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● 04.19.23

Gemini version available ♊︎

● Links 19/04/2023: More Facebook Layoffs and Another Tails Release

Posted in News Roundup at 8:41 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNU/Linux

=> ↺ Tips & Tricks For Testing And Managing Web Applications Run By Linux OS

• Web applications running on a Linux operating system (OS) require thorough testing and effective management to ensure optimal performance and user experience. In this article, we will discuss some tips and tricks for testing and managing web applications run by Linux OS. We will also highlight the importance of hiring a QA tester to ensure that your web application is functioning as intended.

• In conclusion, testing and managing web applications run by Linux OS requires careful consideration and attention to detail. Testing should be performed on different browsers and devices, load testing should be performed to simulate real-world traffic scenarios, and performance metrics should be monitored to ensure that the application is functioning as intended. Automation testing tools, CI/CD, and security testing should also be implemented. Finally, hiring a QA tester is crucial to ensure that your web application is functioning as intended, meets the requirements of the end-users, and is user-friendly and accessible. If you need assistance in testing and managing your web application, consider hiring a QA tester to ensure that your application is running smoothly and efficiently.

Desktop/Laptop

=> ↺ What You Need to Know about Linux Operating Systems

• Many of us are more familiar with the Windows Operating System when using the computer. However, that’s not the case for those in the IT sector. In fact, some of the world’s biggest companies depend on Linux since they find it more reliable, secure, and faster.

• Another good thing about Linux is that it’s open source, which allows you to create an operating system out of a basic Linux operating system. Moreover, it’s pretty hard for malware to get into a Linux kernel, making it secure and reliable.

• While the Linux learning curve can be tricky to navigate initially, the experience gained in working with Linux translates to all the vast platforms it supports. In fact, Linux is the basis for other operating systems, such as Android, since it does offer so much flexibility.

• Another reason to use Linux is that the kernel is free and comes from the open-source GNU GPL, which allows you to add whatever you want to create a custom configuration. It’s possible to download just about every Linux distribution. For instance, you can download a form of Linux kernel with a few fully functional add-ons but without added cost.

=> ↺ Ready to ditch Windows for Linux? This is the ideal distro for you

• For many, Windows is the only desktop operating system they’ve ever used. For them, there’s a familiarity that makes dealing with the usual troubles associated with Windows (random restarts for updates, failed drivers, and insecurities) tolerable.

• But what if I told you there was an alternative? There is, and it’s been around since 1997. That alternative is the open-source Linux operating system.

Audiocasts/Shows

=> ↺ Mozilla, OSI, & the memory-holing of Computer History

• Listen now (23 min) | The Lunduke Journal of Technology Podcast – April 18, 2023

=> ↺ mintcast 410 – The Rise of Dr. Majid

• First up in the news: Mint Monthly News – March 2023, Ubuntu 23.04 beta released, updates in Tumbleweed, last 16.04-based Ubuntu Touch rolled out, Linux Lite 6.4 released, COSMIC DE updates, OpenBSD 7.3 & FreeBSD 13.2 announced, big changes in Firefox 113, Mullvad announces their own browser, and Solus sets sail once again; In security and privacy, Kodi leaks

• Then in our Wanderings, Bill catches up, Moss has more drive, Joe is such a prints, Majid iPads in In our Innards section, we meet one of our new co-hostsDownload

Kernel Space

=> ↺ The “Big Three” Linux companies ranked by Revenue, Employees, Kernel Contributions

• Red Hat, SUSE, & Canonical. Because stats and charts are fun.

• [..]

• All three companies are sizable, in terms of staff. Roughly the same ratio as with revenue (which you would expect).

• Red Hat has close to 8 times the manpower as SUSE. And over 31 times Canonical.

• But how does that manpower translate into work getting done on upstream projects? Let’s look at the most obvious project… one that they all have a significant interest in… the Linux Kernel itself.

=> ↺ Yocto: sharing the sstate cache and download directories

• When developing projects based on Yocto Project / OpenEmbedded, a quite common practice is to have multiple build environments in different directories: one per product, or one for each development branch, or for other scenarios. Each build environment could have different layers, a different configuration, or just using a different version of the source code.

Graphics Stack

=> ↺ Dave Airlie (blogspot): nouveau/gsp + kernel module firmware selection for initramfs generation

• There are plans for nouveau to support using the NVIDIA supplied GSP firmware in order to support new hardware going forward

• The nouveau project doesn’t have any input or control over the firmware. NVIDIA have made no promises around stable ABI or firmware versioning. The current status quo is that NVIDIA will release versioned signed gsp firmwares as part of their driver distribution packages that are version locked to their proprietary drivers (open source and binary). They are working towards allowing these firmwares to be redistributed in linux-firmware.

=> ↺ Best Free and Open Source NVIDIA GPU Monitoring Tools

• nvidia-smi (also known as NVSMI) provides monitoring and management capabilities for each of NVIDIA’s Tesla, Quadro and GRID devices from Fermi and higher architecture families. Very limited information is also provided for GeForce devices. It’s based on top of the NVIDIA Management Library (NVML), which helps users manage and monitor NVIDIA GPU devices.

• NVSMI is a cross platform tool that supports all standard NVIDIA driver-supported Linux distros.

• The command line utility tool is installed with the NVIDIA drivers and is probably the monitoring tool that most users are familiar with. We can perform live monitoring using watch and nvidia-smi together e.g.

• $ watch -n0.1 nvidia-smi

• nvidia-smi is quite basic. This article explores other useful NVIDIA GPU monitoring tools.

• Here’s our verdict captured in a legendary LinuxLinks-style ratings chart. All the software is free and open source.

Benchmarks

=> ↺ Linux beats Windows 11 in AMD Ryzen 7800X3D speed tests – but does that matter?

• AMD’s Ryzen 7 7800X3D is a seriously impressive piece of silicon, and some new testing of the CPU throws fresh light on just how well it runs on Linux – the chip is a bit faster than on Windows, in fact.

=> ↺ Linux vs Windows 11 2023: AMD Ryzen 7800X3D gets clear victory on Ubuntu

• When AMD first revealed its Ryzen 7000X3D processors, the company promised new chipset drivers optimized for Windows. The drivers were released a month later and as the Santa Clara company had promised, we saw major performance per watt improvements, as the flagship Ryzen 7950X3D completely blew Intel’s i9-13900K out of the water.

Applications

=> ↺ Machine Learning in Linux: DeOldify – colorizing and restoring old images and videos

• DeOldify is a modern way to colorize black and white images using deep learning technology. The software provides pre-trained weights which allows you to colorize images and video without needing to train your own models.

• Our Machine Learning in Linux series focuses on apps that make it easy to experiment with machine learning. This article is a bit different. We wouldn’t describe DeOoldify as an app. But it’s a very interesting project and bills itself as the easiest way to colorize images.

• DeOldify is published under an open source license.

=> ↺ digiKam 8.0 Released with OCR Tool, Better Format Support

• When it comes open-source image organizers and photo tag editors open source app digiKam is the most well regarded…

=> ↺ Steinar H. Gunderson: Naguru 2.2.1 released

• I’ve released version 2.2.1 of Nageru, my free software video mixer. This is pretty much a “bookworm release”; a bunch of focused fixes for video input-related issues I hadn’t seen before (mostly because the hardware I had accessible to test with didn’t happen to stress these bugs).

=> ↺ Improve GNOME’s On-Screen Keyboard with this Extension

• Got a touch-enabled or convertible laptop and use the GNOME Shell desktop?

=> ↺ Conky – A System Monitor Tool for Linux Desktop

• Conky is a free, lightweight, straightforward, and flexible system monitor for X that shows any type of information on your desktop or in its own window. Being cross-platform, it may also be used with

=> ↺ Cockpit Project: Cockpit 290

• Cockpit is the modern Linux admin interface. We release regularly.

• Here are the release notes from Cockpit 290, cockpit-machines 288, and cockpit-podman 67: [...]

=> ↺ Stephen Smoogen: ~1 year to end of EPEL-7

• Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux (EPEL) are packages based off of various Fedora releases but built for the various distributions based off of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. In June of 2014, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 (EL-7) was released and over the next several months, a focus was made to make the release of EPEL possible. Much of the work was done by Kevin Fenzi and Dennis Gilmore with some additional work by anyone else who had spare time. The initial goal was to make it that core packages needed for Fedora Infrastructure to move its core servers to EL-7 were built. That had been what had been done for the initial releases of EPEL-5 and EPEL-6, and would allow for enough base ‘packages’ to be built for additional packages to be added by other maintainers.

=> ↺ 10 Best Linux Command-Line Tools

• In this article, we will share a few command-line programs that you can use in a Linux terminal. By the end of this article, you will learn about some free, open-source, and exciting, text-based

Instructionals/Technical

=> ↺ Getting Started With NixOS

• Want to explore the immutable NixOS distro? This tutorial series will help you with your NixOS journey.

=> ↺ Beginners Guide for Diff Command in Linux

• Today, in this article, you will learn how to use the diff command in Linux to compare the content of two different files or directories to find the changes that are required to make them identical.

=> ↺ Securely SSH to Remote Host via Multiple Jump Hosts

• In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to securely SSH to remote host via multiple jump hosts. If you’re a system administrator or developer who needs to access a remote host via multiple jump hosts, you know it can be a challenging and time-consuming process.

=> ↺ A comprehensive guide to mastering symbolic links in Linux

• In this article, we’ll examine how symbolic links can be used to manage shared files, avoid breaking dependencies, and create aliases for frequently used commands or scripts. We’ll also provide step-by-step instructions for creating symbolic links using the ln command, as well as tips for troubleshooting common issues.

=> ↺ Major Hayden: 1Password quick access in Sway

• 1Password has a handy quick access launcher and you can bring it on screen for fast

• access to passwords and two factor codes in Sway.

=> ↺ Fedora Magazine: How to rebase to Fedora Linux 38 on Silverblue

• Fedora Silverblue is an operating system for your desktop built on Fedora Linux. It’s excellent for daily use, development, and container-based workflows. It offers numerous advantages such as being able to roll back in case of any problems. If you want to update or rebase to Fedora Linux 38 on your Fedora Silverblue system (these instructions are similar for Fedora Kinoite), this article tells you how. It not only shows you what to do, but also how to revert things if something unforeseen happens.

=> ↺ Yuan Yijun: Installed nvidia driver (akmod-keys)

• When Secure Boot is enabled, the “akmods-nvidia” package will build and install kmod-nvidia that is not usable right away. Previously I followed some documents to run a cli script to “sign the modules” but it stopped working recently.

=> ↺ Mohammed Tayeh: Migrate bitbucket workspace

=> ↺ How to Upgrade to Ubuntu 23.04 from Ubuntu 22.10

• Want to upgrade to Ubuntu 23.04 from Ubuntu 22.10? If you’re full up-to-date and you have an active internet connection, you can – and in this post I run through the steps to do it. As Ubuntu 22.10 is end of life in July so anyone using it will have to upgrade to Ubuntu 23.04 to continue getting updates. If you don’t want the hassle of needing to upgrade every 6 to 9 months you might want to consider doing a fresh install of Ubuntu 22.04 LTS as it’s supported until 2027.

=> ↺ Matt Brown: co2mon.nz: Ventilation monitoring as a service

• Previously, I explained why ventilation monitoring is important, and the opportunity I see to help accelerate deployment of high quality ventilation monitoring for small businesses and organisations.

=> ↺ 7 Ways to Recover Deleted Files on Linux

• File restoration utilities are one of the most important programs in a Linux administrator’s toolkit. They provide the ability to recover deleted files, even in cases where the disk is either physically damaged or wiped clean.

• This guide shows seven simple file recovery tools that you can install right now on Linux. We also show you how you can do basic file restoration on your system.

=> ↺ AnyDesk Installation on Debian 12 BookWorm Linux

• AnyDesk on Windows, Linux, Android, or macOS is used as remote desktop software to connect and control distant computer systems using a keyboard and mouse.

=> ↺ How to Use the “ls” Command Equivalent on Windows

• The ls command, short for “list,” is a Linux command that’s used to display files and directories in the terminal. In most cases, it is used to get an idea about the files in the working directory and to ensure you are in the right directory. When you compare this to a rival operating system, the Command Prompt in Windows has a different approach when it comes to listing directories. In this guide, we will explain how to use the “ls” command on Windows 10 and 11.

=> ↺ How To Install Grsync on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

• Grsync is a graphical user interface for rsync, a command-line tool used for synchronizing files and directories between different locations. Grsync makes it easy for users to configure and run rsync commands without having to use the terminal. In this article, we will discuss how to install Grsync on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

=> ↺ How To Install Scrot on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

• Scrot is a command-line tool used for taking screenshots on Linux systems. It is a lightweight and easy-to-use tool that can capture screenshots of your desktop, windows, or any specific area of your screen. In this article, we will discuss how to install Scrot on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

=> ↺ How to Install Signal on Debian 12/11/10

• Signal Messenger is a cutting-edge communication platform designed with a strong emphasis on privacy and security. Developed by the non-profit Signal Foundation, it has rapidly gained traction as a popular alternative to traditional messaging apps.

=> ↺ How to Install R Programming Language on Debian 12/11/10

• The R programming language is a powerful, open-source software environment that was developed specifically for statistical computing and graphics. R was initially created by Ross Ihaka and Robert Gentleman in 1993 at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

=> ↺ How to Install Memcached on Debian 12/11/10

• Memcached is a powerful, open-source caching system designed to enhance the performance of dynamic web applications by reducing the load on databases. Developed in 2003 by Brad Fitzpatrick for the LiveJournal website, Memcached has since become an essential tool for numerous high-traffic websites and applications.

=> ↺ How to Install Apache on Ubuntu 22.04 | 20.04

• Apache 2 is a versatile, open-source, and powerful web server software that has become the backbone of many websites and applications worldwide. It is the latest iteration of the Apache HTTP Server Project, which is developed and maintained by the Apache Software Foundation.

=> ↺ How to Install Remmina on Ubuntu 22.04 | 20.04

• Look no further if you’re searching for a versatile and powerful remote desktop client! Remmina Remote Desktop Client is the perfect tool to meet all your remote access needs. It offers a seamless and user-friendly experience, making it the ideal choice for managing multiple remote connections.

=> ↺ Alternatives to popular CLI tools: man

• A Linux system comes with a whole collection of system reference manuals (known as man pages). There’s a man page for each command or program.

=> ↺ How to Install Elasticsearch 8 on Debian 11

• Elasticsearch is a highly scalable and distributed open-source full-text search and analytics engine tool.

=> ↺ How to Install / Remove XFCE4 (XUbuntu Desktop) in Ubun|u 23.04

• This simple tutorial shows how to install or completely remove the XFCE4 desktop environment in Ubuntu 22.04 and/or Ubuntu 23.04. XFCE4 is lightweight Linux desktop environment aims to be fast and low on system resources.

=> ↺ How To Install Passbolt Password Manager on Debian 11

• In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Passbolt Password Manager on Debian 11. Do you struggle to remember all your passwords? Are you worried about your online accounts’ security?

=> ↺ How To Install FrostWire on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

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

=> ↺ How to Upgrade to Fedora 38 from Fedora 37

• Learn how to smoothly upgrade from Fedora 37 to Fedora 38 with our step-by-step guide. Keep your system up-to-date and secure!

=> ↺ How to compare images & videos on Linux?

• As a content creator (I think I am), I often need to compare images after compressing them or changing their format to ensure their quality before uploading them to this humble blog.

=> ↺ How To Install Bottles on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

• Bottles is a popular application for Ubuntu users who want to run Windows applications on Linux. While the traditional method of installing Bottles involves adding a PPA repository and installing it through the terminal, it can also be installed using Flatpa

=> ↺ How to install Dolibarr ERP on Ubuntu 22.04

• Dolibarr is a PHP-based open-source system that has both E-R-P and CRM functionalities for small and medium businesses. Its main purpose is to help manage various features of the business such as customers, invoices, orders, products, and inventory. The system provides a intuitive and user friendly web interface.

=> ↺ Remi Collet: Install PHP 8.2 on Fedora, RHEL, CentOS, Alma, Rocky or other clone

• Here is a quick howto upgrade default PHP version provided on Fedora, RHEL, CentOS, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux or other clones with latest version 8.2.

=> ↺ How to install Nakivo Backup & Replication on Ubuntu Linux

• NAKIVO Backup & Replication is a paid data backup software solution for businesses that want to protect their data from an accidental mishap.

=> ↺ How to Integrate Arduino with Unity 3D

• Arduino has a great IDE, but it lacks serious coding features and attractive dashboards. Such limitations can be overcome by integrating Arduino IDE with professional software environments such as Unity 3D (or just Unity), a famous gaming engine. The following guide will show you how to integrate Arduino with Unity and help you make the Unity games technically compatible with Arduino for all your project requirements.

WINE or Emulation

=> ↺ Proton update gets 18 more Windows games running on Linux, including Chex Quest HD

• To play Windows-compatible games in its Linux-based operating system, the Steam Deck relies on a compatibility layer called Proton. It’s a collection of different technologies, including the venerable Wine software and software that translates Windows-native Direct3D API calls into Vulkan API calls that Linux can handle.

• Proton is continually updated to fix rendering bugs in specific games and to add new games to the compatibility list; version 8.0 was released yesterday and added support for 18 new games (and fixes rendering bugs in tons of others). Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais called the release “our biggest rebase to date.”

• The new compatibility list includes a few of the big, recognizable titles you’d expect Valve to prioritize, including the 2023 re-release of Dead Space and Square Enix’s Forspoken. But there is one oddball game that stood out to me: Chex Quest HD, the remastered version of a 1996 CD-ROM game that was included for free in boxes of Chex cereal for six weeks in the mid-’90s.

=> ↺ Valve’s Proton 8.0 Update Is A Big Win For Linux And Steam Deck Gaming

• The Steam Deck doesn’t run Windows. That’s right: a gaming handheld based on PC-equivalent hardware, much closer to a full PC than the Xbox or PlayStation, runs Windows PC games on a non-Windows operating system. This is achieved through the herculean efforts of the developers behind myriad open-source software, most prominently Valve’s own Proton compatibility layer.

• Proton is up to version 8.0 now, and the program’s lead developer says that this is “the biggest rebase to date.” It updates almost all of Proton’s core components, including Wine, DXVK, VKD3D, and others. As a result, it does require Vulkan 1.3, but that only raises the requirements as far as AMD Polaris (RX 400), NVIDIA Maxwell (GTX 750), and Intel 7th-gen IGPs.

=> ↺ Godot 4.1 Rendering Priorities

• For 4.1 the rendering team will be focusing on performance, stability, and usability.

Boiling Steam ☛ Knight Witch Review – Metroidvania Meets Bullet Hell ShooterKnight Witch first caught my eye during last year’s Steam Next Fest (proving once again with Dredge the utility of such events!) [...] What are Counter-Strike 2’s system requirements: Windows, macOS, SteamOS, and LinuxIf you’re looking to make sure you’re ready to go when Counter-Strike 2 launches, then you’ll want to make sure you have the minimum system requirements.Counter-Strike 2’s system requirements haven’t been revealed yet officially, but they’re not expected to be exceptionally high. It’s thought that the new iteration will require slightly better computers than the current version, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but not by much.

Desktop Environments/WMs

=> ↺ LXQt 1.3 Has Been Released With Bug Fixes Improvements

• LXQt is a fan-favorite Linux desktop environment for systems with meager resources. Suitable for older systems (but will run like an absolute champ on new hardware), LXQt is not just easy on hardware, but easy to use.

• With the latest release, version 1.3, the developers have remained with Qt 5.15 (although work is being done for initial Qt6 support) and have focused on adding new features.

K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt

=> ↺ Season Of KDE 2023: Wrapping Up My Work With KDE Eco

• This post wraps up my journey as a mentee in Season of KDE 2023, where I contributed to the preparation of Standard Usage Scenarios for the KDE applications GCompris and Kate while also working on a new tool to automate the formatting of log files.

• From troubleshooting screen resolution issues to creating a bash script for resetting user configurations, I hope this blog post provides the reader with useful insights and solutions. First, I share experiences with screen resolution problems when sharing Standard Usage Scenarios (SUS) across reference systems—and one way to overcome them. I also present a step-by-step guide for using KdeEcoTest with GCompris, and provide details about collaborative work porting the existing xdotool-based Kate script with KdeEcoTest. Finally, I give a progress update for the KDE-SUS Log Formatter, a tool used for formatting log files of actions.

• As discussed in my earlier blog post, there were issues when generating a Standard Usage Scenario for GCompris using KdeEcoTest. The main challenge was as follows: when the GCompris script was shared between two machines with different screen resolutions, the resulting UI changes made the script invalid. Specifically, GCompris uses the primary screen resolution to calculate icon size, which led to the script failing to run on a machine with a different resolution.

• To address this issue, SoK23 mentee Mohamed Ibrahim (from the KdeEcoTest project) and I used virtual machines configured with the same screen resolution. We generated a GCompris script on a machine with a screen resolution of 1366X768 and then tested it on a machine with a screen resolution of 1920×1080. However, the script failed to run due to the resulting UI changes. After further troubleshooting, we were able to fix this by generating a script where the GCompris window was kept to around 590×590 pixels as a modal window.

• We also encountered issues with the original GCompris script written by Emmanuel Charruau, as it was not working as expected. This was due to the script resizing the GCompris window to around 830×830 pixels in the modal window, reaching the maximum height of the screen and resulting in the window being maximized. To fix this, we kept the GCompris window

=> ↺ Slimbook Titan, Kubuntu, impressions a month later

• By the time you read this article, and/or correlate its publication date with my original Slimbook Titan article, the subsequent HW & install one, or the applications & gaming one, you may be a little confused or overly pedantic when it comes to a simple temporal question: has it really been a month? No matter. Give or take a couple of days, I’ve now had the Titan in me possession for several weeks, and I’ve used it quite extensively in this period.

• To that end, I’d like to write another mini review, and this would be the first of “combat reports”, similar to what I’ve done with my older Slimbook Pro2 and its long series of such articles. I want to give you my second impression on how the laptop has been behaving, the hardware support and compatibility, the ergonomics, the software side of things, and such. Let’s begin.

Distributions and Operating Systems

=> ↺ A New Voyage

• As a community and a team, we have been through some choppy waters the last few months. After extensive internal discussions involving consultation with contributors past and present, we have charted a new course for long term success which will yield immediate results for users and contributors. As of today, we are deploying a new, more resilient infrastructure and a new governance structure for Solus.

• [...]

• Both prior to and during the outage, active Solus team members offered to help mitigate the infrastructure bus-factor issue and move the infrastructure to more accessible hosting providers. These efforts were not met with success. In parallel, the Solus team members stepped up to communicate with the community when there was otherwise an absence of information.

• Separately, the Serpent OS project, led by Ikey Doherty (original founder and lead of Solus), reached out to offer hosting of the website to facilitate Solus’ ability to communicate with its user base and serve ISOs (which was declined). Concerned by the continuing outage and its impact on Solus users and contributors, the Serpent OS team then shared a proposal which would allow Solus to resume operations with less technical debt and mitigation of the apparent bus factor of one.

=> ↺ The rebooting of Solus Linux [LWN.net]

• The desktop-oriented Solus distribution has been through a difficult period; this post describes the extensive changes that have been made in response.

BSD

=> ↺ OpenZFS – Leveraging OpenZFS to Build Your Own Storage Appliance

• Discover the key factors in building an OpenZFS-based product, including target market, features, hardware and software components, and support needs.

SUSE/OpenSUSE

=> ↺ SUSE secures Rancher as K8s attack surface expands

• SUSE has jacked up security in its Kubernetes management platform Rancher, as the container management platform finds its way into more exposed environments.

• The German-based Linux platform took the wraps off v2.7.2 at this week’s KubeCon conference in Amsterdam.

=> ↺ Introducing SUSE support for the newest model of IBM LinuxONE Rockhopper

• The ground-breaking combination of IBM and SUSE security and sustainability initiatives pave the way to better choices for our customers. This is exemplified by IBM’s recent announcement of the new IBM LinuxONE Rockhopper 4.  This latest system: Launches a new era of sustainability with a more cost-effective rackmount system.

Fedora Family / IBM

=> ↺ Announcing Fedora Linux 38

• The Fedora Project is pleased to announce the latest version of the Fedora operating system, Fedora Linux 38, is now generally available. As always, you should make sure your system is fully up-to-date before upgrading from a previous release. Can’t wait to get started?

=> ↺ Fedora 38 arrives with GNOME 44 desktop and new spins

• The Fedora Project has released Fedora 38. It comes with several new spins, GNOME 44, and updates to packages useful for developers such as programming languages and system libraries.

=> ↺ Fedora 38 Released with GNOME 44 & Linux 6.2

• It’s out, folks – Fedora Linux 38 is now available to download.

=> ↺ Fedora Community Blog: F38 election nominations now open

• Candidates may self-nominate. If you nominate someone else, please check with them to ensure that they are willing to be nominated before submitting their name.

• The steering bodies are currently selecting interview questions for the candidates.

• Nominees submit their questionnaire answers via a private Pagure issue. The Election Wrangler or their backup will publish the interviews to the Community Blog before the start of the voting period.

• Please note that the interview is mandatory for all nominees. Nominees not having their interview ready by end of the Interview period (2023-05-17) will be disqualified and removed from the election.

• As part of the campaign people may also ask questions to specific candidates on the appropriate mailing list.

=> ↺ Yuan Yijun: Fedora 38

• Upgrading to Fedora 38. For the “Workstation” system, it has been on F38 beta so upgrading is just routine.

• For the Silverblue system, the “rpmfusion” packages need to be replaced with a release version, but it seems during the replacement, “ffmpeg” is turning into a local package (it was installed as a layered package because the rpmfusion repo owns it), which is an inconsistency?

• For the Podman system, I still see F37 as the base image. But it probably does not matter. When the podman machine re-init, how to restore all the container images? Can the new “default” machine create_before_destroy? Or is there a way to extract the manifest (how many container images were pulled and containers were created) and replay it?

• Silverblue system is similar to the podman machine, in that to switch the base system and apply overrides, there is an order of which packages to apply before others. The repos like rpmfusion should install, also the “akmod-keys” package for module signing, must go first so that other packages can install. And because “rpm-ostree status” only keeps history of one previously bootable system, the “manifest” is easily lost. Unfortunately that is what I am doing.

=> ↺ Timothée Ravier: What’s new in Fedora Kinoite 38

• Fedora 38 has been released (on time!) and Fedora Kinoite 38 alongside it.

• Since the last “State of Fedora Kinoite” post was a while ago, here is a summary of the changes in this release and a look at what is coming in the next releases.

=> ↺ IBM Makes Its Strongest Cloud-Native Case With LinuxONE Rockhopper

• What do you think of when you hear about a business using IBM? What I think is: big company, big budget, mission critical. The IBM mainframe has been around for decades for a reason. It’s not because organizations of all types—from the federal government to banks—love Big Blue. No, it’s because IT organizations know that their applications running on IBM systems will run. And run. And run. Not only that, but they’re going to run fast, and they’re going to run securely.

=> ↺ The Konveyor project dials in on replatforming and refactoring for 2023

• But as with all things in IT, this wasn’t a static need – as we’ve watched the community grow, we have realized that the tools and practices we create have to evolve to match the challenges in the real world. Moving forward, Konveyor’s mission is to create to

=> ↺ Node.js 20

• This will help identify and fix any issues before the release, ensuring a smoother experience for

=> ↺ Learn KubeVirt and Node.js with all new learning paths from Kube by Example

=> ↺ Transform your container workflow with Podman Desktop

• The Podman Desktop community has been growing and making steady progress over the past six months as we prepare for the 1.0 release later this year.

=> ↺ Ford’s community-first approach to CI/CD

• Ford Motor Company highly values open technologies and open standards, so when the company set its digital transformation strategy last decade, it looked to open source solutions. An early adopter of Kubernetes, with production workloads going online in 2017, Ford has since made open source technologies a cornerstone for the company’s cloud-native development initiatives.

=> ↺ Test TCP ports with Python and Scapy

• Get greater control over TCP port checking with a DIY, customizable approach using Python and Scapy.

=> ↺ Stop using Telnet to test ports

• Make life simpler by automating network checks with tools like Expect, Bash, Netcat, and Nmap instead.

=> ↺ Embedded financial services: Disruption ahead

• Banking is a complex business. From the customer perspective—especially for individuals and small businesses—banks are mainly businesses that lend money, accept deposits, and facilitate money movements in and out.

• There are a lot of nuances and shapes within these three categories, but at the core, this is what most customers perceive. Nothing particularly challenging to operate if you have good technology, processes, and teams.

• However, banks’ raw material—fiat money, or currency that is not backed by a commodity such as gold or silver—makes them integral to the economic system. Banks are arteries and veins of the economic system and facilitate the execution of central banks’ monetary policies.

=> ↺ Agile transformation: 3 obstacles and how to overcome them

• Large-scope transformations have become a new norm. Organizations are looking at how to strengthen their ability to adapt and respond to enterprise-wide challenges, global-scale disruptions, and socioeconomic tensions.

• As much as 87% of respondents to a recent IDG survey commissioned by Insight Enterprises said their organizations are pursuing some type of digital transformation, with 46% saying they are undertaking enterprise-wide initiatives.

=> ↺ Digital transformation: 3 ways it improves hybrid work

• The business world has undergone a massive change in recent years. CIOs have had to adopt a new mindset while exploring new ways for their companies to approach hybrid work. Successful hybrid work models offer businesses and employees a flexible working arrangement that accommodates both parties. Many companies are now doubling down on this model.

• In a 2022 CISCO Global Hybrid Work Study comprising 28,000 full-time employees across 27 markets, most respondents cited improvements in well-being, work-life balance, relationships, and even personal confidence in hybrid settings. The survey included those across different generations, gender, and seniority.

=> ↺ 7 digital transformation barriers to overcome

• Digital transformation is the integration of digital technology into all areas of a business resulting in fundamental changes to how businesses operate and deliver value. It helps streamline operations, increase efficiency, gain deeper insights into customers’ needs and behavior, foster innovation, and drive business growth.

• Digital transformation is no longer a choice; it’s a necessity for organizations to remain competitive. While digital transformation can bring many benefits to organizations, it also poses a handful of challenges.

• These are the top 7 barriers that organizations may face during digital transformation.

Debian Family

=> ↺ Tails 5.12 Anonymous OS Launches with New Persistent Storage Features, Bug Fixes

• Tails 5.12 is here to introduce two new features for Persistent Storage, namely the ability to manually delete stored data when turning off the Persistent Storage, as well as support for generating strong passwords when creating the Persistent Storage for your Tails system.

• Tails 5.12 also improves Persistent Storage’s error message when a feature fails to activate when it’s enabled from the Welcome Screen clarifying which feature is affected. In addition, the activation of the Persistent Storage is now more reliable and there’s a new icon for the backup utility for the Persistent Storage.

Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

=> ↺ 60 top Google Play apps infected with Android malware affecting millions | Fox News

=> ↺ The best Android launchers for your smartphone in 2023 [Video]

=> ↺ The 6 Best Android Auto Features

=> ↺ Google now taking Android 14 Beta 1 feedback

=> ↺ Android 14 Beta: Custom lock screen clock, app recording, more

=> ↺ People are just realizing hidden Android ‘battery button’ unlocks extra charge – but most people never tap it | The US Sun

=> ↺ Brit Android app devs to get Google Play billing choices • The Register

=> ↺ How to factory reset your Android phone and erase all your data

=> ↺ How to turn off Google Assistant on an Android phone

=> ↺ Android has a new “flagship king” as the Dimensity 9200+ exceeds 1.36 million on AnTuTu – Gizchina.com

=> ↺ Taking Qt for Python to Android

=> ↺ Wallpaper Wednesday: Android wallpapers 2023-04-19 – Android Authority

=> ↺ How to clear the cache on your Android phone and why you should

=> ↺ How to install the Android 14 beta right now | Trusted Reviews

=> ↺ Fairphone Leads the Way in Android Updates, Bringing Android 13 to Older Devices

=> ↺ Xiaomi’s New Tablets Feature 2.8K Screens, Android 13, and Tons of RAM – Phandroid

=> ↺ Android 13 Begins to Roll out for the Nokia X30 – Phandroid

=> ↺ Think Android 14 seems boring? Think about this. | Computerworld

=> ↺ IRCTC’s Dangerous Dupe! Fake app that Android users should beware of | The Financial Express

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

=> ↺ 14 Open-source Free Resume Builder and CV Generator Apps

• A Resume Builder App is an essential tool that helps users create professional resumes with ease. By providing templates, prompts, and other tools, these apps guide users in the creation of resumes that are polished and effective.

Web Browsers/Web Servers

Mozilla

=> ↺ Meet The Team: Wolf-Martell Montwe, Android Developer

• I love a great origin story, and many people working in technology seem to have one that’s directly tied to their first computer. Wolf is no exception.

• “I think I started my computer journey with playing games — the first I remember is Sid Meier’s Pirates!” Wolf remembers. “Back then I had an IBM 386. Super slow, super loud! And I hacked around a lot to get games running too, to free up memory, to free up disk space because this was super limited. I think one partition was maximum 3MB! It was a big achievement if something just was running.”

• Wolf’s fascination with games eventually led to some basic programming knowledge and web page development.

• “I used to develop web pages, especially for my school to build up like a little forum,” he says. “I fell in love with PHP because it had one of the first editors with code completion, and that was awesome.”

=> ↺ IRL (podcast): Bonus Episode

• We have good news to share. IRL: Online Life is Real Life has been nominated for two Webby Awards: one in the Public Service and Activism category and another in the Technology category.  We need your help.  We’d love it if you could click on the links in our episode notes and vote for us. It’s quick and easy!  Voting ends on Thursday, April 20th at midnight PDT. 

• Vote for IRL in the Webby Awards: Technology and Public Service Activism 

• It means so much to spotlight the voices and stories of folks who are making AI more trustworthy in real life, and we love to see them celebrated! 

=> ↺ Why is Firefox called Firefox?

• A story of bullying, and failing to see if a product name is in use before choosing it.

• [...]

• In 2023, everybody knows the name “Firefox.”

• Utter that name, and nearly every computer user will instantly know you are talking about the web browser from Mozilla Corporation… even if Firefox market share has dropped down to less than 3%.

• But did you know that Firefox was not originally named “Firefox”?

• In fact… the Mozilla Web Browser settled on that name through a series of bad decisions, bullying of another open source project, and a game of word association.

• Seriously. You wouldn’t think it… but it’s kind of a wild story.

SaaS/Back End/Databases

=> ↺ Databricks brings large language models (LLMs) to SQL and MLflow 2.3

• Databricks upgraded to MLflow 2.3 today, adding SQL querying and making it easier for organizations to manage and deploy ML models.

=> ↺ Extracting statements from a MySQL binary log

• Introduction If you’;re dabbling in the world of MySQL, you’ve probably encountered binary logs at some point. As a vital part of MySQL replication and point-in-time recovery, binary logs can provide valuable information to help you better understand your database.

=> ↺ PGDay Israel 2023: Call for Papers is Now Open!

• PGDay Israel 2023 takes place in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 19. Our Call for Papers is now open.

=> ↺ PGDay Chicago is happening on Thursday!

• Greetings!

• The inaugural PGDay Chicago is almost here, happening this Thursday, April 20th!

GNU Projects

=> ↺ GNU Guix: Dissecting Guix, Part 3: G-Expressions

• Welcome back to Dissecting Guix!

• Last time, we discussed monads, the functional programming idiom used by Guix to thread a store connection through a series of store-related operations.

• Today, we’ll be talking about a concept rather more specific to Guix: g-expressions. Being an implementation of the Scheme language, Guile is built around s-expressions, which can represent, as the saying goes, code as data, thanks to the simple structure of Scheme forms.

• As Guix’s package recipes are written in Scheme, it naturally needs some way to represent code that is to be run only when the package is built. Additionally, there needs to be some way to reference dependencies and retrieve output paths; otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to, for instance, create a phase to install a file in the output directory.

• So, how do we implement this “deferred” code? Well, initially Guix used plain old s-expressions for this purpose.

Programming/Development

=> ↺ Eclipse OpenJ9 Version 0.37.0 -

• Eclipse OpenJ9™ release 0.37.0 works with OpenJDK 19. OpenJDK 19 is out of support at the time of the 0.37.0 release. Builds of 0.37.0 should not be used in production and might contain known security vulnerabilities as of 18 April 2023.

=> ↺ Announcing WCGI: WebAssembly + CGI

• Welcome to the future of server-side development with WebAssembly! Today we are introducing WCGI, a technology that marries the power of WebAssembly with the versatility and simplicity of CGI.

=> ↺ Implementing C++20 semaphores

• C++20 introduces counting_semaphore and binary_semaphore, which support blocking acquire() and non-blocking try_acquire() as well as timed try_acquire_for() and try_acquire_until(). On platforms that support __platform_wait()/__platform_notify(), we select an implementation strategy based on atomic; otherwise, we attempt to use POSIX semaphores.

• If you missed the previous article, read it here: Implementing C++20 atomic waiting in libstdc++

• Here’s what the ISO C++ Standard has to say on the matter of semaphores:

• 1 Class template counting_semaphore maintains an internal counter that is initialized when the semaphore is created. The counter is decremented when a thread acquires the semaphore, and is incremented when a thread releases the semaphore. If a thread tries to acquire the semaphore when the counter is zero, the thread will block until another thread increments the counter by releasing the semaphore.

=> ↺ Defining interfaces in C++ with ‘concepts’ (C++20)

• In an earlier blog post, I showed on the Go programming language allow you to write generic functions once you have defined an interface. Java has a very similar concept under the same name (interface).

=> ↺ Meson & VSCode: Develop your project in a modern IDE

• Want to develop your Meson project in a modern IDE? Make sure to install Meson VSCode extension which is now fully functional with the recent release of Meson 1.1.0!

=> ↺ Sebastian Dröge: Building a GStreamer plugin in Rust with meson instead of cargo

• Over the Easter holidays I spent some time on a little experiment: How hard is it to build a GStreamer plugin in Rust with meson instead of using the default Rust build system cargo?

• meson is a community-developed, open-source, cross-platform (including Windows), multi-language build system that is supposed to be fast and easy to use. It’s nowadays used as a build system by a lot of components of the GNOME desktop, by GStreamer, systemd, Mesa, X.org, QEMU and many other pieces of Free Software. Mostly for building C or C++ code, but also for configuring and installing Python or JavaScript code, Vala, and other languages.

Qt

=> ↺ A Collection of References and Hints about Porting from Qt 5 to Qt 6

• With approaching the EOL of Qt 5.15 and the release of Qt 6.5, there is a notable wider interest in porting of existing Qt5-based code base to Qt 6. I keep hearing questions from Qt users who are interested in getting some additional hints and learning how others went on this path. Lets have a look.

=> ↺ Commercial LTS Qt 6.2.8 Released

• We have released Qt 6.2.8 LTS for commercial license holders today. As a patch release, Qt 6.2.8 does not add any new functionality but provides bug fixes and other improvements.

=> ↺ Taking Qt for Python to Android

• Deploying Python applications to Android is a big talking point these days among the Python community, and a frequently asked question by people developing their first GUI applications. There are already a couple of Python frameworks that offer the ability to deploy your applications to Android devices, and Qt for Android has existed for a decade now. With QML and Qt Quick, one can use Qt to develop native Android applications. It was high time we bridged the gap and brought PySide applications to Android.

Standards/Consortia

=> ↺ European Committee of Social Rights finds France violated European Social Charter for lack of accessibility regulations

• The European Committee of Social Rights said in a statement Monday that they found France in violation of the European Social Charter over the country’s failure to implement accessibility regulations to aid citizens with disabilities.

Leftovers

=> ↺ With April showers, poetry flowers: Three vibrant collections

• Celebrate National Poetry Month with three vibrant new books of poems that broaden and deepen the landscape of poetry.

=> ↺ “Those” tourists in Japan

• Case in point, Clara and I were having breakfast at a beautiful local Osaka coffee shop, when the peace was interrupted by a loud Australian tourist rambling off the most complicated order I’d ever heard… in English. I’d have scarcely remembered half of it in our common language, but the poor Japanese barista didn’t stand a chance. When it was clear the tourist wasn’t getting through to him, he continued to speak English, but slowly. Fortunately for everyone involved, he eventually gave up with a “never mind, mate” and walked out.

• Osaka Point page for the UPGREEN cafe

• I caught the barista’s eye from our table, shook my head, and apologised in (broken!) Japanese for the other gaijins he has to deal with. He laughed it off like the consummate professional he was, but you could tell it had a tinge of frustration to it. Less than fifteen minutes later, the same thing happened with a few tourists speaking Mandarin.

Science

=> ↺ The city of Bee Cave, Texas certified as International Dark Sky Community

• The City of Bee Cave was certified as an International Dark Sky Community by DarkSky International.

=> ↺ Scientists Are Using Bizarre Units to Describe Their Discoveries. Here’s Why

• When boring old measurements won’t do.

=> ↺ A First-of-Its-Kind Signal Has Been Detected in The Human Brain

• Our brains could be more powerful than we thought.

=> ↺ A Rare Event Is About to Send Parts of Australia Into Darkness

• Here’s what you need to know.

=> ↺ Scientists Think They’ve Narrowed Down The Star Systems Most Likely to Host Life

• Not what we expected.

=> ↺ Physicists Determine The Ultimate Strategy For The Playground Swing

• Here’s some science to test out this weekend.

=> ↺ Ancient DNA Sheds Light on Wooly Mammoth Evolution, And They Weren’t Always So Fluffy

• Life is hard on the Steppes.

=> ↺ No, It Doesn’t Take 21 Days to Form a New Habit. A New Study Shows Why

• It just takes time.

Education

=> ↺ Library introduces new interface for archival finding aids

• Researchers who use U-M’s Finding Aids site for descriptions and other information about archival collections are in for a new, improved user experience through ArcLight.

=> ↺ Government approves teacher wage increase plan in Latvia

• The government on Tuesday, April 18, approved a schedule for increasing teacher pay proposed by the Ministry of Education and Science (IZM).

Hardware

=> ↺ Intel Discontinues Bitcoin-Mining Blockscale Chips, No Future Gens Announced

• Intel released a bulletin that announces it is ending production of all of its known bitcoin-mining Blockscale ASICs.

=> ↺ Russia Is Importing Western Weapons Technology, Bypassing Sanctions

• Western technology goods are winding up in Russian missiles, raising questions about the efficacy of sanctions.

=> ↺ European Union gives green light to €43B Chips Act

=> ↺ Berkeley Lab Opens Bidding For Future NERSC-10 Exascale System

• The National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, one of the key facilities of the US Department of Energy that drives supercomputing innovation and that spends big bucks so at least a few vendors will design and build them, has opened up the bidding on its future NERSC-10 exascale-class supercomputer.

=> ↺ Global smartphone shipments down for fifth straight quarter

• Samsung was the only brand among the leaders to perform better than in the previous quarter, accounting for 22% of the market. Canalys did not provide overall figures for shipments in the quarter.

=> ↺ EU reaches deal to boost chip production in bid to reduce dependence on Asian suppliers

• The European Parliament and EU member states reached an agreement Tuesday on how to boost the supply of semiconductors in Europe, as the bloc races to reduce its dependence on Asian suppliers.

Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

=> ↺ Survey explores COVID-19 stigma and mental health

• More than a third of Michigan adults who have had COVID-19 report being treated badly due to their infection, say U-M researchers.

=> ↺ Nigeria Records 79 Cholera Deaths In 2023

• The disease has spread across 43 regions in 12 Nigerian states.

=> ↺ Record 64 million Americans facing daily spikes in deadly particle pollution

• Unhealthy air pollution levels affect more than a third of all U.S. residents, according to an annual report published Wednesday.

• The big picture: That’s 17.6 million fewer people than in the American Lung Association’s previous “State of the Air” report.

=> ↺ Chinese pandemic whistleblower tried in secret was given 3-year jail term

• Fang Bin, to be released later this month, disappeared after filming from Wuhan in early days of COVID-19 outbreak

=> ↺ Hot, hazy weather: Use brollies, wear masks and limit outdoor activities, advises Malaysian Health Minister

• Some areas were experiencing heatwave with unhealthy air quality level.

=> ↺ Covid-19 patients who suffer from loss of smell show different activities in brain: Study

• A study has found that people living with long Covid who suffer from loss of smell show different patterns of activity in certain regions of the brain. The study was published in the journal, ‘EClinicalMedicine’.

=> ↺ Covid May Increase the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Researchers Find

• Men and people with severe illnesses were more likely to develop the condition within a year. But the data does not prove that the coronavirus causes diabetes.

=> ↺ Yuan Yijun: Hangover

• I remember the good old days when people can get together and drink lots of beer. Sometimes good amount of baijiu was consumed. But nowadays I just cannot. Drinking is a problem.

• To drink a beer requires an occasion. At least one has to have achieved something, also without concerns. At least one cannot drink before kids go to bed. That’s the worst lesson I learned in 2021, when I had to drive JY to ER when his teeth were knocked out by another kid. It is impossible for kids to stay safe unless they are in bed. Even at that time they may fall and break some bones. With that in mind, what can be the right occasion?

• When one is too tired, it is not proper to drink beer, because one would lose more control. The feeling of losing control is not just for the night, but the second day. And it is not just losing control to arm and legs, tongue and mouth. The feeling is dulled. The thoughts are stopped or never come (have you waited for the train of thought?)  And the tiresome feeling of let it be will be around all day, maybe a few more days. There are things you want to do or should do but cannot. One can barely catch the schedule, yet don’t know what to say when it is one’s turn.

=> ↺ Tick infection affects various cell types in brain: Study

• Depending on whether the affected person’s immune system is activated or not, the dreaded tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus infects different types of brain cells in different parts of the brain. This is demonstrated in a new study from Ume University in Sweden.

• “This increased understanding of how the virus behaves in the brain and how it activates the immune system is a crucial step in the development of effective treatments and preventive measures against this difficult disease,” says Anna Overby, professor at Umea University and leader of the research group behind the current study.

=> ↺ Poland Reaches Agreement On Transit Of Ukrainian Grain, Agriculture Minister Says

• Poland has reached an agreement on restarting transit of Ukrainian grains through its territory as of April 21, Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus said on April 18, adding transit would be monitored and sealed.

=> ↺ Hong Kong Hospital Authority hiring spree sees 20 non-locally trained medics accept offers in London so far

• Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority has announced that its recent recruitment event in London has so far resulted in 20 non-locally trained medics accepting job offers. Medical professionals who studied outside Hong Kong are being sought to plug the gaps in the city’s public health care system amid an exodus and shortage of manpower.

Proprietary

=> ↺ Reddit to charge for access to its API to counter free data scraping by AI companies

• As big tech races to develop the most advanced generative artificial intelligence chatbots, Reddit Inc. today announced its treasure trove of data will no longer come free.

=> ↺ Vivaldi gives power users that little extra to stand out

• In a statement, the company said two new features — custom icons and workspaces — would help users personalise the application even more.

• Vivaldi is a browser aimed at power users and its chief executive and founder, Jon von Tetzchner, was also behind the Opera browser.

=> ↺ Disney layoffs: Entertainment division to witness significant job cuts as CEO Iger refocuses on streaming

• Entertainment giant Disney is expected to announce layoffs next week in a move that is expected to affect the company’s entertainment and theme parks divisions as well as corporate roles.

• Entertainment giant Disney plans to cut jobs in another next week, spanning TV, films and theme parks apart from corporate roles. Earlier this year, Disney CEO Robert Iger announced 7,000 job cuts in a move that was aimed at slashing costs at the streaming giant.

=> ↺ WeWork receives non-compliance notice from NYSE

• WeWork Inc said on Tuesday that it had received a non-compliance notice from the New York Stock Exchange, as its stock traded below $1 over a 30 day period.

• The notice will not result in immediate de-listing and the company will have six months to regain compliance, the flexible workspace provider said.

=> ↺ Amazon’s Middle East rival Noon cuts 10% of jobs to pare costs

• Noon, the Middle East’s answer to Amazon.com, cut about 10 per cent of its roughly 3,400-strong workforce to increase efficiency and reduce costs, according to its founder Mohamed Alabbar.

• The layoffs at the Dubai-based e-commerce firm included roles in marketing and advertising, as well as in other departments, Alabbar said in an interview.

• “We’ve been cutting costs and reducing staff for the past year and a half,” said Alabbar, who owns 50 per cent of Noon, while Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund owns the other half. “We started before the big tech companies did but we’re done now.”

Security

=> ↺ Tim Retout: Data Diodes

• At ArgoCon today, Thomas Fricke gave a nice talk on Cloud Native Deployments in Air Gapped Environments describing container vulnerability scanning in the German energy sector… and since he didn’t mention data diodes, and since some of my colleagues at Oakdoor/PA Consulting make data diodes for a living, I thought this might be interesting to write about!

=> ↺ Cameron Kaiser: Power Mac ransomware? Yes, but it’s complicated

• Can that file run on a Power Mac? It appears it’s indeed a PowerPC binary, but the executable format is ELF and not Mach-O, so the file can only run natively on Linux or another ELF-based operating system, not PowerPC Mac OS X (or, for that matter, Mac OS 9 and earlier). Even if the raw machine code were sprayed into memory for an exploitable Mac application to be tricked into running, ELF implies System V ABI, which is similar but different from the PowerOpen ABI used for PowerPC-compatible versions of Mac OS, and we haven’t even started talking about system calls. Rather than a specific build targetting Power Macs, most likely this is evidence that the LockBit builders simply ran every crosscompiler variation they could find on their source code: there are no natively little-endian 32-bit PowerPC CPUs, for example, yet there’s a ppcle build visible in the screenshot. Heck, there’s even an s390x build. Parents, don’t let your mainframes out unsupervised.

• This is probably a good time to mention that I’ve been working on security patches for TenFourFox and a couple minor feature adjustments, so stay tuned. It’s been awhile but such are hobbies.

=> ↺ Scammers are targeting Microsoft users with ‘storage full’ emails

• The email leads to a dodgy phishing website

=> ↺ Microsoft Isn’t Done Shoving Ads Into Windows 11

• The company wrote that its latest Windows 11 preview build will have even more ‘badging’ on the Start menu for Microsoft 365 and OneDrive.

=> ↺ ARMO Employs eBPF to Identify Severe Kubernetes Vulnerabilities

• ARMO today announced it has added a capability to its Kubernetes security platform that makes it simpler to prioritize remediation of vulnerabilities based on their relevancy. Ben Hirschberg, ARMO CTO, says this capability takes advantage of extended Berkeley Packet Filtering (eBPF) in the Linux kernel to scan running Kubernetes pods

=> ↺ The State of Kubernetes Security in 2023

• Despite Kubernetes still being a relatively young technology, adoption rates have soared over the past several years as the container orchestration platform has become the cornerstone for many digital transformation initiatives. Even as organizations settle in with their use of the technology in production, however, there still remains concern around the best ways to secure containerized workloads.

=> ↺ Red Hat Survey Surfaces Cloud-Native Cybersecurity Challenges

• A global survey of 600 DevOps, engineering and security professionals published today by Red Hat finds more than two-thirds (67%) have delayed or slowed down deployment of Kubernetes clusters because of a cybersecurity issue. More than half (53%) experienced a software supply chain issue related to cloud-native and containerized development

=> ↺ Speech by Executive Vice-President Vestager on strengthening cybersecurity resilience

• European Commission Speech Strasbourg, 18 Apr 2023 Today we put on the table two initiatives: a proposal for a European Cyber Solidarity Act, and a European Cybersecurity Skills Academy.

=> ↺ Report: [Cr]ackers Use ‘Backdoor’ Attacks to Access Computer Networks

• As Africa’s online community continues to grow, hackers and other malicious actors are waiting to invade those expanding networks to steal valuable data. A recent study by IBM’s Security X-Force cyberthreat analysts showed that so-called “backdoor” attacks were among the most popular way for hackers to gain access to computer systems across Africa.

=> ↺ How Mexico Became the Biggest User of the Pegasus Spyware

• A Times investigation reveals the story behind how Mexico became the first and most prolific user of Pegasus. It’s still using it, despite promising to stop.

=> ↺ David Cantrell: Security Checks in rpminspect

• Some changes have been made to how rpminspect honors settings in local configuration files. With rpminspect you can modify a local rpminspect configuration file to control how individual inspections run. The change is that any check that would produce a Security waiver authorization is now something that the local configuration file cannot override. In order to set rules to control how Security checks work, you need to modify the security product release file in the vendor data package.

=> ↺ Data stolen from CommScope in ransomware attack released on dark web

=> ↺ Using LLMs to Create Bioweapons

• I’m not sure there are good ways to build guardrails to prevent this sort of thing:

• [...]

=> ↺ Citizen Lab finds three new iOS exploits used by NSO Group

=> ↺ Triple Threat: NSO Group’s Pegasus Spyware Returns in 2022 with a Trio of iOS 15 and iOS 16 Zero-Click Exploit Chains

• Key Findings In 2022, the Citizen Lab gained extensive forensic visibility into new NSO Group exploit activity after finding infections among members of Mexico’s civil society, including two human rights defenders from Centro PRODH, which represents victims of military abuses in Mexico.

=> ↺ NSO Group Used at Least 3 iOS Zero-Click Exploits in 2022: Citizen Lab

• NSO Group used at least three iOS zero-click exploits in Pegasus attacks in 2022: FindMyPwn, PwnYourHome, and LatentImage.

=> ↺ New ‘Domino’ Malware Linked to FIN7 Group, Ex-Conti Members

• New Domino backdoor brings together former members of the Conti group and the FIN7 threat actors.

=> ↺ Takedown of GitHub Repositories Disrupts RedLine Malware Operations

• Four GitHub repositories used by RedLine stealer control panels were suspended, disrupting the malware’s operations.

=> ↺ CISA Adds Chrome, macOS Bugs to Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog

• CISA has added two vulnerabilities to its ‘must patch’ list, including a recently fixed Chrome flaw and a macOS flaw exploited by the DazzleSpy malware.

=> ↺ CISA Chief of Staff Kiersten Todt to step down

• After nearly two years at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Todt will leave for a job in the private sector.

=> ↺ UDDIs are back: Attackers rediscovering old exploits., (Tue, Apr 18th)

=> ↺ Security updates for Wednesday [LWN.net]

• Security updates have been issued by Debian (asterisk), Fedora (lldpd and openssh), Red Hat (curl, kernel, and openvswitch2.13), SUSE (compat-openssl098, glib2, grafana, helm, libgit2, openssl, and openssl-1_1), and Ubuntu (linux, linux-aws, linux-aws-5.15, linux-azure, linux-azure-5.15, linux-azure-fde, linux-gcp, linux-gcp-5.15, linux-gke, linux-gke-5.15, linux-gkeop, linux-ibm, linux-kvm, linux-lowlatency, linux-lowlatency-hwe-5.15, linux-oracle, linux-oracle-5.15, linux-raspi, linux, linux-aws, linux-azure, linux-gcp, linux-hwe-5.19, linux-kvm, linux-lowlatency, linux-oracle, linux-raspi, and vim).

=> ↺ Virginia Passes Legislation Prohibiting the Use of Employees’ Social Security Numbers as Identifiers

• On March 21, 2023, Virginia’s governor approved Senate Bill 1040, which prohibits an employer from using an employee’s social security number or any derivative as an employee’s identification number. The bill also prohibits including an employee’s social security number or any number derived from the social security number on any identification card or badge.

• An employer who knowingly violates the new law may be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $100 for each violation. However, the employer shall be provided notice of the violation by the state Commissioner and the employer can request an informal conference regarding the violation.

Privacy/Surveillance

=> ↺ WhatsApp, Signal and Element: Online Safety Bill ‘poses an unprecedented threat to the privacy, safety and security of every UK citizen’

• Open Rights Group welcomes calls by WhatsApp, Signal and Element for a re-think of government proposals that could force them to undermine the encryption of their services.

=> ↺ Will smart medicine drive privacy legislation? It should.

• This week, I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about an artificial knee from Zimmer Biomet that, after being implanted in a patient’s knee, shared sensor data with the patient’s doctor about steps taken, range of motion for the knee, miles traveled, and various gait statistics.

=> ↺ Policy briefing – Online Safety Bill – House of Lords Committee Stage

• CIVIL SOCIETY COMMITTEE STAGE BRIEFING ON THE ONLINE SAFETY BILL FOR HOUSE OF LORDS: ILLEGAL CONTENT SAFETY DUTIES AND PRIOR RESTRAINT – Supported by Wikimedia UK, Index on Censorship, and Open Rights Group. Published by Open Rights Group – Open Rights is a non-profit company limited by Guarantee, registered in England and Wales no. 05581537.

=> ↺ Taco Bell Raises Prices Between 10-25% In App, but Not In-Store. Changes Them Back on App if You Go Inside.

• And Taco Bell isn’t alone. Most fast food companies now have gigantic annual price hikes and Apps that can divide and manipulate people, and collect data and run experiments, like seeing how much each person will pay.

• Taco Bell and McDonalds have plans to further automate where they may no longer let you inside the restaurant to see a menu. Then you might pay $5.99 for a Big Mac, while someone else pays $7.99 because McDonalds is tracking them and sees they go there several times a week and are more likely to put up with it.

• This is part of the nightmare that data collection and automation are giving us.

• Right now, they are advertising apps as ways to get “rewarded” with “free food”.

=> ↺ UK regulator launches investigation into Amazon’s $1.7B acquisition of iRobot

• The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) Tuesday announced the launch of its investigation into Amazon.com, Inc.’s $1.7 billion acquisition of iRobot Corporation, which is known for its Roomba robot vacuum cleaners. The CMA’s findings will allow it to determine whether Amazon’s acquisition of iRobot will reduce market competition within the UK.

=> ↺ Iran’s hijab war continues with business shutdowns and surveillance cameras

• In a new move that some Iranians are calling “religious apartheid”, authorities are refusing services and imposing fines on women who refuse to wear the Islamic headscarf. Iran’s newly appointed police chief has even announced that surveillance cameras and artificial intelligence will be used to detect women without hijabs and issue penalties. These are just the latest strategies that Iran’s religious authorities are using to try to enforce Islamic dress code laws in Iran after months of protest have broken them down. Iranian women, however, say they’ve seen little evidence of the crackdown.

=> ↺ Meta cuts 90 jobs in Israel as part of global layoffs

• After the first wave last month included mainly employees from the HR departments, this time employees from a wide variety of fields, including programmers and engineers, were let go

=> ↺ Meta, Amazon Push on With Job Cuts. Advertising Trends Show Why.

• A review of first-quarter advertising spending shows companies are seeking a better return on their ad dollars, according to analysts at Truist Securities, based on data from marketing-technology company Skai.

=> ↺ Meta to Slash Jobs Across Its 3 Social Platforms

• Meta is reportedly readying layoffs that will impact its flagship social media platforms.

• The company told managers to be prepared for layoff announcements Wednesday (April 19), with the cuts affecting Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, Bloomberg News reported, citing an internal company memo.

• According to the memo, Realty Labs, Meta’s virtual reality arm, will also be impacted. PYMNTS has reached out to Meta for comment but has not yet received a reply.

• The cuts Wednesday are part of a broader cost-cutting push as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg tries to move the company through its “year of efficiency.” More job cuts are planned for next month, the Bloomberg report said.

=> ↺ Less than 20 Irish-based jobs to go in latest round of Meta layoffs

• It is understood that less than 20 jobs are to be cut from Meta’s Irish-based data centre team as part of the social media giant’s latest round of layoffs.

• In March, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, announced plans to cut around 10,000 jobs globally.

• Announcing the cuts at the time, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the layoffs would impact members of the recruitment division immediately with cuts to follow in late April for Meta’s tech groups and in late May for the company’s business groups.

Defence/Aggression

Axios ☛ Fighting rocks Sudan despite rival generals agreeing to cease-fireExplosions could still be heard in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Tuesday in the first hour after a temporary cease-fire was due to begin. Why it matters: The proposed 24-hour cease-fire was intended to allow Sudanese civilians trapped by the fighting to obtain necessities like food and water. It appeared to have the endorsement of leaders from the Sudanese military and the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The fighting has left an estimated 270 people dead over four days, according to the World Health Organization, citing Sudan’s Health Ministry.Driving the news: Secretary of State Tony Blinken spoke separately to Army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is known as Hemedti, after a U.S. diplomatic convoy was attacked on Monday.

=> ↺ Did the Chinese military launch missiles into Taiwan’s airspace?

• Social media frenzy over old maps and other distorted info spurred speculation that an invasion was imminent.

=> ↺ ‘Particularly Bloodthirsty’: Leaders Discuss Terrorism at U.N. Meeting

• Although terrorism is a global problem, it is “particularly critical” in many parts of Africa, Mozambican President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi told the United Nations Security Council in late March.

=> ↺ Tensions Over Nearly Finished GERD Rooted in National Identity, Experts Say

• As it nears completion, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam continues to fuel tense relations between Ethiopia and Egypt, tensions that go beyond energy or irrigation to the heart of each country’s self-identity, according to analysts. Ethiopia recently announced that the $4.2 billion dam, also known as the GERD, is 90% complete.

=> ↺ Russia Accuses Ukraine, UN Of Sabotaging Grain Deal

• Ukraine and the United Nations are causing difficulties with inspections of ships moving grain from Ukrainian ports and the registration of new vessels, the RIA Novosti news agency quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying.

=> ↺ How cyber support to Ukraine can build its democratic future

• Kyiv sees Ukraine’s reconstruction as an opportunity to turn the country into a European tech hub — to do that it needs help.

=> ↺ Four Americans and two Russians conspired to sway elections, influence politics, Justice Department says

• The DOJ unsealed new indictments on Tuesday that allege a years-long conspiracy to interfere in elections and weaponize information.

=> ↺ Poland Building Electronic Barrier On Border With Russia

• Poland has begun building a state-of-the-art electronic barrier at its land border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave to monitor and counteract any illegal activity, Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said on April 18.

=> ↺ Reasons for secret jailing of former spy revealed

• A former intelligence officer was jailed for threatening to extort highly classified national security information after he believed he had been wronged.  The sentencing remarks for the man dubbed Witness J were made public on Wednesday after the unprecedented secrecy of his case sparked the attorney-general to launch a review of Australia’s national security laws.

=> ↺ Russia Launches Drone Attack On Odesa As Heavy Fighting Continues In Eastern Ukraine

• Russia attacked the southern port city of Odesa with Iranian-made drones overnight, the Ukrainian Southern Air Command said on April 19, as fighting raged in the eastern region of Donetsk, where a protracted battle for the city of Bakhmut has been under way.

=> ↺ Sudan’s Hemedti – the warlord who built a paramilitary force more powerful than the state

• Dozens have been killed in armed clashes in the Sudanese capital Khartoum following months of tension between the military and the powerful paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

=> ↺ Russia’s Ukraine invasion is the latest stage in the unfinished Soviet collapse

• Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is best understood as the latest stage in the unfinished collapse of the Soviet Union and as part of Russia’s historic retreat from empire, argues Richard Cashman.

=> ↺ What Happens When You Talk? Peace Breaks Out!

• After decades of stewardship of the Middle East, during which the US pursued the absurd policy of not talking to its enemies and creating and enforcing blocs to oppose and isolate those enemies, the predictable outcome occurred.

=> ↺ Snowden and Texeira: Ten Years of Disaster

• Ten years ago Edward Snowden was helped to escape by WikiLeaks and to publish his revelations by The Intercept, Guardian, New York Times, and others.

=> ↺ The Official Story of the Ukraine War Grossly Misleads

• Just after Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24, 2022, President Biden walked into the East Room of the White House and condemned the invasion with a barrage of adjectives: unprovoked, unjustified, brutal, without cause, premeditated, unnecessary. One of these quickly rose to prominence.

=> ↺ Trapped by fighting, Sudanese look for ways to survive

• The lives of of millions of Sudanese have been brutally disrupted since violence suddenly erupted over the weekend between forces loyal to the country’s top two generals. Civilian life has come to a standstill as tens of thousands of heavily armed fighters from the military and its rival, the Rapid Support Forces, battle it out in densely populated residential areas. Trapped in their homes, they avoid going near windows and are rationing basic foodstuffs. Many say they believe this latest bloody setback is particularly dire for a population that has endured years of hardship.

=> ↺ Diplomacy for Peace, Dead in US, Blossoms Elsewhere

• “Global Power Struggles Signal An End to An Era of Diplomacy.” So ran a page one headline to New York Times April 11 print edition for an article marking Joe Biden’s ceremonial visit to Ireland to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Accords.

=> ↺ No total defence in sight: Lithuania’s plans to prep society for war stall

• A year has passed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But despite presenting an urgent wake-up call for Lithuanian officials, the promised plans for society-wide defence are nowhere in sight.

=> ↺ Latvian citizen wanted for warfare against Ukraine

• Law enforcement authorities are searching for the Latvian citizen Aleksandrs Mališevs who has participated in military operations and attacks against Ukrainian armed forces, the State Security Service (VDD) told LETA April 18.

=> ↺ At the EP plenary session debate on EU-China relations, President von der Leyen calls for Europe’s own distinct approach to China

• European Commission News Strasbourg, 18 Apr 2023 President von der Leyen called for a new EU approach that should focus on ‘de-risking, but not decoupling’. This follows her recent trip to Beijing where she discussed with President Xi the shared challenges that EU and China need to work on together.

=> ↺ Russian Mercenaries Turn Attention to Côte d’Ivoire

• In a series of crudely produced propaganda cartoons circulated on the internet and through West African social media, France is portrayed as a predatory giant rat, a hoard of zombies and a gigantic cobra.

=> ↺ Nazi-fighting charros? Mexico’s forgotten WW II defense force

• After a German attack, Antolín Jiménez organized a militia trained in Mexico’s horsemanship tradition to defend the country from invasion.

=> ↺ Sudan Accuses RSF of Attacking Diplomatic Missions

• Rapid Support Forces, however, announced that it accepted an international initiative for a truce to stop the clashes with the Sudanese army for 24 hours for humanitarian reasons.

=> ↺ Saudi Arabia Unilaterally Releases 104 Yemeni Detainees

• The move followed a large-scale three-day prisoner swap between the Yemeni government, the Saudi-led coalition, and the Houthi rebels that ended on Sunday.

=> ↺ Death Toll in Sudan Clashes Rises to 144

• Sudanese hospitals are experiencing problems as medical supplies are running low and the prevailing war situation prevents resupply.

=> ↺ South Korea’s President Yoon opens door for possible military aid to Ukraine

• It was the first time that Seoul suggested a willingness to provide weapons to Ukraine.

=> ↺ North Korean leader Kim Jong Un orders spy satellite launch as planned

• nalysts say the military satellite is part of the state’s efforts to advance surveillance technology.

=> ↺ North Korean Leader Orders Launch of First Spy Satellite as Planned

• By Soo-hyang ChoiSEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said preparations for the planned launch of the country’s first spy satellite…

=> ↺ INTERVIEW: The attack on unarmed civilians in Myanmar ‘is definitely a war crime’

• Miemie Winn Byrd discusses the military’s brutal aerial assault on residents of Pa Zi Gyi village.

=> ↺ Sudanese to world: Violence in Khartoum shows strongmen can’t be trusted

• Can warlords become statesmen? Sudanese activists working for democracy say they have warned Western governments for years against involving military strongmen in their country’s political transition.

=> ↺ The inner life of Iranians

• The regime tries new ways to force women to cover their heads, even as it misses how many Iranians have turned away from Muslim practices to seek alternative sources of meaning.

=> ↺ G7 warns “severe costs” against countries aiding Russian war in Ukraine

• Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven countries have condemned in the strongest possible terms Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and warned that any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Moscow would be met with “severe consequences.”

• In a joint statement issued after two days of talks in the resort town of Karuizawa in central Japan, top diplomats of the G7 countries reiterated their call on third parties to “cease assistance to Russia’s war, or face severe costs.”

=> ↺ The opportunity cost of AUKUS

• In opting to acquire nuclear-powered submarines as a part of the AUKUS deal with the United States and the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed Australia to a price tag of about $368 [...]

=> ↺ US state appeals court upholds conviction of Derek Chauvin for murder of George Floyd

• The Minnesota Court of Appeals Monday upheld the conviction of former police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd during a 2020 arrest. In doing so, the court denied Chauvin’s request for a new trial or reversal of his conviction.

=> ↺ Brazil’s Lula meets Lavrov after accusing US of ‘encouraging’ Ukraine war

• Russia’s foreign minister met in Brazil on Monday with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, as Washington criticized the South American leader’s recent remarks on US defense support for Ukraine.

Transparency/Investigative Reporting

=> ↺ Judge Connolly Continues to Push on Funding Transparency

• Following an April 2022 standing order that mandated parties appearing in his court adhere to third-party funding disclosure requirements and an eye-popping November 2022 memorandum detailing “potential abuse of our courts,” Judge Colm Connolly continues to push for additional information on parties claiming patent infringement in the District of Delaware.

Environment

=> ↺ Extinction Rebellion to Intensify Its Protests in the UK

• The environmental activists are calling on the PM Sunak to veto all new licenses, permits and funding for fossil fuel projects.

=> ↺ ‘Doomsday glacier’: should we be scared?

• Thwaites Glacier, coined as the ‘doomsday glacier’, contributes an estimated 4 percent of annual sea level rise. Stanford modeling research, published in March, reveals how this melting could occur and indicates that the unique topography around and beneath Thwaites contributes to glacial widening and glacial retreat.

=> ↺ Virtual Reality for Global Climate Leadership

• This report examines how virtual reality technology can impact high-level global leaders to invest in resilient climate solutions.

=> ↺ Decarbonization solutions for addressing Europe’s green industrial policy challenge

• The Atlantic Council co-hosted a high-level workshop on “Decarbonization solutions for addressing Europe’s green industrial policy challenge” in Paris with the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) and Groupe d’études geopolitiques (GEG).

=> ↺ EU agree new trade reforms to tackle climate change

• EU governments Saturday agreed to implement reforms to the Emissions Trading System (ETS). The reforms aim to reduce industrial emissions and invest in more climate friendly technologies as the EU progresses towards climate neutrality.

=> ↺ Scientists Discover Backyard Fungi That Can Break Down Tough Plastic in Just 140 Days

• Get a load of this.

Energy/Transportation

=> ↺ Tribal colleges see bright future in solar energy training programs

• Nearly $15 million in federal grants aims to boost clean energy development at tribal colleges across the United States. The installations would provide learning opportunities for students, while also bringing the renewable energy economy to rural areas.

=> ↺ Germany ditched nuclear power. Other nations show new interest.

• Renewable energy is competitively priced. But many say nuclear power still has a role to play even as old plants shut down. A status report in charts.

=> ↺ Energy consumption decreases in 2022 as wind and nuclear power reach record levels

• Energy consumption decreased in 2022, with the total consumption being 1.3 million terajoules, which was five percent less than in 2021. The last significant decrease in energy consumption was in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a decrease in industrial energy use, among other factors.

• Several factors contributed to the decrease in energy consumption in 2022, according to Aleksi Sandberg, a senior statistician at Statistics Finland.

=> ↺ Trillions needed to scale up future of renewable energy

• A net-zero Australia will require up to $9 trillion of capital to be spent on energy, industrial and export infrastructure by 2060, researchers say. Decarbonisation is tipped to provide 700,000 direct jobs mainly in regional and rural areas, according to independent modelling released on Wednesday.

=> ↺ Petroleum tax hike a bandaid budget fix: Woodside boss

• The head of gas and oil giant Woodside has warned the government to resist reaching for a bandaid solution to its budget woes by lifting or altering the petroleum resource rent tax.

=> ↺ ‘Onion’ of sanctions: Lithuania proposes layered approach to sanctioning Russia’s Rosatom

• As proposed sanctions on Russia’s nuclear energy company Rosatom struggle to garner support of all EU member states, Lithuania has proposed splitting the measures into distinct parts and adopting as many as possible.

=> ↺ Scientists Create A Fully Rechargeable Battery, Made Entirely From Food

• They don’t mention how it tastes.

=> ↺ Large solar park being built near Latvian-Russian border

• One of the most ambitious solar panel projects with a 400-megawatt capacity is being implemented in Latgale. A private company, investing several hundred million euros, plans to complete its work within three years, while electricity in the border area of Latvia-Russia itself could start to be produced earlier, Latgale regional television reported on April 18.

=> ↺ Federal appeals court strikes down California law regulating natural gas

• The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Monday struck down a Berkeley, California law that prohibited the installation of natural gas piping in newly constructed buildings.

=> ↺ Spanish companies launch HYREN green hydrogen development platform

• Matrix Renewables and Rolwind Renovables will create a new platform designed to develop the Spanish green hydrogen economy.

Overpopulation

=> ↺ India to have 2.9m more people than China by mid-2023, UN estimate shows

• The US is a distant third, with an estimated population of 340 million.

=> ↺ In Grim Drought, Tunisians Ration Water in State-Ordered Ban

• Tunisians are on the front lines of a battle against an increasingly severe drought, now in its fifth year in the north African country, with the government issuing a sudden order to its population to ration their water usage from April to September — or risk fines or jail

=> ↺ Why China’s Shrinking Population Is a Problem for Everyone

• China struggled for years to curtail its rapid population growth. Now that its population is declining, economists and others fear serious implications for China and countries around the world.

=> ↺ A British perspective on population and biodiversity

• A distinguished scientist’s new book makes the case that more people means less wildlife, in the United Kingdom and globally. This excellent offering is a must-read for anyone interested in the connection between human numbers and biodiversity protection.

=> ↺ Latvia’s population decline this century set to be EU’s steepest

• As previously reported by LSM, Latvia is on track to be the least populous of the Baltic states by 2060 and to have a population of little more than one million by the century’s end, according to recently-released Eurostat figures.

Finance

Axios ☛ House Republicans won’t commit to McCarthy’s debt ceiling planHouse Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) faces a steep challenge in cobbling together the 218 votes he needs to pass a proposed debt ceiling increase by his new self-imposed deadline.Why it matters: Top Republicans say they want the bill on the floor by next week, but members across the GOP conference have a range of reservations about a proposal that’s still incomplete.Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said it’s “probably not” enough time to get her on board: “To turn it around in a week, that’s pretty short order.”“This is the single biggest point of leverage that will exist in these two years,” said another Republican lawmaker.

=> ↺ Japan has millions of empty houses. Want to buy one for $33k?

• An emerging segment of buyers is seeking out rural architecture in need of some love.

=> ↺ Press remarks by Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis and Commissioner McGuinness at the press conference on the reform of the bank crisis management and deposit insurance (CMDI) framework

=> ↺ Statement by EVP Dombrovskis at the press conference on the reform of the bank crisis management and deposit insurance framework

• European Commission Statement Strasbourg, 18 Apr 2023 The EU banking sector is strong and in good shape. But we can make it better. We want to broaden the scope of resolution to make sure that more failing banks can be resolved effectively. Our proposals will further strengthen financial stability, protect taxpayers and improve depositor confidence.

=> ↺ Rights group says banks are withholding pension pots from U.K.-based Hong Kongers

• Blockage is seen as a form of punishment for leaving Hong Kong amid a crackdown on dissent.

=> ↺ Clarence Thomas’s Gifts and the Supreme Court’s Credibility

• Only 25 percent of Americans have a lot of faith in the court.

=> ↺ Clarence Thomas Can Do No Wrong

• Apparently, the law is a little different for those at the top.

=> ↺ Stocks slip as focus falls back on US Federal Reserve

• Stocks have eased while the dollar has been under a little pressure as traders shift focus from US banking stress to expectations for an imminent peak in the Federal Reserve’s interest rate cycle.

=> ↺ Finland’s taxman to inspect influencers’, Onlyfans stars’ income

• The authority estimates that as much as 70 percent of content production-related income went undeclared in 2021.

=> ↺ Incorrect prices from self-service check-outs

• Tests by Yle found incorrect prices being charged by self service checkout scanners at Prisma supermarkets. The S-Group says that the problem was fixed on Monday.

=> ↺ Credit Suisse Accused of Impeding Hunt for Accounts Linked to Nazis

• The Senate Budget Committee opened an investigation after Credit Suisse fired a lawyer it had hired to oversee an independent inquiry hunting for accounts linked to Nazis who went to Argentina.

=> ↺ US trade agreements: Out with old and in the with new?

• As the United States moves ahead with a new approach to trade with the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), should it really abandon the old model of trade agreements? Or should it consider adapting the new approach to the old model?

=> ↺ Afghanistan’s economy is set to rapidly shrink if foreign aid keeps falling

• Afghanistan’s economy will contract after an anticipated 30% drop in foreign aid this year, according to a report by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

=> ↺ Two Fed Up Redditors Launched a Site to Anonymously Rate Your Landlord

• Rate The Landlord already has hundreds of reviews from tenants, turning the tables on the typical power dynamic with a landlord.

=> ↺ Energy firms can fit prepayment meters by force again

• Over 80s and those in vulnerable situations cannot have PAYG meters forced on

• them

=> ↺ Everyday food prices soar as supermarket inflation hits 17.2%

• Budget-range groceries have also leapt in price nearly 25%, according to

• Which?’s latest food inflation tracker

=> ↺ Argentina To Engage In Regional Summit On Countering Inflation

• “We are all aware of what it currently costs to go to the supermarket,” President Fernandez said, stressing the State is responsible for promoting social equality.

=> ↺ U.K. Inflation Edges Lower, but Persists in Double Digits

• Prices rose at an annual rate of 10.1 percent last month, down from 10.4 percent in February. Food costs continued to keep inflation high.

=> ↺ Britain in Crisis: The UK Faces a Steep Climb Out of a Deep Hole

• Food shortages, moldy apartments, a lack of medical workers: The United Kingdom is facing a perfect storm of struggle, and millions are sliding into poverty. There is little to suggest that improvement will come anytime soon.

=> ↺ More than 155,000 Canadian federal workers strike to demand higher wages

• Some 155,000 federal workers, including 35,000 from Canada’s tax agency, went on strike after midnight on Wednesday in what their union is calling one of the largest strikes in the country’s history.

=> ↺ Macron’s action plan ‘rings hollow’ as critics take to the streets banging pots and pans

• President Emmanuel Macron has given himself “a hundred days” to mend his broken rapport with the French, aiming for a rebound after a gruelling 100-day pension battle that has roiled the nation, infuriated millions, and deepened a crisis in French democracy.

=> ↺ Biden pans McCarthy’s debt plan as ‘huge cuts’ to Americans

• House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is working furiously to build support for a Republican proposal that would raise the nation’s debt limit. President Joe Biden wants that legal borrowing limit raised, too, but he doesn’t want the other part of McCarthy’s demands — a limit on much future federal spending increases to 1% a year, among other changes. McCarthy is looking for negotiations with the White House, but Biden quickly batted down his bid as “huge cuts” to programs hitting million of Americans. The Republican leader’s proposal has almost no chance in the Democratic-controlled Senate. And he still has to unite fractured House GOP factions to pass the legislation in the chamber they control.

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

=> ↺ Minnesota House passes government/elections bill that calls for redesigning state flag and seal

• Minnesota is taking another step closer to redesigning its state flag and committing its Electoral College votes to presidential candidates who win the national popular vote. Members of the House on Tuesday voted to approve those and other changes in a $1.5 billion state government and elections package.

=> ↺ Pierre Poilievre is wrong—CBC’s real bias benefits Conservatives

• A previous study shows CBC News gave more airtime and favourable coverage to the Conservatives than other media outlets

=> ↺ Ralph Yarl armed only with ‘Black skin,’ family lawyer says

• As Ralph Yarl struggles to come to grips with being shot after going to the wrong house to pick up his younger brothers, the white Kansas City, Missouri homeowner who shot the Black 16-year-old is facing his day in court. An attorney for the Yarl family says the case should qualify as a hate crime and that Yarl was armed only with his “Black skin.” Eighty-four-year-old Andrew Lester has been charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. He posted bond Tuesday and was released. Yarl is at home recovering. Supporters gathered at a rally Tuesday night. Yarl’s mother said he is doing “considerably well,” but “mostly he just sits there and stares and the buckets of tears just rolls down his eyes.”

=> ↺ Iowa Senate Pulls All-Nighter to Roll Back Child Labor Protections

• The Senate voted on a bill allowing 14-year-olds to work six-hour night shifts, and passed it at 4:52 a.m.

=> ↺ Elon Musk’s Twitter has even lost the man who popularized #hashtags

• Arguably, Chris Messina created a monster.

=> ↺ The CBC has stopped using Twitter after Elon Musk designated it government-funded media

• The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) announced it’s suspending the use of its Twitter account after CEO Elon Musk labeled the public broadcaster “government-funded media.” The CBC said the designation—historically used for news sources directly controlled by governments—aims to undermine its credibility.

=> ↺ Sweden public radio network Sveriges Radio ceases activities on Twitter

• Sweden’s public radio, Sveriges Radio (SR) Tuesday announced that it would cease its activities on Twitter, in a move which follows analogous decisions by US and Canadian public broadcasters. SR stated that it has for a long time de-prioritised its presence on Twitter and has now decided to stop being active on the platform together.

=> ↺ Costs of verification and API access on Twitter could outweigh benefits for publishers

• “What news outlets need most now from Musk is clarity, consistency and a period of digital calm.”

=> ↺ RTÉ Appoints Kevin Bakhurst as Next Director General

• Statement issued by RTÉ on behalf of the RTÉ Board  RTÉ Appoints Kevin Bakhurst as Next Director General  RTÉ has today announced the appointment of Kevin Bakhurst as the next Director General of RTÉ following an extensive and competitive recruitment process which was managed by the RTÉ Board.

=> ↺ Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: To Heal the Great Divide

• It has been fifty-five years since Senator Robert F. Kennedy stepped onto the presidential nominating stage to try to mend the massive breach that had opened in American society.

=> ↺ Rudy Giuliani Claims He’s Shooting Blank Documents

• The stories Rudy Giuliani and Christina Bobb have told about efforts to overturn Georgia’s election have started to fall apart. And lawyers for Ruby Freeman just asked Beryl Howell to force him to cough up the real story.

=> ↺ Fox Settles With Dominion: There Was Gambling At Cafe Rick’s Casino

• Dominion v. Fox has settled and is over. Can the people on the internet internalizing it as about them please shut up?

=> ↺ CBC pauses Twitter activity after being labeled ‘government-funded media’

• The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Monday joined other public broadcasters in “pausing” its Twitter activity, after Twitter applied a “government-funded media” label to its accounts. The CBC wrote on their main account, “Our journalism is impartial and independent. To suggest otherwise is untrue. That is why we are pausing our activities on @Twitter.

=> ↺ UK PM Rishi Sunak under investigation for alleged failure to declare interest

• UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Monday was declared to be under investigation by the parliamentary commissioner for standards based on allegations of breaching member of Parliament (MP) rules. Sunak allegedly failed to be “open and frank” in declaring his interest in the childcare agency, Koru Kids, in which his wife, Akshata Murty, is a shareholder.

=> ↺ Hong Kong leader vows to crack down on ‘hostile forces’ as Beijing official concludes visit

• Hong Kong should never forget the “alarm bell” of the 2019 anti-extradition bill unrest and the harm it brought to the city, Chief Executive John Lee has said as he vowed to crack down on “hostile and destructive forces.

Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

Axios ☛ Fox News reaches 11th hour settlement with Dominion for over $787 millionFox News settled with Dominion Voting Systems on Tuesday for over $787 million in what would have been a historic defamation trial in a Delaware court. Why it matters: The 11th-hour settlement protects Fox executives from having to possibly testify in court about their role in the network’s airing of 2020 election lies.Details: “The parties have resolved their case,” Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis said to the jury around 4:00 p.m., ET, more than two hours after opening statements for the trial were slated to begin. In a statement following the settlement decision, Fox News acknowledged that the court found that it aired falsehoods which could have implications for other defamation cases it faces.“We acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false. This settlement reflects FOX’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards,” the company said. A source has confirmed to Axios that Fox News will not be required to give any apologies or retractions on its air as a part of the settlement deal.

=> ↺ Media chief claims Turkey is the country most at risk of disinformation

• Fake news and false information have been hazardous and prevalent since the February 6 earthquakes, Turkey’s Communications Director, Fahrettin Altun, addressed in a video message.

=> ↺ Why Fox News Had to Settle With Dominion

• A defeat for both the network and the public.

=> ↺ Recent AI and deep-fake activity

• Not that it needs to be demonstrated, but recent AI and deep-fake developments further demonstrate the need for meaningful Right of Publicity recognition. AI-generated a “new” song presented as Drake and the Weeknd. Read more on this link: AI Drake the Weeknd song Deep-fake technology is taking centerstage in a recently filed suit in California.

=> ↺ Three Russians Among Seven People Indicted By U.S. Grand Jury Over Alleged Election Influence Campaign

• A federal grand jury in the U.S. state of Florida has indicted four U.S. citizens and three Russian nationals over allegations that they took part in a “malign campaign” to influence U.S. voters.

=> ↺ NATO deterrence and defense: Military priorities for the Vilnius Summit

• Ahead of the NATO Summit in Vilnius, this issue brief sets forth six priority actions that NATO should undertake to enhance its deterrent and defense posture.

=> ↺ Vladimir Kara-Murza’s 25-year sentence is a verdict against all Russians

• Vladimir Kara-Murza’s 25-year prison sentence for speaking the truth about the invasion of Ukraine is a major milestone in modern Russia’s descent into Stalinism, says former Ukrainian PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

=> ↺ U.S. Urges NATO Vigilance For Signs Russia Could Use Nuclear Weapon In Ukraine

• The United States and its NATO allies must remain alert for signs that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use a tactical nuclear weapon in a “managed” escalation of his war in Ukraine, a U.S. diplomat said.

=> ↺ US sends scores of military advisers to Taiwan as China threat continues

• The move comes as Southeast Asian nations make plans to evacuate their workers from the island.

=> ↺ Vietnamese police confirm missing blogger is in their custody

• Duong Van Thai had fled to Thailand in 2018 and is believed to have been abducted last week.

=> ↺ FACT FOCUS: NYC crime is not worst ever, despite claims

• Social media users are claiming crime in New York City is the worst it’s been in a generation. But criminal justice experts argue crime is nowhere near the levels seen in the higher crime 1990s. The New York Police Department and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, meanwhile, argue last year’s crime surge is already receding. Nearly four months into the new year, major crimes are down overall compared to the same period last year. Experts also note the city’s crime levels pale in comparison to those in Ohio and other home states of leading Republicans in Congress.

Censorship/Free Speech

=> ↺ Cornell’s President Defends Free Speech Against Illiberal Impulses

• Martha Pollack rejects the pernicious premise that universities should protect students from offensive ideas.

=> ↺ Russia Adds Norwegian Environmental Group Bellona To List Of ‘Undesirable’ Organizations

• Russia has declared the Norwegian nongovernmental environmental group Miljostiftelsen Bellona an “undesirable” organization amid an ongoing crackdown on international and domestic NGOs, civil society, and independent journalists.

=> ↺ Appeals court overturns social media user’s sentence for calling Bahçeli a ‘dotard’

• The social media user had been fined for “insulting” the MHP leader.

=> ↺ Three foreign journalists file complaint against officials for hindering earthquake coverage

• Law enforcement officers and religious affairs officials reportedly seized the journalists’ equipment in February.

=> ↺ Beijing says ‘political manipulation’ behind US arrests of 2 accused of running covert Chinese police station

• China said on Tuesday that “political manipulation” was behind the arrests of two men the United States accused of setting up an unauthorised Chinese police station in New York. Authorities in the city also charged dozens of Chinese security officials over a campaign to monitor and harass US-based dissidents.

Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

=> ↺ CHP files criminal complaint against public broadcaster over ‘biased’ coverage

• The opposition party claims that TRT refused to broadcast Kılıçdaroğlu’s election advertisement without providing any explanation.

=> ↺ Union of actors invites RTÜK to review TV series ban

• An “Islamaphobia documentary” was broadcast instead of the new episode of the popular series “Cranberry Sorbet” on April 14 after the decision by the Radio and Television Supreme Council.

=> ↺ Journalist Serdar Akinan arrested in police raid on his home

• The reason for the detention is not yet clear. Akinan recently interviewed a social media figure who has been leveling corruption allegations against government officials and businesspeople.

=> ↺ AFP journalists in İstanbul plan to strike if salary demands not met

• Despite AFP reporting on Turkey’s economic crisis almost every day, the company refused to discuss real inflation rates with its employees, says a union.

=> ↺ Kremlin vs. press freedom: Judge rejects Gershkovich’s appeal

• American journalist Evan Gershkovich remains in a Russian jail on espionage charges after a judge rejected his appeal on Tuesday. The U.S. government and Mr. Gershkovich’s employer deny the allegations, while the case elicits outrage in the West.

=> ↺ Daghestani Activist Accused Of Discrediting Russia’s Military

• Svetlana Anokhina, a noted rights defender in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Daghestan, is under investigation over her posts on Instagram criticizing Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

=> ↺ U.S. Reporter Gershkovich’s Appeal Over Detention In Russia Denied

• A Russian court has rejected the appeal of American journalist Evan Gershkovich to be released from pretrial detention at Moscow’s Lefortovo prison as he is investigated on charges of espionage, which he denies.

=> ↺ Russia court denies detained US journalist’s appeal of espionage charges

• A Russian court Tuesday denied Wall Street Journal (WSJ) journalist Evan Gershkovich’s appeal of his detention and espionage charges. Though the proceedings were closed to the public, the Moscow City Court briefly allowed reporters inside to see Gershkovich for the first time since his March 29 arrest.

=> ↺ Navalny May Face New Charge After Provocation, Lawyer Says

• Jailed Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny may face a new charge, this time of “disrupting” activities at the correctional colony where he is incarcerated, according to his lawyer Vadim Kobzev.

=> ↺ Russia opposition leader Navalny charged over alleged ‘provocation’ by prison authorities

• Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s spokesperson announced Tuesday that Russian authorities opened a criminal case against Navalny for removing another prisoner from his cell. Navalny’s team called the situation a “provocation” and said that Navalny was previously warned about a potential set-up.

=> ↺ Committee to Protect Journalists: 95 Iran journalists arrested since death of Mahsa Amini

• The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Monday reported Iranian authorities have arrested a total of 95 journalists since the start of nationwide protests over the September 2022 killing of Mahsa Amini.

Civil Rights/Policing

=> ↺ Erdoğan issues circular on child rights

• The circular on Child Rights Strategy Document and Action Plan in Turkey was published in the Official Gazette today. According to the data of TurkStat, 42 percent of children cannot consume dairy products every day.

=> ↺ Child labor increased in Turkey in 2022, official figures show

• Children make up more than 25 percent of Turkey’s population, according to the TurkStat figures.

=> ↺ The latest challenge to Ben & Jerry’s progressive stance: a unionization effort

• It’s workers at the least progressive companies who most need to unionize—right? Not necessarily. This week, ice cream scoopers at the Vermont flagship store for Ben & Jerry’s told management in a letter that they plan to unionize.

=> ↺ Decolonising the digital rights field in Europe: Call for feedback on our first draft programme

• EDRi and the Digital Freedom Fund (DFF) are looking for your input on a draft programme for an initial decolonising process for the digital rights field in Europe. We want to hear from you!

=> ↺ Canadian union says federal workers will strike

• Canada’s largest federal public-service union says some 155,000 workers will go on strike after talks with the federal government failed to produce an agreement before its deadline. The strike includes 35,000 Canada Revenue Agency workers when tax returns are due. Wage increases are the main issue. The federal government’s Treasury Board released a statement on Monday saying it offered the union a 9% raise over three years on Sunday, on the recommendation of the third-party Public Interest Commission. But the union has pushed for annual raises of 4.5% over the next three years, arguing the increases are necessary to keep pace with inflation.

=> ↺ Tajik Authorities Detain Another Brother Of Jailed Informal Leader Of Restive Gorno-Badakhshan Region

• Tajik authorities have detained another brother of Tolib Ayombekov, the jailed informal leader of Tajikistan’s volatile Gorno-Badakhshan region (GBAO).

=> ↺ Groups criticise Lithuania’s migrant pushback law, saying it mimics Hungary

• Non-governmental organisations have called on the Lithuanian parliament, Seimas, to vote down a bill legalising the policy of turning away irregular migrants at the border.

=> ↺ Tunisia police shut down political opposition offices and detain leader

• Tunisia Police Tuesday shut down the Ennahdha offices, operating headquarters for Tunisia’s Islamist-inspired opposition party. The move came a day after police arrested Rached Ghannouchi, Ennahdha’s party leader, at his residence in Tunis, Tunisia–the nation’s capital. Ennahdha announced that investigators had raided the office headquarters in Tunis on Tuesday.

=> ↺ US investigative agency says cabinet secretary violated federal political activity law

• The US Office of Special Counsel (OSC) Tuesday released a report concluding that current Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra violated the Hatch Act, a law that regulates political activity by government personnel. The Hatch Act, passed in 1939, restricts the types of campaign activities federal employees can participate in while holding office.

=> ↺ US Supreme Court agrees to hear case involving recovery of property

• The US Supreme Court Monday granted writ of certiorari to hear a case about whether individuals are owed an immediate hearing to recover property that is seized during a crime they did not commit.

Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

=> ↺ Public Knowledge Files Comments Urging NTIA To Adopt a National Spectrum Strategy Based on Public Interest Values

• Public Knowledge filed comments urging the NTIA to adopt a national spectrum strategy rooted in core public interest principles.

=> ↺ Public Knowledge Welcomes New Member to Board of Directors

• New Board of Directors member, Brian Vo, brings mission-driven investing and finance expertise to support the public interest.

Digital Restrictions (DRM)

=> ↺ Netflix Will End Its DVD Service, 5.2 Billion Discs Later

• Sending movies through the mail, in recognizable red-and-white envelopes, helped the company become a behemoth in Hollywood.

Monopolies

Patents

=> ↺ EPO upholds three Broad Institute patents for next generation CRISPR-Cas12a

• The EPO Opposition Division has upheld three Broad Institute patents covering CRISPR-Cas12a technology, after five different opponents attempted to invalidate the patents across two sets of proceedings. Between 28 and 31 March 2023, the division heard proceedings against EP 3 502 253 and EP 3 310 917 together over two-and-a-half days.

=> ↺ Public consultation on the EPO’s next Strategic Plan (SP2028)

• The EPO invites stakeholders and the public to provide feedback by 15 May

=> ↺ Claim Construction and Due Process: Examining NST Global v. Sig Sauer Inc. in the Supreme Court

• NST Global, LLC, dba SB Tactical v. Sig Sauer Inc. (Supreme Court 2023)

• This case has a low chance of being granted certiorari, but it still has some interesting elements regarding claim construction and procedure.  This is a perfect case for the Supreme Court to issue a GVR (Grant-Vacate-Remand) with an order to the Federal Circuit to explain its reasoning.

=> ↺ The Proposed EU Regulation on SEPs (I): The problems it addresses

• The European Commission’s recently leaked Proposal for a Regulation on standard-essential patents (SEPs), summarized here by Enrico Bonadio and Dyuti Pandya, establishes a framework for transparent SEP licensing.

Trademarks

=> ↺ CAFC Affirms TTAB: “SPARK LIVING” Confusable With “SPARK” for Related Real Estate Services

• In a straightforward, but nonetheless precedential, ruling the CAFC upheld the Board’s decision affirming a refusal to register the mark SPARK LIVING for “leasing of residential real estate; residential real estate listing; residential real estate service, namely, residential rental property management; specifically excludes commercial property and office space” (LIVING disclaimed). The Board found a likelihood of confusion with the registered mark SPARK for brokerage, leasing, and management of commercial property, offices, and office space. Appellant Charger challenged the Board’s factual findings on five Du Pont factors, but the CAFC ruled that the Board’s decision was supported by substantial evidence. In re Charger Ventures LLC, In re Charger Ventures LLC, 2023 U.S.P.Q.2d 451 (Fed. Cir. 2023). [precedential].

Copyrights

=> ↺ BPI Says Cassette Sales Hit a ‘Near Decade High’ in 2022 — But Is This Just Another Blip?

• BPI says cassette sales hit a ‘near decade high’ in 2022, but is it just the result of increasing demand for vinyl? Based on a new report from BPI utilizing Official Charts Company data, cassette sales grew for a tenth consecutive year in 2022, reaching annual totals not seen since 2003.

=> ↺ Shy Guy (1947)

• In this “personal guidance” film, Phil the shy guy learns a valuable lesson: to fit in, you need to “think about the other guy”.

=> ↺ California Contemplates a Link Tax

• The California state legislature is poised to consider a link tax on digital services, aimed at subsidizing news publishers…

Gemini* and Gopher

Personal

=> ↺ Becoming Part Of A Secret Society

• People are often paranoid about secret societies, however, as a member of a secret society myself, I’m inclined to view secret societies from the perspective of a direct participant rather than as a third-party observer. I have been witness to the operations of a highly influential secret society- and while I cannot divulge any specific details, I can inform you as to the psychological impact of the exclusivity bestowed upon me.

=> ↺ Spring Bird Songs 2023-04-19 (Fairbanks, AK, USA)

• After walking out the door this morning, a little before 6am AKDT, I was treated to some nice spring bird chatter. I made a recording with my S5300 camera, and then extracted the audio into these files.

Technical

=> ↺ Bye, Bye Raspberry Pi

• The Raspberry Pi started off as a low-cost device suitable as an entry point to computing for schools and young students, in the way that the BBC micros and other low-powered/high-constraint computers were back in the early 80s. And it then became a real hobbyist’s device, powering all kinds of stuff – including, now, machine learning algorithms.

• But then various industries realized that the low-powered chips had really good reliability, and the devices started working their way into all kinds of industrial applications. And so even though I have a mental model of the Pi as a purely consumer or hobbyist device, it really hasn’t been that way for a while.

=> ↺ Presentations for lectureship interview

• I applied for a junior lectureship position in Ecological Science a few weeks ago. Unfortunately I didn’t get the job, but the experience forced me to think about who I am as a researcher, what my strengths are, and also what my goals should be if I want to be successful on the next application.

=> ↺ Importing data layers into Avenza Maps Android app

• I had a go with the Avenza Maps[1] Android app during fieldwork to visualise my position within the landscape. I had access to a vegetation map and I wanted to see how close I was to transition zones between vegetation units, and also where I could walk to find a good place to install a vegetation monitoring plot.

=> ↺ plaintext > *

• The gibberish URL doubtless points to some JavaScript Application… until Google shutters the service, as they are wont to do. Then what? With plain text files there are higher odds there’s a copy of the document not walled off. And who knows how to escape data from a JavaScript Application. Rumor has it one can write an exporter?

=> ↺ The Times, they are a-changin’

• Before we start I would just like to state my bias: I am not a fan of music streaming services, yes they are convenient, but they pay NOTHING to the Artists. Spotify only becomes profitable when you’re an Artist with millions and millions of streams per month.

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