Leftovers

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Mysterious Radiation Belts Detected Around Earth After Epic Solar Storm

    "Wow, this is something really new."

  • Science Alert ☛ 'Astonishing': Hottest January on Record Stuns Scientists

    We haven't seen this before.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ Growing A Gallium-Arsenide Laser Directly On Silicon

    As great as silicon is for semiconductor applications, it has one weakness in that using it for lasers isn’t very practical. Never say never though, as it turns out that you can now grow lasers directly on the silicon material. The most optimal material for solid-state lasers in photonics is gallium-arsenide (GaAs), but due to the misalignment of the crystal lattice between the compound (group III-V) semiconductor and silicon (IV) generally separate dies would be produced and (very carefully) aligned or grafted onto the silicon die.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ ASRock feels the heat as it moves manufacturing out of China to counter U.S. tariffs

    The company is planning to slowly move its production out of China so it can avoid tariffs and restrictions announced by the U.S. government.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ RTX 5090D tested with nine-years-old Xeon CPU that cost $7 — it does surprisingly well in some games, if you enable MFG

    Nvidia's China-only RTX 5090D was benchmarked on a nine-years-old Xeon processor that only costs $7. It was able to stay at least reasonably close to modern-day CPUs in several games, thanks to DLSS3 frame generation and DLSS4 MFG.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel's vacant CEO spot rumored to be filled by Tom Caulfield — abrupt GlobalFoundries shakeup sparks speculation

    GlobalFoundries's Thomas Caulfield rumored to be joining defective chip maker Intel as next CEO as he gets abruptly promoted to executive chairman position at GF.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Science Alert ☛ Some Drugs Seem to Lower Risk of Dementia. A Neuroscientist Explains Why.

    Existing medicines may offer a protective effect.

  • Science Alert ☛ Children of Divorce Face Greater Risk of Future Stroke, Study Reveals

    "It is extremely concerning."

  • Science Alert ☛ Bacteria Living Inside Your Mouth May Shape Your Dementia Risk

    "The implications of this research are profound."

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI)

    • La Quadature Du Net ☛ Launch of the Hiatus Coalition, to Resist Hey Hi (AI) and its World

      This text is the founding manifesto of “Hiatus”, a coalition of a diverse range of French civil society organizations that intend to resist the massive and widespread deployment of artificial intelligence (AI).

    • France24 ☛ Generative Hey Hi (AI) models are known to amplify prejudice – can they be fixed?

      Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are known to reproduce and amplify human prejudice about race or gender, but correcting such discriminatory bias has proved challenging. US President The Insurrectionist’s return to power appears to have nipped in the bud any hopes of progress – unless Europe can stand up to the deregulatory wave.

    • France24 ☛ Artificial intelligence and the future of journalism [Ed: LLMs are NOT "artificial intelligence"]

      Most newsrooms have a mix of excitement and concern over artificial intelligence. The technology is racing so fast that many outlets are struggling to keep up, much less establish thoughtful charters on how to implement Hey Hi (AI) into their workflow. This week's guest on FRANCE 24's media show Scoop is Phil Chetwynd, the global news director at the French news agency AFP. He discusses the challenges ahead and talks about AFP's new partnership with Mistral AI.

    • France24 ☛ AI and the arts: A new cultural frontier [Ed: Ripoffs and plagiarism disguised as fair use is not "AI"]

      In this show we're reflecting on the rise of the machines, as AI-generated arts are becoming a mainstay of the cultural landscape. As Paris hosts the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit, we ask: what does its prevalence mean for creativity, for the cultural industries and for the artists who might be replaced by machines?

    • France24 ☛ 'France can be a bit bolder': Paris Hey Hi (AI) summit draft declaration sparks concern for civil society

      A draft declaration of the Paris Hey Hi (AI) Action Summit has raised concerns for The Future Society, the nonprofit which was tasked by organisers to provide recommendations for protecting civil society from the risks of artificial intelligence.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Federal News Network ☛ House Democrats introduce Taxpayer Data Protection Act in response to Musk’s actions

      The legislation would bar anyone with conflicts of interest or without a security clearance from getting into the Treasury Department's data.

    • JURIST ☛ US federal court temporarily blocks DOGE from accessing federal employee data

      The US District Court for the District of Columbia temporarily blocked the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on Wednesday from accessing sensitive data and systems within the Department of Labor until Friday.

    • Silicon Angle ☛ Report: UK ordered Fashion Company Apple to implement backdoor in iCloud encryption system

      U.K. officials have ordered Fashion Company Apple Inc. to implement a backdoor in its iCloud file storage service, the Washington Post reported today. The backdoor would enable the government to access Fashion Company Apple users’ encrypted files. If implemented, it would affect consumers in not only the U.K. but also all the other markets where iCloud is available.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Digital Music News ☛ Vice President JD Vance Tapped to Spearhead Fentanylware (TikTok) Acquisition Deal

    Despite reports of ByteDance slow-rolling the Fentanylware (TikTok) sale process, JD Vance has been placed at the head of a potential acquisition. Here’s what we know. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and VP JD Vance will lead the potential sale of the app, according to The Hill.

  • New York Times ☛ Congo Buries Its Dead After Rebel Assault

    A single image captures the grim task facing those who needed to find space for the dead after a spasm of violence in Central Africa.

  • Defence Web ☛ Multinational naval Exercise Aman 2025 opens in Pakistan – biggest edition yet

    The ninth and to date largest edition of the multinational naval Exercise Aman officially commenced in Pakistan on Friday with an opening ceremony attended by 60 nations. Over a dozen naval vessels are taking part in this year’s iteration from 7 to 11 February, which also includes the inaugural Aman Dialogue maritime security conference.

  • The Strategist ☛ Stopping anti-Semitic terrorism in Australia

    In the next six months there is a greater than 50 per cent chance of a terrorist attack being planned and possibly carried out in Australia.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Canada ends ‘lifeboat’ work permit scheme for recent Hong Kong graduates, enacted after security law

    Canadian immigration authorities have confirmed that a “lifeboat” open work permit scheme for recent graduates from Hong Kong will end this Friday and that it will not be extended.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Australia pays $676m to US as part of Aukus submarine deal ahead of defence meeting

    Australia said the gesture showed that Canberra is paying its way as a security partner.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Toplines: The United States and its allies must be ready to deter a two-front war and nuclear attacks in East Asia

    The "toplines" from Markus Galaurskus' report on two emerging and interrelated deterrence challenges in East Asia with grave risks to US national security.

  • France24 ☛ 'Incredibly dangerous, immensely destabilising for displacement of Palestinians into Egypt, Jordan'

    Palestinians in Gaza say they are determined to rebuild their own seafront restaurants and hotels, dismissing U.S. President The Insurrectionist's vision of creating a "Riviera of the Middle East" emptied of its population and under U.S. control. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24's William Hilderbrandt welcomes Dr H. A. Hellyer, Scholar in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington DC, specialising in Security Studies. Dr. Hellyer is also Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) for Defence and Security Studies in London where he is based.

  • New York Times ☛ Mass Shooting in Sweden Leaves Migrants Feeling Vulnerable

    The shooter targeted a center that serves migrants seeking to integrate into a country that had already reversed its liberal migration policies.

  • New Yorker ☛ America’s Soft-Power Retreat

    The Insurrectionist and Elon Musk’s gutting of U.S.A.I.D. will weaken Washington’s reach, but the U.S. was already losing the fight for global influence.

  • How not to get seduced by foreign spies: China’s spy agency

    If asked about state secrets by foreign interrogators, citizens should 'refuse to answer,' the ministry warns.

  • France24 ☛ Brussels grapples with spree of shootings linked to drug gangs

    Brussels is grappling with an outbreak of drug-related violence with authorities appearing powerless to stem a rise in violent crime connected to a thriving narcotics trade. Footage went viral of masked men firing automatic weapons outside a Brussels metro station on Wednesday while commuters ran for their lives.

  • France24 ☛ Confronting a surge in femicides in Kenya

    The brutal murder of Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei in September 2024 brought renewed global attention to a silent epidemic in Kenya: femicide and other forms of violence against women. With nearly 100 women murdered by men in just three months, 2024 was one of the deadliest years on record for Kenyan women. With mentalities slow to change and in the absence of a meaningful response from the government, some Kenyan women are taking matters into their own hands by enrolling in self-defence classes. And while William Ruto's government unveiled a 42-member task force to address gender-based violence in January, feminist activists are already voicing concerns it will do little make a significant impact. Erin Ogunkeye spoke to feminist and security professor Awino Okech of SOAS University of London for more. She's also the director of the Feminist Centre for Racial Justice.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Latvia ☛ State Security Service asks MP Rosļikovs for a talk

      The State Security Service (VDD) has held talks with the leader of the political party "For Stability!" Aleksejs Rosļikovs, in connection with his "public statements against Latvians", VDD said in a statement on February 7.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian and Swedish Prime Ministers meet in Rīga

      Prime Minister Evika Siliņa hosted bilateral talks in Rīga with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on February 7, discussing issues of defense, critical infrastructure security, and economic cooperation.

• Environment

  • Meduza ☛ Vanishing ice, rising risks: As Central Asia’s glaciers disappear, a new generation of scientists works to track them — Meduza

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Ocean Park withdraws animal skin luxury watch, as NGO accuses park of putting profit before animals

      An animal rights group has slammed Ocean Park Hong Kong for “not caring about animals,” after the theme park suspended the sale of a panda-themed luxury watch following a backlash against its crocodile leather strap.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Man in Thailand faces lawsuit after cruelly throwing puppy into the sea

      He claimed that he intended to make the dog clean.

  • Overpopulation

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Central Asia needs regional and international cooperation to bolster water security

      A new Atlantic Council report, “Water insecurity in Central Asia: The imperative for regional and international cooperation” details the developing water crises in Central Asia and outlines strategies to combat water insecurity in the region.

• Finance

  • Breach Media ☛ Ontario for sale: how Doug Ford is dismantling the province

    As Ontario gears up for a provincial election, Bryan Evans and Desmond Cole take stock of more than six years of austerity and market fundamentalism

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Inflation continues to trend down in January

    It has been years since inflation was this close to the national bank's 3% goal.

  • Breach Media ☛ Canada’s CEOs want to cash in on Convicted Felon’s tariff threats

    Corporate lobby groups are turning the trade chaos in their favour by pushing for tax cuts, deregulation, pipelines, and military spending

  • Raw Story ☛ 'Trump bump is over': Confidence free falls as voters blame President for market 'chaos' - Raw Story

    During the 2024 presidential race, Donald Trump repeatedly claimed that the U.S. economy was terrible under then-President Joe Biden and then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong post office to continue to suspend packages to the US amid tariff war

    Hongkong Post has said it will continue to suspend postal services for US-bound parcels despite the US Postal Service’s resumption of inbound packages from China and Hong Kong.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ US to temporarily allow duty-free relief for small parcels from China and Hong Kong

    The United States will temporarily allow small parcels from China to enter under a duty-free exemption, a White House order said Friday, postponing a rule that sparked fears of trade disruptions. President The Insurrectionist unveiled fresh tariffs on China last weekend, including an additional 10 percent levy on goods that came into force on Tuesday.

  • France24 ☛ Enrico Letta to Europe: 'Now is the time to act'

    Forty years after Europe's Single Market was conceived as the cornerstone of post-war integration for millions of citizens across its member states, a divided continent is in danger of behind left behind in a fierce global competition dominated by the United States and China, Italy’s former prime minister, Enrico Letta, told FRANCE 24.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • CS Monitor ☛ China-Japan distrust has been tough to shake. Tourism might be the best chance.

    The recent surge of Chinese travelers into Japan may be creating much-needed ambassadors.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Celebrating CNY in rural China: No hongbao but there are fireworks and firecrackers

    An ST writer goes to Fang county in Hubei province in search of nian wei, or Chinese New Year spirit.

  • RFERL ☛ Panama Denies Making Deal To Allow Free Transit For U.S. Warships Through Canal

    Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino has denied the U.S. State Department’s claim that his country had reached a deal allowing U.S. warships to transit the Panama Canal for free.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China says ‘regrets’ Panama withdrawal from Belt and Road infrastructure project

    China on Friday said it “regrets” Panama’s decision to withdraw from Beijing’s Belt and Road infrastructure programme after the Latin American nation ended its participation in the project in a concession to Washington.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China says ‘regrets’ Panama withdrawal from Belt and Road project

    China said it firmly opposes the US using pressure and coercion to smear and undermine Belt and Road cooperation.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China urges Panama to 'make right decision' after announcing Belt and Road exit

    China expressed regret on Saturday over Panama's intention to leave Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative, urging the Latin American nation to "make the right decision".

  • The Straits Times ☛ China blames US 'sabotage' for Panama's departure from Belt and Road initiative

    BEIJING - China is opposed to U.S. "smearing and sabotage" of the Belt and Road Initiative in Panama through "pressure and coercion", its foreign ministry said on Friday, after the South American nation decided to exit the programme.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s dispute over tariff seen as early test of Convicted Felon’s stance towards WTO

    It has so far escaped the scrutiny of US President The Insurrectionist, a critic of multilateral institutions.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Hong Kong to file complaint with WTO over US tariffs

    Dictator imposed a 10 per cent tariff hike on goods coming from mainland China and Hong Kong.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • DeepSeek warns of ‘misinformation’ about its Hey Hi (AI) chatbot amid bans

      But the Chinese Hey Hi (AI) firm did not directly address recent concerns about the security of its chatbot app.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Digital Music News ☛ Jay-Z Drops Sanctions Motion Against Attorney in Jane Doe Sexual Assault Lawsuit — Dismissal Push Continues

    One month later, Jay-Z has officially dropped (albeit without prejudice) his motion for sanctions against attorney Tony Buzbee. Meanwhile, the Roc Nation founder is still pushing to dismiss the sexual assault suit he’s facing from a Jane Doe accuser. Legal filings just recently revealed those latest developments in the multifaceted courtroom confrontation.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Chinese filmmaker says Vietnamese officers asked him for bribes during Hanoi visit

    At Hanoi’s airport, bribery is so common that it must be systemic, Wu Dong said in a tweet.

  • Campaign for Uyghurs, ‘Teacher Li’ nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

    2 US congressmen cited the nominees' ‘unwavering commitment’ to justice and human rights.

  • Press Gazette ☛ London Economic editor steps down citing ‘punishing algorithms and scarce resources’

    Jack Peat said running the site "requires huge personal sacrifices".

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai denies lying to court about not knowing of int’l group critical of China

    Jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai has denied lying during his national security trial’s testimony about not knowing about an international group critical of mainland China, despite having promoted the launch of the organisation in his now-shuttered Apple Daily tabloid five years ago.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ French retailer Decathlon on back foot over China forced labour accusations

    French company Decathlon, the world’s biggest sports equipment retailer, on Thursday defended its human rights record after reports it had benefited from forced labour in China. Decathlon, regularly cited as among French people’s favourite brands, employs around 100,000 people in 1,700 stores in more than 70 countries.

  • JURIST ☛ US federal judge issues nationwide block on Convicted Felon executive order purporting to end birthright citizenship

    Judge John Coughenour of the US District Court for the Western District of Washington granted a nationwide preliminary injunction Thursday blocking President The Insurrectionist’s executive order purporting to end birthright citizenship. The lawsuit was brought by the states of Arizona, Illinois, Oregon, and Washington.

  • New York Times ☛ Right-Wing Crusade Against USAID Has Been Fueled by Falsehoods

    As the Convicted Felon administration works to dismantle the aid agency, right-wing influencers have flooded the internet with falsehoods about its work.

  • JURIST ☛ Federal unions sue Convicted Felon over USAID dismantling, cite devastating humanitarian impact

    Two major US federal employee unions filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging President The Insurrectionist’s systematic dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which the complaint claims has triggered a global humanitarian crisis. Established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, USAID had served as America’s primary foreign assistance organization for over six decades.

  • JURIST ☛ US DOJ sues Illinois over state laws conflicting with Convicted Felon immigration policies

    The US Department of Justice sued the state of Illinois, Governor J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and other state officials Thursday over state laws that limit local law enforcement from aiding federal immigration authorities.

  • JURIST ☛ US federal judge blocks Convicted Felon government employee buyout offer

    US District Court Judge George O’Toole Jr. issued an order Thursday afternoon blocking a buyout ultimatum issued by President Convicted Felon to employees of federal agencies shortly before that night’s deadline to accept the offer.

  • New Yorker ☛ Why Was a Climate Activist Put in Prison for Five Years?

    Roger Hallam spoke on a Zoom call to help organize a nonviolent protest. New British laws cracking down on activists have made his punishment swift and, some feel, harsh.

  • CS Monitor ☛ But is it legal? Musk’s DOGE is stripping agencies before judges can rule.

    F​rom accessing computers to halting spending and firing workers, The Insurrectionist and Elon Musk are testing the legal limits of executive branch power.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Press Gazette ☛ Reach reporters warned over unauthorised linking to commercial sites

    Guidance follows freelance adding links to escort and gambling websites.

  • Tired of Gmail? Here are the 3 best alternatives

    Aside from a couple of months when I created a Gmail account for testing purposes,

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Hackaday ☛ When Ignoring Spam Loses You An Ice Surfacer Patent

    Bear with us for a moment for a little background. The Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottawa is the world’s largest natural skating rink, providing nearly 8 km of pristine ice surface during the winter. But maintaining such a large ice surface is a challenge. A regular Zamboni can’t do it; the job is just too big. So the solution is a custom machine called the Froster, conceived by Robert Taillefer and built by Sylvain Fredette.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Preemption Lost: The Federal Circuit’s Abandonment of Supreme Court Patent Eligibility Doctrine

    One of the most perplexing aspects of patent monopoly eligibility doctrine involves the role of preemption - the concern that patents might lock up basic tools of scientific and technological work in ways that limit individual liberty and or that may unduly block fundamental progress.  The Supreme Court has repeatedly emphasized that these  preemption concerns "undergird" and "drive" the judicially created exceptions to patent monopoly eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101. Yet in practice, the Federal Circuit has consistently regarded evidence of preemption (or the lack thereof) as basically irrelevant when determining whether or not a particular claimed invention is patent-eligible.  Even the complete absence of preemption "does not demonstrate patent monopoly eligibility." Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. v. Cepheid, 905 F.3d 1363 (Fed. Cir. 2018). 

  • The Straits Times ☛ As China’s humanoid robots take centre stage this CNY, glimpse into a future powered by AI

    As at July 2024, China held over 190,000 effective robot-related patents, about two-thirds of the world’s total.

  • Forbes ☛ New Nintendo Patent Suddenly Confirms Exciting Switch 2 Rumor

    Pretty much every major rumor about the Switch 2 turned out to be true so far. And now a new Nintendo has confirmed another exciting one.

  • Software Patents

    • JUVE ☛ Bittersweet outcome for both Nokia and Amazon Prime in Düsseldorf

      Amazon and Nokia are fighting over multiple streaming technology patents. The dispute at the Regional Court Düsseldorf concerned EP 2 271 048 B1 and EP 2 130 150 B1. EP 048 protects a method for provisioning a multimedia service to display additional information, for example about actors, in parallel to streaming a video.

• Trademarks

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Oaxaca artisans accuse U.S. brands of stealing traditional designs

    The Culture Ministry promised to initiate immediate legal proceedings against the brands accused of plagiarizing Mixtec intellectual property.

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: How Did These Three Recent Section 2(d) Appeals Turn Out?

    It's early, but so far in 2025 the Board has reversed one out of five Section 2(d) likelihood-of-confusion refusals on appeal. Here are three recent decisions. How do you think they came out? [Answer in first comment].

  • Digital Music News ☛ NewJeans 2.0? K-Pop Group Rebrands As ‘NJZ’ Amid Ugly Hybe/Ador Legal Battle, Tees Up New Music and March Concert

    NewJeans 2.0? Amid a well-documented legal battle with Hybe, the K-pop girl group has changed its name to NJZ and teed up a March concert. The act formerly known as NewJeans took to social control media to announce the pivot, which won’t exactly come as a surprise to fans or even casual observers.