Leftovers

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ Engine Data Displayed Live On Dash

    In the auto world, there are lots of overarching standards that all automakers comply with. There are also lots of proprietary technologies that each automaker creates and uses for its own benefit. [Shehriyar Qureshi] has recently been diving into Suzuki’s Serial Data Line standard, and has created a digital dash using the data gained.

  • Hackaday ☛ 8 Bit Mechanical Computer Built From Knex

    Long before electricity was a common household utility, humanity had been building machines to do many tasks that we’d now just strap a motor or set of batteries onto and think nothing of it. Transportation, manufacturing, agriculture, and essentially everything had non-electric analogs, and perhaps surprisingly, there were mechanical computers as well. Electronics-based computers are far superior in essentially every way, but the aesthetics of a mechanical computer are still unmatched, like this 8-bit machine built from K’nex.

  • Hackaday ☛ When A Record Player Doesn’t Work Due To Solid State Grease

    Normally, mechanical devices like record players move smoothly, with well-greased contact surfaces enabling the tone arm to automatically move, the multi-record mechanism to drop down a fresh disc, and the listener to have a generally good time. Unfortunately, the 1972-era ITT KP821 record player that [Mark] got recently handed by a friend wasn’t doing a lot of moving, with every part of the mechanism seemingly frozen in place, though the current owner wasn’t certain that they were doing something wrong.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Science Alert ☛ One Dietary Supplement Shown to Reduce Aggression by Up to 28%

    A new tool for anger management?

  • Science Alert ☛ Do Women Need More Sleep Than Men? Here's The Science.

    The evidence is clear.

  • Hackaday ☛ Researching Glow-Powder Left A Few Scars

    Content warning: Human alteration and scalpels.General warning: We are not speaking as doctors. Or lawyers.

• Proprietary

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Microsoft to stop using engineers in China to work on U.S. Defense computer systems in wake of investigative report — fears of exploitation by foreign intelligence services spurs immediate change

    Microsoft's China-based engineers will no longer get to work on its U.S. DoD projects.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Don Marti ☛ Don Marti: Privacy tips with no brand names and no links

      Previously: practical tips for limiting web tracking

      Two problems.

      • Public sector organizations can’t recommend specific privacy tools or services.

      • A lot of the tips that are supposed to be good for privacy are ineffective at best, or actively harmful at worst. One example is Adblockers are easy to find and install. Many of the ad blockers that are easiest to find with a web search engine or on browser extension directories are adware or malware.

• Defence/Aggression

  • RFERL ☛ Iran Says To Meet With European Nations On July 25 Over Nuclear Issues

    Iran is set to meet with officials from Britain, France, and Germany -- the so-called European three (E3) -- on July 25 in Istanbul to discuss the country’s nuclear program as Western nations turn up the pressure on Tehran to reach a settlement or face new sanctions.

  • France24 ☛ Ceasefire calms Syria's Sweida after sectarian clashes kill 1,000, displace 128,000

    A fragile ceasefire has brought calm to Syria’s Sweida province after a week of deadly sectarian fighting that left over 1,000 dead and displaced more than 128,000. Druze fighters, Bedouin groups and government forces were drawn into the conflict, with Israeli strikes and Islamist factions escalating the violence. Shirli Sitbon has more.

  • France24 ☛ Ceasefire calms Syria's Sweida after sectarian clashes kill 1,120, displace 128,000

    A fragile ceasefire has brought calm to Syria’s Sweida province after a week of deadly sectarian fighting that left over 1,120 dead and displaced more than 128,000. Druze fighters, Bedouin groups and government forces were drawn into the conflict, with Israeli strikes and Islamist factions escalating the violence.

  • JURIST ☛ UN Secretary-General condemns deadly attack on Gaza Catholic Church

    UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned an Israeli strike that struck Gaza’s Holy Family Catholic Church on Thursday, calling the attack “unacceptable” and reiterating calls for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages.

  • France24 ☛ Over 1,000 killed in sectarian violence in Syria’s Sweida

    Syria's interim government said sectarian clashes in the Druze province of Sweida were "halted" on Sunday as security forces redeployed to the southern region and tribal forces that had converged on Sweida withdrew. The government has struggled to implement a US-brokered ceasefire deal designed to avert further Israeli military intervention in support of the Druze minority. Senior consulting fellow at Menap, Chatham House, Yossi Mekelberg, joins us for further explanations.

  • The Strategist ☛ Australia is at critical juncture to reform parliamentary intelligence oversight

    Australia’s intelligence agencies are increasingly centre-stage as cyber threats, foreign interference, grey-zone competition and the prospect of Indo-Pacific conflict reshape our national security.

  • The Strategist ☛ West should coordinate to support Pacific cyber development

    The Pacific is no longer an afterthought in global strategic competition.

  • JURIST ☛ France withdraws last troops in Senegal, ending ‘permanent’ presence

    France officially transferred control of its last military installations in Senegal to local authorities in a ceremony on Thursday, concluding the permanent deployment of French troops in the country since Senegal gained independence in 1960.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s influence in Southeast Asia to increase amid cut in Western aid, study finds

    China is set to expand its influence over Southeast Asia’s development as the Convicted Felon administration and other Western donors slash aid, a study by an Australian think tank said Sunday.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • JURIST ☛ UK sanctions Russia intelligence units, including those responsible for Mariupol theater bombing

      The UK announced new sanctions Friday against Russia, directed at three units of the Russian military intelligence agency GRU and 18 military intelligence officers “responsible for spreading chaos and disorder on Putin’s orders” and malicious cyber activity over many years, according to local media.

    • France24 ☛ Ukraine calls for fresh peace talks after Russian drones attack

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday said Kyiv has proposed renewed peace talks with Moscow next week, urging direct negotiations with President Vladimir Putin. The call comes as Russian strikes killed at least three people in Ukraine, with both sides continuing to escalate aerial assaults despite mounting international pressure to reach a ceasefire. Morgan Ayre has more.

    • France24 ☛ Zelensky offers to hold new talks for ceasefire

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday said Kyiv has proposed renewed peace talks with Moscow next week, urging direct negotiations with President Vladimir Putin. The call comes as Russian strikes killed at least three people in Ukraine, with both sides continuing to escalate aerial assaults despite mounting international pressure to reach a ceasefire. FRANCE 24 International Affairs Editor Kethevane Gorjestani explains.

    • NYPost ☛ Moscow airports shutdown after Ukraine fires more than 230 drones

      Russia was forced to temporarily shutdown all four major airports in Moscow after Ukraine fired more than 230 drones over the weekend, officials said.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine Offers Russia New Round Of Peace Talks In Coming Week

      Kyiv has sent Moscow an offer to hold a new round of peace talks in the coming week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, after negotiations between the countries last month made no progress toward ending the ongoing war.

    • RFERL ☛ Oleksandr Usyk Knocks Out Dubois To Reclaim Undisputed Heavyweight Title

      Oleksandr Usyk knocked out Daniel Dubois in the fifth round of their heavyweight bout in Wembley Stadium in London on July 19, earning the Ukrainian boxer the title of undisputed world heavyweight champion for a second time.

    • JURIST ☛ Russia bookstore fined for “LGBTQA+ propaganda” by selling books

      A Moscow court fined the bookstore Falalster 800,000 rubles (approximately $10,000) and its founder, Boris Kupriyanov, 100,000 rubles (approximately $1,300) on the charges of “LGBTQA+ propaganda,” according to local media.

• Environment

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Typhoon Wipha: Hong Kong replaces T10 storm warning with T8 signal

    The Observatory replaced the T10 storm warning with the T8 signal at 4:10pm on Sunday, as hurricane-force Wipha moved inland. The T3 signal will be hoisted at 7:40pm. It was the first time since September 2023 that the highest storm signal – T10 – had been raised.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Science Alert ☛ Many Butterflies Have a Second 'Head' – This Could Be Why

      Heads or tails?

    • Science Alert ☛ Your Dog May Prefer Certain TV Shows, Research Suggests

      Hide the remote.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • France24 ☛ Polls close in Japan’s pivotal election

    Japanese voters headed to the polls on Sunday in a tightly contested upper house election that could unleash political turmoil, with rising prices, immigration concerns and the emergence of a Convicted Felon-style "Japanese-first" party threatening to weaken Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's grip on power. Professor in Japanese studies at Inalco, Guiborg Delamotte, joins us to explain further.

  • France24 ☛ Japan votes in upper house election

    Japanese voters headed to the polls on Sunday in a tightly contested upper house election that could unleash political turmoil, with rising prices, immigration concerns and the emergence of a Convicted Felon-style "Japanese-first" party threatening to weaken Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's grip on power. Journalist, Editor-in-chief of “Asia Magazine”, Pierre-Antoine Donnet, speaks to France24.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • JURIST ☛ Prominent human rights group leaves El Salvador under government pressure and repression

    El Salvador’s most prominent human rights organization officially ceased operations in the country Thursday due to increasing repression against civil society groups. The organization, Cristosal, cited the “criminalization of human rights defenders, the imposition of [a] Russian-style Foreign Agents Law (LAEX), and the weakening of institutional independence” as key reasons for its decision.

Monopolies/Monopsonies