Leftovers

• Evan Hahn ☛ Notes from "On Writing Well"

  I’ve been trying to improve my writing so I read On Writing Well by William Zinsser.

  My main takeaways:

  Clear thinking is a prerequisite for clear writing. How do you avoid cluttered writing? “The answer is to clear our heads of clutter. Clear thinking becomes clear writing; one can’t exist without the other. It’s impossible for a muddy thinker to write good English.”

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 1 dead, 8 injured in Hong Kong housing estate fire; authorities probe possible power fault

  Hong Kong authorities are investigating the cause of a fire at Shek Kip Mei Estate that left one man dead and eight injured, as more than 250 residents were evacuated.

• Ruben Schade ☛ “You shouldn’t make New Year’s Resolutions!”

  There’s a particular type of journalism that comes alive at this time of year, thanks to the humble New Year’s Resolution. Writers of all stripes, dots, and houndstooths set aside their heartfelt political and philosophical differences, and find common cause in pointing out that we shouldn’t be making resolutions at all, dontchaknow?

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ 'Fish Mouth' Filter Removes 99% of Microplastics From Laundry Waste

    Thank you, nature.

  • Science Alert ☛ Blushing May Have Hidden Social Advantages, Experts Suggest

    Here's why we do it.

  • Science Alert ☛ Unique 'Golden Shark' Caught Off Central America Diagnosed With Rare Condition

    Those eyes!

  • Science Alert ☛ 'Oatzempic' Fad Isn't a Weight-Loss Drug Alternative. Experts Explain Why.

    It's no 'magic drink'.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Simple Change to Your Standing Desk Could Make Workdays Healthier

    Here’s what to consider.

  • Science Alert ☛ Origins of Dental Braces Aren't as Ancient as We Once Thought

    They probably didn't even need them.

  • Science Alert ☛ Silencing Bacterial 'Chatter' in Your Mouth May Help Prevent Tooth Decay

    It's noisy in there.

• Career/Education

  • New York Times ☛ One Week Without Smartphones on a College Campus

    A student-organized “tech fast” at St. John’s College thrust young people headfirst into a world of chalkboard-based communication. (On that note: Has anyone seen Eliza?)

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ Reviving ReBoot With A Tape Deck Repair

    Do you remember ReBoot? If you were into early CGI, the name probably rings a bell, since when it premiered in 1994 it was the first fully computer-animated show on TV. Some time ago, a group found a pile of tapes from Mainframe Studios in Canada, the people behind ReBoot, and the computer historians amongst us were very excited… until they turned out to be digital broadcast master tapes. Exciting for fans of lost media, sure, but not quite the LTO backups of Mainframe’s SGI workstations some of us had hoped would turn up. Still, [Mark Westhaver], [Bryan Baker] and others at the “ReBoot Rewind” project have made great strides, to the point that in their latest update video they declare “We Saved ReBoot”

  • Hackaday ☛ An RPN Calculator And A Bonus VFD Clock From Casio Revival

    Have you heard the saying “the problem is the solution”? It seems to originate in the permaculture movement, but it can apply equally well to electronics. Take the problem [shiura] had: a Casio Mini CM-602 that had let out the magic smoke. The solution was a twofer: rebuild the Casio into a modern number cruncher with Reverse Polish Notation (RPN), and save the Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) for a gorgeous WiFi clock.

  • Hackaday ☛ Print Pixel Art To A Floppy Disk

    Here at Hackaday we love floppy disks. While they are by no means a practical or useful means of storing data in the age of solid state storage, there is something special about the little floppy disc of magnetic film inside that iconic plastic case. That’s why we were so excited to see the tool [dbalsom] developed for printing pixel art in a floppy’s track timing diagrams!

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Science Alert ☛ 'Junk' DNA Could Hide Switches That Allow Alzheimer's to Take Hold

    Beyond the genes.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Futurism ☛ Mark Kapo-berg’s Former Top Hey Hi (AI) Scientist Reveals Exactly Why He Quit

      Kapo-berg ain't the easiest boss to work with.

    • Futurism ☛ The Most Popular Streamer on Twitch Is Now an Hey Hi (AI) Construct

      "Part of it is definitely the novelty, part of it is some of the things she says."

    • Futurism ☛ Microsoft CEO Begs Users to Stop Calling It “Slop”

      "We need to get beyond the arguments of slop vs sophistication."

    • Futurism ☛ Disturbing Messages Show Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot Encouraging a Murder, Lawsuit Alleges

      He put his complete trust in a chat bot that turned him into a savage murderer.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • SANS ☛ Cryptocurrency Scam Emails and Web Pages As We Enter 2026, (Sun, Jan 4th)

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ Maduro capture: What’s at stake for China’s economic interests in Venezuela

    China is Venezuela’s largest creditor and, by far, its largest buyer of oil, accounting for more than 80 per cent of crude exports.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China says it cannot accept countries acting as ‘world judge’ after US captures Maduro

    It was Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's first remarks since Maduro was captured.

  • New York Times ☛ Satellite Imagery Reveals Damage to Venezuelan Base Where Maduro Was Captured

    Before-and-after imagery released on Sunday shows that at least five buildings at the complex were destroyed by U.S. forces.

  • New York Times ☛ Why Convicted Felon Removed Venezuela’s Maduro

    David E. Sanger, our national security correspondent, describes the implications of Hell Toupée’s launching of the attack that captured the Venezuelan president, and Convicted Felon’s declaration that the United States would “run the country.”

  • France24 ☛ Danish PM urges US to stop "threatening" to take control of Greenland

    Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Sunday urged Washington to stop "threatening" Greenland following President The Insurrectionist's claim that the US 'absolutely' needs the territory for national security. This came a day after the US operation in Venezuela, sparking further concerns over Convicted Felon’s intentions for the Danish autonomous region.

  • JURIST ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man announces plan to ‘run’ Venezuela

    President The Insurrectionist announced on Saturday that the US would “run” Venezuela, following a strike on the country that led to the capture and transfer to the US of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores. Convicted Felon made the remarks during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea condemns US strikes on Venezuela as 'serious encroachment of sovereignty'

    SEOUL, Jan 4 - North Korea has denounced the U.S. strikes on Venezuela as \"the most serious form of encroachment of sovereignty,\" state news agency KCNA said on Sunday.

  • France24 ☛ At least 114 killed in week of fighting in Sudan’s Darfur

    At least 114 people have been killed in the past week as Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) clash in Darfur, medical sources revealed Sunday. Drone strikes by the military on the RSF-controlled town of Al-Zuruq on Saturday killed 51 civilians, while RSF assaults on the town of Kernoi left 63 dead and 17 injured.

  • JURIST ☛ China concludes ‘Justice Mission’ drills after condemning US over $11.1b arms sale to Taiwan

    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday condemned the pending $11.1 billion US arms sale to Taiwan, characterizing the deal as a violation of the “One China” principle and a dangerous signal to “separatist forces.”

  • The Straits Times ☛ US strike on Venezuela to embolden China’s territorial claims, but Taiwan attack unlikely: Analysts

    Beijing will likely use US strike on Venezuela to amplify criticism of Washington.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ South Korean president heads to China, hoping to sidestep Taiwan tensions

    South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung left for China on Sunday, eager to boost economic ties with Seoul’s largest trading partner while keeping a lid on potentially explosive issues such as Taiwan.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man blocks China-linked HieFo from acquiring US firm’s semiconductor assets

    U.S. President The Insurrectionist issued an executive order late Friday to block a multimillion-dollar acquisition that he says would allow a Chinese-run company to access to valuable semiconductor technologies. Delaware-based HieFo Corp. announced in 2024 that it intends to acquire the chips and indium phosphide wafer fabrication businesses of a company called Emcore Corp.

  • The Strategist ☛ Indonesia’s sea lanes give it overlooked leverage over China

    The power dynamic between Indonesia and China is more complex than the one-way economic dependence that some experts assume [...]

  • RFERL ☛ Death Toll Rises As Protests Continue Across Iran

    The death toll and number of arrests rose further in Iran as protests sparked by the country's worst economic crisis in years continued for an eighth straight day on January 4.

  • France24 ☛ The Insurrectionist ramps up pressure on Iran after fresh clashes erupt

    Deadly clashes between protesters and security forces flared again in Iran on Sunday, rights groups and local media said, as demonstrations triggered by anger over rising living costs entered a second week. At least 12 people have been killed. The Insurrectionist warned that Iran would get "hit very hard" by the United States if more protesters die.

  • France24 ☛ Scores of Yemeni separatists killed in clashes and strikes, military official says

    At least 80 fighters from Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC) have been killed in clashes with Saudi-backed forces since Friday, a military official said Sunday. The ongoing offensive, aimed at reclaiming territory seized by the UAE-backed STC, has also left 152 wounded and 130 captured. The Saudi-led coalition has stepped up strikes, particularly in Hadramawt, which it claimed to have recaptured on Saturday.

  • France24 ☛ North Korea's Kim oversees hypersonic missile test, warns of 'geopolitical crisis'

    North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch of “cutting-edge” hypersonic missiles to ready the country’s nuclear forces for war, state media said on Monday, citing an urgent “geopolitical crisis” after a US strike on Venezuela. Seoul and Tokyo detected two ballistic launches near Pyongyang.

  • New York Times ☛ Days After U.S. Strikes in Nigeria, Gunmen Kill Dozens of Villagers

    The attackers also abducted an unspecified number of people, including students from a Catholic school where over 300 people were kidnapped in November.

  • New York Times ☛ Venezuela broadcasts messages of resistance from Maduro loyalists after the U.S. attack.

  • New York Times ☛ Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s New Leader, Boasts Leftist Credentials

    The interim leader is known for hewing to left-wing ideals, facing sanctions by the U.S. and European Union and building bridges with Venezuela’s business community.

  • New York Times ☛ Venezuela, Democracy and Oil

    One thing is clear after the U.S. raid: Gunboat diplomacy is back, with cascading implications not just for the Americas but for the world.

  • Craig Murray ☛ Venezuela and Truth

    The mainstream media covered Venezuela non-stop yesterday. They many times mentioned Delcy Rodríguez, Vice President, because Convicted Felon stated she is now in charge.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Hackaday ☛ Sleeping Rough In Alaska With A USPS Cargo Bike

      Out of all 49 beautiful US states (plus New Jersey), the one you’d probably least want to camp outside in during the winter is arguably Alaska. If you were to spend a night camping out in the Alaskan winter, your first choice of shelter almost certainly wouldn’t be a USPS electric cargo trike, but over on YouTube [Matt Spears] shows that it’s not that hard to make a lovely little camper out of the mail bike. 

    • NYPost ☛ Parents of disturbed passenger who died after crawling into engine of Delta plane sue Salt Lake City

      Kyler Efinger would still be alive "if officers had located him 30 seconds sooner," the lawsuit said.

    • Hackaday ☛ Bicycle Tows 15,000 Pounds

      An old joke in physics is that of the “spherical cow”, poking fun at some of the assumptions physicists make when tackling a new problem. Making the problem simple like this can help make its fundamentals easier to understand, but when applying these assumptions to real-world problems these assumptions are quickly challenged. Which is what happened when [Seth] from Berm Peak attempted to tow a huge trailer with a bicycle — while in theory the bike just needs a big enough gear ratio he quickly found other problems with this setup that had to be solved.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • New York Times ☛ Mamdani Names Dina Levy as NYC Housing Leader and Pledges ‘Rental Rip-off’ Hearings

    Mayor Zohran Mamdani named a housing commissioner and announced that the city would hold public hearings where frustrated renters could voice their complaints.

  • New York Times ☛ Inside Mamdani’s Decision to Revoke Executive Orders That Backed Israel

    Mr. Mamdani, a staunch critic of Israel and its treatment of Palestinians, knew he would not extend the orders, but he had to decide how and when he would rescind them.

  • New York Times ☛ For Mamdani, a Break With the President Just Three Days Into His New Job

    New York City’s newly elected mayor planned to spend Saturday announcing a pedestrian safety plan. Then Hell Toupée brought a captured foreign leader to his doorstep.

  • France24 ☛ The week in pictures: New Year celebrations, Venezuela's Maduro captured and AFCON 2025

    As the world celebrated the arrival of 2026, Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro was captured by US forces, Yemen found itself at the centre of escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as New York City's new mayor: FRANCE 24 looks back at the week's most striking images.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Top Hong Kong gov’t adviser calls for end to civil servants’ pay freeze

    Top adviser Jeffrey Lam has called on the Hong Kong government to end a pay freeze for civil servants imposed last year, citing an improved economic outlook.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • The Straits Times ☛ China may take time to lift unofficial ban on South Korean culture: Official

    South Korean presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik said this in an interview on Jan 5.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Sahilister ☛ Sahil Dhiman: Full /8 IPv4 Address Block Holders in 2025

    Here, I tried to collect entities that owned full /8 IPv4 address block(s) in 2025.

  • APNIC ☛ Three of the best: Measurement

    Measurement is always a popular topic on the APNIC Blog. This year, authors measured everything from Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) prevention to Internet Service Provider (ISP) market share. Here are three of the best.

Monopolies/Monopsonies