Leftovers

• New York Times ☛ Photos: Partial Solar Eclipse Captivates Much of the Northern Hemisphere

  The moon slipped between the Earth and the sun on Saturday, casting a shadow on our planet in parts of the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Russia and Africa.

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Comoros’ prized Muslim headgear, kofia, undercut by cheaper Chinese copies

  By Faïza Soulé Youssouf. In the markets of the Comoros, the hand-embroidered kofia that is essential headwear for men and boys at Eid celebrations this month is facing fierce competition from much cheaper Chinese versions.

• Hackaday ☛ Contagious Ideas

  We ran a story about a wall-mounted plotter bot this week, Mural. It’s a simple, but very well implemented, take on a theme that we’ve seen over and over again in various forms. Two lines, or in this case timing belts, hang the bot on a wall, and two motors drive it around. Maybe a servo pulls the pen in and out, but that’s about it. The rest is motor driving and code.

• New York Times ☛ Qualeasha Wood Is Making Digital Art IRL

  The artist’s tapestries, which incorporate distorted self-portraits and screenshots from the internet, feel both ephemeral and nostalgic.

• Science

  • France24 ☛ Why is it so hard to predict when an earthquake will happen and its strength?

    The death toll from a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar jumped to more than 1,000 on Saturday as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of scores of buildings that collapsed when it struck near the country's second-largest city.

    Professor Gyorgy Hetenyi, from the Institute of Earth Sciences at the University of Lausanne, explains the geology of the earthquake-affected area and suggests ways people can prepare for earthquakes, such as introducing earthquake science courses in schools, even in highly politically and socially unstable countries.

  • Science Alert ☛ Fear of Space Can Fuel Conspiracy Theories, Researcher Warns

    "We may, at some level, be afraid of space itself."

  • Science Alert ☛ Huge Trees Hiding in Plain Sight May Be a Species Totally New to Science

    A secret kept for thousands of years.

  • Science Alert ☛ NASA Is Watching a Huge, Growing Anomaly in Earth's Magnetic Field

    It's like a strange pothole in space.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ DIY Split Keyboard Made With A Saw

    Split keyboards are becoming more popular, but because they’re still relatively niche, they can be rather expensive if you want to buy one. So why not make your own? Sure, you could assemble one from a kit, but why not take a cheap mechanical keyboard, slice it in half and just waves hands connect the two halves back together? If this thought appeals to you, then [nomolk]’s literal hackjob video should not be ignored. Make sure to enable English subtitles for the Japanese-language video.

  • Hackaday ☛ Recreating The Analog Beauty Of A Vintage Tektronix Oscillator

    Tektronix must have been quite a place to work back in the 1980s. The company offered a bewildering selection of test equipment, and while the digital age was creeping in, much of their gear was still firmly rooted in the analog world. And some of the engineering tricks the Tek wizards pulled off are still the stuff of legend.

  • Hackaday ☛ AMSAT-OSCAR 7: The Ham Satellite That Refused To Die

    When the AMSAT-OSCAR 7 (AO-7) amateur radio satellite was launched in 1974, its expected lifespan was about five years. The plucky little satellite made it to 1981 when a battery failure caused it to be written off as dead. Then, in 2002 it came back to life. The prevailing theory being that one of the cells in the satellites NiCd battery pack, in an extremely rare event, shorted open — thus allowing the satellite to run (intermittently) off its solar panels.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • France24 ☛ King Charles appears in public after brief hospital stay over side-effects from cancer treatment

    Britain's King Charles experienced a setback in his cancer treatment on Thursday and was taken to a hospital in London for observation. The day after a brief hospital stay, he was seen in public, smiling and waving. This incident, coming more than a year after Charles disclosed his diagnosis of an unspecified form of cancer and the start of his treatment, has raised renewed concerns about the health of the 76-year-old monarch. Matthew-Mary Caruchet tells us more.

  • France24 ☛ We need immediate medical care for earthquake survivors in Myanmar, says WHO spokesperson

    The death toll from a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar jumped to more than 1,000 on Saturday as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of scores of buildings that collapsed when it struck near the country's second-largest city. World Health Organization spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said, 'Myanmar has been a conflict area for years, and the health system has been weakened. The country may not have all the necessary capacity to deal with this catastrophe.

  • Science Alert ☛ A 30-Year Study May Have Found The Single Best Diet For Healthy Aging

    The results are in.

  • Science Alert ☛ There's a Simple Solution to Protect Your Eyes From Screens

    A silent epidemic is sweeping the globe.

  • Science Alert ☛ Oxygen Levels in Earth's Lakes Are Plummeting, Study Reveals

    An alarming change is taking place.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • JURIST ☛ CJEU adviser supports WhatsApp challenge to data protection fine

      An adviser to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on Thursday backed WhatsApp in its legal battle with the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), suggesting the media company’s challenge against the privacy watchdog should proceed. The opinion could open the door for companies to more directly contest decisions by the EDPB.

  • Confidentiality

    • JURIST ☛ Federal judge orders Convicted Felon administration to preserve evidence of compromised text messages

      An all too familiar federal judge to President The Insurrectionist ordered his administration on Thursday to preserve a set of text messages exchanged between high level government officials on the Signal messaging app, which contained sensitive military and strategic information that included targeted strikes in Yemen.

    • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Says He Won’t Fire Officials Involved in Leaked Signal Chat

      Hell Toupée told NBC News he would not fire anyone involved in a group chat that inadvertently disclosed plans for U.S. airstrikes to a journalist.

    • New York Times ☛ ‘Should I Fire Him?’ Inside Convicted Felon’s Deliberations Over the Fate of Michael Waltz

      In public, Hell Toupée has defended his national security adviser. But behind the scenes, he has cast around for advice.

    • New York Times ☛ Read This if You’re on Convicted Felon’s National Security Team

      Trust your staff, admit mistakes, don’t embarrass the president.

    • New York Times ☛ 5 U.S. Voters Weigh In on the Signal Leak

      What did they think about the national security breach, in which Convicted Felon administration officials discussed attack plans in Yemen on a commercial messaging app?

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ Pentagon chief Hegseth says 'warrior' Japan indispensable to deter China

    Mr Hegseth’s praise of Japan contrasts with the criticism he levelled at European allies in February.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Rallies grow in South Korea as court weighs impeached President Yoon’s fate

    At least six of the court’s eight justices must vote to remove Mr Yoon.

  • RFERL ☛ Civilians Killed In Pakistani Drone Strikes Targeting Militants

    Multiple civilians, including women and children, were killed in a Pakistani military operation targeting militants in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a provincial official said.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • New York Times ☛ Donor to Reform U.K. Party Sold Parts Used In Weapons to Russian Supplier

      The aerospace company H.R. Smith Group was an early backer of the party after Nigel Farage became leader. Reform has faced criticism over comments seen as supporting Moscow.

    • JURIST ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man targets former FBI special counsel Mueller’s law firm in new executive order

      US President The Insurrectionist issued Thursday an executive order targeting big law firm WilmerHale for their employment of individuals involved in the Mueller special counsel investigation, employment practices, and the nature of the firm’s pro-bono work.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Drone Attack On Ukrainian City Of Dnipro Kills 4, Injures 25, Governor Says

      A Russian drone attack on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro late on March 28 killed four people and sparked a large fire in a hotel and restaurant complex as well as multiple private homes, the regional governor said.

    • RFERL ☛ Amsterdam Stabbing Rampage Suspect Is From Ukraine, Police Say

      Police in the Netherlands said on March 29 that a man suspected of a stabbing rampage that wounded five people in Amsterdam is a Ukrainian national from the eastern Donetsk region.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskyy Pleads For 'Strong Response' From West As Russian Attacks Mount

      President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on March 29 pleaded for a strong response from Ukraine’s Western partners as deadly Russian attacks mounted, including air strikes on a Kharkiv military hospital and on the cities of Dnipro and Kryviy Rih.

    • France24 ☛ Coalition of the willing: European leaders gathered in Paris for Ukraine summit

      Leaders from nearly 30 countries, along with NATO and EU chiefs, met in the French capital to discuss bolstering aid to Kyiv and deploying European troops to secure long-term peace. Andrew Smith, Lecturer in Liberal Arts at Queen Mary University of London, provides an overview of the event.

    • France24 ☛ Ukraine’s Zelensky cautious on new mineral deal proposal from the US

      The US sent Kyiv a new and 'entirely different' version of the draft minerals deal proposal on Friday, which would grant the US access to Ukrainian natural resources in exchange for further military support, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Ukraine has yet to accept the deal, which now requires further assessment by lawyers, the president added. France24 International Affairs Editor Kethevane Gorjestani says, 'The new deal seems to be a mix of previous proposals but is largely less favorable to Ukraine than the last version of the deal.

    • Latvia ☛ Refugee couple in Latvia fled their home in Ukraine, but never left it behind

      Valeriy Stavskiy, Daiga Stavska and their two grandchildren rushed to the basement of their home in Zhytomyr, Ukraine eight times in one night in March 2022, fearing for their lives. Russian troops were bombing and shelling their city. They knew they had to leave Ukraine and fled to Rēzekne, Latvia, Stavska’s hometown.

• Environment

  • France24 ☛ Myanmar’s earthquake death toll jumps to over 1000

    At least 1,000 people have died after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck near Mandalay in Myanmar, also affecting neighboring Thailand. It was the largest quake to hit Myanmar in over a century. The US Geological Survey has estimated that the death toll could exceed 10,000. Aid flights from countries like Russia, India, and China began arriving on Saturday, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that their teams in Europe were preparing supplies and tents for delivery.

  • New York Times ☛ In Myanmar’s Earthquake, Some See Political Omens

    In a censored nation that runs on rumor and omens, people in Myanmar wonder whether the latest disaster might be a portent of regime change.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea, China industry ministers agree to cooperate in evolving global environment, Seoul says

    The industry ministers of South Korea and China met on Saturday to discuss the evolving global trade environment and agreed to cooperate bilaterally as well as on multinational trade forums, the South's industry ministry said.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China, South Korea and Japan agree to strengthen free trade: joint statement

    The three countries called for their negotiations for a comprehensive trilateral free-trade agreement.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • New York Times ☛ Syria’s Leader Appoints New Government After Ousting Assad

    The choice of cabinet officials was seen as a litmus test for whether the rebels who ousted Bashar al-Assad would deliver on a pledge to create a government representative of all Syrians.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • JURIST ☛ Curfew imposed in Nepal after pro-monarchy protests turn violent

    Escalating protests and clashes between pro-monarchy protesters and security forces has prompted the Nepali government to impose a curfew in the Tinkune, Koteshwor, and Sinamangal areas of Kathmandu on Friday afternoon. The curfew comes in response to the clashes turning violent resulting in property damage and vandalism in various parts of the city.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • JURIST ☛ Serbia targets investigative journalists with Pegasus spyware: report

    Amnesty International reported Thursday that the Serbian authorities employed Pegasus spyware against two investigative journalists in February 2025. Both journalists, from Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), have a research focus on state-sponsored corruption. Both Serbian journalists received a Viber text on February 14 from an unknown number.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Money-making’ tools? Growing calls to protect underage influencers in China

    Parents have been putting their children on live streams and making them act out scenes. 

  • Pro Publica ☛ Why U.S. Cities Soured on “The First 48” Reality Cop Show

    When the A&E true crime reality television show “The First 48” comes to town, the police and sheriff’s departments that work with it do not receive financial compensation from the show. The benefits are more intangible: a chance to showcase and celebrate the work of a department’s officers, the opportunity to improve their image in the eyes of the public, and some acknowledgement for victims who might be overlooked by the media.

    But the show’s two-decade history of filming in cities across the U.S. has also left a complicated trail of problems and municipal regret, as ProPublica has reported. Detectives have admitted that they’ve acted out scenes as the cameras rolled. Key developments in the investigations have sometimes not been shown or mentioned. Episodes sometimes aired before defendants went to trial, publicly disclosing information that potential jury members and witnesses would normally never hear in court.

  • Pro Publica ☛ “The First 48” and the Wrongly Convicted Man

    Eleven days after 18-year-old Jesse Mickelson was gunned down in a South Minneapolis alley, homicide detectives returned to the home where Mickelson had been playing football moments before his murder. The detectives had good news to share, so Mickelson’s family and friends squeezed around the dining room table to hear it.

    “Yes,” someone said. “Thank you.”

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Unified Patents ☛ Eric Zautner entity, Peregrine Data, automotive patent monopoly prior art found

    Unified is pleased to announce prior art has been found on U.S. Patent 8,319,619, owned by Peregrine Data LLC, an NPE and entity of Eric Zautner. The patent monopoly relates to efficiency of legal proceedings relating to vehicular incidents and to automobile security. The patent monopoly has been asserted against Solera Holdings and Lytx Inc.

  • Unified Patents ☛ AutoNavigare in-vehicle app control patent monopoly challenge instituted

    On March 27, 2025, two months after Unified filed an ex parte reexamination, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) granted Unified’s request, finding substantial new questions of patentability on the challenged claims of U.S. Patent 9,288,665, owned and asserted by AutoNavigare, LLC.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ USPTO Director Takes Control of Expanded Discretionary Denials Amid PTAB Staffing Concerns

    by Dennis Crouch

    In a significant procedural shift, Acting USPTO Director Coke Morgan Stewart has announced a new "Interim Process for PTAB Workload Management" that fundamentally changes aspects of how America Invents Act (AIA) patent monopoly challenges are handled.

  • Unified Patents ☛ $1,500 awarded for Flexiworld Technologies communication patents prior art

    Unified is pleased to announce PATROLL crowdsourcing contest winners below totaling $1,500 in cash prizes. The patents are owned by Flexiworld Technologies, Inc., an NPE. The patents generally relate to communications over the Internet.

    We would also like to thank the dozens of other high-quality submissions that were made on these patents. The ongoing contests are open to anyone, and include tens of thousands of dollars in rewards available for helping the industry to challenge NPE patents of questionable validity by finding and submitting prior art in the contests.