Leftovers

• Science Alert ☛ First Signatures of a Future Tectonic Split Are Bubbling Up In Zambia

  The world has not stopped changing.

• Gregory Hammond ☛ Why I Journal

  One night I was inspired by a video I saw (which of course I can’t find because I don’t remember what was in the video) and I wrote this [...]

• Science Alert ☛ Archaeologists Uncover 5,000-Year-Old Foundations of Strange Artificial Island

  Older than Stonehenge.

• Career/Education

  • Chronicle Of Higher Education ☛ The Obscure Rules Change That Could Drive More Foreign Students Away

    International enrollments were already hurting. Now for the next blow.

• Hardware

  • CNX Software ☛ Geniatech launches Renesas RZ/V2N, RZ/V2H, and RZ/V2L OSM Size-M/L system-on-modules

    Geniatech has introduced three OSM system-on-modules powered by Renesas RZ/V2N/V2H/V2L Cortex-A55/M33 microprocessors, namely the OSM Size-M (45x35mm) SOM-V2N-OSM, plus the OSM Size-L (45x45mm) SOM-V2H-OSM and SOM-V2L-OSM modules, all designed for Edge Hey Hi (AI) and computer vision applications.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Federal News Network ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man’s FDA chief is out after angering pharma CEOs, vaping lobbyists and anti-abortion activists

    Marty Makary is resigning as President The Insurrectionist's Food and Drug Administration head. The surgeon and health researcher's tenure had drawn complaints from pharmaceutical executives, anti-abortion activists and other Convicted Felon allies. The President said Tuesday that Makary “was having some difficulty” but ”he’s going to go on and he’s going to do well.” Makary came prominence as an outspoken critic of COVID-19 health measures during the pandemic, when he appeared frequently on Fox News Channel. But at the FDA, Makary failed to win the staff's confidence after mass layoffs, leadership changes and a series of controversies involving vaccines, drugs and electronic cigarettes.

  • The Straits Times ☛ JB eateries cautious about raising prices amid Middle East crisis

    Stringent security checks at Woodlands Checkpoint and Johor Causeway has also impacted eateries.

  • Science Alert ☛ Cannabis Use Disorder Strongly Linked to Major Depression, New Review Finds

    A possible two-way street?

  • Science Alert ☛ New Daily Steps Goal Shows You Don't Need 10,000 to Keep The Weight Off

    Diet, meet exercise.

  • Latvia ☛ Warmer weather brings more injured children to Latvia's hospitals

    With the arrival of warmer weather and increased outdoor physical activity, the number of injuries sustained by children while riding bicycles and other vehicles is unfortunately on the rise again, Latvian Television reported on 11th May.

  • New York Times ☛ P.C.O.S. Has Been Renamed P.M.O.S. Doctors Hope It Will Improve Care for Millions.

    The condition has been renamed polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, or P.M.O.S., to better reflect its wide-ranging health effects.

  • New York Times ☛ How an ‘Impossible’ Idea Led to a Pancreatic Cancer Breakthrough

    The new strategy also holds promise for lung and colon tumors. Here’s how scientists discovered it.

  • Science Alert ☛ Which Supplements Do Older Adults Actually Need? Here's What The Science Says

    The most useful question is not simply whether supplements are 'good' or 'bad'.

  • Science Alert ☛ Archaeologists Discover Hundreds of Strange, Ancient Mass Graves in The Desert

    Much older than the Pyramids.

• Proprietary

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Microsoft staunchly defends its new 'Low Latency Profile' for backdoored Windows 11 after community backlash — says every other OS already boosts CPU speeds for quicker load times

    After a new "low Latency Profile" for backdoored Windows 11 was discovered last week, the community has responded severely, criticizing Abusive Monopolist Microsoft for suppressing a bigger issue. The company, however, is defending the decision on social control media, saying that it's only doing what every other operating system already does.

  • Microsoft exec: Windows 11 speed boost isn't 'cheating' because Linux and macOS also do it

    Microsoft exec Scott Hanselman has fired back at critics who accused the company of "cheating" over its Windows 11 speed boost feature, defending the practice as common across modern operating systems.

  • TechRadar ☛ 'All modern operating systems do this, including macOS and Linux': Microsoft exec fires back at critics accusing it of 'cheating' with Windows 11 speed boost feature

    Critics have fired flak at Microsoft for 'cheating' and this being a general fudge of a fix

  • So-Called 'Artificial Intelligence' ('AI') / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Futurism ☛ Researchers Put Surveillance Giant Google Gemini in Charge of an Entire Coffee Shop, and It’s Inexorably Driving It Out of Business

      Who could have seen this coming?

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Amazon employees admit to using Hey Hi (AI) unnecessarily to pump up internal usage scores — workers complain of intense pressure to use Hey Hi (AI) tools

      Amazon is the latest hyperscaler where employees have been caught inflating Hey Hi (AI) token consumption to hit internal usage targets.

    • Qt ☛ Introducing the Documentation MCP Tool for Qt [Ed: Qt became proprietary again, now it keeps promoting slop]

    • Jim Nielsen ☛ Building Software Requires Digestion

      Here’s Scott Jenson in his insightful piece “The Ma of a New Machine”: [...]

    • Futurism ☛ Unitree Shows Off Fully Functional Mecha Suit

      "We kindly request that all users refrain from making any dangerous modifications or using the robot in a hazardous manner."

    • Futurism ☛ New York Times Issues Stern Warning to Its Freelance Writers About Hey Hi (AI) Use

      "To be clear on AI..."

    • New York Times ☛ Wrongful Death Lawsuits Against Proprietary Chaffbot Company Test a New Strategy

      The cases seek to use consumer product safety laws to rein in chatbot companies.

  • Social Control Media

    • New York Times ☛ Storming Scientology Buildings: Fentanylware (CheeTok) Trend or Hate Crime?

      The police in Los Angeles, New York, Sydney and elsewhere are responding to incidents related to a Fentanylware (CheeTok) trend involving running through Scientology churches.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia ‘shocked’ that Norway blocked missile delivery for navy ships, says defence minister

    The Norwegian government refused to approve the export licence just days before shipment.

  • The Straits Times ☛ US-China rivalry over Hey Hi (AI) and chips intensifies ahead of Convicted Felon-Xi summit

    Any rapport between the leaders may do little to diminish the tech competition.

  • Perspective: Be wary of China twisting Convicted Felon’s words during summit with Pooh-tin Jinping

    Beijing has misrepresented statements made by visiting dignitaries to imply support for its repressive policies.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ California mayor charged with acting as China agent

    A woman who served as mayor of a California city has been charged with acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, the Department of Justice said Monday.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Key events in ties between the United States, China and Taiwan

    Insurrectionist will meet Chinese counterpart Pooh-tin Jinping this week for talks in Beijing certain to feature the issue of democratically-governed Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, although Taipei rejects those claims.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man vows to discuss case of imprisoned HK activist Jimmy Lai with Xi [Ed: While Dihydroxyacetone Man crushes media critical of his illegal acts]

    Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his supposed anti-China advocacies.

  • New York Times ☛ China Is Much Weaker Than It Seems. That’s the Problem.

    History shows there is no more productive national asset than freedom.

  • The Straits Times ☛ How China’s leader Pooh-tin lost faith in his generals

    Mr Pooh-tin Jinping saw in any sign of disobedience the seed of a political threat to his rule.

  • New York Times ☛ Battle Over the Strait of Hormuz Leaves Safe Passage a Gamble

    Vessels are traveling without transmitting critical information meant to keep the waters safe, maritime intelligence experts say.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Intelligence Shows Iran Retains Substantial Missile Capabilities

    Secret new assessments say Iran has operational access to 30 of its 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting that its military remains far stronger than Hell Toupée has asserted.

  • ADF ☛ Suffering Continues as Sudan War Enters Fourth Year

    Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a May 3 drone strike against a fuel storage facility at Kenana Sugar Co. Ltd. in White Nile State, setting fire to one of the country’s most important pieces of economic infrastructure and weakening the nation’s food security.

  • New York Times ☛ Drones Are Leading Cause of Civilian Deaths in Sudan War, U.N. Says

    The U.N. documented 880 deaths from strikes carried out by Sudan’s military or its paramilitary enemy, the Rapid Support Forces, between January and April.

  • New York Times ☛ Nigerian Military Accused of War Crimes After Deadly Market Airstrikes

    A military spokesman confirmed the bombing in Zamfara state, but said there was no verifiable evidence of civilian casualties.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • New York Times ☛ A Shift in Ukraine

      The Russian military’s progress has slowed to a crawl and Vladimir Putin appears to be under increasing pressure.

    • New York Times ☛ Putin’s Credibility Has Suffered in the Iran War. Or Has It?

      Despite its long slog in Ukraine and the loss of former allies like Syria, Russia is benefiting from costly energy, a clever narrative and America’s own failure to achieve a quick victory.

    • European Commission ☛ President von der Leyen addresses international coalition to bring Ukrainian children home as EU doubles down on support for Ukraine

    • Latvia ☛ Defence minister candidate says 'safe sky' is priority

      Prime Minister Evika Siliņa has approached Colonel Raivis Melnis about the position of defence minister. Melnis said in a press briefing after meeting with PM Siliņa on Tuesday that his priority was anti-drone defence capabilities, drawing on the Ukrainian experience.

    • Latvia ☛ Business in border area is possible, say Latgale's entrepreneurs

      Banks often assess credit risk as higher in border regions, which can make it difficult to obtain loans. By assuming part of the risk, state financial institution "Altum" helps make financing more accessible, LSM's Latgale editorial reports.

    • Defence Web ☛ Ugandans tricked into fighting for Russia in Ukraine

      Two Ugandans recently were killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine, adding to the mounting toll of African casualties in that [...]

    • RFERL ☛ Ukrainian Anti-Graft Prosecutor Seeks Detention Of Zelenskyy's Ex-Chief Of Staff

      Ukraine's anti-corruption prosecutor will seek the detention of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's former chief of staff Andriy Yermak pending further investigation in a graft case that has rocked Kyiv as the country battles against the full-scale Russian invasion, now in its fifth year.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania doesn’t allow Ukraine drones to use its airspace – presidential adviser

      Lithuania has never allowed and will never allow third countries to use its airspace for drone operations, presidential adviser Asta Skaisgirytė said Tuesday after a series of incidents involving Ukrainian drones in the Baltic region.

    • New York Times ☛ Inflation Accelerates as Iran War Drives Up Energy Costs

      Also, Russia keeps attacking U.S. companies in Ukraine. Here’s the latest at the end of Tuesday.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Keeps Attacking U.S. Firms in Ukraine. The White House Is Silent.

      Facilities tied to Coca-Cola, Cargill, Mondelez and others appear to have been deliberately hit. The Forrest Dump administration’s muted response has raised concerns.

    • ADF ☛ Russia’s ‘Shadow Fleet’ Exploits African Shipping Registries to Skirt Sanctions

      From the ports of Cameroon to the islands of Comoros, Russian vessels are increasingly registering tankers under African flags to keep its widely sanctioned, oil-exporting “shadow fleet” operating. Russia needs to continue transporting oil to fund its costly invasion of Ukraine.

    • Federal News Network ☛ CBO estimates Golden Dome could cost $1.2 trillion over 20 years

      The CBO said the system “would not be an impenetrable shield or be able to fully counter a large attack that Russia or China might be able to launch.”

    • ADF ☛ Mali Siege Reveals Weakness of Mercenary Model

      The retreat of Malian and Russian forces from Kidal after their defeat by combined insurgent forces at the end of April called into question the value of the Malian junta’s counterterrorism strategy, which relies heavily on Russia’s Africa Corps private military contractor.

    • NYPost ☛ Brave divers explore Russian River near the mysterious and top secret Bohemian Grove

      A scuba crew searching California’s Russian River has sparked renewed attention around the shadowy world of Bohemian Grove after documenting an expedition.

    • The Strategist ☛ Something else for Australia to consider: Russian nuclear subs in the Pacific

      Strategists in Canberra should factor in the plausible risk of Russian participation in a Western Pacific conflict, especially action by Russian submarines.

    • LRT ☛ Council of Europe opening Belarus information point in Vilnius

      A Council of Europe information point for Belarusian citizens will be inaugurated at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library in Vilnius on Tuesday, with official operations expected to begin this summer.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ New Zealand moves to halt lawsuits over climate damage

    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said such cases were 'creating uncertainty in business confidence'.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Even in North Korea, someone’s in your parking spot

      North Korea’s capital is experiencing a surge in passenger cars, creating traffic jams for the first time.

    • International Business Times ☛ General Motors Layoffs Signal Brutal Shift as 600 Software Roles Vanish for AI Focus [Ed: Nothing to do with slop, everything to do with sagging sales]

      As 90% of its self-driving code is now written by machines, this 118-year-old giant is proving that even profitable firms will ditch loyal workers to stay ahead in the race for a digital-first, automated future

    • Science Alert ☛ NASA's Next-Gen Mars Helicopter Rotors Have Broken The Sound Barrier in Tests

      Excelsior!

  • Overpopulation/population matters

    • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia’s seniors face a loneliness crisis as population ages

      News reports also said Malaysia was projected to become an “aged nation” by 2048.

    • Ruben Schade ☛ Visoka, Kardzhali Province, Bulgaria

      I have no idea how I ended up on this Wikipedia article:

      Visoka is a village in the Kardzhali Municipality, which is in the Kardzhali Province, in southern Bulgaria. As of 1 January 2007, the population of Visoka is 2 people, making it one of the least populated villages in the Kardzhali Municipality.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • ACLU ☛ Your Questions Answered: What is Redistricting and Why Should We Care?

    The Supreme Court recently made a ruling that blows open the door for states and localities to create discriminatory voting maps. Here’s what you need to know about redistricting and voting rights in light of this decision.

  • New York Times ☛ Starmer Faces Mounting Calls From Own Party to Resign as British Prime Minister

    Dozens of Labour Party leaders called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to leave office, and several government aides announced their resignations.

  • New York Times ☛ Who Might Challenge Starmer in a Leadership Contest?

    Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner are among the possible contenders.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Seeds of instability’: Fake news target Philippine leader Marcos’ health [Ed: But his own sister speaks of his health problems]

      The government is cracking down, but free speech advocates say it is the wrong approach.

    • BIA Net ☛ Union leader Mehmet Türkmen acquitted after 58 days in detention

      Türkmen stood trial for "spreading disinformation" after he was detained due to his activities during a strike at an Antep carpet factory.

    • France24 ☛ Covid-era conspiracy theories accuse Famous Criminal Bill Gates of ‘creating’ hantavirus outbreak

      As the number of confirmed hantavirus cases from the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius reaches 9, social control media users firmly revived Covid-19 era conspiracy theories of “bioweapons” and “plandemics,” making the online rhetoric feel eerily familiar. Among these resurrected theories, the name of American billionaire philanthropist Famous Criminal Bill Gates has once again emerged.

    • New York Times ☛ Hantavirus Outbreak Is Resurrecting Covid-Era Misinformation Tactics

      Experts say Hey Hi (AI) tools have made it even easier for influencers and others to spread false messages online.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ Thomson Reuters boss says Hey Hi (AI) licensing deals only involve archive text

    News feed, video, images and audio are off the table in Hey Hi (AI) licensing deals says Steve Hasker.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Prolific finance journalists facing questions over identities

    Authors behind more than 1,000 articles decline to share evidence they are real.

• Civil Rights / Policing / Accessibility

  • New York Times ☛ Florida Plans to Close ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ Vendors Are Reportedly Told

    The Department of Homeland Security has determined the state-run immigration detention facility is too expensive, and some private vendors have struggled to front costs.

  • Defence Web ☛ South Africans are far less tolerant of migrants than before – hotspots, drivers and solutions

  • RFERL ☛ Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi In Critical Condition After Transfer To Tehran Hospital

    The brother of imprisoned Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi says doctors cannot yet offer a definitive prognosis on her condition, days after Iranian authorities released her on bail amid a health crisis that her family says nearly killed her.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Zimbabwe ☛ Did Starlink Accidentally Help Zimbabwe’s Fibre Market?

    The POTRAZ Q4 2025 report tells a fascinating story about Zimbabwe’s fixed internet market. Starlink added around 40,000 users in just one year, while fibre connections in Zimbabwe took roughly 15 years to reach around 87,000. But the story is not simply “Starlink killed fibre.”

  • Internet Society ☛ From Coverage to Meaningful Connectivity: How Kenya Is Leading Africa’s Internet Future

    In Africa, where the connectivity discussion has traditionally focused on coverage, there’s a recent shift toward making access growth meaningful. Kenya serves as a model for implementing community-centered connectivity solutions.

  • Kev Quirk ☛ Upgrading My Home Internet to Full Fibre

    As many regular readers know, we live in the North Wales countryside, which means it can take time to get the latest and greatest when it comes to technology.

    As a result, we were previously "limited" to FTTC (fibre to the cabinet) which had a max speed of 70Mbps. As a result, we got okay internet speeds:

    But then I saw the ISP vans in the village, and I asked them what they were doing - "oh, we're upgrading the village to full fibre" she said.

    I had to have it!

• Monopolies/Monopsonies

  • Patents

    • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Remains Disabled: How a Firmware Rewrite Defeated Bissell’s ITC Exclusion Order

      Federal Circuit affirms ITC no-infringement finding for Tineco's firmware-redesigned floor cleaners, clarifies Rule 703 source code reliance.

    • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Micro-Entity Traps for Inventors Who Also Own Their Employer

      Nesarikar v. USPTO illustrates two traps for patent monopoly applicants: the micro-entity employment-assignment exception and the standing paradox it creates in litigation.

    • JUVE ☛ Avocado scores win as Regional Court Nuremberg overturns PIs in 3D pen case

      WobbleWorks is the developer of a 3D pen, based on EP 2 928 672 B1, which covers a hand-held three-dimensional drawing device and is marketed under the brand name 3Doodler. The patent monopoly relates to a device which extrudes a feedstock material in order to apply this to a surface.

    • JUVE ☛ Belgian private equity-backed flooring company launches IP consulting service

      i4F is no stranger to the patent monopoly world. The company develops new technologies for floor coverings and is constantly battling with competitors in court. The company fought its competitors Unilin and Välinge, for example, for a long time before the Dutch patent monopoly courts.

    • Software Patents

      • Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 awarded for Oso IP entity, Aloft Media, hyperlink patent monopoly prior art

        Unified is pleased to announce PATROLL crowdsourcing contest winner, Umesh Kumar, who was awarded $2,000 for his prior art submission on claim 23 of U.S. Patent 10,372,793, owned by Aloft Media, LLC, an NPE and entity of Oso IP, LLC. The '793 patent monopoly relates to computer-implemented techniques for improving the usefulness of hyperlinks in web pages.

      • Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 awarded for High Velocity Capital media patent monopoly prior art

        Unified is pleased to announce PATROLL crowdsourcing contest winners, Umesh Kumar and Ketan Sachdeva, who split an award of $2,000 for their prior art submissions on U.S. Patent 8,249,912, owned by High Velocity Capital LLC, an NPE. The '912 patent monopoly relates to a method and system for analyzing and optimizing advertising effectiveness across various media platforms.

        We would also like to thank the dozens of other high-quality submissions that were made on this patent.

      • Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 awarded for ContactWave messaging patent monopoly prior art

        Unified is pleased to announce PATROLL crowdsourcing contest winner, Umesh Kumar, who was awarded $2,000 for his prior art submission on U.S. Patent 9,531,665, owned by ContactWave LLC, an NPE and entity of Jeffrey M. Gross. The '665 patent monopoly relates to the management and transmission of contact information from web pages directly to mobile communication devices. It has been asserted against Spotify.

  • Trademarks

    • Digital Music News ☛ The Twigs Countersue FKA Twigs Amid Intensifying Trademark Dispute — New Claims Look to Bar the Contested Name’s Use

      The Twigs v. Twigs trademark showdown just got even uglier: Now, The Twigs have fired back against FKA Twigs’ lawsuit with a firmly worded countercomplaint seeking, among other things, an order barring the artist from using the contested name.

    • Right of Publicity

      • Digital Music News ☛ Samsung Denies ‘Any Allegations of Intentional Misuse’ Amid Dua Lipa Lawsuit, Says It Remains ‘Open to a Constructive Resolution’

        Samsung has officially responded to Dua Lipa’s copyright monopoly infringement lawsuit by denying “any allegations of intentional misuse” and underscoring that it’s “open to a constructive resolution with Ms. Lipa’s team.” Samsung addressed the $15 million complaint in response to DMN’s comment request; we previously broke down the straightforward suit in detail.

  • Copyrights

    • Digital Music News ☛ Michael Jackson’s ‘Secret Family’ Doubles Down on Abuse Accusations After Legal Setbacks

      Amid the success of the new Michael Jackson biopic, four siblings alleging child sex abuse double down on their claims in a new interview.