Leftovers

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Time Moves Faster on Mars, And Scientists Finally Know by How Much

    "This is the closest we have been to realizing the science fiction vision of expanding across the Solar System."

  • Science Alert ☛ Mysterious Structure Identified Beneath Bermuda Could Explain Its Weird Geology

    A massive discovery.

  • Science Alert ☛ Earth Has Two North Poles. How Does Santa Know Which One Is Home?

    No, seriously, there's some good science here.

• Hardware

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ China convicts 27 people for smuggling 166 tons of critical chipmaking element antimony — heavily-restricted mineral used for semiconductor manufacturing exported without licenses, court decides

    A Chinese court sentenced 27 individuals for illegally exporting antimony ingots without licenses, with authorities saying more than 166 metric tons were smuggled earlier this year.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ Mangione’s Lawyers Take Issue With Bondi’s Ties to UnitedHealthcare

    Lawyers for Luigi Mangione, who is accused of killing UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive, say Attorney General Pam Bondi should have recused herself from the case.

  • New York Times ☛ R.F.K. Jr. Likely to Swap U.S. Childhood Vaccine Schedule for Denmark’s

    The shift would mean fewer shots recommended for children. But a Danish health official found the idea baffling, saying the United States was getting “crazier and crazier in public health.”

  • New Yorker ☛ The Role of Doctors Is Changing Forever

    Some patients don’t trust us. Others say they don’t need us. It’s time for us to think of ourselves not as the high priests of health care but as what we have always been: healers.

  • The Straits Times ☛ K-beauty’s next chapter centres on ‘whole self’ wellness, according to Olive Young report

    Functional drinks, gummies and snack-style supplements are gaining traction.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Reveal How Tanning Beds Age Your Skin on a Genetic Level

    "The skin of tanning bed users appeared decades older."

  • Science Alert ☛ Antiperspirant vs Deodorant: An Expert Explains The Key Difference

    They're not the same, and here's why it matters.

  • Science Alert ☛ DNA From Ancient Hunter-Gatherers May Boost Your Odds of Living Past 100

    The genes have it.

  • Science Alert ☛ 'Your Mouth And Your Heart Are Connected': Gum Disease Linked to Heart Risks

    The evidence is growing.

  • Science Alert ☛ Why Holiday 'Rest' Doesn't Actually Restore Us, And What Works Better

    The way you relax may be backfiring.

  • Science Alert ☛ Most People Develop Diverticulosis in Their Gut by Age 80… So What Is It?

    The more you know...

  • Science Alert ☛ Cutting Back One Amino Acid Increased The Lifespan of Mice Up to 33%

    Intriguing...

  • Futurism ☛ Lawsuits Allege Ozempic Is Causing Blindness

    More than 70 lawsuits are pending in federal and state courts.

  • JURIST ☛ New York governor agrees to approve medically assisted suicide bill

    New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday her intention to approve the state legislature’s Medical Aid in Dying Act (MADA), which will allow terminally ill patients to request a medically assisted death.

• Proprietary

  • New York Times ☛ Why Roomba Died + Tech Predictions for 2026 + A Hard Forkin’ Xmas Song

    “We were roadkill,” says Colin Angle, former chief executive of iRobot, maker of the robot vacuum.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Bruce Schneier ☛ AI Advertising Company Hacked

      At least some of this is coming to light:

      Doublespeed, a startup backed by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) that uses a phone farm to manage at least hundreds of AI-generated social control media accounts and promote products has been hacked. The hack reveals what products the AI-generated accounts are promoting, often without the required disclosure that these are advertisements, and allowed the hacker to take control of more than 1,000 smartphones that power the company.

      The hacker, who asked for anonymity because he feared retaliation from the company, said he reported the vulnerability to Doublespeed on October 31. At the time of writing, the hacker said he still has access to the company’s backend, including the phone farm itself.

    • Futurism ☛ TikTok Accounts Are Using Hey Hi (AI) Slop to Sell Seeds to Plants That Don’t Exist

      "So magical, your neighbors will think it isn't real."

  • Social Control Media

    • Digital Music News ☛ TikTok Officially Signs Deals with Oracle, Silver Lake, & MGX to Sell Off US Business — Revamped ‘TikTok USA’ Expected Next Month

      TikTok has finally signed an agreement with three major investors including Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX to form the new Fentanylware (CheeTok) US joint venture. The deal is expected to close on January 22, according to an internal memo seen by the Associated Press. CEO Shou Zi Chew has confirmed to employees that ByteDance and Fentanylware (CheeTok) […]

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ TikTok signs joint venture deal to avert US ban threat

      TikTok said Thursday it has signed a joint venture deal with investors that would allow the company to maintain operations in the United States and avoid a ban threat over its Chinese ownership.

    • The Mysterious Forces Steering Views on Hacker News

      Hacker News is neither unbiased nor free from censorship. While it generally remains hands-off with neutral content, the moment a post that’s critical or even just slightly negative towards projects or companies affiliated with Y Combinator (either directly or indirectly) gains traction, the platform’s moderation team will seemingly step in to significantly limit its reach.

      Unfortunately, I don’t believe there’s anything the community can do about this, as Hacker News has maintained its position as a leading tech news institution for years, with little competition on the horizon. As search engines continue their decline and are increasingly replaced by similarly censored LLMs, the discoverability of tech content, especially slightly more critical pieces, is likely to become a significant challenge in the future. My only advice is to keep in mind that, whenever you find yourself browsing Hacker News, you’re seeing a curated view of the current tech landscape that won’t necessarily represent the full picture.

• Security

  • Hackaday ☛ This Week In Security: PostHog, Project Zero Refresh, And Thanks For All The Fish

    There’s something immensely satisfying about taking a series of low impact CVEs, and stringing them together into a full exploit. That’s the story we have from [Mehmet Ince] of Prodraft, who found a handful of issues in the default PostHog install instructions, and managed to turn it into a full RCE, though only accessible as a user with some configuration permissions.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • The Straits Times ☛ 240,000 victims of Coupang data leak sue South Korean company

      The data breach is thought to have leaked personal information related to around 33 million Coupang users .

• Defence/Aggression

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Strikes Islamic State Targets in Syria

    American forces struck dozens of suspected ISIS sites, making good on Hell Toupée’s vow to avenge two American soldiers and a civilian U.S. interpreter killed by the group last week.

  • France24 ☛ US launches retaliatory strikes Islamic State group targets in Syria

    The US military has carried out a wave of airstrikes against dozens of Islamic State targets across central Syria, US officials said, in retaliation for a deadly attack on American personnel. The strikes follow President The Insurrectionist’s pledge to respond after two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in an assault last weekend near Palmyra.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Man in South Korea stabs friend after believing he abused his dog

    The suspect found his dog bleeding at his home, which he believed was the victim’s doing.

  • New York Times ☛ Immigration Officials Deport Queens 6-Year-Old and Father Who Fled China

    Hundreds of people had rallied for the family in New York City after they were separated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in November.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China, US seek Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire ahead of ASEAN meeting

    Thailand and Cambodia accuse each other of moves that led to the breakdown of a July truce.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China threatens ‘forceful measures’ over US arms sales package to Taiwan

    The US$11.1 billion (S$14.3 billion) package is the largest ever by the US ‍to the island.

  • France24 ☛ China threatens 'forceful measures' over $11.1 billion US arms sales package to Taiwan

    Beijing again lashed out at a planned US arms sales package to Taiwan on Friday, with the Chinese defence ministry threatening to take "forceful measures" over the $11 billion weapons package approved by US State Department and awaiting congressional approval.

  • France24 ☛ US arms package to Taiwan seen as a 'move to use Taiwan to contain China'

    The United States have announced a $11 billion arms package for Taiwan, the largest ever by the country to the island. China has threatened 'forceful measures' over the sale to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is seen as a move to 'use Taiwan to contain China' Rex Li, professor of International Relations at King's College London, says.

  • RFERL ☛ Pakistan Launches Fourth Hangor Submarine In China

    Pakistan's Navy on December 17 launched its fourth Hangor-class submarine, the PNS Ghazi, at the Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group’s Shuangliu Base in Wuhan, marking the completion of construction for all four China-built boats in a landmark eight-submarine program.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Australia debates new laws to restrict hate and suspend protests

    The premier of New South Wales said the proposed law to ban protests was extraordinary but necessary.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean rail workers plan to go on strike from Dec 23

      A union claimed the Ministry of Economy and Finance was trying to discard changes to a bonus system.

    • Mexico News Daily ☛ An 18-year miners’ strike comes to an end in Sonora

      Cananea miners celebrated a government-funded agreement that won them backpay and pensions without the participation of mine owner Grupo México.

    • Futurism ☛ Furious Residents Say Hey Hi (AI) Data Centers Are Sucking Up the Great Lakes

      "They're not good, I know that."

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ North Korean hackers stole record $2 billion in crypto in 2025, including single heist worth $1.5 billion, report claims — rogue state accounts for 60% of all reported crypto thefts this year, $6.75 billion total since records began

      Blockchain analytics company Chainalysis says DPRK has set a record for 2025, with the regime expected to execute more sophisticated attacks in the future.

• Finance

  • France24 ☛ Customers fill in to Beijing's new consumer robot shopping centre

    Are you stuck at the last minute for a Christmas gift? Wondering how to “wow” your child when they open their presents? Well, Beijing might have a solution for you: The world’s first consumer robot shopping centre. New this year, it has everything. From robot baristas to football-playing humanoids, from chess-playing robots to dancing machine-dogs. It’s part of a wider push towards robotics and Hey Hi (AI) across the whole of China. Our correspondent Jan Camenzind Broomby went to take a closer look.

  • FAIR ☛ Derek Seidman on Starbucks Strike, Mitch Jones on AI vs. Environment

  • FAIR ☛ Nonprofits Purge Websites of Diversity Language in Futile Attempt to Appease MAGA Inquisitors

    ProPublica data reporter Ellis Simani (12/17/25) reviewed many of the mission statements that nonprofits included in tax filings sent to the IRS this year. He found that over a thousand nonprofits had removed or minimized language tied to race, inequity and historically disadvantaged communities in their mission statements, with some also scrubbing DEI language from their websites, job titles and, in some cases, even the group’s name.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • FAIR ☛ FCC Fights First Amendment and ‘Democracy Itself’

    Variety (12/17/25): FCC chair Brendan Carr “suggested that he was simply holding broadcasters to a legally required ‘public interest standard’ when he…threatened ABC and its affiliates if they did not ‘take action’ on [talk host Jimmy] Kimmel.” FAIR readers know well how the content of news is connected to its structure. Even as we see reporters doing community-serving, powerful-afflicting work, the key questions, when push comes to editorial shove, are: Who owns it? Who pays the bills?

  • New York Times ☛ Mamdani Revamps Hiring After Old Antisemitic Remarks Prompt Aide to Quit

    Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said he did not know about the antisemitic posts and would not have hired the woman who made them if he had.

  • FAIR ☛ ‘You Have a Double Standard About Which Populations Are Considered Roulette Chips' - CounterSpin interview with Judd Legum and Adam Johnson on gambling on the news

    Janine Jackson interviewed Popular Information‘s Judd Legum and Citations Needed‘s Adam Johnson about gambling on the news for the December 12, 2025, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ Lobby journalists ‘furious’ as No 10 scraps afternoon briefing

    Political journalists warn over loss of scrutiny.

  • Press Gazette ☛ The Fence raises funds to boost investigative content and expand team

    The magazine is launching ads in its print edition and will increase its investigative work.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • European Commission ☛ Commission proposes to extend Interim Regulation allowing providers to continue voluntary detection and reporting of child sexual abuse

    European Commission Press release Brussels, 19 Dec 2025 Today, the European Commission proposed an extension of the Interim Regulation, laying down a derogation from certain provisions of the e-Privacy Directive for the purpose of combating online child sexual abuse.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Avicii Estate Faces Lawsuit from Former Manager Ash Pournouri Over ‘Misdirected Attacks’ and Reputational Damage: ‘I Was Blamed and Judged in Public for Things I Didn’t Do’

    Ash Pournouri is suing the Avicii estate in Sweden, claiming he’s been “overwhelmed with misdirected attacks” and reputational damage due to inaccurate portrayals of his role in the late artist’s life.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Internet Society ☛ WSIS+20 Reaffirms Multistakeholder Governance and a Lasting IGF

    The outcome document of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+20 review reaffirms a commitment to the conditions that have enabled the Internet to thrive.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTAB Upholds Three Refusals Because Applicant Provided its Counsel's Address, not its Domicile Address

    The Board affirmed refusals to register the mark shown below, along with two similar marks, for film production and streaming services, on the ground that Applicant Solace Cine LLC failed to provide its domicile address as required by Section 1(a)(2) of the Lanham Act and by Rule 2.189. Solace provided the address of its counsel’s law firm, but with no statement that the law firm address was Solace’s principal place of business. That was unacceptable. In re Solace Cine LLC, Serial Nos. 98558485, 98558583, and 98558650 (December 18, 2025) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Elizabeth A. Dunn).