loving it” in McDonalds.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ Trees uprooted, power lines snapped as Cyclone Dana pummels India’s east coast

    The state of Odisha had closed schools and suspended flights until the morning of Oct 25.

  • Hackaday ☛ ‘Upgrading’ A Microwave Oven To 20 KW

    Whilst microwave plasmas are nothing new around here, we were curious to see what happens at 20x the power, and since YouTuber [Styropyro] had put out a new video, we couldn’t resist seeing where this was going. Clearly, as your bog standard microwave oven can only handle at most one kilowatt; the ‘oven’ needed a bit of an upgrade.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • France24 ☛ Striking workers cut power across all of French territory Guadeloupe

      Electricity on the entire French territory of Guadeloupe was cut off on Friday after workers on strike turned off the motors in the main EDF power station. Police stepped in to secure the site and the local prefect said that some workers would be requisitioned to bring normal electricity service back to the archipelago.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Peered Inside The Tiniest Dinosaur Egg Ever Found

      A record-breaker from millions of years ago.

• Finance

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ HKFP joins Oxfam’s Living Wage initiative

    Hong Kong Free Press has signed up to Oxfam’s Living Wage initiative to ensure fair pay for all staff. Thanks to HKFP Patrons and supporters, our newsroom offers a wage in line with international news outlets, including a health care plan, mental health support and other benefits.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia eyes more tax revenue from subsidy cuts for ‘ultra rich’, but who exactly are they?

    There is heated debate over the definition of T15, which experts say should take into account factors such as household size and locality.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China lawmakers to meet from Nov 4 to 8 as investors eye stimulus

    All eyes are on any approval of fiscal stimulus to revive China's slowing economy.

  • NYPost ☛ Lyft to pay $2.1M fine to settle FTC charges it inflated drivers’ earnings prospects

    Lyft agreed to pay a $2.1 million civil fine to settle U.S. Federal Trade Commission charges it misled prospective drivers about how much money they might earn working for the ride-hailing company.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Zekelman Industries files suit against Mexico for steel dumping and trade violations

    Zekelman is accusing Mexico of acting as an illegal backdoor to Chinese imports, allowing those products to evade tariffs.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China to offer Taliban tariff-free trade as it inches nearer isolated resource-rich regime

    Afghanistan could offer a wealth of mineral resources to boost Beijing’s supply chain security.

  • Latvia ☛ Tentative signs of growth in Latvian credit market

    In the first half of this year, the number of loans granted to private individuals increased by 27% compared to the corresponding period last year, according to information gathered by the Credit Information Bureau (KIB), based on submissions from the members of the Financial Industry Association.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Economy to be on agenda when Chinese officials meet in November, as markets await stimulus details

    Chinese leaders will convene a key political meeting early next month, state media reported Friday, as observers watch for more details on a stimulus plan to support the country’s wavering economy.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • CS Monitor ☛ The Menendez brothers received life without parole. Should they walk free?

    The Los Angeles County district attorney has recommended Erik and Lyle Menendez be resentenced and the brothers be eligible for parole. A parole board must approve their release, and Gov. Gavin Newsom could reject the decision.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Beijing gets new Catholic bishop, days after Vatican-China deal renewal

    Bishop Matthew Zhen Xuebin, 54, was named by Pope Francis.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia denies new laws on house arrest are geared towards jailed ex-PM Najib

    The new laws seek to reduce recidivism rates and prison overcrowding, said a minister.

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Army releases redacted police report on altercation during Trump’s Arlington cemetery visit

    A lawsuit demanding the release of the police report was filed by Washington-based government transparency group American Oversight, and a federal judge ordered it be made public by Friday.

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Trump accused of groping a woman in 1993 while Jeffrey Epstein watched

    In an interview with CNN after the video call, Williams called the encounter with Trump “one of the strangest moments of my life.”

  • Breach Media ☛ How movements can organize to defeat Pierre Poilievre

    Organizers discuss how to confront a surging right

  • New York Times ☛ Maggie Haberman on What an Unleashed Trump Might Do

    The New York Times political correspondent discusses Donald Trump’s past, present and possible future.

  • France24 ☛ Two weeks before US election, candidates hold rallies in swing states

    The US election takes a detour from the swing state circuit to decamp to Texas on Friday as Kamala Harris rallies with pop superstar Beyonce and Donald Trump sits down with the world's biggest podcaster. Solidly Republican Texas makes an unorthodox stop just days before November 5, especially for Harris who could be working to revive her momentum in the battleground states set to decide the vote. For more on the rallies, FRANCE 24 international affairs commentator, Douglas Herbert.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Pennsylvania officials rebut false voter fraud claims from home and abroad

      A video of someone ripping up supposed Trump votes in Bucks County is fake and likely originated from Russia, while Trump supporters in the state falsely accused a group of nuns of mass voter fraud. 

    • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Russian actors made fake video depicting mail-in ballots for Trump being destroyed, FBI says

      This particular video is “almost certainly” connected to a Russian disinformation network known as Storm-1516 or CopyCop, according Media Forensics Hub at Clemson University.

    • Bryan Lunduke ☛ Wikipedia's War on Israel, USA, & Truth

      Pro-Hamas and Pro-Iran editors flood Wikipedia (& Google) with false data, while Wiki Media Foundation earns hundreds of millions of dollars.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • The Straits Times ☛ Son-in-law of former Myanmar junta chief arrested over Facebook (Farcebook) posts

    Nay Soe Maung had been “charged” but the junta did not specify under which law.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ Guardian Media Group journalists back strike in indicative vote on Tortoise Observer bid

    The NUJ said "journalists are resolute in their opposition to the Observer sale".

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • New York Times ☛ Attacks on L.G.B.T.Q. People in Ivory Coast Shake Sense of Security

    Ivory Coast, long considered one of West Africa’s most tolerant societies, has recently seen a string of assaults on L.G.B.T.Q. people after several social control media influencers exhorted their followers to “hunt” gay men.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • JUVE ☛ Top filing and litigation firms in Germany 2024 [Ed: JUVE doing its spam/ads for firms that pay for bias, lie, and even illegal lobbying (UPC)]

  • JUVE ☛ Top filing firms in Germany 2024 [Ed: More JUVE spam, selling fake endorsements for firms to use]

  • JUVE ☛ Top litigation firms in Germany 2024 [Ed: Top by what criteria? How much they pay JUVE?]

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Doctrine of Equivalents: Expert Testimony Must Include Particularized Links

    Throughout its 40-year history, the Federal Circuit has been largely negative toward the doctrine of equivalents (and exceedingly negative toward the reverse DOE).  This negativity includes repeatedly taking decisions out of the jury’s hands based upon insufficient evidence of equivalency.  In a new decision, a 2-1 majority continues this trend, holding that conclusory expert testimony is insufficient even for relatively simple technologies.

  • U.S. Judicial Conference Makes Progress on Litigation Finance Transparency

    On October 10th, the U.S. Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Civil Rules announced it would study the necessity of establishing a nationwide rule to require disclosure of third-party litigation funding (TPLF) arrangements.

  • Software Patents

    • Unified Patents ☛ Magnetar Capital entity Lionra cybersecurity patent monopoly found invalid

      On October 23, 2024, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) entered a notice of intent to issue a reexamination certificate canceling all challenged claims of U.S. Patent 9,264,441, owned by Lionra Technologies Ltd, a Magnetar Capital entity. The ‘441 patent monopoly relates to detecting vulnerability exploits of a network using a virtual machine and has been asserted against Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, Crowdstrike, VMware, and Cisco.

    • Unified Patents ☛ Wrinkl messaging patent monopoly challenged

      On October 25, 2024, Unified Patents filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 11,973,731, owned and asserted by Wrinkl, Inc.

    • Unified Patents ☛ VirtaMove's Kubernetes / open source patent monopoly challenge instituted

      On October 24, 2024, one month after Unified filed an ex parte reexamination, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) granted Unified’s request, finding substantial new questions of patentability on challenged claims 1 and 12 of U.S. Patent 7,784,058, owned and asserted by VirtaMove Corp (f/k/a Appzero Software Corp). an NPE.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Is This Word-and-Design Mark Confusable with PASION, Both for Cigars?

    The USPTO refused to register the composite word-and-design mark shown below, for cigars, finding confusion likely with the registered mark PASION for, inter alia, cigars. Applicant argued on appeal that it had prior use of its mark, that it sells its cigars in two Philadelphia stores and at its website whereas the registrant's cigars are sold in New York City and on its own website, that the websites feature different color schemes, that customers will exercise care in their purchasing decisions, and that evidence of actual confusion was lacking. How do you think this appeal came out? In re Martinez Hand Rolled Cigars, Inc., Serial No. 97479082 (October 23, 2024) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Angela Lykos).

• Copyrights

  • Public Knowledge ☛ Public Knowledge, iFixit Free the McFlurry, Win Copyright Office DMCA Exemption for Ice Cream Machines

    Copyright Office partially grants an exemption specifically allowing for repair of retail-level food preparation equipment -- including soft serve ice cream machines.

  • Digital Music News ☛ AI Startup Perplexity Responds to Dow Jones Lawsuit — ‘AI-Enhanced Search Engines Are Not Going Away’ [Ed: Scraping and plagiarising instead of linking to originals, then hiring lawyers to gaslight the robbed]

    After being slapped with a lawsuit from Dow Jones & Company and NYP Holdings over copyright monopoly infringement, Hey Hi (AI) search engine Perplexity has responded.

  • Bruce Schneier ☛ Watermark for LLM-Generated Text

    Researchers at Surveillance Giant Google have developed a watermark for LLM-generated text. The basics are pretty obvious: the LLM chooses between tokens partly based on a cryptographic key, and someone with knowledge of the key can detect those choices. What makes this hard is (1) how much text is required for the watermark to work, and (2) how robust the watermark is to post-generation editing. Google’s version looks pretty good: it’s detectable in text as small as 200 tokens.