Leftovers

• Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

  • Andy Bell ☛ A Front-end developer’s guide to the hybrid mobile app development landscape

    All that said, for the purposes of this article, I’m a front-end web developer who has spent their 7 year career building a product for testing accessibility of mobile apps. I’d like to give you — a front-end web developer, who may not have mobile experience — a quick run-through to the mobile apps built with web technologies landscape.

  • Yle ☛ Five seconds costs teen €100 as HSL tightens ticket policy

    The teenager started loading a travel ticket on his phone at Martinlaakso station in Vantaa just before boarding the bus. As it was freezing cold outside, and his phone battery was low, he stepped onto the bus while the ticket was still loading.

    This resulted in a fine of 100 euros, as the inspector deemed him to have broken the Helsinki Transport Authority's (acronymed as HSL in Finnish) tighter regulations about app-based ticket purchases — and their timings.

    "The ticket was five or six seconds late," Kasperi told Yle.

• Science / Mathematics / Computer Science

  • Stanford University ☛ From the Community | America’s research engine is not a political machine

    Science professors at Stanford criticize the OMB's proposed grant funding changes for advancing a political agenda.

  • Science Alert ☛ A New Biological Clock Could Predict When You'll Probably Die

    Make the most of it.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Single Lifestyle Change Could Lower Your Risk of Dementia by 16%

    But there's a catch.

  • Science Alert ☛ Your Grip Strength Says a Lot About How Long You Might Live

    But there's more to the story than those influencer claims.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Futurism ☛ Plans Accelerated for Human Trials of Tooth Regeneration

    This could be a game changer.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ ‘Free birth’ couple confirmed as parents of infant boy after DNA tests – reports

    A local couple arrested on suspicion of child neglect has been confirmed as the biological parents of an infant born with no medical records, according to local media. According to DNA test results, Tsang Wai-bong and Kwan Pui-sin are the parents of two-month-old Danny, local media reported on Thursday, citing unnamed government sources.

  • Science Alert ☛ Popular Weight Loss Drugs Linked to Lower Risk of Breast Cancer

    Could they save lives?

  • New York Times ☛ Mistrust Spreads With the Ebola Virus in Congo

    In a remote mining town at the center of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola outbreak, grief and mistrust are complicating efforts to stop the virus. Health workers are trying to treat the ill and bury the dead, but some residents are still in denial that the disease is even real.

  • New York Times ☛ In a First, Scientists Precisely Edit Human Embryo Genes

    Researchers relied on a newer gene-editing technique that may make it possible to engineer embryos, a prospect that has long alarmed bioethicists.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Dalai Lama, 90, to seek knee treatment in New Delhi

    The Dalai Lama will receive medical treatment on his left knee in New Delhi this month, his office said on Thursday, as the 90-year-old deals with a series of health issues.

• Proprietary / SaaS

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

    • Futurism ☛ Basketball Fans Disgusted as ESPN Airs Hey Hi (AI) Slop Version of NBA Champion Tony Parker During the Finals

      "AI sucks. This isn’t Tony Parker. Do better. Gross."

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ OpenAI CEO Scam Altman admits Hey Hi (AI) token costs are becoming 'a huge issue' — company seeks improved value as overspending becomes a meme

      OpenAI's clients are complaining about out-of-control Hey Hi (AI) spending, and they're asking Scam Altman to make it more efficient so they don't blow their annual Hey Hi (AI) budgets in just one quarter.

    • New York Times ☛ Wary of U.S., Carney Bets on Hey Hi (AI) Strategy for Canada

      The country on Thursday released a national artificial intelligence strategy that focuses on building its sovereign capability and protecting consumers.

    • Standards/Consortia

      • APNIC ☛ Non-Human Identity for workloads: Securing the next phase of automation

        Guest Post: Non-Human Identity is evolving as automation and Hey Hi (AI) increase machine-to-machine connections. Short-lived, key-based credentials address long-standing risks, but industry now needs clear assurance levels for workload identities. Collaboration will shape the next phase of NHI standards.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • The Register UK ☛ Palantir wins £9M contract to run UK firearms licensing: CIA-backed biz to hold gun, bomb, and poison records

      Palantir has secured a £9 million ($12 million) government contract to provide software for managing firearms licensing across the UK.

      The US spy-tech biz will also handle Home Office licensing for explosives, explosive precursors, and poisons. The contract covers a replacement for the National Firearms Licensing Management System (NFLMS), which has been in use since the mid-2000s.

      According to a recently published procurement notice, the new system will help 43 Police Forces in England and Wales record how they grant, renew, and revoke firearms licenses. The contract — set to last up to ten years, including possible extensions — could also support Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) if required.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ Satellite images show suspected structure at disputed South China Sea atoll, later removed

    It may have been a floating raft or buoy, and a barrier stretching across it.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Futurism ☛ Mayor Caught on Camera Saying the Only Voters Who Oppose Data Centers Are Disgusting Poor People

      It's never been more obvious that the pro data center camp is completely out of touch.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Futurism ☛ We Are Intrigued by This Man Taking His Pet Octopus for a Walk Around His Neighborhood

      "Life's too short to live 'normal.'"

    • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Extremely intelligent’ bear at large in Japan after hurting four

      It dodged capture despite efforts by hunters and responders equipped with traps and anaesthetic guns.

• Finance

  • LRT ☛ EU Commission says Lithuania could boost revenue through tax reform

    The European Commission said Lithuania could generate additional revenue to meet growing defence, healthcare and social welfare needs by reforming property and environmental taxes, removing certain tax exemptions, while maintaining fiscal sustainability.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ US tech layoffs record single-highest month in two years, and more than any other sector — nearly 40,000 get the axe, Hey Hi (AI) the most cited reason for layoffs

    [Ed: Nothing to do with slop, rotting economy trying to "talk up" the Ponzi scheme that Wall Street misuses]

    U.S. tech companies announced 38,242 job cuts in May, more than any other sector and the industry's heaviest month of reductions in nearly two years.

  • Company Shuts Down In 1 Night, 700 Techies Jobless!

    As we had been extensively reporting for the last few weeks, several global companies have been resorting to layoff operations due to the falling job market. This has now resulted in an extremely problematic situation in India as well.

    We have the case of an IT company based out of Pune, India, which has created an absolute panic situation to its employees.

    This company that is based out of Pune is registered after the name Thynk Tech India and mysteriously shut down operations in a single night while leaving its 700 employees clueless and more concerningly, jobless.

  • Faith in large employers is fading among UK workers [Ed: Lots of work is being offloaded to contactors to dodge risks and liabilities, i.e. protections for staff. Sometimes those impacted are offered roles well below the one they lose; the idea is, when they say "no" they get nothing.]

    A growing number of UK workers prefer small businesses or startups over multinational corporations amid a loss of faith in large employers. According to new data from CareermindsUK, two-thirds, or 67%, of UK workers expressed a preference for smaller enterprises.

    This shift is linked to high-profile layoffs in sectors such as technology, where over 116,000 workers have lost their jobs this year, as reported by layoffs.fyi. Major companies like Oracle, Intel, Amazon, Tesla, Google, Meta, Dell, and Microsoft have contributed significantly to this figure, with tens of thousands laid off.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ Shortage of ballot papers sparks protests in South Korea’s local elections

    President Lee expressed “deep regret” over the shortages and ordered those responsible be held to account.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea Lee's ruling party sweeps local elections, but loses Seoul mayor race

    South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's ruling Democratic Party swept most major local races in elections held on Wednesday, but suffered a symbolic setback as the opposition conservative incumbent Oh Se-hoon won another term as Seoul mayor.

  • New York Times ☛ South Korea’s Governing Democratic Party Sweeps Local Elections but Faces Setback in Seoul Mayor’s Race

    President Lee Jae Myung’s Democratic Party had hoped to consolidate its influence and extend his political momentum.

  • New York Times ☛ The Fluffernutter Theory of Convicted Felon

    Mindless optimism is the only antidote to rational despair.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia’s Anwar facing crucial test of support as two states call early elections

    Significant losses could weaken his coalition’s prospects at a general election due by early 2028.

  • New York Times ☛ Four New Zealand Lawmakers Banned From China After Taiwan Trip

    New Zealand’s foreign minister was “surprised” to hear about the one-year travel ban, a spokesperson said, given lawmakers have visited Taiwan for years without issues.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • The Straits Times ☛ From reform hopes to brutal crackdown - China's Tiananmen protests

    Thursday marks 37 years since China bloodily suppressed pro-democracy demonstrations in and around central Beijing's Tiananmen Square, when Chinese troops opened fire on their own people.

  • JURIST ☛ China bans families from visiting cemetery ahead of Tiananmen crackdown anniversary

    Amnesty International on Wednesday condemned China for banning family members from visiting the cemetery of people who perished in the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. This is the first time in 37 years that the Chinese authorities have banned the visit.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • The Straits Times ☛ Meta criticises Australia’s bid to make tech giants pay publishers for news content

    Those that don't sign content deals with publishers face a 2.25% levy on their Australian revenue.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Press Gazette meets the UK civil servant trying to regulate Google

    Executive director of digital markets at the CMA Will Hayter says positive results will be seen quickly.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Journalism job cuts in 2026 tracked: Minnesota Star Tribune to cut 15% of staff

• Civil Rights / Policing / Accessibility

  • Licensing / Legal

    • 404 Media ☛ Watch These Judges Rip Into Lawyers For Citing Cases That Don't Exist

      Sanders and his law firm were ordered to show cause as to why they shouldn’t be sanctioned. On Wednesday, Landberg’s case was dismissed.

    • Marcy Wheeler ☛ In Superseding SPLC Indictment, DOJ Confesses They Made a Big Mistake

      Buried in a description about informants F-31 and 32 — KKK members who tried to leave with SPLC’s help, whom SPLC convinced to stay and inform on the Klan — there’s a discussion of motive. (Unless one of these informants is the person IDed as F-uknown in the original indictment, they are two of the only entirely new characters in it; though the vagueness of the timing and total money spent would be consistent with that earlier reference.)

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ ‘Bots have now passed human traffic online,’ Clownflare boss laments — says agentic traffic wasn’t expected to eclipse real people until next year

    The rapid increase in agentic internet traffic means “bots have now passed human traffic online for the first time in the Internet's history,” remarked CEO and co-founder of Clownflare, Matthew Prince.

• Monopolies/Monopsonies

  • Patents

    • Federal News Network ☛ Getting from a patent monopoly to a product is still where many ideas get stuck [Ed: Misconceptions about what patents are (they are NOT products)]

      "I think it allows the companies to control what happens to the technology and therefore to stay ahead of the competition," said Dr. Sabrina Kemeny.

    • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Foreseeable Is Not Inducing: Hikma v. Amarin

      A unanimous Supreme Court holds that skinny-label inducement turns on what the generic actually did, not on how a physician might read it.

    • Kangaroo Courts

      • JUVE ☛ “UPC is like an orchestra missing crucial instruments for the full sound” [Ed: UPC is illegal, full stop, JUVE's stenography for cocaine addicts and deeply corrupt officials disgraces the image of media as truth-teller.]

        Expectations were high from the start, and it’s fair to say that the UPC has met many of them. Case numbers have grown rapidly, and the European court has become the go-to venue for international companies and SMEs alike.