Leftovers

• Hackaday ☛ Building A Miniature Rainbow Sand Table

  Sure is coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere. But it can also be beautiful — drag a small ball through it in a controlled manner you can make some really pretty patterns. That’s precisely what this compact build from [Printerforge] does.

• Standards/Consortia

  • Omicron Limited ☛ Why timekeeping is now on the verge of a giant leap forward in accuracy

    As we've seen, the second is defined by electron transitions in cesium atoms. Transitions occurring with a lower frequency are easier to measure. But those that occur at a higher frequency help increase the accuracy of the measurement.

    Cesium transitions occur at around the same frequency on the electromagnetic spectrum as microwaves. These microwave frequencies are lower than those of visible light. But in September 2021, scientists made measurements using the element strontium, whose transition frequency is higher than cesium and falls within the range of visible light. This opens up the possibility of re-defining the second by 2030.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Asteroid Fragment Reveals Signs of Life, But It's Not What You Think

    These life-forms did not come from space.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Discover Wolves Mimicking Bees in an Incredible New First

    We never knew!

  • Science Alert ☛ Mysterious 'Dark Big Bang' Could Explain The Origins of Dark Matter

    More bang for your buck.

• Career/Education

  • The Straits Times ☛ No men allowed: Co-ed plans spark protests in women’s universities across S. Korea

    Students argue that going co-ed goes against the founding principles of providing women with equal rights to education.

• Hardware

  • Dan Langille ☛ Replacing batteries Eaton 5PX – 5PX2200RT & 5PXEBM48RT

    The time arrived this morning. The batteries were charged up. I had most of the day to myself. It was time to replace the batteries. Elapsed time for this process, according to the photos I took, was about 90 minutes. However, looking at snmpd metrics, it claims it was about 3.5 hours.

  • Hackaday ☛ Saving A Samsung TV From The Dreaded Boot Loop

    [eigma] had a difficult problem. After pulling a TV out of the trash and bringing it home, it turned out it was suffering from a troubling boot loop issue that basically made it useless. As so many of us do, they decided to fix it…which ended up being a far bigger task than initially expected.

  • Hackaday ☛ It’s Like LightScribe, But For Floppies!

    Back when CD-Rs were the thing, there were CD burner drives which would etch images in the unoccupied areas of a CD-R. These so-called LightScribe drives were a novelty of which most users soon tired, but they’re what’s brought to our mind by [dbalsom]’s project. It’s called PNG2disk, and it does the same job as LightScribe, but for floppies. There’s one snag though; the images are encoded in magnetic flux and thus invisible to the naked eye. Instead, they can be enjoyed through a disk copying program that shows a sector map.

  • Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

    • CBC ☛ Wicked brought phones to theatres. They're probably here to stay

      "People just have thrown all etiquette right out the window," culture writer Amil Niazi told CBC News in an interview. "It just has gotten to a point where I think people feel like the theatre is their living room, and we have to correct that."

      That's ranged from openly talking during the movie to loudly singing along with the music (the latter of which has sparked encouragement from star Cynthia Erivo). But the most egregious example, in Niazi's opinion, has cropped up in more screenings than just Wicked's: cellphone use.

    • VOA News ☛ Foreign smartphone sales in China drop 44% in October, data show

      New data released Wednesday from a Chinese government-affiliated research firm showed sales of foreign-branded smartphones, including Apple’s iPhone, fell 44.25% year-on-year in China in October, while overall phone sales in China have increased 1.8%, Reuters reported.

      The data released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology revealed sales of foreign-branded phones in China decreased to 6.22 million units last month, down from 11.149 million units a year earlier.

    • Mere Civilian ☛ My advice to iPhone users considering a move to Android

      Assuming you have decided to move from an iPhone to an Android phone, the following are my tips that will help you in your transition.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • LRT ☛ Lithuanian researchers use Hey Hi (AI) [buzzwords] to diagnose depression

    Researchers at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) have developed an artificial intelligence model that helps identify depression based on speech and brain neural activity. This offers a new approach to depression diagnosis, according to a press release by KTU.

  • Science Alert ☛ Expired Cans of Salmon From Decades Ago Reveal a Huge Surprise

    A real can of worms.

  • New York Times ☛ Tax Preparers Charged in Scheme to Defraud Covid Relief of $65 Million

    The preparers filed for pandemic-related tax credits on behalf of ineligible clients and then netted hefty filing fees, officials said.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Recreated an Antibiotic Molecule Found in a Volcanic Crater

    Fifty years in the making.

  • Science Alert ☛ Protecting Your Muscle Mass Is Vital For Healthy Aging – Here's Why

    "It's not enough to merely extend life."

  • The Straits Times ☛ Father in Malaysia wades through chest-deep flood waters to buy baby essentials

    The Fentanylware (TikTok) video quickly garnered over 119,400 views in 24 hours, striking a chord with viewers.

  • The Kent Stater ☛ Holiday havoc: Navigating the stress behind the season’s cheer

    As the holiday season approaches, many find themselves feeling more stressed than festive. From the pressure of finding the perfect gifts to the demands of attending family gatherings, the holiday rush can take a toll on mental health.

  • New York Times ☛ A. Cornelius Baker, Champion of H.I.V. Testing, Dies at 63

    Working inside the government and out, he lobbied to improve the lives of people with H.I.V. and AIDS, particularly those who belonged to minority groups.

  • New York Times ☛ How Kennedy Has Worked Abroad to Weaken Global Public Health Policy

    The health secretary pick and his organization have worked around the world to undermine longstanding policies on measles, AIDS and more.

• Security

  • SANS ☛ From a Regular Infostealer to its Obfuscated Version, (Sat, Nov 30th)

    There are many malicious scripts available on the Internet. Microsoft's proprietary prison GitHub has plenty of info stealers and RATs made available...

• Defence/Aggression

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-11-20 [Older] Why militarist leaders dominate Southeast Asia's politics

  • France24 ☛ Rebel forces claim Aleppo: HTS capitalised on 'popular discontent', expert says

    Rebel forces opposing President Bashar al-Assad – mainly composed of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions – have launched their biggest offensive in years this week, controlling a majority of Syria's second city of Aleppo according to a monitor. The apparent success of HTS's surprise operation rest primarily on "popular discontent", said Marc Pierini, former EU ambassador to Syria and Turkey, adding that the Assad regime has failed to restore the lives of citizens since taking control in 2016.

  • France24 ☛ Rebels take control of Aleppo: ‘Total collapse’ of Syrian regime, specialist says

    Rebel forces opposing President Bashar al-Assad have launched their biggest offensive in years this week, controlling a majority of Syria's second city of Aleppo according to a monitor. The opposition forces' who managed to capture large parts of Aleppo overnight showed a "total collapse of the Syrian regime forces", Syrian Center for Political and Strategic Studies Executive Director Radwan Ziadeh told FRANCE 24.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • The Straits Times ☛ Russian and Chinese bombers conduct joint air patrol

      Russian and Chinese strategic bombers conducted a joint air patrol over the Sea of Japan, East China Sea, and western Pacific Ocean, Russian Defence Ministry said on Saturday.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Warplanes Bomb Aleppo Rebels; Iran Says Consulate Attacked

      Russian warplanes have joined Syrian air forces to bomb Islamist-led rebels who had taken much of the northwestern city of Aleppo in the biggest challenge to President Bashar al-Assad’s rule in the battle-torn Middle East nation in several years.

    • RFERL ☛ Polish PM Says Fortifications On Russian, Belarusian Borders Are 'Investment In Peace'

      Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in a visit to his country's border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, called development of military fortifications there and along the frontier with Kremlin ally Belarus "an investment in peace.

    • RFERL ☛ Moscow Police Raid Bars, Nightclubs As Part Of Crackdown On LGBT Community

      Moscow police on November 30 raided several bars and nightclubs in the capital as part of the government’s crackdown on “LGBTQ+ propaganda,” state media reported.

    • JURIST ☛ Russia court sentences anti-war activist to three years imprisonment for ‘justifying terrorism’

      A Russian District Military Court on Friday sentenced anti-war activist and former Moscow municipal deputy Aleksei Gorinov to an additional three years in prison, according to local media. The court found Gorinov guilty of “justifying terrorism” and ordered him to serve his sentence in a stricter prison facility than the one he is currently in.

    • France24 ☛ Syrian rebels sweep into Aleppo, nearby province in huge setback for Assad

      Syrian insurgents led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham captured most of Aleppo on Saturday and expanded their offensive to a nearby province, in the biggest challenge to President Bashar al-Assad's authority in years. Russia's air force carried out strikes in support of the Syrian army, which said it was preparing a counterattack.

    • France24 ☛ Rebel forces claim control of Syria's city of Aleppo

      A monitor of Syria's war said on Saturday that jihadist rebels now control a majority of Aleppo city, reporting Russian air strikes on parts of Syria's second city for the first time since 2016. The rebels have pressed a lightning offensive against forces of the Iranian- and Russian-backed Syrian government since Wednesday.

    • France24 ☛ Rebel forces claim Aleppo: ‘Preoccupied’ Russia and ‘weakened’ Iran offered ‘window of opportunity’

      A preoccupied Russia and a weakened Iran – the principal backers of President Assad’s regime – have provided rebel groups in Syria with the opportunity to launch a lightening offensive on Syria’s second biggest city and capturing large parts of Aleppo. FRANCE 24’s Andrew Hilliar brings you this analysis.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Captures More Villages in Eastern Ukraine

      Russian forces are closing in on two strongholds. The fall of the cities could pave the way for a takeover of the southern part of the Donetsk region, analysts said.

    • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea's Kim: Russia has right to exercise self defence against Ukraine

      SEOUL - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has told the Russian defence minister that Ukraine's use of long-range weapons is the result of direct military intervention by the United States and Moscow is entitled to fight in self-defence, state media said on Saturday.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukrainian President Says NATO Membership Can End 'Hot Phase' Of War

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says being admitted into NATO could end what he described as the “hot stage of the war” waged by Russia.

    • RFERL ☛ Trump Has Sought Orban's Take On Ukraine War, Sources Tell RFE/RL

      U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has held multiple phone conversations with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban since winning the November 5 presidential election, according to sources who spoke to RFE/RL’s Hungarian Service.

    • France24 ☛ Zelensky suggests NATO membership could end 'hot stage' of war

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged NATO on Friday to provide guaranteed protections for territories controlled by Kyiv in order to halt the ongoing war, suggesting he could wait to regain Russian-occupied areas diplomatically. His appeal followed escalating tensions, including a massive Russian attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

    • France24 ☛ Zelensky calls for NATO to protect parts of Ukraine's territory

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Friday for NATO to offer guaranteed protections to parts of Ukraine controlled by Kyiv in order to "stop the hot stage of the war." Zelensky also implied he would be willing to wait to regain the almost one-fifth of his country that Russia's army has seized, if such a deal could offer security for the rest of Ukraine and end the fighting.

    • NYPost ☛ Tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have deserted, hampering battle plans

      "This problem is critical," said Oleksandr Kovalenko, a Kyiv-based military analyst.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Vietnam approves data, electricity laws and $89.7 billion rail plan

      The railway is to run from the capital Hanoi to the southern business hub of Ho Chi Minh City.

    • Hackaday ☛ Uncle Sam Wants You To Recover Energy Materials From Wastewater

      The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) was founded to support moonshot projects in the realm of energy, with a portfolio that ranges from the edge of current capabilities to some pretty far out stuff. We’re not sure exactly where their newest “Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)” falls, but they’re looking for critical materials from the wastewater treatment process. [via CleanTechnica]

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Hackaday ☛ The Many Reasons For Putting Microphones In Rainforests

      If a tree falls in a forest with nobody around, does it make a noise? In the case of the rainforests equipped with the Rainforest Connection’s Guardian system someone most assuredly will.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-11-20 [Older] Supporting Germany away produces 'priceless emotions'

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-11-20 [Older] Musk and Trump: Ethical concerns and conflicts of interest

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Explainer: Hong Kong’s national security crackdown – month 53

    More than four years after a Beijing-drafted national security law came into force in Hong Kong, 45 leading democrats finally learned their fate when a mass trial under the legislation ended on November 19. Most had been detained since February 2021.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • JURIST ☛ Treatment of children in Venezuela sparks accusations of torture and arbitrary detention

    Amnesty International reported Thursday that Venezuelan authorities have systematically tortured and arbitrarily detained dozens of children following the country’s disputed July presidential election. Amnesty International’s investigation found that nearly 200 children have suffered serious mental and physical harm due to abuses committed by Venezuelan authorities.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • New York Times ☛ What Happens When Undersea Internet Cables Snap?

    The internet is made up of hundreds of cables crossing the floors and the canyons of the earth’s oceans. So what happens when the cables snap? James Glanz, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, explains what could go wrong with subsea internet cables and how these cables get fixed.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Thorner and the (Not So) Bright Line Rules of Claim Construction

    The Federal Circuit’s 2012 decision in Thorner v. Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC, 669 F.3d 1362 (Fed. Cir. 2012) has become one of the court’s most cited cases from the past 15 years.  In fact, the decision has over 9,000 citations since being released 12 years ago (according to Westlaw search).  The case did not really make new ground, but is most often cited for Judge Moore’s statement of the clear boundaries for when courts can permissibly deviate from the “plain and ordinary meaning” of claim terms. While the decision presents these as bright-line rules, I would argue that the reality is much more nuanced.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ The Next USPTO Director: Duffy’s Four Factor Test

    In a prior post, I focused on President Elect Trump's nomination of Howard Lutnick as Commerce Secretary, but the most direct impact for the patent monopoly system will be the upcoming nomination of the next USPTO Director. Dennis Crouch, Howard Lutnick and the Patent System, Patently-O (November 25, 2024).  Like the Secretary of Commerce, the Director (who is also Undersecretary of Commerce) must also be nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate under 35 U.S.C. § 3.

• Copyrights

  • Cloudbooklet ☛ Canadian Publishers Sue Proprietary Chaffbot Company Over Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot Content

    Canadian Publishers Sue Proprietary Chaffbot Company for copyright monopoly infringement over news articles.