Leftovers

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ This Is How Much Protein You Really Need, Expert Says

    Can you overdo it?

  • Science Alert ☛ Rock Used as Doorstop For Decades Found to Be Worth Over $1 Million

    Jewel thieves walked right past it.

  • Science Alert ☛ Deadliest Animal in Australia Revealed, And It's a Big Surprise

    Wait, what?

  • Science Alert ☛ One Form of Exercise Improves Sleep The Most, Scientists Say

    And it takes less than 30 minutes.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Mysterious Glow in The Ocean Turns Out to Be Billions of Tiny Creatures

    Let's take a closer look.

  • Science Alert ☛ Supernova Reveals What The Inside of a Star Really Looks Like

    “Like nothing anyone has ever seen before.”

  • Science Alert ☛ Your Phone Is Covered in All Kinds of Germs. Here's The Solution.

    When did you last clean yours?

  • Science Alert ☛ Giant Dinosaurs Would Have Chomped You Up in Very Different Ways

    All the better to eat you with.

• Hardware

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ This 3D printer was repurposed as a robotic camera — and it doubles as a photogrammetry rig for 3D scanning

    YouTuber Ben Makes Everything shows off how he transformed his old 3D printer into a working photogrammetry rig.

  • Hackaday ☛ Hide Capacitive Touch Buttons In Your Next 3D Print

    Capacitive touch sensors are entirely in the domain of DIY, requiring little more than a carefully-chosen conductive surface and a microcontroller. This led [John Phillips] to ask why not embed such touch buttons directly into a 3D print?

  • Hackaday ☛ Building A Robotic Arm Without Breaking The Bank

    There are probably at least as many ways to construct a robotic arm as there are uses for them. In the case of [Thomas Sanladerer] his primary requirement for the robotic arm was to support a digital camera, which apparently has to be capable of looking vaguely menacing in a completely casual manner. Meet Caroline, whose styling and color scheme is completely coincidental and does not promise yummy moist cake for anyone who is still alive after all experiments have been run.

  • Hackaday ☛ Instant Macropad: Just Add QMK

    I recently picked up one of those cheap macropads (and wrote about it, of course). It is surprisingly handy and quite inexpensive. But I felt bad about buying it. Something like that should be easy to build yourself. People build keyboards all the time now, and with a small number of keys, you don’t even have to scan a matrix. Just use an I/O pin per switch.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Huawei's Kirin 9020 integrates 5G modem, China-made 5G FEM — chip symbolizes resilience to U.S. sanctions

    Despite U.S. sanctions, Huawei's Kirin 9020 is built by SMIC on a 7nm-class process and integrates a fully in-house 5G modem supported by a domestic FEM.

  • CNX Software ☛ Snapdragon W5+ and W5 Gen 2 wearable platforms gain NB-NTN satellite support

    Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ and W5 Gen 2 are new wearable platforms adding NB-NTN satellite support for emergencies to the Snapdragon W5+/W5 wearable platforms introduced in 2022, and found in various WearOS smartwatches and the Beacon W5 SoM.

  • CNX Software ☛ Avalue EMX-TWLP – A Twin Lake mini-ITX motherboard for industrial applications

    Last week, we wrote about the Jetway MTX-TWL1 industrial-grade defective chip maker Intel N150/N250 mini-ITX motherboard, but there’s another Twin Lake mini-ITX option: the Avalue EMX-TWLP equipped with defective chip maker Intel N150, N250, or Core 3 N355 processor, and also designed for industrial applications.

  • Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

    • Computational Complexity ☛ Computational Complexity: The Phone

      It's also, of course, a phone. You can speak to anyone anywhere, with video if desired, for zero marginal cost. Back in 1985 it cost about a dollar a minute to call someone in a different state, and much more internationally, on a landline. You can have impromptu video meetings and you can send messages to anyone and share them with everyone.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • JURIST ☛ Texas launches inquiry into deceptive advertising and privacy risks in Hey Hi (AI) therapy chatbots

    Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Monday that his office has launched an investigation into Meta Platforms Inc. and Character.AI, probing whether their AI-chatbot services have misled children into believing they were receiving legitimate mental health support. This has raised concerns under Texas consumer protection laws over false therapeutic representations, privacy, and data misuse.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Health Ministry launches program to reduce soda intake among minors

    Despite a 10% soda tax, implemented in 2014, soft drink consumption is still excessive in Mexico. A new government campaign will emphasize public education on the health risks of sugar from early childhood.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian health experts, activists suggest following Singapore’s tough stance on vaping

    A survey shows the use of vape and e-cigarettes among students and youth in Malaysia is increasing.

  • Public Knowledge ☛ The Kids Aren’t Alright Online: Building a Safer, Better Internet

    Join Public Knowledge for a critical discussion on creating a safer, more private, and vibrant online ecosystem for children and teens. Our expert panels, featuring leaders from industry, advocacy, and academia, will explore the effectiveness of current policy proposals and discuss new frameworks that could incentivize technology companies to prioritize the well-being of young users.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Bangkok’s Jay Fai restaurant fined over hidden pricing for ‘VVIPs’ after YouTuber complaint

    The diner was charged 4,000 baht (S$158) for a crab omelette, which was listed on the menu for 1,500 baht.

  • New York Times ☛ Why Covid Cases Are Up This Summer

    Researchers are seeing an uptick in cases, as they have every summer since the pandemic began. Here’s why.

  • Latvia ☛ Covid cases on the rise in Latvia

    In the second week of August (11.08.–17.08.), the proportion of laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 positive samples reached 14.9% (for comparison, in the fourth week of July it was 4.3%, in the last week of July it was 5.8%, and in the first week of August it was 8%).

• Proprietary

  • Bryan Lunduke ☛ Microsoft "Intifada" Shut Down After 4 Hours

    Note: This video is being made free for all due to the nature of the news story.

  • OMG Ubuntu ☛ Free VPN Extension Found Taking Screenshots, Uploading Them

    Security researchers found that a free VPN extension for Chrome with over 100k is taking screen grabs of users' browsing and uploading them to a remote server.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • ACLU ☛ Will Giant Companies Always Have a Monopoly on Top Hey Hi (AI) Models?

      Free Future home

      In my post on large language models (LLMs) last week, I argued that the most important question about LLMs is not the outcome of a race with China or when Hey Hi (AI) will reach human-level intelligence, but whether this striking new technology will be accessible to and serve the interests of ordinary people, or whether it will end up centrally controlled by a small number of highly capitalized companies or governments.

    • Andrea Corbellini: It will take decades to undo the damage done by "AI"

      Many business owners in the software development industry are investing a lot into LLM bots, marketed as “generative AI”. Some of them go as far as forcing software developers to use such tools under the threat of being fired if they don’t comply. After all, why shouldn’t they? This technology has a catchy name, it produces very convincing output that sometimes is correct (or close to being correct), and companies producing these tools are very good at downplaying their limitations and at promising that the “next version” will be astonishingly better than the one before.

    • KDAB ☛ AI Coding with Qt: Qt Hey Hi (AI) Assistant for Qt Creator [Ed: Qt encourages plagiarism and bad 'coding']

      The integration of artificial intelligence into software development environments has rapidly evolved, and Qt Creator is no exception. With the introduction of the Qt Hey Hi (AI) Assistant by Qt Company, developers working with Qt Creator now have access to Hey Hi (AI) models through the IDE.

    • Security Week ☛ GPT-5 Has a Vulnerability: Its Router Can Send You to Older, Less Safe Models

      Instead of GPT-5 Pro, your query could be quietly redirected to an older, weaker model, opening the door to jailbreaks, hallucinations, and unsafe outputs.

    • Bruce Schneier ☛ Subverting AIOps Systems Through Poisoned Input Data

      In this input integrity attack against an Hey Hi (AI) system, researchers were able to fool AIOps tools:

      AIOps refers to the use of LLM-based agents to gather and analyze application telemetry, including system logs, performance metrics, traces, and alerts, to detect problems and then suggest or carry out corrective actions. The likes of Cisco have deployed AIops in a conversational interface that admins can use to prompt for information about system performance.

• Pseudo-Open Source

  • Openwashing

    • TechRepublic ☛ NVIDIA and NSF Partner to Build Fully Open Hey Hi (AI) Models for Science [Ed: Seems like openwashing of slop, with some standing to gain financially while producing nothing of real value]

      The National Science Foundation and NVIDIA are investing $152 million in an open-source Hey Hi (AI) initiative led by Ai2, delivering reproducible Hey Hi (AI) models to accelerate scientific discovery and reshape enterprise IT strategies.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • France24 ☛ Rights group says US authorities using Hey Hi (AI) to surveil pro-Palestinian protesters

      Amnesty International accused US authorities on Wednesday of using Palantir and Babel Street Hey Hi (AI) tools to surveil immigrants and target non-citizens at pro-Palestinian protests. The rights group said a review of public records shows the software enables mass surveillance to assess and single out foreign nationals.

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Popular VPN extension for Surveillance Giant Google Chrome is a security nightmare, screenshots every page users visit and sends them to anonymous developer — FreeVPN.One flagged over enormous privacy concerns

      Koi Security discovered that the popular FreeVPN extension for Surveillance Giant Google Chrome has been silently taking screenshots of every website its users visit.

    • EDRI ☛ CSA Regulation Document Pool

      This document pool contains updates and resources on the EU's proposed 'Regulation laying down rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse' (CSA Regulation)

  • Confidentiality

    • JURIST ☛ UK withdraws Fashion Company Apple data access mandate amidst pressure from US

      US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced Monday on X (formerly Twitter) that the UK has agreed to drop its mandate that Fashion Company Apple provide a “back door” to access encrypted data from American users. 

    • Security Week ☛ Intel Employee Data Exposed by Vulnerabilities

      A researcher said he found vulnerable internal services that exposed the information of 270,000 defective chip maker Intel employees. 

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ China, Afghanistan hold talks on mining, Belt and Road participation

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is visiting Kabul and held talks with Afghanistan's acting Foreign Minister.

  • The Straits Times ☛ India test-fires nuclear-capable ballistic missile, with eye on China

    The Agni-5 would be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to any part of China, India said.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China calls for enhancing exchanges, security with Pakistan, Afghanistan

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called on Pakistan and Afghanistan to strengthen trilateral exchanges at all levels, as Beijing pushes to strengthen security with its neighbours, according to a statement from the ministry.

  • The Straits Times ☛ New Zealand spy service warns of China interference

    It accused China’s United Front Work Department of engaging in foreign interference to build influence outside of China.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ White House launches Fentanylware (TikTok) account as September deadline for platform’s ban looms [Ed: China to have control over the communications of the highest American office]

    The White House launched a Fentanylware (TikTok) account on Tuesday, as President The Insurrectionist continues to permit the Chinese-owned platform to operate in the United States despite a law requiring its sale. “America we are BACK! What’s up TikTok?” read a caption on the account’s first post on the popular video sharing app, a 27-second clip.

  • New York Times ☛ Syrian and Israeli Officials Meet for U.S. Brokered Talks

    The talks in Paris brokered by the United States were the latest effort to reduce tensions between the two longstanding foes, and came after Israel launched airstrikes on the Syrian capital last month.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s Lee intends to retain ‘comfort women’ pact with Japan, paper says

    The legacy of Japan’s colonisation from 1910 to 1945 is politically sensitive for both countries.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea dismisses South Korean president's 'gibberish' ahead of US summit

    North Korea is stepping up criticism of South Korea's new President Lee Jae Myung as he prepares for his first summit with U.S President The Insurrectionist, calling Lee's efforts to engage with Pyongyang a "pipedream'.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia scraps plan to buy Black Hawk helicopters derided by its King as ‘flying coffins’

    Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar said those deciding on military acquisitions must be transparent.

  • China’s Pooh-tin makes a rare visit to Tibet to mark 60 years of contested rule

    Tibetan government in exile says the visit ‘rings hollow’ as Beijing ‘lacks both historical and popular legitimacy’

  • New York Times ☛ Xi Jinping Visits Tibet as Dalai Lama’s Succession Looms

    A power struggle is taking shape over choosing a successor to the 90-year-old Buddhist leader. In a trip to Tibet’s capital, China’s leader emphasized maintaining Beijing’s control.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s Pooh-tin makes second-ever visit to Tibet as president

    Tibet is a highly strategic region for China due to its border with India.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s Pooh-tin pushes for mega dam, rail links to boost Tibet development

    He also urged the region to develop agriculture and clean energy.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea reportedly has secret missile base near China

    A think tank said the base stores Mr Kim Jong Un’s most advanced strategic weapons [...]

  • France24 ☛ US hits ICC with more sanctions, targets French judge involved in Netanyahu arrest warrant

    US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday announced more sanctions on International Criminal Court judges, saying that the court was a "national security threat" because it had sought to prosecute US or Israeli nationals. Judge Nicolas Guillou of France, who is presiding over a case in which an arrest warrant was issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was among those sanctioned.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Australia hits back at Netanyahu over ‘weak’ leader outburst as ties sour

    The Israeli leader says Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese abandoned Australia's Jews.

  • The Strategist ☛ Friends to all: achieving Australia’s shared vision for the Pacific

    Competition in the Pacific is being driven by Pacific islands’ vulnerability and foreign partners’ desire to grow or maintain region-shaping influence.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China to stage massive military parade marking WWII surrender of Japan

    Analysts expect China to display new weapons and equipment at the parade.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China, India pledge to resume flights as Beijing’s top diplomat wraps up visit

    China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to visit Pakistan until Aug 22.

  • The Strategist ☛ Facing China on two fronts, the US needs strategic focus

    Washington must regain its strategic focus. The Forrest Dump administration’s penchant for disruptive policymaking conveys ad hockery rather than deliberate strategy.

  • Federal News Network ☛ A look at those Convicted Felon has targeted in tactic of revoking security clearances

    The latest targets include officials who have served in the government across a range of agencies and positions.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Boulos’s family ties could help advance US national security interests in Libya

    The Forrest Dump administration has an opening to bolster US ties with Libya, but it must empower career diplomats and traditional levers of statecraft to secure lasting agreements.

  • Scoop News Group ☛ The U.S. should bolster investment reviews to combat China

    The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States just published its 2024 report, revealing once again that shielding U.S. tech from risky foreign investments was a critical focus for the interagency group that reviews investments in the United States for national security risks.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Latvia ☛ Half million allocated for enhanced guarding of Latvia's eastern border

      On Tuesday, the government approved the reallocation of €485,424 to cover the costs of reinforced Latvian-Belarusian border surveillance for the home affairs authorities.

    • Latvia ☛ What happened in Latvia between August 18 and 21, 1991?

      On the night of August 18, 1991, a coup or putsch was attempted in Moscow. This event thirty-four years ago threatened to return the Baltic States to the dark times of the occupation by the Soviet Union. What happened in Latvia at that time?

    • Meduza ☛ Russian oil flows to Hungary restored after attack on Druzhba pipeline — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russian oil is flowing to Europe again — and so is the bad blood between Ukraine and Hungary — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russia’s Finance Ministry proposes hiking income tax rate for ‘foreign agents’ — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russian drone crashed and exploded on Polish territory, Warsaw says — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ Why Georgia, Once on Democracy’s Vanguard, Is Drifting Toward Russia

      Two decades after the Rose Revolution, the former Soviet satellite is turning away from the West and back toward Russia. What happened?

    • Marcy Wheeler ☛ Mike Rogers Doesn’t Exculpate Convicted Felon on “Collusion” Like Convicted Felon Once Thought

      On Monday, Jim Jordan celebrated the release of a 302 from former National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers the redactions to which suggest Convicted Felon asked Rogers to lie about evidence of "collusion" with Russia. And on Tuesday, Tulsi purged the guy, Rick Ledgett, who testified he found Convicted Felon's request disturbing.

    • RFERL ☛ Report: Russian Sabotage Operations In Europe Have Quadrupled Since 2023

      Russia has dramatically increased sabotage operations throughout Europe, a new report has found, with the number of attacks targeting critical infrastructure nearly quadrupling since 2023.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania stepping up border security ahead of Zapad drills

      Lithuanian border guards will step up border security and deploy additional forces as Russia and Belarus gear up for joint army drills in September, Rustamas Liubajevas, the commander of the State Border Guard Service (VSAT), says.

    • France24 ☛ New disinformation operation targets Armenian government with corruption claims

      In mid-August, multiple accounts with ties to pro-Dihydroxyacetone Man and pro-Russian networks alleged that Anna Hakobyan, the wife of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan embezzled 3.4 million dollars in a children's cancer fund corruption scandal. However, their claims are based on a fake article published on a bogus news website created just a few days before.

    • France24 ☛ French researcher in Russian jail faces new espionage charge

      A French researcher imprisoned in Russia is under new investigation for espionage, a court filing showed on Wednesday. Laurent Vinatier, already serving a three-year sentence, faces a hearing on August 25. The new charges carry a potential prison term of up to 20 years.

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Russian cyber group exploits seven-year-old network vulnerabilities for long-term espionage

      The group, linked to FSB Center 16, has been scanning the internet for end-of-life software, which it has found in droves.

    • Meduza ☛ Fuel fallout: Ukrainian drone strikes have pushed Russian gasoline prices higher than ever, and experts say a shortage could be looming — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Worlds apart: New comments by Russia’s foreign minister confirm that Moscow has not made the concessions in Ukraine talks claimed by the Trump administration — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Court in Russian-occupied Luhansk imprisons local Ukrainian man for treason, attributing his actions to ‘a misguided sense of patriotism’ — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ Wednesday Briefing: An Uncertain Path to Peace in Ukraine

      Also, Paris adapts for extreme heat.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Demands Role in Guaranteeing Ukraine’s Postwar Security

      European and Ukrainian officials call the idea ludicrous, showing the large gaps in peace negotiations.

    • New York Times ☛ Rubio Takes on Tricky Task of Drafting Security Guarantees for Ukraine

      The secretary of state and national security adviser will meet with European counterparts on Thursday in an effort to advance a peace process that so far has gotten little traction.

    • RFERL ☛ Work On Security Guarantees For Ukraine Already Under Way, Yermak Says

      The outline of a military component of security guarantees for Ukraine is already taking shape, a top Ukrainian official said as the United States reiterated that European countries will have to take most of the burden in supplying the guarantees.

    • France24 ☛ ‘Today it’s paper, tomorrow it’s nothing’: the perils of security guarantees for Ukraine

      Security guarantees have become a crucial part of discussions about a peace deal for Ukraine, with the country’s President Volodymyr Zelensky saying they are “the key issue – the starting point for ending the war”. Integrating Ukrainian forces into the European defence architecture would be a way to deter Russians from fresh attacks on Ukraine, says one analyst.

    • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea leader Kim praises ‘heroic’ troops in Russia, state media says

      North Korea has dispatched more than 10,000 troops to support Russia’s war in Ukraine.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukrainian Counterattacks Cut Russian Advance Near Pokrovsk But Civilians Still Suffer

      Ukraine's military says it has cut off Russian infiltration units that broke through a defensive line north of the eastern city of Pokrovsk. But for residents in the nearby town of Dobropillya, the relief is hard to feel amid relentless bombardment.

    • LRT ☛ No chance of European troops in Ukraine without US backing – Lithuania’s committee chair

      European countries would not be able to ensure Ukraine’s security without US assistance, MP Giedrimas Jeglinskas, the chairman of Lithuania’s parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defence, says.

    • France24 ☛ Under Geneva Convention, Russia has no automatic claim to territory simply by virtue of occupying it

      Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that discussing any Western security guarantees for Ukraine without Russian involvement was a "road to nowhere". NATO military chiefs were set to discuss the details of eventual security guarantees for Ukraine amid efforts to broker an end to Russia's brutal invasion. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24's Annette Young welcomes David Turns, Senior Lecturer in the Department of International and Operational Law at the Swedish Defence University.

    • France24 ☛ Russia not vying for peace but seeking Ukraine's surrender, former NATO official says

      NATO chiefs have been discussing the security guarantees that could be provided to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks to former NATO Assistant Secretary General Antonio Missiroli. He says that the conditions put on the table by Russia mean that it is not 'trying to have a peace agreement but to have a sort of surrender on the part of Ukraine'.

    • Latvia ☛ Over €37,000 raised in two days in LSM's charity drive for Ukraine

      LSM in cooperation with "Ziedot.lv" is organising a charity campaign to deliver Latvian-made goods - night vision devices, clothing, food and other necessary resources - to Ukrainian soldiers at the front.

    • Latvia ☛ What third country nationals need to know entering Latvia from September

      On the first day of autumn, September 1st, a new Latvian border crossing system for third-country nationals – including Ukrainian citizens leaving the occupied territories – is scheduled to start operating.

    • Latvia ☛ Powerful Ukrainian documentary gets Rīga screening

      A new Ukrainian documentary film was shown in Latvia last week, showing local audiences the story of the city of Kherson and its people under barbaric Russian attack over the last three years, reports Latvian Radio.

    • Meduza ☛ The dealbreaker: The Donetsk region’s ‘fortress belt’ blocks Russian troops from sweeping into central Ukraine. Putin wants Kyiv to surrender it. — Meduza

    • The Strategist ☛ Stop the World: on Ukraine war, Russia expert Galeotti is optimistic about becoming optimistic

      In the space of just three days, The Insurrectionist hosted leadership summits with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Once the colour and drama faded, several practical questions remained unanswered.

    • New York Times ☛ Inside Convicted Felon’s Effort on Russia and Ukraine

      Hell Toupée has repeatedly bent other leaders to his will, simply by refusing to budge. But there is one person who refuses to budge even more than Hell Toupée, and that is Vladimir Putin of Russia. Maggie Haberman, a White House correspondent for The New York Times, takes us inside how Convicted Felon has been engaging with Russia and Ukraine.

    • New York Times ☛ What Russia Is Doing to Grab Ukrainian Land While It Still Can

      As negotiations over the war carry on, President Vladimir V. Putin is pushing hard with tactics that have evolved over three and a half years.

    • NYPost ☛ Russia is dragging on peace in Ukraine – Convicted Felon must pressure Putin where it hurts to stop the killing once and for all

      Hell Toupée has shifted into high gear to seal a peace deal in Ukraine, putting together a quick summit with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Alaska, then gathering European leaders in the White House three days later.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ Pakistan’s financial capital Karachi hit by torrential rain and floods

    Rainfall reached levels not seen in years in some parts of Pakistan’s largest city.

  • New York Times ☛ Even a Glancing Blow From Hurricane Erin May Cost the Outer Banks a Crucial Lifeline

    Highway 12 is beloved for its scenic views. But it’s also prone to flooding.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Bridge Michigan ☛ Report: States like Michigan ‘simply not prepared’ for data center water demand [Ed: The "hey hi" (AI) hype kills people]

      The report from the regional Alliance for the Great Lakes warned states risk overtaxing water supplies if they rush to woo the computing facilities without closely studying whether aquifers and water utilities can handle the new use.

    • Hackaday ☛ Let’s Brief You On Recent Developments For Electrostatic Motors

      Over on his YouTube channel [Ryan Inis] has a video about how electrostatic motors are breaking all the rules.

    • Hackaday ☛ One-Motor Drone Mimics Maple Seeds For Stability

      We’ve seen aircraft based on “helicopter” seeds (technically samara seeds, which include those of maples and elms) before, but this recent design from researchers at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) shows how a single small motor can power a spinning monocopter capable of active directed flight, including hovering.

    • The Straits Times ☛ China emissions fall while chemicals emerge as new hot spot

      CO2 emissions from the world’s largest polluter fell 1 per cent on an annual basis from January to June.

    • The Drone Girl ☛ Drones under 250 grams: everything you need to know

      Why does this matter? A lightweight drone isn’t just easier to carry around (a huge perk for travelers and photographers). More importantly, drones under 250 grams are exempt from many FAA drone regulations and similar restrictions worldwide. That means fewer barriers to flying, less paperwork, and in some cases, the ability to perform operations that heavier drones cannot.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Authorities dismantle major transnational rhino horn trafficking network

      Six suspects appeared in the Pretoria magistrate’s court on Tuesday in connection with a scheme involving the trade of 964 rhino horns that were destined for illegal markets in Southeast Asia.

  • Overpopulation

    • Overpopulation ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man denies women in need access to contraception

      The recent dismantling of USAID bodes ill for women’s health in some of the world’s poorest countries. America can and should do better. For several decades, there were major gains globally in access to family planning and reproductive health services.

    • The Straits Times ☛ New policy in China fuels rise in fertility treatments

      The nation has gradually moved from a phase of population growth to a phase of decline.

    • The Straits Times ☛ ‘There is no shame’: Divorce less of a taboo for women in China as attitudes shift

      Recent high-profile divorces have stirred discussion on women's independence and self-worth.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ Why rivals China and India really need each other right now

    Despite frictions, India and China have an important economic relationship.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong jobless rate rises to 3.7% as construction, F&B among sectors hardest hit

    Hong Kong’s unemployment rate has risen to 3.7 per cent, the highest level since late 2022, with sectors like construction and food and beverage among those logging the steepest increases.

  • LRT ☛ Lithuania’s inflation above EU average in July – Eurostat

    Lithuania’s annual inflation rate reached 3.4% in July, higher than the European Union average, the EU’s statistics agency said Tuesday.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • New York Times ☛ Mamdani, Skeptical of Casinos, Won’t Try to Block Them in New York City

    Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic mayoral nominee, said that while he still had doubts about city casinos, he respected the views of voters who supported them.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Why the rule of law is the key to prosperity: Lessons from thirty years of data

    Thirty years of global data point to one conclusion: the rule of law is the most important driver of prosperity. Strong legal systems foster trust, investment, and stability. Where laws are predictable and applied equally, societies thrive; where they weaken, reforms falter and prosperity stalls.

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ In 32nd lawsuit against Convicted Felon, Michigan AG Dana Nessel defends $37M for crime victims

    Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is suing the Convicted Felon administration for tying annual crime victim funding to immigration enforcement. It’s the latest of more than 30 multistate lawsuits the Democrat has joined against Convicted Felon policies.

  • France24 ☛ Irish rap group Kneecap at court for waving Hezbollah flag on stage

    Irish rap group Kneecap appeared in court after waving a Hezbollah flag during a performance, an act prosecutors say breached anti-terror laws. The case has stirred debate in the UK, where public opinion is divided, as FRANCE 24 Bénédicte Paviot explains from London.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Gabbard slashing intelligence office workforce and cutting budget by over $700 million

    The Office of the Director of National Intelligence says it will dramatically reduce its workforce and cut its budget by more than $700 million annually.

  • New York Times ☛ Ousted Fire Chief in L.A. Claims Mayor Bass Retaliated Against Her in Legal Filing

    The former chief, Kristin Crowley, claimed that Los Angeles leaders retaliated against her for publicly blaming them for refusing to properly fund the Fire Department.

  • New York Times ☛ Gavin Newsom’s Latest Role: Social Media Troll

    The California governor’s press office is mimicking Hell Toupée’s distinctive Truth Social style on X. Liberals love it. The White House says it’s “just getting weird at this point.”

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • The Strategist ☛ Australia’s deepfake dilemma and the Danish solution

      Australia needs to move beyond simply pleading with internet platforms for better content moderation and instead implement new legal frameworks that empower citizens directly.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong democrats recently released from jail over landmark national security case say they got married

    Hong Kong democrats Frankie Fung and Tiffany Yuen, who were recently released from jail after being convicted in the city’s largest national security case, have announced they got married. Fung acknowledged their marriage on Instagram on Tuesday in a selfie with Yuen, hours after she returned home from more than four years behind bars.

  • JURIST ☛ Sri Lanka police continue targeting families of the ‘disappeared,’ HRW warns

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Wednesday that despite promises of reform, Sri Lankan security forces continue to harass the families of enforced disappearance victims, using the country’s counterterrorism methods to stifle justice and accountability.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • JURIST ☛ Press freedom group urges Kazakhstan to end ban on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

    The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on the Kazakh government on Monday to reinstate accreditation for 16 journalists of the US government-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). This comes ahead of the outlet’s pending appeal hearing.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Tycoon Jimmy Lai did not ask activists to halt sanctions push after nat. sec law enacted, prosecutor says

    Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai did not ask activists and foreign politicians to stop calling for sanctions even after Beijing’s national security law in the city was passed, a prosecutor has said.

  • NYPost ☛ Pentagon officials blast Washington Post for putting ‘lives at risk’ with report on Pete Hegseth’s security

    Pentagon officials criticized the Washington Post's latest reports, claiming it has put the lives of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his family at risk by disclosing exclusive security details.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Email-based publisher The Flyover has 25 full-time staff two years after launch

    The Flyover publishes 51 editions a week via email, covering state and national news in the US.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • The Straits Times ☛ 12-year-old girl selling explicit pictures online raises concerns for Malaysia authorities: Home Minister

    It showed the complexities in handling children involved in criminal activities.

  • JURIST ☛ US: Nebraska introduces opening of immigration detention center

    Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen on Tuesday announced the opening of a new immigration detention center in the southwest corner of the state. Major General Craig Strong said that the move is an integral step in supporting “the president’s initiatives for homeland security.”

  • JURIST ☛ UN official warns of worsening humanitarian situation in South Sudan

    The UN Assistant Secretary General for Africa, Martha Pobee, raised concerns on Monday about the dire humanitarian situation in South Sudan, while briefing the UN Security Council on the humanitarian and security situations in the country.

  • ACLU ☛ Congress Cuts Medicaid to Fund ICE: How H.R. 1 Harms Communities

    Earlier this summer, Congress approved its most harmful budget in a generation. H.R. 1 or the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” made the biggest cut to Medicaid since it was created in the 1960s and funneled that money to fund President The Insurrectionist’s racist anti-immigration agenda.

    Instead of strengthening Medicaid, Congress took an axe to it. Instead of reining in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) abuses, Congress gave the agency billions more to terrorize our communities and detain families.

  • Citizen Lab ☛ SEP 12 | The Three Faces of Transnational Repression: The Citizen Lab at APSA Annual Meeting

    This panel is part of the 2025 American Political Science Association Annual Meeting

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ [Podcast] The inevitability of centrality

    Geoff Huston discusses the possible inevitability of a centralized Internet in the modern online economy.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Guest Post: Quintara Clarifies — and Complicates — Trade Secret Identification Under the DTSA

  Should a plaintiff in a trade secret case under the DTSA be required to detail its alleged trade secrets before discovery? Can a district court give the question of trade secret particularity to the jury? The Ninth Circuit’s recent decision in Quintara Biosciences v. Ruifeng Biztech rejects importing California’s pre-discovery “reasonable particularity” rule into the Defend Trade Secrets Act, reaffirming that federal law imposes no such up-front requirement. But while Quintara endorses an iterative identification process, it also embraces a problematic notion — that “reasonable particularity” is a fact question for the jury — creating new uncertainty for courts and litigants managing DTSA cases.

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Wilco v. Weeks Marine: When Expert Disagreements Don’t Create Genuine Disputes of Material Fact

    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Wilco Marsh Buggies and Draglines, Inc. v. Weeks Marine, Inc., 23-2320 (Fed. Cir. Aug. 19, 2025) (nonprecedential), illustrates how the Federal Circuit appears to be increasingly disregarding the jury's role in fact finding -- in this case disputes about whether a competitor's prior sales were anticipating based upon the on sale bar. Looking at it from an alternative perspective, the decision demonstrates how the Federal Circuit's regular disregard of conclusory expert testimony can vaporize what appear to be genuine factual disputes.

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ G1/25: EBA to decide on hydroponic case between Knauf and Rockwool

      Must the description of a European patent monopoly align with amended patent monopoly claims? The EPO’s Enlarged Board of Appeal must now address this question. At the end of July, Technical Board of Appeal 3.3.02 under chairman O. Müller referred several questions to the EPO’s highest judicial instance in the dispute between Rockwool and Knauf Insulation [...]

• Trademarks

  • Digital Music News ☛ Apollonia Sues Prince Estate As Long-Running Trademark Dispute Boils Over, Says ‘Prince Himself Consented’ to the Name’s Usage

    Purple Rain co-star Apollonia is suing the Prince estate for allegedly attempting to wrest control of the trademarks behind her professional name. Apollonia (birth name Patricia Kotero) just recently submitted that straightforward suit to a California federal court, naming as the lone defendant Paisley Park Enterprises.

  • TTAB Blog ☛ Rejecting Strategic Partners Argument, TTAB Affirms 2d Refusal of IN HARMONY WITH NATURE for On-line Sale of Personal Care Products

    The Board affirmed a Section 2(d) refusal to register the mark IN HARMONY WITH NATURE for "On-line retail store services featuring food supplements, nutritional supplements, household cleaning products, and personal care products," finding confusion likely with the registered mark CRAFTED WITH LOVE IN HARMONY WITH NATURE for various personal care products. Applicant Shaklee Corp. devoted most of its brief to its ownership of prior registrations of marks consisting of or containing the phrase IN HARMONY WITH NATURE and covering various goods and services, arguing that under Strategic Partners, registration should be allowed. The Board disagreed. In re Shaklee Corporation, Serial No. 98020872 (August 13, 2025) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Christopher C. Larkin).

    Goods and Services: The Board found it "self-evident" that the "personal care items" and "personal care product goods" of the '102 Registration are "intrinsically related" applicant's online retail store services featuring personal care products. That relatedness was corroborated by third-party use and registration evidence. The Board therefore found that the second DuPont factor supported a conclusion that confusion is likely.

    That same evidence established that personal care products are sold in the same channels of trade in which the online retail store services featuring personal care products are rendered.

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ Spotify Takes Down Pirate App EeveeSpotify—Cloned Version Immediately Takes Its Place

    After a takedown notice from Spotify, a popular pirate app has been removed. But almost immediately, the project was relaunched with a legal twist.