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● 03.22.23

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● Links 22/03/2023: Official Thunderbird Podcast Starts

Posted in News Roundup at 3:54 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNU/Linux

Audiocasts/Shows

Thunderbird ☛ Mozilla Thunderbird: The Official Thunderbird Podcast Is HereWelcome to the debut episode of the Thunderbird podcast, which we’re affectionately calling the ThunderCast! It’s an inside look at the making of Thunderbird, alongside community-driven conversations with our friends in the open-source world. We can’t wait for you to listen! [...] Highlights from Episode 1What to expect on future episodes of ThunderCastWe’re hiring!Is Thunderbird still part of Mozilla?Alex starts a band, Ryan is building a keyboard, Jason’s island adventures4 years of “invisible work” to prepare for SupernovaThunderbird on Android… and iOSChapter Markers The ThunderCast includes chapters for podcast players that support the feature. If yours does not, here are some timestamps to help you navigate the episode:(00:00) – ThunderCast: What To Expect (02:07) – Meet Ryan (08:55) – Meet Alex (12:24) – Loving Your Work (18:07) – Meet Jason (21:06) – Geeking Out (31:37) – Mozilla + Thunderbird: A history lesson (41:22) – Supernova: Setting The Stage (56:28) – “Email is not broken” (01:05:23) – K-9 Mail → Thunderbird Android (01:16:36) – Closing comments

Applications

=> ↺ 5 Best Free and Open Source Photo Geotagging Tools

• GPS is also popular among other individuals constantly on the move such as mountain bikers, snowmobilers, hikers, cross-country skiers. There are so many diverse uses of GPS ranging from keeping track of vulnerable members of society, finding pets that have collars with built-in GPS, or tracking equipment while traveling. Even footballers in training are monitored and tracked by football clubs with GPS.

• Geotagging is the process of adding geographical identification metadata to various media such as a geotagged photograph or video, websites, SMS messages, QR Codes or RSS feeds and is a form of geospatial metadata.

• This article picks the finest photo geotagging tools. All of the software featured is free and open source goodness. The chart below summarizes our findings.

Instructionals/Technical

=> ↺ How To Install Ntopng on Debian 11

• In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Ntopng on Debian 11.

=> ↺ How To Setup UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) On Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

• In this tutorial, we are going to show you the method to set up UFW on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

=> ↺ How To Install Avidemux on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

• In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Avidemux on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

=> ↺ How To Install YOURLS on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

• In this tutorial, we will show you how to install YOURLS on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

=> ↺ Comparing Minikube, KinD, and k3d

• Introduction Minikube, KinD, and k3d are all popular options for setting up Kubernetes clusters on a local machine. Each has its own unique features and benefits, but it can be difficult to determine which one is best for your needs.

=> ↺ Creating a multi-node cluster with k3d

• Introduction Kubernetes has become the de facto standard for container orchestration, and for good reason. It allows you to easily manage containers at scale and provides features like automatic scaling, load balancing, and rolling updates. However, setting up a Kubernetes cluster can be a daunting task.

=> ↺ How to Replace Environment Variables Using the envsubst Command

• Learn how to replace environment variables using the envsubst command. This guide will show you how with examples and tips.

=> ↺ High availability concepts

• In today’s fast-paced world, businesses and organizations heavily rely on their IT systems and applications to run their daily operations. These systems are designed to handle a large amount of data, complex processes, and transactions, making them critical to the success of the organization.

=> ↺ Creating a bare-metal cluster from scratch

• In today’s world of computing, more and more companies are looking to optimize their hardware by creating bare-metal clusters. Bare-metal clusters are clusters of computers that are stripped down to their bare essentials, meaning that they only have the minimum required software to run the cluster.

=> ↺ How to Install and Configure ELK Stack on Rocky Linux

• ELK stack is a powerful open-source tool that is widely used for analyzing and visualizing logs and other data. The stack consists of Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana. Elasticsearch is a search and analytics engine for analyzing logs.

=> ↺ Syslog-ng 101, part 12: Elasticsearch (and Opensearch, Zinc, Humio, etc.)

• One of the most popular destinations in syslog-ng is Elasticsearch (and OpenSearch, Zinc, Humio, etc.). The 12th part of my syslog-ng #tutorial shows you how to send log messages to Elasticsearch.

=> ↺ Peter Czanik: Syslog-ng 101, part 12: Elasticsearch (and Opensearch, Zinc, Humio, etc.)

• This is the 12th part of my syslog-ng tutorial. Last time, we learned about enriching log messages using syslog-ng. Today, we learn about how to send log messages to Elasticsearch.

=> ↺ Difference between single and double quotes in Bash

• Bash, the shell used in most Linux distributions, provides several ways to quote strings.

=> ↺ How to block bad bots using .htaccess

• If you’re a website owner, you’re probably well aware of the importance of search engine optimization (SEO). However, what many website owners don’t realize is that there are bots crawling the internet that can harm your site’s SEO and overall functionality.

=> ↺ How to Save Command Output to a File in Linux

• In Linux, the command line is a powerful tool for interacting with the system. One common task when working with the command line is saving the output of a command to a file for future reference.

=> ↺ How to Show Security Warning Message to Unauthorized SSH Users

• It’s a good idea to add some kind of security warning message that makes it clear to unauthorised SSH users that they are not allowed to access the system. Giant corporate companies permit their employees to gain access to the company system remotely via SSH.

=> ↺ Add Dynamic Wallpapers to Your GNOME Desktop

• Want your desktop to be more in-tune with the time of day? There’s a neat collection of dynamic wallpapers for the GNOME desktop that offer up exactly that.

=> ↺ How to install APF on Rocky Linux 9 / Alma Linux 9

• Hello, friends. In this post, you will learn how to install APF on Rocky Linux 9 / Alma Linux 9. According to the project website: APF is an iptables(netfilter) based firewall system designed aroundThe essential needs of today’s Internet deployed servers and the uniqueneeds of custom deployed Linux installations.

=> ↺ How To Install Robo 3T (Studio 3T) on Ubuntu 20.04 | 22.04 LTS

• Today you will learn how to Install Robo 3T (Studio 3T) on Ubuntu 20.04 / 22.04 LTS Robo 3T, formerly known as Robomongo, is a popular open-source MongoDB management tool.

=> ↺ How To Install Easy Effects on Ubuntu 20.04 | 22.04 LTS

• Easy Effects is a powerful audio processing software that can enhance the quality of your sound recordings. It is a great tool for podcasters, musicians, and anyone who wants to improve the sound quality of their recordings. In this article, we will show you how to install Easy Effects on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

=> ↺ How to Install Kernel 6.x on Rocky Linux 9

• Hello, friends. Upgrading the Linux kernel is an important but risky process that can improve support for our software. So today, you will learn how to install the 6.x kernel on Rocky Linux 9.

=> ↺ Tmux Pane Splitting: Vertical & Horizontal Techniques

• We will walk you through the necessary steps and commands to create, resize, and navigate Tmux panes effortlessly. Whether you’re a Tmux beginner or a seasoned user looking to enhance your skills, this guide will provide you with valuable insights and practical tips for optimizing your Tmux pane management. Let’s dive in and start mastering the art of Tmux pane splitting.

=> ↺ The beginner’s guide to Linux Mint cloud computing

• We will start by defining cloud computing and its advantages, then delve into the different types of cloud computing models, and finally, introduce Linux Mint as a cloud platform. By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of cloud computing and how Linux Mint can help you leverage its benefits.

=> ↺ How to Install KubeSphere on Ubuntu 22.04

• Kubesphere free and open-source Kubernetes platform and cloud-native application management verified by CNCF. It’s an enterprise-grade Kubernetes container platform with feature-rich and tailored for hybrid multi-cloud deployment.

=> ↺ LFCS – File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

=> ↺ The Most Common Flags in /proc/cpuinfo with Examples

• The /proc/cpuinfo file is a plain-text read-only file that contains information about the CPU, and displays a wealth of information about the CPU including

=> ↺ How to Install CRI-O (Container Runtime) on Ubuntu 22.04

• CRI-O is an opensource and lightweight container runtime for Kubernetes. It is an implementation of the Kubernetes Container Runtime Interface (CRI) using Open Container Initiative (OCI) compatible runtimes. It’s a perfect alternative to Docker when running Kubernetes.

=> ↺ DF vs DU Command in Linux: Key Differences

• You’ve probably heard of the df and du commands if you’re a Linux user. They are both used to check disk usage, but they work in slightly different ways. This article will explore the key differences between these two commands, including their syntax, output, and usage.

=> ↺ How to Install OpenRGB on Linux Mint 21 or 20

• OpenRGB is a free, open-source software solution that provides a unified control interface for RGB lighting in computer systems, peripherals, and other compatible devices. Developed by a dedicated community, OpenRGB aims to eliminate the need for multiple proprietary software solutions by offering compatibility with various devices and manufacturers.

=> ↺ How to Install Docker on Fedora Linux

• Are you a developer or system administrator seeking to enhance your application’s portability and scalability? Docker is an outstanding platform for packaging, distributing, and running applications inside containers. This article will guide you through installing Docker on Fedora Linux, one of the most popular Linux distributions.

=> ↺ How to Save Command Output to a File in Linux

• Linux command line interface (CLI) is a powerful tool that allows users to interact with the operating system using text-based commands.

=> ↺ How to Install PowerShell on Linux Mint 21 or 20

• PowerShell is a powerful scripting language and command-line shell designed for Windows, Linux, and macOS platforms. Developed by Microsoft, it is a versatile tool for system administrators and developers to automate tasks, manage configurations, and enhance productivity.

=> ↺ How to Install Avidemux on Linux Mint 21 or 20

• Avidemux is a free and open-source video editing software that offers a user-friendly interface for performing various video manipulation tasks. Designed for both beginners and advanced users, it supports a wide range of video formats and provides essential editing features.

=> ↺ How to Enable TRIM For SSD in Ubuntu

• If you are using a Solid State Drive (SSD), you should know that you shouldn’t run any defragmentation or free space consolidation software on it. So how do you clean up your SSD and free up the empty space? TRIM is the command we use to inform the OS to do the cleaning job. Windows 11 allows you to manually run TRIM through the fsutil command. But what about Ubuntu? How can you enable TRIM for SSD in Ubuntu?

=> ↺ Configure Logitech or SteelSeries Headset in Ubuntu via This App

• Got a Logitech or SteelSeries headset? This app may help to adjust sidetone, get battery state, toggle LED, and set inactive time in Ubuntu Linux.

Desktop Environments/WMs

K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt

=> ↺ LabPlot 2.10

• Today we are announcing the availability of the latest release of LabPlot: Say hello to LabPlot 2.10!

• This release comes with many new features, improvements and performance optimizations in different areas, as well as with support for new data formats and visualization types.

• The major new features are introduced below. For a more detailed review of the changes in this new release, please refer to the ChangeLog file.

• The source code of LabPlot, the Flatpak and Snap packages for Linux, as well as the installer for Windows and the image for macOS are available from our download page.

GNOME Desktop/GTK

GNOME ☛ Michael Catanzaro: WebKitGTK API for GTK 4 Is Now StableWith the release of WebKitGTK 2.40.0, WebKitGTK now finally provides a stable API and ABI for GTK 4 applications. The following API versions are provided:webkit2gtk-4.0: this API version uses GTK 3 and libsoup 2. It is obsolete and users should immediately port to webkit2gtk-4.1. To get this with WebKitGTK 2.40, build with -DPORT=GTK -DUSE_SOUP2=ON.webkit2gtk-4.1: this API version uses GTK 3 and libsoup 3. It contains no other changes from webkit2gtk-4.0 besides the libsoup version. With WebKitGTK 2.40, this is the default API version that you get when you build with -DPORT=GTK. (In 2.42, this might require a different flag, e.g. -DUSE_GTK3=ON, which does not exist yet.)webkitgtk-6.0: this API version uses GTK 4 and libsoup 3. To get this with WebKitGTK 2.40, build with -DPORT=GTK -DUSE_GTK4=ON. (In 2.42, this might become the default API version.)

Distributions and Operating Systems

BSD

=> ↺ Accelerating Datacenter Energy Efficiency by Leveraging FreeBSD as Your Server OS

• Explore how FreeBSD aids datacenter energy goals, promoting efficiency in design – operation, while supporting industry – government initiatives.

=> ↺ SSH -> automatic VM

• I like the idea of virtualized machines springing into existence just by trying to connect to them.  This is OpenBSD-specific, but could probably be extrapolated to bhyve or NVMM.

Fedora Family / IBM

=> ↺ Fedora Community Blog: Save the date: Flock to Fedora 2023

• Good news! I’m excited to announce the return of Flock to Fedora, our annual contributor conference. Save the date so you can plan to join us 1-5 August 2023 in Cork, Ireland. After three years, we’re ready to get together in person to make plans and share ideas.

=> ↺ Why inflation should not stop IT hiring

• With inflation driving prices up and leaders looking to reduce costs, employers are weighing whether and where to cut back while simultaneously trying to attract top talent. But instead of cutting staff, IT leaders should prioritize showing employees they are valued. Reassuring current employees in uncertain times will also serve to attract new talent.

Canonical/Ubuntu Family

=> ↺ Trisquel 11 Released, Based on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

• …a new version of Free Software Foundation (FSF) endorsed Trisquel is available to download. Trisquel 11…

=> ↺ Linux Mint vs. Ubuntu: A Comprehensive Comparison

• Need help deciding between Mint and Ubuntu? Let’s break down the key differences to help you choose the best distribution for your needs.

Devices/Embedded

=> ↺ Pironman review – A Raspberry Pi 4 enclosure with M.2 SATA, safe power off, RGB LED strip, and more (Sponsored)

=> ↺ Qualcomm Robotics RB1 and RB2 development kits launched for $199 and up

• We quickly mentioned the Qualcomm Robotics RB1 and RB2 development kits in our post about Lantronix Open-Q 2210RB and 4210RB SiPs mostly to complain about the lack of information at the time. But things have changed the Qualcomm Robotics RB1 and RB2 devkits for cheaper, smaller Linux-powered robots with lower power consumption are now available, and we have more details with three options: Core Kit, Vision Kit, and Full Kit.

=> ↺ Nvidia’s New Orin Nano Developer Kit: Like a Raspberry Pi for AI

• Today, Nvidia announced the new entry-level board for its Jetson range of single board computers. Replacing the Jetson Nano, the Jetson Orin Nano promises great processing power while remaining power efficient.

=> ↺ Get more out of your phone: Integrate it with your Arduino Cloud projects

• Remote monitoring with a mobile app is a must for all the IoT device management platforms. In general, having a mobile app offers a more complete and convenient user experience for IoT device management platform users, which can improve their satisfaction and loyalty.

=> ↺ OnLogic Helix 401 – A compact fanless industrial computer powered by an Alder Lake Embedded processor

• OnLogic Helix 401 is a fanless industrial computer with a compact design powered by a choice of Alder Lake Embedded processors from Celeron 7305E to Core i7-1270PE designed for edge computing, Industry 4.0, Internet of Things (IoT), and more. The computer supports up to 64GB DDR5 memory, SATA or NVMe storage via two M.2 sockets, and offers up to four video outputs via DisplayPort and USB4 ports, dual Gigabit Ethernet, optional WiFi and/or 4G or 5G cellular connectivity, COM and CAN bus ports, and Digital Input/Output (DIO) connector.

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

=> ↺ A Fediverse Backup?

• I have been thinking about having a backup account on the Fediverse, but I’m struggling with which service to use.

• We’ve been having some challenges over on Fosstodon recently. Between availability issues thanks to large influxes of users, technology problems and DDoS attacks, it’s been a fun few months.

• Problem is, when Fosstodon is down, I have no presence on the Fediverse, so we can’t inform people as to what’s going on. With that in mind, I’d like to setup an alternate account on the Fedi for me to use. Plus, it also allows me to post about my other hobbies outside of tech; like fish keeping, motorbikes, home steading etc.

=> ↺ A 5-minute tour of the Fediverse

• People want to communicate over the internet as easily as they do in real life, with similar protections but, potentially, farther reach. In other words, people want to be able to chat with a group of other people who aren’t physically in the same location, and still maintain some control over who claims ownership of the conversation. In today’s world, of course, a lot of companies have a lot to say about who owns the data you send back and forth over the world wide web. Most companies seem to feel they have the right to govern the way you communicate, how many people your message reaches, and so on. Open source, luckily, doesn’t need to own your social life, and so appropriately it’s open source developers who are delivering a social network that belongs, first and foremost, to you.

• The “Fediverse” (a portmanteau of “federated” and “universe”) is a collection of protocols, servers, and users. Together, these form networks that can communicate with one another. Users can exchange short messages, blog-style posts, music, and videos over these networks. Content you post is federated, meaning that once one network is aware of your content, it can pass that content to another network, which passes it to another, and so on.

• Most platforms are run by a single company or organization, a single silo where your data is trapped. The only way to share with others is to have them join that service.

=> ↺ Open-source project helps solve centralized infrastructure problems

• Foundational open-source projects usually result in ground-breaking technologies being made available to the general public, not arbitrarily controlled by one company.

=> ↺ Grafana Labs enhancements aimed at reducing cloud-native complexity

=> ↺ paid-for spam service

=> ↺ Q&A: Solo.io brings open-source community to the enterprise

SaaS/Back End/Databases

PostgreSQL ☛ CloudNativePG 1.19.1, 1.18.3 and 1.17.5 Released!The CloudNativePG Community has released a new update for the supported 1.19, 1.18 and 1.17 versions of the CloudNativePG Operator.Versions 1.19.1, 1.18.3 and 1.17.5 are patch releases containing a few bug fixes and minor enhancements, including:enable overriding the default backup target policy for ScheduledBackup andBackup resourcesadditional metrics and information in the status, about the last time of success or failure of a backup

=> ↺ PostgreSQL JDBC 42.6.0 Released

• The PostgreSQL pgJDBC team is proud to announce the release of version 42.6.0.

• This version has two major changes. 1. The use of synchronized has been replaced with re-entrant locks. This is will facilitate the use of lightweight threads aka Project Loom. 2. Previously we used Object.finalize() to monitor for connection leaks. Java 9 has Cleaner, but we still need to support Java 8. thankfully Juan Lopes wrote LazyCleaner. We borrowed the code (Thanks again!) and are now using LazyCleaner instead of finalize().

• Many thanks to those who contributed! See the ChangeLog for details.

• The release has been pushed to Maven central.

=> ↺ pgBadger v12.1 published

• Grenoble, France – March 20th, 2023

• pgBadger is a PostgreSQL performance analyzer, built for speed with fully detailed reports based on your PostgreSQL log files.

• pgBadger 12.1 was released today, this is a maintenance release that fixes issues reported by users since past six months.

Content Management Systems (CMS)

=> ↺ WordPress 6.2 Release Candidate 3

• WordPress 6.2 Release Candidate 3 is now available for download and testing.

• This version of the WordPress software is under development. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead, it is recommended that you test RC3 on a test server and site.

Programming/Development

=> ↺ Danylo Piliaiev: Command stream editing as an effective method to debug driver issues

• In previous posts, “Graphics Flight Recorder – unknown but handy tool to debug GPU hangs” and “Debugging Unrecoverable GPU Hangs”, I demonstrated a few tricks of how to identify the location of GPU fault.

• But what’s the next step once you’ve roughly pinpointed the issue? What if the problem is only sporadically reproducible and the only way to ensure consistent results is by replaying a trace of raw GPU commands? How can you precisely determine the cause and find a proper fix?

• Sometimes, you may have an inkling of what’s causing the problem, then and you can simply modify the driver’s code to see if it resolves the issue. However, there are instances where the root cause remains elusive or you only want to change a specific value without affecting the same register before and after it.

• The optimal approach in these situations is to directly modify the commands sent to the GPU. The ability to arbitrarily edit the command stream was always an obvious idea and has crossed my mind numerous times (and not only mine – proprietary driver developers seem to employ similar techniques). Finally, the stars aligned: my frustration with a recent bug, the kernel’s new support for user-space-defined GPU addresses for buffer objects, the tool I wrote to replay command stream traces not so long ago, and the realization that implementing a command stream editor was not as complicated as initially thought.

=> ↺ Bálint Réczey: Building the Linux kernel in under 10 seconds with Firebuild

• Russell published an interesting post about his first experience with Firebuild accelerating refpolicy‘s and the Linux kernel‘s build. It turned out a few small tweaks could accelerate the builds even more, crossing the 10 second barrier with Linux’s build.

• The Linux kernel’s build time is a widely used benchmark for compilers, making it a prime candidate to test a build accelerator as well. In the first run on Russell’s 18 core test system the observed user+sys CPU time was cut by 44% with an actual increase in wall clock time which was quite unusual. Firebuild performed much better than that in prior tests. To replicate the results I’ve set up a clean Debian Bookworm VM on my machine: [...]

=> ↺ Zig Bits 0×2: Using defer to defeat memory leaks

• Let’s talk about how to detect memory leaks in Zig and avoid them by using the defer statement.

=> ↺ Continuing on API Endpoint Documentation for Package and File Sources

• You might have been already using our new openAPI Documentation. We now want to let you know we added some more documentation about package endpoints and we added the new section about file endpoints. You can check them out below! Sources – Packages Sources – Files After kicking off the API documentation remake in January 2021, we’ve continued with the Build and Workers endpoints in April 2021, we followed with Sources Projects and Search endpoints…

=> ↺ WebAssembly enables Fermyon to deliver serverless architecture that executes at sub 1 millisecond speeds

=> ↺ How can I refresh a page with jQuery

• Refreshing a page is a common task in web development, and it can be accomplished easily with jQuery. Whether you need to update content, reset form fields, or trigger a new request to the server, jQuery offers a variety of methods to refresh a page.

=> ↺ String Obfuscation: Character Pair Reversal, (Tue, Mar 21st)

• I found a malicious .LNK file on MalwareBazaar that contains an obfuscated URL. The obfuscation is a classic one, with a twist: string reversal, not per character, but per character pair.

=> ↺ Fixing QtKeychain freezing on Apple devices

• Working on the Nextcloud desktop client, I stumbled into a nasty little bug. If you tried to add or remove a user account, the app would often freeze for a while.

=> ↺ Caolán McNamara: GTK 4.10 and LibreOffice accessibility

• Towards GTK 4.10 some of the functionality to integrate LibreOffice’s internal accessibility support with GTK has been exposed. Some experimenting this week with GTK trunk gives me the above, writer’s document accessibility hierarchy integrated with the GTK one.

• Very little actually works, but a working base to start from.

Python

=> ↺ XOR Two Strings in Python

• The “ord()” function converts string values into their ASCII representatives and passes to XOR. “^” operator returns the difference of converted ASCII values.

=> ↺ Sort Nested List in Python

• In Python, “sort()” and “sorted()” methods sort a nested list in ascending, descending order, based on the index of a tuple or with respect to length.

=> ↺ Python Do While Loops

• In Python, there is no construct defined for do while loop.

=> ↺ How to Convert String to JSON in Python

• In Python, JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a commonly used data format for exchanging data between applications. JSON data is represented as a string in Python, but sometimes it’s necessary to convert that string into a JSON object to work with it more effectively.

=> ↺ What are the Python Static Variables

• Python is a popular high-level programming language, known for its simplicity, versatility, and ease of use. One of the useful features of Python is the ability to define static variables. In this article, we will discuss what are static variables in Python and provide some examples.

=> ↺ GET and POST requests using Python

• HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is a protocol that allows data communication on the web. It uses various methods to transfer data between the client and the server. Two of the most commonly used methods are GET and POST.

=> ↺ GET and POST requests using Python

• In today’s world, web applications and APIs play a significant role in data exchange and communication. We often need to send HTTP requests such as GET and POST to interact with these web services.

Java

=> ↺ Oracle aims to sustain Java’s 27-year franchise with version 20 rollout

Standards/Consortia

=> ↺ What exactly is a unified LPWAN and why do we want one?

• This is the year of the Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN). And much like in home or even industrial networks, where multiple wireless protocols cozy up to one another, when it comes to blanketing large areas with low data-rate connectivity, users will have several options to choose from.

Leftovers

=> ↺ A blank text editor

• Before I started writing this, the buffer in this text editor was empty.

• I wonder what it could have held?

=> ↺ Erdoğan: Earthquakes to cost Turkey 104 billion dollars

• EU countries pledged 7 billion euros to help Turkey rebuild the earthquake-hit regions.

=> ↺ Ministry: Identities of 42 children surviving the earthquakes could not yet be identified

• 1915 unattended children were rescued from under the debris and registered after the February 6 earthquakes, 42 of whom could not yet be identified, the Ministry announced.

Science

=> ↺ Scientists Discover RNA Component Buried in The Dust of an Asteroid

• Life’s building blocks may indeed have been alien.

=> ↺ Risk of Giant Asteroids Hitting Earth Could Be Worse Than We Realized

• We may have underestimated this.

=> ↺ Satellites Pose ‘Unprecedented Global Threat’, Scientists Warn. Here’s Why.

• They’ve doubled in number since 2019.

=> ↺ News Analysis: UK Commits $3 Billion to Support National Quantum Strategy

• SecurityWeek spoke to VC firm Quantum Exponential about the UK National Quantum Strategy and investments in quantum computing.

Education

=> ↺ Los Angeles Schools Shut Down After LAUSD Workers Launch 3-Day Strike

• The work stoppage began early Tuesday morning with a picket line at a district bus yard.

=> ↺ L.A. strike: Custodians, counselors, school workers picket for pay

• Los Angeles school workers are striking for three days over stalled contracts. In the second-largest school system in the country, working conditions have gone down every year, said Danielle Murray, a special education assistant on the picket line.

=> ↺ School workers in the nation’s second-largest district go on strike, shutting down schools. Here’s what they want

• A union representing 30,000 Los Angeles school custodians, cafeteria workers, bus drivers and other support staff has started a three-day strike with support from the district’s teachers, effectively stopping classes for more than a half million students in the nation’s second-largest school system.

=> ↺ Los Angeles school workers strike closes second largest school district in US for 3 days

• For three days, starting Tuesday, hundreds of schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) in California will be closed due education faculty and staff’s strike for increased wages and better conditions.

=> ↺ Los Angeles schools close for 3 days as workers across 2nd largest U.S. district strike

• Thousands of workers in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest in the U.S., walked off the job Tuesday over failed contract negotiations, joining teachers and other education staff across the city on a three-day strike.

Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

=> ↺ All Hormonal Contraceptives Raise Breast Cancer Risk Slightly, Study Finds

• This is important.

=> ↺ Plastic chemicals doing untold human harm: scientists

• A global coalition of scientists and other experts say the human race is swimming in a toxic soup of chemicals used to make plastics, with potentially dire consequences for humanity. A landmark analysis has just been published by almost 50 internationally renowned experts, including scientists focused on public and environmental health.

=> ↺ Treatment-resistant fungal infections spread during pandemic

• An emerging fungal infection that can prove fatal in communal health settings spread further and became more drug-resistant during the pandemic, a Centers for Disease Control review of surveillance data found.

=> ↺ Report of Wuhan Market Samples Found Covid and Raccoon Dog Genetic Material

• In a much-anticipated study, experts described a swab that was positive for the coronavirus and contained loads of genetic material from raccoon dogs.

=> ↺ ‘We Were Helpless’: Despair at the CDC as the Covid Pandemic Erupted

• Current and former employees recall rising desperation as Trump administration officials squelched research into the new coronavirus.

Proprietary

=> ↺ Qt Digital Advertising in Toradex’s Torizon

• Monetizing your embedded devices can seem like a daunting challenge at first. With the large variety of ad networks and technologies, plus the uncertainty of support for various hardware platforms, it might not seem worth the effort. However, serving ads on embedded devices running Qt has never been easier with Qt Digital Advertising and Toradex’s Torizon.

Pseudo-Open Source

Openwashing

=> ↺ Daniel Lange: Linux App Summit – Linux applications apparently unable to produce a five page sponsorship brochure

• I’ve been mocking the Linux foundation for producing their annual report on Macs. And again.

• But catching the Linux App(lication) Summit to produce their 5 page sponsorship brochure one Windows with Adobe…

• [...]

• P.S.: Just checked the Linux Foundation’s 2022 Annual Report titled “Leadership in Security and Innovation” … Adobe InDesign 18.0 (Macintosh).

Security

XSAs released on 2023-03-21The Xen Project has released one or more Xen security advisories (XSAs). The security of Qubes OS is affected. Therefore, user action is required.XSAs that DO affect the security of Qubes OSThe following XSAs do affect the security of Qubes OS:XSA-428XSA-429

=> ↺ Not applying updates? You’re doing it wrong

• All your excuses for not doing updates—from fear of downtime to concerns about testing—are wrong.

=> ↺ QSB-088: Two Xen issues affecting PV (stub-)domains (XSA-428, XSA-429)

• We have published Qubes Security Bulletin (QSB) 088: Two Xen issues affecting PV (stub-)domains (XSA-428, XSA-429). The text of this QSB and its accompanying cryptographic signatures are reproduced below. For an explanation of this announcement and instructions for authenticating this QSB, please see the end of this announcement.

=> ↺ Ransomware Gang Publishes Data Allegedly Stolen From Maritime Firm Royal Dirkzwager

• The Play ransomware gang has published data stolen from Dutch maritime services company Royal Dirkzwager.

=> ↺ Exploitation of 55 Zero-Day Vulnerabilities Came to Light in 2022: Mandiant

• Mandiant has conducted an analysis of the zero-day vulnerabilities disclosed in 2022 and over a dozen were linked to cyberespionage groups.

=> ↺ Malicious NuGet Packages Used to Target .NET Developers

• Software developers have been targeted in a new attack via malicious packages in the NuGet repository.

=> ↺ Fear of feds leads to stolen data site BreachForums being shut down

• The new admin, who goes by the handle Baphomet, said in a statement posted on the forum that shutting down the sire was the only safe decision after it had been confirmed that the FBI had access to the machine of Pompompurin, the original administrator of the site.

=> ↺ Ferrari discloses ‘cyber incident’ that involved a ransom demand

• Italian vehicle manufacturer Ferrari S.p.A. has disclosed that it has suffered a “cyber incident” that involved a threat actor with a ransom demand related to certain client contact details. Upon receipt of the ransom demand, the company launched an investigation with an outside cybersecurity firm.

=> ↺ Hackers increasingly use phone and email harassment to extort ransom payments

=> ↺ Google Pixel Vulnerability Allows Recovery of Cropped Screenshots

• A vulnerability in Google Pixel phones allows for the recovery of an original, unedited screenshot from the cropped version.

=> ↺ Forbes Cybersecurity Trends For 2023 Meet Purism Supply Chain Security Standards!

• PureOS Offers End-to-End Supply Chain Software and Firmware Security According to the Forbes Article, “Cybersecurity Trends – Statistics for 2023”, there are eight macro risks to watch out for in 2023 according to the Bipartisan Policy Research Center which include the following: Evolving Geopolitical Environment- Supply chain threats due to the Russian Ukraine war.

=> ↺ Organizations Notified of Remotely Exploitable Vulnerabilities in Aveva HMI, SCADA Products

• Industrial organizations using HMI and SCADA products from Aveva have been informed about potentially serious vulnerabilities.

=> ↺ Ferrari Says Ransomware Attack Exposed Customer Data

• Ferrari said that a ransomware attack was responsible for a data breach that exposed customer details, but did not impact company operations.

=> ↺ Hacker tied to D.C. Health Link breach says attack ‘born out of Russian patriotism’

• The hacker who took responsibility for the D.C. Health Link breach claims to have targeted U.S. politicians out of allegiance for Russia.

Privacy/Surveillance

=> ↺ Political microtargeting on Facebook: an election promise just for you!

• Political microtargeting on Facebook: an election promise just for you!

• noyb filed a series of complaints against several German political parties. The parties had used microtargeting on Facebook during the 2021 federal election and targeted potential voters.

=> ↺ Snapshot: Which countries have made the most progress on CBDCs so far in 2023

• Despite only being three months into 2023, these 18 countries have made significant progress on central bank digital currencies.

Defence/Aggression

=> ↺ One Year On, Russia’s War on Ukraine Still Causing Pain in Africa

• ADF STAFF Hardly a meal goes by that people don’t feel the effects of Russia’s war on Ukraine. One year after Russia’s invasion, food prices remain elevated and inflation is devouring the budgets of consumers, governments and relief agencies.

=> ↺ Calls Grow to Dismantle Terrorists’ Financial Networks

• ADF STAFF Terrorist organizations need a constant stream of money to function, and a growing body of evidence suggests they get this funding by trafficking natural resources. Oil, gas, wildlife, timber, and minerals such as gold, diamonds and coltan are all items that terrorist groups exploit to finance their operations.

=> ↺ Report: Russia’s Ukraine Invasion Aids Terrorist Recruitment

• ADF STAFF Besides clogging supply chains and sending prices for food and other goods skyrocketing, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may also be a boon for terrorists in some parts of Africa.

=> ↺ US to send Patriot missile systems to Ukraine faster than originally planned

• Patriot missile defense systems are set to be deployed to Ukraine faster than originally planned and a group of 65 Ukrainian soldiers will complete their training on the systems at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in the coming days, US defense officials said on Tuesday.

=> ↺ House GOP uses its new power in extraordinary effort to shield Trump from indictment

• CNN — Donald Trump’s Republican allies in the House are doing what the former president taught them to do – use government power to try to keep his legal threats at bay.

=> ↺ Untouchable U.S. troops in Lithuania

• This month the Pentagon has been accused of blocking the sharing of U.S. intelligence with the international criminal court (ICC). Located in The Hague, Netherlands, and created by a treaty called the Rome Statute first brought before the United Nations, the International Criminal Court operates independently.

=> ↺ The Ukraine War and Great Power Competition

• The term Great Power competition (GPC) can be used as a framework to analyze interstate relations, such as those between the United States and the Russian Federation.

=> ↺ U.S. Plans to Send Abrams Tanks to Ukraine Far Sooner Than Expected

• Excess M1A1 tank “hulls” are to be refitted and refurbished to make them ready on a quicker timeline for Ukraine than new tanks could be delivered.

=> ↺ Prospects for Israeli–Palestinian peace more remote than ever

• A massive double crisis is emerging between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean.

=> ↺ How will Australia pay for the AUKUS submarines?

• Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine fleet is going to be expensive.

=> ↺ Ukraine Says Explosion in Crimea Destroyed Russian Cruise Missiles

• Kremlin-appointed authorities in Crimea denied the claim saying that all the drones had been “aimed at civilian objects.”

=> ↺ Idaho legislature passes bill to use firing squads as a method of execution

• The Idaho legislature Monday passed House Bill 186 which will allow firing squads as a method of execution, making death by firing squad the standard execution procedure if lethal injections are found to be unconstitutional. The bill also gives the state’s Department of Corrections (DOC) the authority to set the procedures for firing squad executions.

=> ↺ Australia soldier charged with war crimes in Afghanistan

• The Australian Federal Police and the Office of the Special Investigator (OSI) Monday stated that a member of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) had been arrested and charged for war crimes committed in Afghanistan.

=> ↺ US Department of State finds all parties in Ethiopia-Tigray conflict committed war crimes

• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Monday stated that all parties involved in the conflict in Ethiopia committed war crimes.

=> ↺ Lithuanian parliament calls for international recognition of Russia as terrorist state

• The Lithuanian parliament, Seimas, has passed a resolution, calling on other countries to designate Russia as a terrorist state.

=> ↺ ‘Balts will fight, but they are small.’ Zelensky on future if Ukraine falls

• In an interview with The Atlantic magazine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia would attack Moldova and the Baltic states if Ukraine fell.

=> ↺ Russians to be banned from buying property in Lithuania

• Lithuania is planning to ban Russian citizens from purchasing real estate in the country.

=> ↺ Lithuanians grow more enthusiastic about NATO – Eurobarometer

• Lithuanians’ trust in NATO and the European Union has increased over the past year, as has their support for the EU’s further enlargement, the latest Eurobarometer survey showed on Tuesday.

=> ↺ Ukraine Is Successfully Using a 140-Year-Old Machine Gun Against Russia

• The M1910 has been used in WW1, the Russian Civil War, and WWII. Now Ukraine is using it to defend Bakhmut.

=> ↺ US in Iraq: What remains 20 years after the invasion?

• The U.S. invaded Iraq 20 years ago this week and currently maintains a consistent presence of roughly 2,500 soldiers scattered throughout the country. These troops are deemed essential to demonstrate commitment to the region and as a safeguard against Iran.

Environment

=> ↺ A liveable future for all is possible, if we take urgent climate action

• A major UN “report of reports” from the authoritative Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), outlines the many options that can be taken now, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to human-caused climate change.

=> ↺ World’s Most Powerful Precious Metal Traders Upset to Learn They Bought Piles of Worthless Rocks

• Stores of nickel held in a Dutch warehouse keep turning out to be piles of stone.

=> ↺ A ‘Rocking Chair Rebellion’: Seniors Call On Banks to Dump Big Oil

• Older climate activists gathered in cities around the country for a day of action targeting banks that finance fossil fuel projects.

=> ↺ Court allows Greta Thunberg, activists to sue Sweden over climate

• Their youth-led Aurora group says “the Swedish state does not treat the climate crisis as a crisis”.

Energy/Transportation

=> ↺ Stanford cancels Tuesday’s final exams amid power outages

• Stanford canceled all remaining final exams on Tuesday due to ongoing weather-related power outages, which are affecting buildings across campus.

=> ↺ Hydrogen Utopia, Powerhouse Energy redraw Irish waste plastic-to-hydrogen plans

• Hydrogen Utopia International (HUI) and Powerhouse Energy Group (PHE) have relocated their planned Irish waste plastic-to-hydrogen project from Tippery to Longford.

=> ↺ Solar energy boom may face network bottleneck

• Finland’s solar energy generating capacity is moving into industrial scale production, spurring a need to upgrade parts of the power distribution grid.

=> ↺ 5 mega solar projects starting construction in 2023

• According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the United States solar industry continues to set records. SEIA predicted that the country’s total installed solar capacity would more than quadruple by 2030, with annual installations reaching 45 GW. This growth has been driven by declining costs of solar technology, favorable government policies, and increasing demand for renewable energy sources.

Wildlife/Nature

=> ↺ ‘Horrifying’ Plastic Rocks Emerge in Remote Island Paradise

• A disturbing new geological hybrid.

=> ↺ Cuban ship loaded with Maya Train ballast damages reef

• The cargo vessel “Melody” anchored near Puerto Morelos in a protected coral reef in the Caribbean, according to area divers.

=> ↺ French court orders fishing ban after hundreds of dolphins wash up on coast

• France’s top administrative court on Monday ordered the government to ban fishing in parts of the Atlantic to protect dolphins which have washed up dead in their hundreds.

=> ↺ New US national monuments to protect both the sacred and scientific

• President Joe Biden is establishing national monuments. In Nevada, a desert mountain sacred to Native Americans will be protected in addition to the U.S. Army Castner Range in El Paso, Texas, and a marine sanctuary in remote waters near Hawaii.

Overpopulation

=> ↺ EU joins efforts to address the global water crisis and ensure water security for all by 2050

• From tomorrow, at the United Nations Water Conference in New York from 22 to 24 March, the EU will be confirming its strong engagement for global water security by announcing 33 commitments for action starting now.

=> ↺ Dangerous distraction or elephant in the room? The role of population growth during three decades of increasing carbon emissions

• How often have you heard some version of this claim: “population growth is not a problem for climate change, because populations are growing in poor countries whose contributions to global emissions are negligible”? It gets repeated like a mantra, soothing words that banish thought.

Finance

=> ↺ Crypto & the SVB Banking Crisis with Marty Bent & Michael Krieger

=> ↺ Protests, appeals, referendum: What’s next for France’s pension reform?

• After the French government this week survived two no-confidence votes sparked by the use of special executive power to push pension reforms through parliament, President Emmanuel Macron faces public outrage and constitutional appeals amid swirling rumours of a dissolution of parliament, a change of government and even a referendum on the new retirement measures.

=> ↺ Macron defiant as anger simmers over French pension reform

• French President Emmanuel Macron appeared defiant on Tuesday after his government narrowly survived no-confidence votes, telling allies he would stand by his beleaguered prime minister.

=> ↺ Macron Plots Next Move in French Pensions Dispute

• The future of President Emmanuel Macron’s second term was unclear after a no-confidence vote triggered by his effort to raise France’s retirement age fell short by only nine votes.

=> ↺ Regional Banks and Regulators Try to Soothe Depositors’ Fears

• While some executives said money wasn’t being pulled from their small and midsize banks, the “too big to fail” giants attracted business customers.

=> ↺ A Big Question for the Fed: What Went Wrong With Bank Oversight?

• As the Federal Reserve reviews the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, and Congress prepares for hearings, bank oversight is getting a closer look.

=> ↺ France President Macron survives no confidence vote amid mass protests against pension bill

• French President Emmanuel Macron Monday survived a vote of no confidence by a slim margin of nine votes.

=> ↺ Hundreds arrested as French protests continue after government survives no-confidence vote

• Hundreds of people were arrested across France after sporadic protests broke out hours after President Emmanuel Macron’s government narrowly survived a no-confidence motion in parliament on Monday over a deeply unpopular pension reform.

=> ↺ Biden issues first veto, allowing retirement funds to continue climate change considerations

• US President Joe Biden Monday issued the first veto of his presidency, rejecting legislation seeking to overturn a Department of Labor (DOL) rule which allows retirement fund managers to consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors when selecting investments.

=> ↺ Perth Mint ‘co-operating’ with financial crime auditors

• Perth Mint is learning from “past mistakes” and co-operating fully with an investigation by the financial crime regulator, its chair says. The WA government-owned corporation is being audited by AUSTRAC, having acknowledged instances of historical non-compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing obligations.

=> ↺ Lithuanians more concerned about inflation than most Europeans – survey

• Sixty-four percent of Lithuanians consider inflation to be one of the two most important issues facing their country at the moment, compared to the EU average of 53 percent, the latest Eurobarometer survey has found.

=> ↺ Sex Worker-Led Payment Platform Shuts Down After Being Cut Off by Processor

• Crypto payment processor SpankPay announced on Monday that it would shut down because of financial discrimination.

=> ↺ Company Loyalty Leads to Exploitation and Unpaid Work: Study

• The rules of the economy aren’t what they once were. Loyalty these days is preyed upon, sniffed out by managers who need to find someone to put in extra hours or otherwise take advantage of.

=> ↺ Finnish households’ savings rate hits new low since 2006

• THE SAVINGS of Finnish households have dwindled since the scrapping of last coronavirus restrictions, reports Helsingin Sanomat.

=> ↺ Nearly a thousand jobs to go at Valmet Automotive

• Valmet Automotive is cutting the workforce at its Uusikaupunki car factory by nearly 1000, through redundancies and furloughs.

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

=> ↺ US company denounces ‘illegal’ takeover of facility in Quintana Roo

• Vulcan Materials has called Mexico to task after soldiers occupied its marine terminal near Playa del Carmen in the middle of the night.

=> ↺ A common vision for China with the Egyptian General Intelligence Service

• China relies a lot on the Egyptian role and the role of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service as an active and original party in resolving the problem of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and China is following very carefully the meetings that took place in the Palestinian Gaza Strip between Major General Abbas Kamel…

=> ↺ AUDIO: Catte Black on Perspective with Jesse Zurawell

• OffG’s founding editor Catte Black appears on Perspective with Jesse Zurawell to talk, covid, Ukraine and evolving nature of the grand narrative. TNT Radio is a 24/7 internet radio station, available here. You can also listen to back-episodes of Perspective here and follow host Jesse Zurawell on Telegram here.

=> ↺ Rand Paul calls for DA Alvin Bragg to be jailed for ‘disgusting abuse of power’ in Trump probe

• “A Trump indictment would be a disgusting abuse of power. The DA should be put in jail,” Paul (R-Ky.) wrote in a scathing tweet on Tuesday.

=> ↺ A Muscular U.S. Foreign Policy and Changing Alliances

• Imagine a country rich in fossil fuels and another nearby that is Europe’s premier industrial power in dire need of those resources — is that a match made in heaven? Not according to Joe Biden who quashed it as if it was a match made in hell.

=> ↺ Shirish Agarwal: Anti-national says the Indian Law Minister.

• Anti-national and Anti-India judges – Kiren Rijiju, Law Minister.

• For those who can’t see the above poster says the following – ‘A handful of retired Supreme Court judges who are part of ‘Anti-India’ and are trying to make Indian judiciary play role of the Opposition party. – Law Minister Kiren Rijiju.

=> ↺ TikTok CEO addresses American users in video as pressure mounts on the company

=> ↺ Pulling the Plug on TikTok Will Be Harder Than It Looks

• The tensions over the Chinese-owned social media app will come to a head on Thursday, when the company’s chief executive testifies on Capitol Hill.

=> ↺ Fired by NBC, hired by Piers Morgan: Peter Arnett on covering fall of Baghdad 20 years on

• Pulitizer Prize-winning Peter Arnett recalls the US military blunders that saw three journalists killed.

=> ↺ Eight in ten Lithuanians pessimistic about situation in country – poll

• Eight out of ten Lithuanians think that the situation in the country is getting worse, a poll conducted by Baltijos Tyrimai for LRT has found.

=> ↺ These are the countries where TikTok is banned

• More than a dozen countries around the world have introduced full, partial or public sector bans on TikTok amid heightened national security concerns.

• Why it matters: Most of the bans that have been introduced are limited to public sector or government devices. But a growing number of private companies are unilaterally blocking the app as the U.S. government considers an outright ban if TikTok’s Chinese owners don’t sell the U.S. version of the app.

=> ↺ With Friends Like These: A rough start to testimony from defense witnesses at Proud Boys sedition trial

• A new phase of the Proud Boys seditious conspiracy trial has started out rough with defense witnesses fumbling through testimony

=> ↺ Lordy, There Are [Transcribed] Tapes

• Among the things that then-Chief Judge Beryl Howell ordered Evan Corcoran to turn over on Friday were “transcriptions of personal audio recordings” involving his representation of Donald Trump.

=> ↺ Barbara Jones Rules Project Veritas Was Not Engaged in Journalism When Brokering Ashley Biden’s Stolen Diary

• In the investigation of the Ashley Biden diary theft, Barbara Jones has ruled against Project Veritas on most issues.

Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

=> ↺ New Report Examines Russian Wagner Group’s Expansion Across Africa

• “The Grey Zone” is the name of the Telegram channel affiliated with Russia’s Wager Group mercenaries — a name that also reflects the lawless space in which Wagner works. “The Grey Zone” is also the title of a new analysis of Wagner’s activities by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime.

=> ↺ Distinguishing between soft power and propaganda in South Korean foreign policy

• As a middle power, South Korea has gone above and beyond when it comes to projecting its soft power on a global level.

=> ↺ Sunday Times editor Ben Taylor given ‘crystal clear’ assurance no Times merger coming

• The Scottish editions of the Times titles were merged into a seven-day operation last month.

=> ↺ Fox News seeks restraining order against its producer who testified in Dominion lawsuit

• Fox News is seeking a temporary restraining order against a senior producer named in Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit against the network.

Censorship/Free Speech

=> ↺ Turkey blocks access to platform monitoring web censorship

• The EngelliWeb platform has been keeping a tally of the number of banned web addresses, including news articles.

=> ↺ Hong Kong student fined HK$8,000 for putting stickers on lampposts on Tiananmen crackdown anniversary

• A student from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has been fined HK$8,000 for putting stickers on lampposts and road signs on the anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown last year. Miles Kwan appeared in front of magistrate Tsang Hing-tung at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday.

=> ↺ Hong Kong ex-lawmaker Albert Ho arrested by national security police while on bail

• Hong Kong pro-democracy former lawmaker Albert Ho has been arrested by national security police while on bail. Ming Pao, HK01, and Sing Tao cited sources saying hat Ho’s arrest on Tuesday morning was over allegedly interfering with witnesses. The 71-year-old, who has been charged under the Beijing-imposed national security law for allegedly inciting subversion…

=> ↺ Winnie the Pooh horror film pulled in Hong Kong, but gov’t says it’s approved for screenings

• Screenings of British horror flick Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey have been inexplicably axed in Hong Kong and Macau after the distributor cancelled its release. The local film censorship board told HKFP, however, that the film still has approval for release.

Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

=> ↺ ‘The nightmare is over’: Journalist Olivier Dubois held hostage in Sahel returns to France

• French journalist Olivier Dubois, 48, made an emotional return home on Tuesday following nearly two years in captivity in the Sahel, greeted by his family and President Emmanuel Macron at an airport near Paris.

Civil Rights/Policing

=> ↺ My Conviction Meant 40 Years Without A Vote. Not Anymore.

• When I was convicted of a felony, I knew I wouldn’t be able to vote, but it didn’t sink in until I got my sentence: 40 years of probation. That meant 40 years without a vote. I wouldn’t get to the ballot box again until I was 71 years old.

• The moment it hit me, I felt separated from the world, from my own country. Just cut out of society completely. I didn’t even know it was possible to fight back until I became the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the law, brought by the ACLU and the ACLU of Minnesota.

=> ↺ An Idaho College Censored Their Reproductive Health Care Art, But These Artists Won’t be Silenced

• After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June, anti-abortion politicians didn’t just leap at the opportunity to ban abortion — they also threatened our ability to freely share information about abortion and reproductive health care, including in artwork and other forms of creative expression.

=> ↺ An imperative for women’s political leadership: Lessons from Brazil

• Women are essential to democracy, yet face systematic barriers to political entry and impact. Using the case of Brazil, we analyze the state of women’s political participation and of political violence against women. We propose timely, actionable approaches to reduce women’s unique political challenges and to further strengthen democratic health.

=> ↺ Report Finds London Police Force Is Sexist and Racist

• The report, ordered up after the murder of Sarah Everard by a London police officer in 2021, denounced the culture within Britain’s largest police force and called for change.

=> ↺ Strains Emerge Inside the Union That Beat Amazon

• Nearly a year after its victory on Staten Island, the Amazon Labor Union is grappling with election losses and internal conflict.

=> ↺ New laws triggering the referendum on an Indigenous Voice on the brink of passing Senate

• New laws triggering the referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament are on the brink of passing the Senate.

=> ↺ Report finds London police racist, misogynist and homophobic, recommends ‘complete overhaul’

• The London police forces, Britain’s largest, is institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic and could still be employing rapists and murderers, a scathing independent review said Tuesday.

=> ↺ UK Metropolitan Police is institutionally racist, sexist and homophobic, new report finds

• A review into the London Metropolitan Police Service (Met) Tuesday found the Met to be institutionally racist, sexist and homophobic. Sparked by the murder of Sarah Everard by a Met police officer in 2021, the review made multiple recommendations to help tackle issues within the police force.

=> ↺ US Department of State addresses ‘significant human rights issues’ in India in new report

• The US Department of State Monday released its annual report on human rights, addressing what it considers significant issues with and abuses of human rights in India.

=> ↺ Police could keep names secret after charge under new draft guidelines

• The proposed guidance states that forces “can” name charged suspects. The current advice is they “should”.

=> ↺ Garbage men go on strike in Copenhagen

• Strife relating to working conditions could affect rubbish collection across all districts in the city

Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

=> ↺ Millions of low-income broadband customers facing steep price rises

• We’re calling on telecoms companies to cancel 2023 mid-contract price hikes for financially vulnerable customers

=> ↺ ZDNS: A fast DNS toolkit for Internet measurement

• ZDNS is a modular and open source active DNS measurement framework optimized for large-scale research studies of DNS on the public Internet.

Digital Restrictions (DRM)

=> ↺ New York State Proposes 8% Sales Tax on Spotify, Netflix, Other Streaming Services

• New York State proposes an 8% sales tax on Spotify, Netflix, and other streaming services to increase funding for public transit. New York state residents may soon be required to pay more for streaming services, according to a report from WGRZ.

Monopolies

Patents

=> ↺ Insulet and Peterreins Schley win PI over insulin pumps at Düsseldorf Regional Court

• Insulet has recently obtained a preliminary injunction against Berlin Chemie in the first-instance Düsseldorf court (case ID: 4c O10/23). Berlin Chemie is a subsidiary of the Italian medical devices manufacturer Menarini Diagnostics, which markets various modern applications for people with diabetes under the GlucoMen brand.

=> ↺ Drug shortages upend hospitals care, cancer treatments

• Supplies of some essential drugs used in hospitals are hitting 10-year lows, forcing rationing and pharmacy workarounds.

=> ↺ Wi-Fi 6 improvements resulting in more litigation

• In the first article of a two-part series posted on IPWatchdog, Samuel Baird, Director of Analytics at Unified Patents, and Craig Thompson, GM/COO for Unified Consulting, recently used OPEN’s IEEE and OPAL’s Wi-Fi 6 landscape to understand how 3GPP technologies have migrated in Wi-Fi 6.

=> ↺ New edition of Visser’s Annotated EPC – the highlights

• This year’s release of Visser’s Annotated European Patent Convention, or as it is commonly known, simply “Visser” is just around the corner. Since the previous edition, updated until March 2022, there have been several law changes, as well as new case law and updates in the Guidelines.

=> ↺ All Inventors are Human; All Humans are Inventors

• Petitioners in Thaler v. Vidal ask the Supreme Court one simple question:

• Does the Patent Act categorically restrict the statutory term ‘inventor’ to human beings alone?

• Thaler Petition for Writ of Certiorari.  Only a court with substantial hubris would be willing to take-on this case, but I’m confident that the Supreme Court is up for the task.

Trademarks

=> ↺ TTABlog Test: How Did These Three Recent Section 2(d) Appeals Turn Out?

• Here are three recent appeals from Section 2(d) refusals. As previously mentioned, a former TTAB judge once told me that one can predict the outcome of a Section 2(d) case 95% of the time just by looking at the marks and the involved goods and services. How do you think theses three cases came out? [Results in first comment].

Copyrights

=> ↺ Chaos Bewitched: Moby-Dick and AI

• Do androids dream of electric whales?

=> ↺ Bad Bunny’s Ex-Girlfriend Files $40 Million Lawsuit for Unlicensed Use of Her ‘Bad Bunny, Baby’ Recording

• Bad Bunny’s ex-girlfriend files a $40 million lawsuit for the unlicensed use of her ‘Bad Bunny, Baby’ recording. Bad Bunny’s ex-girlfriend is suing the singer for at least $40 million for the well-known voice recording she provided that he has used in two of his songs.

=> ↺ Music Licensing Talks with Twitter Stall Under Elon Musk Leadership, Says Report

• A new report suggests Elon Musk’s cost-cutting measures at Twitter have impacted music licensing talks. Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter in October 2022 has caused chaos for employees and business partners.

=> ↺ The Cure Tried to Stop Scalpers. Brokers Are Selling Entire Ticketmaster Accounts Instead

• Inside the secretive markets scalpers use to buy and sell entire Ticketmaster accounts to sidestep restrictions.

Gemini* and Gopher

Personal

=> ↺ More Twlight 2023-03-21 (Fairbanks, AK, USA)

• I found a nearby spot with a better view to the west, at the southern end of Peger road. I was not able to get out early enough tonight to see the sun setting behind the hills, but I got a few good photos of twilight scenery.

=> ↺ Rural hospital

• Evy started a new job at the rural hospital in our town. I’ve been in there before, in the emergency department once or twice, and in the FQHC clinic on the 3rd floor more often. She came from a big academic medical center with hundreds of beds. The hospital where she works now has 5 floors and many wings, but only 25 beds: 18 on her unit, 5 intens- ive care, and I guess the rest in emergency.

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