𝕿𝖊𝖈𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖘 Bulletin for Sunday, March 27, 2022
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Generated Mon 28 Mar 02:40:25 BST 2022
Created by Dr. Roy Schestowitz (𝚛𝚘𝚢 (at) 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚣 (dot) 𝚌𝚘𝚖)
Full hyperlinks for navigation omitted but are fully available in the originals
The corresponding HTML versions are at 𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔.𝒐𝒓𝒈
Latest in 𝒉𝒕𝒕𝒑://𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔.𝒐𝒓𝒈/𝒕𝒙𝒕 and older bulletins can be found at 𝒉𝒕𝒕𝒑://𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔.𝒐𝒓𝒈/𝒕𝒙𝒕-𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔
Full IPFS index in 𝒉𝒕𝒕𝒑://𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔.𝒐𝒓𝒈/𝒊𝒑𝒇𝒔 and as plain text in 𝒉𝒕𝒕𝒑://𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔.𝒐𝒓𝒈/𝒊𝒑𝒇𝒔/𝒕𝒙𝒕
Gemini index for the day: gemini://gemini.techrights.org/2022/03/27/
╒═══════════════════ 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐁𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐒 ════════════════════════════════════╕
Previous bulletins in IPFS (past 21 days, in chronological order):
QmNscHDxFvmbxvDEqfr6zcuFXdDCNeUGnUgEsinsAW5Bi5
QmWj5A9BPN6L7nMrjgkoYNjnbZGohimM91FNkxYhAviCty
QmWmgXjX6qkCRFkbpUB7wqzzH3832E7d68SdFuRd8Ljihu
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QmbARvWXXpsrpvN2KJfYbfLLChGs47XEyhnbqtmdUVunxv
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QmVwa8MkmFjRWxxPuQ3riiwsjWwCaqnmn9QXr3tY1SM5we
QmUBBiKfB4pj8VFJTBXigvomzXjJA1o2AAkwhjAQe4d5Xu
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QmQNiNjPkABhPdvb5wDciDcpwJ6XNWjUQ6er2que9tMRLG
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QmZkDEgYNnUUQtaGwFdmteyZ5W9URPTE1mBXTnYquZ1fsa
QmYDUiQWeiJU7WCsdP3xeCnELkr2V2Y9aQVLP4Z8n6efVs
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QmbtCnKikT7Qr6XTD9CLjRmtU6T3bRTyVqgASiAa1S3VBY
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QmfLQGVUofEiaUy33j7d2fYbyaYzAQJvw2ZWN6FztbPGc6
╒═══════════════════ 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐗 ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
⦿ IRC Proceedings: Saturday, March 26, 2022 | Techrights
䷼ Bulletin articles (as HTML) to comment on (requires login):
http://techrights.org/2022/03/27/irc-log-260322/#comments
䷞ Followed by Daily Links (assorted news picks curated and categorised):
http://techrights.org/2022/03/27/4mlinux-39-0-release/#comments
䷩ 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 47
╒═══════════════════ 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐋𝐄 ═════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
(ℹ) Images, hyperlinks and comments at http://techrights.org/2022/03/27/irc-log-260322/#comments
Gemini version at gemini://gemini.techrights.org/2022/03/27/irc-log-260322/
⠀⌧ █▇▆▅▄▃▂▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁ 03.27.22⠀▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█ ⌧
Gemini_version_available_♊︎
✐ IRC_Proceedings:_Saturday,_March_26,_2022⠀✐
Posted in IRC_Logs at 2:19 am by Needs Sunlight
Also available via the Gemini protocol at:
* gemini://gemini.techrights.org/irc-gmi/irc-log-techrights-260322.gmi
* gemini://gemini.techrights.org/irc-gmi/irc-log-260322.gmi
* gemini://gemini.techrights.org/irc-gmi/irc-log-social-260322.gmi
* gemini://gemini.techrights.org/irc-gmi/irc-log-techbytes-260322.gmi
Over HTTP:
🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇H 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇HTML5_logs⦈_
#techrights_log_as_HTML5 #boycottnovell_log_as_HTML5
🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇H 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇HTML5_logs⦈_
#boycottnovell-social_log_as_HTML5 #techbytes_log_as_HTML5
🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇t 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇text_logs⦈_
#techrights_log_as_text #boycottnovell_log_as_text
🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇t 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇text_logs⦈_
#boycottnovell-social_log_as_text #techbytes_log_as_text
Enter_the_IRC_channels_now
=> =============================================================================
§ IPFS Mirrors⠀➾
CID Description Object type
IRC log for
QmXUUdtgVyDAvWMxw4UQFhTRMNYrcf2bEP4ozombD5TpyW #boycottnovell 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇HTML5 logs⦈
(full IRC log
as HTML)
IRC log for
#boycottnovell
QmZmzr6qBzLYCTCtBAkBjYQ9b4ZvuesCMGDvXiRunL2iYR (full IRC log 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇text logs⦈
as plain/ASCII
text)
IRC log for
#boycottnovell-
QmYQVsQJX94ua4MqtfUajXkE83WcPBbye91DJq89fxx6xJ social 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇HTML5 logs⦈
(full IRC log
as HTML)
IRC log for
#boycottnovell-
QmcgpuqZUREGiAYN4213iCep75YPz2P5E3jze56Gp7wM58 social 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇text logs⦈
(full IRC log
as plain/ASCII
text)
IRC log for
QmWJnj8zVKTQ1Lb4iKh59Fk3r9s4PvC9YDrs4QVG5miFGo #techbytes 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇HTML5 logs⦈
(full IRC log
as HTML)
IRC log for
#techbytes
QmV8U62DhEsgbYuqWSgufk8ZskyptAadgs4smTdLmADfbM (full IRC log 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇text logs⦈
as plain/ASCII
text)
IRC log for
QmeaLdZa8QuN75xf5EtgPtm4DScLBLN79dLbZaQi5yfmwu #techrights 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇HTML5 logs⦈
(full IRC log
as HTML)
IRC log for
#techrights
QmRCLT5dMPFs63QWqyGGfZtbK5vMQ14gDVJCin3ZQPMEwy (full IRC log 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇text logs⦈
as plain/ASCII
text)
🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇IPFS logo⦈
§ Bulletin for Yesterday⠀➾
Local_copy | CID (IPFS): QmfLQGVUofEiaUy33j7d2fYbyaYzAQJvw2ZWN6FztbPGc6
䷩ 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 174
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Gemini_version_available_♊︎
✐ Links_27/03/2022:_4MLinux_39.0_Release_and_Windows_Chaos⠀✐
Posted in News_Roundup at 4:35 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇GNOME bluefish⦈
§ Contents⠀➾
* GNU/Linux
o Distributions
o Devices/Embedded
* Free_Software/Open_Source
* Leftovers
* § GNU/Linux⠀➾
o § Desktop/Laptop⠀➾
# ⚓ AboutChromebooks ☛ Snapdragon_8cx_Chromebooks_could_be
coming,_but_not_soon_–_About_Chromebooks⠀⇛
There are a few Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Chrome OS
devices on the market today. But some might like to
see the more powerful Snapdragon 8cx inside a
Chromebook. Based on a code commit spotted by
Chrome Unboxed, that wish may become reality:
Snapdragon 8cx Chromebooks appear to be in the
works.
o § Server⠀➾
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ Russia_looks_for_tech_fixes_for
sanctions-hit_HPC_sector_•_The_Register⠀⇛
With the largest data center chipmakers locking
Russia out of next-generation devices, not to
mention the withdrawal of mobile and software
makers from that market, it is no surprise Russian
researchers are on the fast track to develop ways
around the new technologies that will drive the
rest of the world.
This is important in the Russian context now, but
these efforts are likely to spur similar efforts in
China, which is also no stranger to sanctions of
the tech variety – as we’ve seen in cases like
Huawei, for instance.
The US government last week blocked key technology
exports, including semiconductors, to Russia after
the invasion of Ukraine. Chipmakers complying with
the US export controls include AMD, Intel, TSMC,
and GlobalFoundries, at least, with all suspending
shipments of products to Russia. Dell, HP, and
Lenovo have also stopped shipping products to the
country, and Oracle and SAP suspended their
business last night.
o § Audiocasts/Shows⠀➾
# ⚓ Tux Digital ☛ 191:_GNOME_42,_Linux_Mint,_Ubuntu_22.04_LTS,
Lakka,_CrossOver_and_more_Linux_news!_–_TuxDigital⠀⇛
On this episode of This Week in Linux: GNOME 42,
Lakka 4.0, PowerVR GPU Vulkan Drivers for Linux,
Linux Mint Debian Edition 5, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Gets
Wayland By Default, OBS Studio via Steam But Not
For Linux, CrossOver 21.2, Fish Shell 3.4, Samba
4.16, Mozilla’s MDN Plus Subscription & More,
GitHub Is “Improving” Your Feed, & NPM Hit By More
Purposeful Malware. All that and much more on Your
Weekly Source for Linux GNews!
o § Kernel Space⠀➾
# ⚓ Jeff Geerling ☛ Installing_the_Asahi_Linux_Alpha_on_my_M1
Mac_mini⠀⇛
If you haven’t heard of Asahi, it’s a Linux
distribution based on Arch Linux that aims to bring
a polished Linux experience on Apple Silicon Macs
(all the current M1 Macs, and any new Apple Silicon
Macs that come in the future).
# ⚓ Techstrong Group ☛ Why_the_Linux_Kernel_is_Still_Important
[Ed: Clown Guru (Micosofters) rewrite the history of the most
important OS]⠀⇛
As a training architect at A Cloud Guru (ACG), I
teach courses about all things Linux and specialize
in hands-on lab-based learning. Before joining ACG,
I worked as a Unix systems engineer at GE and IBM
as well as a technical account manager and customer
advocate for Red Hat. I’m hugely passionate about
Linux, just as so many other engineers and
enthusiasts are, not just because of its importance
to our careers but its impact overall.
o § Instructionals/Technical⠀➾
# ⚓ RevK ☛ When_is_gigabit_not_gigabit?⠀⇛
We (A&A) sell gigabit services, as both Ethernet
and FTTP. We see other ISPs selling 950M or 900M,
why? Will I get a gigabit?
# ⚓ uni Toronto ☛ Some_notes_on_lslocks,_the_Linux_command_to
list_current_file_locks⠀⇛
Lslocks(8) is the Linux command that you usually
use to list current file locks on a machine.
Lslocks uses the kernel’s /proc/locks to find out
about locks, and so is subject to various
limitations /proc/locks has. It adds some
conveniences to the raw /proc/locks information,
but also has some limitations of its own on what
information it can present when.
# ⚓ Matt Rickard ☛ Build-as-Code⠀⇛
Infrastructure-as-code (IaC) is often seen as a
deployment tool. Write code to describe your
infrastructure – either at a low level like
Terraform or Cloudformation, or at a high level
like the AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK). But
Infrastructure-as-code is naturally part of the
continuous deployment (CD) process, but
increasingly is finding its way into continuous
integration (CI).
Infrastructure-as-code is becoming build-as-code.
# ⚓ Tom’s Hardware ☛ How_To_Zip_Files_in_Linux⠀⇛
In this how-to, we’ll look at the zip command, a
useful utility that enables us to specify lists of
files, set a level of data compression and create
compressed archives.
Whilst you become accustomed to these commands it’s
good to work with example test files and
directories and you should take extra care to
ensure you are carefully following the
instructions.
# ⚓ How_to_Install_Play_framework_on_Debian_11⠀⇛
A framework that is not as well known as others but
is very versatile to use is Play Framework. Today
we will talk about it and learn how to install it
on Debian 11.
# ⚓ H2S Media ☛ Install_Siege_Benchmarking_Tool_on_Ubuntu_22.04
–_Linux_Shout⠀⇛
Siege is a free web server stressing tool to
install on Linux operating systems such as Ubuntu
22.04 using a command terminal for HTTP load
testing and benchmarking. We can use it for stress
testing by defining single or multiple URLs for
simulated users. The result of the load test gives
complete details of the number of hits recorded,
bytes transferred, response time, concurrency, and
return status. Siege supports HTTP/1.0 and 1.1
protocols, the GET and POST directives, cookies,
transaction logging, and basic authentication.
# ⚓ DT ☛ Dist-upgrade_Debian_from_oldstable_to_stable_|
dt.iki.fi⠀⇛
Today I found out that the debian security team
handles oldstable releases only for a year or so,
after which the LTS team takes over, which is
arguably less secure.
# ⚓ Trend Oceans ☛ How_to_fix_Cleartext_HTTP_traffic_not
permitted_in_Android⠀⇛
When I launch the application on the emulator, it
crashes, and when I checked the logs it says
“Cleartext HTTP traffic is * not allowed”. For this
reason, I am not able to test the functionality of
my app.
o § Games⠀➾
# ⚓ Techdirt ☛ Game_Jam_Winner_Spotlight:_Dreaming_The_Cave⠀⇛
So far, in our series of posts about the winners of
the fourth annual public domain game jam, Gaming
Like It’s 1926, we’ve looked at Best Adaptation The
Wall Across The River and Best Deep Cut The
Obstruction Method. Today, it’s time for the winner
of the Best Remix category: Dreaming The Cave by
David Harris.
o § Desktop Environments/WMs⠀➾
# § K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt⠀➾
# ⚓ This_week_in_KDE:_Progress_on_gestures_and_15-minute
bugs!_–_Adventures_in_Linux_and_KDE⠀⇛
This week some of the in-progress work on
touch gestures was merged, and now the edge
swipe gesture to trigger KWin’s Overview and
Desktop Grid effects will follow your
fingers, just like you’d expect!
Big thanks to Marco Martin for implementing
this improvement, which will be in Plasma
5.25. More is in the pipeline too, including
finger-following touchpad gestures for the
Overview effect and virtual desktop Slide
effect. Hopefully I’ll be able to announce
them as finished next week.
o § Distributions⠀➾
# ⚓ Barry Kauler ☛ Increased_gap_between_drive_icons_and_tray⠀⇛
Prior to 3.4.4, the tray was a height of 28 pixels,
but is now 30 pixels. I have increased
ICON_PLACE_EDGE_GAP from 64 to 68, so the tray
height can now be up to 32 pixels if desired.
I could probably support ICON_PLACE_EDGE_GAP=auto,
which will automatically adjust the gap to suit
whatever the tray height is. That could be
something for the future, for now only want to do
basic bug fixes.
# ⚓ Barry Kauler ☛ Optical_disc_now_shows_in_drives_menu⠀⇛
I reported this bug in Easy 3.4.4:
https://forum.puppylinux.com/
viewtopic.php?p=53243#p53243
In JWM-mode icon-free-desktop, after I had plugged
in a CD, it did not show in the drives menu. As I
never use optical media, I hadn’t noticed this bug.
# ⚓ Its FOSS ☛ 11_Best_Systemd-Free_Linux_Distributions⠀⇛
In case you’re curious, the init system is the
first process after the Linux Kernel comes into
action in the boot process to initialize various
device management, logging, and networking service.
You may know them as daemons as well.
Technically, systemd solved numerous issues that
made Linux distributions more reliable to use on
desktop and massive server configurations.
# ⚓ CNX Software ☛ OASIS_–_ROS_2_based_Smart_Home_operating
system_integrates_with_Kodi⠀⇛
OASIS is a Smart Home operating system based on ROS
2 that currently implements computer vision, input
streaming, and general automation features, and can
be integrated into Kodi media center.
The operating system was recently released by
Garrett Brown (a.k.a. garbear or eigendude), who is
also known for being the RetroPlayer developer from
Team Kodi/XBMC, and provides a complete
implementation of the Firmata protocol for
communicating with Arduino boards, plus additional
support for temperature and humidity sensors, I2C,
servos, sonar, SPI, stepper motors, and 4-wire CPU
fans.
# § Reviews⠀➾
# ⚓ IT Pro ☛ Astro_Slide_5G_review:_Yin_and_yang_|_IT
PRO⠀⇛
On your first go with the Slide, you may
wonder if Planet has met its match: the
process can seem wobbly. However, you’ll soon
learn to either push upwards with both thumbs
on either edge or confidently grab it from
the middle. Once in place, the screen doesn’t
move a jot as you type. What’s more, thanks
to some devious weight management, it will
never topple over no matter how hard you prod
the screen. It’s a great piece of design.
Another nice feature is the smart button on
the left-hand side. Head into the dedicated
Astro Settings section of Android’s Settings
menu and you can program it in one of three
ways: a short press, long press or double-
press. For example, we set a short press to
start the torch and a long press to launch
BBC Sounds.
At this point, however, we must tackle the
big problem for the Astro Slide compared to a
normal phone: its bulk. It’s twice as thick
and heavy as a typical phone, and that makes
it far more noticeable in a trouser pocket.
You might also feel self-conscious making
phone calls with such a lump against your
ear. It would be great for a future edition
to lose a couple of millimetres from the base
and for the lid to become even slimmer.
# § New Releases⠀➾
# ⚓ 4MLinux_Releases:_4MLinux_39.0_STABLE_released.⠀⇛
The status of the 4MLinux 39.0 series has
been changed to STABLE. Edit your documents
with LibreOffice 7.3.1 and GNOME Office
(AbiWord 3.0.5, GIMP 2.10.30, Gnumeric
1.12.51), share your files using DropBox
143.4.4161, surf the Internet with Firefox
97.0.1 and Chromium 98.0.4758, send emails
via Thunderbird 91.6.1, enjoy your music
collection with Audacious 4.1, watch your
favorite videos with VLC 3.0.16 and mpv
0.34.0, play games powered by Mesa 21.3.7 and
Wine 7.4. You can also setup the 4MLinux LAMP
Server (Linux 5.16.14, Apache 2.4.53, MariaDB
10.7.3, PHP 5.6.40 and PHP 7.4.28). Perl
5.34.0, Python 2.7.18, and Python 3.9.9 are
also available.
As always, the new major release has some new
features. FSP (File Service Protocol) server
is now included out of the box (gFTP can be
used as its GUI client). Many system-wide
changes has been done to improve font
rendering. The 4MLinux installation script
has been patched to provide better handling
of JBD partitions. New applications available
as downloadable extensions: Bluefish
(advanced text editor), Ventoy (utility used
for writing image files), TripleA (strategy
game written in Java). And finally, youtube-
dl has been replaced with yt-dlp for better
handling of YouTube videos.
# ⚓ 9to5Linux ☛ Independent_Distro_4MLinux_39.0_Arrives
with_Linux_Kernel_5.16,_FSP_Server,_and_New_Apps⠀⇛
4MLinux 39.0 is here almost four months after
4MLinux 38.0 to upgrade many of the core
components and applications to some of their
latest versions. As such, 4MLinux is now
powered by the Linux 5.16 kernel series and
ships with the Mesa 21.3.7 graphics stack.
New features in 4MLinux 39.0 include an FSP
(File Service Protocol) server, improved font
rendering, improved handling of JBD
partitions by the installation script, as
well as new apps available for download as
extensions.
# § Debian Family⠀➾
# ⚓ 9to5Linux ☛ Debian_GNU/Linux_11.3_“Bullseye”_Released
with_83_Security_Updates_and_92_Bug_Fixes⠀⇛
Coming more than three months after Debian
GNU/Linux 11.2, the Debian GNU/Linux 11.3
release is here to provide the community with
an up-to-date installation and live medium
for new deployments of the Debian GNU/Linux
11 “Bullseye” operating system series.
Debian GNU/Linux 11.3 incorporates all the
latest security updates and miscellaneous bug
fixes released during this time for existing
users through the main software repositories.
In numbers, it includes a total of 92
miscellaneous bug fixes and no less than 83
security updates.
# ⚓ Imminent_release_for_the_media_images_for_Debian
10.12_and_11.3_20220327_0010⠀⇛
OK – so it wasn’t quite all done in one day –
and since today is TZ change day in the UK,
it might actually run into the TZ bump but I
suspect that it will all be done very soon
now. Very few glitches – everybody cheerful
with what’s been done.
I did spot someone in IRC who had been
reading the release notes – which is always
much appreciated. Lots of security fixes
overall in the last couple of months but just
a fairly normal time, I think.
# § Canonical/Ubuntu Family⠀➾
# ⚓ Neowin ☛ Ubuntu_becomes_a_rolling_release_with
Rolling_Rhino_–_Neowin⠀⇛
Since its first release in 2004, Ubuntu has
produced releases twice per year and while
the 20th anniversary of Ubuntu is only two
years away, the release cycle hasn’t changed.
Of course, a 6 month release cycle was
nothing new when Ubuntu burst onto the scene.
Fedora has been doing it for longer, though
not following nearly as strict of a schedule.
But there was a black horse on the horizon
that carved its own niche from the already
miniscule Gentoo user base. That distribution
was Arch Linux.
While there are many positive qualities that
would draw a user into the world of Arch, its
headlining feature would be the one that
remains the most relevant in today’s world of
continuous integration and delivery and
that’s its rolling release strategy. While I
don’t think Judd Vinet could have predicted
the proliferation of DevOps or the massive
shift to cloud computing, it must be
interesting to see that the entire industry
is following the Arch strategy in all sorts
of different places. One could even argue
that Microsoft Windows has become a rolling
release.
# ⚓ Ubuntu_Finally_Switches_to_Rolling_Releases_–
Slashdot⠀⇛
Neowin reports that after more than 17 years,
Ubuntu is finally switching to the same
“rolling” release cycles that helped
popularize Arch Linux…
# ⚓ Aviation Analysis ☛ Ubuntu_22.04_LTS_with_Nvidia_510:
Wayland_session_also_for_GeForce_under_Gnome_42⠀⇛
Since AMD and Intel GPUs already use the
Wayland display server protocol as a standard
session, the upcoming Ubuntu 22.04 LTS with
Gnome 42 will also support this for Nvidia
graphics cards. The desktop patch is
responsible for switching from the X Window
(X11) system to Wayland.
o § Devices/Embedded⠀➾
# ⚓ Two_new_Linux_handhelds_with_nostalgic_vibes⠀⇛
Our long-time followers will know how much we love
PDAs, be them Linux evergreens, radical RISC-
V experiments or somewhat exoteric Android/Linux
hybrids. Not one, but two new homebrew PDAs were
presented in these last weeks, the former based on
a RISC-V design, the latter on the new Raspberry Pi
Zero2 Wireless single board computer.
# § Open Hardware/Modding⠀➾
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ Tinkerer_ports_Doom_to_Pi_Pico_•
The_Register⠀⇛
It is with a sense of inevitability that we
can confirm somebody has managed to make Doom
work on the diminutive RP2040-based Raspberry
Pi Pico microcontroller board.
Running the ’90s first-person shooter game on
hardware ranging from ATMs to pregnancy
testers is very much a badge of honor for
hardcore tinkerers and the surprise is
perhaps not so much that the RP2040 hardware
is up to the job, but that it has taken so
long for someone to do it. After all, it is
just over a year since the board first
arrived.
A quick glance at online stores shows that
the Pico is currently not made of unobtainium
and actually in stock at outlets.
# ⚓ Franz Dill ☛ Open_Source_Robotics_Foundation_(OSRF)⠀⇛
Happy 10th Birthday to the Open Source
Robotics Foundation OSRF founders discuss
changes they’ve seen over the last decade
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ SiFive_bags_$175m_to_further
challenge_Arm_with_RISC-V⠀⇛
SiFive is pulling in nearly $400m in funding
this year between a new investment round and
the proceeds of a business sale with the
ambitious mission of eclipsing rival Arm –
and the x86 world of Intel and AMD – with
processor designs for everything from
smartphones to servers.
The Silicon Valley-based chip designer said
Wednesday it had raised a $175m Series F
financing round at a more than $2.5bn
valuation, only two days after announcing it
would sell its OpenFive connectivity business
to Alphawave for $210m so that the startup
could focus on its RISC-V CPU cores.
SiFive’s total funding from investors, which
includes SK Hynix as well as the venture arms
of Intel, Qualcomm and Western Digital, now
stands at more than $350m.
# ⚓ Hackaday ☛ Now_The_V_In_RISC-V_Stands_For_VRoom⠀⇛
Hundreds of variations of open-source CPUs
written in an HDL seem to float around the
internet these days (and that’s a great
thing). Many are RISC-V, an open-source
instruction set (ISA), and are small toy
processors useful for learning and small
tasks. However, if you’re [Paul Campbell],
you go for a high-end super-scalar, out-of-
order, speculative, 8 IPC monster of a RISC-
V CPU known as VRoom!.
# ⚓ WFMZ TV ☛ IAR_Systems_commits_to_bring_leading
development_tools_to_the_growing_number_of_RISC-V_users
⠀⇛
RISC-V is an open, free ISA based on
established Reduced Instruction Set Computing
(RISC) principles. Members of the RISC-
V Foundation have access to and participate
in the development of the RISC-V ISA
specifications and related hardware and
software ecosystem.
# ⚓ Hackaday ☛ Arduino_Keeps_Your_Classic_Timex_Datalink
In_Sync⠀⇛
The Timex Datalink was arguably the first
usable smartwatch, and was worn by NASA
astronauts as well as geek icons like Bill
Gates. It could store alarms, reminders and
phone numbers, and of course tell the time
across a few dozen time zones. One of the
Datalink’s main innovations was its ability
to download information from your PC — either
through flashing images on a CRT monitor or
through a special adapter plugged into a
serial port.
# § Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications⠀➾
# ⚓ Heads_Down⠀⇛
For the past week I’ve found myself focusing
heavily on the mobile version of Lagrange.
For me staying in “heads down” mode is
nothing new. Since 2020 it’s certainly been a
nice respite, but after discovering BASIC on
the C64 in the late 80s, deep focus in front
of a computer has been my favorite pastime.
# ⚓ HowTo Geek ☛ What_Is_GrapheneOS,_and_How_Does_It_Make
Android_More_Private?⠀⇛
Using a modern smartphone comes with some
privacy and security concerns. GrapheneOS
aims to solve some of those problems. It’s a
custom version of Android that puts privacy
and security above all else.
Custom ROMs are not as prevalent in the
Android world as they used to be, but there
are still some solid ones kicking around.
GrapheneOS is one such ROM. Let’s look at
this privacy and security-focused take on
Android.
o § Free, Libre, and Open Source Software⠀➾
# § Programming/Development⠀➾
# ⚓ The New Stack ☛ Margaret_Hamilton_Recalls_Her_Life_as
a_Programming_Pioneer_–_The_New_Stack⠀⇛
In the early 1960s, Margaret Hamilton began
her career as a pioneering programmer and
systems designer. And when NASA launched a
series of missions that led to the first
astronauts on the moon, Hamilton was director
of the Software Engineering Division at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s
Instrumentation Laboratory, developing the
mission’s onboard flight software.
That project included writing 40,000 lines of
code for the moon-landing lunar module, and
its “mothership,” the orbiting craft carrying
the command and service modules.
# ⚓ DJ Adams ☛ Understanding_jq’s_reduce_function⠀⇛
Being a predominantly functional language,
the fact that jq has a reduce function comes
as no surprise. However, its structure and
how it is wielded is a little different from
what I was used to. I think this is partly
due to how jq programs are constructed, as
pipelines for JSON data to flow through.
I decided to write this post after reading an
invocation of reduce in an answer to a Stack
Overflow question, which had this really
interesting approach to achieving what was
desired: [...]
# ⚓ Craft Of Coding ☛ Coding_Cobol:_Tricks_with_arrays_
(or_tables)⠀⇛
Arrays in Cobol are called tables, and they
are a bit odd. For example the following code
creates a 1D table with 5 elements in it,
each of type x(5), or rather a “string” of 5
ascii characters.
# ⚓ Ariadne Conill ☛ the_tragedy_of_gethostbyname_–
Ariadne’s_Space⠀⇛
A frequent complaint expressed on a certain
website about Alpine is related to the
deficiencies regarding the musl DNS resolver
when querying large zones. In response, it is
usually mentioned that applications which are
expecting reliable DNS lookups should be
using a dedicated DNS library for this task,
not the getaddrinfo or gethostbyname APIs,
but this is usually rebuffed by comments
saying that these APIs are fine to use
because they are allegedly reliable on GNU/
Linux.
For a number of reasons, the assertion that
DNS resolution via these APIs under glibc is
more reliable is false, but to understand
why, we must look at the history of why a
libc is responsible for shipping these
functions to begin with, and how these APIs
evolved over the years. For instance, did you
know that gethostbyname originally didn’t do
DNS queries at all? And, the big question:
why are these APIs blocking, when DNS is
inherently an asynchronous protocol?
Before we get into this, it is important to
again restate that if you are an application
developer, and your application depends on
reliable DNS performance, you must absolutely
use a dedicated DNS resolver library designed
for this task. There are many libraries
available that are good for this purpose,
such as c-ares, GNU adns, s6-dns and
OpenBSD’s libasr. As should hopefully become
obvious at the end of this article, the DNS
clients included with libc are designed to
provide basic functionality only, and there
is no guarantee of portable behavior across
client implementations.
# ⚓ Linux Hint ☛ How_to_Read_and_Print_Pretty_JSON_With
PHP⠀⇛
JSON is a popular data storage format to
exchange data between server and browser. It
is derived from JavaScript and supported by
many standard programming languages. It is a
human-readable file format that anyone
quickly understands if it prints with proper
formatting. JSON data prints in a single line
when no formatting is applied. But this type
of output is not easier to understand. So,
the formatted JSON data is very important in
order for the reader to understand the
structure of the data. Pretty print is used
to format the JSON data. JSON data can be
represented in a more readable form for
humans by using pretty printing. There are
many ways to apply pretty printing in JSON
data. The ways to apply JSON pretty-printing
using PHP are shown in this tutorial through
various examples.
# § Perl/Raku⠀➾
# ⚓ Perl ☛ Installing_Perl:_A_Chicken-and-Egg
Problem_|_Tom_Wyant_[blogs.perl.org]⠀⇛
A couple days ago the SD card on a
Raspberry Pi lost its beady little
mind, and I ended up rebuilding the
system from scratch. I generally build
my own Perl (also from scratch) and
then install the modules I need. So
that I can have a log file to rummage
through in the event of a problem, I
start by configuring the CPAN client
interactively, and then doing
$ cpan YAML 2>&1 | tee YAML.log
$ cpan Bundle::CPAN 2>&1 | tee YAML.log
# § Python⠀➾
# ⚓ Fun_with_font_rendering_consistency_in_Python⠀⇛
On a daily basis, I work on firmware
for an embedded device that uses the
Bridgetek FT800. It’s a nifty chip that
takes commands over SPI/I2C and turns
them into an image displayed on an LCD.
It’s very useful for displaying user
interfaces with simple
microcontrollers. Bridgetek is actually
a spinoff company from FTDI, and this
kind of solution seems right up their
alley — take something complicated like
USB or a display controller, and create
a simpler interface for dealing with
it, such as UART/SPI/I2C.
# § Java⠀➾
# ⚓ InfoQ ☛ Java_News_Roundup:_OpenJDK_Updates,
Spring_Framework_6.0-M3,_Helidon_3.0-M1,_JobRunr
5.0-M1⠀⇛
This week’s Java roundup for March
14th, 2022, features news from OpenJDK,
JDK 19, Spring Framework 6.0-M3 and
5.3.17, Spring Tools 4.14.0, Quarkus
2.7.5, Helidon 3.0-M1, March 2022
Payara Platform, Open Liberty 22.0.0.3
and 22.0.0.4-beta, Hibernate ORM 5.6.7,
Hibernate Search 6.1.3 and 6.0.9,
JobRunr 5.0-RC1, Apache Camel 3.11.6,
Piranha 22.3.0, JReleaser update, and
reasons why Java makes sense.
* § Leftovers⠀➾
o ⚓ Daniel Miessler ☛ The_Actual_Pronunciation_of_GIF,_from_the
Creator⠀⇛
The image above is his acceptance speech for a lifetime
achievement award at the Webby’s in 2013. His speech was
itself a GIF, which you can see in the image above. This,
in my opinion, shuts down all counterarguments.
o ⚓ Saudi Gazette ☛ India_gearing_up_to_become_global_hub_for_a
digital_economy⠀⇛
India has been gearing up to become the ultimate digital
partner, providing end-to-end, innovative and
transformative solutions and services to enterprises
across the globe. It faces a historic opportunity to
transform into one of the world’s major technology hubs,
a report by Asia-based Heinrich Foundation said recently.
o ⚓ Fast Company ☛ How_Steve_Wilhite_created_GIF,_the_graphics_format
that_ate_the_world⠀⇛
In 1987, CompuServe needed to pump crisp graphics over
slow dial-up modems. The technology it created to do so
is very much with us today.
o § Science⠀➾
# ⚓ UC_Berkeley_News:_Google_Boss_To_Fund_Data_Science
Initiative⠀⇛
A new research center at the University of
California, Berkeley, funded by alumni Eric and
Wendy Schmidt, will tackle major environmental
challenges including climate change and
biodiversity loss by combining data science and
environmental science. The Eric and Wendy Schmidt
Center for Data Science and Environment will make
its novel solutions publicly available to all and
make sure they are practical and can be replicated
and scaled for society’s benefit.
o § Education⠀➾
# ⚓ TruthOut ☛ Higher_Education_Is_Now_a_Battlefield_Between
Workers_and_Corporatization⠀⇛
o § Hardware⠀➾
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ UK’s_largest_union_to_Arm:_Freeze_job
cuts_now⠀⇛
One of Britain’s largest unions, Unite, is calling
on chip designer Arm’s management to pause an
ongoing redundancy process and “open up the books”
for closer inspection to reveal the company’s
“true” financial health.
Arm CEO Rene Haas recently wrote to employees
warning of a need to “stay competitive” and “remove
duplication of work now that we are one Arm.”
He said this includes stopping work that is “no
longer critical to our future success; and think
about how we get work done.”
# ⚓ Hackaday ☛ Who_Needs_Yeast_When_You_Have_Lab_Equipment?⠀⇛
This particular story on researchers successfully
making yeast-free pizza dough has been making the
rounds. As usual with stories written from a
scientific angle, it’s worth digging into the
details for some interesting bits. We took a look
at the actual research paper and there are a few
curious details worth sharing. Turns out that this
isn’t the first method for yeast-free baking that
has been developed, but it is the first method to
combine leavening and baking together for a result
on par with traditional bread-making processes.
# ⚓ Hackaday ☛ Hacker_Camps_Are_Back._To_Get_You_In_The_Mood,
Here’s_A_Story_From_1997⠀⇛
The past couple of years of the COVID pandemic have
been rough in some unexpected ways, and it’s clear
that our world will never be quite the same as it
was beforehand. In our community, the hackerspaces
are open again, and while the pandemic hasn’t gone
away this year shows the promise of hosting the
first major hacker camps to be held since 2019.
We’re sure a number of you will be making your way
to them. To give a taste of what is to come we’ve
got a rare glimpse into hacker camps past.
# ⚓ Hackaday ☛ ATtiny85_Snake_Game_Is_A_Circuit_Sandwich⠀⇛
If there’s any looming, unwritten rule of learning
a programming language, it states that one must
break in the syntax by printing Hello, World! in
some form or another. If any such rule exists for
game programming on a new microcontroller, then it
is certainly that thou shalt implement Snake.
# ⚓ Hackaday ☛ AI-Generated_Sleep_Podcast_Urges_You_To_Imagine
Pleasant_Nonsense⠀⇛
[Stavros Korokithakis] finds the experience of
falling asleep to fairy tales soothing, and this
has resulted in a fascinating project that indulges
this desire by using machine learning to generate
mildly incoherent fairy tales and read them aloud.
The result is a fantastic sort of automated,
machine-generated audible sleep aid. Even the logo
is machine-generated!
# ⚓ Hackaday ☛ Inspiring_Hacks,_Unfinished_Hacks⠀⇛
We got a tip this week, and the tipster’s comments
were along the lines of “this doesn’t look like
it’s a finished work yet, but I think it’s pretty
cool anyway”. And that was exactly right. The work
in question is basically attaching a simple webcam
to a CNC router and then having at it with OpenCV,
and [vector76]’s application was cutting out
freeform hand-drawn curves from wood. To amuse his
daughter.
# ⚓ Classical_simulation_of_quantum_circuits⠀⇛
Robert Wille, Professor at the Technical University
of Munich and CSO at the Software Competence
Center, Hagenberg, considers the classical
simulation of quantum circuits
o § Health/Nutrition/Agriculture⠀➾
# ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ ‘Utter_Travesty’:_Uninsured_Americans_Will
Now_Be_Charged_$125_for_a_Single_PCR_Covid-19_Test⠀⇛
A major testing company in the United States
announced this week that it will now charge people
without Medicare, private coverage, or other
insurance a $125 out-of-pocket charge to receive a
Covid-19 PCR test—a fresh example of how the U.S.
remains an outlier among wealthy nations for
refusing to provide universal healthcare for its
people.
“Charging individuals for Covid testing—a basic
public health tool is just willful stupidity.”
# ⚓ TruthOut ☛ 3_Out_of_4_People_May_Have_Microplastics_in
Their_Blood,_New_Study_Says⠀⇛
# ⚓ Futurism ☛ Oh_Great:_Scientists_Are_Finding_Microplastics
In_Human_Blood_Now⠀⇛
The team’s findings underscore the potentially
dangerous prevalence of plastics in the world. From
plastic waste in vulnerable ecosystems, to
microplastics being consumed in our food,
scientists believe plastic pollution can cause
damage to cells and even disrupt hormone
production.
While researchers don’t fully understand the impact
plastics have on the human body, the team now hopes
that they can build off of their research to
discover its effects.
o § Integrity/Availability⠀➾
# § Proprietary⠀➾
# ⚓ OS News ☛ iCloud_and_many_other_Apple_services_are
down_or_experiencing_issues_–_OSnews⠀⇛
Another great day to be a Linux user.
# ⚓ TechTarget ☛ Pro-Ukraine_sabotage_renews_scrutiny_on
open_source_security [Ed: This was malware shipped by
Microsoft, stop blaming "open source"]⠀⇛
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ Procurement_guy_at_Apple_allegedly
ripped_off_iPhone_giant_in_$10m+_scam⠀⇛
A now-former Apple employee accused of
causing the iGiant to lose more than $10m in
a super-scam has been charged with
conspiracy, laundering, and tax evasion.
Dhirendra Prasad, 52, of San Joaquin County,
California, worked at Apple in the US from
2008 to 2018, spending most of his time as a
procurer of components and services for his
employer’s products. It’s claimed, among
other things, he received bribes, put in
parts orders for fake repairs, siphoned off
components, and caused Apple to pay for stuff
it never actually got, all while he profited
on the side.
As prosecutors put it this month, Prasad
allegedly exploited his position by “engaging
in multiple different schemes to defraud
Apple, including taking kickbacks, stealing
parts, and causing Apple to pay for items and
services it never received, resulting in a
loss of more than $10,000,000.” He allegedly
evaded tax on these ill-gotten gains, which
he also laundered [PDF] and helped in the
evasion of tax.
# ⚓ NewYorkTimes ☛ Jury_Finds_Former_Boeing_Pilot_Not
Guilty_of_Fraud_in_737_Max_Case⠀⇛
A jury in Texas on Wednesday acquitted a
former Boeing technical pilot, Mark A.
Forkner, of defrauding two of the company’s
customers, serving the federal government a
defeat in its only criminal case against an
individual connected to the troubled Boeing
737 Max jet.
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ Germany_advises_citizens_to
uninstall_Kaspersky_antivirus [Ed: All proprietary
software should be removed, including American ones.
They're using secrecy to do malicious things. Russia
hasn't a monopoly on that.]⠀⇛
Germany’s BSI federal cybersecurity agency
has warned the country’s citizens not to
install Russian-owned Kaspersky antivirus,
saying it has “doubts about the reliability
of the manufacturer.”
Russia-based Kaspersky has long been a target
of suspicious rumors in the West over its
ownership and allegiance to Russia’s rulers.
In an advisory published today, the agency
said: “The BSI recommends replacing
applications from Kaspersky’s virus
protection software portfolio with
alternative products.”
It added: “A Russian IT manufacturer can
carry out offensive operations itself, be
forced to attack target systems against its
will, or be spied on without its knowledge as
a victim of a cyber operation, or be misused
as a tool for attacks against its own
customers.”
# § Pseudo-Open Source⠀➾
# § Openwashing⠀➾
# ⚓ Comcast_shares_its_code_to_boost_open
source_security⠀⇛
[Ed: Mindless openwashing]
# § Security⠀➾
# ⚓ OpenSource.com ☛ New_book_highlights_open
source_tools_and_tips_for_personal_cybersecurity
|_Opensource.com⠀⇛
The internet can be a dangerous place.
Not a week goes by without a cyber
attack taking place. Go H*ck Yourself:
A Simple Introduction to Cyber Attacks
and Defense by Bryson Payne shows you
how many basic cyber attacks work, so
you can learn to defend against them.
Payne teaches how to perform a variety
of hacks to show that they are easy to
do.
The book’s eleven chapters begin with
straightforward concepts, like using a
browser’s inspect tool to make a
password field display the password and
gaining administrative access to a
Windows or Mac using installation
media. The third chapter explains how
to use VirtualBox to create Kali Linux
and Microsoft Windows virtual machines
that will be used for the exercises in
the following chapters.
# ⚓ diffoscope_209_released⠀⇛
The diffoscope maintainers are pleased
to announce the release of diffoscope
version 209. This version includes the
following changes:
* Update R test fixture for R 4.2.x
series. (Closes: #1008446)
* Update minimum version of Black to
prevent test failure on Ubuntu jammy.
# ⚓ IT Wire ☛ Researchers_urged_to_avoid_bug_bounty
firms_after_HackerOne_hiccup⠀⇛
The call to bypass bug bounty firms
came from American researcher Katie
Moussouris, the founder of Luta
Security, and a well-known figure in
the infosec industry.
In a thread on Twitter, Moussouris
said: “Technically [there is] nothing
stopping all [crackers] who participate
in bug bounties from refusing to submit
bugs via bounty platforms except the
threat of being kicked off said
platforms (that refuse to employ them
all yet use [crackers] as their sole
income source) just sayin’. Email the
bugs.”
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ Satellite_comms_networks_on
alert_after_US_govt_warning⠀⇛
US federal agencies have warned of
possible threats to American and
international satellite communication
(SATCOM) networks that could affect
customers.
In a joint security alert, the US
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure
Security Agency (CISA) and FBI
“strongly encourage” critical
infrastructure operators, along with
SATCOM network providers and customers,
to put in place a series of mitigation
steps to shore up their networks.
# ⚓ Toolbox ☛ Best_Open_Source_Security_Tools_in
2022⠀⇛
# ⚓ Rise_As_Court_Data_Breach_Grows⠀⇛
It was about 11 p.m. when a restless
software developer in Texas discovered
that his hobby website, a free public
records search engine, had been
mentioned in a news story about a
massive data breach.
To his horror, the article said the
“shadowy website” judyrecords.com — his
website — had published hundreds of
thousands of the State Bar of
California’s confidential case files.
The state bar declared that it had
notified law enforcement.
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ Microsoft_investigates
Lapsus$’s_boasts_of_Bing,_Cortana_code_heist [Ed:
What about listening devices (Cortana) data?
Blackmail repository.]⠀⇛
The Lapsus$ extortion gang briefly
alleged over the weekend it had
compromised Microsoft.
The devil-may-care cyber-crime ring has
previously boasted of breaking into
Nvidia, Samsung, Ubisoft, and others.
Its modus operandi is to infiltrate a
big target’s network, exfiltrate
sensitive internal data, and then make
demands to prevent the public release
of this material – and perhaps just
release some of it anyway.
“We are aware of the claims and are
investigating,” a Microsoft
spokesperson told The Register on
Monday.
On Saturday and Sunday, the crooks
shared then deleted on Telegram
screenshots suggesting they had broken
into Microsoft’s internal DevOps
environment, as spotted by infosec bod
Dominic Alvieri. The screenshot shows
internal projects including Bing and
Cortana’s source code, and WebXT
compliance engineering projects.
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ Devil-may-care_Lapsus$_gang
is_not_the_aspirational_brand_infosec_needs⠀⇛
The Lapsus$ cyber-crime gang, believed
to be based in Brazil, until recently
was best known for attacks on that
country’s Ministry of Health and
Portuguese media outlets SIC Noticias
and Expresso.
However, the gang is climbing up the
ladder, swinging at larger targets in
the tech industry. Over the past few
weeks, those have included Nvidia,
Samsung, and Argentine online
marketplace operator Mercado Libre.
Now, Lapsus$ is suspected of attacking
game developer Ubisoft.
Lapsus$ in February compromised Nvidia,
stealing a terabyte of data that
included proprietary information and
employee credentials, and dumping some
of the data online. The crew also
demanded the GPU giant remove limits on
crypto-coin mining from its graphics
cards, and open-source its drivers.
# ⚓ OpenSSL_vulnerability_can_‘definitely_be
weaponized,’_NSA_cyber_director_says⠀⇛
A cryptographic vulnerability in the
Tonelli Shanks modular algorithm, which
is used in popular cryptographic
library OpenSSL, can lead to denial-of-
service attacks and can “definitely be
weaponized” in the current threat
environment, according to an NSA
official.
The bug — discovered by two Google
employees, security researcher Tavis
Ormandy and software engineer David
Benjamin, and is being tracked under
CVE-2022-0778 — affects the BN_mod_sqrt
() function in OpenSSL, which is used
to compute the modular square root and
parses certificates that use elliptic
curve public key encryption.
This process can be exploited if an
attacker submits a certificate with
broken curve parameters, thus
triggering an infinite loop in the
program and leading to a denial of
service.
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ Exotic_Lily_is_a_business-
like_access_broker_for_ransomware_gangs [Ed:
Microsoft Windows TCO]⠀⇛
TAG initially detected Exotic Lily –
which the researchers describe as a
“resourceful, financially motivated
threat actor” – in September 2021
exploiting a zero-day flaw in Microsoft
MSHTML (tracked as CVE-2021-40444).
Further investigation discovered that
the group was acting as an IAB working
with a Russian gang known as FIN12 by
cybersecurity vendors Mandiant and
FireEye, Wizard Spider by CrowdStrike,
and DEV-0193 by Microsoft.
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ The_Windows_malware_on
Ukraine_CERT’s_radar⠀⇛
As Ukraine fights for survival against
invading Russian forces, here’s a taste
of some of the malware the nation’s
Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT)
is battling.
To start, the team earlier this month
said miscreants had spammed out emails
impersonating government agencies
containing links to fake Windows
antivirus updates. When these were
downloaded and run by a victim, more
malware was brought onto the machine,
including Cobalt Strike Beacon, which
can take over the PC with PowerShell
scripts, log keystrokes, take
screenshots, exfiltrate files, run
other malicious code, attempt to
traverse the network, and so on. Beacon
is a legit tool developed by
HelpSystems mainly for red-team
professionals.
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ AvosLocker_group_is_targeting
US_critical_infrastructure,_FBI_says [Ed:
AvosLocker = Microsoft Windows]⠀⇛
The advisory outlines various
indicators of compromise (IoCs) that
can help companies determine whether
they have become AvosLocker victims, as
well as a list of mitigation steps they
can take. These range from developing a
data recovery plan and implementing
network segmentation to regularly
backing up data, installing and
updating antivirus software and
installing updates and patches on
operating systems.
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ FIDO_Alliance_says_it_has
finally_killed_the_password⠀⇛
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ Another_flaw_found_in_Western
Digital’s_EdgeRover_app_•_The_Register⠀⇛
Users of Western Digital’s EdgeRover
app for Windows and Mac are advised to
download an updated version to avoid a
security flaw that might allow an
attacker unauthorized access to
directories and files.
The flaw, which was given the CVE
identification number CVE-2022-22988,
carries a Common Vulnerability Scoring
System (CVSS) severity rating of 9.1,
making it a critical weakness. It has
now been addressed, however, with a
modification to the way EdgeRover
handles file and directory permissions.
# § Privacy/Surveillance⠀➾
# ⚓ MIT Technology Review ☛ The_secret
police:_Inside_the_app_Minnesota_police
used_to_collect_data_on_journalists_at
protests [Ed: If more people paid
attention, they'd not carry such devices
around]⠀⇛
n April of last year, a freelance
photojournalist named J.D. Duggan
was covering a protest in
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, a
suburb of Minneapolis, when
things took a disturbing turn. A
few days earlier, a police
officer in Brooklyn Center had
shot and killed 20 year-old
Daunte Wright, and a community
wounded and incensed by George
Floyd’s murder less than a year
earlier took to the streets.
As Duggan was documenting the
demonstrations, they say a
“couple hundred” officers
surrounded a group of protestors
and journalists and told everyone
to get on the ground. Officers
sorted the press from the
protestors, walked them to a
parking lot, and began
photographing them, one by one,
with cell phones. Duggan
estimates that a few dozen
journalists were cataloged in the
same manner that night before
being released.
# ⚓ Google_launches_new_search_tool_for
provider_appointments,_seeks_FDA_approval
for_Fitbit_feature [Ed: This espionage
machine coming for your medical records and
even your flood, heart rate etc.]⠀⇛
Google is working to prop up its
healthcare efforts following
internal project shakiness that
led the Mountain View,
California-based company to
dismantle its Google Health
business last year after its
leader, David Feinberg, departed
to become chief executive at EHR
giant Cerner. Google Health was
created in 2018 to bring the
company’s health initiatives
under a single umbrella but was
disbanded in August following
extensive restructuring and with
little concrete to show in terms
of disrupting the entrenched
healthcare industry.
# ⚓ Health_officials_see_bright_future_in
poop_surveillance_|_Fierce_Biotech⠀⇛
# ⚓ The Wrap ☛ Elon_Musk_Says_Twitter
‘Undermines_Democracy,’_Suggests_Need_for
‘a_New_Platform’⠀⇛
The Tesla founder joined the
debate on censorship on major
social media platforms, first
posting a Twitter poll centered
on the question: “Free speech is
essential to a functioning
democracy. Do you believe Twitter
rigorously adheres to this
principle?”
Roughly 70% of Musk’s 79.2
million followers soon weighed in
with a resounding “No.”
# ⚓ The Sun ☛ Elon_Musk_says_he’s_‘giving
serious_thought’_to_building_a_new_social
media_platform_which_focuses_on_free
speech⠀⇛
Musk shared his thoughts on
Twitter after being asked if a
new platform is something he’d
consider.
# ⚓ NewYorkTimes ☛ U.S._and_European_leaders
reach_deal_on_trans-Atlantic_data
privacy.⠀⇛
American and European Union
leaders said on Friday that they
had reached an “agreement in
principle” to assure that it is
legal to transfer personal data
across the Atlantic, after a
previous pact was struck down
when a court found it did not do
enough to shield Europeans from
American surveillance programs.
President Biden said at a news
conference in Brussels that the
agreement included “unprecedented
protections for data privacy and
security for our citizens.”
The deal includes a way for
Europeans to object if they feel
that their privacy has been
violated, including through an
“independent Data Protection
Review Court,” the White House
said in a fact sheet released
after the news conference. The
deal still needs to be made
final, the United States and the
European Commission said in a
joint statement, adding that the
White House would put its
commitments in an executive
order.
# ⚓ Security Week ☛ US,_EU_Sign_Data_Transfer
Deal_to_Ease_Privacy_Concerns⠀⇛
The European Union and United
States made a breakthrough in
their yearslong battle over the
privacy of data that flows across
the Atlantic with a preliminary
agreement Friday that paves the
way for Europeans’ personal
information to be stored in the
U.S.
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ Zoom_agrees_privacy
conditions,_gets_low-risk_rating_from
Netherlands⠀⇛
Hot on the heels of Microsoft’s
report card from the Dutch
department of Justice and
Security comes news of rival
messaging platform Zoom receiving
a nod via a renewed Data
Protection Impact Assessment
(DPIA).
The assessment was performed by
the Privacy Company and was
commissioned by SURF (the
purchasing organisation for
Netherlands’ universities.)
The first assessment kicked off
in 2020 and by May 2021 [PDF]
concluded that there were nine
high and three low data
protection risks for users of the
video conferencing platform.
These risks included worries
about where personal data was
actually being processed and the
retention of customer data.
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ DCMS_launches_public
consultation_on_telco_security_•_The
Register⠀⇛
“Logs for network equipment in
security critical functions shall
be fully recorded and made
available for audit for 13
months,” explained the code.
Large ISPs have until 2025 to
implement such logging, while
smaller outfits have a full five
years to get themselves up to
speed.
o § Defence/Aggression⠀➾
# ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ Suggesting_Kremlin_Regime_Change,_Biden
Says_Putin_‘Cannot_Remain_in_Power’⠀⇛
Bucking those who warn that a push for regime
change in Moscow could prolong the war in Ukraine
and intensify the suffering of its people, U.S.
President Joe Biden appeared to openly call for the
overthrow of Russian Vladimir Putin on Saturday
during a speech in Warsaw, Poland.
“Whenever the United States tried regime change, it
didn’t turn out very well.”
# ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ Dalai_Lama,_Other_Nobel_Winners_Demand
Explicit_Vow_Not_to_Use_Nuclear_Weapons_in_Ukraine⠀⇛
The Dalai Lama is among 16 Nobel Peace Prize
laureates who jointly issued an open letter
Saturday calling for the immediate end of the
attack on Ukraine and an explicit vow from both
Russia and NATO forces that nuclear weapons of any
kind will not be used as part of this conflict or
any other.
“The invasion of Ukraine has created a humanitarian
disaster for its people. The entire world is facing
the greatest threat in history: a large-scale
nuclear war, capable of destroying our civilization
and causing vast ecological damage across the
Earth.”
# ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ Opinion_|_No_Matter_the_Outcome_in_the
Ukraine_War,_the_World’s_Poorest_Will_Feel_Its_Impact_the
Most⠀⇛
As the Ukraine war enters its second month it is
close to a very violent stalemate. It is doing
damage, however, far beyond the borders of that
country or even of Europe—and not just with bullets
and bombs.
# ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ Opinion_|_The_Billion_Dollar_Deal_that_Made
Google_and_Amazon_Partners_in_the_Israeli_Occupation_of
Palestine⠀⇛
“We are anonymous because we fear retaliation.”
This text was part of a letter signed by 500 Google
employees last October, in which they decried their
company’s direct support for the Israeli government
and military.
# ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ Opinion_|_As_Global_Horror_Unfolds_in
Ukraine,_Why_Is_War_Still_Legal?⠀⇛
Would you be able to attack and take over your
neighbor’s home over a boundary line dispute? Could
you legally threaten their safety, no matter how
angry you were? The answer is a resounding no. Then
why is it that when a conflict transcends national
boundaries, we have no clear and immediate recourse
against aggression other than threatening or
carrying out more violence in return?
# ⚓ Site36 ☛ Turkey_prepares_for_world’s_first_aircraft_carrier
with_drones⠀⇛
The government in Ankara wants to become the fourth
naval power in the Mediterranean, and after being
kicked out of the „F35“ programme, the navy is
turning to drones. Russia, however, could attack
key production facilities.
# ⚓ TruthOut ☛ Nobel_Laureates_Call_for_End_to_Ukraine_War_and
Rejection_of_Nuclear_Weapons⠀⇛
# ⚓ The Economist ☛ The_invasion_of_Ukraine_is_not_the_first
social_media_war,_but_it_is_the_most_viral⠀⇛
The war in Ukraine is not, as some commentators
rushed to declare, the “first social-media war”.
Israel and Hamas have long sparred on Twitter as
well as IRL. During Mr Putin’s previous invasion of
Ukraine, in 2014-15, digital sleuths used selfies
that Russian soldiers posted online to prove their
presence on the battlefield in the Donbas region.
(Russia subsequently barred soldiers from carrying
smartphones while on duty.) Nor is the war in
Ukraine the first conflict to appear on a new
generation of social networks such as TikTok, which
launched in 2016. Videos from the war in Syria have
long circulated there; those interested could also
find plenty of clips from Nagorno-Karabakh, the
disputed enclave that Armenia and Azerbaijan fought
over in 2020.
# ⚓ Modern Diplomacy ☛ The_Dangers_of_Weaponizing_Artificial
Intelligence⠀⇛
AI is a fantastic technology with a bright outlook.
It is rather versatile and has potential
applications in various fields, namely in the
military. However, since there are many issues and
limitations with AI as it currently exists, its use
in military combat would be catastrophic. Despite
this, AI could possibly yield excellent results in
defense and reconnaissance, so long as it is aided
by human intervention. AI is a relatively new
technology that often requires humans to function
properly. As long as humans have a say in AI, there
should be less room for error and more room for
improvement. Hopefully when these limitations in AI
technology are improved, we could see the
implementation of more effective and more ethical
technology both within and outside of the
battlefield.
# ⚓ New Yorker ☛ Legal_Scholars_Are_Shocked_By_Ginni_Thomas’s
“Stop_the_Steal”_Texts⠀⇛
Stephen Gillers, a law professor at N.Y.U. and a
prominent judicial ethicist, described the
revelations as “a game changer.” In the past, he
explained, he had supported the notion that a
Justice and his spouse could pursue their interests
in autonomous spheres. “For that reason, I was
prepared to, and did tolerate a great deal of
Ginni’s political activism,” he said. But “Ginni
has now crossed a line.” In an e-mail reacting to
the texts, Gillers concluded, “Clarence Thomas
cannot sit on any matter involving the election,
the invasion of the Capitol, or the work of the
January 6 Committee.”
# ⚓ About_200_young_boys_graduated_from_ISWAP_training_camps_in
February_–_Report⠀⇛
About 200 young boys graduated from the Darul-Quran
training camp operated by the Islamic State’s West
Africa Province (ISWAP) in February, according to a
report by the Institute of Security Studies (ISS)
# ⚓ France24 ☛ Why_the_Sahel_region_is_witnessing_a_new_spike
in_jihadist_attacks⠀⇛
Just months after French forces killed the local
chief of the Islamic State (IS) group in the Sahel
region, the jihadist group has stepped up its
attacks along Mali’s restive borders with Niger and
Burkina Faso, helped by France’s military pullout
from Mali amid a spat with the country’s ruling
junta. FRANCE 24′s expert in jihadist networks
Wassim Nasr takes a closer look.
# ⚓ France24 ☛ UN_report_says_nearly_600_civilians_killed_in
Mali_amid_anti-jihadist_fight⠀⇛
In the last six months of 2021, civilian killings
rose 16 percent, according to a report by the
United Nation’s peacekeeping mission in the
troubled Sahel state, known as Minusma.
Mali, an impoverished nation of 21 million people,
has over the past decade been wracked by a jihadist
insurgency. Vast swathes of the country are in
thrall to myriad rebel groups and militias.
Thousands of soldiers and civilians have been
killed and hundreds of thousands of people have
been forced to flee their homes.
# ⚓ Defence Web ☛ Islamist_arms_supply_in_northern_Mozambique
traced⠀⇛
“Finally, weapons from government sources regularly
found their way into criminal hands for elephant
poaching and for general banditry. Banditry had
been an endemic issue in northern Mozambique for
many years before the insurgency and illicit
weapons were circulated for use by bandits.
“Over time insurgent armouries grew significantly.
The bulk of this weaponry comes directly from
Mozambican military sources, including weapons
captured from security force camps, border posts
and police armouries in towns and villages overrun
by the insurgents and abandoned by Mozambican
security forces in retreat.
# ⚓ Broadband Breakfast ☛ FBI_Warns_of_Russian_Cyberattacks,
Altice-T-Mobile_Deal,_NFL_Blockchain_Deal,_Visionary_in
Broadband⠀⇛
The director of the Federal Bureau of
Investigations warned the private sector to be on
high alert for potential Russian cyberattacks.
While speaking at the Detroit Economic Forum on
Tuesday, Christopher Wray urged private companies
to alert the government with any cyberattacks they
might experience in an effort to troubleshoot
Russian [attacks].
# ⚓ NewYorkTimes ☛ U.S._Accuses_4_Russians_of_Hacking
Infrastructure,_Including_Nuclear_Plant [Ed: US_did_the_same
to_Iran]⠀⇛
# ⚓ National Interest ☛ Ukraine’s_‘Digital_Army’_Is_Battling
Russia_in_Cyberspace⠀⇛
Ukraine’s formidable military resistance to
Russia’s invasion has stunned the world. But it’s
not just on the battlefield that Kiev has upset
expectations of a swift Kremlin conquest—it’s also
done so in cyberspace. Ukraine’s unexpected
dominance includes victories across an array of
digital domains, particularly cyberwarfare and
cybersecurity, as well as its sophisticated social
media and messaging campaigns. Despite early
Russian hacks of Ukrainian government sites, the
momentum quickly shifted in the opposite direction.
As Russia is now finding out, Ukraine wasn’t just
prepared militarily when the first rumbles of war
broke out on February 24. Kiev also had legions of
cyber warriors ready for battle behind their
keyboards.
o § Transparency/Investigative Reporting⠀➾
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ Salesforce_sued_in_attempt_to_block
release_of_Capitol_riot_info [Ed: Salesforce viciously
attacked the founder of GNU/Linux and it_also_profits_from
crimes_against_humanity]⠀⇛
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ Tesla_employee:_I_was_fired_after_sharing
video_of_self-driving_car_crash⠀⇛
Tesla reportedly fired an employee after he
uploaded videos to YouTube critiquing the
automaker’s autonomous driving software.
John Bernal, an ex-Tesla operator working on the
Autopilot platform, runs a YouTube channel under
the username AI Addict. He has filmed and shared
several videos demonstrating the capabilities of
Tesla’s still-in-development Full Self-Driving
(FSD) product.
o § Environment⠀➾
# § Energy⠀➾
# ⚓ Futurism ☛ Exxon_Mobil_Is_Starting_To_Burn_Excess_Gas
To_Mine_Bitcoin⠀⇛
Bloomberg reported that Exxon simply doesn’t
have enough pipelines to transport all the
gas it produces from shale oil. How much
Exxon is getting paid for pumping the
resource to Bitcoin miners isn’t yet clear.
# ⚓ The Economist ☛ The_transition_to_clean_energy_will
mint_new_commodity_superpowers⠀⇛
As the world weans itself off dirty fuels, it
must switch to cleaner energy sources. The
International Energy Agency (IEA), an
official forecaster, predicts that wind and
solar could account for 70% of power
generation by 2050, up from 9% in 2020, if
the world embarks on a course to become
carbon-neutral by 2050. That translates into
huge demand for the metals, such as cobalt,
copper and nickel, that are vital for the
technologies underpinning everything from
electric cars to renewables; the IEA reckons
that the market size of such green metals
would increase almost seven-fold by 2030. And
much like fossil-fuel reserves, these
commodities are distributed unevenly (see
chart 1). Some countries have none at all.
Others are blessed with vast deposits.
o § Finance⠀➾
# ⚓ TruthOut ☛ Communities_Are_Paying_Amazon_to_Set_Up_Shop._It
Should_Be_the_Other_Way_Around.⠀⇛
# ⚓ Taler ☛ “Central_Bank_Accounts_are_Dangerous_and
Unnecessary”_published⠀⇛
In December 2021, the European Central Bank (ECB)
published a report on “Central Bank Digital
Currency: functional scope, pricing and controls”
in its Occasional Paper Series, detailing various
challenges for the Digital Euro. While the authors
peripherally acknowledge the existence of token-
based payment systems, the notion that a Digital
Euro will somehow require citizens to have some
kind of central bank account is pervasive in the
paper. We argue that an account-based design cannot
meet the ECB’s stated design goals and that the ECB
needs to fundamentally change its mindset when
thinking about its role in the context of the
Digital Euro if it wants the project to succeed.
# ⚓ Protocol ☛ Apple_is_doling_out_$200,000_‘retention_grants’
to_keep_people_from_leaving [Ed: This actually keeps salaries
lower]⠀⇛
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ Europe_advances_crypto-coin_regulation_–
without_potential_ban_on_Bitcoin⠀⇛
Europe’s lawmakers this week moved ahead with their
proposed cryptocurrency regulations, having ditched
a rule that might have banned financial services
from dealing in Bitcoin and Ethereum.
The European Union is considering ways to regulate
digital coins, particularly to stamp out money
laundering, and as such in 2020 drew up a draft
framework dubbed the Markets in Crypto Assets
(MiCA) to achieve this. During the development of
this red tape, an amendment was proposed that,
depending on its interpretation, could have made it
illegal for app and web services to handle
transactions involving proof-of-work coins, such as
Bitcoin and Ethereum.
o § AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics⠀➾
# ⚓ [Old] Internet_Arms_Trafficking⠀⇛
In 2002, confidential intelligence sources informed
ATF Agents of an Argentinean suspect brazenly
selling machine guns, silencers and conversion kits
over the internet. These firearms were being
illegally imported into the United States and other
countries. ATF agents quickly established email
contact with the suspect and ordered machine guns
and silencers, which were mailed disguised as
machine parts.
Through innovative investigation techniques, ATF
was able to positively identify the suspect and
secure search warrants for postal records,
electronic financial records and internet service
providers. The investigation concluded that the
suspect had been in business since 1999, and had
sent or received over 6,500 email messages within a
30-day period. The U.S. Customs Service assisted in
this investigation.
# ⚓ TruthOut ☛ GOP_Senators_Use_Jackson_Hearing_to_Agitate
Their_Base_Before_Election_Campaigns⠀⇛
# ⚓ TruthOut ☛ Nearly_200_Children_Who_Fled_Afghanistan_Without
Family_Are_Stuck_in_US_Custody⠀⇛
o § Censorship/Free Speech⠀➾
# ⚓ American_libraries_are_protesting_the_growing_onslaught_to
censor_books⠀⇛
In the face of unprecedented right-wing attempts to
censor and disappear works of literature, history
and science from schools and libraries under the
argument of being “harmful” to the United States.
Librarians and their allies are now leaders of the
opposition.
Number of requests to censor or ban books -Some of
the best and classic of American literature – in
educational institutions Has reached unprecedented
levels, With at least 330 audit attempts in the
three months between September and November 2021The
American Library Association (ALA) estimates that
number will double to 156 by 2020.
# ⚓ New Zealand Herald ☛ Nadia_Bokody:_Sexual_double_standard
in_censorship_of_identical_nude_photos⠀⇛
But while Vidgen’s story stayed live for the rest
of the day, a few hours later, my post had
disappeared with a notification that read, “Your
post goes against our guidelines on adult sexual
solicitation.”
This was particularly striking, given the
similarity of our images, which had nearly
identical posing and exposed skin (in fact, my
chest was covered, so I was showing less than
Vidgen).
The implicit message appeared to be that a man’s
naked body could just exist, while a woman couldn’t
be unclothed without it being inherently sexual.
Though I appealed the removal and had the post
reinstated, within 24 hours it was taken down again
with a second, far more ominous warning from the
platform that my account was about to be deleted.
# ⚓ CBR ☛ 10_Anime_That_Were_Censored_For_English_Speaking
Audiences⠀⇛
The anime industry continues to evolve in prolific
ways, and there’s never been more diverse material
to experience. Anime explores so many challenging
and niche genres of content that it frequently
feels as if there’s a series out there for every
single person. The ongoing success of anime has
also led to a much wider range of series that
receive English dubs.
The sophistication of the anime dubbing industry
has made great strides over the past few decades.
That being said, there are some egregious instances
– both from the past and the present – where the
market for the anime’s English dub doesn’t mesh
with the original Japanese demographic and changes
need to be made. Censorship is never pleasant, even
when it’s a necessary evil, and these are some of
the most frustrating examples.
# ⚓ Eesti Rahvusringhääling ☛ President_Karis:_Banning_vague
war_symbols_might_add_to_the_confusion⠀⇛
A proposal to ban the symbols of Russia’s military
aggression [in Ukraine] has stirred passions in
Estonia. Isamaa MPs have also proposed a Penal Code
amendment. All of it should be reviewed before May
9. What are we going to do to keep society from
splitting?
War propaganda is prohibited by law. Putin is
waging a war of aggression in Ukraine, and I do not
understand people who promote its symbols. If it is
war propaganda, it will result in criminal
responsibility. However, rushing to ban vague
symbolism would create more confusion today. I am
confident that the Estonian society is strong
enough for truth to rise to the surface and
isolated misunderstanding to fall to the bottom.
o § Freedom of Information/Freedom of the Press⠀➾
# ⚓ RFERL ☛ Pig’s_Head_Left_At_Moscow_Apartment_Of_Radio
Station’s_Editor_In_Chief⠀⇛
Ekho Moskvy, one of Russia’s leading media outlets,
was taken off the air on March 1 amid a Russian
crackdown on independent media covering Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine.
# ⚓ France24 ☛ Russian_journalists_quit_over_Putin
‘propaganda’⠀⇛
While the Russian military seems to be failing to
capture key cities, President Vladimir Putin is
intensifying his two-decade crackdown on
information. The Kremlin has shut down Russia’s
last three independent media outlets, barred major
social media platforms, created new laws against
journalists who defy its propaganda and insisted on
calling the war a “special military operation”. But
Russia’s propaganda has also forced multiple
journalists to dramatically quit.
o § Civil Rights/Policing⠀➾
# ⚓ Deutsche Welle ☛ US_cancels_Taliban_talks_over_reversal_on
girls’_education⠀⇛
The US has canceled Doha talks with the Taliban,
after the the rulers of Afghanistan backtracked on
allowing girls to attend secondary school. Female
foreign ministers of 16 countries have also
condemned the move.
# ⚓ NPR ☛ Alleged_gangs_in_the_LA_Sheriff’s_Department_to_be
investigated_by_oversight_panel⠀⇛
“There are at least 18 gangs within the Los Angeles
County Sheriff’s Department,” according to the
investigation, and they are allegedly tied to the
deaths of at least 19 people, all of whom were men
of color. Castle’s reporting includes a database of
names of deputies reportedly involved in these
gangs. The department did not speak to the
journalism outlet for the series.
# ⚓ VOA News ☛ Officials:_Taliban_Blocked_Unaccompanied_Women
From_Flights⠀⇛
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers refused to allow
dozens of women to board several flights, including
some overseas, because they were traveling without
a male guardian, two Afghan airline officials said
Saturday.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity
for fear of repercussions from the Taliban, said
dozens of women who arrived at Kabul’s
international airport Friday to board domestic and
international flights were told they couldn’t do so
without a male guardian.
# ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ Opinion_|_The_Slowly_Bending_Arc_of
Justice:_Judge_Ketanji_Brown_Jackson⠀⇛
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson faced almost 24 hours
of often hostile interrogation over two days before
the Senate Judiciary Committee as its members
consider her for the U.S. Supreme Court. The 51-
year-old federal appeals court judge is the first
African-American woman nominated to the highest
court, and also the first public defender. Her
nomination is historic. But her presence, as a
Black woman, poised to secure a lifelong
appointment to one of the most powerful positions
in the United States, proved to be just too much
for many on that Senate panel. A small cohort of
Republican senators relentlessly smeared Judge
Jackson. She remained poised throughout, answering
questions with calm authority.
# ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ Opinion_|_The_Best_Chance_of_Progressive
Power_Remains_the_Continued_Takeover_of_the_Democratic
Party⠀⇛
Years ago, a caller named “Jeff from Denver” used
to call my show complaining of a lack of
progressive action and sold-out Dems in Colorado.
One day I challenged him to show up at his local
Democratic Party and do something about it instead
of just complaining. He stopped calling, which made
me think I’d offended him and he’d stopped
listening.
# ⚓ Counter Punch ☛ Marcus_Rediker_on_History_from_Below,_Anti-
Slavery_Resistance,_and_the_Fearless_Benjamin_Lay⠀⇛
# ⚓ Labor_groups_aim_to_block_autonomous_tractors_in_California
|_Agri-Pulse_Communications,_Inc.⠀⇛
>
# ⚓ Business Insider ☛ Virtual_Kidnappers_Are_Scamming_Parents
Out_of_Millions_of_Dollars⠀⇛
Criminals are staging a devious new kind of
kidnapping — and the FBI is stumped.
o § Internet Policy/Net Neutrality⠀➾
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ China’s_internet_regulator_squeezes
famously_freewheeling_Reddit-alike [Ed: Weird analogy as
Reddit is state propaganda and censorship]⠀⇛
China’s internet regulator, the Cyberspace
Administration of China (CAC), has taken unusually
strong action against a social network that has
long been considered a thorn in the side of the
nation’s elites.
The site in question is Douban: a Reddit-like
affair that started life as a forum to discuss
books, music, and film. In the years since its 2005
founding, the site has become known for attracting
users who express opinions that China’s government
may well find displeasing. Commenters have, for
example, generally been unafraid to share frank
opinions of works considered to represent
exceptional expressions of Chinese patriotism.
# ⚓ Dev Discourse ☛ FEATURE-Behind_Russia’s_‘digital_iron
curtain’,_tech_workarounds_thrive_|_Technology⠀⇛
Besides VPNs, Russians are using encrypted
messaging apps, email and radio to communicate,
access blocked websites, and get information.
Western technology experts have said the Russian
actions amount to a “digital iron curtain” similar
to China’s great firewall, and raise the risk the
internet could split along geopolitical lines,
digitally isolating people in some nations.
o § Digital Restrictions (DRM)⠀➾
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ Shouldn’t_there_be_a_right_to_repairable
broadband?_•_The_Register⠀⇛
I heard an electric discharge, a bit like a Jacob’s
ladder, immediately before a deafening crack of
thunder. I’d never been so close to a lightning
strike! All of the lights in the house went bright,
then dimmed, then went back to normal. “Uh-oh,” I
thought, “I’m in trouble now.” Everything in the
house had been hit by a nasty surge and the oft-
spoken aphorism that broadband services are now a
utility to rank with water and electricity was
suddenly very, very, real to me.
But it was electricity I worried about first. I use
top of the line surge protectors so my most
sensitive devices – computers and monitors, of
which I have many – all seemed fine. But I’d
overlooked two other connections that come into
nearly every home: the antenna and the phone line.
o § Monopolies⠀➾
# ⚓ Variety ☛ Facebook,_Google,_Amazon,_Apple_to_Be_Regulated
as_Europe_Agrees_to_Landmark_Digital_Markets_Act⠀⇛
The powers of technology giants like Facebook owner
Meta, Google, Amazon and Apple could be severely
curbed as the European Union Council and European
Parliament have reached a provisional political
agreement on the landmark Digital Markets Act
(DMA).
The DMA, the process for which began some 16 months
ago, defines clear rules governing large online
platforms and aims to ensure that no large online
platform that acts as a gatekeeper for a large
number of users abuses its position to the
detriment of other companies wishing to access such
users.
# ⚓ CNET ☛ In_Appeal,_Apple_Argues_Epic_‘Failed_to_Prove’_Facts
of_Fortnite_Lawsuit [Ed: Lawsuits by proxy from Microsoft
criminals, some alleged]⠀⇛
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ UK_regulator_puts_NortonLifeLock_merger
with_Avast_on_ice⠀⇛
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
merger inquiry into NortonLifeLock’s proposed $8bn
acquisition of rival antivirus provider Avast has
now closed, with the regulator concluding that a
tie-up could indeed reduce competition in the
marketplace.
“Advanced discussions” concerning a merger of the
two security vendors first surfaced in July 2021,
when NortonLifeLock investors were told that a
combination with Avast “would bring together two
companies with aligned visions, highly
complementary business profiles and a joint
commitment to innovation that helps protect and
empower people to live their digital lives safely.”
# § Copyrights⠀➾
# ⚓ Torrent Freak ☛ Oscar_Contender_Targets_Official
Oscars_Website_With_a_DMCA_Takedown_Notice⠀⇛
With two Oscar nominations, “Parallel
Mothers” is one of the contenders for the
prestigious award ceremonies tomorrow. The
Spanish film production company El Deseo will
be delighted with the honor. However, it
might be a bit confused as well, as the
company inadvertently sent a takedown notice
targeting the official Oscars website.
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