Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

• Arjen Wiersma ☛ This year, I'll.....

  I don't know if my year will be Emacs centered, I use Emacs daily and whenever I do something useful (to the world) in it, I tend to share it as I have been doing for almost 26 years now. This year, however, I use Emacs to step out of the algorithm based internet into the indie web, or Slow Web as I like to call it.

• SaaS/Back End/Databases

  • YottaDB ☛ ACID Transactions Are Hard At Scale … Part 2

    Part 1 discussed what ACID transactions are and why they are hard to scale. This post discusses how YottaDB does the hard work for you.

    Concurrency Control

    At a very high level, there are two types of concurrency control: pessimistic (known as locking) and optimistic.

• Education

  • Raspberry Pi ☛ A new qualification in data science and AI for students in England?

    At the end of last year, Professor Becky Francis published her long-awaited Curriculum and Assessment Review for England, accompanied by the UK government’s official response. Buried within that response — and not actually proposed in the Review itself — was a notable commitment: to “explore introducing a new Level 3 qualification* in data science and AI, to ensure that more young people can secure high-value skills for the future and that we cement the UK’s position as a global leader in AI and technology.”

• GNU Projects

  • GNU ☛ gettext @ Savannah: GNU gettext 1.0 released

Leftovers

• Science

  • Digital Music News ☛ More Turbulence at ‘Dihydroxyacetone Man Kennedy Center’ As Newly Hired Programming Head Departs After a Few Days

    Just days after the Kennedy Center announced a new senior vice president of artistic programming, the center posted on X announcing his resignation. On January 16, the rebranded John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced Kevin Couch as its new senior vice president of artistic programming. s

  • Science Alert ☛ Strange Bright Lines on Mercury Suggest It's Not 'Dead' After All

    Scientists found 402 of them.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientific Breakthrough Could Double Rare Earth Elements Extraction

    Huge potential.

  • Science Alert ☛ A 'Bomb Cyclone' Could Slam The US East This Weekend

    “We're going into a brutally cold period.”

  • Science Alert ☛ Fierce Storms Expose 19th-Century Maritime Mystery on Jersey Shore

    It was there all along.

• Career/Education

  • New York Times ☛ One Solution for Too Many A’s? Harvard Considers Giving A+ Grades.

    Harvard University has been trying to cut back how many A grades professors give. Now, 53 percent of grades are A’s, down from 60 percent.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Your local library may be a polling place, an emergency hub — and a building in crisis

    "More than 40% of the nation's 16,000 libraries had building systems in poor repair.

  • Stanford University ☛ UGS passes bill affirming solidarity with walkout against ICE violence

    The Undergraduate Senate expressed its support for the campus-wide walkout and teach-ins that will occur on Friday as part of a nationwide student strike.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • JURIST ☛ Four women, one physician seek to overturn Arkansas abortion ban

    Four women and a physician in Arkansas filed a lawsuit against the state on Wednesday over its abortion ban, claiming the law is unconstitutional. Plaintiffs seek to strike down a ban that was enacted immediately after the US Supreme Court’s 2022 opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade.

  • MIT Technology Review ☛ Meet the Vitalists: the hardcore longevity enthusiasts who believe death is “wrong”

    “Who here believes involuntary death is a good thing?”  Nathan Cheng has been delivering similar versions of this speech over the last couple of years, so I knew what was coming. He was about to try to convince the 80 or so people in the audience that death is bad.

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ Desperate for doctors: Michigan looks to expand who can provide care [Anon: There's no market for doctors in MI any more. The hospitals and clinics are nearly all closed and the few remaining are intentionally understaffed in order to support large bureaucracies.]

    Lawmakers are trying to ease dangerous short-staffing in health care by tweaking laws — expanding the ability of some mid-level practitioners and, in some cases, creating new types of workers.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Nipah virus fears trigger airport checks across Asia after India confirms two cases

    The virus can cause fever and brain inflammation and has a fatality rate of between 40% and 75%.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Brain Parasite Infecting Millions Is Far Less Sleepy Than We Thought

    More than a third of the world's human population is infected.

  • Science Alert ☛ US Life Expectancy Broke Records in 2024, And Could Still Be Climbing

    “It’s pretty much good news all the way around.”

  • Science Alert ☛ Cancer May Emit Signals That Protect The Brain Against Alzheimer's

    Wait, what?

• Proprietary

  • Drew DeVault ☛ The cults of TDD and GenAI

    I’ve gotten a lot of flack throughout my career over my disdain towards test-driven development (TDD). I have met a lot of people who swear by it! And, I have also met a lot of people who insisted that I adopt it, too, often with the implied threat of appealing to my boss if appealing to me didn’t work.

  • Qt ☛ Qt Creator 19 Beta released

    We are happy to announce the release of Qt Creator 19 Beta!

    You find a selection of improvements and fixes below. Please have a look at our change log for more detailed information.

  • Qt ☛ 2D Rendering - Introducing Qt Canvas Painter

    Let’s talk about Qt Canvas Painter — a new imperative 2D rendering API aiming to combine performance, productivity and modern features. This blog post brings you up to date with some 2D rendering history, the current status and future possibilities.
    
    To get us started, here's a short introduction video of 2D rendering with the Qt Canvas Painter.
    
    

  • Qt ☛ Qt 6.10.2 Released

    Qt 6.10.2 is now available for download. As a patch release, Qt 6.10.2 doesn’t introduce new features, but it delivers around 300 bug fixes, security improvements, and quality enhancements on top of Qt 6.10.1. For a full overview of the most notable changes, take a look at the Qt 6.10.2 release notes.

  • TechSpot ☛ One-third of game industry workers were affected by layoffs in 2025, GDC report finds

    Layoffs have hammered the tech industry over the past several years, and video game companies are no exception. A new report ahead of the 2026 Game Developers Conference indicates that over one-third of those working in the industry were either directly or indirectly affected by job cuts in 2025.

    Out of over 2,300 US game developers, marketers, executives, investors, and other professionals surveyed in GDC's 2026 State of the Game Industry Report, one-third reported being laid off in 2025. The figure headlines a report that illustrates the deep impact of recent layoffs throughout the sector.

  • Firstpost ☛ Zupee Layoffs: Online gaming platform cuts 200 jobs as a part of restructuring

    Online gaming platform, Zupee has laid off around 200 employees in its latest phase of restructuring, bringing total job cuts this year to nearly 370.

    The move marks the company’s second round of layoffs as it continues to recalibrate operations in response to India’s tightening online gaming regulations. This also makes Zupee, one of the companies to announce job cuts in the first month of 2026.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • The Next Platform ☛ Microsoft Is More Dependent On Proprietary Chaffbot Company Than The Converse

      Everyone is jumpy about how much capital expenses Abusive Monopolist Microsoft has on the books in 2025 and what it expects to spend on datacenters and their hardware in 2026.

    • Futurism ☛ Scam Altman Says Oops, They Accidentally Made the New Version of Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot Worse Than the Previous One

      "I think we just screwed that up."

    • Security Week ☛ LLMs Hijacked, Monetized in ‘Operation Bizarre Bazaar’

      An LLMjacking operation has been targeting exposed LLMs and MCPs at scale, for commercial monetization.

  • Social Control Media

    • Digital Music News ☛ TikTok Competitor UpScrolled Sees a Surge in Downloads—So What Is UpScrolled, Anyway?

      No sooner had TikTok’s US ownership taken hold than users started flocking to other platforms, like former Oracle engineer Issam Hijazi’s UpScrolled. Last week, TikTok’s U.S. operations changed ownership to a U.S.-based coalition of shareholders in a Convicted Felon-led deal completed this month.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia to roll out QR code immigration system at major international airports from March 1

      Under the new arrangement, passengers must scan a MyNIISe QR code before passing through immigration e-gates.

    • Futurism ☛ Immigration Officers Sweeping Protestors’ Photos, License Plates and Personal Data Into Huge Database

      "We're going to make them famous."

    • WhichUK ☛ Can the DWP really check your bank account?

      While the Department for Work and Pensions won’t have direct access, new powers allow it to require banks to share limited information

    • Press Gazette ☛ Former MP denies paying Prince Harry privacy witnesses for testimony

      Dr Evan Harris says wrong to suggest Byline Investigates provided 'legal camouflage'.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Site36 ☛ These are the new plans for Frontex: more tasks and powers, but oversight remains weak

    The EU Commission wants to triple Frontex troops. The agency’s appetite for data is also growing. This year, the Commission intends to propose further changes – some details have already leaked.

  • New York Times ☛ She Couldn’t Defend Herself, but He Wasn’t Charged With Rape

    A decision in China not to charge a man who fathered children with a woman with a mental illness has set off a debate about consent and the state’s push for babies.

  • New York Times ☛ In Beijing, Starmer and Pooh-tin Seek a Way Around a Volatile U.S.

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain is seeking to promote economic ties for growth, offering China’s leader, Pooh-tin Jinping, a way to court one of America’s allies.

  • CS Monitor ☛ The toppling of General Zhang is ‘a Shakespearean moment’ for China

    For years, China has been working to tackle widespread corruption within its massive army. But with the toppling of a popular general and former ally, Chinese leader Pooh-tin Jinping may be sacrificing military readiness to bolster his own power.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Vietnam, EU elevate diplomatic ties as international order ‘is under threat’

    A free trade agreement between Vietnam and the 27-country EU entered into force in 2020.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Tokyo hopes voters will hand PM Takaichi new clout to counter China

    Japan's first female leader hopes to capitalise on her high personal approval ratings.

  • The Strategist ☛ When China–Japan disputes arise, Beijing plays the Ryukyus card

    China’s renewed casting of doubt about Japan’s sovereignty over Okinawa is intended to create a handy tool for political pressure on Tokyo. The ambition isn’t to pursue sovereignty over the territory. Beijing can apply the ...

  • New York Times ☛ War Threats and Ambiguous Evidence: Convicted Felon Again Confronts Iran

    There is little sign that Iran has made significant progress in reconstituting its nuclear program, leaving questions about the timing and motive behind potential plans for further attacks.

  • NYPost ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man and his eldest sons file $10B lawsuit against IRS, Treasury Department over leaked tax records [Ed: But showing crime is not a crime, is it?]

    The Forrest Dump Organization, the first family’s business, is also listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit filed in a Miami federal court.

  • CS Monitor ☛ FBI raid shakes Georgia as Convicted Felon weighs lawsuits over 2020 election loss

    The FBI searched a Georgia election headquarters on Wednesday, escalating The Insurrectionist’s efforts to challenge his 2020 loss to Joe Biden.

  • France24 ☛ Replay: Iran Guard joins EU "terrorist list" in "diplomatic shift" for the block

    Rewatch as Kaja Kallas, European Commissionner to Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, addresses journalists following the European Union putting the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps on its "terrorist list". FRANCE 24's James André tells us more about what it means for the EU.

  • France24 ☛ Democrats threaten shutdown if White House does not restrict ICE budget

    Senate Democrats say they will block legislation that would fund the Department of Homeland Security and several other agencies on January 28, potentially bringing the government a step closer to a partial shutdown if Republicans and the White House do not agree to new restrictions on The Insurrectionist's surge of immigration enforcement. FRANCE 24's Fraser Jackson tells us more.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man says deal reached on stopgap spending bill for DHS, but weekend shutdown still possible

    The last-minute deal was struck the same day that the Senate failed to advance a spending package that included funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

  • Federal News Network ☛ ICE, CBP, USCIS leaders to testify before House Homeland Security Committee

    Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) said transparency and communication are needed to “turn the temperature down.”

  • Defence Web ☛ Analyst: al-Shabaab seizure of Mogadishu “a matter of time”

  • France24 ☛ Iran rounds up thousands in mass arrest campaign after crushing unrest

    The crackdown continues in Iran, as shock and fear sweep the country after the regime crushed the bloodiest unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Security forces have rounded up thousands of people in a campaign of mass arrests to deter further protests. The internet remains largely cut off, but a few Iranians have managed to circumvent censorship to get videos and information out. FRANCE 24's Emerald Maxwell reports.

  • France24 ☛ "Regionally, there is a real worry" about the possibility of US strikes in Iran

    The U.S. ​Navy has sent ⁠an additional warship to the Middle East, a U.S. official ​told Reuters, amid a large military ​buildup in the region and ​soaring tensions. For its part, Iran has said it could launch a pre-emptive strike or broadly target the Mideast, including American military bases in the region and Israel. FRANCE 24's James André and Reza Sayah tells us what to know about how the threats are being perceived regionally.

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Warns Iran With Military Muscle, but Risks a Regional War

    Iran’s Islamic Republic, weakened by airstrikes in June and huge popular unrest, warns that it will strike back hard if attacked by the United States. This time, Iran may mean it.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • The Straits Times ☛ Norway orders $2 billion artillery system from South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace

      Norway has agreed to buy long-range artillery systems and rockets from South Korean defence group Hanwha Aerospace for $2 billion, it said on Thursday, as the NATO country seeks to boost its deterrence against Russia.

    • New York Times ☛ Moscow Airport Sells for Half Off, a Sign of Russia’s Global Isolation

      The government opened the sale to cut-rate bidding for Domodedovo Airport after it received no offers at its initial asking price of $1.7 billion.

    • RFERL ☛ Live Blog: Russia Says Ready To Evacuate Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Plant

      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.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania says Russian opposition figure Volkov is no security threat, can stay in country

      Lithuanian authorities have concluded that the presence of Russian opposition figure Leonid Volkov in the country does not pose a threat to national security, Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič said Thursday.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania seeks EU assistance over Belarus smuggler balloons – but what does it need?

      Lithuania is asking the European Union for financial assistance and political pressure on Belarus to help address a surge in smuggling balloons crossing its border and disrupting critical infrastructure, Lithuanian officials said. But would that help?

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian PM dismisses talk of resuming Belarus fertiliser transit

      Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė on Thursday dismissed speculation that the United States had urged Lithuania to resume the transit of Belarusian potash fertilisers, saying the issue was being unnecessarily escalated.

    • Latvia ☛ 'Neutral' competitors? No thanks!

      Latvian Public Media (LSM), will not cover the participation of athletes from the aggressor states Russia and Belarus at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games.

    • LRT ☛ King of Denmark, Lithuanian president discuss Arctic security, Ukraine during state visit

      Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and First Lady Diana Nausėdienė met with Denmark’s King Frederik X and Queen Mary in Vilnius on Wednesday, focusing on defence cooperation, regional security and support for Ukraine, the presidential press service said.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian conservatives propose barring Russian, Belarusian citizens from local elections

      Lithuania’s opposition conservative party is proposing constitutional amendments that would bar Russian and Belarusian citizens permanently residing in the country from voting in local elections or being elected to municipal councils.

    • Futurism ☛ Russian Soldiers Seen Surrendering to Gun-Wielding Robot

      Welcome to modern warfare.

    • France24 ☛ Four more years? Russia-Ukraine war nears two million casualties mark

      Making Ukrainians freeze in winter wasn’t enough.

    • France24 ☛ Russian strikes push Ukraine towards catastrophe, says EU

      Russia has stepped up its strikes against Ukraine's power and heating infrastructure, plunging residents into darkness and cold as temperatures have dropped as low as -20C. The EU is looking to step up support for Ukraine's power grid and is preparing a new round of sanctions on Moscow for the fourth anniversary of its invasion next month. FRANCE 24's Caitlin Brown reports.

    • European Commission ☛ Speech by Commissioner Lahbib at the Humanitarian Senior Officials Meeting on Ukraine

      European Commission Speech Brussels, 29 Jan 2026 Let me start by thanking you for your commitment to the people of Ukraine, especially at this difficult moment.

      Just over a year ago, I went to Ukraine, my firs...

    • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Says Putin Agreed to a Weeklong Pause in Attacks Amid Extreme Cold

      Russia has left thousands of apartment buildings in Kyiv without heat in recent weeks, in a campaign that has appeared aimed at breaking Ukraine’s morale.

    • RFERL ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Says Putin 'Agreed' To Halt Air Strikes For A Week As Freezing Weather Hits Ukraine

      US President The Insurrectionist said he asked Russian President Vladimir Putin "not to fire into Kyiv and various towns for a week" amid freezing cold weather, as Russian forces continued to pound Ukrainian regions, killing multiple people.

    • LRT ☛ US diplomacy veteran: Convicted Felon is wrong about Putin

      Former US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun believes that President The Insurrectionist is wrong about the Russian president. “Vladimir Putin doesn't want a negotiation. Vladimir Putin wants Ukraine,” the Republican politician tells LRT.lt in an interview.

    • Latvia ☛ Ogre mayor resumes work despite not having security clearance

      On Thursday, January 29th, Egils Helmanis (National Alliance), mayor of Ogre Municipality, resumed his duties and chaired a council meeting, despite not having the legally required clearance to state secrets.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • ACLU ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Administration Claims Sweeping New Power to Take Down Any Drone it Doesn’t Like

      On January 16 the Convicted Felon FAA issued a notice containing a sweeping claim of authority to ban drone flights “in proximity to select locations and mobile assets nationwide” including DHS “ground vehicle convoys and their associated escorts.”

      The ban would seem to cover airspace over ground vehicles engaged in the undisciplined, lawless, and violent deportation drive we’re seeing in Minneapolis and other US. cities. Or at least “convoys” of participating vehicles and their “escorts,” whatever those undefined terms are supposed to mean. The order also covers “personnel” where drones are “deemed to pose a credible safety or security threat.” It was announced via a “Notice to Airmen” (NOTAM) — statements issued by the agency to inform pilots about various airspace closures (known as Temporary Flight Restrictions, or TFRs) such as near sporting events.

    • Futurism ☛ Waymo Under Investigation After Crashing Into Child Outside Elementary School

      This could be bad.

    • The Straits Times ☛ 24-hour electric train service in Malaysia for festive rush, says transport minister

      The government is also providing subsidies for one-way domestic flight tickets on some routes.

    • New York Times ☛ Canada Signs Auto Deal With South Korea, Moving Further from the U.S.

      The agreement, while scarce on details, is the latest step by Prime Minister Mark Carney to reduce Canada’s reliance on trade with the U.S.

  • Overpopulation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Afghanistan launches $100 million food security programme as crisis deepens

      KABUL, Jan 29 - Afghanistan will roll out a $100 million food security project, the United Nations said on Thursday, as it contends with a worsening hunger crisis driven by mass deportations of Afghans from neighbouring states, foreign aid cuts and economic crisis.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ Coupang announces 9-cent sanitary pads after S. Korea’s Lee calls out high prices in market

    Other manufacturers have also moved to expand lower-priced offerings.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea’s Kim announces major construction projects as party congress nears

    He said the regional standard of living is a hallmark showing North Korea's development.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea passes law to combat scalping, piracy

    Criminal penalties have been strengthened with increased maximum jail time and fines.

  • JURIST ☛ South Korea former first lady sentenced to 20 months for bribery

    The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday sentenced former South Korea first lady Kim Keon Hee to 20 months in prison for accepting bribes in exchange for political favors. The court found Kim guilty of accepting luxury gifts, including Chanel bags and a diamond pendant, from officials associated with the Unification Church.

  • New York Times ☛ Saks Fifth Avenue Bankruptcy Revives Debate Over the Future of Department Stores

    Saks Fifth Avenue’s bankruptcy filing has revived debates about how these once celebrated shopping emporiums can regain their luster.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Amid big-power politics, small nations forge bonds

    From the Caribbean to West Africa to Southeast Asia, lesser powers build bridges to not “allow fear and insecurity to define us.”

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • CS Monitor ☛ What national anniversaries can show us

    Twenty-five years ago, Zohran Mamdani's mayoral victory in New York City may have seemed culturally and politically impossible. His rise to leadership reflects an evolution of thought among New Yorkers

  • The Straits Times ☛ China relaxes visa rules for UK citizens on PM Starmer’s trip to Beijing

    The move is part of a partnership deal which London hopes will help expand its service sector.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ UK PM Starmer reports ‘good progress’ after meeting China’s Xi; 30-day visa free travel for British tourists

    Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed “really good progress” on issues including visa-free travel and tariffs during talks with Chinese leader Pooh-tin Jinping in Beijing on Thursday.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Southeast Asian bloc faces challenges from Myanmar to South China Sea

    MANILA, Jan 29 - The 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose foreign ministers met in the Philippines this week, faces a complex regional agenda, including:

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • Ariana Grande trolls Vogue for Photoshop fail after she’s seen with 6 fingers: ‘Holy s–t’

      Grande joked about her past use of Botox and fillers at the Palm Springs Film Festival earlier this month.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Driver accuses 3 Filipino actresses of beating him up over ‘sensitive photos’

      The actresses’ lawyer said his story “is not only physically impossible, but also incredible”.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Public Knowledge ☛ Equal Time, Unequal Enforcement: The Latest Move to Weaponize the FCC Against Convicted Felon Critics

    “For my friends, everything. For my enemies, the law.”

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ ‘Many errors’ in prosecutors’ transcripts of Tiananmen vigil activists’ speeches, Hong Kong national security judge says

    A Hong Kong court has heard recordings of years-old speeches made by two Tiananmen vigil activists facing national security charges, with a judge noting that the transcripts prepared by the prosecution contained “many errors.”

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ PR bodies launch campaign against fake experts after Press Gazette investigation

    Trade bodies urge journalist to shun rogue PR operators.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Semafor plans investment and expansion after celebrating first profitable year

    Founder Ben Smith talks to Press Gazette about plans for three-year-old brand.

• Civil Rights / Policing / Accessibility

  • JURIST ☛ UK plans to expand court infrastructure to increase access to justice [Ed: Will it outsource to Microsoft (US) as usual?]

    The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Justice on Tuesday announced plans to expand the court estate by transforming four temporary court buildings into permanent fixtures, in a move to increase access to justice. The four courts in Fleetwood, Telford, Chichester, and Cirencester have been used as “Nightingale courts” since the Covid-19 pandemic.

  • France24 ☛ French IT group Capgemini under fire over ICE migrant tracking contract [Ed: Capgemini is like a Microsoft proxy/reseller]

    French IT services giant Capgemini has been in the spotlight for days over a deal its American subsidiary CGS signed with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which French media and campaign groups say involves providing tools to identify foreigners on US soil and track their locations.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei says West lacks moral authority to criticise Beijing on rights

    Mr Ai was speaking as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited China to reset ties.

  • RFERL ☛ New Evidence Of Labor Abuses At Flagship Chinese Factory In Serbia

    Serbian human rights groups say Bangladeshi workers at the Chinese-owned Linglong tire factory faced withheld passports, unpaid wages, and poor living conditions, prompting a new probe by Serbian prosecutors.

  • BIA Net ☛ 'People's Caravan' detained on Greece-Turkey border

    More than 200 people from 10 different countries joined the caravan to bring aid to Rojava.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ Voting opens today on APNIC By-laws resolutions and APNIC EC election

    Cast your vote for the APNIC EC election and proposed amendments to the APNIC By-laws.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Los Angeles aims to ban single-use printer cartridges — new ordinance will target ink and toner that can't be properly recycled

    Aside from being weirdly malevolent, printer cartridges are quite wasteful in most situations because they're designed to be thrown away once empty. Los Angeles is trying to fix that by banning any single-use ink or toner that can't be properly recycled or that doesn't have a take-back program from the vendor. The new ordinance still needs to be fully approved by the City Council.

  • Devices/Embedded

    • Fortra LLC ☛ Hacking Attack Leaves Russian Car Owners Locked Out of Their Vehicles

      Frustrated car owners across the country reported being unable to unlock their vehicles, while others managed to get inside but found their engines refusing to start.

      And then there were some particularly unfortunate individuals who reported that their car engines actually jammed while they were driving.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Security Week ☛ Google Disrupts IPIDEA Proxy Network

  One of the largest residential proxy networks, IPIDEA enrolled devices through SDKs for mobile and desktop.

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Large Entities Achieve Double the Patent Allowance Rate of Micro Entities

    Data shows large entities achieve 80% patent monopoly allowance rates versus just 40% for micro entities. This gap is one of the predictors of patent monopoly abandonment.

  • JUVE ☛ HMD evaluates next steps after disappointing Federal Court of Justice ruling

    At the start of Tuesday’s oral hearing in the SEP dispute between VoiceAge and HMD, presiding judge Sabine Rotloff made it clear that HMD’s appeal had little chance of success. For the Antitrust Senate judges, the case appeared straightforward.

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ Sophia Genetics and Bristows head off PI at local division Paris [Ed: UPC is illegal and Bristows promoted this illegality; this is just some massive orgy of litigation fanatics and profiteers trying to pass off their misconduct and "justice" and "law"]

      No PI and Guardant must bear the costs. That was essentially the judgment of the Paris local division under presiding judge Camille Lignières (case ID: UPC_CFI_808/2025). Carine Gille, Maximilian Haedicke and technically qualified judge Cornelis Schüller also sat on the panel.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Are Legal Services Related to Brand Consultation Services Under Section 2(d)?

    The USPTO refused to register the mark MIRICK & Design, below left, for "legal services," deeming confusion likely with the registered mark shown below right, for, inter alia, "Business consulting services; developing customized branding strategies for businesses and individuals." Applicant and Examining Attorney Kiara Rodríguez Fontánez sparred over which part of applicant's mark is dominant and whether the services are related. How do you think this came out? In re Mirick, O’Connell, DeMallie & Lougee, LLP, Serial No. 98278181 (January 27, 2026) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Mark A. Thurmon).

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ 79% of Musicians Are Now ‘Worried’ About AI [Slop]

    More musicians than ever say they are worried about [Slop] content competing with human-created music in the latest survey from PRS for Music. Two years after British music copyright monopoly collective PRS for Music previously surveyed music creators on their thoughts about [Slop] , concern levels have only increased.

  • Digital Music News ☛ UMG, Concord Seriously Supersize Their Anthropic Lawsuit—New $3.1 Billion Claim Alleges ‘Blatant Infringement,’ Torrenting and Piracy While Directly Targeting Cofounders

    Potentially the biggest copyright monopoly case in US history, a coalition including UMG and Concord claims Anthropic engaged in mass-scale piracy to train its Hey Hi (AI) models.

  • Music Publishers File New Piracy Suit Against Anthropic Alleging Mass Torrenting of Copyrighted Works

    Concord Music Group, Inc., Universal Music Group, and ABKCO Music, Inc. filed a complaint on Wednesday for copyright monopoly and Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) violations against Anthropic PBC, Dario Amodei, and Benjamin Mann in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, adding another lawsuit against generative artificial intelligence companies.

  • New York Times ☛ A Global Pop Music Melting Pot

    The era of American dominance is over. Music now comes from artists everywhere listening to each other.