Leftovers

• Jakub Steiner ☛ Jakub Steiner: Friday Sketches (part 2)

  Two years have passed since I last shared my Friday app icon sketches, but the sketching itself hasn't stopped.

• Hardware

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Says 3 Tied to Silicon Valley Server Maker Broke Export Laws

    Prosecutors said the men, including a co-founder of the company, Super Micro, had diverted servers containing Nvidia Hey Hi (AI) chips to China.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Latvia ☛ Fourteen measles cases confirmed in Latvia

    Since the start of the measles outbreak in Latvia, a total of 14 cases have been reported, according to data compiled by the  Disease Prevention and Control Centre (SPKC).

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ Michigan boosts bed capacity in ‘horribly underserved’ mental health system

    Michigan mental health care providers, patients and their families and law enforcement have said the state does not have enough resources to care for people in psychiatric crisis.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China cracks down on fentanyl networks in move long sought by Washington

    For years Washington had pressed China to arrest sellers of chemicals used to make the deadly drug.

  • Science Alert ☛ Meningitis Outbreak Exposes UK's Decade-Long Gap in Protection

    Here's why an entire generation of students are at risk.

  • Science Alert ☛ Your Gut-Brain Link May Offer a New Way to Fight Cognitive Decline

    The two are closely connected.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Uncover The Nerve Pathway That Makes Stress Worsen Eczema

    The findings could improve treatments.

  • Science Alert ☛ Ozempic-Like Drugs May Help Prevent Damage After a Heart Attack

    "Our latest findings are surprising."

  • Science Alert ☛ Study Reveals a Turning Point When Your Body's Aging Accelerates

    Brace yourself.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Children’s headphones on Temu, Amazon found with chemicals exceeding safety limits in South Korea

    35 per cent of those tested contained substances at levels up to 200 times over the safety standard.

  • Latvia ☛ Flu still at epidemic levels in Latvia

    Influenza activity in Latvia is gradually declining, but it remains at epidemic levels, the Disease Prevention and Control Centre (SPKC) told the LETA news agency on 18th March.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Some 50 hurt in fire at car parts factory in South Korea, Yonhap says

    A fire at a car parts factory in the South Korean city of Daejeon has injured 50 people, 35 of them seriously, the Yonhap News Agency reported on Friday.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Deadly Wang Fuk Court fire ‘most likely’ caused by smoking, public inquiry hears

    The massive blaze at a Tai Po housing estate in November was “most likely” caused by smoking, a public inquiry has heard, as a committee investigating the fatal disaster began hearing evidence on Thursday.

  • Science Alert ☛ FDA Approves New High-Dose Wegovy in US For Boosted Weight Loss

    “Quite a big jump."

  • Science Alert ☛ 'Unprecedented' Meningitis Outbreak in UK Spreads to 27 Cases

    "This looks like a superspreader event."

  • Science Alert ☛ This Infamous Radioactive 'Tomb' Is Leaking, And Experts Are Worried

    "The integrity of the dome could be in jeopardy."

  • OpenRightsGroup ☛ CHILDREN’S WELLBEING AND SCHOOLS BILL: ORG ANALYSIS OF AMENDMENT 38 B

  • JURIST ☛ World Food Programme warns of mass food insecurity if Middle East conflict continues

    The World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday that the escalating hostilities in the Middle East could lead to record levels of food insecurity and the largest disruption in humanitarian intervention since the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Futurism ☛ Grab Your Betrayal-Themed Popcorn Buckets, Because Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Is Threatening to Sue OpenAI

      If Proprietary Chaffbot Company breaches Microsoft's contract, "we will sue them."

    • Futurism ☛ A Grim Truth Is Emerging in Employers’ Hey Hi (AI) Experiments

      "Those are foundational problems no one has solved in LLM technology. And you want to tell me that's not going to manifest in code quality problems?"

    • Futurism ☛ “Educational” YouTube Hey Hi (AI) Slop Encourages Kids to Play in Traffic

      "I think of this as toddler Hey Hi (AI) misinformation at an industrial scale."

    • The Strategist ☛ AI is revolutionising journalism. Intelligence is next

      When Baghdad’s night sky erupted in tracer fire and explosions in 1991, it meant more than just Operation Desert Storm’s commencement.

    • Arduino ☛ At India Hey Hi (AI) Impact Summit, “AI for All” and student innovation take center stage [Ed: Slopfest]

      On February 18th, Arduino joined the India Hey Hi (AI) Impact Summit 2026 at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan with a clear message: artificial intelligence isn’t just for well-funded research labs and big tech companies.

  • Social Control Media

    • JURIST ☛ Rights group warns Meta moderation policies fuel violence in Bangladesh

      Amnesty International on Monday urged tech company Meta to address concerns over harmful online content on Facebook, citing risk of sectarian tensions, discrimination, and violence against minority communities in Bangladesh. The rights group described a troubling rise in “misleading and inflammatory content spread in relation to political parties and minority communities.”

• Pseudo-Open Source

  • Openwashing

    • Nvidia GTC: OpenClaw is the new Linux, says Jensen Huang [Ed: Openwashing of garbage and slop by circular financing scam firm]

      OpenClaw is "essentially the operating system of agentic computers," Huang explained, comparing its role in agentic computing to Windows and Mac for the personal computer.

• Linux Foundation

  • Open Source Summit North America 2026 Schedule Showcases Next Era of AI Infrastructure, Security and Open Ecosystems

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Security Week ☛ Privacy Platform Cloaked Raises $375M to Expand Enterprise Reach

      Cloaked plans to introduce Hey Hi (AI) agents designed to act on behalf of users to monitor, manage, and enforce privacy preferences and security postures.

  • Confidentiality

    • Security Week ☛ Security Firm Aura Discloses Data Breach Impacting 900,000 Records

      The information was stolen from a marketing tool after an employee fell victim to a targeted phone phishing attack.

    • Security Week ☛ Marquis Data Breach Affects 672,000 Individuals

      It was previously estimated that more than 1.6 million people may be affected by the Marquis data breach.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and daughter unveil new anti-drone battle tank

    Kim Ju Ae is believed to have entered a phase of being designated as the next leader.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korean leader's teenage daughter drives tank in latest public appearance

    North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's teenage daughter drove an army tank with her father sitting behind her in photos from state news agency KCNA on Friday, with analysts suggesting she may be training to succeed him.

  • NYPost ☛ North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter drives tank in latest public appearance

    Kim Jong Un's daughter, known as Ju Ae and believed to be around 13 years old, has been making increasingly frequent public appearances with her father in recent months.

  • The Straits Times ☛ E-hailing drivers in Malaysia brace themselves for fewer airport trips amid Middle East crisis

    For some, the ripple effects of the Middle East tensions are already affecting daily earnings.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China poses pressing threat; deterrence needed to avert invasion, Taiwan says

    Beijing has stepped up pressure on Taiwan with frequent military drills.

  • France24 ☛ Venezuela interim president replaces top military commanders in sweeping reforms

    Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez said on Thursday she had replaced all senior military commanders, expanding sweeping reforms after the US ousted Nicolas Maduro. The move follows the dismissal of a long-serving defence minister and the appointment of a former intelligence chief, as Caracas reshapes its armed forces.

  • New York Times ☛ 2 Men Charged With Spying for Iran on Jewish Institutions in UK

    The men, both Iranian citizens, are accused of conducting surveillance on several Jewish institutions and community buildings in London.

  • NYPost ☛ UC Berkeley to pay $1M, overhaul policies after antisemitism lawsuit settlement

    The University of California, Berkeley, will pay $1 million and make changes to its policies on antisemitism after settling a lawsuit with the Brandeis Center. The $1 million penalty will act as a reimbursement to the Brandeis Center for outside attorneys’ fees.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Toward balanced immigration enforcement

    Concerns about overly aggressive targeting of suspected unauthorized immigrants might push Congress, as well as a new head of Homeland Security, to align law enforcement with respect for individual humanity and civic rights.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan rejects China’s energy security ‘reunification’ offer amid Middle East war

    Taiwan's government referred to China's offer as "cognitive warfare".

  • The Straits Times ☛ China-ruled Macau approves national security law allowing closed-door trials

    Lawmakers in Macau, a city under Chinese rule, unanimously approved a bill on Thursday that allows court proceedings to be held behind closed doors when deemed necessary to protect national security interests.

  • The Straits Times ☛ New Macau security law allows for trials behind closed doors

    Defence lawyers will be required to obtain clearances before appearing in national security cases.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Macau’s new security law allows for trials behind closed doors

    Macau passed a bill on Thursday that will allow judges to hear national security cases behind closed doors and require defence lawyers to obtain clearances before appearing in such cases.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ North Korean fake IT army of 100,000 nets Kim Jong-Un a cool $500 million a year — NK-aligned workers infiltrated in IT companies worldwide, feeding the nation's revenue generation

    North Korean army of IT workers infiltrates western companies to make money for the nation.

  • France24 ☛ Gas prices soar as energy infrastructure is attacked in Gulf

    Natural gas prices soared, as attacks intensified on energy infrastracture in the Middle East. The Ras Laffan plant in Qatar has sustained 'significant damage,' according to its operators, which could take years to fully repair. That will have a significant impact on global supplies, because the facility produces around a fifth of the world's LNG. Also in the show - the World Trade Organization warns a trade slowdown could lead to mounting food insecurity.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Pentagon seeks $200 billion in additional funds for the Iran war, AP source says

    A senior administration official says the Pentagon is seeking $200 billion in additional funds for the Iran war. The department sent the request to the White House, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private information. It’s an extraordinarily high number and comes on top of extra funding the Defense Department already received last year in President The Insurrectionist’s big tax cuts bill. Asked about the figure at a press conference Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not directly confirm the amount, saying it could change. Congress is bracing for a new spending request but it is unclear it would have support. Convicted Felon says it's a small price to pay for security.

  • New York Times ☛ Father of a Palestinian woman killed with three others during a missile attack expresses shock.

    The victims are the first Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank to be killed as a result of the Middle East war.

  • RFERL ☛ EU Calls For 'Moratorium' On Strikes Against Energy, Water Sites

    As the US-Israeli war with Iran continues to impact and shape the region, journalists from RFE/RL deliver ongoing updates and analysis.

  • France24 ☛ Video of Iranian soldier being targeted in a Tehran strike is Hey Hi (AI) generated

    Since Tuesday, videos supposedly showing Iranian soldiers being bombed in Tehran have been widely shared by pro-Israel accounts, Israeli media and even an official Israeli government social control media account. But doubts have surfaced over their authenticity, as Emerald Maxwell explains.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian parliament debates criminalising involvement in hostile conflicts, sabotage

      The Seimas on Thursday began debating amendments to the criminal code aimed at criminalising participation in foreign armed conflicts on the side of “hostile states”, as well as sabotage and cooperation with foreign intelligence services.

    • JURIST ☛ Amnesty International accuses Georgian authorities of ‘witch-hunt’ following critical OSCE report

      Amnesty International on Tuesday criticized the move by Georgian authorities to summon human rights activist Ucha Nanuashvili for questioning, following his contribution to a report by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

    • New York Times ☛ U.S. Lifts Fertilizer Sanctions on Belarus as Iran War Causes Price Surge

      The Forrest Dump administration made the move in exchange for Belarus’s freeing of 250 political prisoners, part of a rapprochement between the two countries.

    • RFERL ☛ Washington Eases Sanctions On Minsk As Belarus Releases 250 Prisoners

      The United States has lifted sanctions on several Belarusian entities and the country's Finance Ministry as Belarus announced the release of scores of prisoners -- including political detainees Kim Samusenko and journalist Ekaterina Andreeva.

    • LRT ☛ PM dismissive of Lithuanian carriers’ meeting with Belarus officials

      After Lithuanian logistics representatives met with Belarusian officials amid continuing efforts to resolve the issue of stranded trucks, Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė says the meeting was a private matter and not directed by the government.

    • LRT ☛ US special envoy meets with Lithuanian far-right politicians

      John Coale met with several Lithuanian right-populist parliamentarians and a member of the European Parliament on Wednesday to discuss bilateral issues with Belarus.

    • LRT ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man envoy says US seeks improved Belarus-Lithuania ties as Minsk releases more prisoners

      The United States is seeking to improve relations between Belarus and Lithuania, US special envoy John Coale said after meeting Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, according to the state-run Belarusian news agency BelTA.

    • Latvia ☛ Moldovan citizen handed prison service for migrant smuggling in Latvia

      The Latgale District Court has sentenced a Moldovan citizen to four years and six months in prison after he was caught in Ludza municipality transporting immigrants who had crossed the Belarus-Latvia border illegally. The man was also ordered to be deported from Latvia and barred from re-entering the country for five years.

    • France24 ☛ Orbán blocks €90bn loan, threatening vital EU support for Ukraine’s energy system & overall survival

      Mark Owen is pleased to welcome Dr. Hanna Shelest, Director of Security Studies and Global Outreach Programmes at the Foreign Policy Council 'Ukrainian Prism' and Editor-in-chief at UA: Ukraine Analytica. According to Dr. Hanna Shelest, Ukrainian forces demonstrate that with adaptive strategy, technological innovation, and timely support, it is possible not only to resist but to go on the offensive. Yet this capacity is inseparable from sustained international backing, both military and financial.

    • RFERL ☛ EU Vows To Get $90 Billion Loan To Kyiv Despite Hungary’s Opposition

      Despite the opposition of Hungary, the European Union will find ways to deliver the promised 90 billion euro ($104.2 billion) loan ⁠to Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said early on March 20.

    • New York Times ☛ The Soldier Who Came Back From the Dead

      Told that Nazar Daletskyi had died, his Ukrainian family buried what they thought were his remains. He turned up three years later in a prisoner-of-war exchange.

    • New York Times ☛ A Crucial Loan for Ukraine Becomes Election Leverage for Orban

      European leaders are pushing Prime Minister Viktor Orban to stop blocking a €90 billion loan to Kyiv. But the issue is a rallying cry in elections in Hungary set for April 12.

    • LRT ☛ Croatian cellist cancels concert in Vilnius following Russian video controversy

      A summer concert by Croatian cellist Stjepan Hauser in Vilnius has been cancelled, the event organisers confirmed to LRT on Thursday. The announcement comes following criticism on social control media over a Russian-themed video posted by the musician.

    • New York Times ☛ Is Russian Fuel Headed for Cuba, Testing the U.S. Blockade?

      A Russian oil tanker is being closely tracked to see if it will challenge the Convicted Felon administration’s blockade on Cuba.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ BYD showrooms are bustling across Asia after Iran oil shock

      Early signs point to Asian EV makers such as China’s BYD benefiting from the resulting surge in crude oil prices.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • The Straits Times ☛ Baby monkey Punch acclimatising, making new friends at Japan zoo

      Punch became an internet sensation after clips of him clinging to a plush orang utan toy for comfort were shared.

• Finance

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ US trade deficit hits a record $1.2 trillion as Hey Hi (AI) hardware imports surge under the Convicted Felon administration — massive demand for chips from Asia outpaces domestic production, fueling a 60% increase in imports in 12 months

    AI-related imports across the computing and electronics sector have led to a big increase in the U.S. trade deficit, hitting a record $1.2 trillion in 2025, despite efforts from the Convicted Felon administration to reduce the gap.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Strategist ☛ Antarctic allies: Australia and New Zealand at the end of the earth

    Antarctica rose to the surface of strategic competition this week. It appeared prominently in both the Australia–New Zealand Foreign and Defence Ministerial Consultations (ANZMIN) and in China’s new five-year plan.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China calls killing of Iran’s Larijani, leaders ‘unacceptable’

    "We have always opposed the use of force in international relations," said a foreign ministry spokesman.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • JURIST ☛ Rights group criticizes new China cybercrime bill as threat to free expression and information access

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday reported on the threats to rights created by China’s new cybercrime bill and urged the concerned governments to press China to scrap the draft law.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Internet Society ☛ The NDSS Symposium 2026 Had a New Vibe—But Why?

    The NDSS Symposium 2026 hit the sweet spot in terms of substance, energy, and weather. But ultimately, the presenters made this such an outstanding year.

  • Public Knowledge ☛ FCC Formally Approves Illegal Nexstar Media Group/Tegna Merger in $6.2 Billion Deal Risking Local News, Free Speech

    Today, the Federal Communications Commission released its Order formally approving the illegal $6.2 billion Nexstar Media Group/Tegna merger – despite the proposal exceeding both the 39% national ownership cap and local market limits.

  • AccessNow ☛ Fighting for fragile freedoms, online and off

    Arzu Geybulla, Access Now’s new Co-Executive Director, reflects on a life lived under repression and in exile, and how it has shaped her advocacy for human rights in the digital age.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • JUVE ☛ Pentarc grows team with partner from Taylor Wessing [Ed: Seems like marketing spam in "news" clothing (they sponsor the publisher)]

    Stefanie Engmann began her legal career in 2020 at IP firm Bardehle Pagenberg, but moved to Latham & Watkins’ dispute resolution team after six months. There, in the team led by Hamburg partner Christoph Baus, she primarily conducted commercial litigation, for example in class actions or arbitration proceedings.

  • JUVE ☛ Local division Mannheim flirts with setting FRAND rate

    During yesterday’s hearing, the Mannheim local division under presiding judge Peter Tochtermann took the opportunity to provide an astonishing amount of basic information that did not necessarily relate to the case being heard that day. The local division heard the first of three infringement claims at the UPC between ZTE and Samsung.

  • Unified Patents ☛ United States CP fingerprint authentication patent monopoly prior art found

    The team at Unified IP Services used Pearl to successfully identify and chart prior art against U.S. Patent 9,760,753, owned by United States CP, LLC, an NPE. The ‘753 patent monopoly relates to a finger guide device intended for securing precise placement of a digit on a scanner to capture fingerprints accurately.

• Copyrights

  • Futurism ☛ Encyclopedia Britannica Hits Proprietary Chaffbot Company With Scary Lawsuit

    OpenAI is getting the book thrown at them.

  • Public Domain Review ☛ Fear and Fragility: The Glass Delusion and Its History

    In early modern Europe, around the time when lenses began to bring the world (and heavens) into newfound focus, patients started appearing in medical records with a particular ailment: a firm belief that they were made of glass. Tamara Sanderson investigates the source and manifestation of this delusion, and finds a psychological idiom that once carried the weight of what could otherwise not be said.

  • Green Party UK ☛ Deputy Leader Rachel Millward welcomes government retreat over Hey Hi (AI) copyright monopoly reforms

    The government has rowed back on its plans to introduce an ‘opt-out’ to copyright monopoly law that would have harmed the UK’s world leading creative industries and weakened our country’s long-term digital sovereignty.   Rachel Millward said:   [...]