Links 07/01/2024: Income Gap Mental Health, Conflicts, and More
Contents
- Leftovers
- Science
- Education
- Hardware
- Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
- Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Security
- Defence/Aggression
- Transparency/Investigative Reporting
- Environment
- Finance
- AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
- Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
- Civil Rights/Policing
- Internet Policy/Net Neutrality
- Digital Restrictions (DRM) Monopolies/Monopsonies
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Leftovers
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Hackaday ☛ New Year’s Resolutions
As we stand here looking at the brand-new year ahead, we find ourselves taking stock, and maybe thinking how we can all be better people in the next year. More exercise, being nicer to your neighbors, consuming more or less of this or that, depending on whether it’s healthy or un. Those are the standard fare. But what’s your hacker new year’s resolution?
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Hackaday ☛ Seeing Fireworks In A Different Light
If you’re worried that [Roman Dvořák]’s spectroscopic analysis of fireworks is going to ruin New Year’s Eve or the Fourth of July, relax — the science of this build only adds to the fun.
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Hackaday ☛ 1D Fireworks Are Nice And Quiet
Maybe you do it out of respect for the dogs and parents of young children in the neighborhood. Or maybe you do it because they’re harmful to the environment, or just because it’s too darn cold outside. Whatever your reasoning for not setting off fireworks, don’t fret — you can probably put together your own silent one-dimensional “fireworks” display from what you’ve got in the parts bin.
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Hackaday ☛ A Look Inside The Smallest Possible PNG File
What’s inside a PNG file? Graphics, sure. But how is that graphic encoded? [Evan Hahn] shows you what goes into a single black pixel inside a 67-byte file. Why so many bytes? Well, that is exactly what the post is about.
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Hackaday ☛ [Thomas Sanladerer] Gets New Threads
If you do much practical 3D printing, you eventually need some sort of fastener. You can use a screw to bite into plastic. You can create a clearance hole to accommodate a bolt and a nut or even build in a nut trap. You can also heat-set threaded inserts. Which is the best? [Thomas] does his usual complete examination and testing of the options in a recent video you can watch below.
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Hackaday ☛ No DAC? Try PDM
Ever notice that the ESP32-S3 doesn’t have a digital-to-analog converter? [Chris] did and asserts that he doesn’t care because he can just use the PDM system to get the same result. PDM — pulse density modulation — is similar to PWM and, like PWM, requires a filter that could range from a simple RC network to an active filter. You can see the result in the video below.
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Science
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Science Alert ☛ What Could Be The Earliest Map of The Sky Contains a Mystery Star
Where did it go?
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Science Alert ☛ Scientists Identify 1 Vital Thing That Will Help Your Dog Age Well
A crucial factor with a huge benefit.
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Science Alert ☛ Shark's Torn Fin Seen Regenerated a Year Later in an Incredible First
An impressive feat of nature.
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Education
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VOA News ☛ 40% of Employers Avoid Hiring Gen Z Workers, Survey Says
Thirty-eight percent of the employers surveyed say they avoid hiring recent college graduates in favor of older workers. And they’re willing to pay the older workers more or increase benefits like allowing more telework.
Nearly half of the employers say they’ve had to fire a recent college graduate. Sixty-three percent of employers say some of the recent college graduates they’ve hired can’t handle their workload; 61% say they are frequently late to work; 59% say they often miss deadlines, and 53% say the young, new workers are often late to meetings.
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Hardware
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Linux Gizmos ☛ Orbbec’s Latest AI-Driven Camera with PoE priced at $479.99 [Ed: Another thing adopting the word "Gemini" and misusing buzzwords like "AI"]
The Gemini 2 XL, Orbbec’s latest addition to 3D vision technology, is engineered for a variety of robotic and AI-driven applications. This camera excels in providing accurate and dependable data in diverse lighting environments, from absolute darkness to bright outdoor conditions.
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Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
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[Repeat] New York Times ☛ I Was Addicted to My Smartphone, So I Switched to a Flip Phone for a Month
My biggest regret of 2023 was my relationship to my smartphone, or my “tech appendage” as I’ve named it in my iPhone settings. My Apple Screen Time reports regularly clocked in at more than five hours a day.
That’s only an hour more than the average American, but I still found it staggering to think that I spent the equivalent of January, February and half of March looking at that tiny screen (April too, if we only count waking hours).
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NL Times ☛ Self-harm by women and girls has risen by 50% in ten years
A separate study from Utrecht University and the Trimbos Instituut found that 47 percent of girls between 12 and 16 years of age are often worried, anxious or unhappy. That frequent sense of concern or despair affected 14 percent of boys, by comparison. The survey of 4,800 school children was conducted in 2022. Five years earlier, the rate among girls was 29 percent.
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Science Alert ☛ Scientists Studied 3,000 Viking Teeth And Discovered Surprisingly Advanced Dentistry
Researchers from the University of Gothenburg and the Västergötlands Museum in Sweden looked at a total of 3,293 teeth from 171 of the Nordic marauders, including both kids and adults.
Modern-day dentistry assessments were carried out on the teeth, including the use of X-ray scans and dental probes, and it turns out that these Scandinavians didn't just leave their teeth to rot and decay.
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Hackaday ☛ 3D Printed Eel Could Cost Less At Scale
Be it a matter of cost, principle, or just plain being landlocked, the idea of 3D printed vegan eel over the real deal is quite an attractive development. An Israeli company called Steakholder Foods has introduced this very thing — something they claim is the world’s first plant-based, printed eel.
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YLE ☛ Major fire destroys large Alavus bakery
Firefighters faced serious challenges in temperatures that dropped down to -35 degrees.
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NYPost ☛ Reduce your risk of dementia — cut out these everyday bad habits most of us are guilty of
You're never too young to improve the odds.
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Pro Publica ☛ When Veterans Can’t Access the Psychiatric Care They Need
Marty and Candy Larsen were in their pajamas, getting ready to watch a movie in the living room, when they heard their 27-year-old daughter scream.
“I need help!” Julia cried.
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The Straits Times ☛ India orders new drug-making standards after overseas deaths
Health ministry says less than 25% of India’s 8,500 small drug factories met standards set by WHO.
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The Straits Times ☛ Celebrity drug scandals highlight surging problem in South Korea
Experts cite stress from highly competitive society and increasing exposure to western culture as factors.
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Science Alert ☛ It Turns Out Paper Straws Might Pose a Serious Problem Too
Not the solution we were looking for.
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Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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Futurism ☛ AI Might Actually Enforce All Our Stupid Laws, Expert Warns
"If you're not worried about the utter extinction of humanity," AI researcher Eliezer Yudowksy wrote in a tweet, "consider this scarier prospect: An AI reads the entire legal code — which no human can know or obey — and threatens to enforce it, via police reports and lawsuits, against anyone who doesn't comply with its orders."
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Silicon Angle ☛ Report: Google developing new version of Bard based on its flagship Gemini Ultra LLM
The main highlight of the upcoming Bard release is expected to be the underlying artificial intelligence model. The current version of the chatbot is based on Gemini Pro, a large language model Google introduced in early December. The new version of Bard will reportedly use Gemini Ultra, a neural network that debuted at the same time and is described as the most advanced AI system the search giant has built to date.
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The Verge ☛ Google appears to be working on an ‘advanced’ version of Bard that you have to pay for
Additionally, Roussel found more updates that he shared screenshots of, including a feature codenamed Motoko that could let users create custom bots. There isn’t any indication whether users will be able to share these bots, or if they’ll need to pay to access this feature, though. Last year, OpenAI announced it would let GPT Plus subscribers create and share custom bots.
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Security
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Integrity/Availability/Authenticity
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The Register UK ☛ Uncle Sam will pay for your big ideas to end AI voice-cloning fraud
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is promising a $25,000 reward for the best solution to combat the growing threat of AI voice cloning.
Sometimes referred to as audio deepfakes, the number of online services offering easy-to-use voice cloning facilities has proliferated since generative AI went mainstream, raising concerns over its potential for abuse in cyberattacks.
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Privacy/Surveillance
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BoingBoing ☛ LAPD wants to remotely access 10,000 public and private security cameras
LAPD is about to reveal a new tool for surveillance termed LAPD live. Following the approval of next year's budget, LAPD will be able to remotely access live footage from police helicopters, body cams, and homeowner and retail-owned security cameras. Despite continued requests for yearly budget increases, LAPD argues that not having to do as much in-person work, like talking to witnesses, will reduce their expenses. Think fiscally, why don't you? All homeowners have to do is opt-in to the program and after a crime is committed, then LAPD can access the footage and say that they got their man.
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Defence/Aggression
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El País ☛ Three years later, the attack on the Capitol is still holding the United States hostage
Meanwhile, the police and judicial machinery continues to prosecute and convict the rioters who have already been identified and arrested. On Thursday, United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves, who has coordinated the Justice Department’s efforts to prosecute the responsible parties, said at a press conference that the assault on the Capitol was “probably the largest single-day mass attack on law enforcement officers in the history” of the United States. According to the Justice Department, approximately 140 police officers were assaulted at the Capitol on January 6, including about 80 U.S. Capitol Police and about 60 Metropolitan Police Department agents. “It is critical that we remember the collective harm that was done on Jan. 6, 2021, and understand how it happened, so we can make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Graves added.
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Salon ☛ Enough with the Big Lie
I witnessed Trump’s speech and Giuliani’s. I spoke with the insurrectionists as they marched to and eventually broke into the Capitol – some of them spreading human feces on the wall. I personally watched as the Confederate Flag was carried inside our Capitol – a feat that did not occur even during the Civil War.
I saw my colleagues harassed and threatened simply because they were reporters. I was one of them. For the first time since 1814, the Capitol was breached. More than 200 years ago it was red coat British troops who invaded during the war of 1812. In 2021, it was American seditionists, many of them wearing red “MAGA” t-shirts who did it. They were not peaceful. I never thought in my life I would see what I witnessed Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol. I have covered wars and conflicts in developing countries, and on that day I felt once again I was standing on foreign soil in a shithole nation devoid of democracy.
And my head hurts because many reporters to this day continue to mince words about what happened. This isn’t time for equivocation. There aren’t two sides to this story. Just like there isn’t two sides to the Holocaust or the moon landing – both of those things actually happened. So did the insurrection. We have to call that day out, factually, for what it was: an attempt to overthrow the United States government by the man who still ran it, but was upset that he’d lost the election and knew he had only two weeks left in the Oval Office. That’s the fact jack.
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Quillette ☛ Why Iran is the Key to Peace in the Middle East
Many Iranians perceive Israel as a potential ally in their struggle against Islamic oppression. The Iranian regime’s vehemently anti-Israel position has, ironically, made some dissident Iranians view Israel more sympathetically. To such Iranians, solidarity with Israel is important since they see themselves are united in facing a common enemy: militant Islamic fundamentalism.
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You can’t defeat Hamas with tanks and missiles alone. You can only defeat them with a worldview that celebrates life. There is an entire country near Israel, full of people chanting in support of life. By strengthening their hand, we can eradicate this toxic ideology. The only viable path to lasting peace for Israel and Palestine is through an unwavering support for the Iranian people in their courageous struggle.
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The Hill ☛ A second Trump presidency is an existential national security threat to our democracy
If you had told us in 2019 that a mob of Americans would be inspired by a president of the United States to ransack the U.S. Capitol, assault police officers and intimidate sitting members of Congress with threats of violence, we would have never believed you. If you told us that the same president was cheering on the mob while refusing the peaceful transfer of power for the first time in American history, we would have thought you were describing the plot of a dystopian novel.
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The Atlantic ☛ Lots of People Will Vote This Year. That Doesn’t Mean Democracy Will Survive.
Voting will take place in more than 60 countries this year—an unprecedented number—containing roughly half of the global population. But even with all this voting, democracy is under severe threat, endangered by predatory politicians who rig elections and disgruntled voters willing to hand over power to autocratic leaders. The most pivotal election will take place in November, when the world’s most powerful democracy decides whether to turn itself over to an avowedly authoritarian demagogue.
To make sense of this paradox requires understanding why democracy is on the decline. Recent shifts in geopolitics, technology, and economics, alongside the rise of authoritarian populism and innovative election-rigging techniques, have created a tsunami that threatens to sink democracies across the globe.
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Reason ☛ The January 6 Attack was an Insurrection
It is sometimes claimed that the mob attacking the Capitol was unarmed or not violent enough to qualify as an insurrection. That would be news to the five people who were killed, and over 140 police officers injured. There could easily have been many more fatalities had the attackers been more successful in carrying out their plans to "hang Mike Pence" and kill members of Congress (Pence and the members managed to escape). And it just isn't true that the mob was unarmed. After extensive consideration of evidence, Colorado courts found otherwise: [...]
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Futurism ☛ Local Officials Horrified by Woman Digging Huge Cavern Under Her House
Kala is a software engineer by trade, to be clear, not a trained structural engineer. She'd been learning about mining and electrical work via YouTube and books as she progressed through the project, according to WaPo.
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El País ☛ The nightmare of the Islamic State resurfaces in Iran
The attack — perpetrated in the midst of heightened regional tension caused by Israel’s devastating military offensive in Gaza — has put ISIS back on the map. It is the latest fateful reminder of its presence in different latitudes of the world and its ability to continue executing high-impact operations, despite having been defeated in Syria and Iraq — where it came to control large swathes of territory between 2014 and 2019 —, having lost many of its top commanders and leaders in recent years, and having been weakened by competition from rival groups.
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France24 ☛ North Korea fires dozens of artillery rounds near South Korean border island
North Korea's military fired over 60 artillery rounds near Yeonpyeong Island on Saturday, Seoul's military said, a day after both sides staged live-fire drills in the same area near their contested maritime border.
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The Straits Times ☛ China to sanction 5 US manufacturers over arms sales to Taiwan: Ministry
The sanctions come ahead of Taiwan’s Jan 13 presidential and parliamentary elections.
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France24 ☛ Taiwan slams incursions by Chinese balloons as 'serious threat' to aviation
Taiwan's defence ministry condemned Beijing on Saturday for sending balloons across the median line that separates the self-ruled island and China, saying they pose a "serious threat" to aviation routes and are a form of harassment.
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The Straits Times ☛ Former Taiwan top cop Hou Yu-ih banking on his record of bravery, popularity as mayor
Now 66, he faces a tense challenge against DPP's Lai Ching-te of DPP and TPP's Ko Wen-je in Taiwan’s presidential election.
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RFA ☛ 'Kids start to ask themselves who they are and where they come from'
As tens of thousands of Hong Kong kids move overseas, are they all right?
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New Yorker ☛ How January 6th Will Shape the 2024 Election
The attack on the U.S. Capitol, in 2021, is set to be a central issue for both the Trump and Biden campaigns in different ways.
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Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine
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Meduza ☛ Russian rapper who attended ‘almost naked’ party jailed for second time — Meduza
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Meduza ☛ Ukraine reports striking Russian command post at Saky air base in annexed Crimea — Meduza
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Meduza ☛ Russian missile attack on Donetsk region kills 11, including five children — Meduza
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France24 ☛ Almost a dozen killed in Russian strike on Pokrovsk in east Ukraine
A Russian strike on the eastern Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk killed almost a dozen people on Saturday, regional officials said. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that "all necessary rescue forces" had been deployed to the town and that a recovery mission was continuing. Read our liveblog to see how the day's events unfolded.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Taiwan election 2024: Ukraine conflict stirs growing fears of war as voters mull ways to counter the ‘China threat’
The war in Ukraine will cast a long shadow as Taiwan heads to the polls next Saturday to elect a new president, amid growing fears of conflict with an increasingly aggressive China and opinion divided on how to handle the threat.
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RFERL ☛ Russia Cancels Orthodox Christmas Masses In Ukraine Border City
Orthodox Christmas midnight masses in the city of Belgorod near the Russia-Ukraine border have been canceled, authorities in the city said on January 6, a day after officials offered to evacuate worried residents amid increasing attacks.
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RFERL ☛ Ukraine Shows Evidence Russia Used North Korean Missile In Kharkiv Attack
The Kharkiv regional prosecutor's office provided evidence on January 6 that Russia attacked Ukraine with missiles supplied by North Korea, showcasing the fragments.
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RFERL ☛ Denmark Says Ukraine To Get F-16 Jets In Second Quarter
Denmark's transfer of 19 American-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine will take place in the second quarter of 2024, once Ukrainian pilots have completed training, the Danish Defense Ministry said on January 6.
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New York Times ☛ Ukraine Says Russian Attacks Kill 11 Civilians
Ukrainian officials said missile assaults had struck private houses, trapping residents under the rubble, and that the dead included five children.
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Transparency/Investigative Reporting
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ABC ☛ 4 new batches of documents naming Jeffrey Epstein's associates released
The records are part of a defamation lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, an alleged victim of the disgraced financier, against Epstein's longtime companion, Ghislaine Maxwell that the two settled in 2017. Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
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US News And World Report ☛ Nearly 3,000 Pages of Jeffrey Epstein Documents Released, but Some Questions Remain Unanswered
Here's a look at what we know — and what we don't — about Epstein and his crimes: [...]
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The Verge ☛ Boeing 737 Max planes are grounded after a hole blew in one mid-flight
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered the “temporary grounding” of 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 airplanes this morning after a section of fuselage separated from the side of an Alaska Airlines flight on Friday, leaving a gaping hole in the plane. The agency said in its announcement that it will send an Emergency Airworthiness Directive out soon to require an inspection of all of the grounded planes that “will take around four to eight hours per aircraft.”
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New York Times ☛ F.A.A. Orders Airlines to Ground Some Boeing 737 Max 9 Jets After Midair ‘Incident’
A passenger, Vi Nguyen of Portland, said that she woke up to a loud sound during the flight. Then she saw a large hole in the side of the aircraft.
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Environment
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Wildlife/Nature
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JURIST ☛ Sri Lanka repatriates 21 Indian fishermen detained on allegations of illegal poaching
The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday that 21 Indian fishermen, who were detained by the Sri Lankan Navy due to alleged involvement in illegal poaching in Sri Lankan waters, were repatriated from Sri Lanka to Chennai, India.
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Finance
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New York Times ☛ The Income Gap Jeopardizing Retirement for Millions
Americans in the lower middle class are losing ground financially, researchers have found.
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AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
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NYPost ☛ Social media mocks Biden being led offstage by first lady after Jan. 6 remarks
RNC Research’s Jake Schneider observed: "She's walking him off the stage like a child."
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New York Times ☛ What Role Will the Israel-Hamas War Play in Hollywood’s Awards Season?
Stars are increasingly vocal about political issues, but the Mideast conflict has divided Hollywood, magnifying the choice of whether to discuss the topic or remain silent.
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New York Times ☛ Trump Signals an Election Year Full of Falsehoods on Jan. 6 and Democracy
In dueling sets of speeches, Donald Trump and President Biden are framing the election as a battle for the future of democracy — with Mr. Trump brazenly casting Mr. Biden as the true menace.
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Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda
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Eesti Rahvusringhääling ☛ Anti-propaganda site finds subtle Russia-leaning messages in mainstream media
Propastop says the narratives contained the articles in question may reflect an underlying strategy by Russia aimed at shaping international opinions and decisions, particularly on military aid to Ukraine.
In fomenting concerns about possible future conflicts, Russia might be seeking to put off or delay the supply of arms to Ukraine, Propastop says.
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VOA News ☛ Iran Baselessly Blames US, Israel for Kerman Attack
Iran’s anti-U.S., anti-Israel claims proved false 24 hours after the attack in Kerman, when Islamic State’s media wing, Al-Furqan, released a statement on its Telegram messenger claiming responsibility for the attack. IS said two suicide bombers carried out the attack, activating their explosive vests in the crowd.
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Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
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VOA News ☛ Jailing of High-Profile Journalist Shocks Mongolia's Media Industry
Unurtsetseg carved out a reputation for herself in Mongolia as a reporter unafraid to chase down officials for answers. As the editor-in-chief of the news site Zarig, she has fought over a dozen defamation cases in the past five years.
Then came an arrest last month.
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Civil Rights/Policing
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Digital Music News ☛ Live Nation Moves to Dismiss Sexual Orientation Discrimination Lawsuit from Ex-Contractor
Live Nation has moved to dismiss a lawsuit it’s facing for allegedly cutting ties with a contractor because of its owner’s sexual orientation.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hongkongers’ right to a lawyer – has another domino fallen?
We hear little of what goes on behind the scenes in the national security part of the police force. So small snippets of evidence are interesting. A couple of recent offerings suggest that an important right is being eroded. The right to unfettered access to a lawyer is not disputable.
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Futurism ☛ Native Americans Say New Mission Will Desecrate the Moon
"It is crucial to emphasize that the Moon holds a sacred position in many Indigenous cultures, including ours," he wrote. "The act of depositing human remains and other materials, which could be perceived as discards in any other location, on the Moon is tantamount to desecration of this sacred space."
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Space ☛ NASA responds to Navajo Nation's request to delay private mission placing human remains on the moon
Culbert added that the private companies launching payloads as a part of the CLPS program "don't have to clear those payloads" before launch. "So these are truly commercial missions, and it's up to them to sell what they sell," Culbert said.
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JURIST ☛ Iran boy dies after undergoing torture following protest arrest
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights announced Thursday that Barzin Hamzeh-Zadeh, a 16-year-old boy whom the Iranian government tortured, had died from his injuries. At age 15, Hamzeh-Zadeh was arrested in 2022 during the Jin, Jiyan, and Azadi movements and was held for a week by Iranian security forces.
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JURIST ☛ Jimmy Lai lawyers appeal to UN torture rapporteur over China witness treatment
Detained Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai’s international legal team filed an urgent appeal on Thursday with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
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Reason ☛ Universities Use DEI Statements To Enforce Groupthink
DEI statements are political litmus tests.
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Internet Policy/Net Neutrality
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Tedium ☛ Snapping The Cable : 2024 feels like the year cable television is going to lose a lot of its cultural influence. Here’s why.
Today in Tedium: So, I have to start this somewhere, so let’s try this: The cable industry is pretty screwed, isn’t it? There are a lot of potential reasons to come to this conclusion, including the fact that the maverick moguls are mostly gone, replaced largely with big companies looking to maximize their investment by cutting the size of that investment in any way they can. No Ted Turner riding in on a buffalo this time. Instead, we’ve essentially been given something of a death certificate for a model that once was the dominant window through which we viewed culture. And it’s only going to get worse, as more mergers emerge. Just before the break, word spread that Warner Bros. Discovery was trying to merge with Paramount, which sounds like a horrible idea to literally everyone, as highlighted by the quote in this Deadline piece: “Why would any company try to catch a falling knife?” When even the business analysts are rolling their eyes, you know it’s a bad look. So, why is cable so screwed, and can it be fixed? Today’s Tedium ponders the landscape. — Ernie @ Tedium
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Eesti Rahvusringhääling ☛ Holger Haljand: Cyber risks growing in tandem with data volume
On the one hand, we need constant efforts to raise awareness among individuals and companies, while we also need effective solutions for combating fraud and cyberattacks. Data from the Estonian Information System Authority (RIA) suggests that the lion's share of cyber risks come in the form of phishing sites aimed at Estonian users where a higher level of awareness is the best remedy.
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James G ☛ The web is yours
The beautiful thing about the web is you can build as much or as little as you want; you are in control.
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Digital Restrictions (DRM)
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Digital Music News ☛ Spotify’s New Royalty Model Has Arrived — Here’s a Hard Look at the Potential Revenue Consequences for Labels, Distributors, and Artists
Expectedly, the data shows that Spotify’s new system will leave DIY distributors with far more “ineligible streams” than majors Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music Entertainment. The reason is simple: developing and emerging artists are streamed less than major label acts, with many non-major artists struggling to break Spotify’s 1,000-stream annual threshold.
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Patents
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The Major Australian Client at the Centre of David and Goliath Legal Battle Between Patent Attorney Firms
As some readers may be aware (I have previously mentioned it only in passing) a firm in the IPH Limited (ASX:IPH) group – the market cap of which is A$1.56B at publication – is once again taking legal action against a recently-established firm and its founders, all of whom are former employees of Spruson & Ferguson (‘S&F’).
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Copyrights
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Troy Patterson ☛ Attribution
Since I’m participating in 52Frames this year, I got to thinking about licensing. Specifically, what is NC (noncommerical)? So I did a bit more digging. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a detailed explanation on Creative Commons. Specifically, does an ad count as “commercial”? (To me, it’s obviously a “Yes”, but I’ve been around enough to know that sometimes the law is different than my logic.). After a bit more research, it seems that NC is pretty broad and covers anything that “incorporates a financial transaction”. The Smithsonian has a nice explanation: [...]
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Gemini* and Gopher
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Personal/Opinions
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Trying to rephrase Cthulhu Dark in a way I can remember
Cthulhu Dark’s rules are a li’l bit unintuitive for me so here is how I’ll try to think of them. I’m writing this mostly for my own benefit since I’ve had a li’l hard time with this ruleset. I’m not trying to change anything, this is no “Trophy Gold” or whatever, just another way to think of the rules.
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🔤SpellBinding: CGHINVY Wordo: AGARS
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Music That Vomits Heartfelt Wailing
I recall a conversation I had with Jeremy in 2013 that can be vaguely associated with the so-called *music of the spheres*. Jeremy was searching for music with no emotional content. His reasons were slightly different than my own, but the search itself is similar. And in addition to the search itself, I aim to CREATE music without emotional content, or, rather, with an emotional content so vague or abstract that it won't be something *enforced* onto the listener. I think Jeremy's search originated in the distraction he felt from *enforced* emotion in music. He was looking for two things: music to work to and music for listening that was intellectually stimulating. I don't discount the fact that he may also look for subtle emotional emanations in his listening preferences, especially those of a dark and disturbing nature, since he is also subject to the annoyance of sloshing chemicals in his brain, but it been clear to me since that time that music that vomits heartfelt wailing isn't much to his taste.
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End of Vacation
Christmas is ending... i already went to Las Cabalgatas de los Reyes Magos in Spain and got my candy... still a bit sad that is ending and i have to go back to school but oh well..
0 Xala'noth
With a drought of sacrifice comes Xala'noth, Who will torment you with despair and bad fortune. To those who do not give, she begets the Goat Child, The being with terrible strength and hate. He will destroy you and once again become a symbol of death.
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Politics and World Events
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I promise this post contains nothing about Israel! ;-)
While pondering the contrast between the political/religious "discussion" and "The Blunting of Life" offering, it occurred to me politics and/or religion might be thought of as the "contact sports" of topics, which categorization I will avoid elaborating on given the inability of ego to face being confronted with its inadequacies without losing its shit.
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Technology and Free Software
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Re: Unsolicited opinions about CLI design
This week is one of those “little things” week where I get to do fun things, work on the little broke things around the house, and just relax. It also means I get more verbose and start doing blog posts because why not?
Over on Gemini, there was a recent post about CLI design[1] by Lark that caught my attention this morning. Well, and one about last names, but that is a much different topic.
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POÑG
some time ago, i applied for a grant with this project: "a human-scale digital videogame, with logic provided by people". "a very low-res (16x12) monochromatic game simulating a tennis match between two people". i didn't get it, but i decided i'll design and build it nevertheles.
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netrunners
this isn't meant to be self-promotion since i hate it as much as anyone else. however, i've just installed m15o's mebo software on my web server and i've made it a center for people who believe the web should be a lot better than it is now. kinda like the midnight pub, just with a cyberpunk spin :)
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Internet/Gemini
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Gemini Radio — Episode 57
00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:27 Followup on Israel-Palestine
00:25:03 About Me
00:34:41 Easton
00:48:18 Departure
01:07:50 The Border
01:38:08 The Visa Process
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Monopolies/Monopsonies
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