Leftovers

• Barry Kauler ☛ Glasses with wind protection

  Wasn't sure which category of my blog to post this; these glasses will be used on my trike, so posting in the "light" (traveling light) category.
  

  March 2025, had an operation; a growth was removed from the right lower-eyelid and a graft taken from inside of the left arm. Posted about it: [...]

• Hackaday ☛ Retrotechtacular: The $550K Video Conferencing System Used To Make Bee Movie

  The modern office environment has shifted in recent years. Employees are routinely asked to collaborate with co-workers half way around the globe and be camera ready, or whatever passes for webcam ready, in order to telecommute when they are out of office. Every office laptop, tablet, or cell phone these days comes equipped with some sort of camera sensor capable of recording at HD resolution. Twenty years ago, that was not the case. Though tech conglomerates like HP had a different idea of teleconferencing to sell back in 2005 dubbed the Halo Collaboration Studio.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ 14-Year-Old Wins Prize For Origami That Can Hold 10,000 Times Its Own Weight

    Congratulations Miles!

• Career/Education

  • Chronicle Of Higher Education ☛ The Forrest Dump Administration Detained a Longtime Faculty Member, Saying He's an Undocumented Immigrant

    The government says Sumith Gunasekera of Ferris State University was ineligible for legal status in the United States due to 1998 criminal charges in Canada, including a sex offense.

• Hardware

  • The Strategist ☛ Needed: massive computing power in the Northern Territory

    Australia lacks secure, onshore computing power capable of training defence algorithms, running classified simulations or supporting the advanced capability agenda under the AUKUS partnership.

  • Hackaday ☛ Raise Bikes To The Heavens With Humble Garage Door Opener

    Biking can be an incredibly rewarding hobby, but what do you do with all of your expensive pieces of metal and composite when you aren’t hitting the trails? They take up space that you could use for more bikes! [Chaz] figured there had to be a better way and discovered the unlikely solution of the humble garage opener.

  • Hackaday ☛ How To Make Big Cabinets On A Small CNC Router

    It’s easy to build big wooden furniture if you have a massive industrial CNC router, but few of us are so lucky. However, you can still build sizable stuff with a smaller router if you know what you’re doing. [Aribabox] shares some useful tricks and techniques for building large workshop cabinets on smaller machines.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-11-22 [Older] Washington state resident dies after H5N5 infection

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia’s proposed social control media ban fails to click with teens

    Some teens believe it is another form of silen­cing a group of people.

  • Science Alert ☛ Switch Turns Brain's Defenses Into Protectors Against Alzheimer's

    More than just destructive responders.

  • New York Times ☛ The Medical Case That Still Haunts Me

    A doctor grapples with a patient’s incomprehensible medical decision.

  • Science Alert ☛ Studies Find One Condition Semaglutide Doesn't Treat: Alzheimer's

    A disappointing result.

  • The Straits Times ☛ 1 in 3 South Koreans live alone in ‘super-aged’ era

    The South Korean population aged 65 and older reached 10 million for the first time in 2024.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean YouTuber helps locate missing man with disability during livestream

    Police officers who arrived at the site identified the missing man, and he was sent back to his family.

  • New Yorker ☛ The Undermining of the C.D.C.

    The Department of Health and Human Services maintains that it is hewing to “gold standard, evidence-based science”—doublespeak that might unsettle Orwell.

  • Science Alert ☛ Speaking Multiple Languages May Slow Brain Aging, Study Suggests

    A consistent pattern is emerging.

  • The Straits Times ☛ How Australia plans to ban under-16s from social control media

    Internet regulators the world over are watching to see if Australia can rein in the tech giants.

  • Science Alert ☛ Fame Can Cut Years From a Singer's Life, Study Reveals

    Somebody tell that to Keith Richards.

  • Science Alert ☛ Extreme 'Fire Amoeba' Smashes Record For Heat Tolerance

    This challenges what we know about life.

  • France24 ☛ Sri Lanka, Indonesia deploy military as regional floods leave nearly 1,000 dead

    Sri Lanka and Indonesia deployed troops on Monday to assist survivors of severe flooding that has killed nearly 1,000 people across four Asian countries. Torrential rains swept Sri Lanka, Indonesia’s Sumatra, southern Thailand and northern Malaysia last week, with separate weather systems unleashing days of intense, widespread downpours.

  • France24 ☛ Looting reported as Indonesia and Sri Lanka battle deadly floods

    Indonesian authorities said residents in flood-stricken Sumatra have looted shops for food and water as the death toll climbs to 442 and hundreds remain missing, while Sri Lanka reported at least 193 dead after days of torrential rains and mudslides.

• Proprietary

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Windows update makes sign-in password icon invisible — Abusive Monopolist Microsoft says you can still click on empty space to enter your password

    A backdoored Windows 11 Update hides the password button on the sign-in page, confusing users who need to type in their passwords.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • The New Stack ☛ Is Using Command Line Hey Hi (AI, Slop) an Option for Helping You Code?

      Earlier today, I got curious and asked myself, “How well would using command line Hey Hi (AI) work for programming?”

    • France24 ☛ 3 years of ChatGPT: China surges, Europe retreats, and we all drown in Hey Hi (AI) slop

      With the launch of Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot three years ago to the day, it looked like America had won the next major technology race before it had even started. But the landscape has shifted dramatically. China is overtaking the United States in open-source models, Europe is walking back its regulatory ambitions, and the internet is drowning in AI-generated rubbish.

• Security

  • NBC ☛ 2025-11-21 [Older] Attleboro investigating ‘cybersecurity incident’ impacting city’s IT systems

• Defence/Aggression

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-11-22 [Older] UN human rights expert urges US to lift sanctions on Cuba

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-11-22 [Older] Should the sale of Nazi-era relics be banned?

  • CBC ☛ 2025-11-17 [Older] Christian group sues Quebec City for cancelling MAGA-affiliated musician's summer concert

  • CBC ☛ 2025-11-17 [Older] Immigrants protest Quebec's removal of permanent residency pathway

  • TruthOut ☛ 2025-11-17 [Older] Canada Detains Former UN Human Rights Rapporteurs Traveling to Palestine Event

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-11-22 [Older] Nigeria: At least 315 taken in school abduction — report

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s military firms struggle as corruption purge bites, report says

    The declines contrast with strong revenue growth globally for big arms and military-services companies.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan reportedly plans first weapons purchases for T-Dome to counter China

    When asked about the reported arms purchase, Taiwan’s Defence Minister said he would not comment yet on “specific cases”.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan airline seeks role in ‘whole of society’ defence with surveillance flights to counter China

    Taiwan is seeking closer integration of civilian firms into defence.

  • JURIST ☛ Rights group warns upcoming Central African Republic elections face integrity threats

    Human Rights Watch on Friday issued a warning that growing irregularities, political interference, and security pressures threaten to compromise the credibility and inclusiveness of the upcoming general elections in the Central African Republic (CAR) scheduled for December 28, 2025. The warning comes against a backdrop of political manoeuvring in the CAR.

  • RFERL ☛ Leading Azerbaijani Opposition Figure Missing After Raids By Security Services

    Azerbaijan’s main opposition party said the Baku apartment of its leader was raided by security services and that the 58-year-old man's whereabouts were unclear.

  • New York Times ☛ Pope Leo Calls for a Two-State Solution in Mideast Conflict

    The pope, arriving in Lebanon, also encouraged that country’s Christians to stay where they are, despite economic, political and security concerns.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Japan PM Takaichi’s personal touch on social control media draws bouquets, brickbats

    She sometimes writes about her private life and differs from previous prime ministers.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s Unification Church leader on trial over graft charges

    Han's husband founded the assembly in 1954 after he was rejected by mainstream Protestant churches.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Bribery trial of Unification Church head starts in South Korea

    SEOUL, Dec 1 - A South Korean court started hearing the trial on Monday of the leader of the Unification Church, Han Hak-ja, who is accused of bribing former First Lady Kim Keon Hee with luxury items including Chanel handbags and a diamond necklace.

  • France24 ☛ US stops processing visas for Afghan allies: Tens of thousands likely to be affected

    The Forrest Dump administration has halted all asylum decisions and paused issuing visas for people traveling on Afghan passports, seizing on the National Guard shooting in the nation's capital to intensify efforts to rein in legal immigration. The move may impact the around 190,000 Afghans who were evacuated by Washington during Operation Allies Welcome and Operation Enduring Welcome, Beth Bailey, host of The Afghanistan Project Podcast. Bailey added that those most likely to be affected by the decision are the "125,000 Afghans who are still attempting to get an SIV, Special Immigrant Visas, or the 85,000 individuals who are in the US refugee admissions programme and are overseas waiting for help."

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-11-22 [Older] US, China Held Maritime Security Talks in Hawaii, Chinese Navy Says

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • LRT ☛ Weather-driven smuggling: how wind patterns dictate contraband flows

      According to meteorologist Andrius Laurynaitis, the scale of smuggler balloon incursions generally depends on weather conditions – wind direction and speed. This, he suggests, may explain why, after Lithuania closed its border checkpoints with Belarus, balloon activity temporarily ceased and Vilnius Airport operated without interruption.

    • RFERL ☛ Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome Damaged After Latest Soyuz Launch

      Russia's main launch facility for sending cosmonauts into space was damaged during the latest launch of a Soyuz capsule, prompting emergency repairs.

    • France24 ☛ History buffs flock to Czech Republic to re-enact Napoleon’s Austerlitz triumph

      Thousands of history buffs from across Europe gather each year in the Czech Republic to commemorate the Battle of Austerlitz, Napoleon’s victory over Russian and Austrian forces. Cannons and guns blazing, enthusiasts re-enact battle scenes from a campaign first fought more than 200 years ago.

    • France24 ☛ World's arms makers post record $679 billion in sales as wars fuel demand, output lags

      Sales by the world’s top 100 arms makers hit a record $679 billion last year, up 5.9% as wars in Ukraine and Gaza drove demand, researchers said on Monday, though production bottlenecks slowed deliveries. SIPRI said arms revenues have climbed 26% over the 2015–2024 period.

    • New York Times ☛ Rubio Says ‘Much Work’ to Be Done After Talks With Ukrainian Officials

      Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other U.S. officials met with a Ukrainian delegation that was without Andriy Yermak, who resigned as chief of staff to Ukraine’s president on Friday.

    • RFERL ☛ Rubio Says 'More Work' Needed After US-Ukraine Talks, As Zelenskyy To Head To Paris

      Top US and Ukrainian officials wrapped up their talks in Florida, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling the session "very productive" but saying additional work was needed in the effort to thrash out a plan to end Russia's war on Ukraine.

    • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man officials to sit down with Ukrainian negotiators in Florida

      Top Convicted Felon administration officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are meeting Ukrainian negotiators in Florida this weekend. The meeting comes after the resignation of Ukraine's top negotiator and chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, due to an anti-graft probe. FRANCE 24's Gulliver Cragg brings you the latest.

    • CS Monitor ☛ US and Ukrainian negotiators meet as Convicted Felon seeks to broker an end to the war

      President The Insurrectionist's top officials are meeting with Ukrainian negotiators in Florida. Mr. Convicted Felon has been trying to broker an end to the war in Ukraine.

    • France24 ☛ Too many cooks? Convicted Felon’s growing army of Ukraine negotiators

      With the quartet of Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Daniel Driscoll, US President The Insurrectionist’s team of negotiators pushing for peace in Ukraine seems to be growing by the minute. And they are all throwing their own ideas and strategies into the mix. Facing them is Russian President Vladimir Putin's trusted aide Kirill Dmitriev, whose diplomatic one-man show has steadfastly advanced the Kremlin’s demands.

    • France24 ☛ Rubio and Witkoff to meet with Ukraine's negotiators in Florida

      Top Convicted Felon administration officials are meeting Ukrainian negotiators in Florida this weekend, pushing to broker an end to Russia's war in Ukraine and setting the stage for key talks planned this week in Moscow with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President The Insurrectionist, were expected to sit down with a Ukrainian delegation to further hash out the details of a proposed peace framework.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ Militaries come to aid of Asia flood victims as toll nears 1,000

    The flooding that hit Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia was also exacerbated by a rare tropical storm.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-11-22 [Older] Serbia scrambles to ensure its winter energy security

    • CBC ☛ 2025-11-21 [Older] Waterboarding, sexual assault, disguises: Details of terrifying $2M B.C. bitcoin hostage-taking revealed

    • CBC ☛ 2025-11-21 [Older] Why Canada is winning the travel trade war with the U.S.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Tai Po fire: Ex-local councillor and volunteer arrested for allegedly inciting hatred of gov’t – reports

      Hong Kong national security police have reportedly arrested an ex-district councillor and a volunteer handling supplies for victims of the deadly Tai Po fire for sedition. Both are alleged to have incited hatred of the government. Kenneth Cheung, an ex-Tuen Mun district councillor, was arrested at his home in Fanling at around 7pm on Sunday.

    • The Straits Times ☛ From shipyards to steel mills, South Korean manufacturers get meme makeovers to woo Gen Z

      Firms are embracing social control media in an effort to shed their old reputations and signal cultural change.

    • I want to have a hot shower

      It all started last summer

      When my family moved to a new place. In our previous home we had a district heating service that included unlimited hot water for a fixed price. That was awesome - not very environmentally friendly and actually not very cheap, but we never ran out of hot water.

    • Hackaday ☛ Magnus Effect Drone Flies, Looks Impossible

      By now we’re all familiar with the quad-rotor design most popular among modern drones, and of course there are many variants using more or less propellers and even fixed-wing drones that can fly autonomously. We’ve even seen drones that convert from rotorcraft to fixed-wing mid flight. But there are even more esoteric drones out there that are far more experimental and use even more bizarre wing designs that look like they shouldn’t be able to fly at all. Take [Starsistor]’s latest design, which uses a single motor and an unconventional single off-center wing to generate lift.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia PM Anwar launches Perodua’s first EV with 445km range

      The car includes safety features, such as a child presence detection system.

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-11-21 [Older] Divisive fossil fuel road map scrapped in latest COP30 text

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-11-21 [Older] COP30: Summit struggles to reach fossil fuel phase out deal

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • CBC ☛ 2025-11-21 [Older] Teachers were 'heroes' in protecting students from grizzly attack on B.C.'s Central Coast, officials say

    • CBC ☛ 2025-11-21 [Older] Sow and 2 cubs likely involved in grizzly attack on B.C. school group: conservation officer

    • Science Alert ☛ 'Vampire Squid From Hell' Reveals The Ancient Origins of Octopuses

      The roots go very deep.

    • Mexico News Daily ☛ The hunt for Mexico’s rarest bird — that might not even exist

      The Imperial woodpecker may well be extinct, since one hasn't been sighted since 1956. But bird watchers are still looking, hoping to find evidence the species continues.

    • CBC ☛ 2025-11-17 [Older] These B.C. wolves figured out how to pull up crab traps to get food

    • Science Alert ☛ Chernobyl Fungus Appears to Have Evolved an Incredible Ability

      It's thriving.

    • Science Alert ☛ Wild Pigs Turned 'Neon Blue' in California, Triggering Warnings

      What the heck?

• Finance

  • CBC ☛ 2025-11-21 [Older] What's behind the spike in jewelry store smash-and-grabs in Ontario

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-11-22 [Older] Why German companies can't quit China

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-11-22 [Older] India: Unions call for nationwide action over labor reforms

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-11-22 [Older] Marjorie Taylor Greene resigns after public feud with Cheeto Mussolini

  • The Straits Times ☛ Anwar’s ally still in charge of Sabah, but danger looms for Malaysian PM’s own support base

    Anwar ally Hajiji Noor secured a second term as Sabah chief minister but the PM's coalition was trounced.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia PM faces electoral setback as allies fall in Sabah state polls

    KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 - Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's allies were trounced in a regional election, results showed on Sunday, a grim first electoral test for the leader after three years in office.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-11-21 [Older] Fact check: Why "85% of refugees are Muslim" is false

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Japanese ‘One Piece’ singer halted mid-performance in China

    Japanese “One Piece” singer Maki Otsuki was forced to halt her performance on stage in Shanghai, her management said, one of the latest events hit by a diplomatic spat between Tokyo and Beijing.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Objective Boundaries or Bust: CAFC Reaffirms Indefiniteness for the Best Metrics

    CAFC affirms indefiniteness of “optimal/best” routing claims, emphasizing post-Nautilus need for objective boundaries when multiple metrics diverge.

• Trademarks

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ USPTO’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy: The Quiet Death of Thaler and the Legal Fiction of Human Inventorship

    USPTO Creates a Legal Fiction of Human Inventorship, Undermining Thaler.