Leftovers

• Science

  • Hackaday ☛ UK’s MAST Upgrade Tokamak Stabilizes Plasma With Edge Magnetic Fields

    Although nuclear fusion is exceedingly easy to achieve, as evidenced by desktop fusors, the real challenges begin to pop up whenever you try to sustain a plasma for extended periods of time, never mind trying to generate net energy output. Plasma instability was the reason why 1950s UK saw its nuclear fusion hopes dashed when Z-pinch fusion reactors failed to create a stable plasma, but now it seems that another UK fusion reactor is one step closer to addressing plasma instability, with the MAST Upgrade tokamak demonstrating the suppressing of ELMs.

  • Science Alert ☛ Weight Loss Isn't Essential For Reversing Prediabetes, New Study Shows

    There are more important factors involved.

  • Science Alert ☛ Peanut Allergies Drop Steeply After Doctors Change Advice, Evidence Shows

    The changes are working.

  • Science Alert ☛ Mosquitoes Have Started Appearing in One of The Last Places on Earth Without Them

    At least they're not in Antarctica... yet.

  • Science Alert ☛ Hidden Near-Earth Asteroid Discovered Lurking in The Sun's Glare

    “The most dangerous asteroids are the most difficult to detect."

  • Science Alert ☛ The Hidden Risks of Bubble Tea Are More Serious Than You Think

    There is such thing as too much boba.

  • Science Alert ☛ The World's Most Popular Pain Relief Drug May Induce Risky Behavior

    Wait, what?

  • Science Alert ☛ Human Trials Bring Us Closer to Breathing Through Our Butts

    A backup plan.

  • Science Alert ☛ Mysterious Glow Detected in Space Could Be Dark Matter Destroying Itself

    Is this the evidence we were looking for?

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ Handheld PC Build Is Pleasantly Chunky

    The cool thing about building your own computer is that you don’t have to adhere to industry norms of form and function. You can build whatever chunky, awesome thing your heart desires, and that’s precisely what [Rahmanshaber] did with the MutantC cyberdeck.

  • CNX Software ☛ GIGABYTE Hey Hi (AI) TOP ATOM – An NVIDIA GB10 desktop Hey Hi (AI) supercomputer with 1 petaFLOP AI, 10GbE, 128GB RAM

    GIGABYTE has introduced the Hey Hi (AI) TOP ATOM, a compact desktop Hey Hi (AI) supercomputer with 1 petaFLOP of Hey Hi (AI) performance, which is very similar to NVIDIA DGX Spark. That’s because it’s also built around the NVIDIA Grace Blackwell GB10 Superchip. Housed in a 1-liter chassis, it’s designed for generative AI, large language models, and machine learning workloads directly on the desktop. The Hey Hi (AI) TOP ATOM features 128 GB of LPDDR5x unified memory, supports up to 4 TB PCIe Gen5 SSD storage.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • The Straits Times ☛ Australia tells Hey Hi (AI) chatbot companies to detail child protection steps

    It comes as Australia’s internet regulator beefs up safety measures on the Hey Hi (AI) front.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Why children keep dying from toxic Indian cough syrup

    The recent deaths of 22 children has reignited scrutiny of the world’s largest supplier of cheap, non-patented drugs.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong schoolchildren urged to get vaccinated as 2 severe paediatric flu cases recorded in 2 days

    Hong Kong’s disease control authority has urged schoolchildren to receive the seasonal influenza vaccination as soon as possible following two severe paediatric flu infection cases in two consecutive days. The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said on Tuesday that a two-year-old girl with an underlying illness was in critical condition.

  • Futurism ☛ Former Proprietary Chaffbot Company Researcher Horrified by Conversation Logs of Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot Driving User Into Severe Mental Breakdown

    Oh, it's bad bad.

  • The Strategist ☛ Domestic rice production key as Taiwan negotiates US trade deal

    Domestic rice supply is a great security concern in Taiwan, one that’s been stoked by trade negotiations with the United States. Washington wants more access to Taiwan’s rice market.

• Proprietary

  • WhichUK ☛ What to do if your banking app goes down

    A major Amazon Web Services outage has disrupted online and mobile banking

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Futurism ☛ Hundreds of Power Players, From Steve Wozniak to Steve Bannon, Just Signed a Letter Calling for Prohibition on Development of Hey Hi (AI) Superintelligence

      "Nobody developing these Hey Hi (AI) systems has been asking humanity if this is OK."

    • Futurism ☛ OpenAI Faces New Allegations in Teen’s Death

      "We expect to prove to a jury that OpenAI's decisions to degrade the safety of its products were made with full knowledge that they would lead to innocent deaths,"

    • Futurism ☛ AWS Outage That Took Down Internet Came After Amazon Fired Tons of Workers in Favor of AI

      "As we roll out more Generative Hey Hi (AI) and agents, it should change the way our work is done."

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • The Straits Times ☛ S. Korean intelligence identifies suspect behind murder of undergrad in Cambodian scam compound

      The suspect's identity was confirmed within eight days of the student's death.

• Defence/Aggression

  • France24 ☛ The Americas' Axis of Affinity: US coercion, influence, and the ghosts of gunboat diplomacy

    In Angela Diffley's wide‑ranging interview with Daniel Landsberg‑Rodriguez, the founding partner at Aurora Macro Strategies frames the Convicted Felon administration’s approach in Latin America as a hybrid of 19th‑century coercive diplomacy combined with a novel strategy of selective alignment. The US now appears to favour governments whose leadership style resonates with Washington’s populist, anti‑institutional tone. He argues that some countries in Latin America are responding to a contest of affinity: the more Convicted Felon‑style you are, the more privileged your treatment. The shift is having major implications for countries such as Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Venezuela.

  • France24 ☛ France's Heist of the Century

    The Louvre reopening for the first time since Sunday’s heist of the century. We’ll follow leads in a daylight robbery now estimated at 88 million euros and check security at the world’s most visited museum.

  • France24 ☛ Louvre director admits 'insufficient' security and says she offered to resign after jewel heist

    The director of the Louvre on Wednesday told the French Senate there was "insufficient" security camera coverage at the instutution and that she had offered her resignation – which was refused by France's culture minister – after an audacious heist on Sunday saw thieves break into the museum and steal €88 million worth of jewels.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Nuclear power at heart of new Japan prime minister’s energy policy

    Imported fossil fuels cover 60 to 70 per cent of Japan’s electricity generation and are a source of inflation.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Pakistan helped create the Taliban. Now, their clash threatens regional security.

    Pakistan says the Taliban should stop a militant group that is attacking from Afghanistan. The tension erupted into conflict, now eased by a ceasefire.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan plans deeper military ties with US to bolster security

    This includes reciprocal visits and the observation of military exercises.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan is courting Maga influencers to get Convicted Felon’s attention

    Taiwan's leader has been using these platforms to promote its security issues to Maga audiences.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Over 10,000 police deployed for Asean Summit security in Kuala Lumpur

    The summit will be attended by several world leaders, including US President The Insurrectionist.

  • JURIST ☛ UN report finds women still excluded from formal peace processes

    A UN report published on Monday revealed that women are still largely excluded from international community activities in the fields of peacemaking and security. The report analyzed the rising number of conflicts globally and their effect on women.

  • JURIST ☛ Rights group claims Ecuador security forces have restricted public assembly

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday that Ecuadorian police and security forces have restricted freedom of assembly and periodically used disproportionate force against protesters since September 2025. Security forces have reportedly used tear gas, batons, and other “less-lethal” weapons indiscriminately and at close range, resulting in injury and, in some cases, death. >

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • New York Times ☛ G.M. Previews Talking Cars, Cheaper Batteries and Other New Tech

      Drivers will be able to converse with an artificial intelligence assistant while cars largely drive themselves in certain situations, the company said.

    • Latvia ☛ Several wind park projects on hold in Latvia's border area

      Multiple wind farm projects in the eastern border area have been stopped. One of the reasons is the country's military security interests in the border area and a map drawn up by the Ministry of Defence, which excludes many border regions from developing wind energy until 2027, Latvian Radio reports on 22 October.

    • France24 ☛ Fuel truck explodes in Nigeria and kills dozens

      In tonight's edition, dozens are killed in northern Nigeria in a gasoline tanker blast.

      Also, Ivorian authorities say their pre-election tightening of security is a bid to keep Saturday's vote smooth, as opposition voices say the dozens of convictions are a deliberate crackdown.

      And in Nigeria, inflation has seen many property owners ramp up the rent they're charging to tenants.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ Japan’s new PM is preparing large economic stimulus to tackle inflation: Sources

    The exact scale of the package, expected to be more than 13.9 trillion yen, is still being finalised.

  • New York Times ☛ Meta Cuts 600 Jobs at Hey Hi (AI) Superintelligence Labs

    The layoffs do not affect Meta’s newest Hey Hi (AI) hires, who are in some cases being paid up to hundreds of millions of dollars. The cuts were focused on correcting an earlier hiring spree.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Meta lays off 600 Hey Hi (AI) workers to streamline its Superintelligence Labs unit

    In a surprising move that bucks the trend of Silicon Valley companies aggressively hiring almost anyone with artificial intelligence skills, Meta Platforms Inc. is letting go of more than 600 people from its Hey Hi (AI) teams.

  • Futurism ☛ Kapo-berg Firing Hundreds of Hey Hi (AI) Developers After Hiring Spree

    What is going on at Meta?

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Federal News Network ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man pick to lead federal watchdog agency withdraws after offensive text messages revealed

    Hell Toupée's nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, Paul Ingrassia, was scheduled for his confirmation hearing this week.

  • Federal News Network ☛ An update on the ongoing lawsuit on the mass firings at the CFPB

    "At the D.C. Court of Appeals, in a 2-to-1 vote, the panel said the Convicted Felon administration could move forward with the reductions in force," Rich Andreano said.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • JURIST ☛ Columbia activist Mahmoud Khalil asks appeals court to block arrest efforts against him

    Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian-born US permanent resident and activist, appeared Monday in the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit seeking to affirm a lower court’s ruling that blocked his deportation and authorized his release from detention.

  • France24 ☛ Styria: The collective that wants to make Syria laugh

    “If we can laugh together, we can live together.” The phrase serves as the leitmotif of the Styria Comedy Club stand-up collective. With the fall of the Assad regime last December, Styria comedians are enjoying newfound freedoms, touring the country to perform their shows. They are also staging Syria's first-ever stand-up festival this October, with the goal of bringing Syrians together through humour. The FRANCE 24 Observers team spoke to Malke Mardinali, one of the founders.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ Travel magazine TTG closes print title to focus on digital and events growth

    CEO Daniel Pearce says strategy based on registration wall data, research reports and events.

  • Press Gazette ☛ How affiliate content opens paths to new revenue opportunities

    Commerce content is a strategic monetisation opportunity for publishers and brands.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • Latvia ☛ Does technology reduce our sense of security?

    October has been marked across Europe and Latvia as Cybersecurity Month – a time when we focus on digital safety, revisiting the fundamentals of online protection and examining the latest data. Technology and digitalization have a profound impact not only on our habits and behaviour but also on our sense of security – one of the most essential human needs.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Hackaday ☛ What Happened To Running What You Wanted On Your Own Machine?

    When the microcomputer first landed in homes some forty years ago, it came with a simple freedom—you could run whatever software you could get your hands on. Floppy disk from a friend? Pop it in. Shareware demo downloaded from a BBS? Go ahead! Dodgy code you wrote yourself at 2 AM? Absolutely. The computer you bought was yours. It would run whatever you told it to run, and ask no questions.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Supreme Court on Patents Fall 2025

    The Supreme Court's docket heading into its November and December conferences includes six pending certiorari petitions focusing on patent monopoly law and Federal Circuit procedure. I have loosely ranked them here according to some combined score that considers both the importance of the case and its likelihood of being granted certiorari.

    The leading contender is Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. v. Amarin Pharma, Inc., No. 24-889, which asks whether a generic drug manufacturer that fully carves patented uses out of its FDA-approved label can nonetheless face induced infringement liability simply by calling its product a "generic version" of the brand-name drug or referencing publicly available information about the branded product's sales. The petition challenges a Federal Circuit decision that permitted inducement claims to proceed even when Hikma's FDA-approved label omitted all direct references to Amarin's patented method of use.

  • JUVE ☛ InterDigital hit with ex parte AASI from UK High Court in Amazon case

    Last week, judge Richard Meade sharply criticised InterDigital for its actions at the Mannheim local division and Munich Regional Court. He also announced an additional hearing by the end of October in which he would hear the jurisdictional challenge and the RAND obligations.

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

    On October 15, 2025, four 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 (1-12) of U.S. Patent 10,305,638, owned and asserted by Wilus Institute of Standards & Technology, Inc., an entity of Good Day to Invent, Inc. The claims of the '638 patent monopoly are directed to access points configured to transmit a trigger frame with a particular structure to one or more stations to coordinate a multi-user uplink transmission from the station(s). 

  • Software Patents

    • Unified Patents ☛ Dominion Harbor entity, Bunker Hill, EV patent monopoly prior art found

      Unified Patents through its subsidiary, Unified IP Services, plans to release claim charted prior art on Bunker Hill patents weekly until its assertion of invalid patents ceases.

      The team at Unified IP Services used Pearl to successfully identify and chart prior art against a patent monopoly owned by Bunker Hill, an NPE and entity of Dominion Harbor Enterprises. U.S. Patent 10,442,296 generally focuses on a system for hybrid electric vehicles, optimizing how power and propulsion are managed within such vehicles.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTAB Dismisses Section 2(d) Opposition to HABANA BRISA: not Confusable with HAVANA TAN! for Sun Care Preparations

    In this contentious opposition proceeding, two pro se parties ultimately resorted to the Board's Accelerated Case Resolution regime. Opposer Robert W. Beissel alleged that the mark HABANA BRISA was likely to cause confusion with his registered mark HAVANA TAN!, both for sun care preparations (including "sun blocks"). The Board found it unnecessary to decide whether the doctrine of foreign equivalents applied here because "either way, the result under this DuPont factor would be the same -- overall the marks differ in sound, appearance, connotation and commercial impression." Robert W. Beissel v. Ron Rice Quality Suncare Products LLC and HB Suncare LLC, Opposition No. 91276355 (October 14, 2025) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Angela Lykos).

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ Merlin Confirms Multimillion-Dollar Default Judgment Push Against Triller, Which Is Focused on ‘Regaining Compliance by December’ Amid NASDAQ Listing Woes

    Merlin has confirmed the partial dismissal of its lawsuit against Triller – and doubled down on plans to seek a more than $2.5 million default judgement. Meanwhile, as it grapples with a possible NASDAQ delisting, Triller has acknowledged encountering “obstacles over the past year.” Digital Music News exclusively covered Merlin’s partial Triller suit dismissal yesterday.

  • New York Times ☛ Reddit Accuses ‘Data Scraper’ Companies of Theft

    In a lawsuit, Reddit pulled back the curtain on an ecosystem of start-ups that scrape Google’s search results and resell the information to data-hungry Hey Hi (AI) companies.