Leftovers

• Audiocasts/Shows

  • Michael Geist ☛ The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 255: Grappling with Grok - Heidi Tworek on the Limits of Canadian Law

    The Law Bytes podcast is back, starting with an episode on the limits of Canadian law in addressing the concerns associated with Grok AI, the AI chatbot that garnered global attention over the widespread creation and distribution of AI-generated sexualized deep fakes. Weaving together online harms, privacy, AI regulation, and platform regulation into a single issue, there have been service bans in some countries but Canada has thus far struggled to respond.

  • [Old] Scripting News ☛ Scripting News: What is a podcast?

    If an audio file is not available over the web, or is behind a paywall, or is otherwise exclusive it may be a very fine worthwhile thing, but it is not a podcast. Being accessible openly in a standardized format, RSS, is essential to something being a podcast.#

  • Doc Searls ☛ Numb Day

    On that post, I said, “For subscription-only ‘casts, such as some on SiriusXM*, I suggest paycasts.” And, “Bottom line: It can’t be a podcast if you have to pay for any of it, including archives.” Netflix isn’t free. And it’s not on the open Web. I also don’t know if it uses RSS. But it still fails to fit the definition of a podcast.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Microbes in Space Mutated And Developed a Remarkable Ability

    One small step for bacteria.

  • Science Alert ☛ Do You Actually Need to Detox? A Liver Expert Explains

    Those green juices and foot patches are cleansing something.

  • Science Alert ☛ The Arctic Has Entered a New Era of 'Extreme Weather', Scientists Warn

    The entire planet could be impacted.

  • Science Alert ☛ Cuttlefish Literally Twist Light to Attract a Mate, Study Finds

    And you thought flowers would cut it.

  • Science Alert ☛ Several Psychiatric Disorders Share The Same Root Cause, Study Suggests

    How are they linked?

  • Science Alert ☛ 430,000-Year-Old Stick Found in Greece Among Humanity's Oldest Wooden Tools

    A rare find.

• Career/Education

  • The Straits Times ☛ S. Korean teacher died ‘in line of duty’ after parent dispute, review committee decides

    A team concluded that the school’s complaint response system failed to function properly.

  • Stanford University ☛ New Ways: Bridging the two worlds I exist within

    In this installment of his column, Strawser details how the parallels between Stanford and his grocery store job have bridged the gap between society and the classroom.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • The Straits Times ☛ Yelling in sleep could be early sign of dementia, Parkinson’s disease, South Korean study shows

    They found patients tended to show marked loss of cognitive functions.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Found an Early Signal of Dementia Hidden in Terry Pratchett's Novels

    Memory loss is only part of the story.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia’s health ministry assessing situation after reports of Nipah virus infections in India

    The ministry is actively verifying the reports through official channels.

  • Science Alert ☛ Just 5 Minutes of Extra Activity Each Day Could Extend Your Life

    Get moving.

  • Science Alert ☛ Boosting One Vitamin May Have a Surprising Effect on Your Poop Schedule

    Give it a go.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Mahathir enjoys quick coffee outing in KL in first public appearance since hip fracture

    The former Malaysian premier fractured his hip on Jan 6 in his home.

  • New York Times ☛ F.A.A. Rolls Out Agency Overhaul for Improving Air Safety

    The announcement of a reorganization comes nearly a year after a midair collision killed 67 people and prompted a public outcry for enhancing the security of aviation travel.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • New York Times ☛ Yann LeCun, an Hey Hi (AI) Pioneer, Warns the Tech ‘Herd’ Could Hit a Dead End

      Yann LeCun helped create the technology behind today’s chatbots. Now he says many tech companies are on the wrong path to creating intelligent machines.

    • Digital Music News ☛ The Hey Hi (AI) Licensing Shift—Creative Weight Attribution Emerges as Music Industry Game-Changer for Rights Holders

      As generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems move from experiments to infrastructure, the music business is being asked to normalize a model in which training comes first and permission is sorted later through selective licensing. ]

    • Futurism ☛ [Slop] Is Causing Cultural Stagnation, Researchers Find

      "No new data was added. Nothing was learned. The collapse emerged purely from repeated use."

  • Windows TCO / Windows Bot Nets

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Some PCs can't boot after latest backdoored Windows 11 security update, no fix in sight —mostly affects 24H2 and 25H2 versions

      A backdoored Windows security update bug has prevented some backdoored Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 users from booting into their PCs, requiring them to go to backdoored Windows Recovery Environment to uninstall the offering update just to use their computer.

• Pseudo-Open Source

  • Openwashing

    • Open Source Initiative ☛ Open Source Software, Public Policy, and the Stakes of Getting It Right [Ed: Intel openwashing]

      Over the past few years, OSI has built out a dedicated public policy function in both the United States and Europe. A core part of OSI’s policy work is education. This includes meeting directly with lawmakers, responding to public consultations and requests for information, and producing short, targeted resources designed specifically for policy audiences.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • The Straits Times ☛ Japan court holds North Korea liable for fake ‘paradise on Earth’ scheme

      The court ruled the four plaintiffs had “most of their lives taken away” by Pyongyang.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Reunion of 2 friends in Japan results in $5.7m lawsuit over alleged fraudulent investment schemes

      Ten years after their reunion, the two men, now in their 60s, ended up in court.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • OpenRightsGroup ☛ ORG RESPONSE TO THE ICO CALL FOR VIEWS ON ENFORCEMENT PROCEDURAL GUIDANCE

    • Bruce Schneier ☛ Ireland Proposes Giving Police New Digital Surveillance Powers

      This is coming:

      The Irish government is planning to bolster its police’s ability to intercept communications, including encrypted messages, and provide a legal basis for spyware use.

  • Confidentiality

    • Scoop News Group ☛ OMB rescinds ‘burdensome’ Biden-era secure software memo

      Russell Vought’s updated memo using a common attestation form voluntary. A critic told CyberScoop it’s the “first major policy step back” on cybersecurity under Convicted Felon.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ China makes strides in extreme weather forecasts to help citizens stay safe

    This additional time is crucial for people to take necessary safety measures, the authorities said.

  • The Strategist ☛ China’s climate policy becomes grist for its propaganda mill

    China’s propaganda is playing up the country’s response to climate change, aiming at presenting an image of global leadership, especially as the United States retreats from the field.

  • The Strategist ☛ Xi’s military purge probably cuts imminent Taiwan war risk. Probably

    Xi Jinping’s latest purge of top military officers probably reduces the chance of China taking imminent, deliberate military action to seize Taiwan.

  • New York Times ☛ Xi’s Purge of the Chinese Military

    The ousting of China’s most senior general has set off fevered speculation.

  • JURIST ☛ China defense ministry puts top general under investigation in anti-corruption push

    The Chinese defense ministry announced  Saturday that top general Zhang Youxia is being investigated for “suspected serious discipline and law violations,” allegations commonly understood to mean corruption. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) made the decision to put him under investigation.

  • New York Times ☛ In Xi’s China, Top General’s Fall Shows Precariousness of Power

    A combat veteran, Zhang Youxia was once seen as the most trusted man in Pooh-tin Jinping’s military. Now he has been accused of disloyalty to Mr. Xi.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Nobody is safe’: China’s Pooh-tin targets his close ally in purge

    The Chinese President is putting together a cadre of more competent and loyal generals, analysts say.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s Pooh-tin urges greater cooperation with Vietnam

    To Lam was unanimously reappointed as head of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party on Jan 23.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China warns citizens against Japan travel during Chinese New Year

    The number of Chinese visitors to Japan plummeted by 45 per cent in December 2025 from a year earlier.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Chinese tourists flock to South Korea over Japan for Lunar Holiday amid visa ease

    China-Japan diplomatic friction and Seoul’s easing of visas for Chinese tour groups among factors.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China cancels all flights on 49 routes to Japan

    The latest adjustments follow earlier steps taken by Chinese airlines to manage Japan-bound demand.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Fearing China clash, Japan asks fishermen to avoid flashpoint islands

    The requests signal an abrupt shift after years in which Tokyo tacitly accepted such trips.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Japan-US alliance would crumble if Tokyo ignored Taiwan crisis, says PM Sanae Takaichi

    Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after her comments in November.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippines, US hold joint sail in disputed South China Sea shoal

    The Philippines has pivoted closer to Washington under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Briefed on Intelligence Saying Iran’s Government Is Weaker

    Protests that erupted late last year shook elements of the Iranian government, according to the reports.

  • The Straits Times ☛ EU and India to explore defence cooperation, draft document says

    BRUSSELS, Jan 26 - The European Union and India will explore possibilities for Indian participation in European defence initiatives, according to a draft security and defence partnership document seen by Reuters.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Is security in Mexico improving or are the numbers being manipulated?

    The federal government says that homicides declined 30% in 2025. But disappearances are up 16%. The discrepancy has raised alarm bells among security experts.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Perceptions of insecurity rise across Mexico despite falling crime stats

    The percentage of the population feeling unsafe in their city rose 2.1 points compared to a year earlier, reflecting an increase in people's perceptions of insecurity during Sheinbaum's presidency.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian PM defends talk of NATO scenarios amid opposition criticism

      Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė on Monday defended her remarks about discussing alternative security scenarios for the country beyond NATO, saying it would be “naive” to plan for only one outcome as the geopolitical situation continues to change.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ Twenty-three soldiers died in Indonesia's West Java landslides, official says

    JAKARTA, Jan 27 - Twenty-three soldiers trapped by landslides in Indonesia's West Java have been confirmed dead, a navy spokesperson said on Tuesday.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ HK lawmaker deliberately drives against traffic, sparking calls for her dismissal

      Netizens question her suitability to make laws after having broken the law herself.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • The Straits Times ☛ More than 40,000ha of mangrove forests lost in Malaysia since 2017, says ministry

      This was caused by natural and human factors, said the Natural Resources and Environment Sustainability Ministry.

    • New York Times ☛ Canada’s Marineland Whales Could Find New Homes in U.S.

      Marineland, a closed aquatic park in Ontario, had threatened to euthanize its whales after the government denied an application to send them to China.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Tokyo pandas head for China, leaving Japan bereft of beloved bears

      Ueno Zoo invited some 4,400 lucky winners of an online lottery to see the pandas for the last time.

    • New York Times ☛ Chinese Pandas Leave Japanese Zoo

      As Japan and China feud, an animal long used in Chinese diplomacy has been summoned back home.

  • Overpopulation

    • CS Monitor ☛ A decade after lifting one-child policy, China struggles to boost population

      Despite Beijing’s campaign to encourage couples to have more children, new data shows China’s population decline is accelerating.

• Finance

  • New York Times ☛ UK Seeks Trade With China Without Triggering Convicted Felon’s Fury

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer hopes to boost his country’s lagging economy with a trip to Beijing. But he must carefully navigate between two superpowers.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ US will slap 100% tariffs on Canada if it seals China trade deal

    The United States will impose 100-percent tariffs on Canadian imports should Ottawa finalize a new trade deal with China, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday, amplifying a similar threat from President The Insurrectionist a day earlier.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong investment arm helped 560 new overseas and Chinese businesses set up in 2025, half from mainland

    More than half of the 560 businesses that Hong Kong’s investment arm helped set up or expand into the city last year were from mainland China, according to an official statement.

  • France24 ☛ China's accidental 'crying horse' plush toy goes viral

    As the Lunar New Year approaches, a production error at a toy factory has led to the creation of a viral 'crying horse' plush toy. Intended to celebrate the Year of the Horse, the toy's upside-down mouth has resonated with China's overworked, stressed young white-collar employees. The toy has become a symbol of their struggles, with sales booming amid the country’s economic challenges and youth unemployment.

  • Rlang ☛ Do prices feel like they are rising more than the CPI says?

    Do prices feel like they are rising more than the CPI (Consumer Price Index) says? Yes.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • France24 ☛ Video evidence of Alex Pretti’s killing contradicts Convicted Felon administration’s account

      37 year old ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed in Minneapolis, just week's after Renee Good's fatal shooting in the same city. The Department of Homeland Security claims Pretti was "brandishing" a gun, a "domestic terrorist" and aggressively approaching federal agents...but video evidence directly contradicts the Convicted Felon administration's "official" version of events. Vedika Bahl goes through multiple angles of the incident in Truth or Fake.

    • France24 ☛ Iran's state TV airs several ‘forced confessions’ after protest crackdown, activists say

      Iranian state television in recent weeks has aired an "unprecedented" number of coerced televised confessions following the latest deadly crackdown on anti-regime protests, according to human rights groups. Activists say the "forced confessions" are extracted by psychological and physical torture, and are a familiar tactic used in the past by Iranian authorities.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Ali Reza Hayati ☛ Mental health with no internet

    Aside from being unable to contact your loved ones abroad, updating your computer programs and operating systems, getting new or needed software, or simply getting music and videos/movies, being disconnected from world makes you mentally unstable.

  • RFERL ☛ Iran's Internet Blackout Persists As Reported Death Toll Climbs

    Iran’s nationwide Internet blackout remained largely in place as the reported death toll from recent protests continued to rise, with one account saying the number of fatalities may exceed 30,000.

  • RFERL ☛ Live Blog: Internet Blackout Costing Iran's Economy $36 Million A Day, Says Official

    Thousands of Iranians are dead or detained in a brutal crackdown after they took to the streets in what is seen as the biggest threat to the Islamic regime in years. Journalists from RFE/RL’s Iranian service, Radio Farda, bring you the latest developments, analysis, and reporting from on the ground.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 47 democrats case: Two ex-district councillors released from jail over subversion plot – reports

    Two former pro-democracy district councillors jailed in the landmark “47 democrats” national security case have reportedly been released from prison after serving four years and 11 months behind bars.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Tiananmen vigil activists still urged end to one-party rule in China after security law was enacted, nat. sec trial hears

    Three activists who led a group that once organised Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen crackdown remembrance vigils continued to advocate an end to one-party rule in mainland China after the national security law came into effect in June 2020, prosecutors have said.

• Civil Rights / Policing / Accessibility

  • JURIST ☛ Bangladesh urged to prioritize human rights ahead of national election

    Amnesty International on Friday urged Bangladeshi political parties to address critical human rights issues before the national elections on February 12. The organization is calling on all candidates to make human rights a central part of their platforms during and after the election.

  • The Straits Times ☛ First accessible pub in China fosters community of people with disabilities and the able-bodied

    'We support their needs, but we do not make it something special,' owner Xia Yujie said.

  • The Straits Times ☛ New Nepali political party fields LGBTIQ candidates

    Nepal has some of South Asia’s most progressive laws on LGBTIQ rights.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ APNIC community engagement: July-December 2025 in review

    How the Asia Pacific Internet community strengthened infrastructure, skills, and collaboration in the second half of 2025.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTAB Denies KINETIC SPORTS Cancellation Petition for Failure to Prove Abandonment and Fraud

    Petitioner Perfect Arm was armed with imperfect evidence in its attempt to cancel a registration for the mark KINETIC ENERGY for elbow guards, compression wraps, and a host of other such devices. Respondent, appearing pro se, fended off claims of abandonment and fraud, aided by Petitioner's failure to cross-examine Respondent. The Perfect Arm, LLC v. Muhammed Tanveer Memon, Cancellation No. 92083488 (January 23, 2026) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Mark A. Thurmon).

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ Neptunes Duo Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo Locked in Ugly Legal Battle Over Disputed Royalties

    Pharrell faces a lawsuit from his former Neptunes partner Chad Hugo, who alleges Pharrell owes him $1 million for work on the last N.E.R.D. album.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Trey Songz Sues Kansas City PD Over 2021 Arrowhead Stadium Arrest, Says He’s ‘Experienced a Diminished Enjoyment of Life, Pain and Suffering, Mental Anguish,’ and More

    Just shy of five years after reportedly being taken into police custody during a Chiefs-Bills playoff game, Trey Songz has fired off a wrongful arrest lawsuit alleging excessive force and more. Songz (real name Tremaine Neverson) recently submitted the straightforward negligence suit to Missouri’s Jackson County Circuit Court.