Leftovers

• New York Times ☛ Voter-Registration Error Could Cost Immigrants a Shot at a Green Card

  New Jersey improperly added as many as 6,600 noncitizens to its voter rolls. Those people could now be forced out of the country.

• Ruben Schade ☛ IBM Plex Mono got an update

  IBM Plex Mono is one of my favourite monospace fonts to have come out in the last decade. And it got an update in May: [...]

• Science / Mathematics / Computer Science

  • France24 ☛ What to know about the total solar eclipse on August 12

    On August 12 the Moon will completely block out the Sun during a rare total solar eclipse across much of northern Spain. Here is what to know about the phenomenon, the first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Europe in 20 years.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Supporters of a bipartisan bill say America’s biotechnology future depends on measurement science

    "I think the success will be that there are uniform standards that could be used by AI, by international scientists," said Congresswoman April McClain Delaney.

  • Science Alert ☛ Feeling a Presence, Seeing Visions, Déjà Vu? Huge Study Maps The 'Uncanny' Experiences We Rarely Talk About

    Are you a believer?

  • Science Alert ☛ 'Exceeded Our Expectations': One Antioxidant Could Be Key to Keeping Aging Muscles Strong

    It supercharges a muscle-repair protein.

  • Science Alert ☛ Bleeding Gums Might Be an Early Sign of Something Much Bigger

    "We can no longer view oral health and diabetes as two separate disease areas."

  • Science Alert ☛ Your DNA Isn't Just a Double Helix. Scientists Just Found What Else It's Hiding

    “We now have a complete picture."

  • Science Alert ☛ 'Barbarians' Have Been Misunderstood For Centuries, Researchers Explain

    'Chaos' was a clever strategy.

  • Science Alert ☛ Gut Fungi From a Common Pest Can Chew Holes in Styrofoam

    We hope they're hungry...

  • Science Alert ☛ An Entire Continent Runs on Rivers You Can't See. Scientists Just Mapped Them

    Cool.

  • Science Alert ☛ Ghosts of 'Forgotten' Memories May Linger in The Brain, Study Suggests – And Could Even Be Restored

    The right recall code can bring them back.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Are Starting To Understand The 'Largest Biomechanical Event on Earth': Whales Hunting For Food on a Single Breath

    If your heart slowed that much, you'd probably pass out.

• Career/Education

  • ACLU ☛ A Multi-Generational Fight for Desegregated Schools in Los Angeles

    For more than 40 years, equal access to educational opportunities of Los Angeles students under the California Constitution have been protected by a court order. Now, those court-ordered protections are being challenged.

  • The Drone Girl ☛ Ana Healander on UTM, Startups, and Airspace Infrastructure

    As we see more widespread use of drones, we also see an uptick in companies that work to keep low-altitude airspace secure, compliant, and deconflicted. One of those U.S.-based companies building such invisible, digital highways is Airspace Link, which is based in Detroit.

    Among Airspace Link’s leaders is Ana Healander, Co-Founder and VP of Customer Success/Strategic Growth. Alongside her co-founders, Ana has spent years building the software platform that bridges the gap between state DOTs, local law enforcement, federal regulators, and everyday commercial operators.

  • Robert Birming ☛ The weight of waiting

    It’s the present moment. The only thing that is truly real and alive. We may still have plans and strive for change, but this is where we are right now.

  • Aman Mittal ☛ 2026 - half year in books

    In 2026, I set a goal to read 26 books. I had the lowest expectations of myself, and I stayed true to those expectations, because in January I did not read anything.

    I started reading in February, which is why I decided to write a six-month review of my 2026 books at the end of July.

    So far, the first six months of reading have been sustainable. I completed my 26-book to read in a year goal, in July. If you are curious, I use Goodreads to track my reading challenge and the books I read.

• Hardware

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ $1 billion of iPhone 18 Pro chips 'on the shelves awaiting packaging' due to DRAM shortages — memory shortages reportedly put a wrinkle in Apple's launch plans

    Apple reportedly as $1 billion worth of iPhone 18 processor wafers awaiting packaging, which hasn't been completed due to DRAM shortages.

  • GamingOnLinux ☛ RAM? What RAM? The biggest makers are reportedly now sold out all through 2027 | GamingOnLinux

    I hope you don't like RAM or graphics cards or anything like that. Prices are expected to rise again, and stock is expected to vanish through 2027.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • The Straits Times ☛ Longer lunches, more breaks as South Korea’s workplaces battle heat

    The measures also reveal a divide between large employers and smaller businesses.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea touts dog soup and other home-cooked recipes to beat the heat

    A doctor cited by a state-run newspaper suggested that dog soup would be “beneficial for nutritional supplementation”.

  • New York Times ☛ This Hey Hi (AI) Just Created Viruses Not Found in Nature

    Scientists trained artificial intelligence on libraries of DNA and then asked the model to create recipes for viral genomes. Sixteen of them were viable, yielding new viruses.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ US suspends avocado imports from Mexico over unspecified ‘threat against US interests’

    The U.S. State Deparment announcement was followed by the deployment of 300 Michoacán state security operatives and 1,500 federal troops in the state's avocado-growing belt.

  • NYPost ☛ Number of NYC mosquito pools testing positive for West Nile virus has doubled since last year: health officials

    The number of West Nile positive mosquitoes across the Big Fashion Company Apple has nearly doubled this year compared to last summer, NYC health officials say.

• Proprietary / SaaS

  • SynthEdit 1.6 brings native macOS support and Linux experimental after three decades of waiting

    Jeff McClintock has released SynthEdit 1.6, which brings native macOS support and experimental Linux support after three decades of being a Windows-exclusive application

    Until recently, developing your own Synthesizer or effect plugins almost always required coding experience. AI has turned that premise upside down in recent months. Now anyone can do it, as evidenced by the flood of new releases.

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

    • Neil Selwyn ☛ Teachers talking about GenAI in schools … more trouble than it is worth?

      Nearly four years on after the introduction of Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot into schools, we are beginning to see signs that GenAI is starting to lose its lustre.

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Apple is taking Proprietary Chaffbot Company to court over alleged theft of trade secrets — Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot maker suggests it doesn't want Cupertino's knowledge anyway

      Two of the world's largest companies are heading to court over claims of trade secret theft. Fashion Company Apple alleges ex-employees took key Fashion Company Apple secrets and technologies to OpenAI. In responding, Proprietary Chaffbot Company claims this is based on false truths and misinformation, but even if it wasn't, it doesn't want Apple's trade secrets anyway.

    • Futurism ☛ We Talked to the Guy Who Built a Chatbot That’s Just Him Manually Responding to People One-by-One

      "I tend to overcommit to bits."

    • Futurism ☛ Andreessen Horowitz Partner Boasts That the Company’s New Tech Can Fabricate Fake History Like in “1984”

      "This is evil."

    • Futurism ☛ OpenAI Tried to Hire Influencers to Spread Love for Its Products, But It Backfired Horrendously

      "People will literally sell their soul and their planet down the river for a nice free hotel room."

  • Social Control Media

    • The Straits Times ☛ WhatsApp tests age confirmation in largest market India

      India is rolling out laws meant to protect the personal data of children.

    • The Straits Times ☛ India's Modimir turns to Instagram to woo young voters after Gen Z protest

      Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modimir took to Instagram recently with selfie-style videos shot after hours in a bid to win over young voters following Gen-Z protests that highlighted growing frustration over a lack of job and education opportunities.

• Privatisation/Privateering

  • Federal News Network ☛ Union sues TSA over privatization plan records

    AFGE argues TSA is withholding documents about the agency's "secretive push to expand the privatization of airport security screening functions."

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • Gunnar Wolf ☛ Gunnar Wolf: Subscription Bombing • Email under Attack

      for Subscription Bombing • Email under Attack

      One of the most important inputs one can have when designing a response strategy against a security attack is a good characterization. This article describes a relatively newly described attack mode (subscription bombing), hypothetizes on the motivations that can lie behind it, and presents some countermeasures that can be taken by different actors to reduce its impact.

  • Confidentiality

    • SigV4 authentication is surprisingly complicated

      SigV4 looks simple: sign a request, check the signature. Then you implement canonicalization, clock skew, and a cache that isn't allowed to hold your key.

• Defence/Aggression

  • France24 ☛ Leftist Democrat urges unity after defeating establishment candidate in Michigan primary

    Progressive Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed defeated his centrist rival Haley Stevens in the Senatorial primary election in Michigan. He will face Republican challenger Mike Rogers in the midterms. His left-wing platform calls for universal healthcare, higher taxes on billionaires and corporations, and an end to military aid for Israel. The results reflect a growing leftward shift among American Democrats – but the narrowness of El-Sayed's victory has many in the party establishment worried for his chances in November. Analysis by FRANCE 24 international affairs editos, Kethevane Gorjestani.

  • France24 ☛ Bus explosion near Damascus kills at least two, injures 13

    At least two people were killed and 13 wounded when a bomb planted on a minibus exploded on Thursday in the Syrian town of Jaramana, near Damascus, state media reported, citing the health ministry. The blast tore off the vehicle's roof, wrecked its interior and scattered debris across the road.

  • JURIST ☛ UN experts call for accountability 20 years after killing of aid workers in Sri Lanka

    UN experts on Tuesday called for the government of Sri Lanka to take accountability for the deaths of humanitarian workers killed 20 years ago in the town of Muttur.

  • France24 ☛ 308 abductees freed from separate attacks in Northern Nigeria

    First, Nigerian security forces say that they've returned 308 abductees home after freeing them from their kidnappers in a northern forest. Also, in South Africa, the textile industry is facing a workforce crisis after thousands of migrant workers fled the country in the past few months, in the wake of violent xenophobic protests. And, in Lagos, a Nigerian artist is turning ordinary clay into vibrant portraits, blending science, tradition and creativity in a technique he hopes will redefine the canvas.

  • Site36 ☛ EU heavily equips coastguards of Mediterranean neighbours – Turkey received particularly large share of funding

    Boats, radar and training for coastguards in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, and above all Turkey: an EU presentation reveals the scale of its border externalisation. NGOs criticise the outsourcing of human rights violations.

  • France24 ☛ Cuba: What does Convicted Felon really want?

    Cuba is facing its worst economic and social crisis in decades while Washington is piling on sanctions and increasing pressure on the regime like never before.

  • The Straits Times ☛ N. Korea fired short-range ballistic missile, says South Korea

    Tokyo also said Pyongyang had fired what could be a ballistic missile.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Pacific nations fail to agree on statement condemning China missile test

    New Zealand’s foreign minister accused Pacific diplomats of appeasing “outsiders”.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Pacific ministers to debate China missile statement

    China’s test-firing of a missile into the Pacific in July alarmed regional powers.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan troops rehearse sealing off key bridge at strategic choke point during war games

    Lasting 10 days, the drills focus on Taiwan’s combat readiness against a potential attack from China.

  • Federal News Network ☛ US military says there was no white phosphorus leak at its air base in South Korea

    White phosphorus is a controversial chemical substance used in incendiary munitions and smoke shells.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China confirms first deaths in South China Sea clash in decades

    The announcement didn’t describe the circumstances of their deaths.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China's embassy in Argentina accuses US of obstructing cooperation

    China's embassy in Argentina accused the United States of using visa revocations to obstruct cooperation between a local company and China's Huawei, calling the move an affront to sovereignty and free-market principles.

  • Breach Media ☛ How Canada’s elite are selling Mark Carney’s massive military buildup

    6 myths being peddled by weapons makers, corporate lobbyists, elite media, and Mark Carney

  • New York Times ☛ Wars, Wildfires and Migrants Leave Europe Straining for Control

    A brutal summer has exposed how much pressure European countries are under from forces largely out of their grip: war in Iran and Ukraine, record heat and more.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • New York Times ☛ Amid Intensifying Russian Strikes, Ukraine’s Pleas for Air Defenses Are Falling Flat

      Western allies are more hesitant to give up interceptor missiles they may need for their own defense as war rages on multiple fronts.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Explainer-What we know about North Korean forces joining Russia's war against Ukraine

      North Korea has deployed troops, weapons and now, according to a Ukrainian intelligence official, a missile unit to support Russia's war against Ukraine, marking Pyongyang's most significant involvement in a war since the 1950s.

    • RFERL ☛ Germany Probes 'Hybrid Attack' After Explosive Drone Found Near Ukrainian Aircraft

      German authorities are investigating two "very serious security incidents" at the Leipzig/Halle airport that temporarily suspended and diverted flights, raising suspicions of Russian involvement after similar incidents in recent years.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian intelligence says Russia may use Ukrainian drones to attack Baltic targets

      Lithuanian military intelligence says it has information indicating that Russia is considering using Ukrainian-made drones to carry out attacks on critical infrastructure in the Baltic region, with the aim of obscuring responsibility for any strikes, according to a report published Thursday by 15min.lt.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian PM says threat level unchanged after warning of possible ‘false flag’ attacks

      Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius sought to reassure the public Thursday after the country’s defence minister warned that Russia could stage “false flag” attacks against critical infrastructure in the Baltic region using Ukrainian drones.

    • France24 ☛ Ukraine strikes Russian refineries deep into the country

      At least 10 people died in Russian attacks across Ukraine overnight according to local authorities. Strikes occurred in the regions of Sumy, Odessa and Kyiv. More details with FRANCE 24 correspondent in Kharkiv, Emmanuelle Chaze.

    • Latvia ☛ Baiba Braže reaffirms Latvia's support for Ukraine

      Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže concluded her working visit to Ukraine on August 5th. pledging unwavering support to that heroic country in the face of continuous Russian aggression.

    • France24 ☛ Russia ramps up disinformation war as French presidential elections draw nearer

      A Russian disinformation campaign has targeted French presidential candidate Gabriel Attal, the latest such report in recent weeks. The alleged interference comes as France prepares for next year's presidential election. Similar disinformation campaigns have also been launched against presidential candidates Raphael Glucksmann, a left-wing member of the European Parliament and vocal Kremlin critic, and centrist ex-prime minister Edouard Philippe.

    • France24 ☛ Oman nature reserve threatened by oil spill

      A #nature reserve off the coast of #Oman is under threat after #oil from a suspected Russian ghost ship spilled into the sea. The source of the #explosions that caused the leak remains unknown.

    • The Strategist ☛ The authoritarian axis looms over wars in Ukraine and Iran

      China’s reported sale of shoulder-launched missile systems to Iran should be concerning not just to the United States but also to Australia and other major powers in the Indo-Pacific.

• Transparency/Investigative Reporting

  • American Oversight ☛ American Oversight Wins Key Court Ruling Striking Down Energy Dept.’s Unlawful FOIA Purge Policy

    Federal court, siding with American Oversight, blocks agency plan to close thousands of public records requests

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea province deploys drones to warn elderly farmers amid heatwave

    Temperatures in the eastern province, a key farming belt, have soared as high as 41.2 deg C.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • WhichUK ☛ Stop paying for security fast track: here are the UK and European airports where you can skip the security queues for free

      Find out how to book express security lanes for free at London Luton, Manchester and more airports across Europe

    • The Straits Times ☛ Google’s $19 billion India data centre project battles water, wildlife concerns

      Andhra Pradesh state has denied allegations that the project was fast-tracked without weighing risks.

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Kentucky family snubs $26 million offer to convert their farmland into an Hey Hi (AI) data center — 'they call us old stupid farmers, you know, but we’re not,' says landowner

      A Northern Kentucky family has refused an anonymous Hey Hi (AI) company's $26 million offer to buy their land and transform it into a data center.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • New York Times ☛ Mitch McConnell Discharged From Rehabilitation Facility

    The Kentucky Republican has been absent from Congress for nearly two months after a health episode. He said he would continue recovering from home.

  • New York Times ☛ TikTok Lays Off 250 Employees in Office That Includes Content Moderation

    TikTok did not give a detailed reason for the layoffs, which will shutter its Nashville office.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Anyone Looking for Some Swanky Office Space In Music City? Fentanylware (CheeTok) Guts Its Entire Nashville Office After Just Two Years, Lays Off 250 Employees

    After announcing a massive expansion in the heart of Nashville, Fentanylware (CheeTok) shutters its office in Music City, laying off 250 people to “streamline” its operations. TikTok’s U.S. joint venture has laid off 250 employees in Nashville as the office closes its doors on October 5.

  • Daniel Pocock ☛ Tolerance & inclusion in Clacton: every vote counts

    In 2022, I established the Nazi.compare web site to look at people and organisations who are going down the slippery slope of Hitler. The Berlin police wrote to me and advised they will not prosecute me for making tactical use of the word Nazi when appropriate to do so: [...]

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • Chronicle Of Higher Education ☛ The Professor Falsely Accused of Murdering Students

      What happened when a Fentanylware (CheeTok) psychic's claims went viral.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • JURIST ☛ Amnesty International demands China release activist arrested for Dalai Lama photo

    Amnesty International on Wednesday urged Chinese authorities to immediately release a human rights activist who was detained for showing a photograph of the Dalai Lama at a monastery in Tibet, emphasizing that his detention violates fundamental rights to freedom of expression and religion.

• Civil Rights / Policing / Accessibility

  • New York Times ☛ Foreigners Behaving Badly in Vietnam Challenge Its Communist Justice System

    Vietnam is grappling with a surge in visitors, testing its Soviet-style criminal justice system as it tries to supercharge its economy through tourism.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Internet Society ☛ The Tribal Broadband Bootcamps Celebrate Their Five-Year Anniversary

    We celebrate five years of Tribal Broadband Bootcamps, which have given Indigenous people hands-on training in community networks.

  • APNIC ☛ Understanding partial reachability in the Internet core

    Guest Post: Persistent partial reachability is not noise — it is a fundamental, measurable part of how the Internet behaves today. A small number of long-lived peninsulas cause most of the impact, and recognizing them can dramatically improve both operational clarity and measurement accuracy.

• Monopolies/Monopsonies

  • Patents

    • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Judge Newman’s Name may soon be on the Bench, Even if she is Barred from Entry

      Issa's H.R. 10026 would name the Federal Circuit's main courtroom for Judge Newman. Congress wrote the statute that keeps her out of it.

    • Unified Patents ☛ DynaIP entity, Err Content, media casting patent monopoly confirmed invalid by PTAB

      On July 30, 2026, the PTAB confirmed the final rejection of all challenged claims in the ex parte reexamination of U.S. Patent 10,721,542, owned and asserted by Err Content IP LLC, an NPE and entity of Pueblo Nuevo/DynaIP.

    • JUVE ☛ Dutch pharmacy exemption defence fails in Novo Nordisk semaglutide case [Ed: Well, "a preliminary injunction" means that in context of patents the punishment precedes due process. This seems insane and Draconian.]

      Novo Nordisk continues its efforts to defend the market exclusivity of its blockbuster semaglutide products in Europe.

  • Copyrights

    • Digital Music News ☛ Anthropic Pushes for Partial Dismissal in ‘Concord II,’ Says No Direct Infringement Evidence Exists Against Cofounder Dario Amodei

      Anthropic is looking to chip away at the second copyright monopoly suit it’s facing from major music publishers including Concord – in part by urging the court to toss a direct infringement claim centering on co-founder Dario Amodei’s alleged torrenting.

    • Digital Music News ☛ Additional Licensing Deals Incoming? Suno Unveils ‘New Downloads Policy,’ Watermarking Support, ‘Clearer Community Guidelines,’ and ‘Transparency Tools’ for Identifying Hey Hi (AI) Tracks

      As it fends off multiple high-stakes copyright monopoly suits – and eyes additional licensing pacts – Suno has unveiled plans to adopt “new audio watermarking” tech and implement “a new downloads policy designed to limit the ability to mass distribute songs on streaming platforms.”

    • Digital Music News ☛ UMG Says It Owes ‘Nothing’ to the American Federation of Musicians as Legal Barbs Fly Following Udio Hey Hi (AI) Licensing Deal

      Two weeks after the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) fired off an amended suit against Warner Music and Universal Music, the latter major is doubling down on its dismissal push.

    • Digital Music News ☛ Forget Lawsuits—WMG is Already Counting Its Cash from Hey Hi (AI) Licensing Deals, with Suno Topping the List

      WMG plows ahead with more Hey Hi (AI) licensing deals, counting its money while UMG and Sony continue to duke it out in court with Hey Hi (AI) companies like Suno and Udio.