Leftovers

• Ruben Schade ☛ Silly word search for 2025

  One of the low-effort “engagement” tricks people used to do on Ex-Twitter would be to come up with word searches to define specific times of the year. They’d put controversial or risqué words in to drum up anger and discussion, and the “engagement” would flow!

• New York Times ☛ Ralph Lauren Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom

  After decades of being nearly synonymous with American fashion, the 85-year-old became the first fashion designer to win the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

• Hackaday ☛ Resolution: Share Inspiration

  It’s been a good 2025 so far! I just got back from Chaos Communication Congress, which is easily my favorite gigantic hacker conference of the year. (Partisan Hackaday pride puts Supercon up as my favorite moderate-sized conference, naturally.) CCC is huge. And it’s impossible to leave an event like that without your to-hack list at least doubling in length.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Altered States of Consciousness Can Distort Time, And Nobody Knows Why

    Tick .... tock ...

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Have Created VR Goggles For Mice And They're Adorable

    A mouse metaverse might be next.

  • Science Alert ☛ Fruits And Vegetables Have a Surprising Effect on Depression Risk

    You feel what you eat.

  • Science Alert ☛ Study Confirms: Syphilis Was Active in The Americas Long Before Columbus

    Settling decades of debate.

  • Science Alert ☛ Planet's Odd Atmosphere Doesn't Match The Disc It Was Born in

    This is strange.

  • Science Alert ☛ Gene Inherited From Neanderthals Influenced The Shape of Our Teeth

    The discovery could be useful medically.

  • NYPost ☛ Woman, 58, has only eaten one thing for the past 33 years

    An Australian mom has revealed the reason why she has only eaten one thing for the past 33 years.

• Hardware

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Vendor claims Ryzen 9 9955HX3D with Zen 5 cores and 3D V-Cache is ready for launch — manufacturer also asserts Arrow Lake-HX CPUs offer minimal performance improvements

    A PC manufacturer in China asserts that AMD and defective chip maker Intel are preparing their flagship HX CPUs, likely for CES.

  • Hackaday ☛ Button Debouncing With Smart Interrupts

    Debouncing button or switch inputs on microcontrollers can be a challenging problem for those first starting to program these devices. Part of the reason for this difficulty is that real-world buttons don’t behave like the idealized textbook components we first learn about, and therefore need special consideration to operate like one would expect. There are simple ways to debounce inputs like adding a delay after a button is pressed, but for more efficient use of computer resources as well as adding some other capabilities to inputs you might want to look at this interrupt service routine (ISR) method from [Lee] aka [stockvu].

  • Hackaday ☛ PoE-Power Protection: The Hornet Nest Alarm Panel

    Have you ever thought of giving new buzz to outdated wired alarm systems or saving money while upgrading your home security? The Hornet Nest Alarm Panel, to which hacker [Patrick van Oosterwijck] contributes, does just that. Designed for domotics enthusiasts, it offers 42 sensor zones and seamless integration with Home Assistant and ESPHome. This open-source gem uses the wESP32 board, which combines an ESP32 with Ethernet and Power over Ethernet (PoE) for robust, reliable connectivity. Check out the Crowd Supply campaign for details.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Off Guardian ☛ Pfizer and Other Sociopaths

    “…if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science.”

  • NYPost ☛ Researchers discover aging ‘hotspot’ in the brain — and it could have big implications for patients

    The brain plays a big part in the aging process, and scientists think they’ve pinpointed the specific cells that control it.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia recorded 327 HMPV cases in 2024; Health Ministry urges public to remain vigilant

    The disease is not new but the authorities have urged vigilance, especially for travellers.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Hackaday ☛ Self Driving Like It’s 1993

    In a stunning example of the Bader Meinhoff effect, we’ve recently heard several times this week about events like the “carbage run.” That is, a motoring event where you can only buy some garbage car to compete. In the case of [Robbe Derks], the idea was to take a six-day journey to the polar circle in a car. But not just any car. It had to be at least 20 years old and cost less than €1000. That wasn’t hard enough for [Robbe] and friends. They also decided to make the car self-driving.

  • Daniel Lemire ☛ Artificial Intelligence as the Expert’s Lever: Elevating Human Expertise in the Age of AI [Ed: There is no "Age of Hey Hi (AI)", stop participating in this dumb hype, based on intentionally false marketing and invalid "use cases"]

    The more likely outcome of the rise of generative artificial intelligence is higher value for the best experts… where ‘expert’ means ‘someone with experience solving real problems’. “While one may worry that Hey Hi (AI) will simply render expertise redundant and experts superfluous, history and economic logic suggest otherwise.

  • Cloudbooklet ☛ Apple Hey Hi (AI) Declares Luke Littler Champ Before Final Match

    How Fashion Company Apple Hey Hi (AI) Declares Luke Littler Champ before the final match creates a stir in the world of tech.

• Security

  • NYPost ☛ US sanctions Beijing-based cyber group for its alleged role in hacking incidents

    The U.S. Treasury on Friday sanctioned a Beijing-based cybersecurity company for its alleged role in multiple hacking incidents targeting critical U.S. infrastructure.

  • NYPost ☛ Cybersecurity CEO Amit Yoran, 54, dies after cancer battle

    Cybersecurity guru Amit Yoran, 54, a noted expert in the field who worked in the past for the Homeland Security Department and spoke on the subject on television, has died after a battle with cancer, his company said Saturday.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • JURIST ☛ India IT ministry releases draft rules under controversial data legislation

      India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Saturday released draft rules in furtherance of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, sparking significant debate regarding the rules’ implications on data privacy rights.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Pro Publica ☛ How a Mole Infiltrated the Highest Ranks of American Militias

    John Williams kept a backpack filled with everything he’d need to go on the run: three pairs of socks; a few hundred dollars cash; makeshift disguises and lock-picking gear; medical supplies, vitamins and high-calorie energy gels; and thumb drives that each held more than 100 gigabytes of encrypted documents, which he would quickly distribute if he were about to be arrested or killed.

    On April 1, 2023, Williams retrieved the bag from his closet and rushed to his car. He had no time to clean the dishes that had accumulated in his apartment. He did not know if armed men were out looking for him. He did not know if he would ever feel safe to return. He parked his car for the night in the foothills overlooking Salt Lake City and curled up his 6-foot-4-inch frame in the back seat of the 20-year-old Honda. This was his new home.

  • New York Times ☛ Gaza Rescuers Are Haunted by Voices of Those They Couldn’t Save

    Rescuers rushing to the scene of Israeli airstrikes save those who they can, but are forced to leave many behind. “My soul is tired from this war,” one said.

  • France24 ☛ More than two dozen killed in Israeli strikes, Gaza civil defence says

    Israeli strikes killed at least 26 people, including eight children, across the Gaza Strip, Gaza's civil defence agency said Saturday. The ongoing Israel-Hamas war, now in its second year, has resulted in the deaths of some 45,717 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave.

  • JURIST ☛ Germany urges inclusive transition in Syria amid visit by European officials

    German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated on Friday that Syria’s transition to a new government must include marginalized groups if Damascus hopes to secure European support. Her remarks came during a historic visit to the Syrian capital, marking the first high-level European engagement since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad last month.

  • New York Times ☛ Syria’s International Airport to Reopen as Government Presses for Stability

    Tensions are high on Syria’s border with Lebanon. The ouster of President Bashar al-Assad led to worry that violence could spill over into neighboring countries.

  • France24 ☛ International flights to resume at Syria's Damascus airport

    Damascus international airport will restart commercial flights on Tuesday after halting them following the December 8 ouster of president Bashar al-Assad, Syrian aviation authorities announced Saturday.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian cops hunting down four men who robbed two tourists in Genting Highlands

    One victim was bundled up into a car and left by the roadside later.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia expels two boats ferrying about 300 Myanmar migrants south-west of Langkawi

    Police also detained some 200 suspected Rohingya migrants after their boat ran aground on Jan 3.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia turns back boats carrying 300 Myanmar migrants

    Malaysia's coast guard escorted away from its waters two boats carrying almost 300 undocumented Myanmar migrants found in a state of exhaustion for lack of food and water, a top agency official said.  

  • The Straits Times ☛ China market blaze kills eight; 15 hurt

    The authorities were investigating the cause of the fire in the city of Zhangjiakou.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ US slaps sanctions on Beijing-based hacking group with ties to Chinese gov’t

    The United States on Friday slapped sanctions on a Beijing-based hacking outfit with links to the Chinese government, accusing it of targeting “critical” US government infrastructure. The US Treasury said it had targeted Integrity Technology Group, Incorporated, for its role in multiple attacks since 2021 against US entities often within “critical infrastructure sectors.”

  • The Straits Times ☛ ST Picks: Making waves (and dough)
    Filipino dads and grandmums take over TikTok [Ed: China takes over the minds of Filipino dads and grandmums]

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s political crisis: What could happen next?

    If Yoon Suk Yeol is not detained before Jan 6, investigators could seek a new, stronger arrest warrant.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea protesters rally for and against Yoon’s arrest as deadline looms

    An arrest warrant against the President for alleged insurrection will expire at midnight on Jan 6.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Yoon’s head of security in spotlight after blocking S. Korean President’s arrest

    Mr Park Chong-jun was instrumental in rebuffing investigators' attempt to serve an arrest warrant on Mr Yoon.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea investigators ask Acting President to clear way for Yoon’s arrest

    The security service prevented prosecutors from arresting Yoon Suk Yeol in a six-hour stand-off.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s Yoon ignored cabinet opposition to martial law: prosecutors

    The report said the prime minister, foreign minister and finance minister had expressed reservations.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Rival camps protest as South Korea’s President Yoon resists arrest

    Thousands of protesters gathered in front of the presidential residence and along major roads in Seoul.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Blinken wades into political crisis with stop in South Korea

    He will seek to encourage a continuity with the policies, but not tactics, of the impeached Yoon.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea protesters rally for, against Yoon arrest as deadline looms

    An arrest warrant against the President for alleged insurrection will expire at midnight on Jan 6.

  • France24 ☛ Thousands protest after failed attempt to arrest suspended President Yoon

    Thousands of rival South Korean protesters rallied in the capital Saturday, a day after a failed attempt to arrest suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol for imposing a short-lived martial law decree that led to his impeachment.

  • France24 ☛ Impeached South Korean President Yoon is resisting arrest. What happens now?

    South Korea's political leadership was in uncharted territory on Saturday after President Yoon Suk Yeol resisted arrest over his failed martial law decree, days before the warrant for him expires on January 6. Attempts to arrest him at his residence were blocked by Yoon's security forces.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Explainer: Hong Kong’s national security crackdown – month 54

    December 2024 was the 54th month since a Beijing-imposed security law was enacted in Hong Kong, and nine months since further security legislation was passed into law by Hong Kong’s opposition-free legislature. As the public was beginning to feel the festive vibe on Christmas Eve, the government announced another round of action against overseas activists.

  • JURIST ☛ Guatemala and Salvador forces join UN-backed mission to combat gang violence in Haiti

    Guatemala and El Salvador sent soldiers to Haiti to join the Multinational Security Support (MSS) on Friday, according to the announcement of the Haitian National Police. This group, consisting of 75 Guatemalan soldiers and eight Salvadoran soldiers, is joining as part of the MSS mission to assist in the fight against gang-related violence.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • New York Times ☛ ‘The Interview’: Antony Blinken Insists He and Biden Made the Right Calls

      At the end of a tenure marked by war and division, the outgoing secretary of state defends his legacy on Gaza and Ukraine and says he’s made America stronger.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskiy Claims North Koreans Suffer Major Losses In New Kursk Fighting

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said North Korean soldiers, fighting alongside Kremlin forces in Russia’s Kursk region, had suffered heavy casualties over the past two day amid reports of mounting losses for the Asian nation’s forces fighting some 6,700 kilometers from home.

    • LRT ☛ ‘I will also defend your country’: Wounded Ukrainians get treatment in Lithuania

      Hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers have gone through rehabilitation in Lithuania. Now, the country is also helping replace lost limbs with prosthetics.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ ‘First, we will defend the homeland’: The case for homeland missile defense

      A comprehensive analysis of U.S. homeland missile defense, addressing policies, security challenges, and strategies to counter threats from North Korea, China, and Russia.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ Volunteers clean up ‘worst’ monsoon-driven trash from Bali beach

    Most of the plastic waste came from cities on neighbouring Java.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ China seeks to bolster ports and aviation hubs in western regions

      China said on Sunday it would launch 15 measures to bolster the development of its western provinces with the construction of logistical infrastructure such as ports and aviation hubs.

    • New York Times ☛ Jeju Air’s Problems Mount After Crash of Flight 7C2216

      South Korea’s leading low-cost carrier, heavy with debt and its stock already near record lows, is now facing intense public and government scrutiny.

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea says fatal Jeju Air crash cockpit transcript nearly complete

      The exact cause of the Boeing 737-800 crash is still unknown.

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean authorities conclude week-long search operations at site of Jeju Air plane crash

      The tail was the only part of the aircraft that remained intact after the crash and explosion.

    • France24 ☛ Investigators seek clues to fatal South Korea plane crash in cockpit transcript

      South Korean investigators said Saturday that they will soon have a complete transcript from the cockpit voice recorder recovered from the wreckage of the Jeju Air Boeing flight that crashed last Sunday. The recording may hold clues to what caused Jeju Air flight 2216, which was carrying 181 passengers and crew, to crash as it tried to land.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Chinese scientist names new spider species after ‘King of Mandopop’ Jay Chou songs

      A Chinese scientist has named 16 new spider species after songs by popular “Mandopop” musician Jay Chou. Mi Xiaoqi, a professor at Tongren University in China’s southwestern Guizhou province, listed the newly discovered arachnids in a paper published in the academic journal Zoological Research: Diversity and Conservation.

    • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Calling all dogs: Contestants sought for St. Paul Winter Carnival’s canine royalty

      Only a few more days are left to enter your pups into the St. Paul Union Depot’s Doggie Depot contest, where the St. Paul Winter Carnival’s Canine King Boreas and Canine Queen of Snows are crowned.

• Gaming

  • Hackaday ☛ How Crane Games Are Playing Claw Games With The Player

    Fresh from AliExpress, [Big Clive] got another fascinating item to tear down: a crane claw, as used in those all too familiar carnival games. These games feature a claw the player moves into position above a pile of toys or other items. Lower the claw gently down in the hopes that it grabs the target item. In a perfect world, the claw will move your prize and deposit it, via a chute, into your waiting hands. Of course, everyone knows that these games are rigged and rely less on skill or luck than the way that they are programmed, but the way that this works is quite subtle, as you can see in the video below.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia Cabinet to deliberate way forward for stalled HSR, but lack of funds still biggest snag

    Unofficial overtures to the Chinese government for funding came to naught as the project is seen as loss-making.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Incident involving Palestinians at Malaysia’s Wisma Transit resolved without injuries: Armed Forces

    Some of the furniture in the Wisma Transit building had been damaged.

    [...]

    The Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) said in a statement that the incident occured at about 5pm on Jan 4, when a group of Palestinians wanted the processing of their application to return home to be sped up.

    [...]

    Videos of the commotion, which has gone viral on social media, show a small bonfire outside the Wisma Transit building and a large broken vase at the building’s entrance.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • New York Times ☛ South Korean Unrest Conspiracy Theories Are Spread by Social Media

      Right-wing YouTube​rs helped President Yoon Suk Yeol​ win his election. They are now his allies in the wake of his botched imposition of martial law.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Listening House program that hires homeless, low-income workers to clean downtown streets expands

    The program launched in early 2024 with enough pandemic relief funding to offer recruits -- some of them in their 60s and 70s -- $20 per hour to participate.

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Minnesota sanctions South Dakota-based Sanford Health for wage violations

    South Dakota-based Sanford Health will be required to pay unpaid wages and damages to an employee after a state investigation in Minnesota found the company cut her hours during pregnancy and then fired her, violating state law.

  • JURIST ☛ US DOJ finds Oklahoma illegally discriminates against people with behavioral health disabilities

    The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday published its finding that Oklahoma discriminates against people with behavioral health disabilities in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The DOJ found that Oklahoma unnecessarily puts individuals with behavioral health disabilities in institutional facilities for long periods, isolating those individuals from the general community.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Patents as Product Liability Admissions: A Cert Petition Highlights Novel Use of Patent Filings in Whistleblower Case

    A fascinating cert petition filed last week (Peterson v. Minerva Surgical) uses Minerva’s patents in an innovative way — attempting to use the company’s patent monopoly filings as evidence of prior knowledge of product safety issues. The petition, filed by former Minerva Surgical area sales director Dan Peterson, argues that the company’s patent monopoly application for an improved surgical device directly contradicted testimony it later gave in whistleblower retaliation arbitration proceedings.

• Copyrights

  • Heather J Meeker ☛ Anthropic Settles a Small Part of an Hey Hi (AI) Copyright Claim

    This week, there was some interesting movement in one of the many copyright monopoly claims relating to AI. Anthropic, the maker of Claude (my personal favorite Hey Hi (AI) for coding!) reached an agreement to settle parts of an ongoing lawsuit, Concord Music Group, Inc. v. Anthropic, filed October 18, 2023.