Leftovers

• Hackaday ☛ Reflections On Ten Years With The Wrencher

  An auspicious anniversary passed for me this week, as it’s a decade since I started writing for Hackaday. In that time this job has taken me all over Europe, it’s shown me the very best and most awesome things our community has to offer, and I hope that you have enjoyed my attempts to share all of that with you. It’s worth a moment to reflect on the last ten years in terms of what has made our world during that time.

• Cendyne Naga ☛ From Fargo to Zebra

  Not everyone can afford art. Customized badges give every an attendee the chance to identify one another regardless of their ability to afford and carry identifying artwork.

• Science

  • The Space Review ☛ The Space Review: Hubble limps along

    The series of problems in recent months with Gyro 3 prompted calls for a private servicing mission to Hubble. Those stemmed from a study NASA announced in September 2022 it was undertaking with SpaceX to examine how a Crew Dragon spacecraft could be used to raise Hubble’s orbit or even service it (see “NASA-SpaceX study opens final chapter for Hubble Space Telescope,” The Space Review, October 3, 2022).

    That study was completed more than a year ago, but neither NASA nor SpaceX provided any details about what the study found or whether NASA would pursue any kind of commercial servicing mission. The agency also solicited other concepts for a commercial reboost mission, receiving eight responses to a request for information (RFI) early last year.

• Hardware

  • CNX Software ☛ Lepton XDS dual-camera module combines 160 x 120 thermal imager with 5MP RGB camera

    The Teledyne FLIR Lepton XDS dual-camera module combines a factory‑aligned radiometric 160 × 120 Lepton 3.5 thermal camera with a 5 MP visible camera. Its size, weight, and power (SWaP)‑optimized design makes it suitable for mobile devices, compact electronics, smart buildings, fire detection, occupancy analytics, and equipment‑condition‑monitoring applications. The company highlights that the Lepton XDS module is International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)-free, which reduces development risk and accelerates time‑to‑market, since it’s easier to export or integrate into products sold globally.

  • J B Crawford ☛ cash issuing terminals

    In this article, we'll examine the history of ATMs—by IBM. IBM was just one of the players in the ATM industry and, by its maturity, not even one of the more important ones. But the company has a legacy of banking products that put the ATM in a more interesting context, and despite lackluster adoption of later IBM models, their efforts were still influential enough that later ATMs inherited some of IBM's signature design concepts. I mean that more literally than you might think. But first, we have to understand where ATMs came from. We'll start with branch banking.

  • Chris Aldrich ☛ The Deluxe Steelcase Field Notes Notebooks Archive

    This nearly indestructible black and gray powder-coated 20 gauge steel constructed 8 drawer cabinet with art deco flourishes has 36 linear feet of storage space for over 2,000 Field Notes notebooks.

• Proprietary

  • Dedoimedo ☛ Use NTFS drives in macOS, without NTFS drivers

    One way you can solve the problem is by buying software that does this. And in a way, you should. However, if you don't want to be spending money, there's a somewhat roundabout method by which you could accomplish the same for free, with some rather big caveats. Above all, today's guide is a lovely experiment first and foremost, and a useful and practical and recommended recipe second. But let me show you what I did.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • The Straits Times ☛ OpenAI Says Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot refused to help Chinese influence operations

      The startup has also identified misdeeds of romance scams targeting Indonesians.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Women are falling in love with AI. It’s a problem for Beijing

      As China grapples with plunging birth rates, people are finding romance with chatbots instead.

    • Sal ☛ AI's writing and semantic ablation

      Thanks to Kottke for sharing this article from The Register: Why AI writing is so generic, boring, and dangerous: Semantic ablation.

      The article, which is not long and you should go read right now, explains something I’ve felt but haven’t properly understood: AI’s writing sucks.

    • Pete Warden ☛ Launching a free, open-source, on-device transcription app

      I was also frustrated as an engineer that using the cloud for this use case was an inelegant solution. Speech to text deserves to be a core operating system function, just like keyboard drivers, and using the cloud adds unneeded complexity.

      To address these issues, I’ve just released the first version of Moonshine Note Taker, for Macs.

  • Social Control Media

    • YLE ☛ Finland's smartphone ban gave middle-schoolers a new way of life, principals say

      They said students are more sociable, bullying has significantly decreased and the change can even be seen in school hallways.

      "Students look each other in the eye and say hello. This makes me happy – we've regained eye contact and greetings," said Hanna Alava, principal at the Salpausselän middle school in Lahti.

    • Harvard University ☛ Is social media responsible for what happens to users?

      In this edited conversation, Cohen explains why the Los Angeles trial, which began Feb. 9, is testing tech’s insulation from liability and may reshape the public’s relationship with social media.

  • Windows TCO / Windows Bot Nets

    • Dark Reading ☛ Life Mirrors Art: Ransomware Hits Hospitals on TV & IRL

      This past week brought hospital ransomware attacks to the forefront of public media, for better and for worse, with a major incident in Mississippi and a fictional one on HBO.

    • Bitdefender ☛ Notorious ransomware gang allegedly blackmailed by fake FSB officer

      Conti's victims paid a heavy price for the gang's activities. It is, at least, mildly satisfying to learn that even ransomware gangs occasionally find themselves on the receiving end of someone else's scheme.

• Linux Foundation

  • Meta donates React to new Linux Foundation-backed body

    The Linux Foundation has created the React Foundation. Meta has contributed the React project to the Linux Foundation, placing stewardship of React and React Native under a new governance structure.

    The move establishes a dedicated body for long-term governance and operational support of React, widely used in front-end development. The React Foundation sits within the Linux Foundation's projects organisation, with React hosted by LF Projects under what the group describes as neutral governance.

• Security

  • Hacker News ☛ ThreatsDay Bulletin: Kali Linux + Claude, Chrome Crash Traps, WinRAR Flaws, LockBit & 15+ Stories

    Nothing here looks dramatic at first glance. That’s the point. Many of this week’s threats begin with something ordinary, like an ad, a meeting invite, or a software update.

    Behind the scenes, the tactics are sharper. Access happens faster. Control is established sooner. Cleanup becomes harder.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • JURIST ☛ US federal judge rules IRS violated federal law by disclosing thousands of taxpayers' confidential information to ICE

      A US federal district judge on Thursday ruled that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) violated the Internal Revenue Code by inappropriately handing thousands of taxpayers’ confidential information over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): [...]

  • Confidentiality

    • Tim Cappalli ☛ Please, please, please stop using passkeys for encrypting user data

      Why am I writing this today? Because I am deeply concerned about users losing their most sacred data.

      Over the past year or two, I’ve seen many organizations, large and small, implement passkeys (which is great, thank you!) and use the PRF (Pseudo-Random Function) extension to derive keys to protect user data, typically to support end-to-end encryption (including backups). I’ve also seen a number of influential folks and organizations promote the use of PRF for encrypting data.

• Defence/Aggression

  • JURIST ☛ Rights organizations urge Lebanon to provide justice for victims of armed conflict

    Amnesty International and other human rights organizations released an open letter Wednesday to Lebanon’s justice minister and deputy prime minister, urging the Lebanese government to provide clarity and reparations for the civilian victims of the Israeli armed conflict.

  • France24 ☛ Denmark calls an early election following tense US-Greenland standoff

    Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Thursday that she had scheduled this year's general election for March 24, against a backdrop of tensions with both the United States and Russia. The vote comes at a time when Denmark's relationship with the United States -- which Copenhagen considers its closest ally -- has been strained over US President The Insurrectionist's desire to acquire Greenland. Trine Villeman reports from Copenhagen.

  • Site36 ☛ Capital for migration deterrence: Berlin-based drone and surveillance firms are also beneficiaries of EU’s border regime

    Drones, satellites and Hey Hi (AI) – how Berlin-based companies profit from EU migration deterrence, which addresses Abolish Frontex visits for that reason, and why private sea rescuers are not permitted to use sensor technology.

  • Site36 ☛ Berlin aims to become a new drone metropolis – the chancellor and his deputy are helping with start-up funding

    The Berlin Senate wants to make the capital a centre for drone technology. Companies such as Stark, Rheinmetall, Germandrones, and Quantum Systems have long been established there – and are now receiving local and federal backing.

  • The Straits Times ☛ No proven link between Duterte speeches and drug deaths: Defence at ICC

    His lawyer said the prosecution had “cherry picked” speeches.

  • New York Times ☛ They Helped Women Fight Online Abuse. They Were Barred From the U.S.

    The founders of HateAid, a German human-rights group that helps victims of online attacks, were accused by the Convicted Felon administration of being part of a “global censorship-industrial complex.”

  • SBS ☛ How the US created a vacuum for the IS-linked cohort trying to return to Australia | SBS News

    A group of 34 Australian women and children with alleged links to the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) group attempted to travel to Damascus from al-Roj camp in north-east Syria, in mid-February. Their goal was to return to Australia from there.

    Their trip was halted when Syrian officials denied exit permission, and the Australian government has been adamant it will not assist their return and may charge the women if they do return.

  • The Indiana Capital Chronicle ☛ Indiana youth social media crackdown advances to governor’s desk

    The final draft of House Bill 1408, authored by Rep. Jake Teshka, R-North Liberty, clears the way for parental-consent requirements, age-verification mandates and algorithm limits for certain social media platforms used by Hoosiers under 16.

    The social media provisions did not originate in that bill, however. Language was first introduced this session in Senate Bill 199, penned by Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Richmond, but was later stripped out by the Senate.

  • 404 Media ☛ The Islamic State Is Using AI to Resurrect Dead Leaders and Platforms Are Failing to Moderate It

    The group is talking about Epstein and filming propaganda videos in Roblox as a form of 'digital Jihad,' researchers say.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Counts On Next Talks With US, Russia in March, Urges Meeting With Putin

      President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv is counting on a future trilateral meeting with the United States and Russia to take place in early March after Ukrainian and US negotiating teams wrapped up the latest round of peace talks in Switzerland.

    • New York Times ☛ 15 South Africans Duped Into Fighting for Russia in Ukraine Return Home

      The South African leader said that the men had come home two weeks after he had won agreement from President Vladimir V. Putin.

    • Latvia ☛ Ukrainian medics find new lives in Daugavpils

      Doctors who fled from Ukraine after Russia launched its failed full-scale invasion of the country four years ago have found work in Latvia's eastern Latgale region and plan to stay there long term.

    • France24 ☛ Hungary steps up rhetoric over Russian oil disruption

      Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban has asked the EU for a fact-finding mission over disruptions to a pipeline which delivers Russian crude oil. Hungary has accused Ukraine of 'deliberately threatening' its energy security ahead of key parliamentary elections. The Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline is still used by Hungary and Slovakia, which remain dependent on Russian oil imports despite European efforts. Also in the show - German lawmakers consider ending the 8-hour workday.

    • LRT ☛ Klaipėda terminal receives American LNG shipment for Ukraine

      A new shipment of 90 million cubic meters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States has arrived at Lithuania’s Klaipėda terminal and will soon be delivered to Ukraine.

    • New York Times ☛ The Secret of How Ukraine’s Lifesaving Air-Raid Alarms Work

      Many in Ukraine assume that the alerts are automated. A rare look inside an emergency-response center reveals the specialists who do the pressure-packed job.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Launches Big Strikes Before U.S.-Ukraine Talks in Geneva

      Ukrainian officials said they hoped that trilateral peace negotiations could take place next week.

    • Latvia ☛ Security Service pushes case of war crime glorification in Latvia

      On February 20th this year, the State Security Service (VDD) asked the prosecutor's office to start criminal proceedings against a person for publicly praising and justifying war crimes committed by Russia, as well as inciting national and ethnic hatred and discord, the service said.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvia, Lithuania, Poland to team up tackling border "hybrid attacks"

      The Prime Minsters of Poland, Latvia and Lithuania published a joint declaration on February 25th outlining their "Commitment to Cooperation" on tackling hybrid threats along their borders with Russia and Belarus.

    • Security Week ☛ US Sanctions Russian Exploit Broker Operation Zero

      The broker acquired eight zero-day exploits from a US defense contractor executive jailed for his actions.

    • LRT ☛ Vilnius court convicts pro-Russian activist for denying Soviet crimes

      The Vilnius City District Court on Thursday fined Erika Švenčionienė 3,750 euros for denying crimes committed by the Soviet Union.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania’s culture minister wants entry bans for artists performing in Russia, Belarus

      Lithuania’s culture minister has backed a proposal to bar artists who perform in Russia or Belarus from staging concerts in the Baltic country, saying recommendations alone are no longer sufficient.

    • RFERL ☛ EU Sanctions Envoy Visits Bishkek Amid Concerns Over Russian Circumvention

      European Union sanctions envoy David O’Sullivan arrived in Bishkek for high-level meetings with Kyrgyz officials amid concerns that some financial channels and trade flows in Kyrgyzstan are being used to circumvent sanctions against Russia.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Russia to help select and train first Myanmar cosmonaut

      Russia said on Thursday it will help select and train Myanmar's first cosmonaut in a sign of growing ties with the Southeast Asian state.

    • LRT ☛ Belarusian opposition leader says move from Vilnius to Warsaw was prompted by security

      Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said her decision to relocate to Warsaw is related to security concerns, citing continued pressure from the Belarusian government.

    • LRT ☛ EU extends sanctions on Belarus

      The Council of the European Union on Thursday decided to extend sanctions on Belarus for another year without changes, Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry said.

• Transparency/Investigative Reporting

  • France24 ☛ Famous Criminal Bill Gates admits affairs but denies involvement in Epstein crimes

    Famous Criminal Bill Gates has admitted making a "huge mistake" in associating with Jeffrey Epstein, telling staff at his charity foundation that he had affairs with two Russian women but denying involvement in the disgraced financier's crimes.

  • New York Times ☛ Hillary Clinton Denies Knowing Epstein or His Crimes in a Tense Deposition

    After resisting testifying for months, the former secretary of state entered the session defiant, and grew irate after a Republican leaked a photo from inside the room.

  • The Independent UK ☛ FBI couldn’t find 4Chan user who posted about Epstein’s death 40 minutes before news broke, files show

    It would be another 38 minutes before an ABC News journalist posted on social media about the sex offender’s death, which occurred as Epstein was awaiting trial in Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correctional Center.

  • Jacobin Magazine ☛ The Epstein Files Are the Horror That Keeps on Giving

    The Epstein files show that while private equity giant Apollo Global Management allegedly stripped companies, wiped out small investors, and misled customers about fees, founder and Jeffrey Epstein confidant Leon Black spent millions on art and parties.

• Environment

  • The Georgia Recorder ☛ Data center bill stalls after last-minute change opposed by industry finds support

    The Georgia Senate avoided voting on Senate Bill 34, which moved out of committee earlier this week after it had been changed to reflect language from House Bill 1063, which Georgia Power did not oppose and the data center industry preferred.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • New York Times ☛ Germany’s Oil and Gas Output Is Dwindling as Prices Rise

      Natural gas production in Germany has fallen about 80 percent in the past two decades even as the country seeks to replace flows from Russia.

    • Jacobin Magazine ☛ Trump Is Threatening to Cut Transit Left and Right

      If people currently relying on transit are forced to get a car, this could spell financial disaster for their households, potentially setting off impossible decisions between buying groceries, paying rent, and getting to work. Between loan or lease payments, insurance, fuel, maintenance, and repairs, car drivers in the United States pay an average of $1,015 per month to own and maintain a vehicle. Cash-strapped families would have to take this monthly amount away from their housing and grocery budgets. For this reason, a reduction of transit is an attack on affordability for the average American, especially for working-class people who already face mounting burdens of housing instability, soaring utility costs, and high grocery bills.

  • Overpopulation

    • Truthdig ☛ The Colorado River Is Nearing Collapse. It’s Trump’s Problem Now.

      The Colorado River currently supports 40 million people and $1.4 trillion in annual economic activity in seven U.S. states and Mexico — but it was never intended to be stretched so thin.

• Finance

  • Unicorn Media ☛ Why Pay for FOSS Force?

    Tech and financial writer Dana Blankenhorn drops in to explain why he's contributing to our Independence 2026 fundraiser — and why you might want to join in, too.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • JURIST ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man administration to withhold Medicaid money to Minnesota for misuse of public funds

    US Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday announced that the Convicted Felon administration would temporarily halt some Medicaid funding to Minnesota due to alleged misuse of public funds.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Claude won't be allowed to engage in mass surveillance or power fully autonomous weapons — Anthropic refuses to lower AI guardrails for the Pentagon

    There are two main points of contention — mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons — that Anthropic has taken a concrete stance on. It argues that monitoring American citizens at large is inherently undemocratic and undermines individual liberty. The company adds that AI-led surveillance is dangerous and only allowed because the legal precedent has not yet caught up.

  • The Verge ☛ Defense secretary Pete Hegseth designates Anthropic a supply chain risk

    The decision could immediately impact numerous major tech companies that use Claude in their line of work for the Pentagon, including Palantir and AWS. It is not immediately clear to what extent the Pentagon may blacklist companies that contract with Claude for other services outside of national security, Anthropic has responded, claiming the designation applies only to the use of its Claude AI on Department of Defense contract work specifically.

  • Apple Inc ☛ iPhone and iPad approved to handle classified NATO information

    Today, Apple announced iPhone and iPad are the first and only consumer devices in compliance with the information assurance requirements of NATO nations. This enables iPhone and iPad to be used with classified information up to the NATO restricted level without requiring special software or settings — a level of government certification no other consumer mobile device has met.

  • Techdirt ☛ West Virginia’s Anti-Apple CSAM Lawsuit Would Help Child Predators Walk Free

    What he is actually doing, if he succeeds, is building an extraordinarily effective legal defense mechanism for child predators.

    This feels difficult for some people—including, apparently, the Attorney Freaking General of West Virginia—to mentally wrap their heads around, but it’s important: the legal approach he’s taking will help child predators massively if he succeeds. The fact that West Virginia’s AG office—staffed with actual lawyers, supplemented by outside private counsel—apparently didn’t bother to read the existing Fourth Amendment jurisprudence before filing this case is, frankly, staggering.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • RTL ☛ 'Magnifying the chaos': TikTok disinformation: the other weapon in Mexico violence

      It also unleashed the mass dissemination of AI-created images shared thousands of times on social media.

      The fact-checking team for AFP in Mexico analyzed a dozen of the fake images and videos linked to the operation and its fallout that were shared over 38,500 times on social media.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • American Library Association ☛ ALA denounces federal book banning bill | ALA

    In response to H.R. 7661, introduced on February 24, American Library Association President Sam Helmick issued the following statement: [...]

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ Reporting Andrew arrest, robot reporters at Mediahuis and Dom’s verdict on Prince Harry trial

    Dominic Ponsford and Charlotte Tobitt talk about how journalists broke news of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest and why they named him despite the privacy risk. They also discuss a plan by Mediahuis to cover “first-line” news with Hey Hi (AI) agents, and Dom gives his (somewhat premature) verdict on the Prince Harry and others versus Associated Newspapers [...]

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong gov’t mulls appeal after tycoon Jimmy Lai fraud conviction overturned

    Hong Kong’s justice department will consider an appeal after a court overturned pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai’s fraud conviction relating to an alleged lease violation at the now-shuttered Fashion Company Apple Daily newspaper headquarters.

  • Human rights Activists News Agency ☛ Journalist Abdolnaser Mohaymeni Arrested in Gorgan

    According to HRANA News Agency, citing Didban Iran, Mr. Mohaymeni was arrested at his home in Gorgan on the evening of Thursday, February 26, 2026.

  • Digital Camera World ☛ Is photojournalism worth dying for? Oscar-nominated documentary on war photographer killed in Ukraine begs question

    Brent Renaud (1971-2022) would probably have disagreed. Over a career spanning more than two decades, the renowned US photojournalist and documentary filmmaker covered many danger zones, including the Iraq War in 2006 and the immediate aftermath of the Haiti earthquake in 2010.

• Civil Rights / Policing / Accessibility

  • American Oversight ☛ ICE Records Obtained by American Oversight Corroborate Whistleblower Testimony on Training for Entering Homes Without Warrants

    We uncovered ICE training materials bolstering the Fourth Amendment conflicts cited by an ICE whistleblower.

  • BIA Net ☛ ‘The blind cell is the stark reality’

    "You’re allowed outside to a different small yard for an hour and a half per day. The remaining 22 and a half hours are spent in this blind cell," says Ümit Çobanoğlu, who was recently released from a "high-security" prison.

  • The Georgia Recorder ☛ Bookman: ICE is bullying its way into Georgia with plans to turn warehouses into detention centers

    The new prison that the federal government proposes to open in Social Circle, about 40 miles southeast of Atlanta, would house four to five times that many. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, it will soon store as many as 10,000 people in a converted warehouse in that community, a decision it claims to have made after a “thorough due-diligence process” prior to purchasing the property for five times its assessed value.

  • Manuel Matuzović ☛ Put aria-hidden=true on decorative SVGs

    This post is part of a series called #WebAccessibilityFails, where I collect common issues I find in accessibility audits so that you can avoid them in the future.

    The title says it all: put aria-hidden="true" on decorative SVGs, or they'll be announced by some screen readers.

  • Manuel Matuzović ☛ role=presentation is no alternative for aria-hidden=true - Manuel Matuzovic

    In the previous post, I explained how to hide presentational SVGs using aria-hidden="true". That's a reliable technique, but sometimes I see developers use role="presentation" instead, which may or may not work as expected.

    Before I show you where it fails, let's first try to understand the difference between role="presentation" and aria-hidden="true".

  • Ken Klippenstein ☛ Who are the Real Extremists?

    They’re talking about snowballs thrown at police officers in Washington Square Park earlier this week, an incident that should have been answered with the officer laughing it off or ignoring it completely.

    But in today’s America, and particularly in Zohran Mamdani’s New York, a snowball flight was elevated to a national security crisis.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Phil Gyford ☛ Shows on BBC iPlayer’s Archive (Phil Gyford’s website)

    I just noticed that BBC iPlayer has a From the Archive category. There’s a link to the full A-Z listing at the bottom of that page and I had a look through the 21 pages to see what gems were hidden there. I thought I may as well list things here to save you the trouble, in case you’re interested (and interested in the same things as me).

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • JUVE ☛ Samsung’s antitrust claim against ZTE dismissed in Frankfurt

    The global SEP dispute with ZTE has not gone well for Samsung so far. The Korean mobile giant has not been able to prevail with an application for an interim licence in the UK. Samsung also had to withdraw a complaint to the ETSI against ZTE’s behaviour.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Patent Examiner Pays $500K for Financial Conflicts — But the Real Story may be Systemic

    USPTO examiner pays $500K to settle conflict-of-interest allegations after OIG found 30% of sampled examiners had potential stock conflicts the ethics office missed.

  • Jacobin Magazine ☛ Let Them Eat Patents

    The world’s food system is not only buckling under the climate crisis, wars, and logistical breakdowns; it is also suffering the long-accumulated structural fractures of the neoliberal agricultural regime. From seed to fertilizer, from data flows to logistics, the entire chain has been consolidated into the hands of an unprecedentedly small corporate core.

    Just four corporations — Bayer, Corteva, Syngenta, and BASF — now control roughly 60 percent of the world’s commercial seed and pesticide markets, an unprecedented level of consolidation across the food chain. The seed — humanity’s foundational agricultural innovation — now sits under the guardianship of multinational corporations.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Not So Sure: Federal Circuit Vacates Summary Judgment of Inequitable Conduct Despite Inventor’s ‘Smoking Gun’ Statement

    Federal Circuit vacates summary judgment of inequitable conduct despite inventor's smoking gun statement, finding credibility disputes remain.

  • DOJ Says Patent Examiner Will Pay $500,000 to Resolve Alleged Ethics Reform Act Violation

    The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Public Affairs, on Wednesday, February 25, issued a press release announcing that a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) examiner will pay $500,000 to settle allegations that she worked “personally and substantially” on a number of patent monopoly applications “in which she held a direct financial stake.” Daxin Wu is alleged to have examined at least nine applications for companies she held stock in between January 2019 and May 2022. Specifically, the DOJ said that she reviewed applications for companies in which she held more than $300,000 and $140,000 worth of stock, respectively, and that she reviewed applications for companies that were competitors of a firm in which she owned more than $900,000 worth of stock.

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ Suno Tops Two Million Subs and $300 Million in Annual Recurring Revenue, CEO Says — As a New ‘Rolling Cipher’ Decision Takes Center Stage in Multiple Copyright Suits

    Revenue, subscribers, and high-stakes lawsuits alike are piling up for Suno, which is said to be generating north of $300 million annually from over two million paid users. Suno co-founder and CEO Mikey Shulman just recently took to Microsoft's Surveillance Arm LinkedIn to disclose the figures.

  • Torrent Freak ☛ Google Invokes First Amendment to Shield Gmail Users from Piracy Subpoena

    Google is refusing to hand over subscriber data for dozens of Gmail users in an ongoing piracy lawsuit at an Illinois federal court. Adult entertainment company Flava Works is trying to identify the alleged pirates, who allegedly shared their content via a private torrent tracker. While Google previously complied in a similar case, it has now raised First Amendment concerns.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Are Opt-Outs Impossible? Musician Continues to Fire Back Against Stability Hey Hi (AI) In Training-Focused Infringement Suit

    Want to opt out of Hey Hi (AI) music generators’ training datasets? Good luck: Stability Hey Hi (AI) is aggressively seeking to dismiss the infringement lawsuit filed by musician Anders Manga, who’s firing back against the push. We broke down the “Welcome to Darkness” artist’s copyright monopoly complaint in detail closer to 2026’s beginning.

• Gemini* and Gopher

  • Personal/Opinions

    • 7 worm twelveth day

      My legs are sore from boxing.

      Training is going well, I felt like I could push myself a bit more yesterday. Realizing that I was economizing my energy... for what reason? Just give it all. I pushed through, I have plenty of energy for that.

      In the lockers room, I said that I had competed when I was younger. I lied. I feel stupid.

      Why would I say stuff like that? To look more cool? To get their approval? I hope no one ever brings this story back. If not I'll just say I lied to their face. I don't want that, but I don't want to keep on lying either.

  • Technology and Free Software

    • Internet/Gemini

      • Entry

        Blastoff! 🚀 And we're again part of the Geminispace! 🧑‍🚀

      • LOC records

        It's a record for storing latitude, longitude, and altitude. I've modified by blog engine so that when I post a checkin it updates the LOC record for my domain.