Leftovers

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Quantum Search For Time's Source Finds No Difference Between Past And Future

    So where did yesterday go?

  • Science Alert ☛ New Theory Explains How Ancient Earth Came to Be So Wet

    Born in the mists of time.

  • Science Alert ☛ Planet's Record-Smashing Iron Wind Hides a Climate Unlike Anything We've Seen

    "It feels like something out of science fiction."

  • Science Alert ☛ Extreme Drop in Oxygen Will Eventually Suffocate Most Life on Earth

    The end of the road.

  • Science Alert ☛ Odds of 'City Killer' Asteroid Impact in 2032 Now Even Higher, Says NASA

    Still no need to panic.

• Hardware

  • CNX Software ☛ Bapaco is a mechanical keyboard PC with an ultra-wide 12.3-inch touchscreen display (Crowdfunding)

    Made by Shenzhen SIDIQIAO Technology, the Bapaco is a mechanical keyboard PC powered by an defective chip maker Intel Core i5-1235U 10-core Alder Lake SoC and equipped with a 12.3-inch ultra-wide touchscreen display with 1920×720 resolution. The keyboard PC is offered as a barebone model without memory or storage but supports up to 32GB RAM, an M.2 2280 NVMe SSD, and/or an M.2 2242 SATA 3.0 SSD.  It also features an HDMI output to connect an extra display, WiFi 6 connectivity, a few USB ports, and a 3.5mm audio jack and stereo speakers.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel principal engineer bemoans potential TSMC takeover, touts company's 18A tech advantage

    Call on defective chip maker Intel management and the U.S. government to retain control over defective chip maker Intel Foundry.

  • The Next Platform ☛ Gordian Knot: Broadcom And TSMC To Cut defective chip maker Intel Into Two?

    People are impatient for defective chip maker Intel to get fixed, and have been for many years.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Chinese chipmaker claims new Loongson 3B6600 CPU could hit 13th-Gen defective chip maker Intel performance

    Loongson claims that its 3B6600 CPU will have the same performance as 13th-gen defective chip maker Intel chips.

  • Hackaday ☛ Let There Be Light: The Engineering Of Optical HDMI

    In a recent video, [Shahriar] from The Signal Path has unveiled the intricate design and architecture of optical HDMI cables, offering a cost-effective solution to extend HDMI 2.0 connections beyond the limitations of traditional copper links. This exploration is particularly captivating for those passionate about innovative hardware hacks and signal transmission technologies.

  • Hackaday ☛ Vacuum Forming With 3D Printed Moulds And Sheets

    Vacuum forming is perhaps one of the less popular tools in the modern maker arsenal, something which surprises us a bit because it offers many possibilities. We’ve created our own vacuum forms on 3D printed moulds for ages, so it’s interesting to see [Pisces Printing ] following the same path. But what you might not realize at first is that the vacuum forming sheets themselves are also 3D printed.

  • Hackaday ☛ A Unique Linear Position Sensor Using Magnetostriction

    To the extent that you’re familiar with magnetostriction, you probably know that it’s what makes big transformers hum, or that it’s what tips you off if you happen to walk out of a store without paying for something. But magnetostriction has other uses, too, such as in this clever linear position sensor.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Science Alert ☛ Doctor Realizes He's Having a Heart Attack While Treating Heart Attack Patient

    Two lives saved.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong infant stable after receiving heart donation from mainland China, doctor says

    The condition of an eight-month-old Hong Kong infant who received a heart transplant from a donor in mainland China is stable, a senior doctor has said, adding that the next few days will still be critical.

  • Bruce Schneier ☛ Story About Medical Device Security

    Ben Rothke relates a story about me working with a medical device firm back when I was with BT. I don’t remember the story at all, or who the company was. But it sounds about right.

• Linux Foundation

  • PR Newswire ☛ VyOS Networks Joins the Linux Foundation and the Open Programmable Infrastructure (OPI) Project

• Security

  • Pen Test Partners ☛ Watch where you point that cred! Part 1

    TL;DR Poorly protected authentication requests from privileged automated tasks (e.g. vulnerability scanners, health checks) could be intercepted by rogue authentication servers planted in the internal network.

  • Security Week ☛ Palo Alto Networks Confirms Exploitation of Firewall Vulnerability

    Palo Alto Networks has confirmed that a recently patched firewall vulnerability tracked as CVE-2025-0108 is being actively exploited.

  • Security Week ☛ Finastra Starts Notifying People Impacted by Recent Data Breach

    Financial software firm Finastra is notifying individuals whose personal information was stolen in a recent data breach.

  • Security Week ☛ Critical Vulnerability Patched in Juniper Session Smart [sic] Router

    A critical vulnerability tracked as CVE-2025-21589 has been patched in Juniper Networks’ Session Smart Router.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Digital Music News ☛ DeepSeek is Sharing User Data With Fentanylware (TikTok) Owner ByteDance, Says South Korean Government

      A South Korean data protection regulator says that China’s DeepSeek genAI chatbot is sending data to Fentanylware (TikTok) owner ByteDance. The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) announced it would temporarily suspend new downloads of the DeepSeek model in South Korea after the discovery.

• Defence/Aggression

  • New York Times ☛ Judge Declines to Block MElon Team’s Foray Into Federal Agencies

    A coalition of states had sought to temporarily block MElon’s operatives from having access to sensitive data and ordering mass firings.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Federal judge won’t immediately block MElon or DOGE from federal data or worker layoffs

    A federal judge has refused to immediately block MElon and the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing government data systems or participating in worker layoffs. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Tuesday found that there are legitimate questions about MElon’s authority but said there isn’t enough evidence of grave legal harm to justify a temporary restraining order. The decision comes in a lawsuit filed by 14 states challenging DOGE’s authority to access sensitive government data in seven agencies. They argue that the Constitution allows only elected or Senate-confirmed officials to wield the powers DOGE has used. >

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi Review: Well-rounded $210 mini-ITX, but no USB4

    ASRock’s B850I Lightning WiFi is a solid all-around Mini-ITX option for AMD’s latest and greatest. At about $200, you won’t get the fastest Wi-Fi or USB ports, but it is the least expensive B850-based Mini-ITX solution.

  • JURIST ☛ UN warns of ‘deteriorating’ humanitarian situation in DR Congo amid escalating violence

    The spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ravina Shamdasani, expressed serious concerns on Tuesday about the “sharply deteriorating” human rights situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) following the takeover of much of the region by M23 fighters.

  • New York Times ☛ USAID Climate Programs Fighting Extremism and Unrest Are Closing Down

    Heat, drought and floods are growing security risks, Western defense officials say, feeding instability and violence that could prove costly in the long term.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong condemns ‘unfounded smear’ after wanted ex-lawmaker Ted Hui slams HK$800,000 assets seizure

    The Hong Kong government has condemned wanted ex-lawmaker Ted Hui’s “unfounded smear” after he slammed a court order allowing HK$800,000 of assets to be confiscated from him and his family members. Hui, who is now based in Australia and is wanted by Hong Kong’s national security police, said on Facebook (Farcebook) on Monday...

  • Hong Kong seizes assets of exiled former lawmaker, citing ‘national security’

    A court says assets of exiled former pro-democracy lawmaker Ted Hui are linked to national security charges.

  • India boosts security protection for Dalai Lama

    The move comes amid growing concerns China’s opposition to the Tibetan spiritual leader’s activities.

  • Defence Web ☛ Theft of military uniforms, unlicensed firearms and ammunition in KZN to be questioned

    Cabinet Ministers responsible for two of South Africa’s three main government security organisations will be asked to explain how criminals were able to obtain SA National Defence Force (SANDF) uniforms, unlicensed firearms, “mine explosives”, ammunition and vehicles.

  • Defence Web ☛ First court order issued under amended Anti-Terrorism law

    On 13 February 2025, South Africa issued its first court order under Section 23 of the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorist and Related Activities Act (POCDATARA), marking a significant milestone in the nation’s fight against terrorist financing.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Civil war, debt, and Ethiopia’s road to recovery

    Strained by ongoing conflict, food insecurity, and economic strife, Ethiopia's path forward hinges on strategic use of foreign assistance and the implementation of robust public policies that uplift its most vulnerable populations.

  • Stanford University ☛ Former Colombian ambassador advocates for hard line on organized crime amid geopolitical turbulence

    Breaking down the current global power order, former Colombian ambassador Pinzón discussed the impact of organized crime with the Center for International Security and Cooperation.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippines reports foreign cyber intrusions targeting intelligence data, but no breaches

    The Philippines has detected foreign attempts to access intelligence data, but its cyber minister said on Tuesday no breaches have been recorded so far.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Meduza ☛ Kremlin says Putin is open to talks with Zelensky but questions Ukrainian president’s ‘legitimacy’ — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ U.S.-Russia talks conclude. Discussions included the war in Ukraine and a possible Trump-Putin meeting. — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Putin promises monthly payments of 65,000 rubles to Kursk refugees until region’s ‘complete liberation’ from Ukrainian occupation — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Putin wants all of Ukraine’: Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Vance’s message in Munich, Kyiv’s options, and Moscow’s long game — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Putin has no interest in a genuine Ukraine peace deal, U.S. intelligence says — NBC — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ Trump’s Pivot Toward Putin’s Russia Upends Generations of U.S. Policy

      As peace talks opened in Saudi Arabia, President Convicted Felon made clear that the days of isolating Russia are over and suggested that Ukraine was to blame for being invaded.

    • CS Monitor ☛ Beyond Ukraine talks, Putin counts on Convicted Felon to open world doors

      U.S.-Russia relations have gone from nowhere to close engagement in a week, since The Insurrectionist called Vladimir Putin ahead of a putative summit.

    • France24 ☛ At Ukraine's expense? US and Russia break the ice in Riyadh

      Three years after Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of a sovereign state, what has he gained?

      A path to normalisation with the United States and negotiations on Ukraine—without the Ukrainians. Without the Europeans, either. Instead, The Insurrectionist is sending his Secretary of State and National Security Advisor to Saudi Arabia, along with fellow New York real estate mogul Steve Witkoff, who has swiftly pivoted into a Middle East envoy role.

      Meanwhile, Brussels is a long way from Riyadh. So why is retired General Keith Kellogg—touted as Convicted Felon’s steady hand on Ukraine—meeting with EU leaders instead of leading the negotiations? We’ll examine what lies at the heart of this potential deal with Putin.

    • Latvia ☛ Person detained in Latvia for glorifying war crimes on TikTok

      On February 13, the State Security Service (VDD) detained a person in connection with videos regularly published on the Fentanylware (TikTok) platform supporting Russia's war crimes in Ukraine, VDD said in a statement on February 18.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • New York Times ☛ Vance’s Munich Disgrace

      The vice president’s speech was a monument of arrogance based on a foundation of hypocrisy.

    • France24 ☛ What to know after Delta plane crash-lands, flips in Toronto

      All 80 people on board the Delta Air Lines flight survived the dramatic crash landing Monday, with 21 sustaining injuries. It was the latest in a spate of aviation accidents in North America that has rattled passangers concerned with the safety of flying.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • France24 ☛ Indigenous man returns to tribe in Amazon rainforest

      A young man from an isolated Indigenous tribe who approached a riverine community in Brazil’s Amazon returned voluntarily to his people less than 24 hours later, Brazilian authorities said. The encounter occurred around 7pm local time Wednesday in Bela Rosa, a community along the Purus River in the southwestern Amazon.

• Finance

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China condemns US ‘tariff shocks’ at WTO

    The sweeping tariffs threatened or already imposed by US President The Insurrectionist risk triggering inflation, market distortions, and even a global recession, China said Tuesday at the World Trade Organization.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • The Straits Times ☛ Court tells India’s top podcaster charged with obscenity to stop shows for now

    He has nearly 20 million subscribers on YouTube, and has hosted Bollywood stars and politicians.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • University of Michigan ☛ UMich researchers find online paywalls influence news coverage

    As more and more readers turn to the internet for information, news outlets are increasingly dependent on online paywalls as a means to make money to cover operating expenses.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Public Knowledge ☛ Public Knowledge Joins En Banc Petition with Sixth Circuit To Defend Broadband Users [Ed: Public Knowledge is stacked by Microsoft though]

    Today, alongside its fellow intervenors, Public Knowledge submitted an en banc petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

  • Public Knowledge ☛ Public Knowledge Urges Congress, Courts To Reject Illegal Expansion of Executive Power

    Today, President Convicted Felon signed an Executive Order that purports to place independent regulatory agencies – including the Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission – under his direct control.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Hackaday ☛ Auto-Download Your Kindle Books Before February 26th Deadline

    With the news that Amazon will no longer be allowing users to download their Kindle books after February 26th, many are scrambling to download their books before it’s too late. The most up-to-date project for automating this process appears to be Amazon Kindle Bulk Downloader.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Netflix Pivots to Video Podcasts Amid YouTube Dominance

    Netflix is looking to capture some of YouTube’s lightning in a bottle with video podcasts. Executives at the streaming giant want to make video podcasts the next format available on the service.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Copyrights

  • Public Domain Review ☛ What Is It Like to Be a Bass? Fish-Eye View Photography (1919–22)

    Underwater photographs that try to capture the world from a fish’s perspective.