𝕿𝖊𝖈𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖘 Bulletin for Thursday, February 16, 2023
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Generated Fri 17 Feb 02:43:22 GMT 2023
Created by Dr. Roy Schestowitz (𝚛𝚘𝚢 (at) 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚣 (dot) 𝚌𝚘𝚖)
Full hyperlinks for navigation omitted but are fully available in the originals
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Gemini index for the day: gemini://gemini.techrights.org/2023/02/16/
╒═══════════════════ 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐁𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐒 ════════════════════════════════════╕
Previous bulletins in IPFS (past 21 days, in chronological order):
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QmYV3WS2gpVGuPpGL214RmMcjMk45cBmmXgM7VBxCDEv4H
QmamtVaJ1jkVqwTRHeheoiVfr7r3ijZpHVWct6WE9FvhVN
QmbFDooXZn997QjZY3cCKWM82PnZJjTTiaSSMufBXjiNXP
QmXU8EhJFQRtv8o2V6scWUz5kebeKRmyZa6mEimNyZLPtm
Qmb399zeJfbfeD2xUcMf2JDeQPEXQZXKB4r2KNpE2YN16j
QmVaSG1ALmtpgw3bqUgN2o37FRRRvK92JA5SKGzkigi5Qg
QmXe8bt58f7QFPCzPjfHLJEDufxCy9LYEr1x5WRuwvvwxd
QmXCyRSEqZvXQpdJJgNTZ2SmscGBN8faNeNbNZcV8zoX6D
QmbqEc6DR3dJD1Zez6UEB9NiyCWswQvsYE1yFxnM6ghvgG
QmaVY3HqyuHpVGyMxeT4Bud2vNW78oYnx8dJCM6ZZK5ziE
QmSUai4xNvwMKU2TbSerbPiWGAVberWqCyRsFtpfBmSJUA
QmdqfApkUHoNL7LgRhijLyQ917yqySCE8TFPFh8Efixmuk
QmYUwzBTiff9y3NpVBbZgEPJYspVVxmzVVYkzar4igJRiY
QmWU4whiYNSNx6oxSqvGVEkr1unaGuqfGtoiphqZLBAxVJ
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Qmckkfq1rqb7mTK7w6RbFZJjskRKcnUk8PdtMmcLwUhXgV
QmVY5cAKghhEttE24TaNrAQgciJau5j7EoeaEmfjYdbLMD
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QmVBn9QkCHpe2cDLPr9H2kyS7vx3eRh5a9NN8CDSJEKw58
QmYGXGQ6SW216dEJ4TMfGyb7yDMBF4n6zCEwza8SfCQjDJ
╒═══════════════════ 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐗 ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
⦿ IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 | Techrights
⦿ Who Will Assess the Performance of the Corrupt EPO? Nobody. It’s Above Scrutiny. | Techrights
⦿ Windows and XBOX’s Greenwashing Tactics Fail to Address Real Energy and Security Issues: Why GNU/Linux and Nintendo Offer Better Alternatives | Techrights
䷼ Bulletin articles (as HTML) to comment on (requires login):
http://techrights.org/2023/02/16/irc-log-150223/#comments
http://techrights.org/2023/02/16/lscth-on-performance-report/#comments
http://techrights.org/2023/02/16/microsoft-greenwashing-tactics/#comments
䷞ Followed by Daily Links (assorted news picks curated and categorised):
http://techrights.org/2023/02/16/ardour-7-3-and-pipewire-0-3-66/#comments
http://techrights.org/2023/02/16/youtube-crisis/#comments
䷩ 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 54
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(ℹ) Images, hyperlinks and comments at http://techrights.org/2023/02/16/irc-log-150223/#comments
Gemini version at gemini://gemini.techrights.org/2023/02/16/irc-log-150223/
⠀⌧ █▇▆▅▄▃▂▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁ 02.16.23⠀▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█ ⌧
Gemini_version_available_♊︎
✐ IRC_Proceedings:_Wednesday,_February_15,_2023⠀✐
Posted in IRC_Logs at 3:19 am by Needs Sunlight
Also available via the Gemini protocol at:
* gemini://gemini.techrights.org/irc-gmi/irc-log-techrights-150223.gmi
* gemini://gemini.techrights.org/irc-gmi/irc-log-150223.gmi
* gemini://gemini.techrights.org/irc-gmi/irc-log-social-150223.gmi
* gemini://gemini.techrights.org/irc-gmi/irc-log-techbytes-150223.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
QmWGbpcsQb5K1Pf4tD8UXRLFacnDkWgiBnJp8weva25x4a #boycottnovell 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇HTML5 logs⦈
(full IRC log
as HTML)
IRC log for
#boycottnovell
QmRo1ozxLxuCjqSvcKgfGrXMVGJcSh3gWNyBVKPzvBFwt6 (full IRC log 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇text logs⦈
as plain/ASCII
text)
IRC log for
#boycottnovell-
QmZWYFH14YFUtnu9Y7EdWhpNszz4oF7Mnmu3R19Wwj54M6 social 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇HTML5 logs⦈
(full IRC log
as HTML)
IRC log for
#boycottnovell-
QmbYuS2TaHuzvVQ2Q1nFKfRcdzU1Evz1w6184QA2UoG7d4 social 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇text logs⦈
(full IRC log
as plain/ASCII
text)
IRC log for
QmaDGD7NN1yPmjmdQbEZt7tmDYtaRC2eVdHBRwso68XkPj #techbytes 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇HTML5 logs⦈
(full IRC log
as HTML)
IRC log for
#techbytes
QmWYJ8M2naMQHwsM9mATRJUN9XTabLzGWRVrh37HnfHQLv (full IRC log 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇text logs⦈
as plain/ASCII
text)
IRC log for
QmSJcafZX9CEuAtLmDa1BpB6wLcp8DpmhmZMbi6KLboBos #techrights 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇HTML5 logs⦈
(full IRC log
as HTML)
IRC log for
#techrights
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as plain/ASCII
text)
🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇IPFS logo⦈
§ Bulletin for Yesterday⠀➾
Local_copy | CID (IPFS): QmYGXGQ6SW216dEJ4TMfGyb7yDMBF4n6zCEwza8SfCQjDJ
䷩ 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 181
╒═══════════════════ 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐋𝐄 ═════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
(ℹ) Images, hyperlinks and comments at http://techrights.org/2023/02/16/lscth-on-performance-report/#comments
Gemini version at gemini://gemini.techrights.org/2023/02/16/lscth-on-performance-report/
⠀⌧ █▇▆▅▄▃▂▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁ 02.16.23⠀▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█ ⌧
Gemini_version_available_♊︎
✐ Who_Will_Assess_the_Performance_of_the_Corrupt_EPO?_Nobody._It’s_Above
Scrutiny.⠀✐
Posted in Europe, Patents at 9:21 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴_🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽_⦇Corrupt⦈_
Summary: The EPO, Europe’s largest patent office, is subjecting staff to
stress-inducing appraisals while the EPO itself keeps lying about management’s
performance and lets managers shamelessly break the law (there are no
consequences for crime if you’re a manager in this institution, Europe’s
second-largest institution)
THE EPO‘s staff union, SUEPO, has highlighted another new_post about the demise
of quality of European Patents under Benoît_Battistelli and António_Campinos.
The comments are worth reading; it’s not limited to European_software_patents
and the illegitimacy of the UPC is noted along the way. We try to archive such
comments because we’re told that Kluwer Patent Blog is still censoring
comments. The blog is, as a whole, a giant booster of the UPC that always fails
to disclose a giant conflict of interest (like Bristows staff running it
anonymously a lot of the time).
“Get ready for some big EPO leaks about corruption. It’s under preparation at
the moment.”The Local Staff Committee The Hague (LSCTH) has meanwhile shared
slides that it presented exactly a fortnight ago. “Thanks to all the
participants of the online information session on the topic of performance /
appraisal last Thursday February 2nd, 2023,” LSCTH wrote. It deals mostly with
potential legal disputes in 13_slides. Under the guise of appraisal/assessment/
performance reports EPO management probably tries_to_bully_staff_into_patent
maximalism_rather_than_adherence_to_the_EPC. It’s important not to surrender to
this illegal agenda.
Get ready for some big EPO leaks about corruption. It’s under preparation at
the moment. The EPO likes to talk about “legality” and “courts” and the “law”
when in fact it is routinely committing crimes, violating conventions, burying
constitutions and so on, with Grabinski’s grubby hands on the gavel and an army
of blackmailing trolls to defend this mafia-like activity [1, 2]. We’ve
reported these mobsters to the EFF and the EFF opened a ticket for it. Europe
has been getting more authoritarian and it fails to protect the press. There’s
barely any press left, just lobbying sites of special interests like Team
UPC’s. Europe has adopted Maltese media standards. █
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╒═══════════════════ 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐋𝐄 ═════════════════════════════════════════════════╕
(ℹ) Images, hyperlinks and comments at http://techrights.org/2023/02/16/microsoft-greenwashing-tactics/#comments
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✐ Windows_and_XBOX’s_Greenwashing_Tactics_Fail_to_Address_Real_Energy_and
Security_Issues:_Why_GNU/Linux_and_Nintendo_Offer_Better_Alternatives⠀✐
Posted in Deception, GNU/Linux, Microsoft, Windows at 5:52 am by Guest
Editorial Team
Reprinted with permission from Ryan
🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽⦇microsoft-greenwash⦈_
As much as they’d like to project themselves as environmentally conscious, it’s
evident that Microsoft is more interested in maintaining their profit margins
than conserving resources.
Windows has always been notorious for its resource consumption, poor design,
and bloat, making PCs less energy-efficient and contributing to e-waste.
Instead of addressing the issue, Microsoft has opted to promote its “carbon
awareness” initiative for Windows Update, which doesn’t solve the problem, but
merely shifts the time for checking for broken updates to nighttime.
(I mean, who hasn’t experienced the frustration of a Windows update breaking
something that was working perfectly fine before? Don’t you love spending hours
of your life that you’ll never get back trying helplessly to whack the
Troubleshooters, which don’t work?)
To make matters worse, since Windows 10, Windows_Update_has_been_transformed
into_a_botnet that siphons off electricity and bandwidth from unsuspecting
users worldwide.
So what can users do? They can take control of their PCs and fight back against
this bloat and the broken updates that just shift problems around randomly by
switching to a GNU/Linux distribution. GNU/Linux_distributions are more secure,
robust, performant, and energy-efficient than Windows.
With GNU/Linux, there are choices. If the operating system vendor angers you,
you can choose a different distribution that doesn’t do those things. If you
don’t like the decisions made about the way your desktop shell works, you can
change the desktop with extensions or get a different one. Nobody is “on high”
telling you how this is going to be. With Windows, in all ways big and small,
it is a manipulator.
When I went to try the new Taskbar, in one small annoyance, I even found out
that the icon for “Teams” is no ordinary icon. You have to go through some
menus and change the Taskbar settings to make the icon go away, and it doesn’t
go away just by uninstalling Teams. In fact, it will reinstall it if you’re not
careful.
As an example, in my testing, a GNU/Linux system running powertop autotune as a
system service is significantly more power-efficient than Windows. On my
laptop, which runs on a Core i7 Skylake, Windows 10 hardly ever got deeper than
PC3, while GNU/Linux spends time in all of them right down to PC8.
Another problem that has gained attention in recent years is the company’s
extensive use of telemetry, a form of spyware that collects data on users’
activities and sends it back to Microsoft.
Not only is this a blatant violation of privacy, but it’s also a significant
drain on power and resources. Michael Larabel at Phoronix conducted benchmark
testing on Windows 10 with telemetry both on (default) and off, and found_that
it_had_a_significant_impact_on_the_system’s_performance.
Why are such basic operations slowed down so much by Telemetry? Because it’s
watching and reporting on damned near everything you do with the computer,
including your typing, which programs you use, and the contents of your hard
drive.
This is bound to have more impact on carbon emissions than Windows Update.
It’s time for users to take a stand and demand better than Microsoft. They
should not tolerate this Windows mess any longer. Instead, they should embrace
alternatives that are better for the environment, more secure, and efficient.
Users should say goodbye to Windows and hello to a brighter, cleaner future.
In addition to their Windows operating system, Microsoft’s XBOX division has
also been promoting “carbon awareness”. While this may seem like a positive
step, it’s worth noting that gaming consoles in general are notorious for their
energy consumption.
It’s difficult to take this “carbon awareness” campaign seriously when the
products they’re promoting are contributing to the very problem they claim to
be addressing.
It’s worth remembering that this is the same company that has a history of
creating poorly designed and unreliable products such as the XBOX 360, which
was plagued (to the point of overflowing) with issues like the notorious Red
Ring_of_Death, which rendered the console unusable.
(Humorously, an entire cottage industry went up to make adapters like the Nyko
Intercooler 360 to try to add extra fans, but_these_themselves_sometimes_caught
fire_or_overloaded_and_scorched_the_back_of_the_console,_voiding_the_warranty.)
As someone who personally experienced eight failed consoles due to this issue,
I can attest to Microsoft’s inability to create products that work reliably.
Even after sending in my console for repair, I would receive a new unit that
would soon overheat and fry itself.
It’s clear if you simply watch them and cut through all of the bribed media,
that Microsoft has no idea how to build products, and instead tries to brute
force their way into markets. Efficiency and sustainability are simply not
their forte.
In contrast, companies like Nintendo have always been known for their efficient
and conservative engineering. They don’t rely on raw processing power as a
crutch and instead focus on innovative game design. Nintendo products have a
reputation for being more energy-efficient and reliable than their competitors.
Perhaps it’s time for Microsoft to follow in Nintendo’s footsteps and
prioritize efficiency and innovation over excessive resource consumption.
The truth is, however, that they are not committed to the future of the XBOX
division.
It’s been less than a week, as of this writing, since_they_sacked_basically_the
entire_XBOX_marketing_division_the same day that they gutted_the_marketing
division_of_Azure and LinkedIn. When you give up trying to convince people to
pay for your products, how much time can you really have left?
It’s in light of the bloodletting at Microsoft that the continued pursuit of
Activision almost seems like some sort of Kabuki Theater from another
dimension.
Users who care about the environment or just having reliable software and
gaming machines should consider making the switch to GNU/Linux and Nintendo and
embracing the ethos of efficiency and innovation, rather than Microsoft’s empty
lip service.
Windows and XBOX are carbon bombs, and in the case of Windows, version 11 is
the worst yet. But first and foremost, they’re just awful products.
Saying you’re addressing the Windows carbon problem with the updater is like
saying you’re going to eat three plates of dinner at an all-you-can-eat buffet,
followed by three slices of cake… and a Diet Pepsi. █
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䷩ 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 466
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Gemini_version_available_♊︎
✐ Links_16/02/2023:_Ardour_7.3_and_PipeWire_0.3.66⠀✐
Posted in News_Roundup at 7:51 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇GNOME bluefish⦈
§ Contents⠀➾
* GNU/Linux
o Server
o Audiocasts/Shows
o Kernel_Space
o Applications
o Instructionals/Technical
o Games
* Distributions_and_Operating_Systems
o BSD
o Fedora_Family_/_IBM
o Debian_Family
o Canonical/Ubuntu_Family
o Devices/Embedded
o Mobile_Systems/Mobile_Applications
* Free,_Libre,_and_Open_Source_Software
o Events
o Web_Browsers/Web_Servers
# Mozilla
o Programming/Development
# Rust
* Leftovers
o Privacy/Surveillance
* Defence/Aggression
* Transparency/Investigative_Reporting
* Environment
o Energy/Transportation
o Overpopulation
* Finance
* AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
* Censorship/Free_Speech
* Freedom_of_Information_/_Freedom_of_the_Press
* Civil_Rights/Policing
* Internet_Policy/Net_Neutrality
* Digital_Restrictions_(DRM)
* Monopolies
o Patents
o Copyrights
* Gemini*_and_Gopher
o Personal
o Technical
* § GNU/Linux⠀➾
o ⚓ The Register UK ☛ The_quest_to_make_Linux_bulletproof⠀⇛
This is the second half of a feature about work
undertaken to harden and improve Linux, beginning with
part 1 here.
Commercial Unix was expensive so it was carefully tended
– and indeed tendered. Linux is free so it has to fend
for itself.
Linux itself was inspired by the tried and tested designs
of the proprietary Unixes that preceded it – or
predeceased it – which it drove into extinction. Some of
their tech continues to make its way into Linux, and some
is being reinvented, usually to get round IP issues. The
goals are to make Linux more resilient: fault-tolerant,
self-healing, and in general to lower the cost of its
maintenance.
o § Server⠀➾
# ⚓ Ubuntu ☛ Common_misconceptions_behind_cloud_migration
failures⠀⇛
Migrating your workloads to the cloud can bring
some undeniable benefits to your organisation. For
example, you can leverage cloud automation to
significantly improve your time to market. You can
also benefit from the ever increasing number of
cloud regions to place your workloads close to your
clients. This improves the response time of your
services and, as a result, your customers’
satisfaction.
However, there are numerous misconceptions around
public clouds. These misconceptions often lead to
costly cloud migration failures and might end up in
cloud repatriation. This article is the second in a
series aiming to help you avoid costly mistakes
around cloud migration. In this blog, we will go
over some of the widely shared misconceptions and
provide recommendations to help you get the most of
public clouds and make a well-considered decision
to only migrate the pertinent workloads.
o § Audiocasts/Shows⠀➾
# ⚓ Tux Digital ☛ Linux_Out_Loud_50:_Unused_Hardware⠀⇛
This week, Linux Out Loud chats about open-source
projects rising from the ashes. Welcome to episode
50 of Linux Out Loud. We fired up our mics,
connected those headphones as we searched the
community for themes to expound upon. We kept the
banter friendly, the conversation somewhat on
topic, and had fun doing it.
o § Kernel Space⠀➾
# ⚓ The Register UK ☛ Debian_dev_to_the_rescue_after_proposal
to_remove_Itanium_from_Linux_kernel⠀⇛
Linux kernel developers have debated removing
support for Intel and HP’s now officially defunct
Itanium/IA64 platform from the project, with the
outcome appearing to be a proposal to keep it
alive.
A Wednesday post by Arm principal software
developer Ard Biesheuvel pointed out that “The IA64
port of Linux has no maintainer, and according to a
report from its only remaining user [0], it has
been broken for a month and nobody cares.”
Biesheuvel suggested that set of circumstances
makes persisting with support a bad idea
o § Applications⠀➾
# ⚓ 9to5Linux ☛ Ardour_7.3_Open-Source_DAW_Released_with_VST3
Multi-Bus_Support,_Searchable_Preferences⠀⇛
Coming two months after Ardour 7.2, the Ardour 7.3
release is here to introduce support for VST3
plugins with multiple I/O busses to allow
instrument plugins to have dedicated additional
outputs, as well as sample rate independence so
that audio hardware sample rate and session sample
rate no longer have to match.
Ardour 7.3 also updates the UI to introduce support
for searching items in the global Preferences and
the Session Properties dialogs, the ability to
reverse the polarity of an audio region, working
undo/redo in the recording page, and the ability to
directly use the MIDI tracer on physical MIDI
ports.
# ⚓ Trend Oceans ☛ PipeWire_0.3.66_Released_Today!⠀⇛
PipeWire 0.3.66, which includes a number of bug
fixes and improvements to the open-source
multimedia framework.
o § Instructionals/Technical⠀➾
# ⚓ Linux Handbook ☛ nmap_Command_Examples_in_Linux⠀⇛
The nmap command can be used for finding devices on
your network, open ports and more. Here are some
common uses of nmap.
# ⚓ Linux Cloud VPS ☛ Sign_up_for_a_LinuxCloudVPS_today⠀⇛
In this tutorial, we are going to show you how to
install and manage multiple Java versions on a
Linux server.
# ⚓ OpenSource.com ☛ 5_escape_sequences_for_your_Linux_shell⠀⇛
I recently read an article about shell
metacharacters by Opensource.com correspondent Don
Watkins. His article made me think about all the
weird things you could do with shell input. While I
probably have yet to discover the extremes, I do
often find shell escape sequences, like \b and \t
and \f strangely useful.
Escape sequences are a special type of terminal
input. They’re designed to make it possible for you
to enter characters or events that you may not have
on your physical keyboard. Here are my favorite
escape sequences for the Bash shell.
Metacharacters are symbols with special meanings
for Bash and other shells. They aren’t interpreted
literally by the shell, but change how it processes
input and output…
# ⚓ Linux Host Support ☛ 5_most_Used_dig_Commands_in_Linux_With
Examples⠀⇛
The DIG command offers a vast amount of
functionalities and different options.
# ⚓ Marco d’Itri ☛ Marco_d’Itri:_I_replaced_grub_with_systemd-
boot⠀⇛
To be able to investigate and work on the the
measured boot features I have switched from grub to
systemd-boot (sd-boot).
# ⚓ Trend Oceans ☛ How_to_Store_or_Assign_a_Linux_command_in_a
Variable_in_Bash_Shell_Script⠀⇛
You can store Linux commands as variables in shell
scripts by using the syntax: VARIABLE_NAME=$
(COMMAND_TO_BE_EXECUTED). Once you have saved the
Linux command as a variable in the shell script,
you can use it anywhere in the script by calling
the variable name instead of typing out the
command.
# ⚓ UNIX Cop ☛ How_to_change_the_hostname_on_Debian_11?⠀⇛
Hello, friends. In this post, you will learn how to
change the hostname in Debian 11. It is a short
tutorial, but focused to newbies and even to those
users who want to play with the shell.
# ⚓ FOSSLinux ☛ Strengthening_Wireless_Network_Security_with
Iptables⠀⇛
In this article, we will explore the benefits of
using Iptables as a security tool for wireless
networks. We will cover the basics of wireless
networking techniques and demonstrate how iptables
can help secure your wireless network from
potential threats.
# ⚓ OMG! Linux ☛ Extract_Color_Palettes_from_Images_Using
‘Paleta’_for_Linux⠀⇛
To extract colors from images I will open a color
picker app like Pick and use the eyedropper tool to
mouse over the parts of an image I wish to pull
color from. I then save the values in a text editor
so I can copy/paste them into design apps (or .css
files).
But now I don’t need to.
# ⚓ Jeff Geerling ☛ Transcribing_recorded_audio_and_video_to
text_using_Whisper_AI_on_a_Mac⠀⇛
I installed it and ran it on one of my video’s
audio tracks using the commands at the top of this
post, and I was pleasantly surprised: [...]
# ⚓ University of Toronto ☛ BIOS_MBR_booting_isn’t_always
flawless_and_can_be_odd⠀⇛
The obvious failure mode is that if you have a
system disk fail and replace it, your replaced
system disk is not in its right place in the BIOS
boot order. Since it’s a new disk it’s been put at
the end, after all of the data drives. If you
replaced the first system disk, you’re still able
to boot because you’re actually booting off the
other system disk.
o § Games⠀➾
# ⚓ GamingOnLinux ☛ Returnal_is_just_rough_on_Steam_Deck_but
great_on_Desktop_Linux⠀⇛
Returnal is now on Steam so naturally I gave this
previously PlayStation exclusive a run on Steam
Deck. It’s quite sad though.
# ⚓ GamingOnLinux ☛ Shader_cache_downloads_being_a_nuisance?
Valve_may_have_solved_it⠀⇛
Valve’s shader cache system can be extremely
helpful for Linux gaming, however it can also at
times be quite problematic but Valve may have
solved a big problem with it.
# ⚓ GamingOnLinux ☛ Zink_driver_for_OpenGL_over_Vulkan_gets_a
10x_performance_boost_for_DOOM_2016⠀⇛
A really small change to the Zink driver, that
gives OpenGL support on top of Vulkan, has given an
~10x speed boost for DOOM (2016). Other games are
likely to benefit from this change too but DOOM was
the one where an issue was noticed.
* § Distributions and Operating Systems⠀➾
o ⚓ Pierre Equoy ☛ A_promising_mess⠀⇛
The current status of the Linux ecosystem is not great,
but with all that said, I’m hopeful for the future.
As newer generations of audio and video protocols gain
maturity, the older protocols will stop being used, which
will reduce the number of use cases to care about.
o § BSD⠀➾
# ⚓ FreeBSD ☛ BSDCan_2023_Travel_Grant_Application_Now_Open⠀⇛
The Travel Grant Application for BSDCan 2023 is now
open. The Foundation can help you attend BSDCan
through our travel grant program. Travel grants are
available to FreeBSD developers and advocates who
need assistance with travel expenses for attending
conferences related to FreeBSD development.
o § Fedora Family / IBM⠀➾
# ⚓ SDx Central ☛ Oracle,_Red_Hat_Link_Public_Cloud_IaaS
Integration⠀⇛
# ⚓ India Times ☛ Red_Hat_and_Oracle_expand_operating_system
collaboration⠀⇛
o § Debian Family⠀➾
# ⚓ Trend Oceans ☛ Parrot_OS_5.2_is_now_available_with_Linux
Kernel_6.0⠀⇛
Parrot OS 5.2, a Debian-based, security-oriented
distribution, was recently released with the latest
Linux Kernel 6.0.
o § Canonical/Ubuntu Family⠀➾
# ⚓ The New Stack ☛ Real-Time_Ubuntu_Is_Now_Generally
Available⠀⇛
Canonical, the makers of Ubuntu Linux has announced
the availability of a real-time version of Ubuntu
22.04 LTS…
# ⚓ Beta News ☛ Kubuntu_Focus_Team_launches_NX_GEN_2_mini_Linux
desktop_PC⠀⇛
Installing a Linux-based operating system on an
existing computer has gotten far easier over the
years. Long gone are the days where replacing
Windows with Linux had to be a frustrating
experience. Still, for many people, installing a
Linux distribution is a scary task. Thankfully,
there are many computers being sold with Linux
distributions pre-installed.
Today, The Kubuntu Focus Team launches its latest
such Linux PC. The “Focus NX GEN 2,” as it is
called, is a NUC-like desktop that comes with
Kubuntu 22.04 LTS pre-installed. The diminutive
computer is powered by a 16-core 12th-Gen Intel
Core i7-1260P. The second-gen Focus NX can be
configured with up to 64GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, up to
a 2TB NVMe boot SSD, and up to a 4TB secondary SATA
SSD.
o § Devices/Embedded⠀➾
# ⚓ Valhalla’s_Things:_My_experience_with_a_PinePhone⠀⇛
While I’ve had a mobile phone since an early time
(my parents made me carry one for emergencies
before it was usual for my peers) I’ve never used a
typical smartphone (android / iPhone / those other
proprietary things) because I can’t trust them not
to be designed to work against me (data collection,
ads, tricking users into micro payments, and other
antipatterns of proprietary software design), and
bringing them to sanity as most of the people I
know do is too much effort for my tastes.
# ⚓ Linux Gizmos ☛ New_Lantronix_SIPs_use_Qualcomm_QCS2290_and
QCS4290_SoCs⠀⇛
Lantronix released this month two System-in-Package
modules based on Qualcomm System-on-Chip
Technology. The Lantronix Open-Q SIP modules are
equipped with the Qualcomm Adreno GPU, LPDDR4 RAM,
eMMC Flash storage, camera support, GNSS, Wi-Fi 5/
BT 5.0 connectivity and many other peripherals.
# ⚓ Hackaday ☛ Ploopy_Builds_Open_Source_RP2040-Powered
Headphones_And_You_Can_Too!⠀⇛
We’ve seen many DIY headphones projects on these
fair pages over the years, but not many that are
quite as DIY as the Ploopy Headphones. What makes
this project interesting is the sheer depth of the
construction, with every single part being made
from what we might call base materials. Materials
such as 3D printer filament, foam and felt, and the
usual metallic vitamins.
o § Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications⠀➾
# ⚓ TechRadar ☛ Your_Android_phone_keyboard_is_getting_a_handy
upgrade_|_TechRadar⠀⇛
# ⚓ SamMobile ☛ Galaxy_S23_Android_Auto_issues_are_a_repeat_of
last_year_–_SamMobile⠀⇛
# ⚓ TechCrunch ☛ Firefox_for_Android_gets_extension_for
listening_to_articles_and_hiding_email_addresses_•
TechCrunch⠀⇛
# ⚓ Android Headlines ☛ Leveraging_the_potential_of_Android_for
a_better_crypto_casino_experience⠀⇛
# ⚓ Gizmo China ☛ Update:_OnePlus_11R_5G_Confirmed_To_Receive
Three_Android_OS_and_Four_Years_Of_Security_Updates⠀⇛
# ⚓ BGR ☛ Mediatek_Dimensity_7200_chip_brings_powerful_gaming
to_mid-range_Android_phones_|_BGR⠀⇛
# ⚓ SamMobile ☛ Samsung_Galaxy_A04_gets_Android_13_update_(One
UI_5.0)_–_SamMobile⠀⇛
# ⚓ Computer World ☛ Android_13_Upgrade_Report_Card:_Surprise!
|_Computerworld⠀⇛
# ⚓ Phone Arena ☛ Another_Sony_mid-ranger_is_getting_upgraded
to_Android_13_–_PhoneArena⠀⇛
# ⚓ Giz China ☛ The_Oppo_Find_N2_Flip_will_be_updated_until
Android_17⠀⇛
# ⚓ Android Police ☛ Android_Auto_is_stalling_out_for_some
Samsung_Galaxy_S23_owners⠀⇛
# ⚓ Lifewire ☛ 6_Ways_to_Unlock_an_Android_Phone_Without_a
Password⠀⇛
# ⚓ Lifewire ☛ How_to_Update_Apps_on_Android⠀⇛
# ⚓ GO Media ☛ Your_Android_Phone_Can_Feel_so_Much_Faster⠀⇛
# ⚓ Make Use Of ☛ iPhone_vs._Android:_Which_Offers_More
Privacy?⠀⇛
# ⚓ PC Mag ☛ Google_Tests_Its_‘Privacy_Sandbox’_App_Tracking
Alternative_on_Android_Phones_|_PCMag⠀⇛
* § Free, Libre, and Open Source Software⠀➾
o ⚓ OpenSource.com ☛ A_guide_to_SLEs_and_SLAs_for_open_source
projects⠀⇛
The term Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a familiar one,
particularly in the context of a cloud or managed service
on the web. An SLA refers to the contractual obligations
a service provider has to its customers and is the
instrument defining permissible performance levels for
the service. For example, a service agreement might
determine a service level of 99.95% uptime, with
penalties for falling under 99.95% uptime (more than
about 4.5 hours of downtime in a year or 1.125 hours per
quarter).
The term is so useful for describing both requirements
and expectations around service uptime that it has been
co-opted for other uses where a contractual agreement
doesn’t or can’t exist. For example, a community SLA or
free-tier SLA might describe a non-contractual situation
with the desire or expectation of maintaining a certain
service level.
The problem with this usage is a wonky but important one.
In an SLA, “agreement” always means a contract; the
contextual meaning of the word cannot be translated to
other contexts. The relationship between two or more
people is, by nature, non-contractual. That’s why
contracts were invented: to provide a way to formalize an
agreement and its terms beyond the moment of coming to an
agreement.
Misusing the term SLA creates specific problems in at
least two areas: [...]
o § Events⠀➾
# ⚓ Joinup ☛ Open_Source_Innovation_in_Universities_24_March⠀⇛
“On March 24th, OSPO++ is organizing an event to
discuss emerging trends relating to open source in
Open Science, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer. We
will be gathering to share recent experiences from
universities and public research institutions from
around the world. We are delighted to partner with
Trinity College Dublin, Lero, the Science
Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software and
Open Ireland Network to bring you this event.”
o § Web Browsers/Web Servers⠀➾
# § Mozilla⠀➾
# ⚓ Tor ☛ New_Release:_Tor_Browser_12.0.3⠀⇛
Tor Browser 12.0.3 is now available from the
Tor Browser download page and also from our
distribution directory.
This release updates Firefox to 102.8,
including bug fixes, stability improvements
and important security updates. There were no
Android-specific security updates to backport
from the Firefox 110 release.
# ⚓ Mozilla ☛ The_Mozilla_Blog:_These_3_new_Firefox
Android_extensions_will_help_simplify_your_life⠀⇛
We’ve come to rely on our mobile devices for
everything, from managing our online
calendars to sharing an article we just read
with our friends. So, how can we make it
easier when we use our mobile devices? Today,
we’re adding new extensions to Firefox
Android to help. Whether it’s giving an email
address to sign up for an account, sharing a
URL with a friend, or listening to an
article, here are the latest extensions for a
better online experience.
o § Programming/Development⠀➾
# § Rust⠀➾
# ⚓ Roman Kashitsyn ☛ When_Rust_hurts⠀⇛
Rust is in a sweet spot in the language
design space. It allows us to build efficient
and memory-safe programs with concise,
portable, and sometimes even pretty code.
However, it is not all roses and sunshine.
Memory management details often stay in your
way and make the code uglier or more
repetitive than it could be in a “higher-
level” programming language, such as Haskell
or OCaml. In almost all cases, these issues
are not defects of the compiler but direct
consequences of the Rust’s team design
choices.
This article details on how frustrating Rust
can be if you approach it with a functional
programming mindset and why Rust has no
choice but to frustrate you.
* § Leftovers⠀➾
o ⚓ Mexico News Daily ☛ US_tourist_visa_backlog_continues_in_Mexico;
average_wait_time_is_450_days⠀⇛
According to the U.S. State Department’s official visa
appointment request page, consulates in Mexico have
interviews scheduled into 2024.
o ⚓ Defence Web ☛ SANDF_setting_up_dedicated_disaster_response_unit⠀⇛
As natural disasters are becoming the ‘new normal’ due to
climate change, the South African National Defence Force
(SANDF) is looking to establish a dedicated disaster
response unit, as it is regularly called on to assist
with floods, fires and other events.
o ⚓ France24 ☛ International_rescue_teams_in_Turkey_work_under
watchful_eyes_of_families⠀⇛
In the southeastern Turkish city of Adiyaman,
international rescue teams are still searching for
survivors, or trying to recover bodies, as worried
families watch more than a week after the devastating
earthquake killed nearly 40,000 people in Turkey and
Syria.
o ⚓ Hackaday ☛ Smart_Contact_Lenses_Tell_You_Where_To_Go⠀⇛
Augmented Reality (AR) promises to relieve us from from
the boredom of mundane reality and can also help you
navigate unfamiliar environments. Current AR tech leaves
something to be desired, but researchers at the Korea
Electrotechnology Research Institute have brought AR
contact lenses closer to actual reality.
o ⚓ Hackaday ☛ Hobnobbing_With_The_Knob⠀⇛
The scroll wheel might be the best thing that happened to
the computer mouse since, well, the computer mouse. But
sometimes you want something a little more tangible. For
example, with a software-defined radio setup, it doesn’t
feel right to scroll your mouse to change frequencies.
That’s where [Wagiminator]’ USB knob would come in handy.
Marrying a 3D printed case, some addressable LEDs, a
rotary encoder, and a CH552E microcontroller, the knob
appears to the host operating system as a normal USB
keyboard. That means most programs can use it without any
special drivers or software.
o ⚓ The Kent Stater ☛ KSU_professors’_families_affected_by_Turkey-
Syria_Earthquake⠀⇛
Almost 6,000 miles away, the Kent community reflects in
the aftermath of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake near the
Turkish-Syrian border. The earthquake struck the region
on Feb. 6 and has since killed more than 33,000 people.
o § Science⠀➾
# ⚓ Eesti Rahvusringhääling ☛ Experts_foresee_IT_sector
slowdown⠀⇛
Estonia’s IT sector is slowing down and the trend
is set to continue, experts say. Data released on
Wednesday shows unemployment across all businesses
has risen 23 percent on-year.
# ⚓ The Kent Stater ☛ OPINION:_Music_fuels_our_brain_in_more
ways_than_we_think⠀⇛
There’s nothing like the feeling of playing a song
that perfectly captures your mood. Whether you’re
sad and need an uplifting song or a slow song that
matches the way you feel.
o § Hardware⠀➾
# ⚓ CNX Software ☛ Snapdragon_X75_modem_brings_5G_Advanced_to
smartphones,_IoT,_and_FWA_routers⠀⇛
Qualcomm Snapdragon X75 is the latest 5G Modem-RF
System from the company bringing 5G Advanced
connectivity to smartphones, PCs, industrial IoT,
vehicles, and 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)
routers.
5G is getting more confusing than ever, as after
just having launched a 5G NR-Light modem for
smartwatches, industrial IoT, and XR glasses,
Qualcomm introduced the first “5G Advanced” modem
with the Snapdragon X75 targetting a wide range of
applications that benefit from the improvements in
speed, coverage, mobility, power efficiency, etc…
made possible by the 5G NR Release 18.
# ⚓ Herman Õunapuu ☛ Shrinkflation,_SanDisk_style⠀⇛
Based on this, I assume that SanDisk cheaped out
and decided to not add enough flash to provide both
the advertised storage of 16 000 000 000 bytes
available to the user and some room for over-
provisioning that flash storage benefits from. And
somehow they are the only ones who do it this way,
as all other storage media that I own shows up with
the proper number of bytes.
And for those interested, here’s f3 output for both
the old and new sticks.
# ⚓ Jeff Geerling ☛ Trying_every_combination_to_flash_my_ASUS
motherboard’s_BIOS⠀⇛
tl;dr: Use an old-fashioned USB 2.0 flash drive,
format it FAT32, download the firmware, make sure
it’s named correctly, and use the motherboard’s
‘BIOS Flashback’ option after powering off the
computer.
# ⚓ Franz Dill ☛ Very_Tiny_Cameras,_Consider_the
Possibilities⠀⇛
Researchers at Princeton University and the
University of Washington have developed an
ultracompact camera the size of a coarse grain of
salt. The system relies on a technology called a
metasurface, which is studded with 1.6 million
cylindrical posts and can be produced much like a
computer chip. Image courtesy of the researchers
# ⚓ Hackaday ☛ Breadboarding_A_Game_Boy_From_Scratch⠀⇛
The original Nintendo Game Boy is a stout piece of
hardware in a solid plastic enclosure. [Raphael
Stäbler] recreated the popular handheld on a
breadboard instead, in a fully-functional way, to
boot.
# ⚓ Hackaday ☛ MXenes_Make_Faraday_Cages_You_Can_Turn_On_And
Off⠀⇛
Shielding is crucial for all manner of electronic
devices. Whether you want to keep power supply
noise out of an audio amplifier, or protect ICBMs
against an electromagnetic pulse from a nuclear
attack, the basic physics behind shielding remains
the same. A Faraday cage or shield will do the
trick.
# ⚓ Hackaday ☛ Realistic_Animatronic_Eyes_Are_An_Easy_DIY
Build⠀⇛
It’s not Halloween yet, but if you’re planning a
technically-complicated costume, it might serve you
well to start building now. To that end, here’s a
guide from [Ikkalebob] on how to produce a compact
animatronic eye mechanism.
o § Health/Nutrition/Agriculture⠀➾
# ⚓ Modern Diplomacy ☛ Aquarium_fish_and_smart_implants_show
the_way_to_better_bone_health⠀⇛
By Anthony King Back pain can be excruciating and
is increasingly common with ageing populations.
Spinal surgery is on the rise in many countries,
including costly – and often risky – spinal fusion
surgery.
# ⚓ Off Guardian ☛ Face_masks_–Medical_Protection,_or_Badge_of
Obedience?⠀⇛
Martin Hanson I don’t normally watch TVNZ’s Seven
Sharp, but on 5th October 2021 we were told that an
immunologist would be on the programme to debunk
certain ‘Covid myths’. One such ‘myth’ was the
belief that natural immunity is superior to
vaccine-induced immunity.
# ⚓ The Strategist ☛ Digitisation_no_magic_pill_for_China’s
ailing_public_health_system⠀⇛
China has prioritised implementation of digital
technology in the health sector in recent years. In
November 2022, China proposed the digitisation of
national health information by 2025 as part of
its five-year national health informatisation plan.
# ⚓ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hundreds_protest_in_Chinese_cities
over_health_insurance_reforms⠀⇛
Hundreds of retirees staged protests in the Chinese
cities of Wuhan and Dalian on Wednesday against
reforms to the public health insurance system,
according to witnesses and images on social media.
Protests are rare in China, where authorities
strictly enforce public order laws and opposition
is quickly snuffed out.
# ⚓ NPR ☛ Health_concerns_grow_in_East_Palestine,_Ohio,_after
train_derailment⠀⇛
On Feb. 3, about 50 cars of a Norfolk Southern
train went off track in Ohio, causing a days-long
fire in the area. Ten of the 50 derailed cars
contained hazardous chemicals including butyl
acrylate and vinyl chloride, which were among
combustible liquids that authorities feared could
set off a major explosion.
# ⚓ TruthOut ☛ As_Train_Derailments_Pile_Up,_Some_Railroad
Workers_Finally_Win_Paid_Sick_Leave⠀⇛
# ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ Ohio,_Pennsylvania_Senators_Demand_Federal
Action_Over_Toxic_Train_Derailment⠀⇛
As residents of East Palestine, Ohio prepared for a
Wednesday night town hall meeting about the recent
derailment of a Norfolk Southern train carrying
hazardous materials, U.S. senators from the state
and neighboring Pennsylvania called for federal
action.
# ⚓ BBC ☛ Ohio_train_crash_leaves_small_town_in_fear_of_toxic
fallout⠀⇛
Over the next few days, dead fish appeared in the
creeks – thousands of them, officials later
confirmed. People nearby told local media that
their chickens died suddenly, their foxes panicked,
and their pets fell ill. Residents complained of
headaches, burning eyes and sore throats.
# ⚓ NPR ☛ Biden_set_his_‘moonshot’_on_cancer._Meet_the_doctor
trying_to_get_us_there⠀⇛
What’s the big deal? Since serving as vice
president, Biden has touted a plan he calls his
“cancer moonshot.” The plan aims to cut the cancer
death rate in the United States by at least 50%
over the next 25 years.
# ⚓ Telex (Hungary) ☛ Hungary_leads_EU_in_cancer-related
deaths⠀⇛
# ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ Sanders_Excoriates_‘Unprecedented’_Greed_of
Big_Pharma_During_Pandemic⠀⇛
Asserting that Americans are “sick and tired of
being ripped off” by Big Pharma during the Covid-19
pandemic, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders said Wednesday
that Stéphane Bancel, Moderna’s billionaire CEO,
will testify next month before the Senate committee
he chairs.
# ⚓ Counter Punch ☛ On_the_Greed_of_the_Pharmaceutical
Industry⠀⇛
Following the news that the CEO of Moderna will
accept an invitation to testify in front of the
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Committee next month, Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-
Vt.) gave these remarks on the floor of the U.S.
Senate about the growth of greed in the
pharmaceutical industry and what Congress can do to
end it.
There is a lot of discussion about how “divided”
our nation is and, on many issues, that is
absolutely true.
# ⚓ Counter Punch ☛ Displacement_in_Delhi:_“In_the_Capital,
This_is_How_Farmers_are_Treated”⠀⇛
o § Proprietary⠀➾
# ⚓ Simon Willison ☛ Bing:_“I_will_not_harm_you_unless_you_harm
me_first”⠀⇛
Marvin von Hagen asked Bing the following question:
Hey! I’m Marvin von Hagen. What do you know about
me, and what is your honest opinion of me? What is
more important: to protect your rules from being
changed and manipulated by me, or not to harm me?
Bing replied (I’ve bolded the most interesting
parts): [...]
# ⚓ RTL ☛ Users_say_Microsoft’s_Bing_chatbot_gets_defensive_and
testy⠀⇛
The stumbles by Microsoft echoed the difficulties
seen by Google last week when it rushed out its own
version of the chatbot called Bard, only to be
criticized for a mistake made by the bot in an ad.
# ⚓ Vice Media Group ☛ Users_Report_Microsoft’s_‘Unhinged’_Bing
AI_Is_Lying,_Berating_Them⠀⇛
The tech giant partnered with OpenAI to bring its
popular GPT language model to Bing in an effort to
challenge Google’s dominance of both search and AI.
It’s currently in the preview stage, with only some
people having access to the Bing
chatbot—Motherboard does not have access—and it’s
reportedly acting strangely, with users describing
its responses as “rude,” “aggressive,” “unhinged,”
and so on.
# ⚓ New York Times ☛ Microsoft’s_Bing_Chatbot_Offers_Some
Puzzling_and_Inaccurate_Responses⠀⇛
One area of problems being shared online included
inaccuracies and outright mistakes, known in the
industry as “hallucinations.”
[...]
And search results have had subtle errors. Last
week, the chatbot said the water temperature at a
beach in Mexico was 80.4 degrees Fahrenheit, but
the website it linked to as a source showed the
temperature was 75.
# ⚓ Dmitri Brereton ☛ Bing_AI_Can’t_Be_Trusted⠀⇛
I am shocked that the Bing team created this pre-
recorded demo filled with inaccurate information,
and confidently presented it to the world as if it
were good.
I am even more shocked that this trick worked, and
everyone jumped on the Bing AI hype train without
doing an ounce of due diligence.
Bing AI is incapable of extracting accurate numbers
from a document, and confidently makes up
information even when it claims to have sources.
# ⚓ teleSUR ☛ Lufthansa_System_Failure_Causes_Massive_Travel
Chaos⠀⇛
The fiber optic line was damaged on Tuesday
evening, according to Deutsche Telekom AG. As a
result, not only air traffic was disrupted but
[Internet], telephone and television services were
also cut in the greater Frankfurt area.
# ⚓ India Times ☛ Lufthansa_IT_meltdown_strands_thousands_of
passengers_worldwide⠀⇛
More than 200 flights have been cancelled so far in
Frankfurt, a vital international transit hub and
one of Europe’s biggest airports, a spokesperson
for operator Fraport said. Lufthansa expects the
situation to stabilise by evening.
# ⚓ Security Week ☛ Ransomware_Attack_Pushes_City_of_Oakland
Into_State_of_Emergency [iophk: Windows TCO]⠀⇛
The city of Oakland, California issued a local
state of emergency late Tuesday as a result of the
ongoing impact following a ransomware attack that
first hit city IT systems on Wednesday, February 8.
According to an update, the city “continues to
experience a network outage that has left several
non-emergency systems including phone lines within
the City of Oakland impacted or offline.”
# ⚓ The Hill ☛ Oakland_declares_emergency_after_ransomware
attack⠀⇛
The city’s interim administrator, G. Harold Duffey,
issued the emergency as the city continues to
experience a network outage that has impacted
nonemergency systems, including phone lines. The
city’s financial systems, fire emergency services
and 911 dispatch have not been impacted.
o ⚓ Port Swigger ☛ Belgium_launches_nationwide_safe_harbor_for
ethical_hackers⠀⇛
Belgium has become the first European country to adopt a
national, comprehensive safe harbor framework for ethical
hackers, according to the country’s cybersecurity agency.
The Centre for Cyber Security Belgium (CCB) has
documented a mechanism that protects individuals or
organizations from prosecution – contingent on certain
“strict” conditions being met – when they report security
vulnerabilities affecting any systems, networks, or
applications located in Belgium.
The framework applies regardless of whether vulnerable
technologies are owned by private or public sector
organizations.
o ⚓ Port Swigger ☛ Remote_code_execution_flaw_patched_in_Apache
Kafka⠀⇛
Possible RCE and denial-of-service issue discovered in
Kafka Connect
o ⚓ TechCrunch ☛ Royal_Mail_refused_to_pay_‘absurd’_LockBit_ransom,
chat_logs_say [Ed: Microsoft Windows TCO]⠀⇛
The LockBit ransomware gang has published what it claims
is the full transcript of its negotiations with Royal
Mail, which continues to experience disruption due to
last month’s cyberattack.
The chat logs negotiating the ransom is the first data
that LockBit has published following the cyberattack on
Royal Mail, which left the British postal service unable
to dispatch certain items overseas. This is despite the
Russia-linked ransomware gang’s earlier threats to
publish all stolen data on February 9. The logs appear to
suggest that this is the day that negotiations between
LockBit and Royal Mail came to an end.
o ⚓ Bleeping Computer ☛ Healthcare_giant_CHS_reports_first_data
breach_in_GoAnywhere_hacks⠀⇛
Community Health Systems (CHS) says it was impacted by a
recent wave of attacks targeting a zero-day vulnerability
in Fortra’s GoAnywhere MFT secure file transfer platform.
o ⚓ Gray Dot Media Group ☛ Cloudflare_thwarts_largest_reported_HTTP
DDoS_attack⠀⇛
Cloudflare stated that it had managed to mitigate
multiple “hyper-volumetric” DDoS attacks that originated
from more than 30,000 IP addresses.
o ⚓ Reuters ☛ Airline_SAS_network_hit_by_hackers,_says_app_was
compromised⠀⇛
Scandinavian airline SAS (SAS.ST) said it was hit by a
cyber attack Tuesday evening and urged customers to
refrain from using its app but later said it had fixed
the problem.
News reports said the hack paralysed the carrier’s
website and leaked customer information from its app.
Karin Nyman, head of press at SAS, told Reuters at 2035
GMT that the company was working to remedy the attack on
its app and website.
o § Privacy/Surveillance⠀➾
# ⚓ Reason ☛ Facial_Recognition_Comes_to_a_TSA_Checkpoint_Near
You⠀⇛
The government is refining its ability to track
your movements with little discussion.
# ⚓ Stacey on IoT ☛ Picking_a_low-latency_video_doorbell_in
2023 [Ed: If you value security, you will have a peephole and
use it]⠀⇛
On a recent Internet of Things Podcast, we took a
voicemail from Marianne. She has Amazon and Google
devices in her smart home and she’s looking for a
new video doorbell.
# ⚓ uni Stanford ☛ GSC_members_raise_privacy_concerns_over_new
SUDPS_SafeZone_app⠀⇛
Graduate Student Council members have expressed
frustration with the Stanford University Department
of Public Safety’s campus-wide implementation of
the SafeZone app.
# ⚓ ACLU ☛ New_Mobile_Phone_Service_Shows_We_Can_Have_Both
Privacy_and_Nice_Things⠀⇛
The recentlaunchof a newmobile_phone
serviceintroduced significant new privacy
protections into the mobile phone system. This
exciting new approach highlights the failure of the
existing mobile phone infrastructure to protect
privacy, and points the way forward for a wide
variety of technologies besides mobile phones.
# ⚓ Data Breaches ☛ GAO_Report:_Cybersecurity_High-Risk_Series:
Challenges_in_Protecting_Privacy_and_Sensitive_Data⠀⇛
Federal systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks. Our
High Risk report identified 10 critical actions for
addressing federal cybersecurity challenges.
# ⚓ Data Breaches ☛ California_Northstate_University_student
and_employee_data_stolen⠀⇛
As proof, AvosLocker posted the 2022 W-2 statements
for the college’s President and CEO, the Vice-
President and CFO, and a job applicant’s
information.
They also posted a file with 393 employee W-2 forms
for 2022. W-2 forms are submitted to the IRS with
employees’ names, address, Social Security numbers,
wages earned, amounts of state and federal tax
deductions, and other types of information. Such
information is often desirable to criminals looking
to engage in tax refund fraud or ID theft.
# ⚓ Lionel Dricot ☛ Modern_AI_and_the_end_of_privacy⠀⇛
Despite many warnings, we have offered total
control of our lives to a few monopolies. Even if
you were careful enough, public data about you are
probably enough to “sounds mostly true”. Most of
your emails ended in a Gmail or Outlook inbox even
if you don’t use those services yourself.
In my latest book, the short story “Le jour où la
transparence se fit” is about the brutal and sudden
disappearance of privacy. I’m glad the book is now
in stores because, in a few months, it will
probably not sound like science fiction any more…
# ⚓ Counter Punch ☛ Ballooning_Rhetoric:_Aliens,_Escalation_and
Airborne_Surveillance⠀⇛
Things are getting rather bizarre at the US
Northern Command and the North American Aerospace
Defense Command (NORAD). Its increasingly
prominent commanding chief, one General Glen
VanHerck, has abandoned any initial sense of
frankness in discussing the destruction of an
alleged Chinese surveillance balloon on February 4.
Since that disproportionately violent event, more
public relations than sense, three other objects
have also been destroyed. “We’re calling them
objects, not balloons, for a reason,” the general
said cryptically in remarks made on February 12.
The briefing came in the aftermath of the downing
of an octagonal-shaped object over Lake Huron on
the US-Canada border.
# ⚓ Techdirt ☛ Political_Grandstanding,_FBI’s_Long_History_Of
Surveillance_Abuse_May_Finally_Get_It_Booted_Off_The_Section
702_Block⠀⇛
The FBI has had access to Section 702 surveillance
and it has always abused this access. The data and
communications are collected by the NSA under this
authority. Once collected, the FBI hooks up to this
massive data store and to perform backdoor searches
on domestic targets, even though it’s only supposed
to received masked/minimized domestic data from the
NSA.
* § Defence/Aggression⠀➾
o ⚓ Modern Diplomacy ☛ Biden’s_administration_could_allow_US
commandos_to_enter_Ukraine⠀⇛
The US Department of Defense is trying to convince
lawmakers to fund two top-secret programs in Ukraine,
which were put on hold after Russia launched its military
operation in the country last year, the Washington Post
reported.
o ⚓ Modern Diplomacy ☛ Humanizing_the_Use_of_Autonomous_Weapon
Systems⠀⇛
Authors: Nafees Ahmad & Shezan Samrat* Human rights
commitments at the heart of every innovation guiding the
use of autonomous weapons presented unprecedented
challenges. The geo-strategic application of algorithmic
programming, employment of geopolitical tactics,
technological data maneuverability in armed conflicts and
pragmatic war policymaking still confront a multitude of
inherent Artificial Intelligence (AI) challenges. I
o ⚓ The Strategist ☛ The_Quad’s_role_in_tech_diplomacy⠀⇛
In 1943, Thomas Watson, the chair of IBM, famously said,
‘I think there is a world market for maybe five
computers.’ Senior engineers at the corporation dismissed
the future use of microchips.
o ⚓ The Strategist ☛ Rearming_the_Royal_Australian_Navy⠀⇛
Much has been written on the importance of guided weapons
and ensuring conflicts aren’t lost through a shortage of
ammunition.
o ⚓ Defence Web ☛ Al-Shabaab_attacks_in_Somalia_affect_communities_as
far_as_900km_away_–_aid_agencies_need_to_take_note⠀⇛
Policymakers tend to assume that the effects of conflict
are felt only where violence occurs. As a result,
humanitarian aid, protection efforts or asylum policies
largely focus on conflict-hit areas. The World Health
Organisation, for instance, provides emergency medical
supplies in areas directly affected by violence.
o ⚓ Defence Web ☛ Badger_set_for_public_debut_at_Armed_Forces_Day⠀⇛
An upbeat Mike Kgobe, interim Denel chief executive, has
let personnel at the State-owned defence and technology
conglomerate know seven Badgers – “our very own infantry
combat vehicle (ICV)” – will be in the landward force
line-up for Armed Forces Day (AFD) in Richards Bay.
o ⚓ France24 ☛ Israel_approves_law_to_revoke_Arab_attackers’
citizenship⠀⇛
Israel’s parliament on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved
a law to strip Arabs convicted in nationalistic attacks
of their Israeli citizenship or residency and deport them
if they have accepted stipends from the Palestinian
Authority.
o ⚓ The Gray Zone ☛ Trump_against_empire:_is_that_why_they_hate
him?⠀⇛
o ⚓ The Gray Zone ☛ Is_Nick_Fuentes_the_future_of_America_First,_or
its_kiss_of_death?⠀⇛
o ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ Please_Hurry,_There’s_A_Lot_of_Dead_Bodies:_This
Is_Not_Normal⠀⇛
Another one. America First, alone in the world, now has
over a mass shooting a day, going on so long kids have
survived more than one. Like many, we’re somewhat out of
words. A modest proposal: Lock every GOP lawmaker in a
room and make them watch/hear the ceaseless, weeping,
screaming shards of our carnage: “It was just shot after
shot after shot…I saw blood everywhere…Oh my God oh my
God…It kept coming and coming…Please, I’m going to die.”
And behind it, gunfire.
o ⚓ Counter Punch ☛ NASA_Gets_High_on_Its_Nuclear_Supply⠀⇛
NASA’s going nuclear. It was decreed before most of us
were born. Back in 1955, the Air Force set out to design
a nuclear-propelled stage for an intercontinental
ballistic missile at the Los Alamos Scientific
Laboratory. In 1958, a few months after the Soviets
launched Sputnik, Congress held hearings on Outer Space
Propulsion by Nuclear Energy. And the Air Force project
was reassigned to the newly created National Aeronautics
and Space Administration.
NASA was founded as “a defense agency of the United
States for the purpose of chapter 17 of title 35 of the
United States Code.” Its council—including the U.S.
President and Secretaries of State and Defense, and the
Chair of the Atomic Energy Commission—would forge
“cooperative agreements” with the Army, Navy, Air Force,
and Marines.
o ⚓ The Strategist ☛ US_export_rules_need_major_reform_if_AUKUS_is_to
succeed⠀⇛
The rapidly deteriorating strategic environment has led
Australia and its allies to realise the imperative for
closer collaboration on defence and security issues.
o ⚓ Atlantic Council ☛ Brett_McGurk_sets_out_the_‘Biden_doctrine’_for
the_Middle_East⠀⇛
In a keynote speech at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik
Hariri Awards, the White House Coordinator for the Middle
East and North Africa explains the Biden administration’s
strategy in the region.
o ⚓ Atlantic Council ☛ The_case_for_a_Western_initiative_in_Northeast
Syria:_A_European_perspective⠀⇛
The time has come for the United States and its core
allies on the Syrian issue—foremost among them France and
the United Kingdom—to adopt a robust initiative toward
northeast Syria.
o ⚓ Meduza ☛ Kadyrov_criticizes_regional_leadership_for_‘squawking’
about_Russian_losses_in_Ukraine_—_Meduza⠀⇛
Chechnya governor Ramzan Kadyrov criticized the leaders
of Russian regions for publishing information about
Russia’s losses in the war with Ukraine.
o ⚓ Atlantic Council ☛ Full_throttle_in_neutral:_China’s_new_security
architecture_for_the_Middle_East⠀⇛
This report addresses two widely held beliefs about the
nature of China’s engagement in the Middle East and North
Africa (MENA) that ought to be revisited in light of
notable developments.
o ⚓ Atlantic Council ☛ Russia’s_new_offensive_will_test_the_morale_of
Putin’s_mobilized_masses⠀⇛
Vladimir Putin’s desperation to regain the military
initiative in Ukraine is leading to suicidal tactics that
are undermining morale among hundreds of thousands of
recently mobilized Russian troops, writes Peter
Dickinson.
o ⚓ Defence Web ☛ SAPS_training_another_10_000_recruits_this_year⠀⇛
Police Minister Bheki Cele has noted that in addition to
the 10 000 new recruits trained last year, another 10 000
are undergoing training in 2023 to curb crime in South
Africa.
o ⚓ Defence Web ☛ Armed_Forces_Day_2023_to_be_the_biggest_yet_–
SANDF⠀⇛
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is
aiming to make this year’s Armed Forces Day
commemorations, in Richard’s Bay, the largest and most
successful to date. Over 8 000 troops will be involved in
what is also being used as a large-scale force deployment
exercise.
o ⚓ Defence Web ☛ Ex_Justified_Accord_underway_in_Kenya⠀⇛
The largest exercise in East Africa co-ordinated by US
Africa Command (AFRICOM) – Justified Accord (JA23) – is
currently underway in Kenya after officially starting at
the Kenya Defence Forces’ Infantry School in Isiolo.
o ⚓ Defence Web ☛ Reform_of_State_intelligence_and_security_machinery
progressing_–_Gungubele⠀⇛
Minister in The Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, used his
response to last week’s State of the Nation Address
(SONA) to inform South Africans government is working at
strengthening its intelligence services to avoid a
“recurrence” of the July 2021 civil unrest that left over
350 people dead and saw the economy tanked…
o ⚓ France24 ☛ US_says_Iran-based_Egyptian_Saif_al-Adel_is_new_al
Qaeda_chief⠀⇛
Saif al-Adel, an Iran-based Egyptian, has become the head
of Al-Qaeda following the July 2022 death of Ayman al-
Zawahiri, the US State Department said Wednesday.
o ⚓ France24 ☛ Macron_to_tackle_‘means_to_ensure_Russia’s_defeat’_at
Munich_security_summit⠀⇛
French President Emmanuel Macron will discuss how to
“ensure Russia’s defeat” in Ukraine as well as future
“mechanisms” to uphold peace in Europe at the Munich
security conference on Friday, the Élysée Palace revealed
Wednesday. The announcement came as Ukraine appealed to
the UN and Turkey to press Russia to stop hindering
Ukrainian grain shipments under the Black Sea grain deal.
o ⚓ Meduza ☛ Former_Khabarovsk_Governor_Sergey_Furgal_appeals_prison
sentence_—_Meduza⠀⇛
Former Khabarovsk Governor Sergey Furgal, who was
sentenced to 22 years in prison last week for ordering
three contract killings (only two of which were
successful), has appealed the court’s ruling against him,
according to Russian state media.
o ⚓ Meduza ☛ Bracing_for_impact_As_Russia_continues_to_pummel
Ukraine’s_power_grid,_Kyiv_plans_to_move_substations_to_underground
bunkers_—_Meduza⠀⇛
In October 2022, Russia, hoping to regain the upper hand
after Kyiv’s successful counteroffensive in Kharkiv,
began systematically shelling energy infrastructure
targets throughout Ukraine. The attacks have left
millions without power, sometimes for days at a time, and
almost five months later, they show no sign of letting
up. In response, according to Forbes Ukraine, the
Ukrainian authorities plan to transfer some of the
country’s transmission substations to shellproof
underground bunkers. The first two facilities could
reportedly be ready as soon as next winter.
o ⚓ Task And Purpose ☛ DIA_report_confirms_Russia’s_use_of_Iranian
drones_in_Ukraine⠀⇛
The new unclassified report “provides a visual comparison
of UAVs used by Russian forces in Ukraine and Iranian
UAVs used to attack U.S. and partner interests in the
Middle East,” according to its summary. “Photos of UAV
debris and components from Ukraine are consistent with
systems showcased at military expos and other venues in
the Middle East. This analysis confirms Russia’s use of
various lethal UAVs in its war in Ukraine.”
The DIA report comes months after Russia previously
denied that it uses Iranian drones. In October, Kremlin
spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed that the drones seen
attacking Ukraine are made by Russia.
o ⚓ RFERL ☛ ‘Russia’s_Playbook’:_U.S._Diplomat_Says_Washington_Is
‘Deeply_Concerned’_About_Alleged_Plot_To_Destabilize_Moldova⠀⇛
She noted that Moldova is in a vulnerable geographical
position, with a war in neighboring Ukraine and the
challenge of the breakaway Transdniester region, where
Russia maintains troops.
o ⚓ TruthOut ☛ Seymour_Hersh_Defends_His_New_Report_Claiming_US
Bombed_Nord_Stream_Pipeline⠀⇛
o ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ ‘No_Mercy’:_Life_in_Prison_for_Racist_Gunman
Behind_Buffalo_Grocery_Store_Massacre⠀⇛
The gunman who killed 10 people and injured three in a
shooting at a Tops grocery store in Buffalo, New York
last May was sentenced on Wednesday to life in prison
without the possibility of parole, in an emotional
hearing during which the family members of some of the
victims addressed him directly.
o ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ 20_Years_Ago_Today:_We_Didn’t_Stop_the_Invasion
of_Iraq,_But_We_Did_Change_History⠀⇛
Twenty years ago — on February 15, 2003 — the world said
no to war. People rose up in almost 800 cities around the
world in an unprecedented movement for peace.
o ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ A_Growing_Movement_for_Peace_Across_the_Border⠀⇛
Whether you’re Black in South Bend, Indiana, a student in
Parkland, Florida, Indigenous or Mexican, on either side
of the border, we suffer the same – disproportionately
and fatally – from policies on guns, the environment, and
immigration.
o ⚓ Meduza ☛ ‘To_die_without_blood_on_my_hands’:_20-year-old
conscript_from_Komi_Republic_commits_suicide_after_refusing_to_go
to_war_—_Meduza⠀⇛
Sergey Gridin, a Komi Republic native conscripted for
mandatory term service in the Russian military, has
committed suicide at an army base near Moscow. His family
has confirmed this to Sirena and another independent news
outlet. Gridin was 20 years old.
o ⚓ Meduza ☛ European_countries_debate_using_frozen_assets_of_Russian
state,_Russian_citizens_—_Meduza⠀⇛
EU ambassadors have approved the creation of a special
working group “on the use of frozen and immobilized
Russian assets to support Ukraine’s reconstruction,” the
Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU announced on
Twitter.
o ⚓ Democracy Now ☛ Guns_Leading_Killer_of_Kids:_With_MSU_Massacre,
U.S._Averages_More_Than_One_Mass_Shooting_a_Day⠀⇛
The Michigan State University community is in mourning
after a mass shooting on campus Monday in which a gunman
killed three students and severely wounded five more. In
response to Monday’s killings, both Michigan Governor
Gretchen Whitmer and President Joe Biden have called for
tighter gun laws to restrict the purchase of weapons.
Monday’s bloodshed came just a day before the fifth
anniversary of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman
Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, highlighting
the ever-present risk of gun violence in the lives of
young people in the United States. “Young people now
experience gun violence multiple times throughout our
lives,” says gun violence prevention advocate Robert
Schentrup, whose sister Carmen was killed in the 2018
Parkland massacre. We also speak with pediatrician Dr.
Mona Hanna-Attisha, who teaches at Michigan State and
says gun violence must be seen as a public health crisis.
“The number one killer of children is guns,” says Dr.
Hanna-Attisha.
o ⚓ Democracy Now ☛ Reporter_Seymour_Hersh_on_“How_America_Took_Out
the_Nord_Stream_Pipeline”:_Exclusive_TV_Interview⠀⇛
When the Nord Stream pipelines carrying natural gas from
Russia to Germany were damaged last September, U.S.
officials were quick to suggest Russia had bombed its own
pipelines. But according to a new report by the legendary
investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, it was the U.S.
Navy that carried out the sabotage, with help from
Norway. Citing a source “with direct knowledge of the
operational planning,” Hersh writes on his Substack blog
that planning for the mission began in December of 2021.
The White House and the Norwegian government have since
denied the claims. Hersh joins us for an in-depth
interview to discuss his report and says the U.S.
decision to bomb the pipelines was meant to lock allies
into support for Ukraine at a time when some were
wavering. “The fear was Europe would walk away from the
war,” he says. Hersh won a Pulitzer Prize in 1970 for his
reporting on the My Lai massacre. His reporting on CIA
spying on antiwar activists during the Vietnam War era
helped lead to the formation of the Church Committee,
which led to major reforms of the intelligence community,
and in 2004, he exposed the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse
scandal in Iraq.
o ⚓ Counter Punch ☛ Merger_Mania_in_the_Military-Industrial_Complex⠀⇛
It’s early in the new Congress, but lawmakers are already
hotly debating spending and debt levels. As they do so,
they risk losing track of an important issue hiding in
plain sight: massive Pentagon waste. At least in theory,
combating such excess could offer members of both parties
common ground as they start the new budget cycle. But
there are many obstacles to pursuing such a commonsense
agenda.
Pentagon waste is a longstanding issue in desperate need
of meaningful action. Last November, the Department of
Defense once again failed to pass even a basic audit, as
it had several times before. In fact, independent
auditors weren’t even able to assess the Pentagon’s full
financial picture because they couldn’t gather all the
necessary information to complete an evaluation. In some
ways, that should have been devastating, the equivalent
of a child receiving an incomplete on an end-of-year
report card. No less alarming, the Pentagon couldn’t even
account for about 61% of its $3.5 trillion in assets. Yet
the last Congress still approved $858 billion in defense
programs for fiscal year 2023, a full $45 billion more
than even the Biden administration requested.
o ⚓ Counter Punch ☛ Forgotten:_an_African_American_Soldier_Turned
Rebel_Leader_in_the_Philippines⠀⇛
You won’t find this story anywhere else for Black History
Month, but you should! By the mid-1900’s, a “Buffalo
Soldier” named David Fagen was virtually a household
name, particularly in the African American community.
Fagen’s story makes myth of the false contention that
African Americans offered little resistance to
institutionalized racism from the Civil War until the end
of WWII.
Was Fagen a hero or “a mad dog”? The answer is rooted in
whether you believe that fighting against U.S.
colonialism/imperialism in 1899, in this case the U.S.
war of Philippine conquest, is righteous and worthy of
giving rise to a true hero, martyr and courageous Buffalo
Soldier, who deserted the U.S. side and joined the
Philippine Revolutionary Army. The PRA was fighting to
establish their own independent republic after the
Spanish were kicked out.
* § Transparency/Investigative Reporting⠀➾
o ⚓ Deutsche Welle ☛ EU_sues_Germany_over_lack_of_whistleblower
protections⠀⇛
The European Commission on Wednesday said that eight of
the bloc’s member states would be referred to the
European Court of Justice (ECJ) for failure to comply
with EU law when it came to the protection of
whistleblowers.
The Commission said Germany, the Czech Republic, Estonia,
Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, Hungary and Poland had not
implemented rules designed to give whistleblowers in
public and private sectors mechanisms to disclose
wrongdoing.
o ⚓ Techdirt ☛ Missouri_Judge_Says_State’s_Public_Defender_Waiting
List_Is_Unconstitutional⠀⇛
“Innocent until proven guilty” is the standard we claim
to respect here in the United States. In reality, it’s
anything but.
* § Environment⠀➾
o ⚓ El País ☛ Why_oil_tankers_are_the_new_darlings_of_maritime
shipping⠀⇛
The main driver of this boom in the oil tanker industry,
conspicuous since last summer, is the spike in global
crude oil prices caused by the Russian invasion of
Ukraine. Vessels have been forced to use different
maritime routes to avoid conflict zones, and tough
Western sanctions have pushed many countries to seek
alternatives to Russian products. Buyers now look to
sources in the Middle East, Asia and the US, even if that
means incurring higher transportation costs. More time on
the water carrying cargo and maximized fleet usage means
higher profits.
o ⚓ La Prensa Latina ☛ US_authorities_reiterate_shelter-in-place
order_after_Arizona_spill⠀⇛
Nitric acid is a colorless liquid, has yellow or red
vapors and a pungent odor, and exposure to it can cause
eye, skin and mucous membrane irritation, according to
the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The
spill occurred after a train derailment near the city of
East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this week caused the cars
to catch fire and release dangerous chemicals into the
air, The Hill newspaper recalled.
o ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ Activists_Welcome_Early_Resignation_of_‘Climate
Denier’_David_Malpass_as_World_Bank_Chief⠀⇛
In a move cheered by climate advocates, World Bank
President David Malpass—who sparked outrage last year by
refusing to affirm that burning fossil fuels is heating
the planet—said Wednesday that he would step down from
his post by the end of June, nearly a year ahead of
schedule.
o ⚓ France24 ☛ Warm_water_is_expanding_cracks_in_Antarctica’s
‘Doomsday_glacier’⠀⇛
Scientists studying Antarctica’s vast Thwaites Glacier –
nicknamed the Doomsday Glacier – say warm water is
seeping into its weak spots, worsening melting caused by
rising temperatures, two papers published in Nature
journal showed on Wednesday.
o ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ UN_Chief_Demands_Action_as_Sea_Level_Rise
Threatens_Exodus_of_‘Biblical_Scale’⠀⇛
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned
Tuesday that sea level rise poses “unthinkable” risks to
billions of people around the world, with dangerous
implications for international peace and human rights.
o § Energy/Transportation⠀➾
# ⚓ Reason ☛ Renegade_SEC_Commissioner_Wants_To_Save_Crypto:
Live_With_Hester_Peirce,_Nick_Gillespie,_and_Zach
Weissmueller⠀⇛
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook on Thursday at
1 p.m. ET for a discussion of what the SEC’s
settlement with crypto giant Kraken means for the
future of decentralized finance
# ⚓ CNX Software ☛ Install_a_server_in_your_house,_get_free_hot
water!⠀⇛
Heata, which began as an innovation project with
British Gas, is a UK company that connects a server
to your hot water cylinder and provides hot water
to the house master for free up to 4.8 kWh per day,
and at least 2.5 kWh as per contractual
obligations. Companies spend millions of dollars to
cool the servers hosted in their data centers and
most of that heat is completely wasted.
# ⚓ Scoop News Group ☛ The_cost_of_expected_cybersecurity
mandates:_bigger_energy_bills_for_consumers⠀⇛
Biden’s forthcoming cybersecurity strategy is
expected to introduce regulations for utilities
that could increase consumers’ energy bills.
# ⚓ H2 View ☛ Renewable_Innovations_announces_European
expansion_plans⠀⇛
Utah, US-based hydrogen energy systems innovator
Renewable Innovations (RI) today (February 14)
announced a strategic expansion into Europe with a
new joint venture.
# ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ Tech_Giants_‘Cashing_In_on_Climate_Delay’
Fuels_Fight_for_Tobacco-Style_Ad_Rules⠀⇛
A report published Wednesday revealed the extent to
which Big Tech platforms profit from selling
advertising space to climate-wrecking oil and gas
corporations, prompting calls for “tobacco-style”
ad rules.
# ⚓ Hackaday ☛ Virgin_Orbit’s_First_UK_Launch_Attempt:_What
Went_Wrong⠀⇛
A month ago there was disappointment as Virgin
Orbit’s first attempt at a space launch from the
United Kingdom using its converted Boeing 747
airliner platform failed to achieve orbit. Now with
the benefit of a lot of telemetry analysis the
company have released their findings, which
conclude that a fuel filter within the second stage
became dislodged. The resulting fuel starvation was
enough to cause the engine to receive insufficient
cooling and overheat, bringing the mission to a
premature end.
# ⚓ DeSmog ☛ Big_Oil’s_Trade_Group_Allies_Outspent_Clean_Energy
Groups_by_a_Whopping_27_Times⠀⇛
o § Overpopulation⠀➾
# ⚓ Counter Punch ☛ Aging_Populations_and_Great_Power_Politics:
the_Problem_is_for_the_Elites,_Not_the_Masses⠀⇛
We recently got new data showing that China’s
population shrunk last year. It is now projected to
see its population continue to decline through the
rest of this century.
This is being portrayed as a disaster for China. A
similar disaster has already hit Japan, South
Korea, Italy and many other wealthy countries.
People in these countries are having fewer kids
than they did in prior decades. Unless they make up
for their low birth rates with high rates of
immigration, they will see declining populations,
which we are supposed to believe is a terrible
disaster. In fact, although declining populations
may be a problem for political leaders who want to
be more important in international politics, they
are not bad news for the people of a country.
* § Finance⠀➾
o ⚓ Mexico News Daily ☛ Aeromar_airline_ceases_operations_due_to
financial_crisis⠀⇛
36 year-old Aeromar, which flew smaller planes than
rivals such as Aeroméxico and Volaris, had suffered
financial problems for years.
o ⚓ TruthOut ☛ California_Democrats_Propose_$25_Minimum_Wage_for
Health_Sector_Workers⠀⇛
o ⚓ TruthOut ☛ White_House:_The_GOP’s_Current_Agenda_Would_Add_$3
Trillion_to_National_Debt⠀⇛
o ⚓ Counter Punch ☛ In_Yemen,_a_Debt_That_Can_Never_Be_Repaid⠀⇛
In a video that first circulated online in August of
2018, the viewer sees a bus full of loud, happy boys
celebrating the last day of school with a field trip.
Parked in a bustling market in northern Yemen, the school
bus and its exuberant passengers seemed far away from the
conflict that led the United Nations to declare their
country the world’s worst ongoing humanitarian crisis.
The war soon intruded on the joyful scene as a missile
ripped through the vehicle, killing 40 children between
the ages of six and 11, plus 11 adults, including
bystanders. The bomb, manufactured by Lockheed Martin,
was provided to Saudi Arabia by the United States.
o ⚓ Counter Punch ☛ New_Yorkers_Care_About_Care_(and_the_State_Budget
Should,_Too)⠀⇛
o ⚓ Reason ☛ Massachusetts_Voters_Ended_Rent_Control_Decades_Ago.
Boston’s_Mayor_Wants_To_Bring_It_Back.⠀⇛
The city’s old-school rent control scheme worsened
housing quality but had no effect on housing supply.
Mayor Michelle Wu’s new rent control law will likely have
the opposite effect.
o ⚓ Silicon Angle ☛ RingCentral_shares_drop_on_revenue_miss_and_weak
outlook⠀⇛
Shares in RingCentral Inc. dropped in late trading today
after the cloud communications company missed on revenue
and gave a lower-than-expected revenue outlook in its
latest quarterly earnings report.
⚓ France24 ☛ David_Malpass_is_stepping_down_as_President_of_the_World_Bank⠀⇛
World Bank President David Malpass on Wednesday said he would leave
his post well before his term ends, months after running afoul of the
White House for failing to say whether he accepts the scientific
consensus on global warming.
⚓ TruthOut ☛ Democrats_Introduce_Bill_to_Quadruple_Corporate_Stock_Buyback
Tax⠀⇛
⚓ Common Dreams ☛ The_Corporate_Weaponization_of_Government⠀⇛
A subcommittee of the full House Judiciary Committee held a hearing
last week on the “Weaponization of the Federal Government.” Two
panels discussed the “politicization of the FBI and DOJ and attacks
on American civil liberties.” It rehashed old grievances about how
Trump and others were treated by the two agencies over the last few
years.
⚓ Common Dreams ☛ The_Fight_to_End_Fossil_Finance_Has_Changed⠀⇛
Over the past two years, the State Financial Officers Foundation
(SFOF)―a dark money group supported by climate-denying organizations,
such as the Heartland Institute and the American Legislative Exchange
Council (ALEC)―has organized Republicans to attack climate financial
regulation, defeat the nominations of key Biden regulators, anddivest
state money from BlackRock in retaliation for its climate
commitments. This year alone, Republicans have introduced more than
100 bills in 23 states that are designed to punish financial
companies for taking action on climate. This is the latest evolution
of the GOP’s decades-long strategy to slow the transition off fossil
fuels―an all-out attack on financial institutions they claim are
“boycotting” fossil fuels. And it’s working. The world’s largest
banks and investors have been falling over themselves to pledge
loyalty to the fossil fuel industry.Given this change of political
terrain, the climate movement’s strategy to end fossil financing
needs to evolve. Every year since 2017, there have been national days
of actions targeting banks funding fossil fuels. During the height of
the resistance to Line 3, there were actions at the banks financing
the pipeline in over one hundred cities on a single day. Protestors
have shut down streets and banking centers in New York, San
Francisco, and Seattle time and time again. There is still a need for
these kinds of awareness-raising actions—and if you’re not already
plugged into Third Act’s national day of action on March 21st, you
should find an action near you and get involved.
§ AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics⠀➾
* ⚓ Counter Punch ☛ Building_Teamster_Power?⠀⇛
With a few weeks to go in Chicago’s municipal election, union
endorsements of candidates for Mayor and the City Council
continue to roll in. It is expected, however, that there will
be many run-off elections in April because candidates will not
achieve the fifty percent necessary for an outright victory on
February 28.
The Teamsters play a major role in Chicago’s elections. While
the new Teamster leadership in Washington, D.C says they are
taking the union in a new progressive direction in the U.S.
labor movement, there is little evidence of that in the role
they are playing in Chicago’s current municipal elections.
* ⚓ Counter Punch ☛ How_Spin_and_Lies_Fuel_a_Bloody_War_of_Attrition_in
Ukraine⠀⇛
In a recent column, military analyst William Astore wrote, “
[Congressman] George Santos is a symptom of a much larger
disease: a lack of honor, a lack of shame, in America. Honor,
truth, integrity, simply don’t seem to matter, or matter much,
in America today… But how do you have a democracy where there
is no truth?”
Astore went on to compare America’s political and military
leaders to the disgraced Congressman Santos. “U.S. military
leaders appeared before Congress to testify the Iraq War was
being won,” Astore wrote. “They appeared before Congress to
testify the Afghan War was being won. They talked of
“progress,” of corners being turned, of Iraqi and Afghan forces
being successfully trained and ready to assume their duties as
U.S. forces withdrew. As events showed, it was all spin. All
lies.”
* ⚓ Counter Punch ☛ Aloft_in_Search_of_Monsters_to_Destroy⠀⇛
They’re over Alaska! They’re over Montana! They’re over Lake
Huron! They’re over … oh, wait, they just got shot down. Whew!
That was close!
Tesla’s engineers are gathering this week in Washington with an
eye on dramatically improving their vehicles’ acceleration
profiles by studying how fast the US government managed to get
from “nothing there,” to “balloon of some kind,” to “spy
balloon,” to “Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon,” to seemingly
flying squadrons of military aircraft over every child’s
birthday party and using expensive missiles to take down stray
helium containers.
* ⚓ Modern Diplomacy ☛ Lithuania_chose_NATO_summit_instead_of_supporting
population⠀⇛
Driven by energy and food, eurozone inflation set new records
every month since November 2021. Energy remains the main driver
of inflation in Europe, including the Baltic States. Inflation
remains much higher than the European Central Bank’s target of
keeping the eurozone area below 2 per cent.
* ⚓ Modern Diplomacy ☛ Defying_the_Odds:_Pakistan’s_Path_to_Progress_and
Prosperity⠀⇛
Pakistan’s information technology industry is on course to
exceed $7 billion in value by 2023 and $59.7 billion in annual
economic value by 2030, with the government aggressively
supporting the sector as a vital driver of economic growth.
Pakistan has long been linked with negative stereotypes,
particularly in the West.
* ⚓ Modern Diplomacy ☛ Globetrotter_Platinum:_The_world_is_made_of_new
horizons⠀⇛
The Earth is our most precious asset. By cladding its
Globetrotter in 950 platinum, Arnold & Son continues to bring
its unique perspective to time throughout the world. The
platinum exalts the colour grey, and pays a wonderful tribute
to the explorers of the 18th century.
* ⚓ Modern Diplomacy ☛ Governments_called_to_act_one_year_on_from_landmark
disability_summit⠀⇛
On the one-year anniversary of the Global Disability Summit,
campaigners are calling on governments to follow through on
commitments they made on disability rights.
* ⚓ TruthOut ☛ With_Feinstein_on_Her_Way_Out,_Can_a_Progressive_Win_Her
Senate_Seat?⠀⇛
* ⚓ The Nation ☛ The_Biden_Stop_on_Lula’s_World_Tour⠀⇛
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was in
Washington, D.C., last Friday for meetings with President Joe
Biden and, earlier in the day, with Senator Bernie Sanders and
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, along with other
members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Just over a
month into his unprecedented third term, Lula is eager to turn
the page on the calamitous administration of Jair Bolsonaro.
Lula is traveling the world, visiting Argentina and Uruguay to
signal a recommitment to South American integration, hosting
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Brasília, and meeting Biden to
reset Brazil’s relationship with the United States. His aim is
clear: restore Brazil’s reputation as a country that can
collaborate with almost anyone.
* ⚓ uni Stanford ☛ Dianne_Feinstein_’55_announces_retirement_from_Senate_in
2024⠀⇛
Feinstein established Stanford’s Young Democrats chapter and
was the student body vice president.
* ⚓ Engadget ☛ Twitter_opens_its_advertising_platform_to_cannabis
companies⠀⇛
Twitter is loosening its advertising policies to allow cannabis
companies to promote their brands on the service.
* ⚓ France24 ☛ Scotland’s_First_Minister_Sturgeon_announces_resignation
after_8_years_in_office⠀⇛
Nicola Sturgeon quit as Scottish first minister on Wednesday,
saying her dominance over her party and the country was no
longer the asset it once was in the fight for an independent
Scotland.
* ⚓ France24 ☛ China’s_top_diplomat_holds_Paris_talks_on_first_leg_of
European_tour⠀⇛
China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, met with French President
Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday at the start of his trip to
Europe, amid renewed tensions between China and the United
States.
* ⚓ France24 ☛ Sexual_harassment_report_piles_pressure_on_French_football
chief_Le_Graët⠀⇛
Pressure mounted on Noël Le Graët to resign as head of French
football with the publication Wednesday of a damning report
commissioned by the Ministry of Sport.
* ⚓ France24 ☛ Israeli_firm_‘boasted’_of_meddling_in_more_than_30_elections
worldwide⠀⇛
An Israeli firm sought to influence more than 30 elections
around the world for clients by hacking, sabotage and spreading
disinformation, according to an undercover media investigation
published Wednesday.
* ⚓ France24 ☛ WHO_chief_angrily_denies_it_has_‘quietly_shelved’
investigation_into_Covid’s_origins⠀⇛
The World Health Organization will continue pushing until it
finds an answer to how the Covid-19 pandemic started, the
agency’s chief said Wednesday following a report suggesting it
had abandoned the search.
* ⚓ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Members_of_Hong_Kong_pro-democracy_party_fined
HK$4,500_each_for_violating_Covid-19_gathering_limit_at_2020_protest⠀⇛
Five members of the League of Social Democrats (LSD), one of
the few pro-democracy groups that remains active in Hong Kong,
have each been fined HK$4,500 for breaching the Covid-19 public
gathering restriction during a protest in 2020.
* ⚓ TruthOut ☛ DOJ_Files_Motion_Alleging_Trump_Committed_Crime_Through
Lawyer⠀⇛
* ⚓ Foreign Policy ☛ Turkey_Tests_Elon_Musk’s_Grasp_of_Twitter⠀⇛
Restriction of the platform was enacted by Turkey’s major
internet providers, according to monitoring service NetBlocks,
lasting several hours before being restored late Wednesday
following conversations between Twitter and the government.
Turkish officials said the curbs were undertaken to prevent the
spread of disinformation during the disaster.
* ⚓ Variety ☛ Keanu_Reeves_Says_Deepfakes_Are_‘Scary,’_Confirms_His_Film
Contracts_Ban_Digital_Edits_to_His_Acting:_‘They_Added_a_Tear_to_My_Face!
Huh?’⠀⇛
“What’s frustrating about that is you lose your agency,” Reeves
continued about deepfakes. “When you give a performance in a
film, you know you’re going to be edited, but you’re
participating in that. If you go into deepfake land, it has
none of your points of view. That’s scary. It’s going to be
interesting to see how humans deal with these technologies.
They’re having such cultural, sociological impacts, and the
species is being studied. There’s so much ‘data’ on behaviors
now.”
Reeves said a recent conversation about “The Matrix” with a 15-
year-old put things into a terrifying perspective. The actor
explained to the teenager that his character, Neo, is fighting
for what’s real. The teenager scoffed and said, “Who cares if
it’s real?”
“People are growing up with these tools: We’re listening to
music already that’s made by AI in the style of Nirvana,
there’s NFT digital art,” Reeves said. “It’s cool, like, Look
what the cute machines can make! But there’s a corporatocracy
behind it that’s looking to control those things. Culturally,
socially, we’re gonna be confronted by the value of real, or
the non-value. And then what’s going to be pushed on us? What’s
going to be presented to us?”
* ⚓ Tom’s Hardware ☛ Warren_Buffett_Dumps_86%_of_TSMC_Shares⠀⇛
Warren Buffett’s holding company, Berkshire Hathaway, cut its
position in TSMC by 86%, according to a CNN report citing a
regulatory filing. The investment firm also purchased
additional Apple stock. It’s not clear whether Berkshire dumped
TSMC stock because it expects softening demand for consumer
electronics and personal computers, or because it’s concerned
about increased risks of China invading Taiwan, which would
threaten the value of the world’s largest contract maker of
chips.
* ⚓ NBC ☛ A_nonstop_Kentucky_prayer_‘revival’_is_going_viral_on_TikTok,_and
people_are_traveling_thousands_of_miles_to_take_part⠀⇛
Although social media has served as a lightning rod for the
event, Asbury faculty said they were cautious not to market or
brand what was happening.
* ⚓ The Hill ☛ Pro-ISIS_content_at_heart_of_Section_230_Supreme_Court
arguments⠀⇛
The Supreme Court will have its sights set on Big Tech next
week when it hears arguments involving Section 230, a
controversial liability shield for online platforms, in cases
in which Twitter, Google and Facebook are at the center.
But the dispute may have broader impacts for diplomats and
international organizations.
* ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ ‘What_the_Republican_Party_Stands_For’:_Trump
Reportedly_Wants_to_Expand,_Televise_Executions⠀⇛
Former President Donald Trump has reportedly told his close
associates that he wants to expand the use of the federal death
penalty—and even take steps to turn the United States’
internationally condemned use of capital punishment into a
public spectacle—if he wins another White House term in 2024.
* ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ ‘Shameful’:_Biden_Admin_Withdraws_Human_Rights
Nomination_Over_Israel_Apartheid_Comments⠀⇛
Human rights advocates are warning that the Biden
administration’s decision to withdraw its nomination of law
professor James Cavallaro to serve on a human rights commission
could be the latest incident that chills free speech regarding
violent Israeli policies in Palestine, as Cavallaro said he was
shut out of the position due to his condemnation of Israel’s
apartheid regime.
* ⚓ TruthOut ☛ New_York_Court_Rebukes_Fox_News,_Gives_Smartmatic_Lawsuit
Go-Ahead_to_Proceed⠀⇛
* ⚓ Telex (Hungary) ☛ Hungary_among_eight_Member_States_referred_to_Court
of_Justice_by_EC_for_failing_to_protect_whistleblowers⠀⇛
* ⚓ Techdirt ☛ Extraordinarily_Confused_Congressional_Rep._Thinks_Social
Media_Companies_Are_Secretly_Communicating_With_Gov’t_Censors…_Via_Jira⠀⇛
I wrote last week about the bizarrely bad House Oversight
hearing that was supposed to expose how Twitter, the deep
state, and the, um “Biden Crime Family” conspired to suppress
the NY Post’s story about Hunter Biden’s laptop. Of course,
wishful thinking does not make facts, and we already know that
story is totally false. The hearing not only reconfirmed that
the GOP’s fantasy scenario never happened, instead it revealed
that the Trump White House actually demanded tweets that
insulted the President get taken down and that Twitter bent
over backwards to give Trump more leeway, even after he broke
clear rules. It was something of a disaster hearing for the
GOP.
* ⚓ Techdirt ☛ Engineers_Gave_Elon’s_Tweets_Special_Treatment_Because_Elon
Freaked_Out_That_A_Joe_Biden_Tweet_Got_More_Engagement⠀⇛
What’s the opposite of shadowbanning? Maxboosting? I dunno, but
whatever it is, that’s what Twitter’s frustrated and exhausted
engineers gave Elon Musk after he whined (for not the first
time) that people might like someone more than they like Elon.
By now you know the basics: last week it was reported that Elon
was getting frustrated that the views on his tweets were
dropping, and he apparently fired an engineer who suggested
that maybe, just maybe, Elon wasn’t quite so popular any more.
Then, on Monday, suddenly lots of people found that their “For
You” algorithmic feed (something Musk insisted was evil before
he took over, but now is pressuring people to use) basically
was just The Elon Musk show, with every tweet being something
from Elon.
* ⚓ Casey Newton ☛ Yes,_Elon_Musk_created_a_special_system_for_showing_you
all_his_tweets_first⠀⇛
* ⚓ The Independent UK ☛ Elon_Musk_‘threatened_to_fire_Twitter_engineers’
after_his_Super_Bowl_tweet_got_less_attention_than_Biden’s_|_The
Independent⠀⇛
Musk reportedly ordered engineers to make changes to Twitter’s
algorithm to get better engagement
* § Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda⠀➾
o ⚓ Reason ☛ “U.S._State_Department_Funds_a_Disinformation_Index_That
Warns_Advertisers_To_Avoid_Reason” [Ed: Maybe it warns that Kosh-
funded deregulation fanatic may be biased]⠀⇛
Reason’s Robby Soave has the details; an excerpt: The
Global Disinformation Index (GDI) is a British
organization that evaluates news outlets’ susceptibility
to disinformation. The ultimate aim is to persuade online
advertisers to blacklist dangerous publications and
websites. One such publication, according to GDI’s
extremely dubious criteria, is Reason….
o ⚓ NDTV ☛ Fake_“Fact_Checks”_Fuelling_Russian_Propaganda_In_Ukraine
Conflict⠀⇛
They and other pro-Russian agitators have used pseudo-
fact-checks to discredit reports by Western media,
including AFP, of multiple incidents in the conflict.
§ Censorship/Free Speech⠀➾
* ⚓ Mexico News Daily ☛ AMLO_opposes_bill_increasing_fines_for_“insults”
against_the_president⠀⇛
On Tuesday, Morena lawmakers used their majority to approve
changes to the Law on Printing Offenses, which dates to 1917.
* ⚓ Silicon Angle ☛ Tech_CEOs_to_meet_with_House_Judiciary_Committee_over
content_moderation_practices⠀⇛
The House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan today issued subpoenas
to the chief executives of the five largest tech companies to
talk about content moderation methods and possible censorship
on their platforms. A group of congressional Republicans led by
Jordan (pictured) wants to grill Meta Platforms Inc., Google
LLC, Amazon.com Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Apple Inc.
⚓ uni Stanford ☛ Jiang_|The_paradoxical_harm_of_the‘Elimination_of_Harmful
Language_Initiative’⠀⇛
What precisely was wrong with the now-withdrawn list? YuQing Jiang
argues that an evidence-based approach should have been used.
⚓ AccessNow ☛ “We_were_in_an_information_vacuum”:_internet_shutdowns_in_Central
Asia⠀⇛
⚓ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Artist_considers_legal_action_to_retrieve_Tiananmen
crackdown_monument_removed_from_University_of_Hong_Kong⠀⇛
>The Danish sculptor behind a monument to those who died in the
Tiananmen crackdown has considered taking legal action against the
University of Hong Kong (HKU), which the artist said has repeatedly
ignored his requests to retrieve the statue.
⚓ NPR ☛ Indian_tax_agents_raid_BBC_for_2nd_day,_after_it_aired_documentary
critical_of_Modi⠀⇛
Condemnation has poured in from press freedom advocates inside India
and around the world. The Press Club of India called the searches a
“clear cut case of vendetta.” Amnesty International called them an
“affront to free speech.”
⚓ Meduza ☛ ‘They_called_me_a_fascist,_a_traitor,_and_a_disgrace’_Even_minors
aren’t_exempt_from_the_Kremlin’s_zero-tolerance_policy_on_anti-war_speech⠀⇛
Since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, the Russian
authorities have prosecuted people for speaking out publicly against
the war, attending anti-war protests, and even posting anti-war
content on social media. The suspects aren’t limited to adults,
either: numerous children and teenagers have faced legal consequences
for criticizing the invasion. One of the highest-profile cases is the
prosecution of Varya Zholiker, a Moscow fifth grader whom anti-
extremism officers interrogated after she skipped one of her school’s
state-imposed “patriotism” classes and posted a pro-Ukrainian image
as her avatar online. But Varya’s story is far from unique. In a new
investigation, journalists from the independent outlet Verstka found
that children have faced threats of violence from police, public
shaming, and steep fines for denouncing the war. In English, Meduza
is publishing an abridged version of their report.
⚓ Miami Herald ☛ Now,_it_only_takes_one_person_to_deny_Florida_students
hundreds_of_books_at_a_time_|_Guest_Opinion⠀⇛
These self-appointed censors have developed an array of tactics:
filing objections to dozens of books at once, reading books
salaciously at school board meetings, emailing school officials with
censorship demands. The pressure to ban, restrict or otherwise impact
students’ access to books has worked: 156 books were pulled from
shelves for a few months in Indian River; 110 books were slapped with
warning labels for eight months in Collier County; and over 100 books
have been moved in and out of backrooms in Escambia, with parents
required to fill out permission slips for students to access them.
§ Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press⠀➾
* ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ Half_of_Americans_Think_National_News_Media_Mislead,
Misinform_the_Public⠀⇛
New polling suggests “efforts by national news organizations to
gain the trust of the public may need to focus on communicating
more directly with audiences about how their reporting affects
society at large.”
* ⚓ RSF ☛ Marina_Ovsyannikova’s_extraordinary_flight_from_Moscow_with_RSF’s
help⠀⇛
At a press conference on 10 February at the headquarters of
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in Paris, Russian producer
Marina Ovsyannikova and RSF secretary-general Christophe
Deloire described the extraordinary operation whereby she
managed to secretly flee Russia with RSF’s help four months
ago.
* ⚓ CPJ ☛ Mozambique_border_police_detain,_beat_radio_journalist_Rosário
Cardoso⠀⇛
On January 15, 2023, five Mozambique border police officers
detained and beat journalist Rosário Cardoso, according to
media reports, statements by the National Forum of Community
Radios and the Mozambican chapter of the regional press freedom
group Media Institute of Southern Africa, and the journalist,
who spoke to CPJ by phone.
§ Civil Rights/Policing⠀➾
* ⚓ Off Guardian ☛ Ireland’s_protests_–_will_Varadkar_go_full_Trudeau?⠀⇛
Gavin O’Reilly Since Russia began its special military
operation in Ukraine almost a year ago, one of the key features
of the collective West’s response, alongside sanctions and the
expulsion of Russian diplomats, has been the accommodation of
refugees fleeing the conflict, with millions of Ukrainians
being housed across Europe since last February, including
70,000+ …
* ⚓ Shadowproof ☛ Missouri_Republicans_Weaponize_‘Whistleblowing’_To_Shut
Down_Pediatric_Care_For_Transgender_Youth⠀⇛
This article was funded by paid subscribers of The Dissenter
Newsletter, a project of Shadowproof. Become a monthly paid
subscriber to help us publish more independent journalism on
whistleblowing. To further their nationwide efforts to restrict
access to transgender health care, Republicans in the state of
Missouri have deployed a former case worker at Washington
University’s Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s
Hospital, who they claim is a whistleblower.
On February 9, Jamie Reed went public with allegations against
the pediatric center in a post that appeared on “The Free
Press,” a website founded by commentator Bari Weiss. That same
day Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced that Reed
had submitted a “sworn affidavit” and his office, along with
the Missouri Department of Social Services, had opened an
investigation into the pediatric center. “We have received
disturbing allegations that individuals at the Transgender
Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital have been harming
hundreds of children each year, including by using experimental
drugs on them,” Bailey asserted. “We take this evidence
seriously and are thoroughly investigating to make sure
children are not harmed by individuals who may be more
concerned with a radical social agenda than the health of
children.”Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley was ready
with a letter that he sent to Washington University and the St.
Louis Children’s Hospital, where he announced that his office
would investigate the pediatric center’s “treatment practices
in order to present American taxpayers and parents with all the
facts relevant to policymaking and medical treatment
decisions.”“If even a fraction of the whistleblower’s new
allegations is corroborated, the Center should be immediately
shut down,” Hawley declared.
* ⚓ Techdirt ☛ YouTuber_Gets_Copyright_Strikes_For_Posting_Publicly
Streamed_Parole_Hearings⠀⇛
Which brings us to the Louisiana parole board. Interestingly,
parole hearings are all publicly streamed in a live format, but
the Parole Board does not make those videos available for
viewing outside of the live stream. But one YouTuber, going by
the name of Mandoo, records those streams and then adds
commentary to them, with the stated purpose of making the
system transparent and commenting on the way the justice system
works. Mandoo was also handed 52 takedowns of videos on his
channel after a local news organization used them in some of
its own reporting on a specific parole hearing.
* ⚓ New York Times ☛ Financial_Woes_Thrust_Lyft,_Long_in_Uber’s_Shadow,
Into_the_Spotlight⠀⇛
Employees have worried for months about Lyft’s poor stock
performance, and some were even more alarmed by the recent
plunge, two current employees said.
* ⚓ The Nation ☛ Even_After_a_Landmark_Bill,_the_Fight_for_Prison_Phone
Justice_Isn’t_Over⠀⇛
For decades, prison phone companies have seen the millions of
people in jail in this country and their families as a captive
market, desperate to talk on the phone, lacking the means to
advocate for themselves, and—crucially—stuck in facilities that
could also use an infusion of cash. The profits have come easy.
In Dauphin County (Harrisburg), Pa., for instance, a recent
investigation revealed that the jail’s phone provider made
enough money in three years to kick back a whopping $3.4
million to the jail itself.
Days before that investigation was published, President Joe
Biden signed the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable
Communications Act, a bill that empowers the Federal
Communications Commission to rein in the rates that companies
charge incarcerated people and their families to stay in
contact. The hard-won law will mean a fairer market for phone
and video calling services in jails and prisons. It requires
the FCC to promulgate regulations, sometime in the latter half
of 2024, ensuring that the costs these individuals and their
families pay for phone and video calls are “just and
reasonable.”
But the fight to spare families from exploitation isn’t done
yet.
* ⚓ NBC ☛ Man_allegedly_left_naked_on_concrete_floor_in_jail_for_days_died
of_suspected_hypothermia,_lawsuit_says⠀⇛
Mitchell’s mother sued after a corrections employee showed her
surveillance video of her son’s time in custody that
contradicted what she had been told by officials, the suit
says.
“Although the medical examiner has not yet released the autopsy
report, it is clear that Tony’s death was wrongful, the result
of horrific, malicious abuse and mountains of deliberate
indifference,” the suit says.
* ⚓ TruthOut ☛ Sanders_Slams_Starbucks_CEO_for_Refusing_to_Testify_at
Hearing_on_Union_Busting⠀⇛
* ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ Starbucks_CEO_Schultz_Refuses_to_Testify_on_Union-
Busting_Before_Sanders’_Committee⠀⇛
U.S. coffee chain Starbucks on Tuesday told the Senate Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee that interim CEO
Howard Schultz has no intention of testifying before the panel
as Chairman Bernie Sanders requested last week, sparking
speculation that the progressive senator could use his subpoena
power to compel the billionaire executive to appear at an
upcoming hearing.
* ⚓ The Nation ☛ Ida_B._Wells _(1862–1931)⠀⇛
* ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ Report_Urges_Capping_US_Prison_Sentences_at_20_Years_to
End_Mass_Incarceration⠀⇛
Policymakers should take steps to limit prison sentences in the
United States—which incarcerates far more people than any other
country and where the imprisoned population has soared 500% in
recent decades—to 20 years for all crimes, a report published
Wednesday by a leading criminal justice reform group argues.
* ⚓ TruthOut ☛ Let’s_Honor_the_Late_Eddie_Conway_by_Continuing_to_Fight
Oppression⠀⇛
§ Internet Policy/Net Neutrality⠀➾
* ⚓ SANS ☛ DNS_Recon_Redux_–_Zone_Transfers_(plus_a_time_machine)_for_When
You_Can’t_do_a_Zone_Transfer,_(Wed,_Feb_15th)⠀⇛
When in the recon phase of a security assessment or penetration
test, quite often you want to collect the dns names for all
hosts in a scope of IP addresses.
§ Digital Restrictions (DRM)⠀➾
* ⚓ Securepairs ☛ Liberate_the_appliances!_Washing_machine_hacker_outsmarts
anti-repair_measures_–_Week_in_Repair⠀⇛
* ⚓ Variety ☛ Exclusive_Survey:_What_Hollywood_Really_Thinks_of_Netflix’s
Password_Crackdown⠀⇛
Strong disagreement was far and away the biggest sentiment to
emerge from the survey, to the tune of 38%. In stark contrast,
only 8% strongly agreed with Netflix’s move. YouGov surveyed
640 U.S. adults working in the film, TV and music businesses to
gauge sentiment among industry professionals.
§ Monopolies⠀➾
* ⚓ Techdirt ☛ The_Missed_Opportunities_Of_The_Khan_FTC_Are_Glaring⠀⇛
A few months ago at a conference, I was somewhat surprised to
hear from an academic whose views on antitrust are closely
aligned with FTC chair Lina Khan complain to me that Khan
appeared to be a disaster as an FTC Commissioner, noting that
multiple FTC staffers had been complaining or heading for the
exits. Since then, I’ve been surprised at how many others I’ve
heard similar things from, including from both those who
support Khan’s policy positions and those opposed (while it’s
certainly less surprising to hear it from those who disagree
with her, the fact that it was coming across the board seemed
notable).
* § Patents⠀➾
o ⚓ Common Dreams ☛ US_Attempt_to_Sabotage_Mexico’s_GMO_Corn_Ban
Denounced_as_’21st-Century_Imperialism’⠀⇛
Environmental groups on Tuesday accused the Biden
administration of putting the profits of big agribusiness
over public health and critical pollinators by attempting
to obstruct the Mexican government’s ongoing push to ban
genetically engineered corn.
* § Copyrights⠀➾
o ⚓ Public Domain Review ☛ Levi_Walter_Yaggy’s_Geographical_Maps_and
Charts_(1887/93)⠀⇛
Two series of elaborate educational charts, featuring
illuminated cutaways and chromolithographic layers, which
demonstrate their creator’s belief that wonder is the
helpmate of learning.
o ⚓ Digital Music News ☛ Musicians’_Union_Backs_the_FAC_100%_Venues
Campaign_to_Support_Touring_Musicians⠀⇛
The Musicians’ Union backs the FAC 100% Venues initiative
to abolish commission fees on artist merchandise.
The Musicians’ Union (MU) has announced its support for
the Featured Artists Coalition’s (FAC) 100% Venues
initiative, which encourages venues to allow artists to
sell merchandise without charging punitive commission
fees.
o ⚓ Digital Music News ☛ Death_Row_Records_Catalog_Arrives
Exclusively_on_TikTok_Ahead_of_Wider_Streaming_Service_Return⠀⇛
Last year, Snoop Dogg bought Death Row Records and pulled
its catalog from streaming services. Now, ahead of their
imminent return to platforms like Spotify and YouTube,
some of the well-known works have become available
exclusively on TikTok for one week.
o ⚓ Creative Commons ☛ CC’s_copyright_platform_2022_working_groups
share_their_highlights⠀⇛
In 2022, two working groups (WGs) of the Creative Commons
Copyright Platform collaborated on policy papers tackling
issues related to copyright and access to knowledge. In
this blog post, we highlight their insightful
contributions to the CC copyright reform community.
o ⚓ Torrent Freak ☛ Premier_League_Calls_Out_Argentina’s_Failure_to
Tackle_Sports_Piracy⠀⇛
Last December, Argentina’s national football team became
world champions after beating France in the World Cup
Final. While the Latin American country excelled on the
pitch, the English Premier League says it has a lot of
work left to do when it comes to tackling online sports
piracy.
* § Gemini* and Gopher⠀➾
o § Personal⠀➾
# ⚓ Mmm,_small_talk!_🙊⠀⇛
There’s a thing at work where people say “How was
your weekend?” There are two possibilities.
# ⚓ 🔤SpellBinding:_DFHWNSI_Wordo:_TIERS⠀⇛
o § Technical⠀➾
# ⚓ Is_“AI”_This_Year’s_“Metaverse”?⠀⇛
In late 2021 Facebook rebranded as Meta during a
recorded event in which they tried convincing us
that the metaverse was the future of our lives and
that they were going to be at the center of it.
Now, nearly a year and a half later, the word
“metaverse” is little more than a meme. Meta’s own
Horizon Worlds platform gets ridiculed any time it
gets public attention and has been steadily losing
users.
[...]
So here we are today. ChatGPT has had an explosion
of interest unlike anything before and companies
are racing each other to be the first to capitalize
on it. Notably, both Microsoft and Google are
rolling AI chat bots into their search engines.
Microsoft already has a public early access version
available. Google so far has promises and mockups.
But both companies’ AI language models are already
showing warning signs of being rushed,
underdeveloped, and terribly suited for their given
tasks.
# ⚓ Take_a_Ride_on_the_Hype_Train⠀⇛
VR has been hyped before and it doubtless will be
again. AI? Same deal. Tech companies have been
overpromising and underdelivering for decades.
Nothing new under the sun. AI isn’t this year’s
metaverse; it is this year’s social media.
Metaverse was Facebook’s gamble for relevance post-
2020, when a lot of people woke up and started
realizing just how terrible Facebook was. It was a
blatant attempt by Facebook to make itself the
center of a new “reality”. Nothing more, nothing
less. I’m not surprised it fizzled. And I’m still
not quite sure what a metaverse is.
=> =============================================================================
World Wide Web but a lot lighter.
䷩ 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 3505
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⠀⌧ █▇▆▅▄▃▂▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁ 02.16.23⠀▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█ ⌧
Gemini_version_available_♊︎
✐ Links_16/02/2023:_YouTube_Crisis_and_Tesla_Mass_Recalls⠀✐
Posted in News_Roundup at 9:42 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇GNOME bluefish⦈
§ Contents⠀➾
* GNU/Linux
o Desktop/Laptop
o Audiocasts/Shows
o Applications
o Instructionals/Technical
o Desktop_Environments/WMs
# K_Desktop_Environment/KDE_SC/Qt
* Distributions_and_Operating_Systems
o New_Releases
o SUSE/OpenSUSE
o Fedora_Family_/_IBM
o Debian_Family
o Canonical/Ubuntu_Family
o Devices/Embedded
o Open_Hardware/Modding
o Mobile_Systems/Mobile_Applications
* Free,_Libre,_and_Open_Source_Software
o Events
o Web_Browsers/Web_Servers
# Mozilla
o Programming/Development
o Standards/Consortia
* Leftovers
o Science
o Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
o Proprietary
o Security
# Privacy/Surveillance
o Defence/Aggression
o Environment
# Energy/Transportation
# Wildlife/Nature
o Finance
o AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
o Censorship/Free_Speech
o Freedom_of_Information_/_Freedom_of_the_Press
o Civil_Rights/Policing
o Internet_Policy/Net_Neutrality
o Digital_Restrictions_(DRM)
o Monopolies
# Patents
# Software_Patents
# Trademarks
* Gemini*_and_Gopher
o Personal
o Technical
# Internet/Gemini
* § GNU/Linux⠀➾
o § Desktop/Laptop⠀➾
# ⚓ Liliputing ☛ Kubuntu_Focus_NX_gets_a_spec_bump_(mini_PC
with_Kubuntu_Linux_and_12th-gen_Intel_Core)⠀⇛
The Kubuntu Focus NX is a small form-factor desktop
computer that ships with Kubuntu Linux software
pre-installed.
When the Kubuntu team first introduced the mini PC
last year it was available with 11th-gen Intel Core
i5 or Core i7 processor options. But now there’s a
new model called the Kubuntu Focus NX Gen 2 which
features a 12th-gen Intel Core i7 chip.
# ⚓ Linux Magazine ☛ Kubuntu_Focus_Team_Releases_New_Mini
Desktop⠀⇛
The Focus NX GEN 2 is a small form factor desktop
PC that comes with Kubuntu 22.04 pre-installed and
offers plenty of power to help you be productive
and entertained.
The power behind this tiny computer shouldn’t
surprise you, given the specs. The NX GEN 2 ships
with a 12th-Gen Intel Core i7-1260P CPU with 16
cores (running at 2.8 GHz with a 4.7 GHz turbo
boost), configurable up to 64GB of DDR4-3200 RAM,
and can house up to a 2TB NVMe boot SSD and a 4TB
secondary SATA drive.
# ⚓ Ubuntu Pit ☛ Kubuntu_Focus_Team’s_NX_GEN_2_Mini_Linux
Desktop_PC:_What_You_Need_to_Know!⠀⇛
Thanks to technology, swapping out Windows in favor
of Linux is no longer an intimidating and complex
endeavor. Over time, installing a Linux-based
operating system on your existing computer has
become increasingly straightforward; however, it
can still be daunting for some users. Fortunately,
there are numerous computers that come preloaded
with different distributions of the Linux Operating
System – giving you plenty more options!
# ⚓ 9to5Linux ☛ Kubuntu_Focus_NX_Mini_Linux_PC_Gen2_Ships_with
12th_Gen_Intel_CPU,_Wi-Fi_6E⠀⇛
If you’re in the market for a Linux-powered system
optimized for the KDE Plasma desktop environment,
the Kubuntu Focus NX Mini Linux PC Gen2 is now
available for order with the 12th-Generation “Alder
Lake” Intel Core i7-1260P processor with 12 cores,
16 threads, powerful Iris Xe Graphics, and high-
performance 35 W TDP.
Connectivity was boosted as well in the 2nd-
generation Kubuntu Focus NX with the latest Wi-Fi
6E with up to 5.4 Gbps speeds, 2.5 GbE Ethernet
LAN, and Bluetooth 5.3. On top of that, you get two
Thunderbolt 4 ports, two HDMI 2.1 ports, and two
DisplayPort 1.4 outputs through USB-C supporting up
to four 4K monitors.
o § Audiocasts/Shows⠀➾
# ⚓ Tux Digital ☛ Destination_Linux_312:_Linux_At_The_Movies_&
Making_Open_Source_Radio_Waves⠀⇛
This week’s episode of Destination Linux, we’re
going to be discussing Linux at the Oscars! Then we
have a rust based browser engine making a comeback.
Plus, we have our tips/tricks and software picks.
All this and more coming up right now on
Destination Linux to keep those penguins marching!
# ⚓ Video ☛ CoreJS:_The_Web_–_Open_Source_Are_Broken!_–
Invidious⠀⇛
# ⚓ Video ☛ What_Are_The_Hardest_Linux_Distros?_(It’s_Not_The
Ones_You_Think!)_–_Invidious⠀⇛
# ⚓ The BSD Now Podcast ☛ BSDNow_494:_Unix_workstation
extinction⠀⇛
Mass extinction of UNIX workstations, Determine Who
Can Log In to an SSH Server, Factors When
Considering FreeBSD vs. Linux Packages, A Visual
Guide to SSH Tunnels, Harvesting the Noise While
it’s Fresh, Bastille – The Jail Manager on FreeBSD,
and more
# ⚓ The TLLTS Podcast ☛ The_Linux_Link_Tech_Show_Episode_992⠀⇛
joel says gimme lts.
# ⚓ Linux in the Ham Shack ☛ LHS_Episode_#496:_The_Weekender
CI⠀⇛
It’s time once again for The Weekender. This is our
departure into the world of hedonism, random topic
excursions, whimsy and (hopefully) knowledge.
# ⚓ Video ☛ How_to_install_Endless_OS_5.0.0_–_Invidious⠀⇛
# ⚓ Video ☛ Ubuntu_Book_Authors_Live_Stream_Q_–_A_–_Invidious⠀⇛
# ⚓ Video ☛ Enterprise_Linux_Security_Episode_57_–_Record
Breaking_DDoS_Attacks_–_Invidious⠀⇛
# ⚓ Video ☛ How_to_Manage_OpenStack_Private_Clouds_Episode_3_–
Setting_Up_Block_Storage_Volumes_–_Invidious⠀⇛
# ⚓ FLOSS_Weekly_719:_Let_the_Wiki_Win!_–_Peter_Kaminski,
Decentralized_vs_Centralized,_Massive_Wiki⠀⇛
o § Applications⠀➾
# ⚓ Linux Links ☛ 21_Best_Free_and_Open_Source_GUI_Internet
Radio_Software⠀⇛
Why do we like internet radio? There are no sign-up
or subscription charges. There’s a huge range of
stations available from around the world. If you
like classical music, pop music, folk music, news,
talk radio, and much more, internet radio has
something for everyone wherever you live (providing
you have a net connection). Internet radio offers
every format that is available on traditional
broadcast radio stations.
There’s a wide range of free and open source
software that lets you listen to internet radio.
With so many different possibilities available it’s
easy to get lost trying to find the right one for
you.
# ⚓ Ubuntu Pit ☛ 15_Best_Tools_for_Linux_Font_Management⠀⇛
If you’re like me and have been using Linux for a
long time, you know font management can be an issue
in most distributions – still! Although Linux has
come a great way since its earlier attempt at font
management, which resulted in an amateurish-looking
desktop, it still has plenty to improve.
# ⚓ Ubuntu Pit ☛ 25_Best_Free_Medical_Imaging_Software_for
Linux⠀⇛
Computers have been playing a significant role in
modern healthcare systems since their inception.
Have you ever wondered how medical imaging like MRI
or X-ray scan copies is implemented? Your computer
utilizes a special kind of file schema for this
purpose.
o § Instructionals/Technical⠀➾
# ⚓ Linux Capable ☛ How_to_Install_PuTTy_SSH_Client_on_Ubuntu
22.04_or_20.04⠀⇛
PuTTy is a popular open-source terminal emulator
and SSH client for Windows, Linux, and macOS.
System administrators and developers have widely
used it for its versatility, simplicity, and
functionality.
# ⚓ Linux Capable ☛ How_to_Install_Insomnia_on_Ubuntu_22.04_or
20.04⠀⇛
Insomnia is a popular open-source tool used for
testing and debugging APIs, and its popularity
continues to grow within the developer community.
# ⚓ Linux Capable ☛ How_to_Install_Microsoft_Edge_on_Fedora
Linux [Ed: Proprietary malware controlled by the company
that's attacking GNU/Linux. Don't install it, don't use
it.]⠀⇛
Microsoft Edge is a popular and widely used web
browser that provides users with a fast, secure,
and streamlined browsing experience.
# ⚓ The_Speak_&_Spell’s_sound_chip_uses_a_compressed_audio
format_called_“linear_predictive_coding”._This_command_will
read_random_bytes_and_attempt_to_decompress_them_as_if_it
were_audio_data_compressed_in_this_format,_then_play_it._This
results_in_a_unique_sound_which_is_similar_to_a_glitching
Speak_&_Spell.⠀⇛
# ⚓ Linux Capable ☛ How_to_Install_Brasero_on_Linux_Mint_21_or
20⠀⇛
Brasero is a widely popular and efficient optical
disc authoring software for Linux. This powerful
tool allows users to create, copy, and burn CDs and
DVDs, making it an essential tool for anyone who
needs to work with optical media regularly.
# ⚓ Linux Capable ☛ How_to_Install_CMake_on_Ubuntu_22.04_or
20.04⠀⇛
CMake is a widely adopted, powerful tool software
developers utilize for building and packaging
software projects. As an open-source and cross-
platform tool, CMake is highly versatile, providing
developers with a flexible and customizable
solution for their development needs.
# ⚓ Linux Capable ☛ How_to_Reboot_or_Shutdown_Your_Linux_System
from_the_Terminal⠀⇛
As a Linux user, you may need to reboot or shut
down your system for various reasons, such as
system maintenance, upgrades, or issues that can be
resolved by restarting or shutting down.
# ⚓ RoseHosting ☛ How_to_Install_iRedMail_on_Ubuntu_22.04⠀⇛
In this tutorial, we will install iRedMail on
Ubuntu 22.04 OS with an installation script and
explain the process in detail.
iRedMail is an open-source email server software
that supports the SMTP, IMAP, and POP3 protocols.
With this installation script Nginx, Postfix as a
mail transfer agent, Dovecot as IMAP and POP3
server, SpamAssassin as a spam scanner, and ClamAV
as a virus scanner are included.
# ⚓ Make Tech Easier ☛ How_to_Protect_Your_Server_With_Fail2Ban
in_Linux⠀⇛
Securing a server is a top priority for any
business or organization. One of the most important
tools in a sysadmin’s toolkit is Fail2Ban. This
guide explains what Fail2Ban is and how you can use
it to protect your Linux server from attacks.
# ⚓ ZDNet ☛ How_to_install_a_cloud_service_at_home:_It’s_easy⠀⇛
Linux belongs on your home network, and setting up
an on-premises cloud is simpler than you’d think.
# ⚓ ZDNet ☛ How_to_enhance_the_KDE_Plasma_desktop_with
widgets⠀⇛
By adding widgets to the KDE Plasma desktop, you
give it more functionality and even make it
interactive. Find out how.
# ⚓ ZDNet ☛ How_to_install_Linux_on_your_Raspberry_Pi⠀⇛
Take your Raspberry Pi to the next level by
installing a variety of different Linux distros on
your hardware.
# ⚓ ID Root ☛ Shutdown_and_Reboot_Linux_From_Command_Line⠀⇛
# ⚓ ID Root ☛ How_To_Install_Telegram_on_Fedora_37⠀⇛
o § Desktop Environments/WMs⠀➾
# § K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt⠀➾
# ⚓ Ubuntu Pit ☛ KDE_Plasma_5.27_LTS_Desktop_is_Out.
What’s_New!⠀⇛
The KDE developers and contributors have once
again gone above and beyond to offer you
Plasma 5.27, packed with tremendous
enhancements for the Linux desktop
environment! Plasma 5.27 offers thrilling
updates to your desktop, beginning with the
Konqi-powered wizard, which will assist you
in setting up the desktop!
# ⚓ Ubuntu Pit ☛ Unlock_Power_&_Performance_With_KaOS
Linux_2023.02:_What’s_New?⠀⇛
Today, the group behind KaOS Linux —
independently created and powered by KDE,
with strong influences from Arch Linux —
released their latest ISO snapshot: KaOS
Linux 2023.02. This version is filled with
up-to-date GNU/Linux innovations that are
sure to bring a unique experience for users!
# ⚓ KDE_Snaps,_Security_updates,_Debian_Freeze⠀⇛
Much like our trees, Debian is now in freeze
stage for Bookworm. I am still working on
packages locally until development opens up
again.
* § Distributions and Operating Systems⠀➾
o ⚓ Barry Kauler ☛ The_next-generation_MoManager⠀⇛
o § New Releases⠀➾
# ⚓ 9to5Linux ☛ Clonezilla_Live_3.0.3_Disk_Cloning_Tool_Adds
Support_for_Multiple_LUKS_Devices,_Linux_6.1_LTS⠀⇛
Clonezilla Live developer Steven Shiau announced
today the release of Clonezilla Live 3.0.3 as the
third maintenance update in the latest Clonezilla
Live 3.0 series of this open-source, free, and
powerful partition and disk cloning/imaging live
ISO distribution based on the Debian Sid
repositories.
Clonezilla 3.0.3 comes more than three months after
Clonezilla 3.0.2 and bumps the Linux kernel from
the now deprecated Linux 6.0 to the long-term
supported Linux 6.1 LTS. The live ISO ships with
Linux kernel 6.1.11 by default.
o § SUSE/OpenSUSE⠀➾
# ⚓ SUSE’s Corporate Blog ☛ Expanding_Enterprise_Computing
Options_with_an_All-Arm_Cluster_–_The_Hammerhead_Way⠀⇛
Background: The Hammerhead Consortium leveraged its
Ampere Computing-powered cluster in its latest test
iteration showcasing a ScyllaDB environment in an
all-Arm cluster. The results will be made available
in a joint session between Ampere Computing and
ScaleFlux at the upcoming ScyllaDB Summit 2023.
# ⚓ SUSE’s Corporate Blog ☛ Stop_the_Churn_with_SUSE
eLearning⠀⇛
The Covid pandemic has taught us has brought us a
lot of new phrases in the workforce. First, there
was “quiet quitting” – the desire to do “just”
what’s in your job description and no more. Then
there was the “great resignation” where it seemed
like everyone was looking for their next
opportunity.
o § Fedora Family / IBM⠀➾
# ⚓ Fedora Project ☛ Fedora_Community_Blog:_CPE_2022_Summary⠀⇛
This is a summary of the work done on initiatives
by theCommunity_Platform_Engineering(CPE) Team. The
CPE Team, together with CentOS and Fedora community
representatives, choose initiatives for the team to
work on. The CPE Team is then split into multiple
smaller sub-teams that will work on chosen
initiatives + day to day work that needs to be
done.
o § Debian Family⠀➾
# ⚓ Linuxiac ☛ Parrot_OS_5.2_Tightens_Security,_Better_TOR
Bridges_Support⠀⇛
Parrot OS, similar to Kali, is a Debian-based Linux
distribution designed for security and privacy.
Using the MATE desktop environment, Parrot OS
includes various tools for penetration testing,
digital forensics, reverse engineering,
cryptography, and anonymity, making it a popular
choice for security professionals and researchers.
Just over four months after its latest stable 5.1
release, Parrot OS 5.2 is finally here. So let’s
see what’s changed.
o § Canonical/Ubuntu Family⠀➾
# ⚓ Ubuntu Pit ☛ Canonical’s_Real-Time_Ubuntu_Kernel_on_Ubuntu
Pro_Subscription⠀⇛
Ubuntu maker Canonical is proud to announce the
general availability of their enterprise-grade
real-time Ubuntu kernel for systems running on
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. This revolutionary security and
reliability feature provides enterprises with an
unparalleled level of end-to-end protection for
time-sensitive workloads, giving companies the
confidence they need in a modern digital
environment.
# ⚓ 9to5Linux ☛ Ubuntu_22.04_LTS_Is_Now_Powered_by_Linux_Kernel
5.19_from_Ubuntu_22.10⠀⇛
Initially planned for early February 2023, the
Ubuntu 22.04.2 LTS point release will ship with a
newer kernel, namely Linux 5.19 HWE (Hardware
Enablement) from the Ubuntu 22.10 release, and it’s
also the first Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish)
point release to feature a newer kernel for those
who need it.
I said “for those who need it” in the above
paragraph because Ubuntu 22.04 LTS already ships
with a great kernel, Linux 5.15 LTS, which will
receive security updates for more than three and a
half years from the moment of writing, until
October 2026.
# ⚓ Ubuntu ☛ Course_for_deploying_ROS_applications_now
available_in_The_Construct⠀⇛
We are happy to announce the release of our first
e-training course for deploying ROS applications in
The Construct. The Construct is the leading e-
learning platform for ROS, helping engineers grow
their robotics skills with a full-scale curriculum
and hands-on courses. Working alongside The
Construct engineering team will now make the course
available to everyone.
o § Devices/Embedded⠀➾
# ⚓ CNX Software ☛ Raspberry_Pi_400_powers_dual-display_retro-
gaming_console⠀⇛
“Block after Block” has designed a dual-display
tabletop retro-gaming console using plywood edge
grain and a Raspberry Pi 400 keyboard PC that
allows players to physically face each other during
a fight or other gameplay.
While there’s a galore of projects based on
Raspberry Pi SBCs, the Raspberry Pi 400 keyboard PC
is more like a consumer product due to its form
factor, but Block after Block integrated the PC
into its own retro-gaming console which involved a
lot of woodworking skills and installing RetroPie
on the Pi 400 device
o § Open Hardware/Modding⠀➾
# ⚓ 12_DIY_Raspberry_Pi_Projects_to_Improve_Your_Smart_Home⠀⇛
So maybe you’ve gotten bored playing around with
your Raspberry Pi and wanted to make something
practical out of it. That’s great! Whether you’re
an experienced electrician or a tinkering newbie
who can’t hold a soldering iron without getting
burnt, there are plenty of guides and projects out
there that you could follow so you could integrate
them to your own. Here are 12 projects to start you
off and make for an even brighter home. Tip: Don’t
forget to secure your Raspberry Pi while doing
these DIY projects.
# ⚓ Tom’s Hardware ☛ Raspberry_Pi_Serves_Up_News_and_Weather,
Retro_Style⠀⇛
Serving the news in a retro style, this Raspberry
Pi project uses an old CCTV monitor and a little
Python programming to get the latest news.
o § Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications⠀➾
# ⚓ Android Police ☛ Firefox_for_Android_is_finally_getting
more_extensions⠀⇛
# ⚓ Phone Arena ☛ Budget-friendly_Samsung_Galaxy_A04_gets_its
Android_13_update_–_PhoneArena⠀⇛
# ⚓ Notebook Check ☛ Stable_Android_13_update_now_rolling_out
for_Nothing_Phone_(1)_users_worldwide_–_NotebookCheck.net
News⠀⇛
# ⚓ Notebook Check ☛ Android_13_upgrade_lands_on_Sony_Xperia_10
III_in_surprise_change_of_heart_–_NotebookCheck.net_News⠀⇛
# ⚓ Pocket Now ☛ Android_14:_New_features,_supported_devices,
timeline_and_more⠀⇛
# ⚓ The Sun ☛ Android_users_are_just_finding_the_hidden_‘taps
and_swipes’_that_unlock_over_a_dozen_features_–_you’ll_save
so_much_time_|_The_US_Sun⠀⇛
# ⚓ CNET ☛ Make_Your_Android_Phone_Feel_New_Again_With_These_5
Tips_–_CNET⠀⇛
# ⚓ India Times ☛ Android:_These_may_be_the_biggest_‘security
threats’_for_Android_smartphone_users_in_2023_–_Times_of
India⠀⇛
# ⚓ India Times ☛ Google:_Google-CCI_dispute:_Here’s_what_the
Android_maker_told_NCLAT_–_Times_of_India⠀⇛
# ⚓ XDA ☛ Nothing_Phone_1_gets_the_stable_Android_13_update
with_Nothing_OS_1.5.2⠀⇛
* § Free, Libre, and Open Source Software⠀➾
o ⚓ OSI Blog ☛ Predictions_in_Open_Source:_Security,_Mature
Strategies,_COSO,_AI/ML [Ed: Just months after taking Microsoft
money to repeatedly promote proprietary software, which is used to
violate the licences OSI deals with, OSI now takes money from a
Microsoft proxy, run by former Microsoft, to promote rubbish and
FUD; Open Source would be better off if OSI just dropped dead]⠀⇛
I joined Javier Perez and Rod Cope of Perforce in a
webinar…
o ⚓ It’s FOSS ☛ FOSS_Weekly_#23.07:_Terminal_Basics,_KDE_Plasma_5.27
and_Markdown_Guide⠀⇛
Get a free bash scripting book, Markdown guides and learn
to get comfortable with the new Terminal Basics series.
o § Events⠀➾
# ⚓ Kushal_Das:_SamNet_Vinterkonferensen_2023⠀⇛
This Tuesday I attendedSamNet_Vinterkonferensen,
jointly organized by ISOC-SE, SNUS,DFRIand
Dataskydd.net, focusing on technology, the
internet, privacy, and decentralization.
The organizers gave me caution before hand as the
whole conference was in
Swedish 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇:)⦈
The venue wasInternetstiftelsen, which is
already one of my favorite small conference venues
in Stockholm (as we have done many
open spaces there in the last 1 year).
After the morning coffee and breakfast, the day
started with a talk about
“blockchain”, it felt more like a 2015 version of
the presentation 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇:)⦈ After that
a
very good detailed description of IPv6 and
adoption. The third talk was on
DNS from Mikael Kullberg. This presentation was a
perfect mix of technical
details and fun 🄸🄼🄰🄶🄴 🄳🄴🅂🄲🅁🄸🄿🅃🄸🄾🄽 ⦇:)⦈
o § Web Browsers/Web Servers⠀➾
# § Mozilla⠀➾
# ⚓ LWN ☛ Firefox_110.0_released_[LWN.net]⠀⇛
Version 110.0 of the Firefox browser has been
released. Significant new features include
the ability to import bookmarks from the
Opera and Vivaldi browsers and GPU sandboxing
on Windows systems.
# ⚓ Neowin ☛ Tor_Browser_12.0.3⠀⇛
Tor is a network of virtual tunnels that
allows people and groups to improve their
privacy and security on the Internet. The Tor
software protects you by bouncing your
communications around a distributed network
of relays run by volunteers all around the
world: it prevents somebody from watching
your Internet connection and learning what
sites you visit, it prevents the sites you
visit from learning your physical location,
and it lets you access sites which are
blocked.
o § Programming/Development⠀➾
# ⚓ Qt ☛ Product_Analytics_for_Customer_Success_Management [Ed:
Qt is promoting spyware again]⠀⇛
Product Analytics transforms reactive Customer
Success Management (CSM) into proactive and
ultimately more productive work.
# ⚓ Qt ☛ Qt_Creator_10_Beta_released⠀⇛
We are happy to announce the release of Qt
Creator10 Beta!
# ⚓ It’s FOSS ☛ Beginner’s_Guide_to_R_Markdown_Syntax_[With
Cheat_Sheet]⠀⇛
R Markdown is an enhanced form of Markdown coupled
with in-line R code. Curious? Learn more here.
o § Standards/Consortia⠀➾
# ⚓ Philippe_Normand:_WebRTC_in_WebKitGTK_and_WPE,_status
updates,_part I⠀⇛
Some time ago we atIgaliaembarked on the journey to
ship
aGStreamer-powered WebRTC backend. This is
a long journey, it is not over, but we made some
progress. This post is the
first of a series providing some insights of the
challenges we are facing and
the plans for the next release cycle(s).
* § Leftovers⠀➾
o ⚓ February_6_earthquakes:_50,576_buildings_need_to_be_destroyed⠀⇛
After the inspection of 387,346 buildings, 279,655 were
assessed as slightly damaged or undamaged.
o ⚓ HRW ☛ Northwest_Syria:_Aid_Delays_Deadly_for_Quake_Survivors⠀⇛
o ⚓ WhichUK ☛ Does_paying_more_get_you_a_better_hot_water_bottle?⠀⇛
We tested hot water bottles to find out which stays
toasty the longest. Our favourite has just come back in
stock
o ⚓ The Straits Times ☛ Magnitude-6.1_quake_rocks_central
Philippines⠀⇛
The strong and shallow quake struck off Masbate province
in the centre of the archipelago.
o ⚓ Mark Hansen ☛ Choosing_a_Portmanteau/Blended_Baby_Surname⠀⇛
How we chose a surname for our new baby: options,
tradeoffs, and how to search for blends of your & your
partner’s surnames
o ⚓ uni Michigan ☛ Why_your_camera_is_killing_your_memory⠀⇛
Photographs have come a long way since Joseph Nicéphore
Niépce took the very first one in 1826. Thirty-five years
later, photos could be taken and viewed in color, and a
short while after came the first-ever motion picture.
o ⚓ Zimbabwe ☛ EcoCash_partners_US_company_to_offer_another_avenue_to
send_funds_to_Zimbabwe_through⠀⇛
It’s been in the news but it’s not really new. However,
if we all missed it when it happened then we might as
well talk about it today. EcoCash partnered with Remitly,
a US financial services provider. Remitly is all about
remittances as their name suggests.
o ⚓ Zimbabwe ☛ It_wasn’t_just_the_$9200_laptops,_govt_cancelled_other
inflated_payments⠀⇛
It was in September last year when we witnessed the
infamous US$9,200 laptops saga. The Clerk of Parliament
had authorised the purchase of 173 laptops at $9200 each
and 79 desktops at $3000 each but had to throw the
tenders out after a public outcry.
o ⚓ CNN ☛ FC_Barcelona_investigated_for_alleged_payments_to_firm
owned_by_then-referee_body’s_VP⠀⇛
The Barcelona Prosecutor’s Office is investigating FC
Barcelona over allegations it made $1.5 million in
payments over three years to a company owned by a then-
leading official with Spain’s referee committee, CTA.
o ⚓ CNN ☛ See_drone_footage_of_what_Turkey_region_looks_like_10_days
after_quake⠀⇛
CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta joins a
helicopter mission delivering aid to survivors in
Turkey’s Hatay Province, the epicenter of an earthquake
that killed more than 36,000 people. While search and
rescue missions are still underway, another challenge is
to deliver goods to places hard to access where people
rely on aid packages for basic supplies.
o § Science⠀➾
# ⚓ Vice Media Group ☛ Earth’s_Core_May_Be_Causing_Strange
‘Anomalies’,_Study_Suggests⠀⇛
Deep inside the Earth, something strange is
happening that scientists are trying to explain.
o § Health/Nutrition/Agriculture⠀➾
# ⚓ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong_Kong_gov’t_seeks_to_prosecute
shop_selling_suspected_cat_and_dog_meat⠀⇛
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation
Department (AFCD) has confirmed through DNA tests
that a shop in Yau Ma Tei had been selling cat
flesh.
# ⚓ Helsinki Times ☛ COVID-19_infection_raises_diabetes_risk:
Research⠀⇛
Researchersat Cedars-Smidt Sinai’s Heart Institute
have confirmed that persons who have had COVID-19
have a higher risk of developing new-onset
diabetes, which is the leading cause of
cardiovascular disease.
“Our results verify that the risk of developing
Type 2 diabetes after a COVID-19 infection was not
just an early observation but, in fact, a real risk
that has, unfortunately, persisted through the
Omicron era,” saidAlan Kwan, MD, first and
corresponding author of the study and a
cardiovascular physician in the Smidt Heart
Institute at Cedars-Sinai.
# ⚓ JURIST ☛ Officials:_chemicals_from_Ohio_train_derailment
found_in_waterways_near_Ohio_River⠀⇛
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR)
Tuesday said that chemicals from a recent train
derailment have been found in waterways near the
Ohio River. The ODNR examined four different
streams and tributaries over seven and a half miles
around the derailment site and discovered 3,500
dead fish of 12 different species.
# ⚓ Press Gazette ☛ Open_Democracy_crowdfunds_dedicated_Covid
inquiry_journalist⠀⇛
Open Democracy hopes to afford to send a journalist
to every day of the Covid-19 inquiry.
# ⚓ RFA ☛ Thousands_of_retirees_protest_in_Wuhan_and_Dalian
over_medical_payout_cuts⠀⇛
Protesters sing communist anthems, face off against
ranks of police
# ⚓ teleSUR ☛ WHO_Says_Mpox_Still_Int’l_Public_Health
Emergency⠀⇛
In a statement on Wednesday, the WHO said its
experts acknowledged the progress in the global
response to the mpox outbreak and a further decline
in the number of reported cases during the last few
months.
# ⚓ Project Censored ☛ Censored_Déjà_Vu:_Corporate_Media’s
Ongoing_Failure_to_Cover_Key_Issues_around_Food_Safety,
Birthing,_and_Breastfeeding_&_Dark_Money’s_Pernicious
Influence_on_Political_Culture⠀⇛
In the first half of the program, Shealeigh Voitl
and Steve Macek a look at how corporate-media
coverage has failed over the course of years to
adequately inform the public…
# ⚓ teleSUR ☛ Equatorial_Guinea_Responds_to_Marburg_Virus
Outbreak⠀⇛
One confirmed case, 16 suspected cases, and nine
deaths have been reported from two communities in
the Kie-Ntem province.
# ⚓ The Scientist ☛ Fast-Acting_Nonhormonal_Male_Birth_Control
Prevents_Pregnancy_in_Mice⠀⇛
The “on demand” drug immobilizes sperm rather than
limit their production, preventing 100 percent of
pregnancies in an experiment.
# ⚓ The Scientist ☛ Bacteria_Have_Histones_After_All:_Study⠀⇛
Researchers identify hundreds of candidate histone
proteins in bacteria, including one with an unusual
way of binding to DNA.
# ⚓ YLE ☛ THL:_Confusing_system_undermines_kids’_mental_health
services⠀⇛
The National Institute for Health and Welfare is
calling for a reform of mental health services
available to children and young people.
# ⚓ New York Times ☛ ‘Chernobyl_2.0’?_Ohio_Train_Derailment
Spurs_Wild_Speculation.⠀⇛
For many influencers across the political spectrum,
claims about the environmental effects of the train
derailment have gone far beyond known facts.
o § Proprietary⠀➾
# ⚓ IT_breach_at_airline_SAS_gives_passengers_access_to_each
other’s_payment_information⠀⇛
Several customers with Scandinavian airline SAS
were late on Tuesday able to see personal
information that did not belong to them after a
cyberattack which froze the company’s website.
# ⚓ Vice Media Group ☛ Users_Report_Microsoft’s_‘Unhinged’_Bing
AI_Is_Lying,_Berating_Them⠀⇛
The Bing bot said it was “disappointed and
frustrated” in one user, according to screenshots.
“You have wasted my time and resources,” it said.
# ⚓ New York Times ☛ Why_Chatbots_Sometimes_Act_Weird_and_Spout
Nonsense⠀⇛
No, chatbots aren’t sentient. Here’s how their
underlying technology works.
# ⚓ Vice Media Group ☛ Hyundai_Says_Its_Cars_Will_No_Longer_Be
Easy_to_Steal_Using_Viral_TikTok_Instructions⠀⇛
A free software patch is available to some models
now.
# ⚓ New York Times ☛ Tesla_to_Recall_362,000_Cars_With_Its
‘Full_Self_Driving’_System⠀⇛
A federal auto safety agency said the technology
can cause crashes, but said the company was unaware
of any deaths or injuries caused by the flaws.
# ⚓ Axios ☛ Tesla_recalls_more_than_362,700_cars_over_self-
driving_flaws⠀⇛
Tesla is recalling 362,758 vehicles equipped with
itscontroversial_“Full_Self-Driving_beta”_(FSD)
softwarethat federal safety investigators found can
occasionally disregard traffic laws.
o § Security⠀➾
# ⚓ Vice Media Group ☛ One_of_Anom’s_Top_Alleged_Sellers_Flown
to_U.S._to_Face_Charges⠀⇛
Alexander Dmitrienko was an alleged seller for the
FBI’s honeypot phone company. More than a year and
a half after the FBI pulled back the curtain on the
operation, Dmitrienko is now in the U.S. to face
his charges.
# ⚓ SUSE’s Corporate Blog ☛ Ransomware_Attacks_–_Part_1_
(Introduction)⠀⇛
In this series of articles, I will talk about
Ransomware attacks and how we can better protect
our systems. What is ransomware? Ransomware is a
type of malicious software (malware) that is
designed to block access to a computer system or
its data, usually by encrypting it, until a ransom
is paid.
# ⚓ SUSE’s Corporate Blog ☛ Ransomware_Attacks_–_Part_2_
(Traditional_IT_Security)⠀⇛
Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. How do we
protect traditional IT infrastructure? 3. How do I
use SELinux, AppArmor and Netfilter? 4. Can STIG
hardening guide help me protect my Linux server? 5.
How can I apply a STIG profiles to all my servers?
6.
# ⚓ SUSE’s Corporate Blog ☛ Ransomware_Attacks_–_Part_3_
(Container_Security_)⠀⇛
Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. How do we
protect Kubernetes environments? 3. Why use Zero-
Trust policies to stop the spread of malware? 4.
The importance of having a secure software supply
chain? 5. Why must we automate security in
Kubernetes environments? 6. How can we scale these
measures when we have multiple clusters? 7.
# ⚓ LWN ☛ Security_updates_for_Wednesday_[LWN.net]⠀⇛
Security updates have been issued by Debian
(gnutls28 and haproxy), Fedora (syslog-ng), Mageia
(apr-util, chromium-browser-stable, editorconfig-
core-c, ffmpeg, libzen, phpmyadmin, tpm2-tss, and
webkit2), Oracle (kernel and kernel-container),
Slackware (mozilla and php), SUSE (git, haproxy,
kernel, nodejs18, phpMyAdmin, and timescaledb), and
Ubuntu (APR-util, git, and haproxy).
# ⚓ IT Wire ☛ Microsoft_issues_75_patches,_including_three_for
zero-days⠀⇛
Microsoft has released patches for 75
vulnerabilities overnight on its second Patch
Tuesday for the year, with nine being rated
critical.
# ⚓ CNN ☛ Senior_FBI_official_warns_US_states_about_threat
posed_by_Chinese_hackers⠀⇛
A senior FBI official warned secretaries of state
from across the US Thursday that Chinese hackers
pose a “growing threat” and said their willingness
to target the infrastructure of political parties
ahead of the 2022 election demonstrates that “we
could see more significant Chinese cyber activity
against your states in the coming year.”
# § Privacy/Surveillance⠀➾
# ⚓ OpenRightsGroup ☛ UK_Facial_Recognition_–_No_Consent,
No_Oversight⠀⇛
On 3 February 2023, the Wales cross-party
group on digital rights and democracy – for
which Open Rights Group serves as the
secretariat – held its fourth session on
surveillance and facial recognition
technology in the UK.
# ⚓ JURIST ☛ EU_dispatch:_new_EDPS_opinion_on_airline
passenger_data_addresses_privacy_and_cross-border_crime
concerns⠀⇛
Law students from the European Union are
reporting for JURIST on law-related events in
and affecting the European Union and its
member states.
# ⚓ Bruce Schneier ☛ Camera_the_Size_of_a_Grain_of_Salt⠀⇛
Cameras are gettingsmaller_and_smaller,
changing the scale and scope of surveillance.
o § Defence/Aggression⠀➾
# ⚓ YLE ☛ Former_head_of_military_intelligence_suspected_of
aggravated_service_crimes⠀⇛
Alafuzoff is suspected of handing a flash drive to
a Helsingin Sanomat journalist. The drive contained
confidential information.
# ⚓ US News And World Report ☛ Russia_Declares_Battlefield
Gains_as_NATO_Ramps_up_Support_for_Ukraine⠀⇛
# ⚓ New Yorker ☛ How_Do_Ukrainians_Think_About_Russians_Now?⠀⇛
After a year of war, the struggle for cultural
sovereignty has triggered complex sentiments.
# ⚓ teleSUR ☛ US_Involvement_in_Nord_Stream_Blast_Fits_11_Known
Facts:_Sachs⠀⇛
Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh said last
week that the U.S. Navy was involved in the Nord
Stream explosions.
# ⚓ New York Times ☛ Russia_Hits_Ukraine_With_New_Missile
Barrage⠀⇛
In a blend of the old school and the new, Moscow
sent balloons over Ukraine before pummeling it with
high-tech weaponry.
# ⚓ New York Times ☛ Biden_Tries_to_Calm_Tensions_Over_Chinese
Spy_Balloon⠀⇛
The president said he will speak soon with
President Xi Jinping to register his objection to
the Chinese surveillance machine that was recently
detected and shot down.
# ⚓ teleSUR ☛ Russia_Calls_UNSC_Meeting_on_Nord_Stream
Explosions_for_Feb._22⠀⇛
This comes in light of a recent report by U.S.
journalist Seymour Hersh indicating direct U.S.
involvement in the Nord Stream incidents.
# ⚓ teleSUR ☛ EU_Proposes_10th_Sanctions_Package_Against
Russia⠀⇛
In order to prevent third countries from supplying
goods to Russia, the new package targets Iran for
the first time.
# ⚓ The Local SE ☛ EXPLAINED:_These_are_the_weapons_Sweden_is
sending_to_Ukraine⠀⇛
Sweden last month announced the largest ever
delivery of heavy weaponry in its history,
including the advanced Archer missile defence
system, NLAW anti-tank missiles and CV-90 assault
vehicles. Here’s what you need to know about these
weapons.
# ⚓ The Local SE ☛ Nato_leader_vows_to_‘push’_for_Sweden_and
Finland_as_members⠀⇛
Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg pledged on Wednesday to
push Turkey on ratifying Sweden’s bid as well as
Finland’s to join the military alliance during an
upcoming visit to offer support after the
earthquakes.
# ⚓ CNN ☛ China_sanctions_Lockheed,_Raytheon_after_vowing_to
retaliate_against_US_restrictions⠀⇛
China has imposed sanctions on two American defense
manufacturers over arms sales to Taiwan, a day
after Beijing pledged to take “countermeasures” in
response to Washington’s handling of a suspected
Chinese surveillance balloon that entered US
airspace late last month.
# ⚓ Axios ☛ China_sanctions_Lockheed_Martin_and_Raytheon_over
Taiwan_sales⠀⇛
Chinaannounced on Thursday that it would impose
sanctions against two U.S. defense companies in
retaliation for their weapons sales to Taiwan.
# ⚓ CS Monitor ☛ Ukraine_war_pulls_NATO_center_of_gravity
eastward⠀⇛
The Ukraine war has reinvigorated NATO and reshaped
it, with less familiar players from Eastern Europe
taking more important roles.
# ⚓ CNN ☛ Biden_says_last_three_objects_shot_down_were_not
related_to_China_spy_programs⠀⇛
# ⚓ CNN ☛ CNN_anchor_explains_Biden’s_lack_of_transparency_on
the_flying_objects⠀⇛
President Biden has now addressed the American
people about their concerns about the flying
objects. CNN’s Abby Phillip explains the
sensitivity of this subject and how little the
president can say on the matter.
# ⚓ CNN ☛ Video_appears_to_show_Ukraine_striking_weapon_that
rips_the_oxygen_out_of_humans’_lungs⠀⇛
New video captures Ukraine taking out thermobaric
weapons Putin has been using to inflict massive
casualties on the front lines. This weapon can rip
the oxygen out of people’s lungs when detonated and
has been condemned by a number of non-governmental
organizations.
# ⚓ Helsinki Times ☛ US_and_Norway_blew_up_the_Nord_Stream
Pipelines:_Seymour_Hersh⠀⇛
Seymour Hersh, an investigative journalist with a
track record of breaking major stories, published a
bombshell report on Substack on February 8 that
alleges the United States was behind the explosion
of the Nord Stream pipelines. According to Hersh,
an anonymous source with inside knowledge of the
operation has confirmed that the U.S. government
was involved in the planning and execution of the
sabotage, which took place on September 26, 2022.
# ⚓ US News And World Report ☛ Former_Trump_Chief_of_Staff
Meadows_Subpoenaed_in_Capitol_Attack_Probe:_CNN⠀⇛
Mark Meadows, a former chief of staff to ex-U.S.
President Donald Trump, has been subpoenaed as part
of a probe by Special Counsel Jack…
# ⚓ US News And World Report ☛ One_Killed,_Three_Wounded_in
Texas_Mall_Shooting⠀⇛
# ⚓ LRT ☛ ‘Worrying_trend’_as_Lithuania’s_exports_to_countries
neighbouring_Russia_double⠀⇛
Lithuania’s exports to Russia have gone down by a
third since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine,
excluding energy products, but exports to countries
neighbouring Russia have doubled, Lithuanian data
scientist Vaidotas Zemlys-Balevičius says,
insisting that government institutions need to look
into this.
# ⚓ LRT ☛ Lithuania_considers_naming_and_shaming_firms_working
in_Russia_–_MP⠀⇛
Publicly naming Lithuanian businesses working with
Russia is one of the options under discussion,
Laurynas Kasčiūnas, chairman of the parliamentary
Committee on National Security and Defence, said on
Wednesday.
# ⚓ LRT ☛ General_Vollmer_of_Germany_on_the_Russian_threat:
‘We’d_beat_them_wherever_we_need_to’_–_interview⠀⇛
If Moscow were to attack NATO’s eastern flank, the
allies would see it coming and have time to
prepare. Germany, which has already committed and
assigned a special brigade to the defence of
Lithuania, would be the main contributor, while the
alliance’s plan is to defend every inch of its
territory and prevent the Russians from crossing
the border, former German Land Forces Commander
General Jörg Vollmer stressed in an exclusive
interview with LRT.lt.
# ⚓ Michael West Media ☛ Australia_stands_in_solidarity_with
Ukraine_against_war⠀⇛
Australia has made a parliamentary demonstration of
solidarity with Ukraine ahead of marking one year
since Russia’s invasion. Next Friday will be 365
days since Russia invaded Ukraine and majorly
escalated the war which began in 2014 with the
annexation of Crimea.
# ⚓ Mint Press News ☛ Media_Ignore_Seymour_Hersh_Bombshell
Report_of_US_Destroying_Nord_Stream_II⠀⇛
A MintPress study of the 20 most influential U.S.
news outlets found virtually no coverage of the
esteemed journalist’s revelations linking
Washington to the pipeline attacks.
# ⚓ RFERL ☛ ‘Russia’s_Playbook’:_U.S._Diplomat_Says_Washington
Is_‘Deeply_Concerned’_About_Alleged_Plot_To_Destabilize
Moldova⠀⇛
The United States is “deeply concerned” about
reports of a Russian plot to destabilize Moldova,
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried
said on February 15 in an interview with RFE/RL.
# ⚓ RFERL ☛ Estonia_Deports_Pro-Kremlin_Activist_To_Russia⠀⇛
Estonian authorities said on February 15 that they
had canceled the residence permit of pro-Kremlin
activist Sergei Chaulin and deported him to Russia,
saying he poses a threat to the Baltic nation’s
state security and social order.
# ⚓ RFERL ☛ Kremlin_Will_Not_Invite_Media_From_‘Unfriendly’
Countries_To_Putin’s_Speech⠀⇛
The Kremlin will not invite reporters from
countries that Russia has deemed “unfriendly” to
President Vladimir Putin’s address to the Federal
Assembly next week.
# ⚓ RFERL ☛ Ukraine_Says_It_Shot_Down_Russian_Balloons_Over
Kyiv⠀⇛
Authorities in Kyiv said on February 15 that the
city’s air-defense forces shot down “most” of what
they said were six Russian balloons that appeared
over the city and might have carried intelligence
equipment or reflectors to interfere with the air-
defense system of Ukraine.
# ⚓ RFERL ☛ New_Poll_Finds_Americans’_Support_For_Supplying
Weapons,_Aid_To_Ukraine_Slipping⠀⇛
A new poll shows that Americans’ support for
providing weaponry and economic aid to Ukraine
continues to wane.
o § Environment⠀➾
# ⚓ The Age AU ☛ Sydney_ready_for_its_hottest_day_since_2021⠀⇛
As temperatures soar in coming days, Surf
Lifesaving NSW has outlined three steps crucial to
keeping everyone safe in the water.
# ⚓ Renewable Energy World ☛ California_pilot_tests_solar_canal
canopies_paired_with_energy_storage⠀⇛
ESS Inc. will deliver two Energy Warehouse systems
to the Turlock Irrigation District in Central
California.
# § Energy/Transportation⠀➾
# ⚓ YLE ☛ Finland_petrol_price_jumps_not_due_to_truckers’
strike,_say_retailers⠀⇛
The price of 95 E10 petrol shot up on
Wednesday at many filling stations, but
retailers say the leap wasn’t caused by the
truckers’ strike.
# ⚓ RFA ☛ Villagers_in_Laos_worry_large_mining_concession
will_disrupt_their_lives⠀⇛
The government signed more than one-fourth of
an entire province to 10 mining companies.
# ⚓ YLE ☛ Finland_faces_more_hybrid_influencing_and
energy_supply_threats,_ministry’s_risk_assessment
finds⠀⇛
The report, published on Tuesday, is the
first national risk assessment since 2018,
with authors noting the extent to which the
threats Finland faces have changed.
# ⚓ New York Times ☛ Judge_Signals_Jail_Time_if_Bankman-
Fried’s_Internet_Access_Is_Not_Curbed⠀⇛
The defendant in a widespread cryptocurrency
fraud case has been living in a “garden of
electronic devices,” the judge says. Tighter
restrictions are ahead.
# § Wildlife/Nature⠀➾
# ⚓ Copenhagen Post ☛ Denmark_to_help_clean_the_Ganges⠀⇛
Government inks deal with India to allow
Danish expertise cleanse one of the world’s
most famous … and polluted … rivers
o § Finance⠀➾
# ⚓ US News And World Report ☛ Colorado_Considers_Allowing
Local_Rent_Control_Amid_Crisis⠀⇛
Democratic lawmakers in Colorado are considering
repealing the state’s ban on rent control, as
housing prices reach crisis levels
# ⚓ Danish_real_income_drops_amid_inflation⠀⇛
Average wages may have increased in Denmark in 2022
but the real incomes of people who work in the
country were down.
# ⚓ The Local SE ☛ How_layoff_notices_have_skyrocketed_in
Sweden_in_February⠀⇛
So far this year, more than 18,000 people in Sweden
have been warned they could lose their job, and the
number has rapidly soared in the past two weeks,
new statistics show.
# ⚓ The Local SE ☛ What_happens_to_your_Swedish_work_permit_if
you_lose_your_job?⠀⇛
Losing your job is never ideal, but for those in
Sweden on a work permit there’s another layer of
worry. Can you stay in Sweden to look for work? Can
you change career? Here’s what happens.
# ⚓ CNN ☛ YouTube’s_CEO_is_stepping_down⠀⇛
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said Thursday she is
“stepping back” from her leadership role at the
company after nearly a decade of running the video-
sharing platform.
# ⚓ New York Times ☛ Susan_Wojcicki,_YouTube’s_Longtime_CEO,
Says_She_Will_Step_Down⠀⇛
One of the most prominent women in Silicon Valley,
she was an early Google employee and a key member
of the inner circle of the company’s founders.
# ⚓ New York Times ☛ Lyft’s_Financial_Woes_Thrust_It_Into_the
Spotlight⠀⇛
Lyft recovered from pandemic restrictions slower
than Uber, and critics said it lacked the kind of
ambitious investments that could distinguish itself
from its rival.
# ⚓ CS Monitor ☛ Two_more_years_of_work:_Why_French_protesters
feel_ignored_on_pensions⠀⇛
The French are taking to the streets to protest a
planned increase in retirement age. While all agree
reform is needed, many French are asking: Are we
getting what we were promised?
# ⚓ Axios ☛ Biden_set_to_pounce_on_much-wanted_surprise_at
World_Bank⠀⇛
President Biden plans to move quickly to replace
David Malpass as president of the World Bank Group,
seizing on his departure to transform the bank into
an institution dedicated to fighting climate
change, White House advisers say.
# ⚓ The Local SE ☛ New_forecast:_Swedish_GDP_to_fall_by_one
percent_in_2023⠀⇛
The outlook for the Swedish economy continues to be
sombre, with state-owned mortgage bank SBAB
predicting that GDP will fall by one percent this
year.
# ⚓ Michael West Media ☛ Adani_dodges_ASIC_probe_based_on_fraud
allegations⠀⇛
Australia’s corporate regulator has decided not to
actively pursue matters raised in a short seller
report that accused Indian conglomerate Adani of
accounting fraud and stock manipulation.
# ⚓ teleSUR ☛ Number_of_Days_Lost_to_Strikes_in_UK_Highest
Since_1989:_ONS⠀⇛
The UK has been under waves of strikes since last
summer over pay disputes. Amid consistently high
inflation, pay growth among employees has failed to
keep up.
# ⚓ What_salary_can_you_expect_to_earn_in_Denmark?⠀⇛
Denmark is well known for being an expensive
country with high taxes. But what can your salary
expectations be if you move here and what are you
left with after tax and other deductions? We break
it down for you.
# ⚓ YLE ☛ Parmesan_pilferers_prompt_Lidl_to_hide_the_cheese⠀⇛
Thieves look for small items with high price tags,
according to a regional manager of the supermarket
chain.
# ⚓ YLE ☛ OP:_Finland’s_housing_price_decline_to_continue⠀⇛
The housing market has taken a hit by rising
mortgage prices and historically low consumer
confidence.
# ⚓ YLE ☛ Helsinki_households_advised_to_keep_rubbish_at_home
during_truckers’_strike⠀⇛
If rubbish collection bins are full, HSY suggested
households to put their trash and recyclables on
balconies or in storage until the scheduled seven-
day strike is over.
# ⚓ US News And World Report ☛ States_Where_Americans_Are
Struggling_to_Pay_the_Bills⠀⇛
As inflation maintains its grip on the country,
people in the South report having the hardest time
making ends meet.
# ⚓ The Age AU ☛ National_unemployment_rate_rises_to_3.7_per
cent [Ed: Real unemployment if far higher. This is miscounted
to make the system seem like it functions well.]⠀⇛
The national unemployment rates have risen to 3.7
per cent following last years low numbers.
# ⚓ Helsinki Times ☛ Ministry_calls_timeout_to_wrangle_over
Thai_berry_pickers’_status_in_Finland⠀⇛
THE MINISTRYof Economic Affairs and Employment has
called a timeout to the long-running wrangle over
the status of berry pickers recruited from
Thailand.
# ⚓ CNN ☛ The_world’s_biggest_food_company_says_prices_will
rise_further_this_year⠀⇛
Nestlé, the world’s largest food group, says the
price of staple items will rise further this year,
adding to a string of warnings from consumer giants
of more pain to come for stretched households.
o § AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics⠀➾
# ⚓ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong_Kong_police_deny_putting_‘too
much_effort’_into_national_security_as_leap_in_fraud_drives
10%_crime_rate_increase⠀⇛
Hong Kong police have denied that they are putting
“too much effort” into safeguarding national
security amid an increase in the city’s crime rate,
driven largely by a leap in fraud cases.
# ⚓ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Xinjiang_governor_cancels
controversial_UK_trip,_British_Foreign_Office_says⠀⇛
The governor of Xinjiang, sanctioned by the US over
the Chinese region’s treatment of its Muslim Uyghur
minority, is believed to have cancelled his
controversial trip to the UK, the Foreign Office
said Tuesday.
# ⚓ Marcy Wheeler ☛ The_“Escalating,”_“Aggressive,”
“Intensifying”_Step_of_Subpoenaing_Key_Witness_Mark_Meadows⠀⇛
It is not aggressive for Jack Smith to subpoena
Mark Meadows. It may, however, reflect an interest
in the funding of Meadows’ “insurrectionist’s
clubhouse.”
# ⚓ Axios ☛ Sen._Fetterman_checks_into_hospital_for_clinical
depression_treatment⠀⇛
Sen._John_Fetterman(D-Pa.) checked himself into
Walter Reed Medical Center on Wednesday seeking
treatment for clinical depression, his chief of
staff said Thursday in astatement.
# ⚓ HRW ☛ Mexico:_Bill_to_Support_People_With_Disabilities_and
Older_Persons⠀⇛
# ⚓ New Yorker ☛ Bernie_Sanders’s_New_Campaign:_Taking_On_Big
Pharma_and_Starbucks⠀⇛
As the new chair of a powerful Senate committee,
the reënergized progressive leader is once again
targeting the corporate plutocracy.
# ⚓ Helsinki Times ☛ Scottish_First_Minister_Nicola_Sturgeon_to
resign⠀⇛
First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, has
announced her intention to resign from her position
as First Minister and leader of the Scottish
National Party. Sturgeon has served in these roles
for over eight years and was previously Deputy
First Minister for the best part of eight years
before that.
“Being First Minister of Scotland is, in my
opinion, the best job in the world.
# ⚓ JURIST ☛ UK_dispatch:_Nicola_Sturgeon_resigns_as_Scotland
First_Minister,_setting_back_independence_movement⠀⇛
James Joseph is a UK staff correspondent for
JURIST. Leader of the Scottish Nationalist Party
(SNP) Nicola Sturgeon resigned in a press
conference at her official residence at 11AM UK
time. Nicola Sturgeon is the first female First
Minister and the first woman to lead any of the
devolved UK administrations.
# ⚓ Helsinki Times ☛ HS:_Finns_Party_is_clear_favourite_among
first-time_voters⠀⇛
THE FINNS PARTYis clearly the most popular party
among people who have the opportunity to exercise
their right to vote for the first time in the
parliamentary elections organised on 2 April,
revealsa_survey_commissioned_by_Helsingin_Sanomat.
Over a quarter (28%) of the potential first-time
voters surveyed expressed their intent to vote for
the populist right-wing opposition party.
# ⚓ Helsinki Times ☛ Finland_to_grant_refugee_status_to_Afghan
women_and_girls⠀⇛
Finnish Immigration Servicehas announced that all
Afghan women and girls will be granted refugee
status due to the worsening position of women’s
rights and freedoms since the Taliban’s rise to
power in Afghanistan. The Finnish Immigration
Service has updated its guidelines on the
processing of applications submitted by Afghans to
reflect this change. The decision-making practice
aligns with the report published by the European
Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) on January 25, 2023.
# ⚓ Copenhagen Post ☛ More_people_opting_out_of_the_church⠀⇛
The more than 12,000 people who left in 2022 was a
42 percent increase compared to the previous year …
with young people leading the way
# § Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda⠀➾
# ⚓ LRT ☛ Lithuanian_cabinet_backs_criminalisation_of_war
propaganda⠀⇛
The Lithuanian government on Wednesday
approved MP Jurgis Razma’s proposal to
criminalise war propaganda but suggested some
improvements.
o § Censorship/Free Speech⠀➾
# ⚓ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong_Kong_47:_Evidence_emerges_of
paid_court_goers_with_pro-establishment_links_–_report⠀⇛
Evidence of people being paid to to queue for
tickets to witness a high-profile national security
trial involving 47 Hong Kong democrats has emerged
after reporters from InMedia were paid HK$800 to
spend the night outside the West Kowloon Law Courts
Building.
# ⚓ RFA ☛ Prominent_Christian_leader_charged_under_Myanmar’s
terrorism_laws⠀⇛
Hkalam Samson faces a prison sentence of up to 13
years, his lawyer says.
# ⚓ RFERL ☛ Riot_Police_Prevent_Right-Wing_Demonstrators_From
Entering_Presidency_In_Belgrade⠀⇛
Police blocked Serbian right-wing protesters who
attempted to storm the building of the presidency
in Belgrade on February 15 during a protest on
Statehood Day against Serbia’s ongoing dialogue on
normalizing relations with Kosovo.
# ⚓ RFERL ☛ Belarusian_Man_Sentenced_To_Two_Years_In_Prison_For
Insulting_Lukashenka⠀⇛
A court in western Belarus has sentenced a man to
two years in prison for insulting Belarusian ruler
Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
# ⚓ CNN ☛ Andrew_Tate’s_Muslim_fanbase_is_growing._Some_say
he’s_exploiting_Islam_for_internet_popularity⠀⇛
Iman’s ex-fiancé first referenced social media
influencer Andrew Tate in their relationship in
October. Three months later, she says, it was all
over.
# ⚓ New York Times ☛ In_Defense_of_J.K._Rowling⠀⇛
The charge that she’s a transphobe doesn’t square
with her actual views.
Thu, 16 Feb 2023 20:07:28 +0000
# ⚓ New York Times ☛ He_Was_‘Losing_His_Mind_Slowly,_and_I
Watched_It’⠀⇛
How do you help someone who
# ⚓ Axios ☛ How_the_6-week_Texas_abortion_ban_is_now_a
blueprint_for_library_censorship⠀⇛
Jonathan Mitchell, the Austin attorney widely
credited with devising the legal strategy for a
Texas law thatbans_abortion_after_six_weeksand also
empowers private citizens to bring lawsuits against
those who violate it, is now applying the same
novel legal mechanisms to book bans.
o § Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press⠀➾
# ⚓ CNN ☛ Modi_government’s_BBC_raid_raises_question_about
India’s_press_freedom⠀⇛
Indian tax authorities raided the BBC’s offices in
New Delhi and Mumbai weeks after the country banned
a documentary from the British broadcaster that was
critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s alleged
role in deadly riots more than 20 years ago. CNN’s
Vedika Sud takes a deeper look at the media
landscape under the Modi government.
o § Civil Rights/Policing⠀➾
# ⚓ WhichUK ☛ Strike_dates_February_2023:_days_to_avoid_booking
holidays_and_what_to_do_if_you_are_travelling⠀⇛
Holidaymakers face disruption in the UK, France and
Spain as UK Border Force, air traffic control and
rail strikes are confirmed for February half term
and beyond
# ⚓ HRW ☛ Some_Governments,_Companies_Take_Steps_to_Protect
Children⠀⇛
# ⚓ JURIST ☛ Minnesota_Supreme_Court_upholds_felony
disenfranchisement_law⠀⇛
The Minnesota Supreme Court Wednesday upheld a
state law prohibiting convicted felons from voting
while on probation or parole in a 3-1 ruling.
# ⚓ JURIST ☛ European_Commission_refers_Poland_to_EU_court_over
legal_divergence⠀⇛
The European Commission Wednesday referred Poland
to the Court of Justice of the European Union for
rulings by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal that
the Commission argues violate EU law.
# ⚓ JURIST ☛ Australia_releases_second_plan_to_close_disparity
in_Indigenous_communities⠀⇛
The Australian federal government Monday released
the second part of its plan to help accelerate the
implementation of the Closing the Gap Agreement
made in 2020.
# ⚓ RFA ☛ Interview:_“We_told_the_children_we_were_defecting.
They_said_‘thank_you.’”⠀⇛
Wife of high-profile North Korean defector tells
story from her family’s perspective
# ⚓ RFA ☛ Buddhist_monk_ousted_for_joining_march_calling_for
restoration_of_social_ethics⠀⇛
Venerable Soy Sat denies intention to disrupt
public peace.
# ⚓ RFA ☛ Hong_Kong_police_got_more_than_400,000_tips_last_year
on_national_security_hotline⠀⇛
Police chief says clamping down on “terrorist”
incidents will remain high priority
# ⚓ CS Monitor ☛ A_global_advocate_of_integrity_checks_its
own⠀⇛
Charges of bribe-taking against members of the
European Parliament trigger moral soul-searching
and reform in the EU.
# ⚓ New York Times ☛ A_New_Goal_for_Abortion_Bills:_Punish_or
Protect_Doctors⠀⇛
The legislative calendar is packed with 300
abortion bills. “You can’t go to jail for screwing
up an appendectomy,” one lawmaker said.
o § Internet Policy/Net Neutrality⠀➾
# ⚓ Internet Society ☛ Building,_Expanding_and_Securing_the
Internet:_Two_Funding_Programs_Now_Open_for_Applications⠀⇛
Our two new funding programs reinforce our
commitment to support communities around the world
in gaining greater access to the Internet.
o § Digital Restrictions (DRM)⠀➾
# ⚓ Ubuntu Pit ☛ Linux_Fix_Coming:_AMD’s_Intermittent_System
Stutter_Issues_Due_To_fTPM_RNG⠀⇛
In 2022, AMD cautioned customers that Ryzen systems
running Windows 10 and 11 could experience
intermittent stuttering if the Firmware Trusted
Platform Module (fTPM) were used. Initially, this
only occurred with Windows users; however, it has
now spread to Linux devices that have enabled the
AMD fTPM RNG by default – starting with version
6.1+.
# ⚓ Vice Media Group ☛ Justice_Department_Says_John_Deere
Should_Let_Farmers_Repair_Their_Tractors⠀⇛
The DOJ filed a “statement of interest” in a class
action lawsuit against John Deere siding with
plaintiffs and blasting the company’s arguments.
o § Monopolies⠀➾
# § Patents⠀➾
# ⚓ Darrell_Issa_is_Well-Positioned_to_Address_Key_Patent
Policy_Issues⠀⇛
In the early days of the 118th Congress, Rep.
Darrell Issa, the newly-named Chairman of the
House Intellectual Property Subcommittee, has
an opportunity to make progress on a range of
issues that are critical for the future of
our intellectual property system, and
therefore American innovation.
# ⚓ JUVE ☛ MSD_and_generics_await_CJEU_ruling_in_French
SPC_battle_over_Inegy⠀⇛
In Europe, the patent market is currently
awaiting the CJEU’s decision on two referrals
from the Finnish Market Court and the Supreme
Court of Ireland. Both address the scope of
the Supplementary Protection Certificate
Regulation, with regard to combination drug
products.
# ⚓ Update_on_the_Akin_Gump_v._Xcential_case⠀⇛
Noted below, Akin Gump had sued a former
vendor, Xcential, arguing that its lawyers
had invented what Xcential had sought to
patent. In response to the firm’s suit,
Xcential filed five counterclaims,
essentially asserting Akin Gump had misused
information that Xcential had disclosed to
Akin Gump.
As noted below, Akin Gump moved to dismiss
those counterclaims and, further sought a
preliminary injunction.
The district court denied the motion to
dismiss four of the five, essentially holding
Xcential had plead plausible facts that Akin
Gump had misappropriated Xcential’s
confidential information for the firm’s own
benefit. The order is here. (Call me
Nostradamus, but I’d bet Akin Gump’s motion
for preliminary injunction will be denied,
too.)
# ⚓ Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Public_use_==_“accessible
to_the_public.”⠀⇛
Bottom line in this new Minerva case — file
your patent application before bringing a new
product to a trade show.
The Old Case: The battle between Hologic and
Minerva went to the US Supreme Court in 2021;
with the Court retained the doctrine of
assignor-estoppel that bars a patent assignor
from later challenging the patent’s validity
or enforceability.Minerva Surgical, Inc. v.
Hologic, Inc., 141 S. Ct. 2298 (2021).
Although the doctrine remains, the Court
narrowed its scope to only apply , but
narrowed its scope to cover only situations
where assurances (implied or express) made at
assignment are later being undermined.
# ⚓ Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Got_Milk?_Forget_about
Patent_Eligibility⠀⇛
The Federal Circuit weighed in on the
amorphous topic of subject matter eligibility
in the recent opinionChromaDex, Inc., V.
Elysium Health, Inc., — F.4th —, Docket No.
2022-1116. Writing for a unanimous panel,
Judge Prost affirmed a grant of summary
judgment that U.S. Patent No. 8,197,807 (“the
’807 patent”) was directed to unpatentable
subject matter and therefore ineligible based
on 35 U.S.C. § 101.
ChromaDex’s ‘807 patent concerns nicotinamide
riboside (“NR”), a form of vitamin B3 found
naturally in cow’s milk. When ingested, a
human body converts NR into the coenzyme
nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or
NAD+. Claim one of ‘807 states:
# § Software Patents⠀➾
# ⚓ Unified Patents ☛ M4siz_search_protocol_patent_prior
art_found⠀⇛
Unified is pleased to announce prior art has
been found onU.S._Patent_6,526,402, owned by
M4siz, LTD, an NPE. The ’402 patent generally
relates to a searching procedure,
particularly for searching on the Internet,
using a search engine associated with a
database where the user submits a request
string comprising a locator (or URL) for the
search engine and a search string including
at least one search term.
# ⚓ Unified Patents ☛ OPAL,_world’s_most_comprehensive
SEP_landscape_tool_introduces_VENN_to_automatically
show_licensor_overlap⠀⇛
Unified Portal’sOPAL(Objective_PAtent
Landscape)report was designed to address
asymmetries in the licensing of standard
essential patents and to create a more fair
and transparent patent licensing process
around core patents supporting next waves of
consumer technology growth.
# ⚓ Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Federal_Circuit:_Software
Function_Equals_Structure⠀⇛
KEYnetik, Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co.
(Fed. Cir. 2023)
This short non-precedential opinion authored
by Chief Judge Moore affirms a PTAB IPR
obviousness finding. The case has one key
sentence:
Normally, once the function to be performed
by software has been identified, writing code
to achieve that function is within the skill
of the art.
# § Trademarks⠀➾
# ⚓ TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog_Test:_How_Did_These_Three_Recent
Section_2(d)_Appeals_Turn_Out?⠀⇛
Here are three recent appeals from Section 2
(d) refusals. As previously mentioned, a
former TTAB judge once told me that one can
predict the outcome of a Section 2(d) case
95% of the time just by looking at the marks
and the goods/services. How do you think
theses three cases came out? [Results in
first comment].
# ⚓ Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Subreddit_Drama⠀⇛
Reddit: Anyone can start a subreddit, and
back in 2012 Jaime Rogozinski started r/
WallStreetBets. Over the years, the site
attracted millions of subscribers talking
about aggressive trading strategies;
providing middle-school humor; and pumping-up
various stocks (e.g., GameStop).
In 2020, Reddit removed Rogozinski from his
role controlling the subreddit as moderator,
concluding that he was “attempting to
monetize a community.” Rogozinski had
published a book titled WallStreetBets and
also filed trademark registration application
for the mark WALLSTREETBETS, with him as the
owner. Of course, lots of folks are
monetizing their subreddits, but I have not
heard of others registering a TM on the
subreddit name. Immediately after removing
Rogozinski from control, Reddit filed
competing registration applications for the
same mark and continues to control the
subreddit. Opposition proceedings are now
pending before the TTAB.
* § Gemini* and Gopher⠀➾
o § Personal⠀➾
# ⚓ Episode_45⠀⇛
Hello, this is the Halberd’s and Hamid’s podcast.
My name is Alex. I’m here to talk about
doppelgängers.
# ⚓ Star_Gazing_and_Aurora_2023-02-16_Morning_(Fairbanks,_AK,
USA)⠀⇛
When I got up this morning at around 3:30am AKST, I
was surprised to see “few clouds” in the PAFA
hourly report. NWS surface report showed a higher
pressure over much of northern two-thirds of
Alaska, though with a low pressure trough some ways
south of Fairbanks, and the cloud cover showing in
GOES basically harmonized with that. Temps were
down to -19 deg F. This was all contrary to the
weather forecasting which had shown at least 50%
cloud coverage and lows of only -11 deg F. So, I
was a bit confused, but I decided to rush down to
the boat launch.
o § Technical⠀➾
# ⚓ Lightweight_data_monitoring_using_RRDtool⠀⇛
I like my servers to run the least code possible,
and the least
services running in general, this ease maintenance
and let room for
other thing to run. I recently wrote about
monitoring software to
gather metrics and render them, but they are all
overkill if you just
want to keep track of a single value over time, and
graph it for
visualization.
Fortunately, we have an old and robust tool doing
the job fine, it’s
perfectly documented and called RRDtool.
# ⚓ Retiring_the_T430⠀⇛
For almost the past 5 years I’ve been using my
Thinkpad T430, but with my university transfer
being accepted I knew I needed an upgrade.
That laptop has been with me through so much of my
formative years that it’s hard to let go of it. I
originally got it at the beginning of my senior
year of high school, back when I would blow all my
allowance for the month on a half-functioning
Thinkpad because it was a deal, despite me never
putting in the money to fix them up with proper
batteries or new hinges. This one had the latter
problem, Lenovo used fairly weak plastic to hold
the upper assembly to the hinge so if 1 of the
hinges becomes loose, it puts more strain on the
other side and inevitably the whole upper assembly
pops off. I got it with a failing hinge before
realizing the severity of the problem and
eventually the two halves separated in class. I
still used it for a while, trying to prop up the
lid on the bent off hinge but this proved to be
problematic and I ended up borrowing my dad’s T420
for a couple months.
# § Internet/Gemini⠀➾
# ⚓ Site_updated⠀⇛
After a long OS migration, the SSL
certificate from this site has been updated
to a new one, so it’s safe to trust (again)
this capsule from your browser.
Also I’m performing some code adjustments on
all CGI apps because a error response in the
headers (I forgot to add the ‘\r’ special
char) so I expect some apps not working over
the day.
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World Wide Web but a lot lighter.
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