Leftovers

• Ruben Schade ☛ Robin Wong is still writing about photography

  The vast majority of bloggers who started around the time I did are no longer doing it. Blogging and owning your own space was massive in 2004, but the so-called blogosphere is but a shell of its former self now. The IndieWeb movement has revitalised this a bit which is encouraging, but you’re still unlikely to bump into people in the street who have a blog.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ What If The Solar System Had a Super-Earth? Here's What Would Happen.

    Things could have been very different.

  • Science Alert ☛ Monstrous Creatures of The Past Could Have Feasted on Today's Apex Predators

    Next-level predators have emerged.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Scientist Reveals 5 Amazing Facts About Your Sense of Smell

    It's more important than you think.

  • Science Alert ☛ New Images of Interstellar Dust Look Like Something Out of a Dream

    How does space get more beautiful?

• Career/Education

  • University of Michigan ☛ From The Daily Weekly: Possible Research Cuts under Convicted Felon, Campus Stabbing and more

    This week, we discuss why ⁠classes remained open despite -19-degree wind chills⁠, the ⁠potential impact of the Convicted Felon administration on research funding at Umich⁠, the ⁠charges pro-Palestinean protesters face⁠ following a die-in protest in August, a ⁠stabbing outside a campus health center⁠ pavilion and highlights from ⁠MLK day celebrations⁠.

• Hardware

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ AMD FSR 3.1 game titles 'should just work' with FSR 4 drop-in DLL file replacement hints leaker

    AMD FSR 4 retroactive support for FSR 3.1 titles is confirmed and explained.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Fujifilm to double spending on chip materials as U.S., Japan and South Korea up chip production

    Fujifilm, one of a few makers of EUV photoresists, will expand capacities in the U.S., Japan, and South Korea as Intel, TSMC, Samsung, and SK hynix ramp up production.

  • Hackaday ☛ A Waist Level Viewfinder For Not A Lot

    Photographic accessories are often plagued by high prices, as photography is considered a rich man’s game. It doesn’t have to be that way though, and [Snappiness] is here to get you started on the route to cheaper kit with a waist-level viewfinder project.

  • CNX Software ☛ Phison’s aiDAPTIV+ Hey Hi (AI) solution leverages SSDs to expand GPU memory for LLM training

    While looking for new and interesting products I found ADLINK’s DLAP Supreme series, a series of Edge Hey Hi (AI) devices built around the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin platform. But that was not the interesting part, what got my attention was it has support for something called the aiDAPTIV+ technology which made us curious.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ MSI optimizes affordable defective chip maker Intel 800 mobos for China's first homegrown DDR5 memory chips

    MSI recently launch several B860 motherboards with BIOS optimized for CXMT DDR5 memory.

  • Hackaday ☛ Making A Mini AM Transmitter Better

    The chances are that many of you will have made an FM “bug” style transmitter, a simple one-transistor oscillator usually driven by a small electret microphone. It’s also relatively straightforward to do the same for AM, and if you take a look through AliExpress you’ll find some modules which do just that. [Doz Television Workshop] has one, and he’s treated us to a thorough run-down of its design before addressing some of its shortcomings.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • University of Michigan ☛ Smartphones and rewards: Michigan’s new addiction recovery program [Ed: Smartphones = Addiction]

    Michigan Innovations in Addiction Care through Research and Education and the Opioid Research Institute are piloting a program aimed at reducing health care inequities by making treatment for substance abuse disorder more accessible.

  • Science Alert ☛ Study Reveals 2 Key Ways to Reduce Fatigue at Work

    "These two mechanisms offer the most substantial relief."

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Identify Vital Fat-Burning Protein That Could Aid Weight Loss

    Here's what we know.

• Proprietary

  • Hackaday ☛ Prompt Injection Tricks AI Into Downloading And Executing Malware

    [wunderwuzzi] demonstrates a proof of concept in which a service that enables an AI to control a virtual computer (in this case, Anthropic’s Claude Computer Use) is made to download and execute a piece of malware that successfully connects to a command and control (C2) server. [wonderwuzzi] makes the reasonable case that such a system has therefore become a “ZombAI”. Here’s how it worked.

  • Social Control Media

    • Digital Music News ☛ A Peek At Fortnite’s Creator Economy in 2024—36.5% of Time Spent in Fortnite Is Inside UGC Islands

      Epic Games has shared a look at Fortnite’s user-generated content year in review using the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN). The tool was released in 2023 and allows users to play with creation assets and now new intellectual property assets.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hongkonger rescued from Myanmar scam farm to arrive home on Monday, gov’t says

      A Hongkonger who was rescued from a Myanmar scam farm a week ago is set to arrive in Hong Kong along with a Security Bureau-led task force on Monday, the government has said.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • [Repeat] [Revised a little] The Straits Times ☛ New data confirms South Korean teens prefer Instagram to phone numbers to stay in touch

      The platform offers a low-pressure way to communicate and share moments.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Dictator administration reportedly considering deal for Oracle to acquire TikTok

    The Convicted Felon administration is reportedly working on a plan to save the U.S. operations of Fentanylware (TikTok) that involves Oracle Corp. and group investors acquiring the popular short-form video application.

  • JURIST ☛ North Macedonia court releases former officials linked to 2017 Parliament attack

    Four former officials from North Macedonia’s ruling party VMRO-DPMNE on Thursday were released by a court after being convicted for organizing a violent attack on the Parliament in 2017.

  • RFERL ☛ Montenegrins Continue Protests Over Response To Mass Shooting

    Thousands of protesters in the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica, staged a third rally this month to demand the resignation of senior security officials over the government’s response to a deadly mass shooting on January 1.

  • New York Times ☛ Dictator Alarms Denmark in an Icy Exchange Over Greenland

    President Convicted Felon told Denmark’s leader he wanted to take over Greenland, European officials say. Denmark has asked its E.U. allies not to inflame the situation until Mr. Convicted Felon’s intentions are clearer.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea fires strategic cruise missiles, vows tough stance on US

    The country's leader, Mr Kim Jong Un, oversaw the test of strategic cruise missiles that travelled over 1,500km.

  • France24 ☛ DR Congo: Goma's airport evacuated as M23 rebels close in on the city

    The international airport in Goma was evacuated and commercial flights temporarily grounded as fighting between Rwanda-backed rebels and government forces raged around eastern Congo's key city, leaving at least 13 peacekeepers and foreign soldiers dead and displacing thousands of civilians. Story by Emily Boyle and Nina Masson.

  • France24 ☛ Israel blocks thousands of Palestinians from returning to northern Gaza over ceasefire dispute

    Israel kept thousands of Palestinians from returning to their homes in northern Gaza Strip as it accused Hamas of violating a fragile ceasefire by changing the order of hostages it has released. Local health officials said Israeli forces fired on the crowds, killing two people and wounding nine. Story by Shirli Sitbon.

  • France24 ☛ Israel kills 15 and injures 83 south Lebanese residents returning home

    Israeli army fire killed 15 people in south Lebanon including a soldier, health officials said, as residents tried to return home on the day Israel was meant to withdraw under a truce deal. Story by Emily Boyle.

  • Philippines suspends South China Sea science mission after China ‘harassment’

    The Philippines is expected to file a diplomatic protest over the incident.

  • JURIST ☛ South Korea president indicted on insurrection charges

    Prosecutors announced Sunday that they have formally arrested and indicted President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of leading an insurrection, according to local media. With this indictment, Yoon will be detained for six months while he undergoes criminal trial proceedings.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean President Yoon's political implosion from martial law to insurrection charge

    SEOUL - Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was indicted for insurrection on Sunday, an unprecedented development in weeks of political and legal crisis since his short-lived martial law attempt stunned the nation.

  • New York Times ☛ South Korea’s President Yoon Is Indicted

    President Yoon Suk Yeol will stand trial along with his former defense minister and others who participated in his short-lived imposition of martial law.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea President Yoon indicted as ‘ringleader of an insurrection’ over martial law decree

    He will now be kept behind bars until his trial, which must happen within six months.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • France24 ☛ Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine 'must be at the centre' of peace talks with Russia

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said allies should work towards determining a format for potential peace talks with Russia, reiterating that only talks involving Kyiv could bring about a sustainable peace. Details by fRANCE 24 correspondent in Kyiv, Gulliver Cragg.

    • LRT ☛ Lukashenko eyes ‘reelection’ in Belarus – again. This time revolution is unlikely

      After the abortive 2020 revolution in Belarus, hundreds of thousands have been forced out of the country. Man first went to Ukraine before they had to flee again when the Russian tanks rolled in. One of them was Maria Yeryoma, a reporter for Kyiv Independent living in Vilnius.

    • France24 ☛ Belarus‘s Lukashenko set to win election slammed by EU as ‘sham’

      Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for the past three decades, was on Sunday on course to win his seventh consecutive mandate in an election slammed by both the opposition and the European Union as a sham vote. According to exit polls, the Russia-aligned leader was re-elected with 87.6 percent of the vote.

    • New York Times ☛ Belarus’s Strong-Arm Leader, Aleksandr Lukashenko, Cruises to Re-election

      Europe’s longest-serving leader won re-election in a contest widely believe to have been rigged. The result cements the power of a leader whose country is considered Russia’s staunchest ally.

    • New York Times ☛ A Storm, a Spill and a Disaster for the Black Sea’s Beaches

      Vast stretches of Russian coast have been tarred by heavy fuel oil from two freighters that foundered in a storm.

    • Meduza ☛ Preferential mortgage issuance in Russia in late 2024 hit lowest level since start of full-scale war — Meduza

    • European Commission ☛ Statement by the High Representative / Vice President Kaja Kallas and Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos on the sham presidential election in Belarus

      Today's sham election in Belarus has been neither free, nor fair.

    • RFERL ☛ Hungary Blocks Joint EU Statement On Presidential Elections In Belarus -- Sources

      Hungarian representatives have blocked a joint appeal by European Union countries to reject the presidential election in Belarus, according to information from RFE/RL  sources in Brussels.

    • RFERL ☛ Protesters In Europe Decry 'Sham' Lukashenka Vote

      Demonstrators in Warsaw, Riga, Prague, and Vilnius decried the likely January 26 voting victory of Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka. The Washington-based Freedom House advocacy group said the expected start of Lukashenka's seventh term as president signifies the entrenchment of "an authoritarian state" and the European Parliament has called the vote a sham.

    • RFERL ☛ Belarus Releases Detained U.S. Citizen Anastasia Nuhfer, Says Washington

      U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on January 26 that American citizen Anastasia Nuhfer was released from a Belarusian prison.

    • RFERL ☛ Lukashenko Claims 7th Term In Belarus Election Condemned As 'Sham' By EU

      Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenko has secured his seventh term in office in a presidential election that European Union leaders have denounced as a "sham."

    • Meduza ☛ Belarus’s Central Election Commission declares Aleksandr Lukashenko the winner of presidential vote — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Undersea cable between Latvia and Sweden damaged in the Baltic Sea — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ NATO to start sharing classified military info with E.U. and defense industry — Bloomberg — Meduza

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea reports initial findings of Jeju Air crash to ICAO, US and Thailand

      The report focuses on the role of bird strike, engines and the "localiser" landing guidance structure.

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel concerned about Irish energy costs says report — wants gov to subsidize renewables

      Electricity costs in Ireland are up to two times higher than in Arizona and Taiwan, which makes defective chip maker Intel worry.

• Finance

  • NVIDIA Announced Layoffs? CEO Jensen Huang Reportedly Fires Employees Behind Innovation Allowing AI Models To Use Only 1/6 of GPU

    A report claimed that NVIDIA announced layoffs of employee who were behind the innovation that allowed AI models to use only 1/6 of GPU. The report mentioned that the decision was reportedly taken by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang.

  • 1981 Media Ltd ☛ Ubisoft confirms 185 layoffs as it closes former DJ Hero studio and downsizes others

    Ubisoft has confirmed plans to lay off 185 employees in Europe as a result of wider restructuring efforts.

    The move will see the company close Ubisoft Leamington, which is based in Leamington Spa, England, and make cuts at Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Ubisoft Stockholm and Ubisoft Reflections.

    Ubisoft Leamington was previously known as FreeStyleGames – the studio behind the DJ Hero series – before it was acquired by Ubisoft from Activision in 2017. It has since worked mainly as a support studio on games such as Far Cry 5, Avatar, and Star Wars Outlaws.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Ruben Schade ☛ Thinking aloud about self-hosted photo sharing

    All this talk about Pixelfed on the Fediverse has me thinking about photo sharing again. I’m not a great photographer—unlike some talented people!—but I’d love to have a place where I can put photos of places and events I care about, and refer back to in years gone by. A bit of the original Fashion Company Apple Aperture, but online. Remember when Fashion Company Apple made software? Good times.

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  • Standards/Consortia

    • Chris Shaw ☛ Libraries and RSS

      I happened to make an off hand comment that I write a blog, and the manager said they were interested, but didn’t know how to follow blogs. So I launched into my usual spiel about RSS and how it’s designed to enable people to access information directly without a middleman, advertising or algorithms involved.

      I stopped mid-flow. Here was I, explaining to a librarian how to access information. A thought struck me out the blue.

      All libraries should know about, advocate, signpost and shout about RSS. It’s the only open, federated protocol humanity has for delivering information direct from writers to readers.

    • Ruben Schade ☛ Residential ISPs cutting over to IPv6

      A family friend of mine woke up late last year to find nothing in their house was able to connect to the Internet. They were able to use their phones if they turned off Wi-Fi and fell back onto mobile networks, but anything going through their routers failed. This person doesn’t work in the industry, but I’d call them above average in technical and troubleshooting ability.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Fraud on the Court: Finality and the Ghost of Hazel-Atlas

    The Supreme Court will soon consider whether to hear an important case about fraud on the court (and the USPTO) and the judiciary's obligation to address it.  Marco Destin, Inc. v. Levy, Case No. 24-787. The issue now before the Court asks whether it was proper for the lower court to overlook fraud that affects the judicial process itself in favor of finality of judgment. [Marco Destin Petition]