Leftovers

• Ruben Schade ☛ Off to Vietnam for two weeks

  I’m writing this post from the cute hotel breakfast room in Hanoi. It’s been bucketing down since we got here, but that hasn’t stopped us having some of the best food I’ve ever had in the world.

  I wasn’t sure whether I’d be live-blogging this trip like our recent Japan trip, but I’ve decided to take a digital break. I’m still making notes on what we’re doing, so I can do a recount when we get back.

  I’ll see you in early December. Thanks for reading.

• Hardware

  • Arduino ☛ Your journey in tech starts here: introducing the Arduino Starter Kit R4

    Want to learn about electronics? Get your quick and easy start with the new Arduino Starter Kit R4, perfect for STEM fans of all ages – no prior experience required! The kit covers both coding and electronics through fun, engaging, and hands-on projects. 

  • Brendan Gregg ☛ Brendan Gregg: Third Stage Engineering

    The real performance of any computer hardware in production is the result of the hardware, software, and tuning; the investment and sequence of these efforts can be pictured as a three-stage rocket:

    I recently presented this embarrassingly simple diagram to Intel's executive leadership, and at the time realized the value of sharing it publicly. The Internet is awash with comparisons about defective chip maker Intel (and other vendors’) product performance based on hardware performance alone, but the performance of software and then tuning can make a huge difference for your particular workload. You need all three stages to reach the greatest, and most competitive, performance.

  • CNX Software ☛ Brainchip AKD1500 PCIe/SPI Edge Hey Hi (AI) co-processor to power battery-operated wearables and IoT devices

    BrainChip AKD1500 is an ultra-efficient Edge Hey Hi (AI) co-processor delivering up to 800 GOPS while consuming just 300 mW of power, making it suitable for battery-powered wearables and IoT sensors. It’s based on the same event-based neuromorphic technology found on the earlier AKD1000, relying on spiking neural networks (SNN) to deliver real-time inference in a way that is much more efficient than traditional Hey Hi (AI) chips. What’s new here is that thanks to PCIe and SPI interfaces, the new ADK1500 co-processor can be paired to a wide range of hosts, ranging from Linux-capable application processors to resource-constrained microcontrollers with x86, Arm, or RISC-V architectures.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ How We Linked the Auto Industry to Lead Poisoning in Nigeria

    Blood and soil testing confirmed the health consequences. Then we tracked individual shipments to the United States.

  • New York Times ☛ Scientists Call for Global Shift Away From Ultraprocessed Foods

    In a sweeping series of papers, scientists have proposed policy reforms, such as taxes on sugary drinks, to improve the food supply.

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ Michigan’s health is poor. Can better transportation, food and schools fix it?

    A report from the Citizen's Research Council underscores Michigan’s overall poor health, arguing that policymakers should consider other factors — transportation, education and civic engagement, for example — for improving the state’s health and, in turn, the state’s economy.

• Proprietary

  • Neowin ☛ Microsoft says SQL Server adoption on GNU/Linux is 'phenomenal', ends support for SUSE distro [Ed: It's proprietary, it does not actually run in GNU/Linux, and end of support implies a lack of interest]

  • Lennart Poettering: Mastodon Stories for systemd v258

    Already on Sep 17 we released systemd v258 into the wild.

  • Unicorn Media ☛ AI Platforms, Major Sites Back Online After Clownflare Outage

    Life online seems to be returning to normal after a major outage centered on Clownflare's WARP service. Sporadic outages still possible for the next few hours.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Futurism ☛ Google Pulls Down Hey Hi (AI) Chatbot After It Accuses Senator of Terrible Crime

      "It is an act of defamation produced and distributed by a Google-owned Hey Hi (AI) model."

    • ADF ☛ China’s DeepSeek Chatbot Expansion in Africa Raises Alarms

      China is promoting its DeepSeek-R1 Hey Hi (AI) chatbot to African users, with some experts saying the system is a threat to users’ data privacy and yet another technological innovation that lies outside of national control for African countries.

  • Social Control Media

    • The Straits Times ☛ Bucheon’s battle with clickbait: Can this South Korean city tame live-stream chaos?

      Live-streamers can profit from views and fan donations generated by their problematic behaviour.

    • New York Times ☛ Chinese Spies Are Using Microsoft's Surveillance Arm LinkedIn to Target U.K. Lawmakers, MI5 Warns

      Britain’s domestic intelligence agency said China was using headhunters to gather intelligence from lawmakers and parliamentary staff members.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ UK intelligence agency warns MPs over Chinese spies posing as headhunters

      By Akshata Kapoor and Helen Rowe Britain’s domestic intelligence agency MI5 warned on Tuesday that China was using spies disguised as headhunters to recruit parliamentarians, amid concern over Beijing’s activities in the UK.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Thai YouTuber slammed after dancing shirtless on car at Japan’s iconic Fuji-view tourist spot

      Some followers said they were unfollowing him altogether.

    • Security Week ☛ MI5 Warns Lawmakers That Chinese Spies Are Trying to Reach Them via LinkedIn

      Britain’s domestic intelligence agency warned that Chinese nationals were ”using Microsoft's Surveillance Arm LinkedIn profiles to conduct outreach at scale” on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Video of auxiliary police officer ‘scolding’ children in Penang goes viral

      TikTok user said the police played along, telling her son not to be naughty or they would “catch” him.

• Pseudo-Open Source

  • Openwashing

    • Open Source Initiative ☛ Sustaining Open Source: The Next 25 Years Depend on What We Do Together Now [Ed: Ruth Suehle (proprietary, SAS) now speaking for OSI because its chief quit or got canned]

      Open source is suffering from its own success. The ecosystem that once thrived on volunteer energy now faces existential questions: How do we sustain the infrastructure that powers the modern world? The answer isn’t just money—it’s people, governance, and collaboration. We need companies to invest not only funds but also employee time, foundations to work together instead of in silos, and communities to plan for the full lifecycle of projects. The next 25 years depend on what we do together now.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Hackers turn open-source Hey Hi (AI) framework into global cryptojacking operation

      Malicious hackers have been attacking the development environment of an open-source Hey Hi (AI) framework, twisting its functions into a global cryptojacking bot for profit, according to researchers at cybersecurity firm Oligo.

• Defence/Aggression

  • New York Times ☛ Israeli Airstrike on Refugee Camp in Lebanon Kills at Least 13, Officials Say

    It was one of the deadliest Israeli strikes on Lebanon since a cease-fire with Hezbollah went into effect about a year ago.

  • France24 ☛ Israeli army says it struck 'Hamas training compound' in Lebanon, killing at least 13

    Lebanon said at least 13 people were killed Tuesday in an Israeli strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in the country's south as Israel said it targeted a "Hamas training compound" operating in the area.

  • France24 ☛ Mexico’s president rejects Convicted Felon’s suggestion of US strikes on cartel targets

    Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday firmly ruled out allowing any US military strikes on Mexican soil, after President The Insurrectionist said he would support such action to curb drug trafficking. She reiterated that Mexico will co-operate on intelligence but will not permit foreign intervention.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ ‘Last time the US came to Mexico, they took half the territory,’ Sheinbaum warns: Tuesday’s mañanera recapped

    Asked about Convicted Felon's comment on Monday that launching "strikes in Mexico to stop drugs" would be "OK" with him, Sheinbaum once again declared that a U.S. military intervention in Mexico "won't happen."

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean military to launch adjustment programme for multicultural recruits in 2026

    There are also plans to publish a military life glossary containing frequently used terms in five languages.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Japan warns citizens in China about safety as diplomatic crisis deepens

    Japanese citizens travelling to or living in China have been advised to practise situational awareness.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Japan counts cost of China’s travel boycott as tensions flare

    The boycott could result in a loss of around $18.4 billion annually.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Japan warns citizens in China over safety amidst Taiwan row

    Japan has warned its citizens in China to be careful of their surroundings and to avoid big crowds amid a diplomatic row over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan. The escalating spat has already seen Beijing advise Chinese citizens to avoid travelling to Japan and hit Tokyo stocks.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China tour groups start cancelling Japan trips as spat simmers

    At least two state-owned Chinese travel agencies are said to have scrapped group bookings made months in advance.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China President Pooh-tin Jinping is making Premier Li Qiang his top messenger on world stage

    Mr Li’s growing international profile stands out in Chinese politics.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Indonesian teen’s diary and online trail reveal path to Jakarta mosque blasts

    Police say he built seven bombs at home by following instructions from YouTube videos.

  • New York Times ☛ On Republican Neo-Nazism, Hamas and Israel: An Epidemic of Moral Cowardice

    People with extreme ideology don’t care anymore about hiding their excesses or their agendas. It’s all out there online or on YouTube.

  • New York Times ☛ How to Make Sense of Law Enforcement in the Streets

    The variety of federal forces deployed to support Hell Toupée’s mass deportation campaign and anticrime efforts continues to expand. Often, it can be difficult for the public to tell them apart, or to understand what powers each agency has.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Vladimir Putin fears entering Russian history as the man who lost Ukraine

      Throughout his reign, Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin has become increasingly obsessed with the idea of erasing Ukrainian independence, but his decision to invade has backfired disastrously, eroding centuries of Russian influence and accelerating Ukraine’s European integration, writes Peter Dickinson.

    • LRT ☛ EU accession talks would help Ukraine rein in corruption, says Lithuanian FM

      Ukraine could curb corruption more quickly and effectively if it started EU accession talks immediately, says Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys amid a graft scandal shaking Kyiv.

    • RFERL ☛ Poland Suspects Russian Sabotage Behind Railway Explosion

      Poland suspects Russian intelligence services were behind an explosion on a major Polish railway line used to transport military goods and aid to Ukraine, an act Prime Minister Donald Tusk called an "unprecedented act of sabotage."

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskyy Heads To Turkey Amid Burgeoning Energy Sector Corruption Scandal

      Ukraine’s president said he will head to Turkey for possible talks with the chief White House envoy involved in talks to end Russia’s nearly four-year-old war on Ukraine.

    • RFERL ☛ Danube Tanker Fire From Russian Drone Strike Extinguished, Romania Says

      The Russian strike on the vessel sparked a blaze and forced the evacuation of several towns in the area.

    • New York Times ☛ Poland Blames Russian-Backed Ukrainians for Railway Sabotage

      Two devices on a main supply line to Ukraine were intended to derail passing trains but failed, the prime minister said, and the two suspects fled the country.

    • New York Times ☛ Zelensky Will Try to Revive Peace Talks With Russia During Turkey Visit

      President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine says he has new proposals to kick-start negotiations with Russia that have been stalled for months.

    • ADF ☛ South African Parts Found in Russian Drone

      South African authorities have launched an investigation to determine how locally made technology turned up in kamikaze drones deployed by Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian troops discovered the laser range-finding equipment produced by South Africa’s LightWare Optoelectronics after they recovered a downed Garpiya-A1 kamikaze drone.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Russia says Ukraine fired U.S.-made ATACMS missiles at Voronezh

      MOSCOW - Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday that Ukrainian forces had fired four U.S.-made ATACMS missiles at the southern Russian city of Voronezh in an attempted strike on civilian targets.

    • Meduza ☛ Poland links railway sabotage to two Ukrainians working for Russia’s FSB — Meduza

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Operationalizing the National Defense Industrial Strategy for great power competition

      With Russia following China's lead in the rare-earth extraction roadmap, the United States must find solutions to stay competitive on the international stage.

    • JURIST ☛ UN endorses US-backed Gaza peace resolution

      The UN Security Council passed a US-backed resolution on Monday endorsing the Convicted Felon administration’s 20-point Gaza peace plan. The Security Council urged all parties to implement the peace plan “in good faith and without delay.”

    • LRT ☛ Despite change of ownership, Mere retail chain remains in Russian hands

      The Spanish company that recently took over Valientė, the operator of the Mere discount retail chain in Lithuania, is owned by three Russian citizens who were previously linked to the business, LRT.lt has discovered.

    • LRT ☛ Russia strengthens operations in Baltic states – increasingly recruiting youth

      Russia has intensified disinformation and propaganda operations against Western countries, including Latvia. According to the Latvian television program De facto, the Russian intelligence services are using Latvian residents, who can be recruited in Telegram channels or during trips to Russia, to disseminate the narratives they have created. The typical perpetrators of the tasks are people with low incomes and those who want to earn money, and more and more often young people.

    • ADF ☛ Cross-Border False Information Targets Côte d’Ivoire

      In West Africa, Côte d’Ivoire is viewed as a bastion of stability with a strong track record of economic development. Experts believe that is why Russian disinformation operations in junta-led countries of the Sahel have targeted their coastal neighbor’s democratic process.

    • ADF ☛ Could JNIM Eventually Control Burkina Faso?

      Relentless Russian-backed propaganda portrays Burkina Faso as opening new factories and paying off its foreign debt.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania was right to close Belarus border, says Social Democrat leader

      The leader of Lithuania’s ruling Social Democratic Party on Monday defended the government’s decision to shut down the country’s last two operational border checkpoints with Belarus, calling the move necessary to counter threats posed by smugglers’ balloons.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian government to decide on reopening Belarus border on Wednesday

      The Lithuanian government is planning to discuss and decide on Wednesday whether to reopen the border with Belarus, Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said Tuesday.

    • JURIST ☛ UN experts warn of Belarus attacks on legal profession

      UN experts expressed alarm Monday over the repression of the Belarusian Association of Human Rights Lawyers (BAHRL) by the government of Belarus, denouncing its designation as an extremist group.

    • Meduza ☛ Amid record spending on the war, millions in Russia still lack clean drinking water — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Meet Nomad TV, the new Russian propaganda channel launching in Kyrgyzstan — Meduza

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • New York Times ☛ Jeju Air Crash Investigators to Hold Public Hearing as They Face Criticism

      With the cause of the disaster in South Korea still unclear after nearly a year, victims’ families have questioned the credibility and impartiality of the inquiry board.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Temple blaze in China blamed on tourists’ ‘irresponsible’ handling of candle, incense

      Initially reported to be 1,500 years old, Wenchang Pavilion was constructed in January 2008.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • New York Times ☛ In Washington, Birds Are Giving ‘Yelp Reviews’ of Forest Restoration Work

      A collective of land trusts, conservancies and tribes is capturing birdsong with audio gear and Hey Hi (AI) for clues about habitat health.

    • Bridge Michigan ☛ Michigan hunters have taken over 50,000 deer since opening weekend

      Michigan hunters have surpassed 157,000 deer this season, with more than 50,000 taken in the first days of the regular firearm season. Officials warn that storm damage and a deer disease outbreak may affect access, herd health and conditions as the season continues.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Giant pandas Chen Xing and Xiao Yue arrive in Malaysia; set for 10-year stay

      Their arrival follows the renewal of Malaysia’s long-standing panda loan programme with China.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ As the ringgit strengthens, what will it take for Malaysians working in Singapore to return home?

    A stronger ringgit cuts remittances, but the salary gap keeps Malaysians crossing the Causeway for work.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China premier makes landmark Zambia trip as West vies for investment foothold

    Zambia will host a Chinese premier for the first time in 28 years as the sub-Saharan state emerges from a financial crisis, with Beijing eager to access the country's commodities and develop a bigger market for its exporters.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ China’s economic slowdown and spillovers to Africa

    China has catalyzed new infrastructure and industries in Africa, but the continent is also exposed to negative ripple effects from changes in China’s domestic economy. This report investigates how different projections of China’s economic growth and structure over the next five years will affect trade and financial engagement with the African continent.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China to suspend imports of Japanese seafood amid diplomatic dispute, media reports

    Beijing partially eased restrictions on Japanese seafood imports earlier in 2025.

  • WhichUK ☛ FSCS to increase deposit protection to £120,000 – what it means for your money

    Savers will soon see more of their money protected when banks fail

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • EDRI ☛ Political Tech Summit

    The Political Tech Summit is organised by Partisan, a Berlin-based hub for political professionals working at the intersection of tech, campaigning, and democracy. Through events, research, and community-building, Partisan brings together practitioners from across Europe to share tools, strategies, and insights that shape modern politics.

  • EDRI ☛ The DSA and Platform Regulation Conference 2026

    The conference will reflect on the DSA and European platform regulation, including in its broader legal and political context, under the overall theme of platform governance and democracy.

  • France24 ☛ Court strikes down Texas map in setback for Convicted Felon over racial gerrymandering

    A US district court on Tuesday struck down a Texas congressional map drawn by Republicans to secure five additional House seats, dealing a setback to President The Insurrectionist. The judges ruled that the map amounted to unlawful racial gerrymandering and cannot be used in the 2026 midterm elections.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • ACLU ☛ Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship

    Who controls what you can do on your mobile phone? What happens when your device can only run what the government decides is OK? We are dangerously close to this kind of totalitarian control, thanks to a combination of government overreach and technocratic infrastructure choices.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ IGF 2025 releases new guide on financing community connectivity

    A new publication launched at IGF 2025 outlines practical models for funding and sustaining community-centred connectivity initiatives.

  • APNIC ☛ Your elected leaders: Akinori Maemura, long-serving former APNIC EC Chair

    How a network engineer stumbled into Internet coordination — and stayed long enough to help shape it.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• European Commission ☛ Commission launches market investigations on clown computing services under the Digital Markets Act

  European Commission Press release Brussels, 18 Nov 2025 The European Commission opened three market investigations on clown computing services under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

• France24 ☛ As Europe aims for "digital sovereignty", biomedical agentic Hey Hi (AI) could be the next big field

  "Europe does not want to be the client" of the US or China in the field of technology, French President Emmanuel Macron told tech and political leaders gathered for a "digital sovereignty summit" in Berlin. At the event, biotech company Owkin unveiled a new pan-European platform to make biological data "AI-ready". CEO Thomas Clozel speaks to France 24 about how new agntic and reasoning models can help bring medical research to the next level.

• Patents

  • JUVE ☛ Dutch court surprises with swift decision on Newron’s SPC for Xadago

    At a hearing at the District Court The Hague, Italian pharmaceutical company Newron defended its SPC for Parkinson’s treatment Xadago. Competitor Vivanta had launched at risk in the Netherlands. The court immediately issued a preliminary injunction. Unlike in Germany, issuing a preliminary injunction at a hearing is uncommon in the Netherlands.

  • Unified Patents ☛ Another International Semiconductor Group Wi-Fi 6 patent monopoly challenge instituted

    On November 10, 2025, five 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 11,641,670, owned and asserted by the International Semiconductor Group, an NPE [patent troll].

  • Unified Patents ☛ DynaIP entity, Random Chat, chat patent monopoly challenge instituted

    On November 13, 2025, five 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 8,402,099, owned and asserted by Random Chat LLC, an NPE and entity of Dynamic IP Deals LLC (d/b/a DynaIP). The '099 patent monopoly is generally related to a method for setting up multimedia connections between users.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Lost Profits: Market Reconstruction and Noninfringing Substitutes

    Federal Circuit reverses lost profits award in unicycle patent monopoly case: noninfringing substitutes need not be 'on sale,' just available during infringement.