Links 12/03/2024: More Strikes Ahead, Software Patents of IBM Debunked
Contents
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Leftovers
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Ruben Schade ☛ John Berger and Tyson Yunkaporta on words
John Berger was an English art critic and documentarian who… wait sorry, I got another indignant email from a Hacker News reader who disagreed with my content creators post. Let’s try again!
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Hackaday ☛ Generator Control Panel Unlocked With Reverse Engineering Heroics
Scoring an interesting bit of old gear on the second-hand market is always a bit of a thrill — right up to the point where you realize the previous owner set some kind of security code on it. Then it becomes a whole big thing to figure out, to the point of blunting the dopamine hit you got from the original purchase.
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Adrian Gaudebert: Killing two birds with one deck in Dawnmaker
Let's face it: Dawnmaker still has some important flaws. We're aware of that, and we are working on those flaws. One of the biggest remaining problem with the game was that one of its core mechanics, the oppression of the Smog, was… well, not explained at all. If you didn't have a developer behind your back to tell you, there was almost no way you could understand it.
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Science
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New York Times ☛ Surprise: An ‘Extraterrestrial’ Gadget Was Something More Familiar
In 2014 a fireball from outer space was posited to be an alien artifact. A recent study suggests otherwise.
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University of Michigan ☛ Americans’ trust in science survived polarization, Trump attacks
Americans' basic confidence in science and scientific expertise was unshaken by the Trump administration's attacks on scientific expertise, and has remained high during the last six decades.
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Science Alert ☛ Crimes in Space Are Yet to Happen. Here's How We Might Solve Them When They Do.
Colonel Mustard. On the space station. With a candlestick.
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Science Alert ☛ Warmest US Winter on Record: Yet Another Grim Signal of Climate Shift
"We've crossed a threshold."
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Science Alert ☛ Suspected Interstellar Signal May Have Just Been a Noisy Truck
Not the alien technology we're looking for?
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Hackaday ☛ 3D Imaging For Natural Science — For Free
It isn’t that unusual for a home lab to have a microscope, but wouldn’t it be cool to have a CT scanner? Well, you probably won’t anytime soon, but if you are interested in scans of vertebrates — you know, animals with backbones — a group of museums have you covered.
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Hardware
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CNX Software ☛ FLIR Si2 acoustic imaging camera features 124 microphones to detect leaks and faults up to 200 meters away
Teledyne FLIR is well known for its thermal imaging infrared cameras, but the FLIR Si2 is different as instead of measuring temperature, the acoustic imaging camera is equipped with 124 sensitive microphones to detect leaks, electrical discharge, and mechanical faults up to 200 meters away.
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Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
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Science Alert ☛ Parkinson's Drug Reduces Disease Markers in Breakthrough Trial
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TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Biden’s budget proposal for a second term offers tax breaks for families and lower health care costs
The proposal for fiscal 2025 is an election year blueprint about what the future could hold if Biden and enough of his fellow Democrats win in November.
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NYPost ☛ 300 people possibly exposed to measles after infected child visits California hospital
Hundreds of people could have been exposed to measles after a child with the highly-contagious disease went to an urgent care center and hospital in northern California earlier this month, health officials said.
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Science Alert ☛ Broccoli's Anti-Cancer Compound Could Have a Whole Other Health Benefit
This healthy food just got healthier.
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Latvia ☛ Doctors call for state-paid birth control for young women in Latvia
Several doctors' associations have come forward with a call for state-refunded contraception for women under 25, Latvian Television reported on March 9.
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The Straits Times ☛ South Korea sets up hotline to support doctors defying walkout
It is for doctors who face harassment or peer pressure for choosing not to join the walkout.
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Hackaday ☛ Hack Makes Microwave Cookies Fast And Not Terrible
Making a chocolate chip cookie is easy. Making a good chocolate chip cookie is a little harder. Making a good chocolate chip cookie quickly is a pretty tall order, but if you cobble together a microwave and a conventional oven, you just might get delicious and fast to get together.
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YLE ☛ Springtime street dust worsens Helsinki air quality
The street dust season has begun in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area which can mean respiratory problems, especially for asthmatics and young children.
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BIA Net ☛ Female employment in agriculture drops 614,000 people in ten years
The proportion of women employed in the agricultural sector decreased from 48.8% to 18.3% of total employment. CHP Deputy Ömer Fethi Gürer stated that women's participation in agricultural production not only supports the development of rural areas but also prevents migration. He also proposed, "Women's social security premiums should be covered by the state."
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Defence/Aggression
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YLE ☛ Finland joins Swedish, French navies for submarine threat drills
The exercises off of Sweden's west coast start on Wednesday.
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RFA ☛ Renewal of close US ties good for regional security, Micronesian leaders say
U.S. President Joe Biden signed a government funding bill that includes $7.1 billion for three Pacific island allies.
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YLE ☛ Police detain military vehicle driver on suspicion of manslaughter following fatal crash with taxi
The 20-year-old suspect will appear at a remand hearing at Pirkanmaa District Court in Tampere on Tuesday afternoon.
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RFA ☛ Taiwan has a 'delegation' at China's National People's Congress
The fake representatives are another example of absurdist dramas Beijing creates for itself.
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JURIST ☛ Tibetans in India protest against China to commemorate Uprising Day
Tibetans took to the streets in India’s capitol New Delhi on Sunday to mark the 65th anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan Uprising against China.
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RFA ☛ Videos appear to show Myanmar military training Rohingyas
Meanwhile, conscription law is driving Burmese youth to flee to Thailand and Malaysia. ‘We no longer feel safe,’ said one.
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RFA ☛ China set to boost defense amid regional tensions
Its 2024 defense budget is set to grow more than 7%, making it the second highest in the world after the U.S.
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The Straits Times ☛ Philippines says China’s maritime-related proposals run contrary to its interests
China presented proposals to manage the Second Thomas Shoal and fishing issues in Scarborough Shoal.
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RFA ☛ Uyghur migrants see no release after a decade in Bangkok cells
Rights groups call on the Thai government to defy China’s pressure and free them.
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New York Times ☛ Netanyahu’s Coalition ‘May Be in Jeopardy,’ Intelligence Report Says
The document predicted that Israel would struggle to achieve its goal of destroying Hamas in Gaza.
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JURIST ☛ India unveils rules to implement controversial legislation amending citizenship laws
The Indian government unveiled Monday the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 (CAR), in accordance with the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA), which aims to amend the laws governing citizenship in India. The CAA helps persecuted religious minorities gain access to Indian citizenship but specifically excludes Muslim immigrants.
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New York Times ☛ Haiti to Receive Another $130 Million From U.S. to Restore Order
The U.S. secretary of state announced more aid for the multinational security mission planned to deploy to Haiti, as well as more humanitarian aid.
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France24 ☛ Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigns after Jamaica talks
Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry has tendered his resignation as head of the Caribbean nation, the leader of a regional body said on Monday, an unelected role the 74-year-old neurosurgeon held since 2021.
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The Straits Times ☛ Pakistan's former finance chief takes up role as foreign minister
Pakistan's former finance minister Ishaq Dar was named on Monday as the country's foreign minister, at a time when growing economic and security challenges will dominate the nation's foreign policy.
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JURIST ☛ UK allocates £117M to enhance security for Muslim communities
The UK government announced Monday its commitment of over £117 million in protective security funding to the Muslim community over the next four years. It follows the Prime Minister’s recent pledge last month to allocate over £70 million to the Jewish Community Security Trust over the same period.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Limits may be placed on suspects discharged by police under new security law, Hong Kong official says
Those who have been arrested under a proposed security law and granted bail, and those who have refused bail and been discharged by police, may be subject to restrictions on their movement, security chief Chris Tang has said.
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Defence Web ☛ UNSC wants Sudan hostilities ended immediately
Adopting what is being called “a key resolution”, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) demands “immediate cessation of hostilities” in war-torn Sudan. The resolution was adopted ahead of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, prayer and reflection that started yesterday (Sunday, 10 March) according to s United Nations (UN) statement.
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Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine
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Atlantic Council ☛ Why Washington’s approach to Black Sea security may be about to change—for the better
The NDAA signals a wider shift in Washington's strategy towards the critical Black Sea region and cooperation with littoral partners.
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Environment
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YLE ☛ Court case against climate action group begins in Helsinki
Elokapina activists face charges of fraud, perjury and public incitement to commit a crime.
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Energy/Transportation
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YLE ☛ Helsinki Airport lands award for 'best customer experience' in Europe
The ASQ award was based on surveys of around 4,000 passengers at the facility.
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YLE ☛ Helsinki Airport to face aviation fuel shortage within one week
Airlines have been asked to fuel their planes abroad during the two-week walkout by logistics workers, but some firms may decide to cancel flights to Finland.
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Finance
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teleSUR ☛ Finnish Workers Announce Two Weeks' Strike
The reasons for the protest by the unions is a reform of the labour market and a series of cuts in social benefits that the unions consider unacceptable.
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YLE ☛ Monday's papers: New strike wave, road safety, about-face in the weather
Monday morning's papers provide extensive coverage of a new wave of strikes which rolled out to protest the government's labour market policies.
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YLE ☛ FAQ about the impact of Finland's strikes — "If I'm out of petrol, do I still have to go to work?"
There are a lot of questions surrounding the widespread strikes that started in Finland on Monday, including: would it be wise to hoard fuel, will food spoil on the docks, and will the mail get through?
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The Nation ☛ What We Can Learn From Minnesota Unions’ Big Contract Wins
Michael Bartos has cleaned buildings owned by the state of Minnesota for almost nine years, working for contractor Marsden. A member of SEIU Local 26, he makes $18.62 an hour, nearly $8 higher than minimum wage in Minnesota. Yet when he buys a loaf of bread at the grocery store, it typically costs a quarter of his hourly wage. “That kind of thing hurts,” he said. He struggles to afford basics like paper towels or the gas he needs to get to work. He’d like to eat organic but can’t afford it. In past contract fights, he noted, he and his coworkers secured paid vacation time, but he makes so little that he can’t go anywhere or do much when he uses the time off. “It’s stuff like that that other people have that we don’t,” he said.1
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New York Times ☛ China’s Exports Surge Are Drawing a Global Backlash
Increasing overseas sales of manufactured goods are helping China’s economy and creating employment, but countries from Europe to South Asia may lose jobs.
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RFERL ☛ First Cargo Containers Delivered From China Via Kazakhstan Reach Azerbaijan
The leaders of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan on March 11 greeted the first containers delivered from China to Azerbaijan's eastern Abseron district via a new train route crossing the vast territory of Kazakhstan.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ ‘Spirit’ of Two Sessions will ‘spread widely’ in Hong Kong, city’s delegate to Beijing’s top political body says
Hong Kong’s sole delegate to China’s top political body has said she felt Beijing’s “care and support” for Hong Kong during an annual parliamentary gathering, adding that she would take the “spirit” of the key Two Sessions meetings to the local community.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s Two Sessions: Major political meeting wraps with pledges to boost sluggish economy
By Jing Xuan Teng China’s leaders on Monday wrapped up a week-long key conclave at which they admitted more was needed to revive a sluggish economy battered by an ailing housing market, poor domestic demand and record-high youth unemployment figures.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Consumer prices in China rise for first time in 6 months, bucking deflation trend
By Jing Xuan Teng Chinese consumer prices rose in February for the first time since August, data showed Saturday, bucking a months-long stretch of deflation that compounded the country’s myriad economic woes.
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H2 View ☛ Geopolitics and quality challenges limit China’s electrolyser market reach
Geopolitics and quality challenges will limit the reach of Chinese electrolysers in Western markets, according to Stephen B. Harrison of sbh4 GmbH.
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Atlantic Council ☛ China is failing to address its economic challenges
The just-completed National People’s Congress offered no real insight into how Beijing plans to deal with interlocking economic troubles.
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The Strategist ☛ Simmer war: the new form of US–China rivalry
The future of US-China rivalry is not likely to become a cold war, nor a hot one.
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AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
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Common Dreams ☛ Apocalypse Now: They Are Coming For Our Books, Kitchens and Children, Especially the Ones Not Wearing Pants
Talk about a tale of two countries: This election year, with only fervid culture wars to offer, a fear-mongering GOP is hating on books, flags, migrants, rainbows, birth control, scary clown drag queens; electing zealots and bigots; drawing pants on goblins' butts and turning teachers who support trans kids into sex offenders. And this week, they definitively rejected Biden's nation of hope and decency with a lying, sociopathic White Mom On the Brink - "There's bodegas on the corner!" - in "some deeply weird shit."
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The Nation ☛ It Was a Terrible Weekend for 2 Female GOP “Stars”
South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace first came to national attention in 2019, when she opposed a state abortion ban that lacked exceptions for rape and incest, revealing that she had been raped at 16. “For some of us who have been raped, it can take 25 years to get up the courage and talk about being a victim of rape,” said Mace, then a state legislator. “My mother and my best friend in high school were the only two people who knew.”
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Off Guardian ☛ The Great Election Fraud: Manufactured Choices Make a Mockery of Our Republic
“Dictators are not in the business of allowing elections that could remove them from their thrones.” Gene Sharp, political science professor
The U.S. Supreme Court was right to keep President Trump’s name on the ballot.
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The Straits Times ☛ North Korean delegation meets Mongolian President in rare visit: KCNA
North Korea's Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Pak Myong Ho met with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh on Monday, North Korean state media KCNA said, in a rare foreign trip by a diplomatic delegation from the isolated state.
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The Straits Times ☛ South Korean starves himself to avoid military service, gets suspended jail term
Lab tests of his urine indicate deliberate starvation and dehydration.
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The Straits Times ☛ South Korea's land minister bearish on property as population ages
South Korea won't see a repeat of the sharp home price gains it did in the past as its population rapidly ages and economy slows, the country's land minister said, vowing to promote public rental accommodation to improve access to housing.
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Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda
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RFA ☛ Now you can subscribe to a North Korean state TV streaming service
Content typically includes propaganda about leaders and bad news about other countries.
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University of Michigan ☛ ‘Review bombing’ reveals social control media’s cruelty
A highly anticipated movie hits the theaters; yet, within hours of its release, the promising title finds itself drowning in a sea of negative online reviews, its reputation tarnished and its creators left bewildered and disheartened.
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Censorship/Free Speech
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Techdirt ☛ Utah Lawmakers Just Adopted Porn Filtering Again
The Utah state legislature recently adopted a new bill that now requires the pre-installed pornography filters found on mobile devices to be turned on at the point of sale. If a device sold doesn’t have these filters enabled, liability for device manufacturers and retailers is quite severe.
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Reason ☛ Lawsuit Hobbles Utah's Plan To Mandate Age Verification Online
"Laws like this don't solve the problems they try to address but only make them worse," says a Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression attorney.
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RFA ☛ Cambodian teen rescued from family home in China after Facebook (Farcebook) plea
The girl said she was locked in a room and forced to have sex with a man who bought her from brokers.
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JURIST ☛ AP: Pakistan judge sentences 22 year old to death and teenager to life imprisonment under blasphemy laws
The Associated Press (AP) reported that a Pakistani court sentenced a 22-year-old student to death and gave a teenager life in prison on Monday under the country’s blasphemy laws. The 22-year-old student’s lawyer, Aslam Gujar, told the AP that Junaid Munir had been sentenced to death last week.
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Techdirt ☛ 5th Circuit Is Gonna 5th Circus: Declares Age Verification Perfectly Fine Under The First Amendment
Can the 5th Circuit ever do anything not crazy? You may recall that Texas, like so many states, passed a law, HB 1181, that required age verification for adult content sites. This law also required nonsense “health warnings” to be plastered on those sites, which did not come from any actual health experts. The Free Speech Coalition sued over the bill and won a quick injunction. The court deemed it to be obviously unconstitutional, siding with multiple other courts (including the Supreme Court) which have all found age verification requirements to access speech to be unconstitutional under the First Amendment.
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Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai’s ‘radical’ stance in 2019 was common knowledge, court hears
Jailed media mogul Jimmy Lai’s “radical” stance during the 2019 protests and unrest was common knowledge, a commentary writer for Lai’s pro-democracy paper Apple Daily has told a national security trial against his ex-boss.
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Civil Rights/Policing
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Techdirt ☛ Investigation: ‘Gold Standard’ Of Evidence Turned To Pyrite By Colorado Crime Lab Employee
Law enforcement investigators and prosecutors have overwhelmingly embraced plenty of pseudoscience over the years, treating everything from bite marks to hair samples as conclusive evidence capable of singling out guilty parties.
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JURIST ☛ AP and CNHI report finds US sunshine laws put transparency request burden on private citizens
An AP and CNHI News report published Sunday found that less than a third of US states have agencies to resolve citizen disputes regarding access to public records or open meetings. The only recourse for resolving transparency-related disputes in these states is for citizens to engage in expensive litigation.
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Internet Policy/Net Neutrality
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Public Knowledge ☛ Public Knowledge Applauds Biden Administration for Fighting To Promote Competition, Lower Prices in New Budget
Today, President Biden unveiled his $7.3 trillion proposed fiscal year 2025 budget to fund the government, including efforts to bolster the nation’s antitrust enforcement within the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice.
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Patents
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Unified Patents ☛ Equitable IP entity Scale Video Coding multicast network patent monopoly prior art found
Unified is pleased to announce prior art has been found on U.S. Patent 11,019,372, owned by Scale Video Coding, LLC, an NPE and an Equitable IP entity. The ‘372 patent monopoly generally relates to an overlay multicast network may provide a set of features to ensure reliable and timely arrival of multicast data. The invention relates to the management of data packets to support multicasting.
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Kangaroo Courts
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JUVE ☛ International teams to assemble in Luxembourg for UPC transparency hearing [Ed: UPC is illegal and unconstitutional. JUVE took bribes from Team UPC to legitimise this crime and this fake kangaroo 'court'.]
The UPC’s Court of Appeal in Luxembourg is getting set hear the next stage in the case on transparency brought by London-based Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer partner, Christopher Stothers.
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Software Patents
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Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Magic Language in Patent Applications
The Federal Circuit handed down a mixed decision in Chewy, Inc. v. International Business Machines Corp., 2022-1756 (Fed. Cir. Mar. 5, 2024) ChewyvIBM. The district court had ruled against the patentee (IBM) — finding one patent monopoly ineligible and the other not infringed. On appeal, the Federal Circuit largely affirmed, but found one claim that passes through the pre-trial gauntlet. The patents at issue were IBM’s U.S. Patent Nos. 7,072,849 and 7,076,443, relating to improvements in web-based advertising. On remand, a jury may need to decide whether claim 12 of the ‘849 patent monopoly is valid and infringed.
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Monopolies/Monopsonies
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