Leftovers

• Ruben Schade ☛ Nice spot for afternoon coffee

  I’m working remote today, so I tried somewhere new. The coffee shop/roastery smells amazing, and has bar chairs and a long, thin table overlooking the street and surrounding landscape. It’s lovely!

  Though let’s just say I’m glad I brought an umbrella in case.

• Ruben Schade ☛ Memories of underground car parks

  I’ve been on record here espousing what may charitably be described as a dislike of motorised conveyances of an automobile nature. The more rational and level-headed among urbanists may be more specific in decrying car dependency over the cars themselves, but I just don’t like them. Cars take up space, they foul the air with their emissions and brake dust, they kill and maim millions, and seemingly turn rational people interacting with pedestrians into unhinged monsters frustrated that they had to stop at a level crossing to let a plebeian dash to the other side of the road in the pouring rain from their glass bubbles.

• Science

  • The Conversation ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Why did life evolve to be so colourful? Research is starting to give us some answers

  • The Conversation ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] Can adults learn to develop absolute pitch? Our research challenges a longstanding myth

  • The Conversation ☛ 2025-02-20 [Older] Your dog may be wilder than you think, according to canine sleep research

  • The Conversation ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] Your pupils change size as you breathe – here’s why this new discovery is important

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ Reviewing A Very Dodgy BSK-602 Adjustable Power Supply

    There’s no shortage of cheap & cheerful power supplies which you can obtain from a range of online retailers, but with no listed certification worth anything on them calling them ‘dodgy’ is more of a compliment. On the [DiodeGoneWild] YouTube channel an adjustable power supply by the model name BSK-602 is tested and torn down to see exactly what less than $5 off sites like Alibaba will get you.

  • Hackaday ☛ Hacking Flux Paths: The Surprising Magnetic Bypass

    If you think shorting a transformer’s winding means big sparks and fried wires: think again. In this educational video, titled The Magnetic Bypass, [Sam Ben-Yaakov] flips this assumption. By cleverly tweaking a reluctance-based magnetic circuit, this hack channels flux in a way that breaks the usual rules. Using a simple free leg and a switched winding, the setup ensures that shorting the output doesn’t spike the current. For anyone who is obsessed with magnetic circuits or who just loves unexpected engineering quirks, this one is worth a closer look.

  • Hackaday ☛ Building A One Wheel With Tracks

    One-wheels use motion-tracking hardware and fine motor control to let you balance on a single wheel. That’s neat and all, but [Michael Rechtin] had another idea in mind—what if a one-wheel used a track instead?

  • Hackaday ☛ Retrotectacular: Ham Radio As It Was

    We hear a lot about how ham radio isn’t what it used to be. But what was it like? Well, the ARRL’s film “The Ham’s Wide World” shows a snapshot of the radio hobby in the 1960s, which you can watch below. The narrator is no other than the famous ham [Arthur Godfrey] and also features fellow ham and U.S. Senator [Barry Goldwater]. But the real stars of the show are all the vintage gear: Heathkit, Swan, and a very oddly placed Drake.

  • Hackaday ☛ Pocket Device Tracks Planets And The ISS

    Ever been at a party and landed in a heated argument about exactly where the International Space Station (ISS) is passing over at that very instant? Me neither, but it’s probably happened to someone. Assuming you were in that situation, and lacked access to your smartphone or any other form of internet connected device, you might like the pocket-sized Screen Tracker from [mars91].

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • The Straits Times ☛ Chinese researchers find bat virus that enters human cells via same pathway as Covid-19

    The new discovery raises the possibility that it could some day spread to humans.

  • New York Times ☛ Did the Covid-19 Pandemic Change How You Travel? Let Us Know.

    The pandemic was declared in March 2020, shutting down travel for months. How did the lockdowns, and then the surge in demand, change the way you travel?

• Proprietary

  • Social Control Media

    • Digital Music News ☛ Ole Obermann Ditches Fentanylware (TikTok) — Does He Know Something We Don’t?

      Topping the music industry’s shuffles this week is Ole Obermann jumping ship from Fentanylware (TikTok) to Fashion Company Apple Music.

• Security

  • Security Week ☛ Freelance Software Developers in North Korean Malware Crosshairs

    ESET says hundreds of freelance software developers have fallen victim to North Korean hackers posing as recruiters.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Apple pulls end-to-end encryption feature from UK after demands for law enforcement access

      Apple’s choice has caused some U.S. encryption defenders to worry about how the company may respond to similar requests from other governments.

    • OpenRightsGroup ☛ ORG response to Fashion Company Apple killing its data protection tools for UK users

      Open Rights Group has responded to Apple’s announcement that they will no longer be able to offer Advanced Data Protection tools after UK security row. James Baker, Platform Power Programme Manager at Open Rights Group said: “The Home Office’s actions have deprived millions of Britons from accessing a security feature."

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Top House E&C Republicans query public for ideas on data privacy law

      A request for information from GOP leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee is Congress’ latest attempt to push comprehensive data privacy standards.

• Defence/Aggression

  • New York Times ☛ Pete Hegseth Fires Adm. Lisa Franchetti, Navy’s Top Officer

    Adm. Lisa Franchetti spent roughly half of her 40-year career at sea, commanding a destroyer, two carrier strike groups and the U.S. Sixth Fleet.

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Austrian Knife Attack Suspect Was Radicalised on TikTok, Officials Say

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Latvia ☛ Norway officially joins Drone Coalition for Ukraine

      As expected, Norway has become the 18th member of the Drone Coalition for Ukraine, which was co-founded by Latvia and the United Kingdom one year ago.

    • Latvia ☛ Another aid shipment goes from Latvia to Ukraine

      Cars full of drones, charging stations, computers, and more. On Thursday, February 20, another monthly shipment, worth at least €200,000, left for Ukraine, Latvian Television reported.

    • NYPost ☛ Trump’s Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg speaks to wounded Ukrainian troops during ‘emotional’ visit to military hospital

      Keith Kellogg’s stop at the military hospital, during which he fielded questions and held individual discussions with wounded soldiers, ingratiated the US to Zelensky and brought Ukrainian officials closer to agreeing to a rare earth mineral deal.

    • Ruben Schade ☛ Facts about Ukraine 🇺🇦

      Ukrainians are, to use geopolitical language, fucking awesome. No really, every Ukrainian I’ve met is.

      The war in Ukraine was started by the government of Russia.

      The democratically-elected leader of Ukraine is Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Charai in National Interest: Convicted Felon and His Three MEloneteers: A New U.S.-Russia Approach to Ukraine

    • France24 ☛ Exclusive: EU's Costa says 'no credible negotiations with results' without Ukraine, EU

      FRANCE 24 was granted exclusive access to EU Council President Antonio Costa, just before he left for Ukraine to mark the third anniversary of the war. He responds to US President The Insurrectionist's direct talks with the Russian government, insisting that negotiations will not be credible, nor achieve results, if they exclude Ukraine and the EU. Costa reiterates that peace in Ukraine cannot be separated from security in Europe. We discuss how he is sounding out EU member states on what security guarantees they might be willing to give Ukraine; the possibility of appointing an EU special envoy for Ukraine; and whether the big splurge in defence spending championed by French President Emmanuel Macron is realistic at the EU level.

    • Green Party UK ☛ Standing in solidarity with Ukraine

      On the weekend of the third anniversary of Russia’s war on Ukraine, Green Party co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay said:   “Across the world, people will be standing in solidarity with Ukraine, facing the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion.  “Yes, Russia started the war and Yes, Ukraine is a democracy with an elected President."

    • JURIST ☛ US refuses to co-sponsor draft UN resolution condemning Russia aggression in Ukraine

      The United States on Thursday declined to co-sponsor a draft UN General Assembly resolution marking three years since the invasion of Ukraine, according to a source for Interfax-Ukraine.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian MEP calls for ‘cordon sanitaire’ around Convicted Felon

      Only Kyiv has a mandate to negotiate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, everything else amounts to dividing up spoils, says Lithuanian MEP Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis.

    • RFERL ☛ UN General Assembly Weighs Competing Resolutions Marking 3rd Anniversary Of War In Ukraine

      The United States has proposed a draft UN resolution that uses less critical language of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine than a draft resolution put forth by the European Union and Ukraine.

    • RFERL ☛ U.S. Envoy Calls Zelenskyy ‘Courageous Leader’ Amid Escalating Tensions Between Convicted Felon and Kyiv

      U.S. President The Insurrectionist’s special envoy for Ukraine says he held "extensive and positive" discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the White House looks to strike a deal with Kyiv on accessing the country’s critical minerals in exchange for U.S. assistance.

    • The Straits Times ☛ China’s hopes to be Ukraine peacemaker collide with its goals on Convicted Felon, trade

      China's priorities are clear: It is focused on repairing its economy and trying to hammer out a deal with Convicted Felon.

    • CS Monitor ☛ Once-occupied Ukraine towns try to stay defiant amid fear over Russia gains

      Amid recent Russian battlefield gains and a radical shift in U.S. diplomacy, residents of Ukrainian towns occupied three years ago now fight fears and struggle to remain defiant.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine Promises Swift Deal for Minerals as Convicted Felon Cuts Kyiv Out of Peace Talks

      President Convicted Felon on Friday continued to bash President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and pressure him for mineral rights.

    • New York Times ☛ As Russia Talks Peace, Moscow Threatens New Ukraine Region

      Moscow’s forces are three miles from Dnipropetrovsk, a province they have never invaded. If they cross in, the advance would be a morale blow to Ukraine and complicate any territorial negotiations.

    • Meduza ☛ Can Ukraine stand without America? Military analyst Dmitry Kuznets reviews the survival odds for Kyiv and Europe against Russian aggression — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russians and Americans have been holding secret unofficial talks on Ukraine war in Switzerland for months — Reuters — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Washington demands access to Ukraine’s natural resources. Trump says America stands to gain $500 billion, but there’s reason to doubt his math. — Meduza

    • CNN ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] Russian authorities detain suspect over St. Petersburg cafe blast

    • Jacobin Magazine ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] Ukraine Is Betrayed by Its Friends Once More

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] Russian economy could no longer survive without China, India and Turkey

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] Chechen Teen Held for Planning Attack on Israeli Embassy in Berlin, Bild Reports

    • HRW ☛ 2025-02-20 [Older] Russia: Year After Navalny’s Death, Supporters Targeted

    • The Age AU ☛ 2025-02-20 [Older] Cheeto Mussolini is in Russian disinformation bubble on Ukraine, Zelensky says

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-20 [Older] Former Russian Diplomat Says Putin's Negotiators Will Play Hardball in Talks With US

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-20 [Older] Friedrich Merz Targeted by Pro-Russian Disinformation Before German Vote, Researchers Say

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-20 [Older] Poland’s Tusk Urges Stronger Defences Along EU Borders With Russia

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-20 [Older] UK's Lammy Sees No Russian Appetite for Peace With Ukraine at G20

    • The Age AU ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] Russia won’t accept NATO troops in any Ukraine peacekeeping force

    • The Age AU ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] US and Russia hold talks on ending Ukraine war

    • The Local SE ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] EU keeps up 'pressure' on Russia with new sanctions

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] EU Envoys Approve More Sanctions Against Russia to Mark the Third Anniversary of Its War on Ukraine

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] US Top Diplomat Rubio Visits the UAE After Landmark Talks With Russia Over Ukraine War

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] EU Envoys Agree Ban on Russian Aluminium Imports in New Sanctions Package

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] Putin Praises Russia-U.S. Talks, Says Ukraine Won't Be Excluded

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] Russia Plans High-Level Contacts With Syria in Near Future, Lavrov Says

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] Russia Praises Cheeto Mussolini for Saying NATO Was a Major Cause of the War in Ukraine

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] Ukraine's Zelenskyy Says Cheeto Mussolini Is Living in a Russian-Made 'Disinformation Space'

    • Vox ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] Is Cheeto Mussolini about to hand Ukraine to Russia?

    • Scheerpost ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] Zelensky Says Ukraine Will ‘Not Recognize’ Upcoming US-Russia Talks

    • CBC ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] U.S., Russian officials meet in Saudi Arabia for Ukraine war talks

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] Fact check: Russia's influence on Germany's 2025 election

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] Few answers to US-Russia riddle after Paris crisis talks

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] Ukraine: US now understands Russia 'better,' Lavrov says

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] The Latest: Cheeto Mussolini Administration Says Federal Workforce Layoffs Come From Agencies, Not DOGE

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] US, Russia Agree to Start Push Towards Peace in Ukraine, State Dept Says

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] Zelenskiy Postponed Saudi Arabia Visit to Not Give 'Legitimacy' to US-Russia Meeting, Sources Say

    • Scheerpost ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] US and Russian Officials To Hold Talks in Saudi Arabia Next Week

    • CBC ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] U.S. and Russia to hold high-level talks on Ukraine war without Kyiv

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Italian Websites Targeted by Alleged Pro-Russian Hackers

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] American Arrested in Moscow on Drug Smuggling Charges Is Freed Ahead of Russia-US Talks

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Drone Strike Hits Chevron, Exxon Oil Exports Via Russia

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Too Early to Discuss Troop Deployment to Ukraine, Says Spain

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] India Opposition Slams Cheeto Mussolini's F-35 Offer, Russia Makes Its Own Pitch

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Putin Aide Says US and Russia Have Yet to Agree on How to Start Ukraine Talks

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Russia Fines Google for YouTube Clip Telling Russian Troops How to Surrender, TASS Says

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Russia Says It Has Taken Fyholivka Village in Ukraine' Kharkiv Region

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Russia's Lavrov: Why Would Europe Be at Ukraine Talks if They Want War to Carry On?

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Russia's Wealth Fund Chief Will Meet U.S. Delegation in Saudi Arabia - Source in Riyadh

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] South Africa Open to Nuclear Project Bids From Russia or Iran, Minister Says

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Top Russian and American Officials Will Hold Talks on Ending the Ukraine War Without Kyiv

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Zelenskiy, in UAE, Discusses Bringing Back Ukrainians From Russia

    • Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] Strategic Escalation or Diplomatic Breakdown? Russia’s Attack on Chernobyl Amid Ongoing Negotiations

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] US, Ukrainian Officials Head to Saudi Arabia as Talks Loom on Ending Russia's War

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] Europe Tries to Muscle up as US Plots Mediation to Help End Russia's War in Ukraine

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] Four Killed in Ukrainian Drone Attacks in Russia's Belgorod Region, Governor Says

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] Peace Not War Is the Focus Now for Russia and United States, Kremlin Says

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] Russian Lawmaker: Munich Fireworks Show EU Is Out of Touch and Facing Crisis

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] Overnight Russia Strikes Hit Ukraine Power Plant, Leaving Residents in Freezing Cold

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] Russian Troops Intensify Attacks on Ukrainian Forces in East, Military Says

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] Russia's Siluanov Visits Saudi Arabia Ahead of Russia-US Talks

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] White House Envoy, National Security Advisor Head to Saudi Arabia for Russia Talks

    • The Independent UK ☛ 2025-02-15 [Older] The Art of the Deal? Bitcoin fraudster tied to 2016 hacking of Democrats is Russian released in exchange for U.S teacher

    • The Conversation ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] Cheeto Mussolini threatens to disrupt the world’s critical minerals supply – but there are reasons to be positive

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] Can Turkey play a role in Ukraine's future?

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] Fact check: Cheeto Mussolini's attacks on Zelenskyy and Ukraine aid

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] Germany says 'blackmail' of Ukraine will bring more war

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] US says Cheeto Mussolini-Putin meeting hinges on Ukraine war talks

    • HRW ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] What Policymakers Should Prioritize on Ukraine

    • The Age AU ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] Zelensky-Cheeto Mussolini Ukraine envoy news conference cancelled over tensions

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] White House Expects Ukraine to Sign Critical Minerals Deal Soon

    • Vox ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] Cheeto Mussolini unified the right. Now that unity is fraying.

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-20 [Older] End of an era? Europe's shaky security strategy for Ukraine

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-20 [Older] German election: Parties face off over Ukraine, NATO, Cheeto Mussolini

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-20 [Older] Ukraine: Zelenskyy wants 'strong ties' to United States

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-20 [Older] A News Conference Between Zelenskyy and Cheeto Mussolini’s Ukraine Envoy Is Canceled Amid Growing Tensions

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-20 [Older] Exclusive-US Refusing to Co-Sponsor UN Motion Backing Ukraine Ahead of War Anniversary, Diplomats Say

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-20 [Older] Explainer-Key Takeaways From Cheeto Mussolini-Putin Talks: Ukraine, Energy, NATO, Sanctions

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-20 [Older] Ukraine's Foreign Minister Discussed 'Lasting Peace' With US Envoy

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-20 [Older] White House Adviser Urges Ukraine to Tone Down Criticism

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-20 [Older] US Envoy Meets Zelenskiy After Cheeto Mussolini Slams Ukraine

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-20 [Older] Zelenskiy: Ukraine Offering Fast, Constructive Accord With US on Security, Investments

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] Ukraine: Cheeto Mussolini in 'disinformation space,' says Zelenskyy

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] Ukraine updates: Cheeto Mussolini calls Zelenskyy a 'dictator'

    • The Local SE ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] Swedish PM: 'No situation in Europe has been this dangerous for a very, very long time'

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] France Says It Does Not Understand Why Cheeto Mussolini Blames Ukraine for War

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] Kazakhstan to Contact Ukraine Over Drone Attack on Caspian Pipeline, Official Says

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] Ukrainian Villagers Watch Peace Talks Uneasily as Front Line Nears

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] US Envoy Kellogg Arrives in Ukraine for Talks With Zelenskiy

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-19 [Older] Zelenskiy, on US Minerals Deal, Says: I Can't Sell Ukraine

    • Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] Why GCC-hosted Peace Talks Should Concern Ukraine

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] Mooted EU deployment in Ukraine is fraught with challenges

    • The Age AU ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] European leaders gather in Paris to discuss Ukraine crisis

    • The Age AU ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] Europe divided over troops for Ukraine, after Cheeto Mussolini triggers crisis meeting

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] Analysis-European Forces Would Struggle to Guarantee Ukraine Peace Without US Backing

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] France Convenes Second Meeting on Ukraine With Other Europeans, Canada

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-18 [Older] US Says All Sides Must Make Concessions in Ukraine Talks Covering Land and Security

    • Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Europe and Ukraine must not be sidelined in the talks

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Despite war, ethnic Koreans 'feel at home' in Ukraine

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] German election: Candidates spar on economy, Ukraine, Vance

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Ukraine: Scholz calls for US, European unity at Paris summit

    • The Local SE ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Sweden 'not ruling out' sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] George Polk Awards Honor Reporting on Conflicts in Israel, Sudan, Ukraine and Haiti

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Analysis-Ukraine Ceasefire Hopes Offer Europe's Markets a Tailwind in the Shadow of Tariffs

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] European Leaders on Possibly Sending Peacekeepers Into Ukraine

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] French Minister Valls: Europe Must More Than Ever Before Defend Ukraine

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Many Weary Ukrainians Long for an End to the War but Now Fear It Will Come on Unfavorable Terms

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Poland Will Not Send Troops to Ukraine, Says PM Tusk

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Sweden Sending Peacekeepers to Post-War Ukraine 'A Possibility', PM Says

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] US Ukraine Envoy Kellogg Says No One Will Impose Peace Deal on Zelenskiy

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] At MSC panel, US Special Envoy to Ukraine had no clear answers for Ukrainians

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] MSC 2025: France plans Ukraine summit amid US fallout

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] US Presented Ukraine With a Document to Access Its Minerals but Offered Almost Nothing in Return

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] Analysis-Shocked Europeans Play Catch-Up After Cheeto Mussolini Moves on Ukraine

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] Europe Needs Special Ukraine Envoy to Get Meaningful Peace Role, Finland Says After US Rebuff

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] France to Host European Summit on Ukraine, Security on Monday, Minister Says

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] Rubio Says Coming Days Will Show if Putin Serious About Ukraine Peace

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] US Asks Europeans What They Need for Ukraine Security Guarantees, Document Shows

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-16 [Older] U.S. Questions for European Governments on Ukraine Security

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-15 [Older] Ukraine's Senior Officials Discuss Kyiv's Peace Vision With China's Foreign Minister

    • New York Times ☛ ‘​The World Is There for the Carving’: Two Columnists on the Convicted Felon-Putin Alliance

      We’ve never seen anything like this: a president who appears aligned with a Russian dictator in targeting the weak and the vulnerable.

• Transparency/Investigative Reporting

  • Citizen Lab ☛ The Hogue Report was a missed opportunity to tackle transnational repression: Op-ed for the Globe & Mail

    In an opinion piece for The Globe and Mail, The Citizen Lab’s Emile Dirks, Siena Anstis, Noura Aljizawi, and Ron Deibert, argue that while the final report of the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions (the Hogue Commission) found no evidence of Canadian MPs collaborating with foreign states...

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Pro Publica ☛ How Trump Shifts the Costs of Climate Change Onto Individuals

      One of President Donald Trump’s most damaging strikes at the foundation of U.S. climate policy is buried deep in a sweeping Inauguration Day executive order focused on “Unleashing American Energy.” Half way through the lengthy document is a directive that would obliterate an obscure but critically important calculation the government uses to gauge the real-world costs that climate change is imposing on the U.S. economy.

      Getting rid of the measure, called the “social cost of carbon,” would upend energy and environmental regulations meant to address climate change and could have the long-term effect of shifting costs from polluting industries directly onto Americans as the expenses of climate change rise.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-17 [Older] Brazil Targets Illegal Logging in Major Amazon Raids

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Breach Media ☛ The ‘tepid Liberal centrism’ of Mark Carney

    Journalist David Moscrop joins The Breach Show podcast to discuss the ‘green banker’ and free market enthusiast who might just become Canada’s next prime minister

  • New Yorker ☛ John Fetterman on Convicted Felon’s “Raw Sewage,” and What the Democrats Get Wrong

    The Pennsylvania senator says the Administration is dumping “three feet of raw sewage” on America, “and we have a Dixie cup” to bail it out. But Democrats have to work with Convicted Felon.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • New York Times ☛ India’s Outrage Machine Devours a Star YouTuber Over a Crude One-Liner

    A joke made by Ranveer Allahbadia, a Joe Rogan for online Indians, has brought him death threats and criminal charges.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-02-15 [Older] Amazon Workers in North Carolina Vote Against Joining Union

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • AccessNow ☛ Oral statement at 10th Session of the UN Open Ended Working Group on ICTs

    Access Now's oral statement at the 10th Session of the UN Open Ended Working Group on information and communication technology.

  • AccessNow ☛ Our rights are at stake: it’s time to reclaim freedom of expression

    Given the escalating use of free speech claims as a shield for inciting hatred and violence, it is more urgent than ever to reaffirm what freedom of expression truly stands for.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Make Tech Easier ☛ 2025-02-21 [Older] Android Users Losing Amazon Appstore

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ The Doctrinal Merger No One Asked For: How Enablement Swallowed Utility

    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in In re McLeay offers a glimpse into the evolving relationship between utility and enablement in patent monopoly law.  Although the decision is short and non-precedential, I think it offers some important insights on how both the USPTO and Federal Circuit judges are thinking about the issues.

    In affirming the USPTO's rejection of claims for treating COVID-19 with aerosolized ribavirin, the court's February 18, 2025 ruling (No. 23-2338) shows that the Full Scope Enablement Doctrine has effectively assumed the gatekeeping role traditionally assigned to Section 101's Utility Doctrine -- especially for pharmaceutical treatment claims.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: How Did These Recent Section 2(e)(1) Mere Descriptiveness Appeals Turn Out?

    Last year the Board has affirmed about 88% of the Section 2(e)(1) mere descriptiveness refusals reviewed on appeal, slightly lower than the historical rate. Here are three recent appeals. How do you think they came out? You might respond by asking, what was the evidence? Well, give it a try anyway. [Answer in first comment].

    In re Navico Group Americas LLC, Serial No. 97646216 (February 13, 2025) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Robert Lavache). [Mere descriptiveness refusal of DEPTH ROUTING for "Downloadable computer software designed for use with electronic marine multifunction display interfaces that provides customized autopilot navigation within a region; Recorded computer software that provides customized autopilot navigation within a region, sold as a component feature of electronic marine multifunction display interface hardware" [ROUTING disclaimed]. Applicant argued that the mark is “at least suggestive” [sic!], pointing to the definitions of the component terms and asserting that "DEPTH could relate to the depth of anything" and that "ROUTING has several definitions which could be relevant given [Applicant’s] goods."]

• Gemini* and Gopher

  • Personal/Opinions

    • Spring, M41, IC-2E

      Spring is not far off! On a weekend walk earlier this month I spotted my first wildflowers for the year: crocuses, snow drops, winter aconites. Today for the first time there was also wild garlic, not only visible but in some areas very smellable, too. I've noticed the sun is setting considerably later than it was not that long ago, too. It's still low in the sky when I leave work, but I don't get to enjoy beautiful blue-to-orange gradient skies on my ride home. Venus is still there to keep me company, however.

      Earlier this week I popped out to the park with my binos one night with the express purpose of trying to sight Messier 41, aka "The Little Beehive Cluster". Being close to Sirius it is not hard to find, but somehow I had never sought it out previously. It was actually a little disappointing - my local skies are just too bright for it to really pop, it was not much more than a dull smudge. I'm kind of surprised by this, M41 has an apparent magnitude of 4.5, which is not that much less bright than the Orion nebula (at 4.0), but the Orion nebula is very clearly visible and well worth looking at. Oh well.

    • Spring, M41, IC-2E

      I bought a cheap used early 80s handheld VHF FM radio, an Icom IC-2E.

  • Technology and Free Software

    • A blog about Monitoring and Observability

      Suffice to say, things haven't improved and, as somebody with experience in the field of IT observability, both as a programmer and as a consultant, this is starting to drive me crazy.

      The state of infrastructure monitoring and observability in the enterprise world is so bad, that I've decided to start a new blog dedicated to the argument that will come online soon.

      To be fair, it will not be a classic blog, but more like an online course, where we will talk about both infrastructure (AKA servers, switches, routers etc...) and applications monitoring, both from a theoretical point of view and with tutorials, using zabbix as a solution.

    • Bam! Two new gwit clients

      In April 2024, I mentioned in the post “gwit implementations” that gwit had no working clients yet. This may have been a big stopper since the project's inception for people piqued by it, since an intro site and a harsh specification don't leave much room for experimentation. This has been the case… until now! In less than a week, we've seen *two* gwit clients pop up in the gwit-spec mailing list: Matograine's Wet and my own gwish.