Links 26/01/2024: Right of Publicity Crises in "X", Intel Collapses
Contents
- GNU/Linux
- Leftovers
- Science
- Hardware
- Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
- Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Security
- Defence/Aggression
- Transparency/Investigative Reporting
- Environment
- Finance
- AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
- Censorship/Free Speech
- Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
- Internet Policy/Net Neutrality
- Digital Restrictions (DRM) Monopolies/Monopsonies
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GNU/Linux
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Audiocasts/Shows
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The BSD Now Podcast ☛ BSD Now 543: OpenBSD Workstation Hardening
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Leftovers
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Latvia ☛ Hospital builder fined nearly half a million euros
Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital has approached the builders of hospital A2 building Velve LLC with requirements to fulfil contractual obligations – to completely dismantle the nearly 8,000 square meter basement affected by mold and pay a contractual penalty of EUR 448,734 calculated for work delayed by the builder, the hospital said in a statement on January 25.
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Science
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New York Times ☛ Japan Explains How It Made an Upside-Down Moon Landing
The SLIM spacecraft survived its trip to the surface, but ended up pointing in a direction that now limits the duration of its mission.
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New York Times ☛ NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Ends Its Mission
The robot flew 72 times, serving as a scouting partner to the Perseverance rover, aiding in the search for evidence that there was once life on the red planet.
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Hardware
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Bruce Schneier ☛ Quantum Computing Skeptics
Interesting article. I am also skeptical that we are going to see useful quantum computers anytime soon. Since at least 2019, I have been saying that this is hard. And that we don’t know if it’s “land a person on the surface of the moon” hard, or “land a person on the surface of the sun” hard. They’re both hard, but very different.
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CNX Software ☛ Rockchip RK3528 Android 13 TV Box doubles as a Bluetooth speaker
The H96 Max M7 is a Rockchip RK3528 TV box running Android 13.0 that mostly differentiates itself from competitors with the integration of two speakers allowing the box to be used as a Bluetooth speaker. The rest of the specifications are pretty standard with up to 4GB RAM, 32GB storage, 4Kp60 HDMI video output, video playback up to 4K at 60 fps or 8K at 23 fps, WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity, and a single USB port for extension.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel and UMC team up on chip manufacturing — defective chip maker Intel will produce jointly developed new 12nm process node in its US fabs
Intel and UMC have announced a partnership that will see UMC's 12nm tech used to produce chips in Intel's fabs.
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Silicon Angle ☛ Intel’s stock tanks on lower sales forecast
Shares of defective chip maker Intel Corp. fell more than 10% lower in the after-hours session today after the company provided an outlook for its fiscal 2024 first quarter that trailed Wall Street’s expectations. The lower guidance overshadowed a solid earnings beat, with the chipmaker posting earnings and revenue that easily surpassed the Street’s forecasts.
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Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
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Science Alert ☛ Hepatitis Treatment Prevents The Progress of a Common Blood Cancer
There is a link.
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Science Alert ☛ Strange Link Between OCD And Dying Early From a Wide Variety of Causes
Oddly, cancer isn't one of them.
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New York Times ☛ Bidencare Is a Really Big Deal
Health coverage is one area where a president’s policy makes all the difference.
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New York Times ☛ Nitrogen Hypoxia: What to Know About This New Method of Execution
Alabama will be the first state to use nitrogen in an execution. If it goes smoothly, other states are likely to follow.
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RFA ☛ Vietnamese political prisoner Nguyen Thuy Hanh diagnosed with cancer
Her husband says squalid prison conditions caused her health to worsen.
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RFA ☛ Closer Vietnam-US ties not based on Beijing issues, says conference
Vietnamese and American experts offered different perspectives on handling China.
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Stanford University ☛ From the Community | Healthcare’s role in the ‘firearm epidemic’
Arusha Patil ’25 argues that physicians are key to preventing gun violence. "My generation is sick of nightmares about gun violence," she writes. "We're ready to dream."
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Scoop News Group ☛ Bill seeks cyber protections for food and agriculture
The Farm and Food Cybersecurity Act aims to identify vulnerabilities in the sector through an annual exercise and regular threat assessments.
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Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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Public Knowledge ☛ Public Knowledge Commends FTC Move To Investigate Big Tech, Hey Hi (AI) Partnerships
The agency opens an investigation into Big Tech and its Hey Hi (AI) partnerships.
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[Repeat] New York Times ☛ Microsoft Cuts 1,900 Jobs in Its Video Game Division
The reductions come three months after the tech giant completed its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Microsoft lays off 1,900 Activision Blizzard and Xbox employees amid industry-wide cuts
Mere months after acquiring Activision Blizzard in October 2023, Abusive Monopolist Microsoft is laying off 1,900 employees
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New York Times ☛ Apple Overhauls App Store in Europe, in Response to New Digital Law
An E.U. law taking effect in March forced Fashion Company Apple to loosen its grip on the App Store, changes it had long resisted.
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Security
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Privacy/Surveillance
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Security Week ☛ Ring Will No Longer Allow Police to Request Doorbell Camera Footage From Users
Amazon-owned Ring will stop allowing police to request doorbell camera footage from users following criticism from privacy advocates.
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NYPost ☛ Facebook, X and other companies are mining iPhone user data through app notifications, research finds
IPhone users are handing over their personal data with a click of a button, new research finds.
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Reason ☛ Amazon's Ring Will Stop Giving Police Your Doorbell Footage Without a Warrant
While not perfect, the move is a step in the right direction for civil liberties.
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Defence/Aggression
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Atlantic Council ☛ The skies are quiet, but the Iran-Pakistan strikes left lasting diplomatic damage
While the immediate crisis will subside, an intensified security dilemma will be permanent for Islamabad.
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RFERL ☛ Iranian Dissidents At Home And Abroad Go On Hunger Strike To Protest Executions
Activists in Iran and abroad have announced plans to go on hunger strike in protest against a rise in the clerical establishment's use of the death penalty, including the execution of a 23-year-old protester who was diagnosed with a mental condition.
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Federal News Network ☛ Too many CRs will have catastrophic effects on DoD, Air Force official says
In today's Federal Newscast: The undersecretary of the Air Force said the failure to pass all 12 regular appropriations will have catastrophic effects on the DoD. Feds, who relocate for work, may soon have better coverage of their moving expenses.
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New York Times ☛ In Bali Bombing Trial, Victims Describe Their Pain and Prisoners Apologize
A Guantánamo military court heard anguishing testimony at the sentencing hearing for two Malaysian prisoners who pleaded guilty after 20 years of detention.
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JURIST ☛ Malaysia to investigate former premier’s drop of claim over disputed territory
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi stated on Wednesday that a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) will commence on the alleged mishandling of sovereignty disputes in Pedra Branca by the former administration after the Malaysian King appoints the RCI’s members.
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New York Times ☛ Blinken Touts U.S. Investments in Angola
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken finished a four-nation tour of Africa with a visit to Angola, site of major new U.S. investments, which may help counter China’s influence.
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RFA ☛ Kayin Border Guard Force cuts ties with Myanmar junta
Observers say the move diminishes the military’s power and the junta’s influence on ethnic groups.
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The Straits Times ☛ ST Picks: Can China create lasting peace in Myanmar?
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RFA ☛ Military battalion camp seized by Kachin rebels in Myanmar’s Shan state
The capture gives ethnic armies control of a key trade route leading to the border with China.
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The Kent Stater ☛ US secretly warned Iran before ISIS terror attack
The US secretly warned Iran that ISIS was planning a potential terror attack inside Iran’s borders before the group carried out a deadly attack near the burial site of slain military commander Qasem Soleimani on January 3, according to a US official.
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New York Times ☛ France’s Immigration Law Struck Down in Parts by Constitutional Council
The Constitutional Council, which reviews laws to ensure that they conform to the Constitution, struck down many measures that President Emmanuel Macron’s government had added under right-wing pressure.
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France24 ☛ 'They set it on fire': Haitian man films his Port-au-Prince neighbourhood after gang attacks
In mid-January, a gang carried out a series of deadly attacks on the Solino neighbourhood in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. One of our Observers, who lives in this neighbourhood, filmed the devastation after the attacks. His footage shows burned out homes, shops, cars and a school— and even a charred body. He was able to film after a police intervention restored a measure of calm to the zone. However, peace remains precarious.
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New York Times ☛ Trump Strengthens Grip on Congress as He Presses Toward GOP Nomination
The former president’s opposition has all but killed the prospects for a bipartisan border deal, reflecting how his influence in Congress has grown as he gains ground in the Republican primary.
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New York Times ☛ A Titanic Geopolitical Struggle Is Underway
This is no ordinary moment in world affairs.
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Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine
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LRT ☛ Putin’s visit to Kaliningrad not a message to NATO – Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday arrived in the exclave of Kaliningrad, which borders Lithuania and Poland, Russian state media RIA Novosti has reported.
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RFERL ☛ Kosovo Removes Billboard In Volatile North With 'Honorary Citizens' Vucic, Djokovic, Putin
A billboard with the pictures of "honorary citizens" including Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, tennis player Novak Djokovic, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, among others, has been taken down in the Serb-majority Kosovo town of Zvecan.
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RFERL ☛ Russian Nationalist, Kremlin Critic Girkin Sentenced To 4 Years In Prison
A court in Moscow has sentenced Russian nationalist Igor Girkin (aka Strelkov) to four years in prison on a charge of making public calls for extremist activities.
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France24 ☛ Ukraine and Russia trade accusations over fatal plane crash
Russia and Ukraine traded accusations Thursday over the crash of a military transport plane that Moscow said was carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war and was shot down by Kyiv’s forces, another heated episode in the information war that has been a feature of the conflict.
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New York Times ☛ Ukraine Searches for Answers on Russian Plane Crash
Moscow has accused Ukraine of downing the craft, which it says carried 65 Ukrainian P.O.W.s. The claims cannot be independently verified. Kyiv says Russia is exploiting the episode for propaganda.
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Atlantic Council ☛ Putin’s Achilles Heel: Ukraine targets Russia’s vital but vulnerable energy industry
Ukraine has begun 2024 by opening a new front in the war against Putin's Russia with a series of long-range drone strikes on Russia’s vital but vulnerable energy industry, writes Peter Dickinson.
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Atlantic Council ☛ Putin accused of fast-tracking Russian citizenship for abducted Ukrainian kids
Ukrainian officials have condemned a new decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in early 2024 simplifying the process of conferring Russian citizenship on Ukrainian children abducted from wartime Ukraine.
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New York Times ☛ ‘No Time to Go Wobbly’: Why Britain Is Lobbying U.S. Republicans on Ukraine
The U.K., often a wingman to the United States in defense, is pushing its ally to stand firm against President Vladimir V. Putin, amid fears that Russia poses an existential threat to Europe.
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The Kent Stater ☛ Only five bodies delivered to Belgorod morgue after mysterious Russian plane crash, Ukrainian intelligence suggests
Ukraine says it has intelligence suggesting only five bodies were delivered from the crash site of a Russian military transport plane to a nearby morgue, a Ukraine military intelligence official told CNN, casting doubt on Moscow’s claim that dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed in the explosion.
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France24 ☛ Ukraine opens criminal probe into downing of Russian military plane
Ukraine's SBU security service on Thursday opened a criminal probe into the downing of a Russian military plane that Moscow said killed 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war.
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JURIST ☛ Russia Duma passes bill authorizing confiscation of property over ‘spreading false information’
Russian lawmakers passed on Wednesday legislation aimed at streamlining the seizure of both monetary assets and properties from individuals found to be in violation of laws pertaining to the dissemination of false information and the ongoing invasion of Ukraine through the first stage of approval.
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RFERL ☛ Hungarian And Ukrainian FMs To Prepare Talks Between Orban and Zelenskiy
A meeting between Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and his Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto, scheduled for January 29 will be "related to the preparation of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's visit to Ukraine," Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna told RFE/RL on January 25.
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RFERL ☛ Russian Woman Sentenced To 27 Years In Prison For Killing Of Pro-Kremlin Blogger
A military court in St. Petersburg on January 25 sentenced Darya Trepova to 27 years in prison after finding her guilty of killing prominent pro-Kremlin blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, a fervent proponent of Russia's war in Ukraine.
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RFERL ☛ New Report Says Georgia's 'Penchant For Appeasing Russia' Hurting EU Aspirations
The Kremlin's war on Ukraine has split Eastern Europe, prompting Moldova and Ukraine to grow closer to the European Union while Georgia has exhibited a "penchant for appeasing Russia," according to a new report.
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RFERL ☛ Ukraine To Start Building 4 New Nuclear Reactors This Year
Ukraine expects to start construction work on four new nuclear power reactors this summer or autumn, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said, as the country seeks to compensate for lost energy capacity due to the war with Russia.
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RFERL ☛ Russia, Ukraine Make Conflicting Statements About Whether There Was Warning Before Plane Crashed
Ukraine and Russia have contradicted each other over whether there had been proper notification to secure the airspace around an area where a military transport plane Moscow says was carrying 65 Ukrainian POWs crashed, killing them and nine others on board.
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teleSUR ☛ Aircraft Crash Prompts Tension Between Russia and Ukraine
The Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukraine knew its prisoners would be transported to Belgorod for an exchange.
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France24 ☛ Russia sentences woman to 27 years for delivering bomb that killed pro-Kremlin blogger
A young Russian woman was jailed for 27 years on Thursday for delivering a bomb that exploded in the hands of a pro-war military blogger last year and killed him on the spot.
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JURIST ☛ Russia court sentences woman to 27 years for fatal St. Petersburg cafe bombing
A Russian court on Thursday sentenced Darya Trepova to 27 years in prison for her involvement in the alleged terrorist attack that killed pro-war military correspondent Vladlen Tatarsky (real name Maxim Fomin) in a café in the country’s capital city St. Petersburg.
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JURIST ☛ Russia court sentences pro-war activist to 4 years in a penal colony for inciting ‘extremism’
The Moscow Municipal Court sentenced Igor Girkin (also known as Igor Strelkov) on Thursday to four years in a general regime colony for questioning the salaries of Russian fighters and the situation in Crimea.
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LRT ☛ Lithuanian Foreign Ministry proposes extending restrictions on Russians, Belarusians
The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry has proposed extending the existing restrictions on Russian and Belarusian citizens, in place until May, for another year.
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LRT ☛ Russian attack on NATO very unlikely, says Lithuanian defence chief
A Russian attack on NATO countries in the near future is “practically impossible” in terms of its capabilities, says the Lithuanian Chief of Defence Valdemaras Rupšys, although the alliance should still prepare to deter any aggression.
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RFERL ☛ RFE/RL Journalist Kurmasheva No Closer To 'Wrongfully Detained' Designation After 100 Days In Russian Jail
RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva spent her 100th day in a Russian jail on January 25, and despite pressure to designate her as wrongfully detained as it has other U.S. citizens held in Russia, the U.S. State Department appears no closer doing so.
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RFERL ☛ Lithuania To Ban Military Personnel From Non-Work-Related Trips To Russia, Belarus, China
The government of NATO member Lithuania has drafted legislation to ban its military personnel from taking non-work-related trips to Russia, Belarus, and China.
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RFERL ☛ Russia Declares Doxa Student Magazine 'Undesirable Organization'
Russia's prosecutor-general has added the Doxa student magazine to the register of "undesirable organizations," according to a post on the Telegram channel of the State Duma commission that investigates alleged interference by foreign states in Russia's domestic affairs.
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teleSUR ☛ NATO's Steadfast Defender 2024 Drills Target Russia: Peskov
"The exercises are quite unprecedented," the Kremlin spokesman said, adding the drills are postured against his country.
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YLE ☛ Southeast Finland Border Guard detains 18 crossers, including children
Arriving from Russia, the group has applied for asylum in Finland and is suspected of crossing through the terrain illegally on Thursday.
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New York Times ☛ Russian Court Jails Woman Over Blast That Killed Influential Military Blogger
Daria Trepova gave Maksim Fomin, who was known more popularly as Vladlen Tatarsky, a statuette that contained a bomb.
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Transparency/Investigative Reporting
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Federal News Network ☛ This agency’s whistleblower program has paid out billions of dollars
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) received 18,000 tips from would-be whistleblowers in 2023. Since starting its whistleblower program in 2011, the SEC has paid tipsters some $6.3 billion.
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TTAB Blog ☛ CUESZ Is Deceptively Misdescriptive of Cue-less Fitness Training Services, Says TTAB
The Board upheld a Section 2(e)(1) refusal to register the proposed mark CUESZ, finding it to be deceptively misdescriptive of "Real time personal fitness training services including performance, nutritional, medical restorative and mindfulness personal fitness training and further including conditioning and recovery strategies therefor to individual clients." In reponse to an initial mere descriptiveness refusal, the applicant stated that he had "no intention to provide prompting or reminders from the instructor/trainer, now or in the future." After that, things went south. In re Mark Beveridge, Serial No. 90647376 (January 17, 2024) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Jennifer L. Elgin).
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Environment
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BIA Net ☛ M5.2 earthquake strikes Turkey's Malatya
The quake was also felt in nearby provinces. No casualties or damage have been reported.
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University of Michigan ☛ Ford School hosts talk on measuring the global inequalities of climate change
Tamma Carleton, assistant professor of economics at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara, spoke with University of Michigan community members Thursday about her research on climate change.
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Energy/Transportation
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New York Times ☛ Proposal to Reduce Royal Mail Deliveries in U.K. Draws Ire
Letter volumes have halved since 2011. Without significant changes, the beleaguered Royal Mail services will become “out of date,” according to a report.
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Wildlife/Nature
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Science Alert ☛ A Record-Sized Deep Sea Coral Reef Was Mapped in The Atlantic, And It's Breathtaking
A wonderfully alien ecosystem.
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Science Alert ☛ Archaeologists Hunting For Cleopatra's Tomb Found a "Geometric Miracle" Tunnel
What's it for?
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CS Monitor ☛ Why are dolphins at the heart of a Mississippi lawsuit?
Mississippi state leaders are suing the Army Corps of Engineers, alleging the corps’s decision to divert water from the Mississippi River as a flood prevention strategy for New Orleans led to countless dolphin deaths in the Mississippi Sound.
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Finance
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JURIST ☛ Millions of Argentina workers strike against President Javier Milei austerity measures
Millions of workers from Argentina’s went on strike after the country’s three major labor confederations—the General Confederation of Labor, the Argentine Workers’ Central Union and the Argentine Workers’ Central Union—called for a general strike against recently-elected President Javier Milei.
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University of Michigan ☛ The writers’ strike means media socialization is back
In May 2023, Hollywood writers broke their silence on pay injustice and went on strike for the first time in 15 years. An overwhelming 98% of the Writers Guild of America, a labor union that negotiates contracts for professional film, radio and television writers, voted to boycott writing until fair compensation was granted.
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teleSUR ☛ German Train Drivers Embark on 6-Day Strike
According to a YouGov survey, 59 percent of citizens had "no sympathy" for the strike action.
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YLE ☛ Next week’s labour action — not a general strike, but maybe close
A wave of strike actions at the start of February, aimed at forcing the Finnish government to reconsider its labour market policy, may expand even further.
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New York Times ☛ As China’s Markets Stumble, Japan Rises Toward Record
A change in perception among investors about China and Japan is one of the biggest themes in the markets right now.
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YLE ☛ Biggest unemployment fund says benefit claims rising
Every employee pays for income-linked unemployment benefits, but only members of unemployment funds receive them.
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YLE ☛ Finnish Lapland plans incentives to attract filmmakers to region [Ed: Giving subsidies from taxpayers?]
Many regions in Finland already have production incentives in place, and Lapland is planning to join the race.
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AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
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New York Times ☛ South Korean Politician Is Attacked in Seoul
Bae Hyunjin, of the country’s governing party, was assaulted in Seoul and taken to a hospital. The attack came three weeks after another politician was stabbed.
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CS Monitor ☛ Can China and US cooperate to calm a bellicose Kim Jong Un?
Experts worry that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may have decided to go to war against South Korea. Can China and the U.S. work together to stop him?
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New York Times ☛ U.S. Is Watching North Korea for Signs of Lethal Military Action
A shift by Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s leader, toward open hostility against South Korea is alarming but does not indicate he is about to start a full-scale war, officials say.
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RFA ☛ China sends top diplomat to Pyongyang amid N Korea’s economic woes
Sources hint that there are emerging signs of a potential leaders’ summit between the two countries this year.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ US lawmakers tell Taiwan president-elect Lai Ching-te that support for island is ‘firm’
Two US lawmakers met Taiwanese president-elect Lai Ching-te on Thursday to reaffirm Washington’s support for the self-ruled island, which China claims as part of its territory.
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Atlantic Council ☛ Expect Chinese economic retaliation against Taiwan after the DPP’s presidential victory
Economic coercion will allow China to increase pressure on Taiwan without directly confronting the US and leave significant leeway to calibrate trade measures.
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CS Monitor ☛ A tiny island-nation’s election has big stakes for China, Taiwan
Tuvalu, an island in the South Pacific, is one of the world’s smallest countries. But its upcoming election could have big consequences for international relations.
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The Straits Times ☛ Climate threatened Tuvalu holds election watched by Taiwan, China
Voting began on Friday in the tiny Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu in a national election that is being closely watched by China, Taiwan, the US and its ally Australia, amid a tussle for influence in the region.
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The Straits Times ☛ New Zealand withdraws Bill allowing 16-year-olds to vote in local body elections
A minister had asked that the Bill be withdrawn as it did not have the new National Party-led government's support.
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JURIST ☛ North Dakota judge refuses to block portion of state abortion ban
A North Dakota judge denied a request for a preliminary injunction Tuesday, allowing the state’s abortion ban to remain in effect. The Center for Reproductive Rights, a reproductive rights organization, filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s ban, which currently makes it a felony to perform or aid an abortion, with an exception for situations [...]
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New York Times ☛ Plans for Gaza’s ‘Day After’ Seem Ever Distant
The very idea that there will be a clear line between war and peace is misleading, given the politics, security needs and anxieties of all sides.
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Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda
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New York Times ☛ Elon Musk Spreads Election Misinformation on X Without Fact Checkers
Civil rights lawyers and Democrats are sounding alarms about Mr. Musk’s claims about voting. The Biden campaign called his posts “profoundly irresponsible.”
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Censorship/Free Speech
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RFA ☛ Hong Kong leader warns of foreign 'wolves' waiting to pounce
One report says Amnesty International, Greenpeace could be targeted under forthcoming new security law.
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RFA ☛ Hong Kong to focus on security laws over economic revival
Chief executive says only after the completion of legislation can Hong Kong strive for economic development.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Article 23: Hong Kong to set up special teams to promote upcoming, new security law, and rebut ‘hostile’ criticism
The Hong Kong government will establish special teams to promote Article 23 – the city’s own national security law, expected to be passed this year – and to rebut criticism of the legislation by “hostile forces.”
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Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong Apple Daily newspaper continued campaigning after founder Jimmy Lai detained, ex-publisher says
Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai told the newspaper’s staff to keep campaigning against Hong Kong’s national security law and try to attract foreign attention even after he was detained, the former publisher of the media outlet told Lai’s national security trial. Cheung Kim-hung, a defendant turned prosecution witness, told the court that Lai had instructed […]
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Internet Policy/Net Neutrality
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Public Knowledge ☛ Public Knowledge Commends FCC Action To Improve Outage Reporting During Emergencies
The FCC moves to keep local officials and the public informed of network outages during emergencies.
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Digital Restrictions (DRM)
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Digital Music News ☛ ‘Secret World of Sound’ — A Three-Part Special from the Nature of Things
‘Secret World of Sound,’ a three-part nature documentary premiering next month on CBC’s The Nature of Things and CBC’s Gem. Infield Fly Productions has announced the three-part nature documentary series, “Secret World of Sound,” a co-production with Humble Bee Films in association with DRM spreader Netflix and Sky TV.
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Patents
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Google settles ahead of closing arguments in Singular Computing’s $1.67 billion Hey Hi (AI) tech patent monopoly trial
Google has settled ahead of the scheduled closing arguments in Singular Computing’s $1.67 billion Hey Hi (AI) tech patent monopoly trial. However, it still insists it didn't use SIngular's technologies, and the settlement sum wasn't revealed.
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Unified Patents ☛ Quest entity Taasera cyber security patent monopoly challenged
On January 23, 2024, Unified Patents filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 7,673,137, owned by Taasera Licensing LLC, an NPE and a Quest Patent Research Corporation entity. The ‘137 patent monopoly relates to methods of computer security using program validation.
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Unified Patents ☛ Bandspeed Bluetooth patent monopoly found invalid
On January 23, 2024, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) entered a final rejection of the challenged claims of U.S. Patent 7,903,608, owned and asserted by Bandspeed, LLC, an NPE. The ‘608 patent monopoly is generally directed to communication devices for adaptive frequency-hopping based on channel performance.
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Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ Can Standard Essential Patents Accelerate Ecological Transition?
The potential of Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) in driving the ecological transition poses a compelling question. Could these patents be instrumental in fostering innovative technologies and ensuring interoperability of products that are key to the ecological transition?
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Kangaroo Courts
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Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ Irish referendum on joining the Unified Patent Court Agreement in June 2024 [Ed: Unified Patent Court is illegal and unconstitutional. This is the ongoing expansion of EPO crimes to the EU. This blog is controlled by the Team UPC profiteers, too.]
Ireland will hold a referendum on joining of the Unified Patent Court in June. This has been confirmed by the Irish government.
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Trademarks
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Right of Publicity
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New York Times ☛ Fake Explicit Taylor Swift Images Swamp Social Media
Fans of the star and lawmakers condemned the images, probably generated by artificial intelligence, after they were shared with millions of social control media users.
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Digital Music News ☛ Explicit AI-Generated Taylor Swift Pics Circulate Online — X/Twitter in Damage Control
Explicit AI-generated pictures of Taylor Swift begin circulating on social control media, leading to X/Twitter doing damage control. When explicit AI-generated fake pictures of Taylor Swift started circulating on X — formerly known as Ex-Twitter — her fans were quick to swarm the social control media platform with real (not explicit) pictures of the star.
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Silicon Angle ☛ X criticized for being too slow to moderate pornographic AI-generated deepfakes of Taylor Swift
Pop star Taylor Swift is said to be “furious” after sexually explicit deepfake images and videos of her appeared en masse this week on the social control media platform X Inc., formerly Ex-Twitter Inc.
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Public Knowledge ☛ Celebs: They’re Just Like Us! (Or Might Be, Under These New Anti-Deepfake Bills)
One concern that’s resurfaced in artificial intelligence policy discourse is the risk of Hey Hi (AI) as an impersonation tool. This has been of particular concern for celebrities, but there’s plenty to worry about for non-celebrities, too.
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Monopolies/Monopsonies
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