Links 01/11/2023: Hardware Sanctions and Censorship Abundant (Universal Trend)
Contents
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Leftovers
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Education
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New Yorker ☛ The $1.8-Billion Lawsuit Over a Teacher Test
In the nineties, New York began requiring aspiring educators to take an exam. Thousands of people later claimed that the test was racially biased.
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The Straits Times ☛ On verge of closing, rural school in South Korea tries to lure students with financial incentives
Households with more elementary-level pupils and younger students will have priority in the selection process.
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Latvia ☛ Court rejects Lembergs' claim for compensation, again
On October 30, the administrative district court rejected a claim by the former mayor of Ventspils, Aivars Lembergs, who wanted compensation for what he said was damage to his health while serving time behind bars for crimes of corruption.
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Hardware
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Nvidia Client Switches to defective chip maker Intel CPUs Due to GPU Shortage, Price Hikes
The Korea Economic Daily reports that Naver Corporation has changed suppliers from Nvidia GPUs to defective chip maker Intel CPUs for its Hey Hi (AI) servers.
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CNX Software ☛ Renesas RA8M1 is the world’s first Arm Cortex-M85 microcontroller
Renesas RA8M1 is an up to 480 MHz Arm Cortex-M85 microcontroller with Arm Helium technology to improve DSP and machine learning performance on Cortex-M microcontrollers, and delivering up to 6.39 CoreMark/MHz performance using EEMBC’s CoreMark, or over 3,000 CoreMark at 480 MHz. The Arm Cortex-M85 core was first unveiled in April 2022 as a faster Cortex-M7 alternative and new Arm Helium technology that delivers machine learning performance similar to Cortex-M55 application processor. We had some teases about the upcoming Renesas Cortex-M85 in the last year, but the world’s first Cortex-M85 microcontroller is finally here.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ China's Blacklisted YMTC Ships World-Leading 232-Layer 3D QLC NAND
YMTC first to ship 232-layer 3D QLC NAND memory, ahead of Micron, SK Hynix, and Solidigm.
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Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
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JURIST ☛ Kansas judge blocks state abortion laws including restrictions on medication
A Kansas judge blocked several existing and planned abortion restrictions in the state on Monday including requiring providers to tell patients that abortion medication can be reversed and that abortion is linked to breast cancer, both of which are contested claims.
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Federal News Network ☛ VA launches Hey Hi (AI) Tech Sprint to accelerate work reducing burnout in health care workforce
The Department of Veterans Affairs is looking at artificial intelligence tools to accelerate its work reducing burnout among its health care workforce.
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University of Michigan ☛ In defense of self-diagnosing
We’ve all been there, spinning down an internet rabbit-hole of potential diagnoses and cures, perhaps to solve a mysterious medical ailment or a persisting mental health issue.
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Stanford University ☛ Battling ‘achievement culture’ to confront the youth mental health crisis
Experts and students gathered to confront the youth mental health crisis, emphasizing the need for cultural change and holistic well-being in academic settings, at a Monday panel.
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New York Times ☛ Second Maryland Man to Receive an Altered Pig’s Heart Has Died
Researchers said they found signs of organ rejection, which the genetically modified tissue was supposed to prevent.
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The Straits Times ☛ China’s Customs scraps requirement for health status declarations
The country adopted the quarantine declaration system in January 2020.
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The Kent Stater ☛ New ‘fabulous’ Davey Tree SEED Campus to open in summer 2025
The completion of Davey Tree Expert Co.’s new Science, Employee Education and Development, or SEED, Campus on state Route 43 in Kent has sped up to the first quarter of 2025, executive president Dan Joy said.
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Science Alert ☛ Viral Video Spikes Fears Over Fatal Dangers of 'Fried Rice Syndrome'
Here's how to protect yourself.
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Science Alert ☛ Scientists Just Discovered a New Human Sense of Touch
It's not just your skin that can feel.
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Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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Silicon Angle ☛ Google Brain founder Andrew Ng says threat of Hey Hi (AI) causing human extinction is overblown
Andrew Ng, a world leader in the development of artificial intelligence, said in an interview this week that he believes current talk about Hey Hi (AI) being an existential threat to humankind is vastly exaggerated. -
JURIST ☛ Biden signs executive order setting safety standards for AI
US President Joe Biden signed an executive order Monday setting landmark safety and security standards for artificial intelligence (AI). The order will force major Hey Hi (AI) developers to: share safety test results with the US government; create standardized safety testing; limit biological Hey Hi (AI) testing; issue best practices for Hey Hi (AI) fraud prevention; establish Hey Hi (AI) tools...
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The Strategist ☛ Safety by design: protecting users, building trust and balancing rights in a generative Hey Hi (AI) world
In the grand tapestry of technological evolution, generative artificial intelligence has emerged as a vibrant and transformative thread.
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Security
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Privacy/Surveillance
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University of Michigan ☛ The dangers of ‘Sharenting’: Protecting children’s digital privacy
“We are happy to announce that our little Kobe has arrived!” As I scroll through my Instagram feed while eating my morning cereal, I see a micro-influencer’s post introducing her newborn son to the world.
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Mint Press News ☛ Identity Verification or Data Exposure? Ex-Twitter Using Israeli Tech Firm Headed by Ex-Military Officials to Verify Users
Jessica Buxbaum investigates the partnership between X and an Israeli tech company run by former intelligence officials, highlighting its potential impact on surveillance, censorship, and digital rights.
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RFA ☛ Chinese rights lawyer Lu Siwei is out on 'bail, pending trial'
Lu remains under close surveillance, 'exchanging a smaller prison for a bigger one,' a fellow lawyer says.
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Watch YouTube Without Ads with FreeTube for Mac, Windows, Linux
YouTube is the webs most popular video site by a long shot, practically serving as a television replacement for millions. But as any Youtube viewer knows, the ads can be very aggressive and there are times where you’ll have to watch a 30 second ad before you can watch one minute of content, which is not exactly a great experience. Other times you may be watching a video of music or a movie, or even a workout, and suddenly your watching experience is interrupted by interstitial ads and commercials, that can be distracting and annoying. Wouldn’t it be nice to watch YouTube without the ads?
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Defence/Aggression
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China security minister in Myanmar following border clashes
China’s public security minister has held talks with Myanmar’s junta on establishing peace along their shared border, state media said Tuesday, following clashes between ethnic armed groups and the military in Myanmar.
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teleSUR ☛ China Calls for Cessation of Hostilities in Gaza
Absolute security cannot be achieved by imposing collective punishment on civilians, Ambassador Zhang said.
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The Straits Times ☛ Japan, Philippines in final stages of talks on security aid - Japan govt spokesperson
Japan's top government spokesperson said on Wednesday that Japan is in the final stages of negotiations with the Philippines on what equipment to offer to Manila and when to sign an agreement under Tokyo's official security assistance programme.
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Reason ☛ Don't Blame the Maine Shootings on 'Woefully Weak' Gun Laws
Criticism of the state’s "yellow flag" statute is doubly misguided.
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New York Times ☛ After Mass Shooting in Maine, No Clarity on Whether Gun Laws Will Change
A state ban on assault weapons? Expanded concealed-carry restrictions? Tighter mental health laws? As Maine grieves, it weighs a roiling debate over gun laws.
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Atlantic Council ☛ Israel claims it is no longer occupying the Gaza Strip. What does international law say?
The laws of occupation codify a basic principle of humanity: those with effective control over a population have obligations to protect it.
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YLE ☛ Court jails "race war" neo-Nazis in Finland's first far-right terrorism conviction
The three defendants were found guilty of charges including aggravated firearms offences committed with terrorist intent as well as training to commit a terrorist act.
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ADF ☛ Uganda Thwarts Allied Democratic Forces Church Bombings
Ugandan authorities on October. 15 prevented the Allied Democratic Forces from bombing two churches in central Kibbi, about 50 kilometers west of Kampala, the national capital.
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The Straits Times ☛ Teen in South Korea apprehended over stabbing death of teenage girl
A teenage boy had stabbed a girl he reportedly met through an online chatting app.
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Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine
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Latvia ☛ WATCH: Rīga Security Forum conversation with President Edgars Rinkēvičs
The end of the year brings an excellent opportunity to expand your geopolitical horizons, thanks to the latest iteration of the Rīga Security Forum.
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Transparency/Investigative Reporting
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LRT ☛ Lithuanian Seimas decides to investigate the ‘whistleblower affair’
The Lithuanian parliament has decided to conduct a parliamentary inquiry into a whistleblower affair that revolves around the State Security Department checking the inner circle of President Gitanas Nausėda back when he was still a presidential candidate.
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Environment
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Energy/Transportation
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YLE ☛ Gasgrid: Damaged Balticconnector pipeline may be operational by April
Finnish authorities are still probing the cause of the damage to the pipeline, with investigators focusing on the movements of a Hong Kong flagged Chinese vessel.
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Wildlife/Nature
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NYPost ☛ Increase in Florida sea turtles alarming conservationalists
Climate change could erase all the hard work that's been done to save sea turtles. Researchers are finding that 99% of eggs being hatched in recent years are female.
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RFA ☛ China lets loose armies of catchers as dog killings spread
Pet lovers and animal rights activists, meanwhile, speak out against animal cruelty.
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New York Times ☛ Fruit Flies Are Invading Los Angeles. The Solution? More Fruit Flies.
The Mediterranean fruit fly lays eggs that hatch into maggots inside fruit. Officials plan to halt population growth by dropping millions of sterile male flies over the affected region.
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Overpopulation
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The Straits Times ☛ China kicks off nationwide population survey amid declining birth rate
The survey will be based on a sample of 500,000 households and last for around two weeks until Nov 15.
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Finance
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Vice Media Group ☛ CYBER: The Landlord Tech Company That Turned Security Deposits Into a Monthly Fee
This startup disrupted security deposits, and now renters and landlords can’t get them on the phone.
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New York Times ☛ Home Sellers Win $1.8 Billion After Jury Finds Conspiracy Among Realtors
The influential National Association of Realtors and several brokerages were ordered to pay damages to home sellers who said they were forced to pay excessive fees to real estate agents.
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YLE ☛ OP admits interest rate cap sales pitch was an "error" as mortgage holders struggle with rising bills
Osuuspankki said there was "an error in its customer communication" as the cap did not cover annuity mortgages, which comprise about 80 percent of housing loans.
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The Straits Times ☛ China offers cash to rocket start-ups in hunt for its own SpaceX
The sector has notched some major successes. But it is at a crossroads, with the pace of fundraising slowing.
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The Straits Times ☛ Key China gathering sees bigger role for Communist Party in finance
China would set up a mechanism for resolving local debt risks and managing local government debt.
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AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
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BIA Net ☛ MHP leader supports cursing by deputy speaker of the parliament
MHP leader Bahçeli said, "The accurate words of our Deputy Speaker and İstanbul Deputy, Mr. Celal Adan, are also our words." Curse words by Deputy Speaker Celal Adan of MHP after the speech by HEDEP Ağrı Deputy Sırrı Sakık had been heard last week when the microphone was left on.
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Federal News Network ☛ New House Speaker. New cyber guidelines. What contractors can do to navigate it all.
There is now more cyber guidance than ever for the companies that do business with the government. You can also expect even more when it comes to other new technologies, like artificial intelligence. Congress seems to be back up and running, and there is business to attend to. To start with, reauthorizing a major component of the Homeland Security Department, and also funding the rest of the government. For analysis, Federal Drive Executive Eric White spoke with Stephanie Kostro, Executive Vice President at the Professional Services Council.
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Federal News Network ☛ Some much-deserved recognition for a longtime fed in the financial management arena
Recently, the Senior Executives Association announced the winners of its annual awards program. Among this year's winners was Avie Snow. Now retired, Snow spent several years as a financial manager for the Coast Guard, the Homeland Security Department, and ending at Veterans Affairs. Federal Drive Executive Producer Eric White got the chance to speak with Avie to learn more about her career path.
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Latvia ☛ Partnership law to be viewed by Latvian parliament next week
The Legal Affairs Committee of the Saeima has directed the package of draft laws regarding the introduction of a new legal institute – partnership – to the parliamentary meeting this week and the final reading next week, Latvian Radio reported October 31.
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New York Times ☛ Trump Sues to Ensure He Is on the Ballot in Michigan
Donald Trump’s lawsuit was the latest turn in a nationwide battle over his eligibility to hold office again, including a case being heard this week in Colorado.
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CS Monitor ☛ What qualities China seeks in a leader
Tributes for the late Premier Li Keqiang reveal a public desire for openness, compassion, and integrity.
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Censorship/Free Speech
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong court rejects activist Chow Hang-tung’s request to be heard as ‘party’ in gov’t bid to ban ‘Glory to Hong Kong’
A Hong Kong court has dismissed detained activist Chow Hang-tung’s application to be heard in a case involving the government’s ongoing attempt to ban pro-democracy song Glory to Hong Kong.
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IT Wire ☛ AFP says it has blocked 10 websites hosting child abuse content
“Australian domain names should not, and will not, be a safe haven for this kind of horrible content.
“The AFP will use every tool in its arsenal, from website takedowns to seizing servers and arresting those who provide, access or distribute the material, to help keep children safe.
“We will be working to identify the people responsible for creating these sites as well as those who accessed them.”
Australian eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant said child sexual exploitation material was present in all corners of the Internet and Australians should report it to eSafety if they encountered such material.
“With our partners in law enforcement, we continue to chip away at one of the most distressing and abhorrent violations of human rights: the sexual abuse of children,” she said.
“This challenge is of epic, global proportions, and I urge all Australians to help eradicate this content by reporting it to eSafety.gov.au. You can report anonymously and should only report the URL, rather than store or screenshot the illegal content."
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RFA ☛ Vietnam sentences Facebook (Farcebook) user to 3 ½ years for videos
Le Thach Giang criticized authorities, the Communist Party and Ho Chi Minh
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Sons of Australian Yang Jun jailed in China urge Prime Minister Albanese to push for father’s release on Beijing visit
The sons of an Australian writer jailed in China are hoping for his “miracle” release, urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to raise their father’s plight on his trip to Beijing.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ ‘Non-patriots’ have no place in Hong Kong’s District Council race, Beijing official says
Hong Kong must form a District Council that is completely led by patriots to prevent it from being “hijacked, manipulated and paralysed” again, a top Beijing official in the city has said.
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Civil Rights/Policing
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New York Times ☛ U.A.W. Strike Gains Could Reverberate Far Beyond Autos
Experts said the union’s new contracts could set precedents that give labor advantages when bargaining contracts and organizing workers.
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Digital Music News ☛ Lizzo-Gate Continues—Singer Describes Lazy, Drunk Dancers in Motion to Dismiss
Lizzo has filed a motion to dismiss the sexual harassment lawsuit filed by her former dancers. Lizzo says the dancers are only looking for a ‘quick pay day.’ The group filed the lawsuit against the singer back in August 2023, claiming she created a hostile work environment rife with sexual harassment.
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YLE ☛ Survey: Men find Finnish society more fair than their female counterparts
”Women’s experiences of unfairness may come from both their personal lives and societal pressures,” a researcher from E2 Research said.
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Internet Policy/Net Neutrality
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APNIC ☛ Event Wrap: MNSEC Conference 2023
Adli Wahid presented on mining bots and conducted training at the MNSEC Conference 2023, held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on 5 October 2023.
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France24 ☛ 🔴 Live: Internet, phones 'completely' shut off in Gaza, says Palestinian operator
Internet and communications were cut off in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the Palestinian telecommunications agency said. It had blamed Israel's "heavy bombardment" of the territory for the blackout.
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APNIC ☛ Understanding DNS query composition at B-Root
Guest Post: A comprehensive, longitudinal characterization of DNS queries received at B-Root over ten years.
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APNIC ☛ Event Wrap: VNIX-NOG 2023
Shane Hermoso presented on RPKI and IPv6 at VNIX-NOG 2023, held in Da Lat, Viet Nam from 5 to 6 October 2023.
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Monopolies
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CS Monitor ☛ Antitrust suit stalls JetBlue deal in bid to save low-cost Spirit
JetBlue’s effort to buy Spirit Airlines has momentarily stalled because of an antitrust lawsuit in federal court. Justice Department officials say the deal will hurt flyers who rely on Spirit’s rock-bottom fares.
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Patents
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Unified Patents ☛ SOTAT surveillance patent monopoly challenged
On October 27, 2023, Unified Patents filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 9,854,207, owned and asserted by SOTAT, LLC, an NPE.
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New York Times ☛ Panel Tells F.D.A. That CRISPR Sickle Cell Cure Is Safe Enough for Patients [Ed: Just another excuse to harvest patent monopolies and blackmail ill people out of their savings (or into debt)]
The decision by an advisory committee may lead to Food and Drug Administration approval of the first treatment for humans that uses the CRISPR gene-editing system.
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Copyrights
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Public Domain Review ☛ Ikkyū in Hell: Skeletons (1692)
Skeletal illustrations supposedly replicating a lost manuscript by a wine and women–loving Zen monk.
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Gemini* and Gopher
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Personal/Opinions
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What happened to Hallowe'en?
It is now well past the time for any kids to be out trick-or-treating and we still haven't had one kid show up to Chez Boca to threaten us with tricks. Not o̲n̲e̲!̲ Are all the kids now trick-or-treating at parking lots or malls? Is trick-or-treating passé now? Too many razor blades found in candy corn? Too much candy corn in general? What?
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The difference in penalties in AD&D1 and D&D5
Sunday was our gaming group “Hallowe'en One Shot” (which is now at least a “duo shot” as we didn't finish) and for some reason, I got to thinking about the penalty differences between AD&D (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons) and D&D5 (Dungeon and Dragons 5th Edition).
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🔤SpellBinding: DEINSTZ Wordo: TACIT
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Politics and World Events
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Time To Abandon LinkedIn
Now, they expect us citizens to go to the social media and defend Israel because there are people who support Hamas. We are supposed to tell the world that Hamas=ISIS.
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Holidays, War, Technology
Don't those terrorists have better things to do? Why not deciding to desert once they got into Israel. leave the dictatorship behind and start a new lifeR? Isn't technology by far more interesting than killing innocent people and maybe getting killed?
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Technology and Free Software
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Please Do Not Use Telegram
Some organizaions use Telegram, but fortunately I can access their channels using Element. Element makes more sense than Telegram.
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How to use the AM/PM notation when talking about time
In the US (and a few other places) the 24 hour clock is not commonly used or understood by the average person. When context cannot distinguish between two similarly numbered hours from different parts of the day, AM or PM is typically appended. However, if you find AM/PM confusing, then the following might help when communicating with others who are not familiar with the 24 hour clock. It is also handy for reading any times written this way (e.g. plane, train or bus times).
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Re: Reinventing How We Use Computers
There are many times I'd rather be "moving on" and piecing it all together during an editing phase (which is always necessary anyway) than constantly burdened with keeping what I'm typing *now* perfectly consistent with what I typed moments/minutes/hours ago.
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* Gemini (Primer) links can be opened using Gemini software. It's like the World Wide Web but a lot lighter.