Leftovers

• Chris ☛ The Lying p Value

• Ruben Schade ☛ Discovering web comics

  I loved reading syndicated comic strips when I was a kid. I had all the Garfield Fat Cat Three Pack volumes, and oodles of Far Side and FoxTrot. It was also so much fun as a kid seeing them adopt Xmas decorations at that time of year.

  And yet, I never really made the transition to web comics; Matchstick Cats from my friend Neil notwithstanding. I only just discovered BitSmack, and Joshua O’Brien recommended Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. Then there’s the imitible Oatmeal.

  Let me know if you have any recommendations for someone who’s interests slant technical and either silly or surreal :).

  (… please no xkcd though).

• The Straits Times ☛ ‘Are you a T?’ is a new put-down in South Korea

  Though regarded as “pseudoscientific,” the self-reported MBTI test is immensely popular in South Korea.

• Science

  • Hackaday ☛ Teaching Computers To Read — Sort Of

    If you ask someone who grew up in the late 1970s or early 1980s what taught them a lot about programming, they’d probably tell you that typing in programs from magazines was very instructive. However, it was also very boring and error-prone. In fact, we’d say it was less instructional to do the typing than it was to do the debugging required to find all your mistakes. Magazines hated that and, as [Tech Tangents] shows us in a recent video, there were efforts to make devices that could scan barcodes from magazines or books to save readers from typing in the latest Star Trek game or Tiny Basic compiler.

• Career/Education

  • Stanford University ☛ Graduate workers postpone strike after bargaining ‘progress’

    The University reopened contract negotiations with SGWU on Monday after days of contention over wage issues and previous unproductive sessions. The strike is now set to begin on Wednesday.

  • Stanford University ☛ From the Community | Faculty, staff and undergrads: Why you must not ‘pitch in’ or ‘lend a hand’ in the event of a graduate worker strike

    When graduate workers strike, they give leverage to other working groups aiming to negotiate better contracts with the University, write a group of graduate student alumni.

  • Stanford University ☛ From the Community | Selfishness or solidarity? The case for faculty support of graduate students

    Rather than falling for Jonathan Berk's "unfounded" criticism of graduate workers' demand for a living wage, Stanford faculty should support SGWU as it goes on strike, a group of Stanford professors write.

  • Latvia ☛ Historic Latvian hospital building turned into study center

    A new clinical study center of the University of Latvia (LU) will open in the building of the Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital (PSKUS) after reconstruction, where students of the Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences will acquire skills, the LU said November 12.

  • Specter of China hovers over US colleges

    University administrators face increasing pressure over their ties to institutes in China.

• Hardware

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea ruling party seeks to aid chipmakers to avert Trump threat

    SEOUL - South Korea's ruling party introduced legislation on Monday to give chipmakers subsidies and an exemption from a national cap on working hours, to tackle potential risks from measures threatened by incoming U.S. President Donald Trump.

  • Hackaday ☛ A Brief History Of Cyrix, Or How To Get Sued By Intel A Lot

    In a new installment on computer history, [Bradford Morgan White] takes us through the sordid history of Cyrix, as this plucky little company created the best math co-processors (FasMath) and then a range of interesting x86-compatible CPUs that would give competing x86 CPUs a run for their money. Even though Cyrix played by the rules of licensing agreements, Intel would keep suing Cyrix repeatedly since the 1980s well into 1990s, for a total of seventeen times until Cyrix counter-sued for patent violations in May of 1997.

  • CRN ☛ AMD Says It’s Laying Off 4 Percent Of Workforce Amid AI Chip Push [Ed: Using Buzzwords ("HEY HI") to justify mass layoffs amid financial issues]

    AMD said it’s laying off roughly 4 percent of its global workforce to focus on its “largest growth opportunities,” which includes its effort to challenge Nvidia’s AI chip dominance.

    “As a part of aligning our resources with our largest growth opportunities, we are taking a number of targeted steps that will unfortunately result in reducing our global workforce by approximately 4 percent,” an AMD spokesperson said in a statement to CRN.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Local and foreign chip manufacturers flee China, expand in Vietnam — companies move to Southeast Asia as US-China tensions simmer

    Many chip companies are expanding their presence in Vietnam, especially in back-end manufacturing, as the tensions between China and the U.S. continue to simmer.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Latvia ☛ Where does unused donation money go?

    Every year, several million euros are donated through the charity organization "Ziedot.lv", enabling people to solve otherwise unsolvable problems, such as curing diseases. However, not all stories have a happy ending. Where does the money go if the initial patient dies, can it be recovered or donated to someone else? Latvian Radio tried to find out on November 12.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Korean study finds ‘obese’ BMI may actually be healthiest

    Korea's BMI obesity threshold should be raised to 27 amid changes in body types, health patterns, experts say.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Cloudbooklet ☛ TikTok Star Imsha Rehman Video Leak: Protect Your Data Now

      In the aftermath of Imsha Rehman video leak, here’s how to protect your online data effectively.

• Defence/Aggression

  • New York Times ☛ Israel Intensifies Strikes in Lebanon Amid Push for Cease-Fire

    The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has deepened in recent days despite diplomatic efforts to move toward a temporary truce.

  • The Kent Stater ☛ Lebanon, Gaza and Syria hit by deadly Israeli strikes, reports say

    More than 80 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon, northern Gaza and Syria since late Saturday, according to reports. The National News Agency (NNA) reported airstrikes on the town of Almat in central Lebanon on Sunday. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said 20 people were killed there, including three children.

  • Myanmar junta bombs insurgent-held gem-mining hub killing 9

    The air raid was aimed at civilians and has spread fear in the town under rebel control since July.

  • Latvia ☛ Police and carsharing services go on night raid in Rīga

    On the night of Saturday, November 9, the State Police, together with car-sharing companies Bolt Drive and CityBee, carried out traffic surveillance in the streets of Rīga. More than 30 offenses were recorded, including 12 cases of drink-driving, police said.

  • Defence Web ☛ South Korea honours South African Korean War Veterans

    On Monday 11 November, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea hosted the annual Turn Toward Busan ceremony in Cape Town, a tribute to South African veterans who served in the Korean War.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Man detained after elderly mother’s body found in freezer of his KL home

    The suspect allegedly killed his mother three years ago.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s leaders urge investigation into Zhuhai car attack that killed 35

    The attack also severely injured 43 others.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China's leaders urge investigation into Zhuhai car attack that killed 35

    China's top leaders have urged "all-out efforts" to treat those injured in a car attack in southern China, one of the deadliest incidents in the country's recent history, as online posts asking what the attack says about Chinese society were censored.

  • Car ramming in China leaves 35 dead, 43 injured

    President Pooh-tin Jinping calls on authorities to investigate and punish the perpetrator.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Car crashes into crowd in China’s Zhuhai, killing 35 and wounding 43

    The man rammed an SUV into a large group of people exercising around a track at the Zhuhai Sports Centre.

  • New York Times ☛ Man Drives Car Into Crowd in Southern China, Killing at Least 35

    The police in the city of Zhuhai detained a man who they said had rammed a small vehicle into people who were exercising at a sports center.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s largest air show takes off with fighter jets, attack drones

    It is an opportunity for Beijing to showcase its growing military might to potential customers and rivals alike.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China military displays upgraded Z-20 helicopter at Zhuhai air show

    Analysts say the advanced Z-20 helicopter may make its biggest impact at sea.

  • Haaretz ☛ Why Iranian Students Are Chanting 'Death to Palestine'

    Iranian universities, once bastions of leftist intellectualism, are now home to hardline, far-right nationalists and monarchists who see the far-right government in Israel as a closer ally than their own hated theocratic regime. And even amid the Gaza war, they identify a common enemy: the Arabs

  • France24 ☛ For too long Europe has avoided bearing burden of its own security: Macron

    French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday renewed his calls for Europe to assume more responsibility for its own defence, saying it had for "too long avoided bearing the burden of its own security". Speaking alongside NATO chief Mark Rutte, who was visiting Paris in the wake of Donald Trump's reelection as US President, Macron said he was "delighted" that other nations were falling in line with his longstanding call to collectively invest more in defence. FRANCE 24's Morgan Ayre reports.

  • France24 ☛ Trump indicates security, foreign policy agenda with new administration picks

    US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced new members of his incoming administration including loyalist Representative Mike Waltz who will serve as national security adviser and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee who will take the role of ambassador to Israel.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippines says China increasing pressure on it to cede claims in South China Sea

    The Philippines also plans to spend at least US$33 billion on new weapons.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Driver in South Korea racks up over 20,000 tickets, owes $1.6m in unpaid fines

      According to the police, only 53.6 per cent of administrative fines were collected in 2023.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia’s Proton Saga to be assembled in Egypt from December

      This initiative is part of Malaysia’s efforts to foster a new approach to cooperation between countries.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian car Proton Saga to be assembled in Egypt from December

      The assembly plant aims to produce 16,000 units from 2024 to 2026.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Lalamove enters Malaysia’s ride-hailing game, now offering service in Klang Valley

      The app will eventually allow users to pick from a selection of available vehicle types.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ The changing face of China’s foreign tourists

    Noticeably missing from the crowd are American tourists, once a key market.

  • Singapore can’t afford to let sudden layoffs become the norm

    Tech layoffs are surging worldwide. More than 100,000 workers have already lost their jobs so far in 2024.

    One of the latest abrupt layoffs in Singapore was at tech company Dyson, after it had axed 1,000 jobs in Britain in July. At that time, the company had said that the Singapore office would not be directly impacted by the job cuts in Britain.

  • Tech Layoffs Slow Down: Economic Uncertainty Still Exists

    Traditional IT industries like software, hardware, and social media have seen the most job losses this year. However, some fintech and AI positions have also been impacted. This tendency is ascribed to the growing use of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) tools, which have simplified processes and led to job duplication in some areas. Over 136,000 jobs had already been lost in the tech sector as of August, affecting 422 organisations. Major layoffs were being implemented by companies like Intel, IBM, and Cisco, as well as smaller startups.

  • CNBC ☛ 'Naked greed’ — Sridhar Vembu slams cash rich tech giants laying off employees to please Wall Street

    While tech giants and startups alike across the world have been laying off employees to please Wall Street and focus on profitability, Indian billionaire Sridhar Vembu believes a few companies implement job cuts out of ‘naked greed.’

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • JURIST ☛ Malaysia High Court dismisses bid against pardon granted to former PM

    Malaysia’s High Court dismissed on Monday the Malaysian Bar’s bid to overturn the decision to reduce former prime minister Najib Razak’s prison sentence and fine for corruption, local media reported. Razak had been convicted in relation to a scandal surrounding Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s Yoon practises golf in preparation for potential game with Trump

    Officials say this marks the South Korean President’s first foray into the sport in eight years.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean President Yoon, former aides, lawmakers in team to court Trump

    Mr Yoon has even resumed practising golf after an eight-year hiatus to prepare for his meeting with Trump.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea's Yoon to visit Peru, Brazil on Nov 14-21 for APEC, G20 summits

    South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will visit Peru and Brazil on Nov. 14-21 to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and Group of 20 summits, his office said on Tuesday.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Why this year’s autumn foliage in South Korea is less vibrant

    Experts say delay in foliage could become 'new normal' as extreme heat continues.

  • Raw Story ☛ The Guardian stops posting on 'toxic media platform' X - Raw Story

    Britain's The Guardian newspaper announced Wednesday it would no longer post content from its official accounts on Elon Musk's X, branding it a "toxic media platform" home to "often disturbing content"."We think that the benefits of being on X are now outweighed by the negatives..."

  • Hong Kong’s Democratic Party holds anniversary dinner after booking struggle

    Venue cancellations reflect fears of association with the pro-democracy camp following crackdown on dissent.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • China bans students from mass cycle rides at night

    A college adventure to eat dumplings goes viral, in what could be a new form of public defiance by young people.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Hong Kong journalist to sue Wall Street Journal over sacking

    Selina Cheng says she was fired after being warned not to run for journalists' union leadership job.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • ACLU ☛ In Trump Country, Ballot Measures Safeguard Abortion Rights

    In the final weeks of the election, Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party focused their campaign efforts on abortion rights, particularly in key swing states. While those efforts did not secure Harris a win, in the 10 states where abortion rights were on the ballot, seven voted to safeguard abortion rights in their state constitutions.

    Among those seven states, in Arizona, Missouri, Nevada and Montana — where President-elect Donald Trump won — abortion ballot measures definitively passed. In many cases, the ballot measures were more popular than Trump. While these red state wins indicate just how popular abortion rights are among even conservative-leaning voters, wins in blue and purple states, including Maryland, Colorado and New York, show that reproductive freedom continues to be an issue that defies party lines.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Digital Music News ☛ Gaming Giant Ubisoft Entertainment Extends Global Publishing Deal with BMG

    Ubisoft Entertainment has announced it has re-inked its long-standing global publishing administration partnership with BMG. Ubisoft is the game developer behind the Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Just Dance, and Tom Clancy game series.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Steam drops backdoored Windows 7 and 8 support with the latest client — users told to ‘update to a more recent version of Windows’ to continue gaming

    Valve released the latest Steam client version on November 5, which drops support for backdoored Windows 7 and 8. Users are advised to "update to a more recent version of Windows" to continue gaming. SteamOS should work as well.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • USPTO Director Kathi Vidal Announces She Will Resign in Early December [iophk: Will the [Microsoft] mole burrow deeper into the government now?]

    On the heels of Donald Trump's election win last week, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Director Kathi Vidal today announced on her personal Microsoft's Surveillance Arm LinkedIn page that she has internally informed the USPTO staff she will be resigning from her post as of the second week in December. Deputy Director Derrick Brent will take over until the incoming Trump Administration appoints a new Director.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTAB Wrestles with Applicant over Specimen Refusal: Guess Who Won?

    The Board tossed out this appeal of a refusal to register the mark shown immediately below, for various wrestling-related services, agreeing with Examining Attorney Rebecca Ruiz that the mark is not a "a substantially exact representation" of the mark as used, as required under Trademark Rule 2.51(a). Applicant's argument that the mark in the application drawing need not be an "exact match" with the specimens of use, while true, missed the mark. In re Chris Irvine, Inc., Serial No. 97156945 (November 6, 2024) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Catherine Dugan O'Connor).

• Copyrights

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea prosecutors indict controversial American streamer

    He is not allowed to leave South Korea because of a travel ban linked to the case.