Links 14/12/2023: Food Insecurity and Escalations in the Red Sea
Contents
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Leftovers
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Programming/Development
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Daniel Lemire ☛ Measuring the size of the cache line empirically
Our computers do not read or write memory in units of bits or even bytes. Rather memory is accessed in small blocks of memory called “cache lines”. For a given system, the cache line size is usually fixed and small (e.g., 16 to 256 bytes).
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Science
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Federal News Network ☛ DARPA kicks off its 10-year plan to create a ‘thriving lunar economy’ [Ed: Our economy on this planet is rotting and DARPA wants more of taxpayers' money to make some fantasy colony where things are thriving. "Economy" is a man-made concept, not a science, and does not actually exist except people's heads. But it manifests itself in visible forms, such as slavery and suicides.]
In today's Federal Newscast: The Small Business Administration is redefining small. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is rolling out a new cybersecurity tool for agencies. And DARPA makes plans to build a booming economy on the moon.
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Science Alert ☛ Human Brain Cells on a Chip Can Recognize Speech And Do Simple Math
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Hardware
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Hackaday ☛ LED Art Project Is Geometrically Beautiful
There is no shortage of companies on the Internet willing to sell you expensive glowing things to stick on your walls. Many hackers prefer to make their own however, and [Chris] is no exception. His LED wall art is neat, tidy, and stylish, all at once.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ US government doles out paltry $35 million of the $52 billion CHIPS Act, warns of possible delays in defective chip maker Intel and TSMC fab buildouts [Ed: Regimes always look for ways to 'muscle' numbers to fake "growth". Nowadays they even bail out companies to fake "growth". While national debt GROWS. They merely borrow from the future, deflating the future. The US is GROWING. From 31 TRILLION in debt to almost 34 TRILLION... since summer! Bailouts are not a viable economic strategy, but they benefit the very few 'stimulus' (taxpayers' money) recipients, usually those that own all the major media and manufacture consent for it.] ]
The U.S. government has begun doling out portions of the $52 billion CHIPS Act, beginning with just $35 million to BAE Systems. It also warns of possible delays in defective chip maker Intel and TSMC fab buildouts.
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The New Stack ☛ Nvidia GPU Dominance at a Crossroads
When Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot was released a year ago, every chip maker, except for Nvidia, was caught sleeping.
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Hackaday ☛ ThunderScan: The Wild 1980s Product That Turned A Printer Into A Scanner
Back in the 1980s, printers were expensive things. Scanners were rare, particularly for the home market, because home computers could barely handle basic graphics anyway. Back in these halcyon days, an obscure company called Thunderware built a device to convert the former into the latter. It was known as the Thunderscan, and was a scanning head built for the Apple ImageWriter dot matrix printer. Weird enough already, but this device hides some weird secrets in its design.
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Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
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ACLU ☛ Arizona’s High Court Must Protect Abortion Access
Today, the Arizona Supreme Court will consider whether to resurrect a more than 150-year-old criminal ban on virtually all abortions. The court’s decision could allow that law to take precedence over Arizona’s modern abortion laws, including those passed just last year by the people’s current elected representatives.
This ban was originally struck down in 1973, thanks to a lawsuit brought by Planned Parenthood and physicians in Arizona, and since that time has been superseded by a comprehensive scheme that regulates abortion as a lawful medical procedure. But an anti-abortion activist and County Attorney are now asking the Arizona Supreme Court to turn back the clock. No one should be forced to carry a pregnancy to term against their will and face the life-altering consequences of being denied essential health care, but reviving this antiquated law in full would do just that — and, at the same time, throw Arizona’s entire contemporary legal code into confusion.
The origins of Arizona’s near-total criminal ban at issue in this case go back to 1864. To put that into context: This ban was enacted during the Civil War era, when women were not allowed to vote, and Arizona was not even a state. Yet even though Arizona’s current abortion laws permit abortion through 15 weeks of pregnancy, the 1864 ban permits abortion only when necessary to save the patient’s life. In all other situations, performing an abortion would lead to felony charges and prison time.
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Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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Scoop News Group ☛ AI threats pose great cyber risks to smaller companies, experts tell House panel
Executives from SentinelOne, Protect Hey Hi (AI) and I.C.B.M. Consulting provide lawmakers on the cybersecurity and infrastructure protection subcommittee with a laundry list of recommendations to better combat Hey Hi (AI) threats.
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Defence/Aggression
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YLE ☛ Wednesday’s papers: US soldiers in Rovaniemi, girls on the move and would you wood?
Newspapers ponder what the arrival of American soldiers means to Rovaniemi and the eternal question, electricity or wood?
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Techdirt ☛ For Some Reason, LA Drug Cops Received Intelligence, Training On ‘Muslim Extremists’ From The Israeli Military
A few years ago, hacktivist group Anonymous liberated a ton of documents from law enforcement agencies all over the world. These were published by transparency activists DDoS (Distributed Denial of Secrets). Journalists and other activists continue to dive into this 269 gigabyte treasure trove, teasing out additional information law enforcement agencies certainly wish was still their little secret.
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New York Times ☛ Japan Wants a Stronger Military. Can It Find Enough Troops?
A shrinking, aging population poses an obstacle as the nation tries to counter security threats from China and North Korea.
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New York Times ☛ At Least 23 Soldiers Killed in Attack in Pakistan
Tensions have been rising between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and violence in the border area has increased since Pakistan directed all undocumented foreigners to leave the country.
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Marcy Wheeler ☛ It Was Donald Trump, in the Dining Room, with the Ex-Twitter Account
Expert testimony that Jack Smith's team just noticed will help to prove that who sent the Tweet that almost got Mike Pence killed: It was Donald Trump, alone in the dining room, with the attempted murder weapon.
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Defence Web ☛ Norwegian tanker Strinda struck by missile in Red Sea
A Norwegian registered and operated oil and chemical products tanker, Strinda (IMO 9330771), was hit by a missile launched from Yemen at about midnight local time on Tuesday morning (12 December).
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Transparency/Investigative Reporting
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Marcy Wheeler ☛ Former WikiLeaks Task Force Member Charles McGonigal Didn’t Take Credit for the Josh Schulte Investigation
It makes sense that Charles McGonigal didn't brag that he oversaw investigations of Oleg Deripaska before he went on to work for Deripaska. But it's far more curious that McGonigal didn't mention that he led not one but two WikiLeaks investigations.
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Environment
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Energy/Transportation
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Reason ☛ Is Climate Change Going Back to the Supreme Court? (Minnesota Edition) [UPDATED]
The justices are considering whether to grant certiorari in Minnesota's lawsuit against energy companies.
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Defence Web ☛ More soldiers in place to tackle illegal mining
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa used last week’s Free State presidential imbizo to make public the deployment of a further 395 soldiers in the province’s goldfields, to boost efforts aimed at curbing illegal mining.
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The Strategist ☛ Japan’s trust in Australia erodes in response to energy security fears
For many decades, Japan has looked favourably on Australia as a reliable producer of gas and coal.
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Wildlife/Nature
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ADF ☛ Botswana Breaks Ground on Forensic Laboratory to Combat Wildlife Crime
A forensic laboratory in northern Botswana will play a vital role in the effort to disrupt the illegal trade in wildlife, according to the lab’s supporters.
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Overpopulation
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France24 ☛ Food insecurity, the forgotten crisis of COP28
When it comes to climate change, the world’s food system is a double-edged sword. Food production is both one of the biggest emitters of global greenhouse gases and one of the sectors hardest hit by the effects of climate change. To reconcile these two issues, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization on Sunday set out an unprecedented roadmap for solutions. But the topic rarely makes it to the negotiating table.
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Finance
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The Straits Times ☛ Australia govt sees budget almost in balance for 2023/24
Australia's government expects a much improved budget bottom line this year as revenues outpace forecasts, but is resisting calls for more cost-of-living handouts to avoid inflaming inflationary pressures.
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France24 ☛ Argentina devalues currency by 50% in 'shock' measure against hyperinflation
Argentina devalued its currency by more than 50 percent Tuesday in a set of "shock" measures aimed at reviving a crumbling economy and tackling triple-digit inflation.
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AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
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Marcy Wheeler ☛ In Motion to Dismiss, Hunter Biden Accuses House GOP of Separation of Powers Violation
Two days before Hunter Biden is due to appear in response to a subpoena, his attorneys argued that the House GOP has improperly usurped DOJ's role in his prosecution.
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New York Times ☛ Egypt’s Presidential Election Ends, With el-Sisi Expected to Win
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is all but certain to come out on top after a three-day vote, with the war in Gaza turning the country’s focus from economic calamity to security.
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Latvia ☛ WATCH: Rīga Security Forum discussion on 'Global South and the Quest for International Justice'
The seventh in a season of geopolitical discussions under the 'Rīga Security Forum' banner was published online December 12.
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BIA Net ☛ Kocaeli deputy Bitmez who fainted during his speech in Parliament admitted to intensive care
Bitmez received prolonged cardiac massage and was subsequently transported to the hospital by ambulance.
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Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda
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France24 ☛ These photos of Israelis mistreating Palestinian children aren’t from the latest conflict [Ed: About half of Palestine's Gaza is children or young because they reproduce like rabbits. The media needs to point that out when saying that many kids die in the war. Otherwise it contributes to a misconception wherein kids are being "targeted".]
More than 6,000 Palestinian children are thought to have been killed in the war between Israel and Hamas so far, according to numbers released by Hamas. It’s in this context that photos and videos have started circulating online that people say show Israelis mistreating Palestinian children. However, while violence against children is indeed occurring, three of these images are not linked to the current conflict.
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Censorship/Free Speech
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Detained Hong Kong activist Chow Hang-tung awarded human rights prize by France, Germany
Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Chow Hang-tung, who has been detained for two years under the national security law, has been awarded a human rights prize by the foreign ministries of France and Germany.
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France24 ☛ French teachers walk out in protest after Renaissance painting sparks row over nudity
Teachers at a school outside Paris refused to work on Monday as the establishment grappled with a crisis sparked by the showing in class of a painting by a Renaissance master containing several nude women.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Ex-student leader seeks to challenge Hong Kong election law over inciting blank votes in 2021 ‘patriots-only’ legislative race
A former student leader in Hong Kong who pleaded guilty to inciting others to cast blank votes during the “patriots-only” legislative election in 2021 has filed an appeal, reportedly to challenge the constitutionality of the election law.
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Reason ☛ Washington Post Op-Ed Argues That Colleges Should 'Restrict' Speech To Fight Antisemitism
In her article, University of Pennsylvania professor Claire O. Finkelstein absurdly argued that colleges treat free speech as "near-sacred."
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Reason ☛ From Dean Erwin Chemerinsky (Berkeley Law) and Chancellor Howard Gillman (UC Irvine) on Free Speech on Campus
Chemerinsky and Gillman are the co-authors of Free Speech on Campus, and have long defended free speech and academic freedom. (For another recent item from the two of them, see here ["Free speech doesn't mean hecklers get to shut down campus debate"].)
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NYPost ☛ Kamala Harris heckled by Democratic state lawmaker demanding Gaza cease-fire during holiday party speech
Vice President Kamala Harris was momentarily shouted down by Democratic state lawmaker as she gave remarks during a holiday party at her home on Monday.
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Internet Policy/Net Neutrality
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YLE ☛ Yle Areena's mobile site now requires logging in [Ed: Unless the paywall (or worse) come...]
Access to the streaming platform on a browser is still open to all.
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YLE ☛ Nokia to acquire US defence comms firm Fenix Group
The Fenix Group markets tactical communications products, as well as wireless, augmented reality-enabled battlefield robot technologies.
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Techdirt ☛ Josh Hawley Back To Try To Hotline His Awful AI/Section 230 Bill
Last week, we wrote about the potential for Senator Josh Hawley to “hotline” the bill that he put together with Senator Richard Blumenthal to remove Section 230 from anything touching artificial intelligence. As we noted at the time, even if you hate both generative AI technology and Section 230, the bill was so poorly drafted that it would create all kinds of problems for the internet.
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Techdirt ☛ How the Grinch’s Intellectual Property Stole Christmas
The estate of Dr. Seuss is obviously no stranger to playing the intellectual property maximalist, having appeared on our pages many times in the past. But more specifically for this post, the estate has also, ironically enough, been more than happy to stomp on the Christmas joy of others in favor of jealously guarding its IP when it comes to The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. I have to say, I have no concept of just how much cognitive dissonance one would need to have attained to take a story that is all about sharing and celebrating the Christmas holiday with others and use control over it to do the exact opposite, but it’s impressive nonetheless.
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Techdirt ☛ Google Promises Unlimited Cloud Storage; Then Cancels Plan; Then Tells Journalist His Life’s Work Will Be Deleted Without Enough Time To Transfer The Data
Over a decade ago, I pointed out that as Google kept trying to worm its way deeper into our lives, a key Achilles’ heel was its basically non-existent customer service and unwillingness to ever engage constructively with users the company fucks over. At the time, I dubbed it Google’s “big, faceless, white monolith” problem, because that’s how it appears to many customers. Going all the way back to 2009, I had suggested that the company needed not just better customer support, but something like a user advocate.
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New York Times ☛ Google’s Antitrust Loss to Epic Could Preview Its Legal Fate in 2024
A trio of antitrust cases on the docket threaten to reshape Google’s business and sap its profits.
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Copyrights
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Digital Music News ☛ Michael Jackson Estate Threatens Legal Action Over ‘Long-Lost First Ever Studio Recording’ Release
The Michael Jackson Estate threatens legal action over the release of the so-called “long-lost first ever studio recording” of Michael with the Jackson 5, warning it violates the Estate’s rights and could lead to a lawsuit.
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Monopolies/Monopsonies
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