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● 03.28.23

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● Links 28/03/2023: Pitivi 2023.03 is Out, Yet More Microsoft Layoffs (Now in Israel)

Posted in News Roundup at 6:31 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNU/Linux

Server

=> ↺ 12 Best Linux Server Distributions of 2023

• Linux is free and open-source, this has emanated from the low total cost of ownership of a Linux system, compared to other operating systems.

• Although Linux operating systems (distributions) are not entirely doing well on desktop computers, they are commanding the stats when it comes to powering servers, mainframe computers as well as supercomputers in data centers around the world.

=> ↺ Torc Acquires Codealike for Cloud-Native Developer Network

• Torc has acquired Codealike to provide cloud-native application developers in its network with data that improves their skillsets. Torc CEO Mike Morris says Codealike complements other tools that Torc provides, including access to a community of more than 10,000 cloud-native application developers that take on assignments listed…

Audiocasts/Shows

=> ↺ Why BSD Documentation Is Just Better Than Linux

• Linux is great and it’s great that we have all the documentation we have however there’s a trend over on the BSD side which I really wish caught on more on Linux

=> ↺ 317: Home Automation with Home Assistant Plus New Alternative to ChatGPT

• This week’s episode of Destination Linux, we will be discussing building an automated home, the open source way. Then we discuss an alternative to ChatGPT that is currently in the works and it’s open source. Plus, we have our tips/tricks and software picks.

=> ↺ WP Briefing: Episode 52: Workflows and Phase Three Visioning with Special Guest Héctor Prieto

• On this week’s episode, special guest Héctor Prieto joins Josepha in a discussion about phase three and why it’s more than collaborative editing.

=> ↺ The Lunduke Big Tech Show – Mar 26, 2023

• Listen now (66 min) | Tech News, Listener Questions, & Other Nerdy Stuff.

Applications

=> ↺ Converseen Flatpak now with Heif/Heic, PDF, LibRAW Support

• Although Converseen has been available as a Flatpak package for a few months now, it finally now has a series of updates that bring it up to par with the corresponding AppImage and Snap packages in terms of features.

=> ↺ Pitivi 2023.03 Video Editor Brings Back Autoaligner, Adds More Precise Audio Waveforms

• Pitivi 2023.03 has been in development for the past nine months, superseding the Pitivi 2022.06 release, but it doesn’t look like it’s a big update as it only adds a couple of new features and smaller improvements.

• For example, Pitivi 2023.03 makes audio waveforms more precise when you look at them and implements automatic seeking to the start of the timeline when starting playback while the playhead is at the end to save you a click.

Instructionals/Technical

=> ↺ How to get the latest stable version of GNOME Web on Linux

• Hello, friends. In this post, you will learn how to get the latest stable version of GNOME Web on Linux. What is GNOME Web? According to the project’s website, Web is the web browser for the GNOME desktop and for elementary OS, based on the popular WebKit engine.

=> ↺ Migrating from WordPress to Hugo

• There were many reasons I decided to leave WordPress.

=> ↺ Moving from ‘master’ to ‘main’ in Git with local changes

• One of the things that various open source Git repositories are doing is changing their main branch from being called ‘master’ to being called ‘main’. As a consumer of their repository, this is generally an easy switch for me to deal with; some day, I will do a ‘git pull’, get a report that there’s a new ‘main’ branch but there’s no upstream ‘master’, and then I’ll do ‘git checkout main’ and I’m all good. However, with some repositories I have my own local changes, which I handle through Git rebasing. Recently I had to go through a ‘master’ to ‘main’ switch on such a repository, so I’m writing down what I did for later use.

=> ↺ Securing MySQL Database with Limited User Permissions

• MySQL is one of the most popular open-source relational database management systems used by developers worldwide. However, with its popularity comes a significant risk of security threats such as SQL injection attacks.

=> ↺ How to Install an Older Version of a Package in Ubuntu/Debian

• It’s not advisable to install an older version of a package on your computer, but what can we do when the latest build removes the feature that we want?

=> ↺ Securing MySQL database with Stored Procedures

• Securing your MySQL database is crucial for protecting sensitive data and preventing unauthorized access.

=> ↺ How to Install TensorFlow on Ubuntu 22.04

• TensorFlow is an excellent tool for developers looking to create and train advanced models in the field of machine learning.

=> ↺ How To Restore a Particular Schema from a PostgreSQL Database Backup

• If you intend to restore only one or a few schemas from a PostgreSQL backup file, you can use the pg_restore command, which is used for restoring a particular PostgreSQL database from an archive created by pg_dump in non-plain-text formats.

• In this guide, we will show how to restore a particular schema from a PostgreSQL database backup file using the pg_restore command-line tool.

=> ↺ How To Install and Use Android Debug Bridge (adb) in Linux

• Android Debug Bridge (adb) is the most used command-line tool that enables communication between a personal computer and a connected Android-powered device or emulator instance over a USB cable or TCP/IP (wirelessly).

• It supports various device actions such as networking, scripting, installing and debugging apps, and file transfer. It also provides access to a Unix shell that can be used to run a variety of Linux commands on a device.

=> ↺ Getting Started With XCP-ng Management Console

• In our previous tutorial, we discussed how to install XCP-ng server. Before deploying our first VM, let us get familiar with XCP-ng configuration menu. Allow me to give you a screenshot tour to get started with XCP-ng Management Console.

=> ↺ How to Choose a Free VPN for Linux?

• Privacy…we all crave it, right? Whether it’s personal space from loved ones or a colleague’s prying eyes, we all value it. 

• But when it comes to the internet, you can never be careful. Who knows how many eyes are feasting on your search history or previous video watches? 

=> ↺ How to Fix an Error Unable to Correct Problems You Have Held Broken Packages

• One of the quite common errors while installing packages on Ubuntu is the “Held broken packages” error, which can be solved very easily with this guide..

Games

=> ↺ 75% of the Top 100 Most Played Games on Steam Are Playable/Verified on the Steam Deck

• Ever wondered how far we have come in terms of Steam Deck support for the Top 100 Most played games on Steam? Well, look no further, we have the answer. It’s going to be split in two parts.

=> ↺ Halls of Torment is classic Diablo meets Vampire Survivors

• Ah hell, going to say goodbye to any free time I had for the next month. Halls of Torment has sucked me right in being a blend of retro Diablo and Vampire Survivors.

=> ↺ Left 4 Dead 3 appears in Counter-Strike 2 files

• The internet is currently buzzing about mentions of Left 4 Dead 3 appearing in files for the upcoming Counter-Strike 2. So apparently Valve can count to 3 — not the 3 the majority of their fans will want I imagine but still, why is it there at all in a huge upgrade for CS:GO?

=> ↺ Build bridges over hot lava in Hellgineers

• Hellgineers takes the idea of Bridge Constructor and gives it a devilish spin, available now with Native Linux support. The interesting bit about this one is that it was made with the versatile PICO-8 fantasy console.

=> ↺ Roguelite dungeon crawler Netherguild arrives on Steam

• Now available in Early Access, if you’re looking for a roguelite dungeon crawler take a look at Netherguild.

Desktop Environments/WMs

K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt

=> ↺ Plasma, Dolphin, Downloads folder, grouping by date

• There we go, we fixed the little annoyance. I really don’t understand why the good ole menu is such a nuisance on the classic, conventional desktop. Now, we also need to remember that the Plasma desktop is highly consistent and extremely customizable. So you can easily change anything you like. But the defaults should be more desktopy, even if they are somewhat less visually pleasing so to speak. Minimalism only works for glass displays and people without a real task at hand.

Distributions and Operating Systems

=> ↺ CarbonOS: A New Linux Distro with a Focus on User Experience

• Have you ever run a Windows update, only to have it fail and render your desktop unusable? Many have, which is one of the reasons why some Linux distributions take great pains to ensure it never occurs on the open source operating system.

• Some developers take this to the next level by using atomic updates, which means every time you go to update the operating system, it is guaranteed to succeed. Should an update fail, the system will automatically roll back the upgrade so everything continues working.

Fedora Family / IBM

=> ↺ How JBoss EAP 8 Beta simplifies external database config

• In this article, we will demonstrate how to deploy a complex Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform application using the datasources feature pack to deploy the required drivers and configuration to connect to a PostgreSQL database. The datasources feature pack for JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) and JBoss EAP XP makes it easy to configure JBoss EAP with JDBC drivers and data sources for various databases such as Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and PostgreSQL.

=> ↺ The NeuroFedora Blog: Next Open NeuroFedora meeting: 27 March 1300 UTC

• Please join us at the next regular Open NeuroFedora team meeting on Monday 27 March at 1300 UTC. The meeting is a public meeting, and open for everyone to attend. You can join us over: [...]

Debian Family

=> ↺ Vanilla OS Ditches Ubuntu in Favor of Debian Sid

• Vanilla OS is a new Linux distribution with a single version behind it, released late last year. However, the non-traditional approach in its development has drawn much attention from the Linux community. So here’s a quick rundown of what it is all about.

• The distro is an immutable operating system, which means that core parts of the system are locked down to prevent unwanted changes and corruption from third-party applications or faulty updates. Strongly oriented towards the GNOME desktop environment, as you can already guess from its name, Vanilla OS aims to offer the best vanilla GNOME experience.

Canonical/Ubuntu Family

=> ↺ Ubuntu Blog: What is System Hardening? Definition and Best practices

• System hardening means locking down a system and reducing its attack surface: removing unnecessary software packages, securing default values to the tightest possible settings and configuring the system to only run what you explicitly require.

• Let’s take an example from daily life. A jewellery store and a grocery shop are located next to each other, but of course, you would expect that the jewellery store has much beefier bars and stronger locks that are shut when the shop is closed for the night as the contents are more valuable. In this case, the jewellery shop building has been hardened to protect precious products and deter thieves.

• We can take a very similar approach to computer systems too. When software such as an operating system is published, anyone can download it and use it for playing games, running an online bank, and everything in between. But for running the bank, we need to take some additional precautions to harden the system above and beyond the default configuration.

• Hardening a system aims to decrease its exposure in order to make it more difficult to hack, and to lessen the potential collateral damage in the event of a compromise.

Devices/Embedded

=> ↺ Pondering some fundamentals

• Firstly, about USB “gen1″ and “gen2″…

• I posted about buying a 4TB SSD and putting it into a USB gen1 caddy, then doing a complete OpenEmbedded compile:

• https://bkhome.org/news/202303/oe-compile-1662-packages-in-1-day-16-hours-and-15-minutes.html

• …very surprised with how fast it was, but noted that a gen2 caddy will probably be even faster.

• The terms “usb3.0″, “usb3.1″ and “usb3.2″ just muddy the waters. All that we need to know, is the USB interface “gen1″, “gen2″ or “gen2x2″, as these latter specify the speed; 500MB/sec, 1,000MB/sec or 2,000MB/sec.

• Although gen1 seems an ok match for the SATA SSD, I thought that throughput might be improved with a gen2 caddy, so bought one of these, Simplecom SE229: [...]

=> ↺ conga-STDA4 SMARC 2.1 module features TI TDA4VM/DRA829J Jacinto 7 processor

• congatec will provide a Linux BSP for the Arm Cortex-A72 cores, as well as support for Wind River VxWorks, RTOS, and QNX for the Cortex-R5 real-time cores. The TDA4VM processor also happens to be found in the Beaglebone AI-64 SBC so besides support from congatec directly, there should be public resources to help with development too. Congatec also offers two SMARC carrier boards for evaluation and early-stage software development: conga-SMC1/SMARC-ARM and conga-SEVAL.

• It’s pretty hard to find differences between TDA4VM and DRA829J since the processors are virtually identical except for a few small differences as noted on TI forums…

Open Hardware/Modding

=> ↺ Automated winding machine features a self-reversing screw

• The world of mechanical engineering is full of interesting and ingenious mechanisms. The Geneva drive, for example, translates rotary motion into intermittent ticking — perfect for a wristwatch or clock. With a clever mechanism, one can reduce the need for complicated control electronics.

Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

=> ↺ The 5 Best Android Apps For Note-Taking In 2023

=> ↺ Android Auto Not Working? Here Are 11 Tips to Fix It – Make Tech Easier

=> ↺ Google Leaks Amazing Technology In Google Photos Android App – Gizchina.com

=> ↺ Google’s search bar is reaching Big Chungus size on Android

=> ↺ Google app getting comically large Search bar�on Android

=> ↺ Samsung Galaxy A03 Core finally getting Major OS update with Android 12

=> ↺ LG’s got one last hurrah for the V60 with an Android 13 update

=> ↺ Nokia X20 5G – Nokia X10 5G get new Android 13 builds with February Security update – Nokiapoweruser

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

=> ↺ Open-Source Model ‘Dolly’ Claims to be a Cheaper Alternative to ChatGPT

• An affordable alternative to ChatGPT? And, open-source? Looks like we’re joining the open-source race against ChatGPT.

Education

=> ↺ HackerBox leverages dual ESP32 dev boards

• HackerBox is a monthly subscription that combines and delivers various dev kits aimed at hobbyists and students. This month’s HackerBox is based on the wardriver.uk platform and it features two ESP32-WROOM-32U modules, one GSM modem, a MicroSD card, an OLED display and many other components.

=> ↺ Meet Allie Katz: 3D printing expert

• A: Start small and work your way up to bigger and more complex things. Test and calibration prints are a great way to get to know your printer’s capabilities and limitations, but if you find that uninteresting and want to be designing and printing your own things, then try tackling one difficult thing at a time, instead of trying to throw it into a single design. I also recommend reading up on the basics/theory of 3D printing before diving in too far, particularly since there are some amazing, very easy-to-digest primers out there. I highly recommend Billie Ruben’s guides.

FSFE

=> ↺ Simon Josefsson: OpenPGP master key on Nitrokey Start

• I’ve used hardware-backed OpenPGP keys since 2006 when I imported newly generated rsa1024 subkeys to a FSFE Fellowship card. This worked well for several years, and I recall buying more ZeitControl cards for multi-machine usage and backup purposes. As a side note, I recall being unsatisfied with the weak 1024-bit RSA subkeys at the time – my primary key was a somewhat stronger 1280-bit RSA key created back in 2002 — but OpenPGP cards at the time didn’t support more than 1024 bit RSA, and were (and still often are) also limited to power-of-two RSA key sizes which I dislike.

• [...]

• In December 2022 I bought a new laptop and setup a FST-01SZ with my Ed25519 key, and while I have taken a vacation from Debian, I continue to extend the expiration period on the old RSA3744-key in case I will ever have to use it again, so the overall OpenPGP setup was still sub-optimal. Having two valid OpenPGP keys at the same time causes people to use both for email encryption (leading me to have to use both devices), and the WKD Key Discovery protocol doesn’t like two valid keys either. At FOSDEM’23 I ran into Andre Heinecke at GnuPG and I couldn’t help complain about how complex and unsatisfying all OpenPGP-related matters were, and he mildly ignored my rant and asked why I didn’t put the master key on another smartcard. The comment sunk in when I came home, and recently I connected all the dots and this post is a summary of what I did to move my offline OpenPGP master key to a Nitrokey Start.

GNU Projects

=> ↺ Use this open source accounting app to run your small business

• GnuCash is a powerful and flexible accounting tool that can be used for small business invoicing and accounting. It has a number of features that make it particularly well-suited for this purpose, including the ability to track expenses and income, generate reports, and manage invoices. Additionally, GnuCash is free and open source, which makes it accessible to small businesses with limited resources. In this article, I discuss the features of GnuCash that make it easy for you to get started using it in your own small business.

• I began using GnuCash a number of years ago for my personal finances but found it could also function as a useful tool for my small business too. I’d been using a proprietary solution for much of the life of my business. I grew tired of being forced to upgrade periodically to get access to my invoices and statements for my small business. Moving to GnuCash gave me the ability to integrate my small business accounting with my personal finances without sacrificing any features.

Licensing / Legal

=> ↺ Twitter hunts for suspected former employee who leaked source code on GitHub

=> ↺ Twitter wants to know who leaked parts of its code on GitHub

• Twitter is itching to find out who has leaked part of its code.

=> ↺ Twitter says in court filings that parts of source code used to run site were leaked

• Parts of a Twitter code used to run the social network were leaked online, the company said in a court filing first reported by the New York Times on Sunday.

• Driving the news: Twitter said in a Friday filing with the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California against GitHub, a Microsoft-owned software collaboration platform, that the leak included the “[p]roprietary source code for Twitter’s platform and internal tools.”

Programming/Development

=> ↺ R in Finance and Accounting Sector in Korea

=> ↺ There’s a black hole in the number line

=> ↺ Fighting inter-component HTML bloat

• Note: The examples in this post will be React-specific, but the core idea extends to most JS-based component libraries.

=> ↺ How fast does a compressed file in?

• Benchmarking is the process of measuring and comparing the performance of different programs, tools, or configurations in order to identify which one is the most efficient for a specific task. It is a critical step in software development that can help developers identify performance bottlenecks and improve the overall performance of their applications.

• In this post I create a square matrix and then convert it to a data.frame (2,000 rows by 2,000 columns) and then saved it as a gz compressed csv file. The benchmark compares different R packages and functions, including base R, data.table, vroom, and readr, and measures their relative speeds based on the time it takes to read in the .csv.gz file.

=> ↺ Bad nREPL: 10 Things You Hate About nREPL

• Well, nREPL was never meant to be a “real REPL”. It was meant to be a REPL server that makes it easy for people to build development tools (e.g. Clojure editor plugins) upon. And framing requests and responses makes a huge difference there. Sure, it might look appealing to be relying only on eval for everything, but you still need to be able to process whatever you got from eval. It’s also pretty handy to be able to match requests and responses that originated from them.

Python

=> ↺ 10 Python Examples That Will Make You a Better Programmer

• Python is a versatile and powerful programming language, known for its readability and ease of use. As a programmer, learning new coding techniques and best practices is essential for growth and skill development.

=> ↺ Create a ChatBot in Mattermost with Python

• ChatOps is a collaboration model that connects people, processes, tools, and automation into a transparent workflow. Mattermost is an open source, self-hosted messaging platform that enables organizations to communicate securely, effectively, and efficiently. It’s a great open source alternative to Slack, Discord, and other proprietary messaging platforms. This article outlines the steps to create a ChatOps bot on Mattermost, including the necessary code examples and explanations.

• Before starting, ensure that you have access to a Mattermost server, have Python installed, and have installed the Mattermost Python driver using pip.

Standards/Consortia

=> ↺ Lebanon’s plan to delay daylight saving time exposed the country’s leadership vacuum

• Keeping track of time proved to be a nearly impossible task for people in Lebanon over the weekend.

=> ↺ Lebanon Backtracks on Delaying Daylight Saving Time After Outrage

• Two government leaders delayed the time change so Muslims would not have to break their daytime fast an hour later during Ramadan. But after a firestorm ensued, they backtracked.

Leftovers

=> ↺ Man hit by train in Ogre, Latvia

• On Monday, March 27, in Ogre, a man has been run over by a train at the Jaunogre railway station, the State Police representative Līna Bagdone told Latvian Radio.

=> ↺ Restoring a Giant Plane: Ukrainian Resilience or Folly?

• Ukraine, with far more pressing needs, plans to rebuild the colossal Mriya cargo plane, a symbol of pride that was destroyed last year in a battle for its airfield.

=> ↺ Jumbled wreckage complicates chocolate factory blast probe

• Investigators looking for the cause of a deadly explosion that leveled part of a Pennsylvania chocolate factory are facing an even more difficult task as they comb through wreckage that was picked apart and moved around during the weekend search for victims and survivors. Seven people were killed and several others wounded in the powerful blast at the R.M Palmer Co. plant in West Reading (REHD’-ing). With the recovery effort now over, attention turned to identifying the cause. Authorities say that task is even more complicated because heavy equipment was used to pick apart the wreckage.

=> ↺ What Thoreau had to say about meaningless work

• With talk of quiet quitters and pressure on employers to create a space where we can bring our whole selves to work, work is still work. Some of it’s great. Much of it can feel meaningless.

=> ↺ ‘Sheltering problems, outbreak risk continue in earthquake zone’

• Failure to meet water and toilet needs and lack of disinfection amid insect density increase the risk of an outbreak in the region, according to the Turkish Medical Association.

=> ↺ Different topologies for an org chart, wrong answers only

• Traditionally, an org chart is represented as a tree. You start at the top with the root of the tree, probably the CEO. And then everything comes down from there hierarchically.

• It doesn’t have to be that way, though! We can imagine other topologies for companies which would work differently. Let’s challenge assumptions one by one and see where we end up.

Education

=> ↺ Food for thought: New Mexico OKs meals for all students

• Lines will be getting longer for free breakfast and lunch at New Mexico public schools. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Monday signed legislation to provide free school meals to all students regardless of family income. The bill cleared the Legislature during the recent 60-day session. New Mexico and several other states are looking to fill the gap as federal pandemic-era benefit programs lapse and as food prices strain family budgets. Lawmakers set aside more than $22 million in the state budget to help pay for the program. Some say more money will be needed to bankroll the effort over time.

=> ↺ A principal is fired, invited to Italy after students are shown Michelangelo’s ‘David’

• The squabble had been brewing for weeks in the K-12 charter school in Leon County, Fla., after students in a sixth-grade art history class were taught about the Renaissance. Alongside the Michelangelo sculpture, the lesson included images of the paintings “The Creation of Adam” and “Birth of Venus.”

=> ↺ Is the David statue porn? Come see yourself, Italian museum tells Florida school board

• In a tweet, Florence Mayor Dario Nardella said he would “personally invite” the American educator to the city, home of the statue, to “give her recognition on behalf of the city,” adding that “art is civilization and whoever teaches it deserves respect.” Confusing art with pornography is “ridiculous,” Nardella wrote.

=> ↺ Is the David porn? Come see, Italians tell Florida parents

• The board of the Tallahassee Classical School pressured Principal Hope Carrasquilla to resign last week after an image of the David was shown to a sixth-grade art class. The school has a policy requiring parents to be notified in advance about “controversial” topics being taught.

• The incredulous Italian response highlighted how the U.S. culture wars are often perceived in Europe, where despite a rise in right-wing sentiment and governance, the Renaissance and its masterpieces, even its naked ones, are generally free of controversy. Sunday’s front page of the Italian daily publication Corriere della Sera featured a cartoon by its leading satirist depicting David with his genitals covered by an image of Uncle Sam and the word “Shame.”

=> ↺ What Killed Penmanship?

• She was recently going through her stack of important reminders when she found a note she had written at least a year ago. Ms. Smith said she remembered thinking at the time that she should rewrite the note so it would be discernible but never got around to it.

• Struggling to decipher it, she posted a photo of the note in a Reddit community where thousands have sought help to decode messy handwriting.

=> ↺ Bill would encourage Michigan schools to teach cursive handwriting again

• “Teaching cursive in our schools not only has a historical significance but it also promotes discipline, and patience as students learn to form each individual letter and then connect them in words,” said Grand Rapids Catholic Schools Assistant Superintendent Sarah Grey, over email. “It forces students to slow down and be intentional about what they are writing, and encourages them to do it beautifully.”

• Cursive handwriting is a foundational skill for students, Grey added, and teaching it allows students to improve their reading and writing skills.

Hardware

=> ↺ Germany Wants More Chip Makers, but They Won’t Come Cheap

• The global competition to attract semiconductor companies is expected to cost Berlin billions. Some wonder if it’s a good use of money.

=> ↺ My 386SX’s working Acer MIO-400 IO card

• I ruffled through my legacy parts box, and found this amazing (and dusty!) ISA Acer MIO-400 KF Multi-IO card. Rather than needing separate cards for printer ports, serial, game ports, floppy drives, and IDE controllers, this integrated them all into one card, with jumpers on the board to tune their settings and enable/disable specific functions: [...]

Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

Axios ☛ Pushback grows over mental health impacts of social mediaSocial media companies are increasingly being blamed for historically high rates of depression, suicidality and other mental health issues in youths. And now, states and local governments are increasingly pursuing legislation and legal action.Driving the news: Utah just passed a law limiting social media for minors and school districts in Seattle and San Mateo County, California, are suing leading platforms, charging they’re delivering harmful content to kids. It comes just as Congress ratcheted up pressure for a ban on TikTok for, among other things, the harmful impact it’s had on kids. The Biden administration’s surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, weighed in last month, telling CNN that age 13 is “too early” for kids to join social media.“Multiple juries are in. They’re all reaching the same conclusion,” Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist at New York University Stern School of Business told the Financial Times. “When social media or high-speed internet came in, [studies] all find the same story which is mental health plummets, especially for girls.” Multiple studies — including some of the companies’ own internal research —have linked social media use with increased depression among teens.A December report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate which focused on TikTok found the platform began recommending eating disorder and self-harm content to new teen accounts within eight minutes of use.Research published by the American Psychological Association last month found teens and young adults who cut social media use by 50% for a few weeks saw significant improvement in how they felt about both their weight and their overall appearance compared with their peers.The big picture: There are nearly 150 product liability lawsuits filed in the U.S. against the social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube, per the Financial Times.

=> ↺ “Devotion and Corrosion” Kickstarter wrap-up

• Today, I shipped the physical rewards for the Devotion and Corrosion Kickstarter. These books arrived at my house a couple days after I opened sponsorships on the mail book. Unfortunately, in those intervening days I caught covid. (Zero stars, recommend catching distemper or cercospora leaf rot instead.)

=> ↺ Covid-19: Hong Kong’s epidemic has ended, gov’t advisor says

• Hong Kong’s Covid-19 epidemic has ended, a government advisor has said, adding that there was “no need to worry” even in the event of a rebound.

=> ↺ Emergency services raise alarm over rising number of drug overdoses

• The number of calls to drug-related emergencies has increased significantly in Latvia. New synthetic opioids, which are more dangerous to users, are rapidly spreading to the Latvian market, and overdose is often fatal, Latvian Radio reported March 27.

=> ↺ Air quality alert puts traffic restrictions into effect in CDMX

• The Environmental Commission of the Megalopolis restricted vehicle usage on Sunday due to high levels of ozone particles.

=> ↺ North Carolina Expands Medicaid After Republicans Abandon Their Opposition

• The state’s Democratic governor signed a bill expanding the health insurance program for low-income people days after the measure cleared the Republican-controlled legislature.

=> ↺ Train derails in rural North Dakota and spills chemicals

• A Canadian Pacific train derailed in rural North Dakota Sunday night and spilled hazardous materials. But local authorities and the railroad said there is no threat to public safety. There were no injuries or fire associated with the derailment, which occurred in a rural area outside Wyndmere. Several hundred people live in that town about 60 miles southwest of Fargo. Canadian Pacific spokesperson Andy Cummings said 31 of the 70 cars on the train left the tracks around 11:15 p.m. Sunday. Four cars carrying liquid asphalt and two filled with ethylene glycol spilled part of their loads. But there are no waterways near where the derailment happened and the chemicals were contained at the site. Cummings said the railroad believes a broken rail caused the derailment.

=> ↺ N. Carolina governor signs Medicaid expansion bill into law

• North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has signed a Medicaid expansion law that was a decade in the making. Cooper celebrated on Monday the passage of expansion legislation from the Republican-controlled General Assembly with the bill-signing ceremony at the Executive Mansion. Cooper has wanted expansion for years, but Republicans came around to the idea recently. North Carolina has been among 11 states who haven’t accepted expansion. Cooper isn’t thrilled with a provision in the bill that requiring the legislature to pass a separate state budget law first for expansion to be implemented. The governor said the law will be the “working families bill of the decade” once implemented.

=> ↺ Tuberculosis Deaths Creep Upwards After Falling For Decades in Europe

• Much has changed.

=> ↺ Death Toll Rises in Outbreak Linked to Contaminated Eye Drops

• Infections reported across 16 US states so far.

=> ↺ Giant Study Recommends Exercise as a Serious Treatment For Depression

• This could change things.

=> ↺ Americans hooked on Chinese apps

• The standoff between the U.S. government and TikTok underscores a growing problem for policymakers: Chinese apps are booming in America, but most U.S. apps aren’t able to operate in China.

• Why it matters: Mobile apps are one of the most powerful vectors for expanding trade and exporting soft power, given how widely accessible they are, how much time is spent on them, and how little regulatory oversight there is online.

=> ↺ Grayscale

• I have set myself a challenge to use greyscale mode on my phone for a week. My goal is to reduce usage of my phone and stop procrastinating to the degree that I have been over the last few days. If the experience proves valuable, I shall leave greyscale mode enabled. I will report back in a week to share my progress.

=> ↺ ‘Shocking and Immoral’: Report Details Private Equity’s Stranglehold on US Healthcare

• The conflict between providers’ obligations to provide the best care and private equity investors’ insatiable appetites for maximized [returns] provides is clear. “You can’t serve two masters,” a doctor who previously worked for private equity-owned U.S. Dermatology Partners toldBloomberg. “You can’t serve patients and investors.”

Proprietary

=> ↺ Microsoft Israel to lay off dozens as part of global cutbacks

• Microsoft Israel is set to lay off dozens of employees as part of the global cutbacks in the company, Calcalist has learned. Microsoft announced in January that it is laying off 10,000 workers, but this will be the first time that cyber team members in Israel will also be fired.

• The local R&D center is headed by Michal Braverman-Blumenstyk, Corporate Vice President at Microsoft Corporation, General Manager of Israel R&D Center and CTO of Microsoft Security. The center employs around 2,700 people, with around half of them working in cybersecurity.

=> ↺ Observations designing information retrieval systems built on generative AI

• Using the information gathered through testing — both by myself and with others asking questions — I refined my information architecture, changed the prompts sent to accompany queries, and made other changes to help improve the quality of answers. The architecture of how this bot is built is outside of the scope of this post. Rather, I would like to focus on some interesting results both I and the people who tested the bot have observed. I list the common themes in bullet point form below.

=> ↺ Reddit is Dropping AMP

• Long time readers will remember that I resigned from the Google AMP Advisory Committee having been a long time critic of the project.

=> ↺ 6 Phases of the Post-GPT World

• We’ve all seen the non-stop stream of news from OpenAI. First we see GPT-4, where you have the announcement on Tuesday morning and you basically have thousands of companies launched by sundown.

• And then we see chatgpt plugins drop, which are basically ways of implementing entire businesses as plugins! This is what I said when Brockman dropped the web search plugin.

Security

=> ↺ OneNote Embedded URL Abuse

• Whilst Microsoft is fixing the embedded files feature in OneNote I decided to abuse a whole other feature. Embedded URLs. Turns out this is something they may also have to fix.

• [...]

• In my previous blogpost I described how OneNote is being abused in order to deliver a malicious URL. In response to this attack, helpnetsecurity recently reported that Microsoft is planning to release a fix for the issue in April this year. Currently, it’s still unknown what this fix will look like, but from helpnetsecurity’s post, it seems like Microsoft’s fix will focus on the OneNote embedded file feature.

• During my testing, I discovered that there is another way to abuse OneNote to deliver malware: Using URLs. The idea is similar to how Threat Actors are already abusing URLs in HTML pages or PDFs. Where the user is presented with a fake warning or image to click on which would open the URL in their browser and loads a phishing page.

=> ↺ Apps running as spot extra secure in Puppy

• I watch what Dima (dimkr in the forum) is doing on woof-CE with great interest. In particular, the steps that he has implemented to enhance security for applications running as user ‘spot’.

• See his summary here:

• https://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?p=70405#p70405

=> ↺ Microsoft: No-Interaction Outlook Zero Day Exploited Since Last April

• Microsoft says it has evidence that Russian APT actors were exploiting a nasty Outlook zero-day as far back as April 2022, upping the stakes on organizations to start hunting for signs of compromise.

• [...]

• The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2023-23397, was flagged in the ‘already exploited’ category when Redmond shipped a fix earlier this month and Microsoft’s incident responders have pinned the attacks on Russian government-level hackers targeting organizations in Europe.

=> ↺ Fortinet’s Threat Report finds attackers are retooling and leveraging more wiper malware

=> ↺ FBI warns business email compromise attacks are now targeting commodities

• BEC attacks, an attack method that involves fraud enabled by social engineering, are not new. A report in September found that one-third of all cyberattacks now involve BEC, but typically, such attacks aim to steal money. The FBI warning details that those behind the attacks are now also targeting tangible goods.

• According to a March 24 announcement by the FBI, criminal actors are impersonating the email domains of legitimate companies to initiate the bulk purchase of goods from vendors across the U.S. The email messages sent to vendors appear to come from known sources of business, which vendors assume are legitimate business transactions, so they fulfill the purchase orders for distribution.

=> ↺ Hacks at Pwn2Own Vancouver 2023

• An impressive array of hacks were demonstrated at the first day of the Pwn2Own conference in Vancouver: [...]

Privacy/Surveillance

=> ↺ Executive order sets up guardrails for US use of commercial spyware

• To date, the United States has identified devices associated with 50 U.S. personnel in ten countries across several continents that are confirmed or suspected of being targeted with spyware, a senior administration official told CyberScoop during a press call Monday. The official did not rule out additional instances and said that investigations are ongoing.

• In examining the issue, the White House found that “commercial spyware vendors were aggressively marketing, seeking to make inroads across the U.S.’s many law enforcement and intelligence components, sometimes obfuscating their business ties and practices,” according to a senior administration official.

=> ↺ U.S. State-Government Websites Use TikTok Trackers, Review Finds

• A review of the websites of more than 3,500 companies, organizations and government entities by the Toronto-based company Feroot Security found that so-called tracking pixels from the TikTok parent company were present in 30 U.S. state-government websites across 27 states, including some where the app has been banned from state networks and devices. Feroot collected the data in January and February of this year.

• The presence of that code means that U.S. state governments around the country are inadvertently [sic] participating in a data-collection effort for a foreign-owned company, one that senior Biden administration officials and lawmakers of both parties have said could be harmful to U.S. national security and the privacy of Americans.

=> ↺ TikTok is tracking data on dozens of state government websites: report

• Canadian cybersecurity company Feroot Security found at least 27 state government websites have web-tracking code placed by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., which runs TikTok, according to an exclusive report from The Wall Street Journal.

• The report — which surveyed more than 3,500 companies, organizations and government entities in January and February — is the latest to reveal how the US unknowingly shares data with subsidiaries of the Chinese Communist Party.

=> ↺ TikTok trackers found on multiple US government websites

• While tracking pixels – or web beacons – are typically used for collecting data to better target audiences with relevant ads, concerns have been raised about the information collected and how it may be used by the Chinese company and other entities in the country.

=> ↺ TikTok trackers embedded in US state-government websites

• According to a new report from a cybersecurity company, more than two dozen state governments have placed web-tracking code made by TikTok parent ByteDance Ltd. on official websites.

=> ↺ Protect My Face: Brussels residents join the fight against biometric mass surveillance

• The newly-launched Protect My Face campaign gives residents of the Brussels region of Belgium the opportunity to oppose mass facial recognition. EDRi applauds this initiative which demands that the Brussels Parliament ban these intrusive and discriminatory practices.

=> ↺ Summer Academy For Global Privacy Law 2023

• The Brussels Privacy Hub is proud to announce its 2023 Summer Academy for Global Privacy Law, after 7 years of successful editions.

=> ↺ Biden Acts to Restrict U.S. Government Use of Spyware

• The president signed an executive order seeking to limit deployment of a tool that has been abused by autocracies — and some democracies — to spy on dissidents, human rights activists and journalists.

=> ↺ Biden administration bans government use of commercial spyware that may pose a security risk

Defence/Aggression

=> ↺ US to open democracy summit as Russia, China launch diplomatic offensive

• The United States on Tuesday opens its second Summit for Democracy with its eyes firmly on the rest of the world, seeking a united front against authoritarianism as Russia attacks Ukraine and as China launches a diplomatic offensive.

=> ↺ North Korea fires two ballistic missiles towards eastern waters

• North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles Monday, South Korea’s military said, the latest in its flurry of weapons tests in recent weeks.

=> ↺ Biden Officials Hold Off on More Airstrikes in Syria, for Now

• The administration says it is seeking to avoid a wider war with Iran and its proxies while protecting U.S. personnel from attacks.

=> ↺ U.N. Investigators Protest to U.S. Over Health Care at Guantánamo Bay

• The rapporteurs filed the complaint with the United States on Jan. 11 but kept it confidential until this weekend. Washington has yet to respond.

=> ↺ Update: Suspected MP Zyskowicz attacker released from custody, police say

• The lead investigator and the prosecutor did not consider that conditions were met for the suspect to be held in remand.

=> ↺ Hungary ratifies Finland’s Nato bid

• Turkey is expected to vote on Finland’s alliance membership as early as this week.

=> ↺ Ukraine Receives New Battle Tanks From Germany and Britain

• The delivery of Leopard 2 battle tanks from Germany and Challenger 2 tanks from Britain comes as Ukraine prepares for an expected spring offensive.

=> ↺ Army has too few soldiers to defend Denmark, says top general

• It’s time for an ‘emergency call’ to address the worst situation he has seen in four decades of soldiering, reasons Henrik Lyhne

=> ↺ Finland, Sweden jointly stock up on firearms from Finnish firm Sako

• The arrangement enables the Nordic countries’ militaries to train together while using the same types of weapons and ammunition.

=> ↺ Baltics, Poland, Ukraine speak out against aggressor state sporting privileges

• The Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, plus Poland and Ukraine have released a statement clearly laying down their opposition to allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in Olympic competition.

=> ↺ Next stop Liepāja for destroyed Russian tank

• From Monday, March 27, in Liepāja, on the promenade at the end of Celtnieku street, the destroyed T-72B tank of the Russian occupation forces in Ukraine is on view to the general public.

=> ↺ Exhibit tells stories of Latvian WWII refugees

• Russia’s attack on Ukraine has topicalized refugee issues in Latvia once again. In the past, many Latvians were also forced to flee their homes due to hostilities. The exhibition “Refugee Paths” opened in March displays items Latvians had taken with them when fleeing and tells the stories of Latvian refugees from 1944 onward, Latvian Radio reported on March 25.

=> ↺ The Myth of a Stronger NATO

• Putin badly miscalculated, the US often claims, and his invasion of Ukraine has made NATO stronger and more united than ever. “He thought NATO would fracture and divide. Instead, NATO is more united and more unified than ever – than ever before,” Biden said on February 21.

=> ↺ America Hangs From a Cross of Iron

• Originally posted at TomDispatch. Just in case you were wondering where your tax dollars went in this century, consider the American war, now 20 years old, in Iraq (and after 2014 in Syria as well).

=> ↺ The Banality of Biden’s ‘Exceptional’ Elite Advisers

• Danger: President Joe Biden’s sophomores running U.S. foreign policy today live in a dream world on the verge of becoming a nightmare. The nightmare – military confrontation with both Russia and China – now looms. It is scary enough that Biden seems to be out of it.

=> ↺ From the bookshelf: ‘The story of Russia’

• As the war in Ukraine grinds on with no end in sight, it is increasingly important to understand what drives Russia.

=> ↺ The World Bank estimated the cost of rebuilding Ukraine at $411 billion. Support is growing to use Russian funds for it.

Environment

=> ↺ Study: Climate change less likely to affect Finnish economy than other countries

• The research found that the benefits from Finland’s green transition would outweigh any economic negatives caused by climate change.

=> ↺ The Greens and Labor have made a deal on emissions. What actually changed?

• The government and the Greens have both declared victory after long negotiations about key climate policy. What really changed? And what is a safeguard mechanism anyway?

Energy/Transportation

=> ↺ Sany sets out hydrogen roadmap in China

• Sany has set out its ambitions to create a comprehensive hydrogen industry chain covering green production, storage, transportation and refuelling equipment.

=> ↺ Gentari signs MoUs to accelerate energy transition in India

• Gentari has signed Memorandum of Understanding’s (MoU) with Tata Motors, MoEVing Urban Technology and Gati KWE.

=> ↺ CFTC sues cryptocurrency exchange Binance and founder Changpeng Zhao

• The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission today sued Binance and its founding Chief Executive Officer Changpeng Zhao, as well as former Chief Compliance Officer Samuel Lim. The CFTC is the agency responsible for regulating the derivatives market.

=> ↺ US regulators sued Binance for encouraging customers to buy unregistered crypto commodities

• The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CTFC) is suing Binance, alleging that the popular crypto exchange illegally sold crypto derivatives—for currencies including bitcoin, ethereum, litecoin, tether, and binance USD— to retail investors.

=> ↺ Gasoline price in Latvia down to pre-war level on Monday

• In Latvia, the price of band 95 gasoline has decreased to the level seen before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February, according to LETA’s information March 27.

=> ↺ California lawmakers OK potential fines for high gas prices

• California lawmakers have approved the nation’s first penalty for price gouging at the pump. The state Assembly passed a bill on Monday that would empower state regulators to punish oil companies for profiting from price spikes. The bill now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has said he will sign it into law. The bill is in response to a price spike last year that saw the average price for a gallon of gasoline hit $6.44 in California. The oil industry says the bill will decrease supply and cause prices to increase. The bill also requires oil companies to disclose more data on their pricing.

=> ↺ Latvia’s electric vehicle stock continues to grow

• In 2021, there was a substantial increase in the number of electric passenger vehicles in the EU compared with 2020 (+76%), and Latvia’s growth rate in that regard was close to the EU average (+75%), according to Eurostat data published March 24.

=> ↺ Quarterly meter readings! Gas consumers to get a more accurate picture of how much they owe

• From June, customers will be able to determine the true extent of what they owe

=> ↺ Crewless container ships appear on the horizon

• “We have situational awareness – cameras on the side, front and stern of the ship,” the captain explains. “It can decide whether to change its path because something is in the way.”

• The captain’s job will move onto dry-land, to a remote operation centre more than 80km (50 miles) away, where several ships could potentially be monitored at the same time. If necessary, humans will be able to intervene by sending commands to alter the speed and course.

=> ↺ Maritime Cybersecurity: Protecting ships and crews from digital threats

• Both in academia and the maritime industry as a whole, cybersecurity is a hot concern. Recently, a collaborative team taught a brand-new cyber security course at The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Lesund. A new course titled “Maritime digital security” has just been added to NTNU in Lesund’s maritime industry program.

• Participants in the workshop have studied digital risks for the past two months. They have conducted a realistic practice run of a cyber attack on a ship in motion and evaluated the risk of current digital threats. The main emphasis is on resilience development and risk management of cyberattacks.

=> ↺ You can carry this new electric moped in your trunk

• With dimensions of 1160560860MM, an 800MM wheelbase, a 590MM seat height, and a curb weight of 81.5 pounds (37 kg), the M One that was unveiled is described as a casual mini moped. The vehicle is powered by a 48V20Ah lithium battery pack and has a hub motor with a 400W rated power and a 1KW maximum output power. The battery has a 1-kilowatt-hour capacity, and the vehicle’s top cruising distance is 60 miles (100 kilometers).

=> ↺ How to save America’s public transit systems from a doom spiral

• When Covid-19 arrived three years ago, most transit passengers stopped riding, shrinking transportation agencies’ fare revenues. Today, ridership remains far below pre-pandemic levels. Unless they can quickly find new sources of funding, big transit systems will be forced to drastically curtail service, which would drive away still more passengers and place those systems in an even deeper financial hole.

Wildlife/Nature

=> ↺ Rare Beetle Species Named After Ex-California Governor Brown

• Scientists are naming a rare species of beetle in honor of former California Gov. Jerry Brown after finding one at his ranch

=> ↺ A Sting Operation to Save Elephants, With No Stings

• While live bees can be used as a deterrent to keep elephants away from farms, a new technology fills in for cases where a buzz without the sting is preferable.

Overpopulation

=> ↺ Asian governments must work together to address water insecurity

• The world is facing an imminent water crisis.

=> ↺ Newsom Rolls Back Water Restrictions After Winter Deluge in California

• The state is “mostly but not completely” out of a drought, Gov. Gavin Newsom says.

Finance

=> ↺ A dozen ‘tax the rich’ activists arrested in Albany ahead of budget deadline

• The arrests come amid ongoing friction between the governor and legislative leaders over taxes as Hochul over a progressive push to raise income taxes on the wealthy.

=> ↺ More young adults living with their parents due to “perfect storm” of high inflation and rental costs in Denmark

• Expert urges government to prioritise affordable housing for young people in the university towns

=> ↺ Consumer confidence in Finland remains weak during March

• Even though consumer confidence figures are low, they are trending upwards.

=> ↺ Purchasing Certificates of Deposit to Hedge Against Inflation (And a Little More.)

• Today I got a letter from my bank in an email. They said I could get a fairly good (4.75%) rate on an 11 month no-penalty CD.

=> ↺ Transport Workers Go on Strike in Germany

• One of the largest public transportation walkouts in decades was intended to give unions leverage as they seek raises to keep pace with rising inflation.

=> ↺ Money’s moving out of the banking system

• Over the last couple of weeks, cash crowded into U.S. money market funds at the fastest clip since the COVID crisis hit.

• Why it matters: The flow of dollars to money market funds for safekeeping highlights the anxiety that the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank introduced into the financial system.

=> ↺ Switzerland’s attractiveness as a business hub has been falling since 2013

• The collapse of Credit Suisse and its regulator-orchestrated purchase by UBS has many questioning Switzerland’s future as a global financial capital. But two recent reports suggest the country in fact has been losing its edge as a center for international business for at least the past decade.

=> ↺ Top Fed official: Silicon Valley Bank was “textbook case of mismanagement”

• Silicon Valley Bank was a “textbook case of mismanagement,” the Federal Reserve’s top banking regulator will tell lawmakers this week — one key reason for the bank’s failure.

• Why it matters: The Fed official is among the regulators set to appear before Congress for the first hearing related to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, which sparked panic about the financial system’s health.

=> ↺ The Rise of Jamie Dimon

• As JPMorgan’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein are being scrutinized in court, Whitney Webb reveals how the same powerful players who brought Epstein to prominence were largely responsible for the rise of JPMorgan CEO, Jamie Dimon.

=> ↺ Loss of investor confidence and the banking crisis

• Despite the best efforts of financial authorities following the most recent banking crisis, selloffs of bank shares and capital contingent bonds have persisted. After the sale of Credit Suisse, the most poignant example of investor concerns is the market pressure on Deutsche Bank (DB).

=> ↺ Brewster’s Millions And The Definition of an Asset

• The movie’s based on a book published in 1902 that people have adapted into more than a dozen movies. And we’d never read it or seen any of the films before, but I presume that a big part of the appeal is that you also get to fantasize: how would you solve this puzzle?

• As Leonard pointed out: the first thing to do, perhaps, ought to be to hire professional assistance: experts who could research and advise you on how to do this. But then of course the problem reduces to: what ought those experts suggest?

=> ↺ Global Economy May Be in a ‘Lost Decade,’ World Bank Warns

• Adding to crises like the pandemic, recent stress in the banking system is a new threat to world growth, experts at the organization said.

=> ↺ Silicon Valley Bank’s Collapse Chills Start-Up Funding

• Two weeks after the bank failed, the fallout has hit the start-up market as investors pull back further and fear has risen.

=> ↺ Lyft Co-Founders to Resign; David Risher Is Named CEO

• Lyft has been slow to bounce back from early pandemic problems even as the business of its much bigger rival, Uber, has improved.

=> ↺ First Citizens to buy Silicon Valley Bank. When will bank turmoil end?

• The FDIC has approved the sale of Silicon Valley Bank to First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Bank stocks have been largely on the rise since the announcement of the acquisition, “but uncertainty is high,” said IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.

=> ↺ From overhiring to optionality: what we can learn from layoffs

• 2023 isn’t the first layoffs we’ve seen. We can point to plenty of times when cutting staff was the probable option, if not the popular one.

=> ↺ First Citizens Bank will nearly double its assets by buying Silicon Valley Bank

• A buyer is scooping up parts of Silicon Valley Bank, whose collapse earlier this month marked the second-largest bank failure in US history.

=> ↺ First Citizens Bank to buy Silicon Valley Bridge Bank

=> ↺ Latvian central bank Releases its first Sustainability Disclosures Report

• Latvijas Banka (LB), the central bank of Latvia, has released its first “sustainability disclosures report”, outlining its efforts to promote sustainable development and addressing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues.

=> ↺ Construction costs up 14.3% on year in Latvia

• Data published on March 27 by the Central Statistical Bureau show that in February 2023, compared to February 2022, the level of construction costs in Latvia increased by 14.3 %.

=> ↺ First Citizens agrees to buy Silicon Valley Bank

• First Citizens BancShares of Raleigh, N.C. has agreed to buy the commercial banking business of Silicon Valley Bank, which recently collapsed and was seized by the U.S. government.

• Why it matters: This is a step toward stabilizing America’s regional banking sector, after a month of tumult.

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

=> ↺ The necessity of IT security hygiene amidst the growing rise of cyberattacks

• A survey from Specops Software showed that 41 per cent of businesses are still not providing adequate cybersecurity training and new research from Hornetsecurity stated 33 per cent of businesses not are not offering cybersecurity awareness training to remote staff.

• Trest insisted the lack of security hygiene measures is “one of the most common reasons why cybercriminals gain access to business-critical systems in the first place.” He added that with humans fronting company defences, “the key to reducing cyber threats and mitigating human risk is by prioritising and investing in the right security awareness training.”

=> ↺ Twitter says portions of source code leaked online

• The leak saw excerpts of Twitter’s source code — the programming that powers the Twitter platform and its internal tools — posted to the online software repository GitHub, according to a court filing Friday by a Twitter attorney. The files were posted by a pseudonymous GitHub user, identified only by the handle FreeSpeechEnthusiast. The account was created on Jan. 3 and does not appear to have posted any other material besides the Twitter code.

=> ↺ Mexico Will Not Prohibit Chinese-Owned TikTok App, Says President

• Some U.S. lawmakers are calling on the government to ban the app, alleging it could be used for sweeping data collection, content censorship and harm to children’s mental health.

=> ↺ Apple CEO Tim Cook Meets China’s Commerce Minister, Wang Wentao

• According to the ministry, Wang told Cook that China unwaveringly supports high-level opening-up of rules, regulations, management, standards, and other systems.

=> ↺ Meet the Xi Jinping Loyalist Now Overseeing China’s Economy

• He Lifeng’s long career in government has spanned the extremes of China’s approach, from the early embrace of small business in the 1980s to today’s tighter state control.

=> ↺ China’s global campaign strikes a chord in conservative Utah

• China has made significant efforts to curry favor with Utah lawmakers, The Associated Press reports. As a result, state officials have delayed legislation and nixed resolutions that would have conveyed displeasure with the Chinese government.

=> ↺ Taiwan’s Ex-President, Ma Ying-yeou, Heads to China in a Historic Visit

• Though his visit is not official, it is nonetheless significant and may offer clues to political calculations on both sides of the increasingly tense Taiwan Strait.

=> ↺ Netanyahu postpones controversial judicial reforms as civil unrest grips Israel

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he would delay plans to overhaul the judiciary after mass protests and work stoppages thrust Israel into widespread civil unrest.

=> ↺ In Iran and Israel, a march to equality

• Protests in both countries against religious-based rule have won in their own way.

=> ↺ Experts react: Netanyahu just delayed his judicial overhaul after mass protests. What’s next for Israel’s democracy?

• What’s next for Israel and its relations with the world? Our experts offer their insight.

=> ↺ Israel’s Judiciary Overhaul Plan: What to Know

• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government contends the Supreme Court has unchecked power, but critics of the proposal say it goes too far.

=> ↺ Israel’s Crisis Has a Distinctly American Flavor

• Israel has learned some unhealthy habits from the United States.

=> ↺ Bibi suspends judicial overhaul after mass protests across Israel

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said he was delaying his coalition’s judicial overhaul legislation after mass protests and a general strike that affected much of the country.

=> ↺ Green Left Party releases final declaration: ‘Our mission is to end the one-man regime’

• Facing closure, the HDP will compete in the elections under the Green Left Party.

=> ↺ ‘Kurdish has to be recognized with its name in the Parliament’

• “Lifting of the articles that ban the use of Kurdish, and making legislation in favor of Kurdish will be what I will work for,” says Zana Farqînî who applied to Green Left Party to be a candidate for MP in the May 14 elections.

=> ↺ Can a billionaire die without anyone noticing?

• Sometimes it seems like billionaires can dominate our lives—or at least the news. A mystery in US tax data, however, suggests at least one super-wealthy individual flew under the radar until the very end.

=> ↺ PM Kariņš: Unifying of Latvian public media should not be rushed

• The Saeima should not rush the amendments to the Law on Public Electronic Media, which provides for the merger of Latvian Radio and Latvian Television as of January 1, 2024, Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš (New Unity) wrote on Twitter Monday, February 27. LSM is also a part of the public media framework.

=> ↺ Former National Enquirer Publisher Testifies Before Grand Jury in Trump Case

• The grand jury investigating a hush-money case against the former president met again on Monday, but the timing of any potential indictment remained unclear.

=> ↺ Ankara summons ambassador of France

• The ambassador of France in Ankara was summoned to the Foreign Ministry where he was told that Ankara strongly denounces the Senate of France to host YPG members and to award them medals of honor.

=> ↺ Kamala Harris Looks to Deepen Relations With Africa Amid China’s Influence

• In a weeklong trip to Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia, the vice president will face a balancing act as she tries to foster a collaborative U.S. relationship.

Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

=> ↺ Foundation laid during hospital groundbreaking ceremony attended by Erdoğan removed a day later

• A foundation laid during the groundbreaking ceremony of a new state hospital in the quake-hit province of Hatay was removed a day later. The cement poured during a live television broadcast was not intended for construction.

=> ↺ A Secret Company Inside Infowars Funneled Ad Money Directly to Alex Jones

• For now, the creditors committee is simply requesting more information on Mountain Way from Free Speech Systems and Jones; in the future, though, the scheme could lead to serious headaches for Jones and the company.

=> ↺ Sandy Hook Families Are Fighting Alex Jones and the Bankruptcy System Itself

• The Infowars conspiracy broadcaster Alex Jones, who faces more than $1.4 billion in legal damages for defaming the families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims, has devised a new way to taunt them: wriggling out of paying them the money they are owed.

Censorship/Free Speech

=> ↺ I’m Back After WordPress.com Deleted My Blog Over the Weekend.

• Automattic (WordPress.com) refuses to say what led to the ban, but it’s quite obvious through my history of posts about Apple’s censorship, proprietary software, the Microsoft Stabber, etc. that there are probably outfits that would rather that I just go away and not come back.

• Automattic says that there’s no robot going around killing blogs without human review, but beyond this, I have no idea and I’ll never be able to prove anything.

=> ↺ Turkey’s popular social network applies to top court against ban

• Access to Ekşi Sözlük has been blocked for over a month now.

=> ↺ Police remove Erdogan effigy from Helsinki protest

• The demonstration took place in front of the Turkish embassy on Sunday, and was attended by less than 100 people.

• [...]

• Although the right to demonstrate in Finland is enshrined in the constitution, the Criminal Code prohibits defamation.

• Aside from the Erdogan effigy, police said the demonstration passed off peacefully and was allowed to continue after it was removed.

Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

=> ↺ Somali journalist: Immigrants talked about, but not heard, during Finnish elections

• Yle TV1 will host a series of minority language election discussions this week, beginning on Monday at 3pm with a show in Easy Finnish. The English language discussion will be broadcast on Thursday at 3pm.

=> ↺ Two journalists detained while covering attack on theologian

• A group of people attempted to attack those who gathered outside of the home of the theologian who had been attacked. The police detained the journalist filming the incident.

=> ↺ Indian journalist Jaspal Singh arrested in Haryana

• Police arrested Singh after a first information report was filed earlier that day by the Ratia Sadar police station in the state’s Fatehabad district, which opened an investigation into Singh and an unnamed journalist based on a complaint by the son of a local official, according to those sources and a copy of the report reviewed by CPJ.

=> ↺ TV journalist held in Haryana’s Fatehabad on MLA’s son’s complaint

• The police arrested Fatehabad-based TV journalist Jaspal Singh after booking him under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, Sections 384 (extortion) and 500 (defamation) of the IPC and various sections of the SC/ST Act on the complaint of BJP MLA from Ratia Lakshman Napa’s son Sumit Kumar on Saturday.

Civil Rights/Policing

=> ↺ NY to Pay Broadwater $5.5 Million After Wrongful Conviction for Sebold’s Rape

• Anthony J. Broadwater spent 16 years in prison after being wrongly convicted in the assault in Syracuse, N.Y., which Ms. Sebold, a well-known novelist, described in her memoir “Lucky.”

=> ↺ Brexit reprieve for late submissions: Brits handed new deadline by which to apply for residence in Denmark

• 31 December 2023 the new date by which applications need to be received

=> ↺ Safety for refugees: President Carter’s legacy lives on in rural Georgia

• Thanks to legislation signed by President Carter in 1980, a Christian group rooted in faith and compassion has hosted thousands of refugees in rural Georgia.

=> ↺ From Canada to Cabo part 5: Becoming immigrants

• In part five of her series, Christina Whiteley shares tips on immigration requirements if you decide to make Mexico your new home.

=> ↺ This Law Could Criminalize Everyday Conversations About Immigration

• At rallies across the country, community members have been chanting “Sí, se puede!” to demand that the U.S. fulfill its moral obligation to undocumented immigrants by expanding their access to life-saving medical care, job-loss benefits, driver’s licenses, and much more. However, this political advocacy — critical to our democracy’s debate about our immigration policies — could constitute a crime under federal law.

=> ↺ Three police officers arrested for torture of child in Diyarbakır

• A 14-year-old child was hospitalized after being beaten by officers in the Kurdish-majority city.

=> ↺ The future of women in India: Barriers, facilitators and opportunities

• This issue brief describes cross-cutting themes, a proposed theory of change, and recommendations that emerged from the Atlantic Council and US Department of State expert convening, “Future of Women and Work in South Asia” on how to foster cross-sectoral collaboration and catalyze knowledge sharing to support women’s economic empowerment in South Asia.

=> ↺ Who Is Itamar Ben-Gvir?

• The influence of Itamar Ben-Gvir, a rising far-right lawmaker, was underscored when he said he would agree to a delay of the divisive judicial overhaul.

=> ↺ Netanyahu Attempts Another Juggling Act, Maybe His Toughest Yet

• Israel’s prime minister, who has long thrived by pitting one force against another, is caught between his far-right coalition and public anger over the government’s plan to weaken the judiciary.

=> ↺ Repression is really something different than prevention

• In 2021, a 17-year-old boy in the Netherlands was arrested for inciting of riots. The boy had called for people to come to Utrecht with fireworks as a protest against the corona policy and the fireworks ban. The boy received a so-called “online area ban” from the municipality, even though the mayor does not have a legal basis for such an order. He was no longer allowed to make statements online that could lead to disorder in the city. Local rules do not provide majors the authority to curtail the freedom of expression as prevention, online or otherwise.

=> ↺ About 60,000 refugees returned to Syria after Turkey quakes, says minister

• The defense minister refuted the allegations that there was a new refugee influx from syria to Turkey after the February earthquakes.

=> ↺ Second hearing to be held of case over suspicious death in prison

• It was claimed that Yılmaz Ekinci committed suicide by hanging himself on an iron part of the door in the cell which is 1 meter and 20 cm high from the floor. Ekinci’s then-prison mate is now a witness in the case over Ekinci’s death.

=> ↺ Police prevent automotive workers’ march from İstanbul to Ankara

• Workers of Mata Automotive, a firm manufacturing parts for high-end car brands such as Bentley and Jaguar, demand improved working conditions and a 25 percent additional pay rise.

=> ↺ Paul Rusesabagina, ‘Hotel Rwanda’ Dissident, Lands in Qatar

• His release ended more than two and a half years of captivity, during which he was tried on terrorism charges and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

=> ↺ Earth is running out of places for stargazers to do dark deeds in the name of science

• Artificial light emitted from buildings, streetlights, and reflected from satellite constellations are making the night sky brighter for earth-bound skywatchers. The Milky Way was visible to pretty much everyone less than 100 years ago, but is now drowned out by human-made light to most, according to the International Dark Sky Association.

=> ↺ Whitening the Sky: light pollution as a form of cultural genocide

• Light pollution is actively destroying our ability to see the stars. Many Indigenous traditions and knowledge systems around the world are based on the stars, and the peoples’ ability to observe and interpret stellar positions and properties is of critical importance for daily life and cultural continuity. The erasure of the night sky acts to erase Indigenous connection to the stars, acting as a form of ongoing cultural and ecological genocide. Efforts to reduce, minimise, or eliminate light pollution are being achieved with varying degrees of success, but urban expansion, poor lighting design, and the increased use of blue-light emitting LEDs as a cost-effective solution is worsening problems related to human health, wildlife, and astronomical heritage for the benefit of capitalistic economic growth. We provide a brief overview of the issue, illustrating some of the important connections that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia maintain with the stars, as well as the impact growing light pollution has on this ancient knowledge. We propose a transdisciplinary approach to solving these issues, using a foundation based on Indigenous philosophies and decolonising methodologies.

=> ↺ Light Pollution Threatens Millennia-old Indigenous Navigation Methods

• Now, a group of scientists and other space stakeholders is working to preserve these stories. The Satellite Communications (SATCON) workshop, which is organized by the National Science Foundation and the American Astronomical Society, aims to mitigate satellites’ effects on our sky-viewing experiences.

• Aparna Venkatesan, a cosmologist at the University of San Francisco, served as a co-chair at the 2021 event. While she and her colleagues sought to consult Indigenous scientists on sustainable space practices, they acknowledged that it wasn’t an all-encompassing discussion. “Everyone who spoke at the meeting was very clear that they were not speaking for their whole tribe, or for all sovereign tribes and nations or just the U.S. alone,” says Venkatesan.

• She sees space as an ancestral global commons, as described in her 2020 article published in Nature Astronomy. But the task of regulating space is a complicated one. Astronomers and entrepreneurs should be careful not to appropriate Indigenous perspectives to serve their bottom line, she adds.

=> ↺ Thousands of satellites are polluting Australian skies, and threatening ancient Indigenous astronomy practices

• Each of these companies is taking to the skies to increase internet access across the globe. But even if they deliver on this, sky gazers — and especially Indigenous peoples — are left to wonder: at what cost?

=> ↺ I should Cocio! The criminal world’s equivalent of being caught with chocolate milk moustaches

• The manufacturers, who tended to carry out their transactions in the same carpark, signalled their presence to business partners, including the Dutch duo, by placing a bottle of Cocio on the roof of their car.

• The NSK were able to find out about this by cracking encrypted messages sent and received by the drug-importing Dutchmen and their colleagues.

Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

=> ↺ Event Wrap: APAN 55

• APNIC conducted RPKI training at APAN 55, held from 13 to 17 March 2023 in Kathmandu, Nepal.

=> ↺ 2023 APNIC EC Election summary

• A summary of the outcomes of the 2023 APNIC EC election.

Monopolies

=> ↺ Suspicious army procurement did not pass security checks: LTV’s De Facto

• The 220-million worth procurement for food supply for the Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS), which is under suspicion of unfair practices, has not undergone the safety checks needed, Latvian Television’s De Facto reported on March 27.

Patents

=> ↺ As Covid-19 shot sales dwindle, BioNTech doubles down on cancer vaccines

• BioNTech is over covid. Or looking past it, at least, planning to invest the company’s pandemic windfall into the development of oncology products.

Copyrights

=> ↺ The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 161: Canadian Chamber of Commerce President Perrin Beatty on Why the Government’s Bill C-18 Motion Establishes a Dangerous, Undemocratic Precedent

• Bill C-18, the online news bill whose foundation is mandated payments for links, has unsurprisingly sparked reaction from Google and Facebook that raises the possibility of stopping linking to Canadian news. In an act of obvious retribution, the government responded to the companies response with a motion from Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage Chris Bittle that demanded a wide range of internal and external documents dating back years and even looped in the private correspondence of companies, NGOs, journalists and potentially of thousands of Canadians.

=> ↺ Publishers land killer punch on Internet Archive in book copyright court battle

• The non-profit claims its book scanning and distribution qualifies as fair use because its digital lending scheme is “transformative” – which conveys a different meaning than the original – and non-commercial. These are among the factors considered when assessing whether the fair use defense can be applied.

• It also asserts that the goals of the “first sale doctrine” – which allows the purchaser of a copyrighted work to sell, display or otherwise dispose of that particular copy without seeking permission from the copyright holder – support its controlled lending of digitized purchased books.

Gemini* and Gopher

Personal

=> ↺ March Update

• I’m a little bit late with my update this month. It’s been a pretty crazy month to be quite honest, so this is a slightly longer entry than usual.

• I’ll start with the good news. First off, I’ve got a new job (yay!). It’s at a nearby prominent heritage site, which is a really big deal for me and has pretty much been my main goal since graduating from Uni in 2021. I’m so beyond excited and can’t wait to start next month. Plus, I’m finally leaving my current job which is uh…worse than ever, to be quite honest. I won’t go into it too much but let’s just say that place is a sinking ship and I can’t be out of there soon enough. They’re not even planning on hiring a replacement for me. They’re just expecting everyone else to work harder and pick up the slack – like what?

=> ↺ None Dare Call It Conspiracy

• This book was written over 50 years ago by Gary Allen, and while it was written from a US centric point of view I still found it an interesting take on what happens in the world.

• When reading books (or, listening in this case) I try to have an open mind and find what might be applicable or relevant to my world and life.

=> ↺ Angelic Glow

• You know…I’m becoming myself again.

=> ↺ Duck Season Wabbit Season

• Just once in life I would like to get involved in a super heated “duck season”, “‘wabbit season” style argument with someone where I manage to pull it off and get my way by, in the heat of the moment, reversing position to trick the other person into also reversing their position.

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