Leftovers

• Ruben Schade ☛ An Xmas wallpaper for 2024

  We put up the family tree at my sister’s this year, and I think it turned out great! If you look very closely at a couple of the baubles, you might see us smiling and waving.

  Feel free to use if it will help bring your desktop some cheer. 🎄

• New York Times ☛ A Breakup Was Just the Beginning of Their Story

  When Amaiya Davis and Matthew Wynter’s relationship ended abruptly, Ms. Davis blamed it on a cosmic shift, but she never lost hope. “I think part of me always knew we would get back together,” she said.

• Hackaday ☛ Creating A Signature Wood Joint

  We really love when makers make their construction techniques evident in an aesthetically-pleasing way, and [Laura Kampf] has created a clever joint that reveals how a piece is made.

• Games

  • [Old] Society for the Promotion of Adventure Games ☛ SPAG - Society for the Promotion of Adventure Games

    SPAG is an e-zine covering textual interactive fiction and other types of interactive narrative through reviews, interviews, and articles. It is published on a roughly quarterly basis. If you would like to automatically be notified when a new issue of SPAG is published, feel free to subscribe to our mailing list. The latest issue of SPAG is #60, published on April 25, 2011.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Finally Identified Where Gluten Reactions Begin

    Proof at last!

  • Science Alert ☛ The Mediterranean Almost Vanished Millions of Years Ago. Here's Why.

    Where did all the water go?

  • Hackaday ☛ Pushing 802.11ah To The Extreme With Drones

    It might come as a surprise to some that IEEE, the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers, does more than send out mailers asking people to renew their memberships. In fact, they also maintain various electrical standards across a wide range of disciplines, but perhaps the one most of us interact with the most is the 802.11 standard which outlines WiFi. There have been many revisions over the years to improve throughput but the 802.11ah standard actually looks at decreasing throughput in favor of extremely increased range. Just how far you can communicate using this standard seems to depend on how many drones you have.

• Career/Education

  • The Straits Times ☛ Nearly 10,000 elementary school staff in South Korea suffer from depression

    Treatment for day care centre employees increased from 2018 to 2023.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ When Transistor Count Mattered

    Many Hackaday readers have an interest in retro technology, but we are not the only group who scour the flea markets. Alongside us are the collectors, whose interest is as much cultural as it is technological, and who seek to preserve and amass as many interesting specimens as they can. From this world comes [colectornet], with a video that crosses the bridge between our two communities, examining the so-called transistor wars of the late 1950s and through the ’60s. Just as digital camera makers would with megapixels four or five decades later, makers of transistor radios would cram as many transistors as they could into their products in a game of one-upmanship.

  • Hackaday ☛ Tailwheel Trainer Go-Cart To Avoid Wrecked Planes

    Taildraggers remain a popular configuration for small aircraft, but they come with a significant risk during ground handling: ground loops. If the tail gets too far off course, it can swing around completely, often damaging or destroying aircraft if a wing hits the ground. Avoiding ground loops requires good rudder and brake control, and there currently isn’t a good way to learn it without getting into an actual aircraft. [Trent Palmer] is a pilot and who has been thinking about this problem for a few years, so he built a 3-wheeled electric go-cart to help pilots train their ground handling.

  • Hackaday ☛ Electrostatic Puck: Making An Electret

    You might have heard of electrets being used in microphones, but do you know what it is? Electrets produce a semi-permanent static electric field, similar to a magnet produces a magnetic field. The ones in microphones are very small, but in the video after the break [Jay] from the Plasma Channel makes a big electret and demonstrates it’s effects.

  • Ruben Schade ☛ USB 3.0 header mods of perhaps dubious repute

    My older FreeBSD homelab server runs on a Supermicro X11SAE-M workstation board with a Xeon E3-1275 v6.

    [...]

    This board has two USB 3.0 headers, seen in the photo as small cyan rectangles at the bottom. These headers are generally used to attach to the USB connectors on the front of a case or chassis. They’re a massive upgrade from the pins used in earlier versions of USB, the layout of which was never formally standardised. Ask me how I found out the hard way!

  • CNX Software ☛ ORICO COM2-T3 review – A 40Gbps SSD enclosure tested with a 7000MB/s M.2 NVMe SSD

    ORICO sent me a COM2-T3 SSD enclosure capable of 40 Gbps speeds for review along with the company’s 1TB O7000 NVMe SSD rated at up to 7000MB/s read speed which converts to about 56 Gbps and should be plenty enough to test 40 Gbps SSD enclosure. Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 are not always equivalent But before going into the review itself, here’s some background information. When I test the USB-A and USB-C ports in mini PC reviews, I rely on an ORICO M234C3-U4 NVMe SSD enclosure with an Apacer SSD.

  • CNX Software ☛ u-blox SARA-R10001DE LTE Cat 1bis Module integrates an eSIM with Multi-IMSI and eUICC support

    u-blox has introduced the SARA-R10001DE, an LTE Cat 1bis module with integrated eSIM featuring multi-IMSI technology and eUICC functionality. The module is pre-provisioned with Wireless Logic’s Conexa IoT Network SIM profiles for global IoT deployments. The eSIM supports OTA using Remote SIM Provisioning, allowing the module to switch between multiple stored SIM profiles to connect to the best available network.

  • Hackaday ☛ Upgrading The M4 Mac Mini With More Storage

    Apple’s in-house chips have some impressive specs, but user serviceability is something Apple left behind for consumer machines around a decade ago. Repair legend [dosdude1] shows us how the new M4 Mac mini can get a sizeable storage upgrade without paying the Apple tax.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ Long a ‘Crown Jewel’ of Government, N.I.H. Is Now a Target

    The agency long benefited from broad bipartisan support. But Republican criticism has intensified, and new choices for top health posts hope to upend the organization.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Children’s bubble spray poses explosion risks, says South Korean report

    Forty bubble cleanser products for children tested were found to use LPG as a propellant.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Cattle smuggling in Mekong region threatens bovine and human health

    Rising demand for beef and cross-border barriers are fuelling cattle-smuggling, which could spread diseases.

  • Science Alert ☛ A New Alzheimer's Drug Shrinks The Brain. Scientists Say That's The Point.

    Wait, what?

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Predict 80% of American Adults Will Be Overweight or Obese by 2050

    This is a health crisis.

  • Science Alert ☛ Your Cerebrospinal Fluid May Hold a Blueprint For Treating Alzheimer's

    Liquid gold.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Confirm Crabs Really Can Experience Pain After All

    It hurts to know this.

  • Ruben Schade ☛ Trying the Clever Coffee Dripper

    This morning was Clara’s and my first time using our new Baratza Encore ESP grinder, and the Clever Coffee Dripper, a Taiwanese take on a filter or pourover-style coffee maker. It’s too much fun!

    While superficially resembling a Hario V60, Bee House, or the funnel of a Chemex, the Clever is a full-immersion brewer, meaning the water is only released after steeping. This is achieved with a nifty valve mechanism that remains closed while you prepare, and opens when placed atop a mug or carafe. This way, all the water—save for the bypass behind the filter—is used in the brew. Clever!

  • Science Alert ☛ Zoo Experiment Finds 1 in 5 Animals Test Positive For COVID-19 Virus

    A stark reminder.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea scales back Hey Hi (AI) digital textbook rollout in classrooms

    The rollout of AI-powered digital textbooks for social studies and science will be delayed for a year.

  • Business Standard ☛ Big tech's bloodbath: 150,000 jobs cut as market shifts shake industry

    The tech industry in 2024 is witnessing a significant wave of layoffs, with nearly 150,000 workers losing their jobs across major companies like Tesla, Intel, Microsoft, and Cisco. As the market adapts to changing economic conditions, tech giants are streamlining their operations to cut costs, restructure their businesses, and align with evolving market demands, reported The Times of India.

  • India Times ☛ Over 149,000 tech workers lost job in 2024: Intel, Tesla, Cisco, Microsoft and other biggest tech layoffs this year

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Elon Musk tries to block OpenAI’s for-profit transition in latest legal tussle

    Technology entrepreneur Elon Musk has filed an injunction with a federal court, asking it to stop Proprietary Chaffbot Company from transforming itself into a fully for-profit business.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea hangs S. Korea president Yoon’s photo, military motto in exhibit about ‘the enemy’

    This exhibit comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’ move towards ending unification with the South.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China blasts US arms sale to Taiwan, President Lai’s US transit

    US approved the potential sale of spare parts and support for F-16 jets and radars to Taiwan.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Man charged with murder over 1997 karaoke bar fire after nearly 3 decades on the run

    A Hong Kong man has been charged with murder over a deadly fire that killed 17 people in a karaoke bar in 1997. It follows his capture in mainland China after nearly three decades on the run.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Experts react: What Biden’s trip to Angola says about US Africa policy, China, and more

    On December 2, US President Joe Biden will travel to Angola for the first trip to Sub-Saharan Africa in his term. Atlantic Council experts explain what this visit means.

  • JURIST ☛ UN secretary-general calls on international community to eliminate chemical weapons

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday called for decisive global action to eliminate chemical weapons. Saturday marks the Day of Remembrance of All Victims of Chemical Warfare when he also called on the international community to reaffirm its commitment to ending this threat once and for all.

  • France24 ☛ Syrian army sends in reinforcements after rebels take Aleppo

    Islamist rebels who seized Syria's second-largest city, Aleppo, continued to push south on Sunday (December 1) a huge embarrassment for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his military.

  • New York Times ☛ Syria Rebels Take Aleppo Airport and Attack Hama, Officials and a Monitor Say

    Forces opposed to President Bashar al-Assad have captured the Aleppo airport and are attacking the western city of Hama, according to local officials and a Britain-based war monitor.

  • France24 ☛ Syria: What do these rebel advances tell us about the Syrian government forces?

    The Syrian army on Sunday (December 1) scrambled to stem a rebel advance in Hama province after insurgents swept into Aleppo in a offensive that has dealt a huge blow to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. For more analysis, FRANCE 24's Alexander Aucott is joined by Scott Lucas, Professor of International Politics at University College Dublin.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • RFERL ☛ Fresh Protests Erupt In Georgia As Demonstrators Block Public Broadcaster Building

      Georgia's prime minister has said the president must leave office at the end of her term later this month, despite her pledge not to, while anti-government protesters -- who she supports -- took to the streets again, scuffling with security forces at key sites in the capital.

    • RFERL ☛ Putin Approves New Budget With Record Defense Spending

      The flood of government spending has caused the economy to wobble in recent months.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ 12 die in South Thailand, 7 in Malaysia as both countries face worst floods in decades

    A one-year-old child reportedly drowned in Kelantan on Nov 30.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ E-taxi! E-taxi! Why India has a longer wait for electric cabs

      India is also banking on the electrification of transport to decarbonise the economy and tackle air pollution.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ Can government be cool? South Korea’s local officials think so

    But not everyone is applauding these efforts by public institutions.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia’s jailed ex-PM Najib to argue appeal for house arrest

    He is already serving a six-year jail term for corruption related to the plunder of 1MDB.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Johor chief minister calls for strict action against foreign cars using subsidised petrol

    Only Malaysian-registered cars are permitted to purchase RON95 petrol, which costs RM2.05 a litre.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Bersatu powwow touts Muhyiddin as Malaysia’s next PM, but PAS remains a challenger

    Some Bersatu delegates were open to having a PAS leader as candidate for prime minister.

  • JURIST ☛ Biden pardons son Hunter for federal felony offenses

    As his term draws to a close, US President Joe Biden issued a sweeping pardon Sunday for his son Hunter Biden, covering multiple federal criminal charges including tax evasion and firearms violations. Previously, Biden and his staff had stated unequivocally that the president did not plan to pardon his son.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • University of Michigan ☛ ‘Silver Linings’ exhibit contemplates the abstract world of identity

    Pastels, collages and photography are center stage at the University of Michigan Museum of Art’s “Silver Linings: Celebrating the Spelman Art Collection”, consisting of 40 pieces that span decades, genres and mediums from the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art.

  • The Strategist ☛ Culture matters in the Independent Intelligence Review 2024

    Workplace culture is important. It’s time to examine it in the National Intelligence Community (NIC).

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ ‘I got the justice I deserved’: Domestic worker raped by employer in Hong Kong tells of her ordeal

    When Anushka moved to Hong Kong from India in 2021, she could never have imagined the fate that awaited her. She knew that her first 21 days in her new home would be spent in isolation, part of the city’s stringent Covid-19 curbs in place at the time.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Copyrights

  • University of Michigan ☛ Major franchises and the death of originality

    Since the release of “Avengers: Endgame,” the Marvel Cinematic Universe has expanded to include a barrage of new TV shows. Attempting to ride the popularity of that event film, a slew of new projects was announced.