Leftovers

• Ruben Schade ☛ My filofax was cancelled

  I let the cat out of the bag on Mastodon, but I recently bought a Filofax online to organise my life. This was to be in lieu of all the technical systems I’d tried and failed at implementing recently.

• Hackaday ☛ Holy Parachute Out Of Kirigami

  If you have a fear of heights and find yourself falling out of an airplane, you probably don’t want to look up to find your parachute full of holes. However, if the designer took inspiration from kirigami in the same way researchers have, you may be in better shape than you would think. This is because properly designed kirigami can function as a simple and effective parachute.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ World Space Week: The Challenges of Living in Space And How to Overcome Them

    It's no spacewalk in the park.

  • Science Alert ☛ Radical Plan to Beam 'Sunlight on Demand' at Night Sparks Concerns

    The light pollution could be devastating.

  • Science Alert ☛ The Best Medicine For Joint Pain Isn't What You Think, Expert Says

    Counterintuitive!

  • New York Times ☛ Nobel Prizes This Year Offer Three Cheers for Slow Science

    The scientific Nobels announced this week — in Physiology or Medicine, Physics and Chemistry — honored achievements rooted in fundamental research from decades ago.

  • Latvia ☛ Latvian universities ranked about the same as usual

    None of Latvia's four universities of science have made it into the top 1,000 universities in the world, according to the latest Times Higher Education world university rankings.

• Hardware

  • CNX Software ☛ Ampetronic Auri is a Bluetooth Auracast audio system for public spaces

    Ampetronic, in partnership with Listen Technologies, has introduced Auri, a Bluetooth Auracast-powered audio system/assistive listening solution designed for public spaces. It is designed to deliver clear, wireless audio to any Auracast-enabled device or dedicated Auri receiver without the need for pairing. The Auri system consists of the TX2N transmitter, RX1 receiver, and D4/D16 docking stations, managed through Auri Manager software. The TX2N features a 100 m coverage with balanced mic/line inputs, PoE, Audio over IP, and optional Dante support. The RX1 receiver features dual 3.5 mm jacks, an OLED display, and low-latency audio output for earbuds, headphones, or hearing aids.

  • New York Times ☛ A Mystery C.E.O. and Billions in Sales: Is China Buying Banned Nvidia Chips?

    An executive of a Singaporean firm called Megaspeed socialized with Nvidia’s Jensen Huang. Now the company is being scrutinized by U.S. officials for its ties to China.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ China expands rare-earth export controls, creating risks for PC component supply — Beijing tightens grip on materials for HDDs and more to protect national security

    China has expanded its export controls on rare-earth elements, adding new items to a growing list of restricted materials and processing technologies.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China tightens rare earth export controls and targets defence, semiconductor users

    The announcement from China clarifies and expands the sweeping controls announced in April.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China ramps up rare earth restrictions, in move to beef up position for US trade talks

    Beijing seen to be using leverage ahead of a possible summit between the two leaders later in October.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Critical minerals in crisis: Stress testing US supply chains against shocks

    How can policymakers prepare for shocks to critical mineral supply chains and create mineral security amid a wide range of threats and challenges?

  • Hackaday ☛ 2025 Component Abuse Challenge: Load Cell Anemometer

    When you think anemometer, you probably don’t think “load cell” — but (statistically speaking) you probably don’t live in Hurricane Country, which is hard on wind-speed-measuring-whirligigs. When [BLANCHARD Jordan] got tired of replacing professionally-made meteorological eggbeaters, he decided he needed something without moving parts. Whatever he came up with would probably qualify for the Component Abuse Challenge, but the choice of load cells of all things to measure wind speed? Yeah, that’s not what the manufacturer intended them for.

  • Hackaday ☛ 2025 Component Abuse Challenge: The Sweet Sound Of A Choking Transformer

    The Component Abuse Challenge is dragging all sorts of old, half-forgotten hacks out of the woodwork, but this has got to be the most vintage: [KenS] started using a transformer as a variable choke on his speakers 55 years ago.

  • Hackaday ☛ The Fascinating Waveguide Technology Inside Meta’s Ray-Ban Display Glasses

    Recently the avid teardown folk over at iFixit got their paws on Meta’s Ray-Ban Display glasses, for a literal in-depth look at these smart glasses. Along the way they came across the fascinating geometric waveguide technology that makes the floating display feature work so well. There’s also an accompanying video of the entire teardown, for those who enjoy watching a metal box cutter get jammed into plastic.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Washington's ambition for a 50/50 semiconductor deal with Taiwan is missing a key component — lack of a mature homegrown supply chain could be the missing link

    U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's plan to split leading-edge chip production equally between America and Taiwan seeks greater self-sufficiency and security but lacks clarity, overlooks U.S. industry realities, and remains largely symbolic given global dependencies on Japan, Europe, and Korea for materials, tools, and memory.

  • Hackaday ☛ Google Japan Turn Out Another Keyboard, And It’s A Dial

    There’s a joke that does the rounds, about a teenager being given a dial phone and being unable to make head nor tail of it.  Whether or not it’s true, we’re guessing that the same teen might be just a stumped by this year’s keyboard oddity from Google Japan. It replaces keys with a series of dials that work in the same way as the telephone dial of old. Could you dial your way through typing?

  • Server

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ South Korean government learns the importance of backups the hard way after catastrophic fire — 858 terabytes of data goes up in magic smoke

      In total, it's estimated that roughly 17% of central government officials are affected, and roughly eight years' worth of data was lost. The fire promptly brought down government email, online post office, websites, complaints and petition services, and even the national 119 emergency service. A full recovery should take about a month, as reportedly the affected teams are having trouble even figuring out which specific data was lost. As of October 4, it was estimated that only 17.8% of services were back online.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • LRT ☛ Suicides in Lithuania: after decades of decline, still highest in EU

    After decades of decline, suicides in Lithuania have risen slightly over the past two years, with older adults particularly affected, according to the Hygiene Institute. Last year, 566 people died by suicide, up from 562 the previous year, and 527 in 2022.

  • France24 ☛ Inside a French emergency psychiatric unit: Social stigma, a lack of beds and drug shortages

    At least one in five people in France suffer from a mental health condition. The issue has been named a priority for the government in 2025, which hopes to tackle a wide range of conditions, from mild symptoms to severe and chronic illnesses. Every day, psychiatric emergency departments in hospitals treat patients in distress, while operating in increasingly difficult conditions. To find out more, we spent time with the Ville-Evrard psychiatric unit of the Delafontaine Hospital in Saint-Denis, north of Paris.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Federal health insurance premiums to see another large spike in 2026

    FEHB enrollees will pay about 12.3% more toward 2026 premiums. The coming spike in federal health insurance costs follows several years of large increases.

  • Latvia ☛ First seasonal flu infections recorded in Latvia

    Last week, the first cases of influenza of this season were registered in Latvia, the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (SPKC) said on 9 October.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Indian police arrest owner of drug company linked to deaths of 21 children

    Samples showed the medicines were contaminated with diethylene glycol, a toxic substance.

  • Science Alert ☛ Your Toenails Can Reveal if You've Been Exposed to an Invisible Lung Cancer Cause

    Smoking isn't the only risk factor.

  • Science Alert ☛ 7 Awkward Things Intense Exercise Might Do to Your Body

    That last one doesn't seem too bad.

  • Science Alert ☛ New Class of Painkillers Could Work Without Blocking Healthy Inflammation

    Less pain, with gains.

  • Science Alert ☛ This Simple Daily Habit Could Help Lower Your Blood Pressure

    An easy way to help protect your heart.

  • France24 ☛ Afghanistan hit by worst drought in 30 years

    Afghanistan is enduring its worst drought in 30 years, having recorded less than half of its usual rainfall this past winter. As the sixth most vulnerable country to climate change globally, Afghanistan's drought poses a direct threat to farming and food security. More than 80 percent of Afghans depend on agriculture for their livelihood. FRANCE 24's Oriane Zerah and Shahzaib Wahlah report.

  • Pro Publica ☛ EPA Report on Dangers of PFNA, a Forever Chemical, Hangs In Limbo

    This spring, scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency completed a report on the toxicity of a “forever chemical” called PFNA, which is in the drinking water systems serving some 26 million people. The assessment found that PFNA interferes with human development by causing lower birth weights and, based on animal evidence, likely causes damage to the liver and to male reproductive systems, including reductions in testosterone levels, sperm production and the size of reproductive organs.

    The report also calculated the amount of PFNA that people could be exposed to without being harmed — a critical measurement that can be used to set limits for cleaning up PFNA contamination in Superfund sites and for removing the chemical from drinking water.

• Proprietary

  • Qt ☛ Qt for Python release: 6.10 is here!

    This release primarily focuses on integrating the extensive new features introduced in Qt 6.10, while simultaneously addressing several refinements across both PySide6 and Shiboken6. Key improvements include enhanced support for @QEnum and @QFlag decorated enumerations, which can now be utilized as properties for custom widgets within Qt Designer. Additionally, significant performance optimizations have been implemented for the invocation of overridden Python functions, and various type hinting issues have been resolved. These enhancements, among other updates, contribute to a more robust and efficient development experience.

  • International Business Times ☛ Microsoft Outage: Teams, Minecraft, and Microsoft 365 Crippled As Recurring Cloud Issues Raise Reliability Fears

    The world is once again facing digital chaos as thousands of Microsoft users globally report being completely locked out of their critical services. This is far more than a simple hiccup; the outage is hitting essential platforms like Microsoft Teams, the foundational cloud service Azure, and even the popular gaming platform Minecraft. For millions, this disruption means work stops, emails fail to send, and crucial business operations grind to a halt.

    This latest system collapse, which began on Thursday, October 9, 2025, forces many to question the fundamental reliability of the tech giant's infrastructure. Organizations relying heavily on Microsoft 365 for their daily operations are experiencing periodic and alarmingly frequent disruptions that significantly impact productivity. The company has confirmed it is aware of the issue and is currently scrambling to find a fix.

  • Heart Machine Announces More Layoffs, Conclusion of Hyper Light Breaker Development

    Following layoffs in November 2024, Hyper Light Drifter developer Heart Machine has announced more due to “broader forces beyond our control.” Hyper Light Breaker, which is currently in early access, will see its production wrapped up as a result.

    In a statement to Game Developer, a studio spokesperson said, “As we wrap up our work on Hyper Light Breaker, we’ve had to make the difficult decision to part ways with a number of talented team members. This was not our ideal path, but rather the only one available given the circumstances.

    “While this path will include a conclusion on the project, it reflects broader forces beyond our control, including shifts in funding, corporate consolidation and the uncertain environment many small studios like us are navigating today.”

  • Update: Heart Machine making layoffs and ending development on Hyper Light Breaker

    The news comes around nine months after Hyper Light Breaker launched into early access.

  • Yes, Xbox Live is Down Right Now With Thousands Reporting Connectivity Issues Worldwide

    Xbox Live is currently down, with thousands reporting issues worldwide. Microsoft services like Teams, Outlook, and Azure are also affected.

    If you’re having trouble signing in to Xbox Live or playing your favorite games today, you’re definitely not alone. As of now, Xbox Live appears to be down, with thousands of players reporting major issues across Xbox services, and outage reports skyrocketing on Downdetector in just the past hour.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Press Gazette ☛ Most leading UK news websites fell down Surveillance Giant Google rankings in 2025

      June core update is one of biggest recent algorithm adjustments.

    • CS Monitor ☛ Meet the students who are just saying no to AI

      As artificial intelligence intertwines itself with people’s lives, some students are pushing back. Their reasons range from profound to practical, and speak to a desire to preserve a sense of community – and humanity.

    • Futurism ☛ Experts Say They’re Seeing a Blinking Warning Sign That We’re in an Hey Hi (AI) Bubble

      Uh oh.

    • Futurism ☛ President of DC Comics Says It Will Never Use AI

      "AI doesn’t dream. It doesn’t feel. It doesn’t make art."

• Entrapment (Microsoft GitHub)

  • Security Week ☛ GitHub Copilot Chat Flaw Leaked Data From Private Repositories

    Hidden comments allowed full control over Copilot responses and leaked sensitive information and source code.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • WhichUK ☛ Which? finds deepfake investment scams on YouTube

      Quantum AI's adverts and videos use fake celebrity endorsements to promote crypto scams

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Scoop News Group ☛ German government says it will oppose EU mass-scanning proposal

      Despite fears from privacy advocates, officials from the ruling party said mass-scanning proposals like Chat Control should be “taboo in a constitutional state.”

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Voting groups ask court for immediate halt to Convicted Felon admin’s SAVE database overhaul

      In a court filing, the groups argued court action was needed to prevent permanent privacy harm from the government’s “illegal and secretive consolidation of millions of Americans’ sensitive personal data.”

    • LRT ☛ Google to provide account verification services for European clients from Lithuania

      With tougher checks on bank transfers coming into force across the eurozone on Thursday – aimed at curbing fraud and ensuring money reaches the right recipients – Google’s Lithuanian subsidiary, Surveillance Giant Google Payment Lithuania, will provide account verification services for European clients from its base in Lithuania.

    • CNX Software ☛ Weffort Outdoor Smart Shade Review with Home Assistant over Matter/Thread

      We’re going to do a quick review of smart outdoor motorised shades from Weffort — another brand that makes smart shades compatible with popular Smart Home platforms, including Home Assistant, SmartThings, Surveillance Giant Google Home, Fashion Company Apple HomeKit, and Amazon Alexa. The cool thing about Weffort’s shades is that everything’s fully customisable and made-to-order — from the fabric and motors to casing styles, size, and the Smart Home platform you want to use with.

    • Unicorn Media ☛ California Slaps Tractor Supply with Record $1.35M Privacy Fine

      It wasn’t a big tech firm, but the biggest rural retailer in America that got the largest wallop ever from California’s toughest privacy watchdog.

  • Confidentiality

    • Security Week ☛ Discord Says 70,000 Users Had IDs Exposed in Recent Data Breach

      The hackers claim the theft of over 2 million photos of government identification documents provided to Discord for age verification.

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Discord says only 70,000 government ID photos exposed in third-party service breach, denies 2.1 million figure — says it won't pay $3.5 million ransom and has cut communications with hackers, who are threatening to go public

      Discord has hit back at claims its recent breach via a third-party service revealed government ID photos of over two million users. Instead, it claims only 70,000 were affected, but it's been clear that it will not be paying any blackmail demands, regardless.

• Defence/Aggression

  • ACLU ☛ Your Questions Answered: How to Push Back on Abuses of Power

    In his first 10 months back in office, President The Insurrectionist has abused his power to attack our neighbors and communities, suppress free speech, and create a climate of fear. The president has deployed military troops and federal agents into our cities. He has threatened nonprofit organizations, universities, and political opponents who don’t conform to his dangerous agenda. He has targeted journalists, entertainers, and talk show hosts to quell criticism. These actions are designed to intimidate and silence opposition so he can expand his power by any means necessary.

  • New Yorker ☛ After James Comey, Who’s Next on Convicted Felon’s Revenge Tour?

    As Convicted Felon uses the powers of his office to punish his perceived enemies, the boundary between political payback and governance continues to erode.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Kim Jong Un boasts of North Korea’s standing at celebration with foreign guests

    He honoured the legacy of the party saying he made “not a single mistake or error” in its 80-year history.

  • New Yorker ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man, the Self-Styled “President of PEACE” Abroad, Makes War at Home

    The President’s martial rhetoric against fellow-Americans is a striking contrast with his push for an end to hostilities in Gaza.

  • France24 ☛ Gang violence erupts as Haitian cabinet meets in Port-au-Prince

    Gang violence broke out near Haiti’s National Palace on Thursday as the country’s fragile interim government convened a rare cabinet meeting in the heart of gang-controlled Port-au-Prince. The high-stakes gathering, described by officials as a symbolic attempt to reclaim authority, was marred by heavy gunfire, underscoring the deep insecurity plaguing a nation without a functioning president, congress, or recent elections.

  • Proactive UN frees children from armed groups in DR Congo

    Child recruitment and release were high on the agenda earlier this week when a senior United Nations (UN) staffer addressed [...]

  • Pro Publica ☛ How Jorge Ruiz’s Fatal Car Crash Case Tested Alabama’s Justice System

    When 19-year-old Jorge Ruiz walked into the Autauga County Jail in handcuffs on Oct. 28, 2018, he wasn’t a typical suspect. He was out of place and in big trouble in a deeply conservative part of Alabama.

    That morning, he’d been driving about 70 miles per hour in a 55 zone when he crossed the center line of a two-lane rural highway. His Ford pickup collided head-on with a Honda Civic, killing the woman behind the wheel. Paramedics took Ruiz to the hospital, where a blood test found a trace amount of alcohol. At just 0.016, it was below the legal threshold for intoxication.

  • France24 ☛ EU ready to discuss how to contribute to Gaza peace, top diplomat says

    The European Union is ready to discuss how it can contribute to the Gaza peace plan, the bloc's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said on Thursday ahead of a conference on Gaza in Paris. James André has more.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Afghanistan's neighbours signal opposition to US retaking Bagram base

    Afghanistan's regional neighbours, including American allies, appeared to unite against U.S. President The Insurrectionist's stated aim of taking over the Bagram military base near Kabul, according to a statement released after they met in Moscow.

  • The Strategist ☛ Australia’s role in a Korean contingency: between alliance commitments and strategic autonomy

    The Korean Peninsula is one of the most volatile flashpoints in global security.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Portland’s ICE office is already federally protected. So why is the National Guard needed?

    At the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Portland, Oregon, the Monitor finds security and free speech concerns from law enforcement and protesters.

  • ACLU ☛ Pete Hegseth Wants Women Out of the Military—and He's Not Hiding It

    Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made headlines when he summoned hundreds of senior military leaders to a military base in Quantico, Virginia and made troubling comments about equity in the military. President The Insurrectionist’s address to the generals was also alarming, calling for troops to be deployed in U.S. cities as “training grounds” and to fight the “enemy within.” The ACLU has denounced such deployments as an unlawful abuse of power.

  • Stanford University ☛ From the Community | Affirm free speech, do not glorify terror

    Members of the newly formed Community Forum on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias stand against antisemitism and call for thoughtful organizing.

  • ADF ☛ Traoré’s Junta Silences Dissent With Conscriptions, Violence

    When Capt. Ibrahim Traoré seized power in Burkina Faso in 2022, he castigated the deposed junta for failing to defeat a rising tide of terrorism and promised to secure the country within months. Failing that, Traoré’s regime has found much more success in silencing critics with abductions, torture and forced conscription.

  • BIA Net ☛ Police officers to be tried in torture case against lawyer Murat Çelik

    Lawyer Murat Çelik’s two-year legal battle over being handcuffed behind his back and beaten during the Saturday Mothers/Human Rights action has borne fruit. Five police officers, including two supervisors, will face trial on October 9 for “exceeding the use of force” and “intentional injury.”

  • CS Monitor ☛ The best check on cocaine trafficking

    A new U.S. approach uses the military to strike small boats presumed to be carrying drugs. Yet one country is busting up cocaine rings by relying on legal enforcement and the integrity of its investigators and prosecutors.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Myanmar junta strike kills dozens at festival protest, say residents

    A local media outlet said 40 people were killed in the attack.

  • Strike on festival protest in Myanmar kills at least 20, residents say

    A motorized paraglider dropped two bombs on the crowd, witnesses said.

  • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man instructed Netanyahu to read Qatar apology drafted by White House - report

    As top US and Qatari officials joined a third day of talks aimed at brokering peace in Gaza, news outlet Politico has confirmed the White House wrote Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent apology to Qatar over Israel's strikes in the country and that a senior Qatari envoy was present in the Oval Office to ensure Netanyahu followed the prepared script. FRANCE 24's Noga Tarnopolsky reports from Jerusalem.

  • New York Times ☛ Understanding the Gaza Peace Deal

    People on both sides seem hopeful, but sticking points remain. Here’s what we know about the agreement.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ The imperative for hypersonic strike weapons and counterhypersonic defenses

    A new report based on dozens of discussions with defense policymakers and industry representatives takes stock of how the United States military should handle the challenge posed by missiles capable of flying more than five times the speed of sound.

  • China sharpening forces for possible future attack, Taiwanese report says

    War games and patrols hone China’s military, while online efforts spread disinformation, defense ministry says.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China honing abilities for a possible future attack, warns Taiwan defence report

    China has been using artificial intelligence tools to weaken Taiwan's cyber security.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China adds 14 foreign entities, including tech consultancies, to ‘unreliable entity list’

    Some of the companies had carried out military and technological cooperation with Taiwan.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Mexico to discuss tariff hikes with China and others before making law

    Mexico's Congress will hold off approving proposed tariff hikes on nearly 1,500 products from China and other Asian countries while Mexico holds talks with those countries and considers changes to the proposal, President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday.  

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • LRT ☛ Tsikhanouskaya’s office in Vilnius still operating despite reduced security

      The office of Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in Vilnius remains operational despite changes to its security arrangements, though only part of the team is currently working on-site, her staff said Wednesday.

    • LRT ☛ Tsikhanouskaya’s protection level adjusted for actual threats, Lithuanian PM says

      Lithuania has reduced the level of physical protection for Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who has lived in Vilnius since 2020, in response to the actual security needs, according to Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė.

    • LRT ☛ Tsikhanouskaya’s office in Vilnius temporarily halts work after protection downgrade

      The office of Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in Vilnius has temporarily suspended its operations after Lithuania reduced her level of physical protection.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Another pointless interview’: A report from Russia’s Astrakhan region, where the climate crisis and government indifference are accelerating a once-lush ecosystem’s desertification — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘For the Defense Ministry, people are garbage’: Why thousands of Russian soldiers are deserting — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Officials in Russia’s Yekaterinburg call for police help as teenagers ‘terrorize’ tram drivers — Meduza

    • ADF ☛ South Africa Warns Women About Viral Russian Job Scams

      A spate of videos targeting young women for jobs in Russia recently caused an uproar in South Africa. At least 10 social control media influencers began posting photos and videos in August as part of a campaign to promote the Alabuga Start program in central Russia’s Tatarstan Republic.

    • The Straits Times ☛ EU needs broad response to hybrid warfare threats, von der Leyen says

      The EU chief said it was clear Russia’s aim is to “sow division” in Europe.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Erdogan hopes for resolution on sanctions, F-35s, Halkbank after Convicted Felon talks

      The US CAATSA sanctions were applied in 2020 over Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 air defences.

    • LRT ☛ Despite tensions, people commute between Russian Kaliningrad and Lithuania

      At Panemunė, one of two operating border checkpoints between Lithuania and Russia, around 150 people cross the border daily, either commuting to work or visiting family members, border guards say.

    • France24 ☛ Russia’s ‘false flag’ claims spark fears of pre-war posturing

      In a series of escalating statements, Russia’s foreign intelligence service has accused Western countries of plotting “false flag” operations to discredit Moscow. While the claims lack evidence, analysts warn they may reflect something more serious: an intensifying hybrid warfare strategy – and signs that the Kremlin is preparing the narrative ahead of a potential conflict with NATO.

    • European Commission ☛ Closing Remarks Of Commissioner Kubilius at the Plenary Debate on the United Response to Recent Russian Airspace Violations

    • RFERL ☛ Power Outages In Eastern Kyiv After Russian Overnight Strikes Hit Energy Sites, Set Apartments Ablaze

      A Russian drone and missile attack triggered a fire in a high-rise apartment building in central Kyiv and targeted energy sites early on October 10, officials said.

    • New York Times ☛ This Town Doesn’t Like Rearmament. But It’s Ready to Build Tanks.

      In Germany’s depressed East, even far-right opponents of support for Ukraine have embraced the jobs that come with new weapons production.

    • RFERL ☛ IAEA Says Process To Restore External Power To Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Plant Has Begun

      The process to restore external power to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine has started, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on October 9.

    • France24 ☛ Storm 1516: The Russian operation responsible for at least 77 disinformation campaigns

      Earlier this year, French authorities identified almost 80 disinformation campaigns led by a Russian operation dubbed Storm 1516. These mainly targeted Ukraine and its allies. So who is behind this disinformation and how does it spread? And, importantly, how can we spot it?

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian parliament speaks out against readmitting aggressor states to sport

      The Saeima, Latvia's parliament, adopted a statement on Thursday, October 9th, condemning the decision of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to restore full participation of Russia and Belarus in the Paralympic movement.

    • Latvia ☛ Cuban citizen caught illegally crossing Russian-Latvian border

      On Wednesday, 8 October, a Cuban citizen who illegally crossed the state border from the Russian side was apprehended by border guards in Viļaka municipality, the State Border Guard Service said.

    • Latvia ☛ Switch to education in Latvian only not very smooth

      This school year, pupils in all grades started learning exclusively in the national language - Latvian. Members of the Saeima's Committee on Citizenship, Migration and Community Cohesion held a field visit to one of the schools previously teaching in Russian on Wednesday, 8 October.

    • LRT ☛ Drobiazko's stripped citizenship not unconstitutional – Lithuania’s Constitutional Court

      Lithuania’s Constitutional Court on Thursday announced that it has ruled that the legal provision under which Russian-born ice dancer Margarita Drobiazko was stripped of her Lithuanian citizenship does not breach the Constitution.

    • RFERL ☛ Serbia Braces For Fallout After US Sanctions On Oil Firm NIS Take Force

      The US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said sanctions against the Russian-owned Oil Industry of Serbia (NIS), Serbia's sole crude oil refiner, have taken force after several delays, a move that could hit the Balkan nation hard.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘I don’t want to die so young’: Jailing people with cystic fibrosis is illegal in Russia. So to keep this 20-year-old behind bars, authorities are denying her diagnosis — and her lifesaving medication. — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ What a top Russian cyber forensics conference reveals about the country’s ability to hack iPhones and Androids — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russian human rights activists are raising awareness about torture with this brutal stop-motion video — Meduza

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian Interior Minister and Austrian President visit Lithuania-Belarus border

      Lithuanian Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič and Austrian President Alexander Van Der Bellen visited the Padvarionys frontier station on Lithuania’s border with Belarus on Thursday, discussing migration pressures at the EU’s eastern frontier and shared security challenges.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Turning me into a criminal’: Kyiv wants to cash in on OnlyFans creators’ unpaid taxes. There’s just one problem: making porn is illegal in Ukraine. — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Prominent St. Petersburg architect reportedly shot in front of 10-year-old daughter, possibly by Ukraine war veteran — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ In Germany’s Depressed East, Tanks Are the Lesser of Two Evils

      Even leaders from the far-right Alternative for Germany party, which opposes aid to Ukraine, have embraced the jobs that come with new weapons production.

    • CS Monitor ☛ How Ukrainian drones are slowing Russia’s advance in the east

      Despite Ukraine being outgunned and out-resourced by a far larger enemy, the increasing dependence on drones by both sides has largely leveled the battlefield. As Russian forces press forward, Ukraine’s drone operators are exacting a high price.

    • France24 ☛ Lithuania prepares to evacuate thousands if Ukraine war spills over

      Hundreds of people took part in an evacuation exercise in Vilnius, where approximately 100 residents were moved by train to camp beds at a sporting arena 100 kilometres (62 miles) away, as part of Lithuania's preparedness measures against potential regional instability. FRANCE 24's Eliza Herbert reports.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Ukraine’s defense tech sector must guard against innovation drain

      Without robust intellectual property (IP) protections, Ukraine may lose control of the defense tech innovations that are currently helping to defend the country on the battlefield, writes Andriy Dovbenko.

    • The Strategist ☛ How Russia and China technologically enable authoritarian partners

      Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has not only accelerated the erosion of the international order but also deepened its partnership with China.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvia gives Ukraine Hey Hi (AI) tool to help with EU accession path [Ed: Translations are nothing new, they just add a buzzwords to it and make it sound like magic]

      On October 8th during the Riga Conference, a Latvian technology and translation company gave Ukraine "a newly developed AI-powered translation platform designed to support Ukraine’s path toward EU membership."

    • JURIST ☛ Human rights group calls on Tajikistan to arrest Putin if he enters territory

      Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday urged Tajikistan to either deny entry to Russian President Vladimir Putin or arrest him when he enters its territory.

    • Meduza ☛ Blackouts, tactical nukes, and drones Military expert Dmitry Kuznets explains the limits of energy warfare, tactical nuclear weapons, and UAV lethality — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Putin admits Russian air defenses downed Azerbaijan Airlines flight last year, killing 38 — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ 10 Months Later, Russia Admits Deadly Downing of Azerbaijani Plane

      President Vladimir Putin’s rare acknowledgment of a Russian military mistake came as relations have deteriorated between the two former Soviet states.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Putin tells Azerbaijan's Aliyev how Russian air defences downed a passenger plane

      MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin told Azerbaijan's leader that two Russian missiles had detonated beside an Azerbaijan Airlines plane last year after Ukrainian drones entered Russian air space, in an incident that led to the deaths of 38 people.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Putin urges Central Asian states to step up trade with Russia

      MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin on Thursday urged the leaders of five Central Asian states to boost their trade with Russia, as Moscow seeks to build back its influence in a region that is also being courted by China.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Putin the geopolitical gangster is trying to intimidate Europe

      Putin the geopolitical gangster is trying to intimidate Europe into abandoning Ukraine with an escalating campaign of gray zone aggression designed to highlight the continent's vulnerability to Russian attack, writes Peter Dickinson.

• Transparency/Investigative Reporting

  • JURIST ☛ Nonprofit sues FBI and DOJ for withholding video in Homan bribery case

    Nonprofit organization Democracy Forward sued the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI on Monday after the agency failed to release key video recordings in an alleged bribery scheme case involving former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director Tom Homan.

  • RTE ☛ New Podcast tells the extraordinary story of a couple jailed in Ireland for a crime that never happened, from RTÉ Doc on One & RTÉ Investigates

    Brand New Podcast Series tells the extraordinary story of a couple jailed in Ireland for a crime that never happened from RTÉ Documentary on One and RTÉ Investigates First Conviction – Narrated by Ruth Negga Watch trailor here.

• Environment

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong logs record number of ‘very hot’ October days

    Hong Kong logged its fourth “very hot day” this month on Wednesday, setting a record for the number of sweltering October days, according to the city’s weather service. There were three October days when the mercury climbed to 33.0C or above last year and in 2023.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ ‘Do you want a player to die on court?’: Tennis stars suffer, wilt and quit in ‘brutal’ China heat

    Novak Djokovic threw up, Alexander Zverev poured sweat out of his shoe and Emma Raducanu quit her match with dizziness — and the bad news for the world’s top tennis players is that more baking weather is to come in China this week.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Hackaday ☛ Motors Make The Best Knobs With SimpleFOC

      The worst thing about a volume knob is that, having connected it to a computer, it might be wrong: if you’ve manually altered the volume settings somewhere else, the knob’s reading won’t be correct. [I Got Distracted] has a quick tutorial on YouTube showing how to use a BLDC, a hall effect sensor, Pi Pico and the SimpleFOC library to make a knob with active haptic feedback and positioning.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ EU enlargement could redefine its energy geopolitics

      The EU's next enlargement wave could lead to greater European competitiveness and influence—or risk deepening divisions within the bloc. Tying energy security to enlargement offers Brussels a way back into the geopolitical game.

    • Science Alert ☛ Astronomers Find The Most Pristine Star Yet, And It's Surprisingly Close

      Not yet tainted by other dusts.

• Finance

  • Latvia ☛ Economists: Inflation in Latvia will not rise rapidly anymore

    Annual inflation of 4.1% in September indicates that price pressures remain but have not intensified, economists commented in their assessment of the latest inflation data. Economic experts surveyed by Latvian Television on 8 October estimated that faster price increases are no longer expected in Latvia.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Bucking tradition, Convicted Felon pushes the US as an investor in for-profit companies

    The Forrest Dump administration is using public funds for private investments, saying it bolsters U.S. security and access to key resources. Critics see a risk to the economy’s free-market foundations.

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ Michigan taxes on tips, overtime, Social Security to end for three years

    Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law an exemption on income taxes for tips, overtime and social security income this week. The tax cut will be in place from 2026 through 2028.

  • The Strategist ☛ Europe’s banks quietly mobilise for economic warfare

    When French bank BNP Paribas quietly dropped its ban on financing ‘controversial weapons’ in September, it looked like a technical tweak.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Bank of England, IMF, warn Hey Hi (AI) bubble risk has shades of 2000 dotcom crash — Goldman Sachs cautions we're not there 'yet'

    Major banking institutions are starting to warn of an impending market correction for Hey Hi (AI) companies and their stock prices. Although not all agree when it'll happen, most suggest it is coming as the major industry players continue to invest in each other, driving up investments and share prices in turn.

  • New York Times ☛ Big Investors Await Windfall From Convicted Felon’s Argentina Bailout

    The United States finalized a $20 billion lifeline for Argentina that will benefit Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s allies.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ Unplanned haka halts New Zealand Parliament after MP’s speech

    Te Pati Maori’s Oriini Kaipara was elected to Parliament in September and made her first speech to the House on Oct 9.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Asean must deepen integration as its export-led model loses steam: Panellists at Asia Future Summit

    This comes amid concerns over Asean unity, including in tariff negotiations.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak joins Abusive Monopolist Microsoft and Anthropic as an adviser [Ed: Microsoft continues to brbibe politicians in Europe [1, 2]]

    Former U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is moving into the technology world, joining Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Corp. and the artificial intelligence startup Anthropic PBC as a senior adviser.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • New York Times ☛ China Punishes ‘Excessively Pessimistic’ Social Media Users

    As China struggles with economic discontent, internet censors are silencing those who voice doubts about work or marriage, or simply sigh too loudly online.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China punishes ‘excessively pessimistic’ social control media users

    Beijing is concerned that such pessimism could turn into criticism of the ruling Communist Party.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong bars 13 films from screening on national security grounds since 2021 censorship law

    A total of 50 films have been required to be edited, and 13 titles have not been approved for screening on national security grounds since Hong Kong amended the Film Censorship Ordinance in 2021, according to authorities.

  • JURIST ☛ SCOTUS dispatch: justices see speech concerns in conversion therapy ban, but path forward unclear

    Chloe Miracle-Rutledge is a JURIST Supreme Court Correspondent and a 2L at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC. 

  • AccessNow ☛ #KeepItOn: We urge authorities in Cameroon to safeguard open and secure internet access during elections

    We urge President of the Republic of Cameroon to ensure that the internet remains open, secure, and accessible to all before, during, and after the country’s upcoming elections.

  • AccessNow ☛ All eyes on Cameroon: #KeepItOn during upcoming elections

    We urge authorities in Cameroon to ensure reliable, continuous, open, and secure internet access before, during, and after the upcoming elections.

  • JURIST ☛ Rights group denounces Tunisia death sentence for anti-government speech

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a statement on Wednesday condemning the Tunisian justice system for sentencing a man to death for posting nonviolent Facebook (Farcebook) posts dissenting to the country’s recent actions.

  • New York Times ☛ Why Arguments About Free Speech Don’t Apply to the Riyadh Comedy Festival

    Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle and others have framed their participation as a matter of open expression. Yet they’re maddeningly vague about how much dissent is possible in Saudi Arabia.

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Baselessly Claims He ‘Took the Freedom of Speech Away’ From Flag Burners

    The president said he had made flag burning a crime punishable by a year in prison. But such a claim contradicts both Supreme Court precedent and the text of an executive order he signed.

  • New York Times ☛ Judge Dismisses Drake’s Lawsuit Over Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’

    The Canadian rapper sued for defamation and harassment, and accused the record company behind both artists of boosting his rival.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Federal Judge Dismisses Drake’s Billion-Dollar Defamation Lawsuit Against UMG — Potentially Ending the Biggest Rap Battle In History

    Drake’s defamation lawsuit against UMG over Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us” has been dismissed by a federal judge. The headline-grabbing defamation lawsuit Drake launched against Universal Music Group (UMG) was tossed out this week by a federal judge.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Elderly Hong Kong man granted bail after sedition arrest on China’s National Day

    An elderly Hong Kong man has been released on police bail after he was arrested on China’s National Day for allegedly acting with seditious intent.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • JURIST ☛ CPJ urges UAE to justify the arrest of South Sudan political commentator Samuel Oyay

    The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Tuesday urged authorities in the United Arab Emirates to provide the reasons behind the detention of South Sudanese political commentator Samuel Peter Oyay, who has been outspoken on the issue of corruption and elitism in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ ‘Shine a light’ — ending the exile of being too far from Main Street

    Free-air laser communications could overcome path problems confronting network infrastructure and help address the 'last mile' delivery problem.

  • Hackaday ☛ Meshtastic: A Tale Of Two Cities

    If I’m honest with myself, I don’t really need access to an off-grid, fault-tolerant, mesh network like Meshtastic. The weather here in New Jersey isn’t quite so dynamic that there’s any great chance the local infrastructure will be knocked offline, and while I do value my privacy as much as any other self-respecting hacker, there’s nothing in my chats that’s sensitive enough that it needs to be done off the Internet.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Digital Music News ☛ Spotify Faces $10 Million Lawsuit Over ‘Jam’ Social-Listening Feature — DSP Says the Claims Have ‘No Factual or Legal Basis’

    Did Spotify rip off the idea for its Jam social-listening offering? Five former VCU Brandcenter students believe so, and they’re suing for $10 million as a result. Meanwhile, Spotify is adamant that the claims “have no factual or legal basis.”

  • Digital Music News ☛ MLC Demands Jury Trial in Revived Spotify Lawsuit — Case Management Conference Set for November

    Will an amended complaint and a jury trial demand change the trajectory of the MLC’s bundling-focused Spotify lawsuit? We should have an answer sooner rather than later, as the updated action is quickly ramping up.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Have we Reached the Shenanigans Threshold?

    When the Supreme Court in Cuozzo Speed Technologies v. Lee, 579 U.S. 261 (2016), barred judicial review of the USPTO's decisions to institute (or deny institution) of inter partes review, it left a small door ajar for agency "shenanigans."   This post asks whether USPTO Director John Squires recent decision in Interactive Communications International, Inc. v. Blackhawk Network Inc., IPR2024-00465 (Dir. Rev. Oct. 1, 2025), may be the case that finally gives "shenanigans" real content.

  • Unified Patents ☛ Malikie email patent monopoly challenged

    On October 3, 2025, Unified filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 10,779,156, another patent monopoly owned and asserted by Malikie Innovations Limited, an NPE and entity of Key Patent Innovations Limited. The ‘156 patent, formerly assigned to Blackberry Ltd., is directed to a mobile device communicating with a server to retrieve a pending data message (i.e., email) after the device receives an enable message, which indicates that the pending data message is available.

  • Unified Patents ☛ Wilus Wi-Fi patent monopoly challenge instituted

    On October 7, 2025, six weeks 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 10,820,233, owned and asserted by Wilus Institute of Standards & Technology, Inc., an entity of Good Day to Invent, Inc.

  • Federal News Network ☛ USPTO to use Hey Hi (AI) tool for automated search pilot [Ed: Recipe for disaster because this would not work; it would just leak to more condemnation of the system. It's not even a new idea, just new hype.]

    The USPTO continues to invest heavily in Hey Hi (AI) capabilities; a new pilot program is designed to assess patent monopoly applications for potential "prior art" issues.

  • Unified Patents ☛ Patent Dispute Report: Q3 2025 in Review

    Following new guidelines introduced in February and March 2025, discretionary denials at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) reached an all-time high in the third quarter of 2025. These changes, including a bifurcated review process, expanded discretionary denial factors and revival of the Fintiv test, have also caused the overall institution rate to drop. Historically, the institution rate against non-practicing entities (NPEs) has been higher than the institution rate against operating companies (OpCos), but this trend has reversed, with the NPE institution rate now significantly lower.

    Despite the decrease in institutions, PTAB petition filings saw only a modest 3.5% decrease between Q2 and Q3. The future volume of filings is uncertain, especially with new PTAB rules effective September 1, 2025 that restrict the use of “general knowledge,” such as expert testimony, common sense, or applicant-admitted prior art. 

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Guest Post by Ryan Abbott: Reflections on Recentive v. Fox: To Do or not To Do it with AI?

    Recently, the Federal Circuit handed down its decision in Recentive v. Fox which the Court stated presented a question of first impression: “whether claims that do no more than apply existing methods of machine learning to a new data environment are patent monopoly eligible.” Recentive Analytics, Inc. v. Fox Corp., 134 F.4th 1205 (Fed. Cir. 2025). As the framing of the question suggests, the Court answered in the negative, confirming that patents that simply take an abstract idea and “do it with AI” are not statutory subject matter.

  • JUVE ☛ Comeback for Hoffmann Eitle with Simmons & Simmons partner [Ed: Seems like an ad, a fake 'article' for a sponsor]

    After seeing departures from its patent monopoly teams in the Netherlands and the UK, Simmons & Simmons is now losing an equity partner in Munich. Thomas Gniadek is moving to Hoffmann Eitle.

  • Unified Patents ☛ $3,000 for Valtrus data security patent monopoly prior art

    Unified Patents added a new PATROLL contest, with a $3,000 cash prize, seeking prior art on at least claim 1 of U.S. Patent 7,904,686, owned and asserted by Valtrus Innovations Ltd., an NPE. The '686 patent monopoly describes a method and apparatus for enhancing data security within a file system.

  • Software Patents

    • JUVE ☛ Via LA and Abusive Monopolist Microsoft settle dispute over video coding technology

      Via LA and Abusive Monopolist Microsoft have settled their patent monopoly dispute concerning high efficiency video coding technology. On the patent monopoly pool website, Abusive Monopolist Microsoft is listed as a licensee of its corresponding HEVC programme. Surveillance Giant Google is now also listed there as a licence holder. Neither US tech company was a licence holder until recently.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ PT Medisafe Files Certiorari Petition Seeking to Overturn CAFC Green Medical Glove Genericness Ruling

    PT Medisafe Technologies has filed a petition for writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the CAFC's affirmance [here] of the TTAB's decision that upheld a refusal to register a particular shade of green as a trademark for "chloroprene medical examination gloves" on the ground of genericness. The appellate court concluded that the Board applied the correct test for determining whether a color mark is generic, and that substantial evidence supported the Board's factual finding that Medisafe’s proposed mark is generic. PT Medisafe Technologies v. USPTO, Petition No. 25-400 (filed October 1, 2025).

    The TTAB found that Medisafe’s color mark is generic because it is "so common in the chloroprene medical examination glove industry that it cannot identify a single source."

• Copyrights

  • Futurism ☛ Scam Altman Says Copyright Holders Are Begging for Their Characters to Be Included in Sora

    Rightsholders are apparently worried their characters won't be put in "enough" Sora videos.

  • Futurism ☛ Jake Paul Invites Users to Fake Him on Sora, So They Immediately Use It to Make Him Gay and Obsessed With Makeup

    "This Hey Hi (AI) is getting out of hand."

  • Futurism ☛ Even Longtime Swifties Disgusted by Taylor’s Use of AI

    "I think it is very, very lazy and disappointing to use generative Hey Hi (AI) to create videos a human being very much could have done."

  • Digital Music News ☛ OpenAI’s Likeness Protections Don’t Apply to Dead Celebrities — Including Tupac Shakur, Michael Jackson, and Kurt Cobain

    OpenAI’s Sora 2 includes likeness protections for celebrities who don’t opt in, but that doesn’t apply to “historical figures” and dead celebrities. Here’s what we’re learning on this copyright monopoly vulnerability.

  • NYPost ☛ Reba McEntire slams ‘AI mess’ after Dolly Parton death rumors spread across the internet

    "You're out there dying, I'm out here having a baby," McEntire joked.