Leftovers

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Oddball Creature Has 229 Chromosome Pairs, a Record in The Animal Kingdom

    Weird, indeed.

  • Science Alert ☛ Clinical Trial To Transform Alzheimer's Diagnosis Launched in UK

    A simple method for early detection.

  • Science Alert ☛ Your Pooping Habits Could Harm Your Health in 7 Ways, Research Shows

    Here's what you need to know.

  • Science Alert ☛ Spaceflight Accelerates Aging of Human Stem Cells, Study Finds

    This could have implications for all of us.

  • Science Alert ☛ Octopuses Use Their Arms in Surprisingly Similar Ways to Us

    There is some method to the madness.

  • Science Alert ☛ Astronomers Just Saw a Gamma-Ray Explosion Defy All Known Space Logic

    "Unlike any other seen in 50 years of observations."

  • Science Alert ☛ A Forgotten Cancer Is Rising in Young People, And Experts Are Puzzled

    A concerning trend is emerging.

  • Science Alert ☛ Why Blue Eyes Aren't Really Blue (And What Makes Green So Rare)

    Here's the science.

• Career/Education

  • Ruben Schade ☛ E. L. Konigsburg on learning

    Via Wikiquote:

    I think you should learn, of course, and some days you must learn a great deal. But you should also have days when you allow what is already in you to swell up inside of you until it touches everything. And you can feel it inside you. If you never take time out to let that happen, then you just accumulate facts, and they begin to rattle around inside of you. You can make noise with them, but never really feel anything.

• Hardware

  • Ruben Schade ☛ A new hand dryer review

    I’ve carried what has variously been described as a curious, unproductive, and absurd obsession with commercial hand dryers my entire life. I’m like most people who’d rather avoid public restrooms where at all possible, but the saving grace of such undesired trips is the opportunity to interrogate their prehensile appendage sanitation devices. Specifically, the ones that dry our aforementioned digits and other handheld components. It’s been an endless source of fascination.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ Michigan farmer suicide help may be endangered by state funding snub

    Michigan farmers commit suicide at more than twice the rate of other occupations. Dueling budgets in the Legislature include no funding for intervention or help.

  • LRT ☛ Covid-19 cases rise sharply in Lithuania as vaccination uptake remains low

    Lithuania recorded 1,815 new Covid-19 cases last week, up from 473 a month earlier, according to the National Public Health Centre (NVSC). Officials said the increase was expected but urged the public to take extra precautions to prevent a wider outbreak.

  • Science Alert ☛ Over-The-Counter Nasal Spray Cuts COVID Cases by Two-Thirds in Trial

    It's been available for decades.

  • Science Alert ☛ Psychologists Watched 150 Episodes of Bluey. Here's What They Learned.

    There's an important lesson in this.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ FTC questions OpenAI, Meta and others over child protections in Hey Hi (AI) companions

    The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has launched an inquiry into the practices of seven companies that offer consumer-facing artificial intelligence-powered chatbots designed to act as companies on how the firms measure, test and monitor potentially negative impacts of this technology on children and teens.

  • Citizen Lab ☛ Canada’s New Minister of Hey Hi (AI) Must Not Be Naive to Its Harms

    Citizen Lab director Ron Deibert's new op-ed in the Globe and Mail argues that Hey Hi (AI) should be subject to more regulation, not less.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia’s move towards nationwide vape ban draws mixed reaction from health experts, retailers

    Implementation will be carried out in phases, starting with a ban on “open-system” or refillable vapes.

  • MIT Technology Review ☛ Texas banned lab-grown meat. What’s next for the industry?

    Last week, a legal battle over lab-grown meat kicked off in Texas. On September 1, a two-year ban on the technology went into effect across the state; the following day, two companies filed a lawsuit against state officials.

  • France24 ☛ 'Social media executives purposely turning a blind eye' to platform harm, expert says

    French lawmakers urged a social control media ban for under-15s and "digital curfew" for older minors Thursday, with massively popular short video platform Fentanylware (TikTok) the focus of renewed harsh government scrutiny. Speaking on FRANCE 24, Haley Hinkle, Policy Counsel at Fairplay: Childhood Beyond Brands, says that social control media executives are 'purposely turning a blind eye' to the harm caused to young people on their platforms.

  • New York Times ☛ F.T.C. Starts Inquiry Into Hey Hi (AI) Chatbots and Child Safety

    The Federal Trade Commission said it was starting an inquiry of how six major tech companies monitor activity that could harm minors.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • The Straits Times ☛ Nepal’s social control media ban backfires as citizens nominate new leader in chat room

      In just four days, the Discord server has grown to more than 145,000 members.

    • New York Times ☛ OpenAI Takes Big Steps Toward Its Long-Planned Reorganization [Ed: Defunct company deep in debt]

      The start-up reached a tentative deal with Microsoft, its biggest investor, and said it would give a $100 billion stake to the nonprofit that manages it.

• Linux Foundation

  • insideHPC ☛ Linux Foundation Energy Announces New Members [Ed: Openwashing and greenwashing PR ploys]

    LF Energy, the open source foundation accelerating the energy transition, welcomes five new members from leading technology and energy companies.

• Defence/Aggression

  • New York Times ☛ The F.B.I. Asked for Help Finding Charlie Kirk’s Killer

    Also, new numbers showed a rise in inflation. Here’s the latest at the end of Thursday.

  • France24 ☛ FBI releases photos of person of interest in Charlie Kirk's shooting

    The FBI released two photos of a person of interest in the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a close ally of President The Insurrectionist who played an influential role in rallying young Republican voters. FRANCE 24's Carys Garland reports.

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ Kash Patel Yapped His Mouth with a REAL Feeb

    Think of the lawsuit filed by FBI agents Brian Driscoll, Steven Jensen, and Spencer Evans alleging they were fired illegally as a speaking complaint written by people who've helped write their share of speaking indictments in their careers.

  • JURIST ☛ FBI officials sue Convicted Felon Administration for unlawful termination

    Three high-ranking FBI officials filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday alleging their recent terminations were politically motivated retaliation for their past work on cases involving President The Insurrectionist. The complaint stems from the August firing of the officials, who had accrued six decades of experience between them—Brian Driscoll, Steven Jensen, and Spencer Evans.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Bad Bunny Says He Didn’t Tour Mainland US Because of Possible ICE Raids

    Bad Bunny elaborates on why there isn’t a Mainland US leg in his 2025-26 tour, citing concern over possible ICE raids. As his lucrative Puerto Rico residency draws to a close, Bad Bunny opened up to I-D in a recent interview about his decision to omit the United States mainland from his upcoming tour.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Meduza ☛ Russia’s greatest jailbreaks From helicopter hijacks to identity swaps: the country’s most audacious escapes — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Latvia closes airspace along eastern border in response to Russian drone incursion in Poland — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russia may raise VAT to 22 percent as war spending deepens budget deficit — The Bell — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘They let him die and washed their hands of it’: Russian officials are refusing death benefits to a war widow left with 10 children, offering a family excursion instead — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Among the most prolific money laundering platforms’: The mysterious prison death of a Russia-based crypto kingpin arrested in India at Washington’s request — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Poland shuts all border crossings with Belarus ahead of Russian-Belarusian military drills — Meduza

    • LRT ☛ US Sen. Durbin seeks to preserve Baltic Security Initiative

      US Senator Dick Durbin, one of the strongest advocates of US-Baltic cooperation, on Tuesday criticised the Pentagon’s decision to suspend the Baltic Security Initiative and introduced amendments to the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to bolster support for the region’s security.

    • Latvia ☛ Baltic parliamentarians plead with U.S. Congress for Baltic Security Initiative funding

      Members of the parliaments of the Baltic States have sent what they call an "urgent" joint letter to the committees of the U.S. Congress, in which they ask for continued funding for the Baltic Security Initiative.

    • France24 ☛ EU diplomat and opposition veteran among 52 political prisoners freed by Belarus

      Belarus on Thursday freed 52 political prisoners into neighbouring Lithuania following calls from US President The Insurrectionist for their release. Among those freed were an EU diplomat along with veteran dissident Mikola Statkevich, who was a 2010 presidential candidate.

    • LRT ☛ Belarus opposition politician reportedly declines to cross into Lithuania after release

      One of the 52 political prisoners released by Belarus on Thursday refused to enter Lithuania, border officials confirmed.

    • LRT ☛ Belarus frees 52 political prisoners, including Lithuanian citizens, Nausėda says

      Belarus has released 52 political prisoners, including Lithuanian citizens, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda announced Thursday at an emergency press conference.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘If Donald is willing’: In a deal with Washington, Lukashenko frees and deports dozens of political prisoners — including an opposition leader who immediately returned to Belarus — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Belarus releases 52 political prisoners after meeting with U.S. delegation — Meduza

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Atlantic Council ☛ What von der Leyen’s call to ‘fight’ means for European energy and climate goals

      Atlantic Council experts provide their take on von der Leyen's vision for energy as laid out in her State of the Union speech.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • The Straits Times ☛ Thai wildlife department to confine 5 lions that killed Bangkok zookeeper

      The company stressed that in over 40 years of operation, no similar incident had occurred.

• Finance

  • BIA Net ☛ Central Bank cuts policy rate by 2.5 points to 40.50%

    The Monetary Policy Committee said the core trend of inflation slowed in August.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong legislature passes bill on legalising basketball betting

    Hong Kong’s legislature has passed a bill that legalises basketball betting in the city, with most lawmakers voting in favour of the government’s proposal to impose a 50 per cent duty on net profits while stepping up measures to combat illegal gambling.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Breach Media ☛ To start winning in Canada, here’s how the Left can organize the suburbs

    Conservatives are capturing working-class, visible-minority voters outside Toronto’s downtown—and in suburban neighbourhoods across the country. The Left needs a playbook to win them back

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ Opinion | Michigan’s electoral system works. We just need to spread that message

    Majorities of Republicans, Democrats and independents express satisfaction with Michigan's existing election laws. This cross-party consensus represents a shared confidence in our democratic process—something increasingly rare in American politics.

  • New York Times ☛ Mamdani Meets Bloomberg, Once a Sworn Foe, for a ‘Cordial’ Discussion

    Michael R. Bloomberg, who spent $8 million trying to torpedo Zohran Mamdani’s Democratic primary bid, advised him on how to fill key City Hall positions.

  • New York Times ☛ Mamdani Says He Will Apologize for Calling the N.Y.P.D. Racist in 2020

    Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who won the mayoral primary, said the department was racist and homophobic in a social control media post.

  • The Straits Times ☛ India pledges $680 million in economic support for Mauritius

    India agreed on Thursday to provide about $680 million in economic assistance to Mauritius for healthcare, infrastructure and maritime security projects, as New Delhi pushes for greater influence in the Indian Ocean nation in competition with China.

  • European Commission ☛ Annual EU report shows continued emphasis on national security that risks fundamental freedoms in Macao

    The European Commission and the High Representative have adopted today their 25th annual report to the European Parliament and the Council on political and economic developments in the Macao Special Administrative Region. This report covers developments in 2024.

  • Site36 ☛ Snitch in left-wing movements in France exposed: He is said to have operated in Germany and Belgium as well

    A police snitch is said to have infiltrated far-left and ecological groups in France, Germany and Belgium for over three years. At times, he was in contact with his handlers on a daily basis. For at least three years, a snitch is said to have operated within various far-left contexts in France.

  • [Revised] Site36 ☛ First German trial on the “Budapest Complex” nearing its end with a martial demand: Hanna S. might face nine years in prison

    On September 26, the verdict will be delivered against Hanna S. The charges related to attacks on neo-Nazis in Budapest range up to attempted murder. Yet there are significant doubts about her guilt.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • The Straits Times ☛ China penalises popular app Xiaohongshu over content

    Xiaohongshu leans heavily towards apolitical content such as lifestyle, travel, beauty and food topics.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s internet regulator says social control media app Xiaohongshu issued ‘strict punishment’ over ‘negative’ posts

    China’s internet regulator said on Thursday it had ordered “warnings and strict punishment” to bosses at popular social control media app Xiaohongshu over its online content, slamming “trivial” and “negative” posts.

  • JURIST ☛ Rights group condemns Morocco jail sentence over blasphemy T-shirt

    Human Rights Watch on Thursday called for Moroccan authorities to exonerate activist Ibtissame Lachgar, who remains jailed after being sentenced to 30 months in prison for posting a photo of herself wearing a shirt reading “Allah is lesbian.”

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • ACLU ☛ ACLU Back-to-School Bookshelf: Our Reading List to Build a More Perfect Union

    For nearly a century, the ACLU has defended the freedom to read—and to think—for every American. As the new school year begins, we’ve curated a list of books that do more than inform; they challenge us to build a more equitable future. Our selection spans social justice, history, contemporary analysis, and personal narratives, including frequently banned titles with newfound relevance.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Taiwan increases defensive patrols around 24 undersea cables — closely monitoring '96 blacklisted China-linked boats' with 24-hour operations

    Taiwan has intensified patrols around the 24 undersea cables that connect it with the global internet.

  • APNIC ☛ Fee resolution to assist Very Small Members with LDC graduation

    Under a new phased approach, all future LDC graduations will be subject to a fee schedule change.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Congress Should Close Litigation Funding Loophole As Part of Government Funding Negotiations

    With government funding set to expire at the end of the month, Congress is once again scrambling to avoid a shutdown. Whether lawmakers move forward with a temporary stopgap or a more comprehensive legislative package, they would need to identify new sources of revenue to keep any new spending within budgetary constraints.

  • JUVE ☛ Sandoz challenges Bayer’s Xarelto strategy in damages claim

    UK High Court judge Michael Tappin has handed down a judgment in the claims for account of profits under cross-undertakings given by Bayer when obtaining interim injunctions against Sandoz. This is the start of a new stage in the disputes over Bayer’s most important blockbuster Xarelto.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ MOSAIC Opposer Fails to Prove Relatedness Between Vocational Training and its Entertainment Website

    In a 50-page decision, the Board dismissed this Section 2(d) opposition to registration of the mark MOSAIC for "charitable services, namely, providing vocational training in the field of job responsibilities and finding employment for disabled individuals," finding confusion unlikely with the registered mark MOSAEC for, inter alia, "Entertainment services, namely, providing information by means of a global computer network in the fields of celebrities, entertainment, and popular culture." Opposer RLP also claimed common law rights for "providing vocational training," but it failed to prove that it advertised and rendered vocational services at all under the MOSAEC mark, much less prior to Applicant's 2003 priority date.

• Copyrights

  • TechnologyAdvice ☛ Publishers Launch Payment System to Make Hey Hi (AI) Companies Pay for Content

    Reddit, Yahoo, Medium, and Quora have backed Really Simple Licensing, a system built to ride a wave of legal turmoil that is already costing Hey Hi (AI) companies billions.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Google, Amazon, and Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Urge Supreme Court to Reverse Cox’s $1 Billion Infringement Ruling

    Tech giants unite with the U.S. government, urging the Supreme Court to reverse the piracy liability ruling against ISP Cox Communications. Back in December 2019, internet service provider Cox Communications was ordered to pay a billion dollars in damages to a group of major record labels spearheaded by Sony and Universal.

  • Public Domain Review ☛ Ivan Aivazovsky’s Miniature Seascapes (ca. 1887)

    Identical photographs of the artist, each with a unique miniature painting at the centre.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Federal Judge Slashes Legal Fees in Napster Class Action Settlement — New Award Totals Just 1.4% of the Initially Sought Sum

    Back in June 2023, an appellate court rejected a $1.7 million legal-fees award in a copyright monopoly suit filed against Rhapsody International/Napster. Now, a district judge has officially slashed the total to just over $86,000.