Distributions and Operating Systems

• BSD

  • DragonFly BSD Digest ☛ Lazy Reading for 2024/10/27

    All over the place this week. DragonFly: Replace gnu diff, diff3, and sdiff with BSD versions. RSA DSA challenged (again) Peripheral Component Interconnect. Lillian Schwartz and an early UNIX… mobile?.  (via) Fall mystery games.  Linked for the second game reviewed. HTML for People. The Conspiracy Capitaliser. Periodical 20 — Localized Computing, Psychogeographic Review.

Leftovers

• The Straits Times ☛ These sneakers are inspired by an iconic Malaysian snack

  The collaboration between the SneakerLah event and Asics pays tribute to Mamee Monster.

• Tedium ☛ Why Butterfingers Break

  I’ve always been deeply curious about the brittle nature of Butterfinger candy bars—so with that in mind, I thought way too hard about it in this piece.

  Ok, so we're near Halloween, and I've been thinking a bit about candy. (Beats politics or, as it turns out, journalism.) In particular, I'm always drawn to the structural integrity of candy bars. On the surface, they are often stacked, solid, as thick as a smartphone. (It must be the nougat.) But they break down easily, with only a minimum of outward pressure. Which is why it's not a bad thing to put a smartphone in your pocket, but maybe not a Snickers. But I am drawn to one candy bar in particular, one that breaks with a minimum of pressure, despite feeling otherwise stiff. I'm of course talking about the Butterfinger, an unusual beast of candy, seemingly designed to break before you've even opened the wrapper. Today’s Tedium talks about candy bars, structural integrity, and Butterfingers. Yes. Really.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ We've Been Misreading a Major Law of Physics For 300 Years

    Are you kidding me?

  • Science Alert ☛ We Finally Know Where to Look For The Universe's Most Sought-After Particle

    Could this be it?

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Invented an Entirely New Way to Refrigerate Things

    This is super cool!

• Hardware

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s second-generation factory owners go digital to combat challenges

    Many second-generation factory owners are fighting to elevate China's manufacturing sector.

  • Hackaday ☛ BNCs For An Old Instrument

    Back in the summer our eye was caught by [Jazzy Jane]’s new signal generator, or perhaps we should say her new-to-her signal generator. It’s an Advance E1 from around 1950, and it was particularly interesting from here because it matches the model on the shelf above this bench. She’s back with a new video on the E1, allowing us a further look inside it as she replaces a dead capacitor, gets its audio oscillator working, and upgrades its sockets.

  • CNX Software ☛ Microchip PIC64HX1000 64-bit Hey Hi (AI) MPU delivers post-quantum security for aerospace, defense, and automotive applications

    Microchip recently unveiled the PIC64HX1000 64-bit Hey Hi (AI) microprocessor (MPU) family designed for mission-critical intelligent edge applications in the aerospace, defense, industrial, and medical sectors thanks to a quantum-resistant design.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Hackaday ☛ How Pollution Controls For Cargo Ships Made Global Warming Worse

    In 2020 international shipping saw itself faced with new fuel regulations for cargo ships pertaining to low sulfur fuels (IMO2020). This reduced the emission of sulfur dioxide aerosols from these ships across the globe by about 80% practically overnight and resulting in perhaps the biggest unintentional geoengineering event since last century.

  • France24 ☛ Michelle Obama warns of women becoming 'collateral damage' at Harris rally in Michigan

    At a rally in Michigan for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris on Saturday, former first lady Michelle Obama warned potential Trump voters that women were at risk of becoming "collateral damage to your rage" as Republicans curtail access to lifesaving healthcare under the guise of restricting abortion.

  • New Yorker ☛ Trump’s Health, and Ours

    Studies increasingly suggest that a healthy nation depends on a healthy democracy.

  • New York Times ☛ No E. Coli Found in Samples of McDonald’s Beef Patties, Officials Say

    The company said it would put Quarter Pounders back on the menu, without the raw onions that were considered the likely source of the bacteria.

  • Science Alert ☛ Halloween Candy Can Overload Your Gut Microbiome, Expert Warns

    Something sinister is going on.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists One Step Closer to Finding Trigger in Brain For REM Sleep

    This could help treat sleep disorders.

  • New Yorker ☛ Quick, Affordable Sushi That’s Still a Cut Above

    At Sendo, a Tokyo-style sushi-ya in midtown, the food’s level of sophistication well surpasses its price point.

  • Ruben Schade ☛ The benefits of slow walking

    I had to get my ten thousand steps in today, but I’m coming off a bad cold and was feeling melancholic, weak, and lethargic. So I started walking in one direction down the street, at a steady and gentle pace. Walking outdoors does wonders for mental health, and I swear it helps with ailments too.

    I didn’t listen to a podcast or any music; I put the personal phone in my pocket, and left the work beeper and headphones on my desk at home.

    I was walking, watching where I was going, but otherwise not really paying attention to anything.

    There were so many chirping Australian birds!

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • The Straits Times ☛ iPhone 16 allowed into Indonesia for personal use, not to be sold, says govt

    The phones cannot be sold in Indonesia as Fashion Company Apple has not met the country's local investment targets.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Concerns about medical note-taking tool raised after researcher discovers it invents things no one said — Nabla is powered by OpenAI's Whisper

    Researchers have found that OpenAI's Whisper audio transcriber is prone to hallucination — and that it's what powers one of the more popular Hey Hi (AI) transcription services that doctors use.

• Pseudo-Open Source

  • Openwashing

    • Unicorn Media ☛ Ruth Suehle on Guaranteeing Open Source’s Future [Ed: Openwashing push]

      Ahead of her talk on Tuesday at All Things Open, FOSS Force sat down and talked with Ruth Suehle on what needs to be done to assure that open source software has a long future.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea blames South’s military for drone intrusion

    Pyongyang said it was an infringement upon its sovereignty.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian pharmacist found dead in Melbourne; homeless man charged with murder

    The suspect is believed to suffer from schizophrenia.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Najib apologises, but will Anwar forgive?

    The question Malaysians are asking is whether PM Anwar is willing to forgive Najib, the man he accused as his jailer.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China held ‘combat’ patrol after latest US arms sales to Taiwan, says Taipei

    Taiwan’s defence ministry said it detected 19 Chinese aircraft on Oct 27.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Taiwan says China deployed jets and drones after latest US arms sales

    China deployed fighter jets and drones as part of a “joint combat readiness patrol” around Taiwan on Sunday, Taipei said, hours after Beijing slammed the latest round of US arms sales to the island.

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Noah Feldman: Harvard Gaza protest raises free-speech questions

    "The campus free-speech debate has found a new home — the university library."

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Indonesia drives Chinese coast guard ship from disputed waters in South China Sea

    Indonesia has driven a Chinese coast guard ship from contested waters in the South China Sea for the third time this week, its maritime security agency said Saturday. It is the latest move by a Southeast Asian nation against Beijing’s actions in the strategic waterway, which it claims almost in full.

  • New York Times ☛ Advisers Propose That Trump Give Security Clearances Without F.B.I. Vetting

    A memo circulating in Donald Trump’s orbit says that if elected he should use private firms to check appointees’ backgrounds and give them immediate access to classified secrets after taking office.

  • New York Times ☛ Israeli Strike On the City of Sidon Kills 8 People, Lebanon Health Ministry Says

    Israel’s military did not provide an immediate comment on the strike, but said earlier on Sunday that it was carrying out “targeted ground raids” in southern Lebanon.

  • New York Times ☛ Israeli Strike in Northern Gaza Killed and Injured Dozens of People, Gazan Officials Say

    Israel began a military offensive in the northern part of the enclave several weeks ago, targeting what it said was a regrouped Hamas presence in the area.

  • New York Times ☛ Iran’s Leaders Stress Their Right to Respond to Israel’s Strikes

    Iran’s supreme leader said Israel’s attack should not be “magnified or downplayed,” state media reported. U.S. and Israeli officials were expected to meet in Qatar for talks aimed at reviving cease-fire negotiations.

  • New York Times ☛ Measured Comments From Israel and Iran on New Round of Strikes

    Israel’s prime minister said Israeli airstrikes on Iran had achieved their goals, and Iranian officials did not threaten retaliation.

  • New York Times ☛ Behind the Tactical Gains Against Iran, a Longer-Term Worry

    Experts inside and outside the Biden administration fear that Iran may conclude it has only one defense left: racing for an atomic weapon.

  • RFERL ☛ UN Security Council Sets Urgent Session On Iran-Israeli Conflict At Tehran's Request

    The UN Security Council has agreed to hold an emergency session at Tehran's request following Israel's missile strike against Iran in the early morning hours of October 26.

  • RFERL ☛ Iran's Khamenei Says Israeli Strikes Should Not Be Exaggerated Or Minimized

    Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned against either exaggerating or minimizing the impact of Israeli’s October 26 retaliatory strikes against Iran.

  • France24 ☛ Is Israel's strike on Iran seen as a success by the Israeli population?

    On Saturday, Israel carried out air strikes against military sites in Iran in response to Tehran's missile attack on October 1, itself a retaliation for the killing of Iran-backed militant leaders and a Revolutionary Guards commander. Is the strike on Iran seen as a success by the Israeli population? More information with ABC correspondent in Jerusalem, Jordana Miller.

  • France24 ☛ Iran mulls over its response to Israeli strikes

    Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday said Israel's attack on the Islamic republic "should neither be exaggerated nor minimised". More information from Teheran with Saeed Azimi.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • RFERL ☛ U.S. VP Candidate Vance Calls Putin 'Adversary' But Declines To Call Him An 'Enemy'

      U.S. vice presidential nominee JD Vance -- Republican Donald Trump's running mate -- acknowledged that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “clearly an adversary” of the United States, but he declined to call him an “enemy” during an interview with NBC News broadcast on October 27.

    • RFERL ☛ Moscow Claims Advances In Eastern Ukraine As Kherson Blasted By Russian Shells

      The Russian military claimed to have made advances in eastern Ukraine, while authorities in Kyiv said the Kremlin’s forces continued their attacks on the regional center of Kherson on October 27, killing at least one person near the city’s post office.

    • France24 ☛ Georgia's crucial vote was marred by intimidation, European monitors say

      European observers said Sunday that Georgia's election took place in a "climate of hatred and intimidation” with multiple election violations and cases of violence, undermining the outcome of the vote that could decide the country's future in Europe. further analysis with FRANCE 24's Andrew Hilliar.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Hackaday ☛ Small Steam Generator Creates Educational Experience

      Steam turbines have helped drive a large chunk of our technological development over the last century or so, and they’ll always make for interesting DIY. [Hyperspace Pirate] built a small turbine and boiler in his garage, turning fire into flowing electrons, and learning a bunch in the process.

    • France24 ☛ Authorities extend curfew in French Guadeloupe after a strike prompted a blackout

      The government of the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe ordered a curfew on Saturday, a day after a strike by workers left 370,000 people in darkness for nearly 24 hours. Story by France 2 and Siobhán Silke.

• Finance

  • Hackaday ☛ The Pound ( Or Euro, Or Dollar ) Can Still Be In Your Pocket

    A British journalistic trope involves the phrase “The pound in your pocket”, a derisory reference to the 1960s Prime Minister Harold Wilson’s use of it to try to persuade the public that a proposed currency devaluation wouldn’t affect them. Nearly six decades later not so many Brits carry physical pounds in their pockets as electronic transfers have become more prevalent, but the currency remains. So much so that the governor of the Bank of England has had to reassure the world that the pound won’t be replaced by a proposed “Britcoin” cryptocurrency should that be introduced.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • New York Times ☛ Voters Are Deeply Skeptical About the Health of American Democracy

    Nearly half say it does not do a good job representing the people, and three-quarters say it is under threat, according to a Times/Siena poll.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • The Straits Times ☛ 4 students in S. Korea arrested for making, having deepfake porn content of classmates

      More than 1,700 digital sex offences in South Korean schools have been reported since 2021.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years

    The sisters were adopted as infants and discovered each other through a MyHeritage DNA test.

  • The Straits Times ☛ S. Korean Christian groups in massive protest against rights for same-sex couples

    As many as 230,000 attended the rally, but organisers say there were as many as a million.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Ruben Schade ☛ ruben.coffee is now live

    My new coffee page now lives at ruben.coffee! It’s going to be my evolving collection of hardware, shops, links, travel, recipes, wish lists, roasters, and anything else I can think of. It started on Clara’s and my wiki, but has now evolved into its own thing using my Omake format, because why not?

    Okay, there are a lot of reasons why not. Unlike drinking coffee, which is always appropriate. Except when it’s not.

  • Don Marti ☛ Don Marti: typefaces that aren’t on this blog (yet?)

    Right now I’m not using these, but they look useful and/or fun.

    • Departure Mono: vintage-looking, pixelated, lo-fi technical vibe.

    • Atkinson Hyperlegible Font was carefully developed by the Braille Institute to help low-vision readers. It improves legibility and readability through clear, and distinctive letters and numbers.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Hackaday ☛ Apple IOS 18’s New Repair Assistant: Easier Parts Pairing Yet With Many Limitations

    Over the years, Apple has gone all-in on parts pairing. Virtually every component in an iPhone and iPad has a unique ID that’s kept in a big database over at Apple, which limits replacement parts to only those which have their pairing with the host system officially sanctified by Apple. With iOS 18 there seems to be somewhat of a change in how difficult getting a pairing approved, in the form of Apple’s new Repair Assistant. According to early responses by [iFixit] and in a video by [Hugh Jeffreys] the experience is ‘promising but flawed’.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Trade Secrets vs. Patents: Pioneer’s Plant Patent Strategy Raises Thorny Issues (Corny Issues?)

    The ongoing dispute between Inari Agriculture and Pioneer Hi-Bred over utility plant patents has taken its next step, with Inari seeking Director Review of the PTAB's denial of institution in PGR2024-00020 -- arguing that a patentee's reliance on its own trade secret information when developing its invention (here a maize variety) is directly relevant to the question of obviousness. The case raises interesting and fundamental questions about the intersection of trade secrets and patent monopoly law in the context of plant breeding. Inari Agriculture, Inc. v. Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., PGR2024-00020, Paper 19 (P.T.A.B. Oct. 24, 2024).