Links 29/04/2024: "AI" Hype Deflated, Economies Slow Down Further
Contents
- Leftovers
- Science
- Education
- Hardware
- Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
- Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Security
- Defence/Aggression
- Environment
- 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/Monopsonies
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Leftovers
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Reason ☛ No Pseudonymity in Title IX Wrongful-Discipline Lawsuits, Holds Seventh Circuit
The decision departs from what most courts have done in such Title IX cases—but tracks what most courts do in the many other cases where disclosing a plaintiff’s name might damage the plaintiff’s reputation and professional prospects.
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Michael Bburkhardt ☛ May is Weblog Posting Month
When Anne first proposed a month-long blogging challenge I immediately balked. There’s no way I can write a post every day for a month! But after giving it a bit of thought I figured I’d give it a go. So here’s my plan.
Instead of a single theme for the month, I’m going to more of a theme-a-day sort of thing. Here’s what I’m thinking about doing: [...]
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Dave Rupert ☛ Thoughts on Cosmotechnics
But if you believe technology is moral, then the next larger follow up question is “Whose morals?”
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Dan Q ☛ Window Tax
From 1696 until 1851 a “window tax” was imposed in England and Wales. Sort-of a precursor to property taxes like council tax today, it used an estimate of the value of a property as an indicator of the wealth of its occupants: counting the number of windows provided the mechanism for assessment.
Window tax replaced an earlier hearth tax, following the ascension to the English throne of Mary II and William III of Orange. Hearth tax had come from a similar philosophy: that you can approximate the wealth of a household by some aspect of their home, in this case the number of stoves and fireplaces they had.
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Greg Morris ☛ Solve For X
Navigating life’s challenges is thus more about understanding and managing our emotions than simply finding quick fixes. Recognizing our deep involvement in our problems is crucial. It doesn’t necessarily simplify the issues, but it does provide a clearer lens through which to view them. Starting to see our situations with this kind of thoughtful awareness might not immediately solve every problem, but it certainly helps us find our way forward, one step at a time.
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New York Times ☛ No Religion? At These Faith-Based Retirement Communities, No Problem.
Some communities with religious origins now offer spiritual programming as just one of many enticements, like the bingo nights of yesteryear.
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Science
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Omicron Limited ☛ Here's why we should put a gravitational wave observatory on the moon
Gravitational waves aren't light, but sensing them still requires extreme sensitivity. Just as Earth's atmosphere can introduce "noise" into telescope observations, so can Earth's seismic activity cause problems for gravitational wave detectors. The moon has a big advantage over our dynamic, ever-changing planet: it has far less seismic activity.
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Education
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France24 ☛ Paris suburbs get spanking new Olympic venues while teachers and pupils seethe in decrepit schools
Teachers and parents in the north-eastern suburbs of Paris have staged several weeks of strikes and protests in the run-up to the Paris Olympics, leveraging the Games as they call for urgent measures to help struggling state schools in mainland France’s poorest region, home to many of the Olympics’ signature venues.
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Hardware
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CNX Software ☛ Synaptics Astra platform takes SL1620, SL1640, or SL1680 Arm CPU module for Edge Hey Hi (AI) applications
Synaptics has unveiled its new Astra platform with a range of SoC and a development kit for edge Hey Hi (AI) applications. These new processors and a supporting development kit are built to provide out-of-the-box Hey Hi (AI) capabilities for IoT devices, reducing reliance on cloud-based AI. This new Synaptics Astra Platform is built around three main SoCs. The SL1680 is built for multi-modal IoT applications and features a quad-core Arm Cortex-A73 CPU, dedicated 7.9 TOPS NPU, and 4K video.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Huawei's next-gen CPU could rival Apple's current best — Kirin CPU with Taishan V130 cores rumored to match Fashion Company Apple M3 performance
According to a leak, Huawei's upcoming Kirin processor for PCs will feature next-generation Taishan V130 cores and next-generation graphics.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ ASML claims US ban on servicing China chipmaking tools will not hurt the company
The Dutch government may ban ASML from servicing high-end wafer fab tools in China, but the outgoing ASML CEO says this will not be a major problem for earnings.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel needs $2 Billion for New Ireland fab — courting three venture capital firms for continued expansion
Intel is reportedly in talks with Apollo, KKR, and Stonepeak regarding funding for a new plant in Ireland.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel issues statement about CPU crashes, blames motherboard makers — BIOSes disable thermal and power protection, causing issues
Intel issues a state regarding stability issues concerning 13th and 14th Generation CPUs on 600-and 700-series motherboards made by respective manufacturers.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Homegrown Chinese CPUs are catching up to AMD and defective chip maker Intel — Loongson 3B6600 and 3B7000 allegedly match defective chip maker Intel 10th Gen CPU performance
Loongson revealed two domestically made CPUs for China's mainstream market due to independent research and development, having its IPC matching with Zen 3 and defective chip maker Intel Comet Lake CPUs.
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IT Wire ☛ Indian smartphone market grows 15% in 1Q24, Samsung stays top
“In 1Q, brands such as Xiaomi, vivo, and Oppo introduced their latest models — Redmi Note 13, V30, and the Reno 11 series — at a higher price compared to the models of the previous generation.
"Vendors are aggressively pricing their products to capitalise on the premiumisation trend fuelled by wider channel access and easy financing options. Price hikes are expected to continue as operational pressures rise due to higher component costs, despite import duty reductions on a few parts.
"Brands are also prioritising channel incentives and retail investments, driving costs up further. This year, brands will look to justify incremental pricing beyond the 5G capabilities. This will be mainly through design language, user experience and other integrated smartphone AIoT offerings.”
Chaurasia said emphasis on localisation in the Indian smartphone ecosystem had become inevitable.
“While in 2024 growth catalysts seem to be limited to just 5G device upgrades and premiumisation, vendors must focus on long-term strategies for share sustainability," he added.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Manor Lords is here and we benchmarked it — how much GPU horsepower do you need to play the indie hit?
Manor Lords was the most wishlisted game on Steam prior to its launch today. We've tested the initial early release version on a collection of 25 graphics cards to see just how much GPU horsepower you'll need to run the game well.
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Russell Coker ☛ Russell Coker: USB PSUs
I just bought a new USB PSU from AliExpress [1]. I got this to reduce the clutter in my bedroom, I charge my laptop, PineTime, and a few phones at the same time and a single PSU with lots of ports makes it easier. Also I bought a couple of really short USB-C cables as it’s been proven by both real life tests and mathematical modelling that shorter cables get tangled less. This power supply is based on Gallium Nitride (GaN) [2] technology which makes it efficient and cool.
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Thorsten Ball ☛ My Setup, April 2024
Last week I got a new monitor, after my old one has shown worse and worse signs of what looked like burn-ins.
The new monitor allowed me to get rid of two (!) cables in my setup, which pleased me quite a bit. And since there are people reading this whose eyebrows went up at the “two cables”, I thought I’d use this as an occasion to write about my desk and computer setup a little bit.
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Russell Coker ☛ Russell Coker: Galaxy Note 9 Droidian
Droidian Support for Note 9
Droidian only supported the version of this phone with the Exynos chipset. The GSM Arena specs page for the Note 9 shows that it’s the SM-N960F part number [1]. In Australia all Note 9 phones should have the Exynos but it doesn’t hurt to ask for the part number before buying.
The status of the Note9 in Droidian went from fully supported to totally unsupported in the time I was working on this blog post. Such a rapid change is disappointing, it would be good if they at least kept the old data online. It would also be good if they didn’t require a hash character in the URL for each phone which breaks the archive.org mirroring.
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Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
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YLE ☛ Kela eyes ballooning cost of weight loss drugs
Finland has seen a surge in demand for popular anti-obesity medications.
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YLE ☛ Poll: Only half of Finns trust public health will care for them
Recent studies have indicated that trust in public health services has declined.
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Science Alert ☛ Your Grandparents' Diet Could Still Be Affecting You, And Your Kids' Health
Eat well and pass it on.
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New Yorker ☛ What Cartoonists Saw in Isolation: A Portrait of the Pandemic
In the spring of 2020, artists captured silliness, sexiness, despondence, and hope. What does quarantine look like when viewed from the other side?
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NL Times ☛ Social affairs minister worried by increase in young people suffering from burnout
There is an increase in people who are unable to work due to mental issues and are therefore applying for disability benefits, said outgoing Social Affairs Minister Karien van Gennip. These individuals are mainly “younger people with burnout.” The minister is worried about the trend.
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NPR ☛ A mix-up over bioengineered tomato seeds sparked fears about spread of GMO crops
Pumplin wouldn't say definitively either, but their website says this: "We are told that laboratory testing determined that it is, in fact, bioengineered (GMO). This result supports the fact that the only reported way to produce a purple-fleshed tomato rich in anthocyanin antioxidants is with Norfolk's patented technology."
But the next mystery is one that's harder to answer: How could seeds get from a closed lab in the United Kingdom to a hobby gardener in France?
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New York Times ☛ Why China’s Most Can-Do City Is Tired
Chinese pride and triumphalism have given way to malaise in the post-Covid era.
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Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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NL Times ☛ Dozens of deepfake porn videos of Dutch celebs, politicians taken offline
Last month, the newspaper revealed that it found deepfake pornography of between 70 and 80 prominent Dutch women on Platform S, a porn site with Russian and Canadian backers. Fifteen of the involved women have pressed charges, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) confirmed to the newspaper. Among them are politicians Caroline van der Plas (BBB), Mirjam Bikker (ChristenUnie), and Eline Vedder (CDA).
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Mark Hysted ☛ for the love of markdown
I don't find Apple's approach to this very intuitive at all. Come on, Mr. Cook, it would only take a couple of hours of work to fix
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Lee Peterson ☛ Fixing one of YouTube’s biggest problems
I’ve pretty much stopped using YouTube now, it’s hard for me not to get annoyed by the negativity I see in both comments, replies to my comments or suggested videos. Also using it for non biased tech reviews is dwindling, it seems influencer culture is at the forefront and I don’t think I can take anymore “I spent $30,000 on Apple gear this year” or those terrible thumbnails with a straining face or wide open mouth/face palm. It seems like some creators just want to justify their decisions in public or flex, remember influencers are easily influenced, so pay them no mind.
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New York Times ☛ A.I. Start-Ups Face a Rough Financial Reality Check
The table stakes for small companies to compete with the likes of Abusive Monopolist Microsoft and Surveillance Giant Google are in the billions of dollars. And even that may not be enough.
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New York Times ☛ Friends From the Old Neighborhood Turn Rivals in Big Tech’s Hey Hi (AI) Race [Ed: "Hey Hi (AI) Race" is BS narrative that's meant to prop up the fraud]
Demis Hassabis and Mustafa Suleyman, who both grew up in London, feared a corporate rush to build artificial intelligence. Now they’re driving that competition at Surveillance Giant Google and Microsoft.
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Security
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Privacy/Surveillance
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India Times ☛ Apple intensifies talks with OpenAI for GenAI features
The two companies have begun discussing terms of a possible agreement and how the OpenAI features would be integrated into Apple's iOS 18, the next iPhone operating system, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private.
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Matt Birchler ☛ A few of my tech-related hot takes
Apple enthusiasts (including me) should use a “normal” person’s iPhone for at least one week every year. I think we get this idea that iPhone users are all using classy apps like Fantastical and Overcast, when in fact most people use free, ad-riddled, privacy scraping apps like crazy.
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Defence/Aggression
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VOA News ☛ Nigeria landmine blast kills 11 anti-jihadi militia fighters
Jihadis in Nigeria are increasingly resorting to planting mines on highways to target military and civilian convoys after they were pushed back from the territory they once controlled during the early years of the country's more than 15-year Islamist insurgency.
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The Hill ☛ Will Gen-Z cancel America?
An undeniable current of anti-Americanism has surfaced in a number of the anti-Israel protests now raging across the country. While American flags burn at some demonstrations, the flag of Hezbollah, a terrorist organization responsible for the deadly bombings of the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, is proudly displayed at others. Some commentators are even arguing that “Death to America” is emerging as the “key slogan of anti-Israel agitators in U.S.”
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NYPost ☛ 'Guerrilla journalist' says he was beaten by anti-Israel protesters at CUNY for waving American flag on campus: video
“I went to this protest with an American flag on a city college that I and all American taxpayers pay for. And I got my ass kicked – I was punched, I was choked, I was thrown down a flight of stairs,” he said on camera, calling the mob “thugs, animals, outside agitators… who will attack somebody who just walks up with an American flag. Nothing about Israel, nothing about Jews.
“They hate America. They hate this country. That’s what we’re dealing with in this country.”
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The Hill ☛ After TikTok, ban these four other Chinese-connected companies
The U.S. government and Department of Defense already bans official use of some of these entities because of their inherent threat to national security, and each could have a direct impact on a potential war against the U.S. and its allies.
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The Telegraph UK ☛ My generation of student radicals fought for liberty. Today's are a delusional cult
Does this, you may wonder, bear any resemblance to the apparent sympathies of today’s pro-Palestine demonstrators who are putting their bodies on the line for – what? An alignment with forces supported by the most illiberal, authoritarian, repressive regime in today’s world? What exactly do they believe they are fighting for – or against – by identifying themselves with the interests of Hamas, a terrorist organisation which is sponsored by the Islamist regime in Iran?
There seems to be some confusion about this even within their own ranks. Asked to explain their motivations, some of them speak meaningless gibberish and others admit to astounding levels of confused ignorance. (“It’s something about Israel, isn’t it?” says one girl in a risible recorded interview that is doing the rounds on the internet.)
One thing that is absolutely certain is that the side they are backing is not remotely interested in freedom of speech or assembly. And the side they are opposing and seeking to deprive of its right to exist is the only true democracy in the region. This is a degree of moral confusion and ignorance which is beyond anything that could have been anticipated all those years ago when an earlier generation fought with the police for their genuine birthright.
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New York Times ☛ Colleges Cracking Down on Pro-Palestinian Protests Raise Questions About Outsiders
Colleges have cited property damage, outside provocateurs, antisemitic expressions or just failures to heed warnings as reasons to clear encampments and arrest students. Student groups have strongly denied or questioned many of those claims.
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India Times ☛ TikTok: How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat
The Guardian reports on internal documents that reportedly detail how TikTok instructs its moderators to delete or limit the reach of videos touching on topics sensitive to China such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and subsequent massacre, Tibetan independence or the sanctioned religious group Falun Gong.
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US News And World Report ☛ How TikTok Grew From a Fun App for Teens Into a Potential National Security Threat
Starting in 2017, when the Chinese social video app merged with its competitor Musical.ly, TikTok has grown from a niche teen app into a global trendsetter. While, of course, also emerging as a potential national security threat, according to U.S. officials.
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden signed legislation requiring TikTok parent ByteDance to sell to a U.S. owner within a year or to shut down. It's not clear whether that law will survive an expected legal challenge or that ByteDance would agree to sell.
Here's how TikTok came to this juncture: [...]
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Los Angeles Times ☛ Calmes: Who's on trial in Manhattan, an ex-president or a mob boss?
Former prosecutor and FBI general counsel Andrew Weissmann noted on MSNBC that he’d last heard a judge similarly caution some jurors decades ago, after they convicted Genovese crime family boss Vincent Gigante. “It is remarkable,” he added, “ that that same admonition was said with respect to somebody who was the president of the United States.”
It’s tragic, actually. Trump once swore to uphold the rule of law; now he’s making a mockery of it and putting innocents and civil servants at risk.
There’s also worry for witnesses. Prosecutors won’t share their witness list with Trump’s defense team, an act that’s typically routine.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Taiwan detects 22 Chinese aircraft around island in under 3 hours
Taiwan’s defence ministry said Saturday it had detected 22 Chinese warplanes and drones around the self-ruled island in a window of less than three hours. The sorties come less than a month before the May 20 inauguration of new Taiwan president Lai Ching-te, who China regards as a dangerous separatist. “We detected activities from 22 […]
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YLE ☛ Police arrest Finns Party MP over nightclub shooting
MP Timo Vornanen fired a shot into the ground outside a Helsinki nightclub.
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New York Times ☛ ‘The Interview’ Podcast: Yair Lapid
Frustrated at the growing protest movement, the opposition leader defends his country’s “existential” war.
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New York Times ☛ Paris, Despite Terrorism Scars, Prepares an Olympic Opening Without Walls
The opening ceremony for this summer’s Paris Games will be held outside a stadium — an Olympics first. Making it safe is complicated.
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France24 ☛ UN Security Council concerned over ethnically-based killings in Sudan's North Darfur
The U.N. Security Council on Saturday expressed its “deep concern” over an imminent attack on al-Fashir in Sudan’s North Darfur region by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
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JURIST ☛ Rallies held across Australia demanding action on gender-based violence after mass-stabbing targeting women
Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, said Friday that violence against women is an “epidemic” in the country as thousands of people gathered in cities across Australia demanding tougher legislation on gender-based violence.
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Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine
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The Straits Times ☛ Chechen leader's 16-year-old son named trustee at special forces university
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Sunday that he named his teenage son, who was shown beating a prisoner in custody last year, a trustee of the Russian University of Special Forces named after President Vladimir Putin.
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AntiWar ☛ What Killed the Peace Talks in Ukraine?
The accepted Western narrative is that, in February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine with the intent of conquering the entire country. But there is a competing narrative that is compelling enough to be worthy of consideration.
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Ruben Schade ☛ Coffee shop chatter, American edition
Congress voted for Ukraine aid! Fucking finally.
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The Strategist ☛ EU’s red tape Is helping Russia
The European Union’s spending rules and public-procurement processes are plainly inadequate to the threat posed by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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Atlantic Council ☛ US takes big step toward making Russia pay for Ukraine invasion
While attention has focused on the military aspects of the new US aid package for Ukraine, the bill also includes an important step toward holding Russia financially accountable for the invasion, writes Kira Rudik.
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France24 ☛ Ukraine's top general says troops fall back as fighting worsens on eastern front
Ukraine's army leader admitted Sunday that Kyiv's position on the battlefield has worsened after Russian forces captured another village in the east, pressing their advantage in manpower and ammunition.
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JURIST ☛ Russia court places journalist under house arrest for ‘fake news’
The Krasnoflotsky District Court placed Forbes journalist Sergei Mingazov under house arrest on Saturday, according to reports from Russia state-owned media. Mingazov is accused of disseminating “fake” news on his Telegram account and criticizing Russian military operations in Ukraine.
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LRT ☛ Can EU afford to expand into Ukraine and Balkans?
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed enlargement back on the European Union’s agenda. But how much would taking on new members like Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia strain the bloc’s budget?
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RFERL ☛ Russia Threatens West With 'Severe' Response If Its Assets Are Touched
Russian officials threatened the West on April 28 with a "severe" response in the event that frozen Russian assets are confiscated, promising "endless" legal challenges and tit-for-tat measures.
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RFERL ☛ Iran Unveils New 'Kamikaze' Drone
The Iranian military on April 28 presented a new attack drone designed to fly into targets and explode, like the kind used by Russia in the war in Ukraine.
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RFERL ☛ Ukraine's Top General Says Frontline Conditions Worsen, Troops Fall Back
Ukraine’s top general warned on April 28 that the situation for Kyiv’s forces in the east has deteriorated, with Russia attacking “along the entire front line” and achieving “certain tactical successes,” forcing Ukrainian troops to pull back to new defensive positions.
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The Straits Times ☛ North Korea criticises US for supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine
The US in recent weeks secretly shipped long-range missiles to Ukraine for use in its battle with Russia.
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CS Monitor ☛ Ukraine makes tactical retreat in east, warns of frontline pressure
Awaiting much-needed arms from a huge U.S. aid package, Ukraine’s troops have been forced to make a tactical retreat from three villages in the east.
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New York Times ☛ Many Ukrainian Prisoners of War Show Signs of Trauma and Sexual Violence
As they return with physical and psychological wounds stemming from torture by their Russian captors, soldiers are being sent back to active duty — often without adequate treatment.
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JURIST ☛ Russia court detains another individual involved in deadly Moscow concert hall attack
The Moscow City Court announced on Telegram Saturday that a citizen of the Republic of Tajikistan, Dzhumakhon Kurbonov, was arrested for his involvement in the deadly Crocus City Hall attack in Moscow that killed 144 people. The arrest came after the Basmanny District Court of Moscow granted authorities the petition of the preliminary investigation.
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RFERL ☛ Georgians Again Protest Against 'Russian-Style Foreign Agents Law'
Thousands of people took to the streets of the Georgian capital again to protest plans by the ruling party to introduce a law that domestic critics and Western countries have said will be used to crack down on independent voices in the South Caucasus nation.
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RFERL ☛ Tajikistan Advises Citizens To Avoid Traveling To Russia
Tajikistan has advised its citizens to refrain from traveling to Russia amid increased pressures faced by Central Asians there following the deadly Crocus City Hall attack near Moscow last month.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel Russia reports zero revenue in 2023 — now only one employee remains
In 2023, Intel’s operations in Russia were drastically pared back, leaving just one employee as the director of both defective chip maker Intel AO and defective chip maker Intel Technologies.
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Environment
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The Register UK ☛ Japan’s space junk cleaner closes in on its target
Asia In Brief Japan's effort to start a business disposing of space junk is off to a promising start, after the ADRAS-J satellite spotted its first target and sent back images.
Launched in February 2024, ADRAS-J was sent to find an old HII-A rocket body that was used to launch the GOSAT Earth observation satellite and then left in orbit.
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The Straits Times ☛ Tornado in China's Guangzhou kills five and injures 33, Xinhua says
A tornado that struck the city of Guangzhou in southern China killed five people and left 33 injured, state news agency Xinhua said on Saturday, citing local authorities.
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New York Times ☛ Tornado Kills 5 in Guangzhou, a Chinese City Battered by Recent Rains
Videos shared by Chinese official media showed transmission towers and power lines igniting and debris swirling in the air in the city, a manufacturing and technology hub by the Pearl River.
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The Straits Times ☛ Five dead in China after tornado rips through Guangzhou
Some 141 factories were damaged, though no houses had collapsed.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 5 dead, 33 injured in China after tornado rips through Guangzhou
At least five people were killed and 33 injured after a tornado struck the Chinese city of Guangzhou on Saturday, state media reported. China’s official Xinhua news agency said that the tornado hit the Guangdong Province capital, in the country’s south, around 3 pm (0700 GMT).
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The Straits Times ☛ Magnitude 6.5 earthquake strikes off Indonesia’s Java island: Authorities
It was felt in capital Jakarta – where people were forced to evacuate buildings – and in nearby Bandung.
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Energy/Transportation
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong bus union slams import of mainland Chinese drivers as transport official urges ‘calm’
A government transport official has urged bus unions “to stay calm” and not take industrial action after unionists slammed the import of mainland Chinese workers, concerned the move would set a precedent and affect the jobs of local bus drivers.
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Pete Brown ☛ E-bikes are motorcycles.
Can we just start calling e-bikes “motorcycles” and be done with it? Barely anyone I see riding one around town here—and there are a lot of them—is actually using the pedals.
They are just motorcycles with electric motors.
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Wildlife/Nature
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The Atlantic ☛ A New Declaration of Animal Consciousness
The new declaration, signed by biologists and philosophers, formally embraces that view. It reads, in part: “The empirical evidence indicates at least a realistic possibility of conscious experience in all vertebrates (including all reptiles, amphibians, and fishes) and many invertebrates (including, at minimum, cephalopod mollusks, decapod crustaceans, and insects).” Inspired by recent research findings that describe complex cognitive behaviors in these and other animals, the document could represent the beginnings of a new consensus and suggests that researchers may have overestimated the degree of neural complexity required for consciousness.
The four-paragraph New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness was unveiled on April 19 at a one-day conference called The Emerging Science of Animal Consciousness being held at New York University. Spearheaded by the philosopher and cognitive scientist Kristin Andrews of York University in Ontario, the philosopher and environmental scientist Jeff Sebo of NYU, and the philosopher Jonathan Birch of the London School of Economics and Political Science, the declaration has so far been signed by 88 researchers, including the psychologists Nicola Clayton and Irene Pepperberg, the neuroscientists Anil Seth and Christof Koch, the zoologist Lars Chittka, and the philosophers David Chalmers and Peter Godfrey-Smith.
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Finance
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WhichUK ☛ What is de-banking and could it happen to you?
Banks come under fire for closing accounts unfairly
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Latvia ☛ Latvia's banks report €162 million profit in Q1
Latvian monetary financial institutions (MFIs), mainly banks, worked with a profit of EUR 161.9 million in the first three months of this year, which is 14.5% more than in the same period of 2023, according to the information released by the Bank of Latvia, LETA reports April 29.
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Tech Industry Layoffs: Impact on Job Market and Tech Workers’ Sentiments in 2024
In my opinion, the prevalence of tech layoffs serves as a stark reminder of the volatile nature of the industry. While tech companies have long been viewed as innovative and lucrative career destinations, the current wave of job cuts raises important considerations for both current and aspiring tech professionals. The emphasis on profit over growth and the impact of layoffs on job stability highlight the importance of diversifying skill sets, staying adaptable, and continuously evaluating career priorities. Ultimately, individuals in the tech industry must remain vigilant, agile, and open to exploring different avenues for career growth and success.
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BlizzCon 2024 Bites the Dust: No Fan Celebration This Year
Earlier this year, Microsoft laid off 1,900 employees across Activision Blizzard and Xbox, marking one of the largest video game industry layoffs in recent years.
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AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
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Security Week ☛ Hackers Claim to Have Infiltrated Belarus’ Main Security Service
The country’s oldest and most prominent rights group Viasna says nearly 1,400 people are political prisoners in Belarus, including its founder and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski.
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India Times ☛ In race to build AI, tech plans a big plumbing upgrade
Companies from Amazon to Meta are revamping their data centers to support AI. They are investing in huge new facilities, while even places like Saudi Arabia are racing to build supercomputers to handle AI. Nearly everyone with a foot in tech or giant piles of money, it seems, is jumping into a spending frenzy that some believe could last for years.
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India Times ☛ Firms rush to recruit chief AI officers amid tech frenzy
The buzz around artificial intelligence has companies scampering to hire top talent in the market to run their AI ops and design future strategy. Job portals and headhunters are currently swamped with requests from top corporations on the lookout for a chief AI officer (CAIO).
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New York Times ☛ Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Says Americans Are ‘Voting Out of Fear’
At a rally outside New York City, he questioned the nation’s Covid response and returned to a favorite issue: vaccine skepticism.
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RFA ☛ China's communists once used Hong Kong to subvert a mainland government
The communists leveraged the city's freedoms to run arms and supplies to their base in Jiangxi, documents show.
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New Yorker ☛ Trump’s “Bonkers” Immunity Claim, with Neal Katyal
Analyzing the former President’s quest for protection from prosecution before the U.S. Supreme Court.
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RFA ☛ In reversal, China now wants to preserve Kashgar’s Old City
China has destroyed thousands of old homes and shops in the ancient Silk Road trading post.
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New York Times ☛ Alberta Draws Academia Into Its Fight With Justin Trudeau
Alberta is seeking powers to veto funding agreements between the federal government and provincial entities, including postsecondary institutions.
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The Straits Times ☛ Japan anime studio draws on talent of autistic artists
In Japan's often high-stress environment, the studio aims to provide job training to autistic artists.
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Craig Murray ☛ The Curious Case of the Freedom Flotilla
The departure of the spectacular “Freedom Flotilla” to Gaza carrying 5,500 tonnes of aid has been postponed (again), because the flag state of the major vessels, Guinea Bissau, has withdrawn their registration.
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JURIST ☛ Hungary opposition figure calls on interior minister to resign
Hungarian opposition politician and lawyer Péter Magyar gathered with thousands of demonstrators Friday before the nation’s Interior Ministry to demand the resignation of the head of the institution, Sándor Pintér.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong’s decades-old President Theatre to close on Tuesday
President Theatre in Hong Kong has announced it will shut down on Tuesday, after operating in the city for more than half a century. The announcement came less than a week after another local cinema went out of business.
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Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda
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NYOB ☛ ChatGPT provides false information about people, and Proprietary Chaffbot Company can’t correct it
ChatGPT provides false information about people, and Proprietary Chaffbot Company can’t correct it
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VOA News ☛ Footage of Gaza City airstrike misattributed to Rafah reaches millions on X, pushed by verified users
“MASSIVE Israeli airstrike in Rafah, earlier today.”
That is false.
The video shows an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, not Rafah.
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Censorship/Free Speech
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International Business Times ☛ Mom and Baby Company Hires Porn Star To Demonstrate Their Products in Uncensored Videos
To circumvent these challenges and provide uncensored information to their customers, Frida adopted an unconventional approach. The company partnered with Asa Akira, a well-known adult film actress, to serve as the face of their new website, Frida Uncovered.
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CS Monitor ☛ Whose betrayal? Our latest Rebuilding Trust story sparks internal debate.
Our cover story is about Samuel Paty, the French secondary school teacher who showed two provocative, satirical pictures of the Prophet Muhammad in his class and was later beheaded. Two students, in particular, played a role in the events – one by spreading lies about Mr. Paty's class and the other by helping identify Mr. Paty to the man who would go on to murder him.
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VOA News ☛ Rapper Salehi was acquitted of 'corruption on earth,' says lawyer
Nili spoke in the aftermath of the recent death sentence handed down to Salehi. The sentence has ignited controversy and elicited widespread condemnations domestically and on the global platform.
According to his legal counsel, Salehi's case revolved around the 2022 protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, with an additional case initiated regarding his post-bail interview.
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New York Times ☛ TikTok Star Is Killed in Third Death of Social Media Influencer in Iraq
The victim, whose real name was Ghufran Mahdi Sawadi, had become popular on social media sites, especially TikTok and Instagram, where her videos showed her wearing tight or revealing clothing, or singing and cuddling her young son. They won her some 460,000 followers, but also drew the ire of conservatives in Iraqi society and in the government.
At one point, officials ordered Ms. Sawadi jailed for 90 days, reprimanding her for a post that showed her dancing at her 6-year old son’s birthday party.
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New York Times ☛ How to Reboot Free Speech on Campus
How do we find our way to a campus culture in which everyone can be heard?
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Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
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New York Times ☛ Celebrities and Journalists Mix at Parties for White House Correspondents Dinner
In Washington, celebrities mixed with journalists and government officials at glittery parties before the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
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The 2024 White House Correspondents’ Dinner: Scarlett Johansson, Colin Jost, Keri Russell, Chris Pine plus more
Stars like Scarlett Johansson, Keri Russell, Chris Pine shine at the 2024 White House Correspondents' Dinner.
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New York Times ☛ White House Correspondents’ Dinner Red Carpet Photos: See the Best Dressed
Scarlett Johansson, Colin Jost and Senator John Fetterman made their entrances at the annual journalism celebration in Washington.
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New York Times ☛ PEN America Has Stood By Authors. They Should Stand By PEN.
PEN America needs to ensure more than one point of view is heard on even the most contentious issue.
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VOA News ☛ Burkina Faso suspends more foreign media over HRW report
This follows similar action last week, when Burkina Faso temporarily suspended the programs of Voice of America and BBC/Africa following the broadcast of news stories about a Human Rights Watch report accusing the Burkinabe army of abuses against civilian populations.
Among those named in the weekend order are French newspapers Le Monde, Ouest-France, British publication The Guardian, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle and French broadcaster TV5 Monde, the Superior Council of Communication (CSC) said.
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JURIST ☛ Russia court places journalist under house arrest for 'fake news'
In recent years, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has noted a concerning trend in Russia. Alongside severe sentences and even instances of torture against journalists, authorities are increasingly resorting to fines and short detentions under various pretexts as part of a systematic campaign to intimidate media professionals. RSF also highlights the arbitrary inclusion of media outlets on the “foreign agents” list, subjecting them to bureaucratic hurdles and legal risks. Moreover, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, independent journalists have faced heightened risks, leading many to seek refuge abroad. According to RSF, authorities have employed various tactics to pressure those who have fled, including visits to their family members and convicting them in absentia.
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JURIST ☛ Mexico journalists hold vigil after colleague killed amid escalating violence against press
While the prosecutor’s office has not confirmed whether Figueroa’s murder was linked to his journalistic work, his colleagues claim it was. One spokesperson for the journalists present at the mobilization stated their belief that Figueroa’s killing was directly tied to his profession. Protesters held signs reading “You don’t kill the truth by killing journalists. Stop impunity,” “No more violence” and “Press. Don’t shoot.” In addition, the assembled journalists demanded that the Mexican Congress take action to protect the right to freedom of expression. Echoing their call, the Secretary General of the Confederation of Mexican Workers and Senator of the Republic, Carlos Aceves del Olmo, condemned Figueroa’s murder through his X account and joined the chorus seeking a free and safe press in Mexico.
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VOA News ☛ Mexican journalist is slain south of Mexico City
Dozens joined in the demonstration over the killing of Roberto Figueroa, who covered local politics and gained a social media following through satirical videos. After disappearing Friday morning, he was found dead inside a car in his hometown of Huitzilac in Morelos, a state south of Mexico City where drug-fueled violence runs rampant.
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The Hill ☛ Russia arrests more journalists on ‘extremism’ charges
Three Russian journalists were arrested Friday and Saturday and detained, as Russia continues a crackdown on media inside the country.
Konstantin Gabov and Sergey Karelin were charged with “extremism” on Saturday, The Associated Press (AP) first reported. They stand accused of working with a political group associated with the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died earlier this year in prison.
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Civil Rights/Policing
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International Business Times ☛ Italy Digital Nomad Visa 2024: What Brits Need to Know
Remote workers now have the convenience and flexibility of working from Italy thanks to the new digital nomad visa. After two years of the nation's announcement towards the remote visa, on 4 April, the government announced the availability of the visa to remote workers.
The visa application fee will be 116 euros, equivalent to around $123.78 per person, according to Studio Legale Metta.
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Futurism ☛ SpaceX Employees Getting Wounded at Incredible Rates
The news wire's analysis came from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's 2023 newly released records from SpaceX, the most comprehensive yet from the Elon Musk-owned company that builds rockets for NASA. In 2022, Reuters notes, the company only gave injury reports from five facilities, and before that, it didn't provide any records of the kind at all, which makes it hard to parse just how longstanding the issue is.
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Reuters ☛ Exclusive: Injury rates for Musk's SpaceX exceed industry average for second year
The 2023 records, newly disclosed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, also show that injury rates at some SpaceX facilities grew worse than those the company had reported in 2022. At its manufacturing-and-launch facility in Brownsville, Texas, for instance, SpaceX reported 5.9 injuries per 100 workers, surpassing its rate of 4.8 injuries in 2022 and topping a space industry average of 0.8. The company's high injury rate last year was the subject of a Reuters investigation that found at least 600 previously unreported worker injuries at the rocket and satellite company. Those injuries, Reuters found, led to crushed limbs, amputations, serious head injuries and one death.
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Jacobin Magazine ☛ What If Labor Owned Its Workplaces?
Jacobin’s David Moscrop recently talked with Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives senior economist and public finance policy analyst Alex Hemingway about his new cowritten report, Expanding Democratic Employee Ownership in Canada: Policy Options and why now might be the time for labor to finance ownership of the means of production.
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Jacky Alciné ☛ What does it mean to be a tech worker?
This brings me back to the question I’ve been posed a few times indirectly: what does it mean to be a tech worker? Currently, it means that I’m potentially afforded a chance to work from home on hours I can choose - if you ask a recruiter or TechCrunch. Realistically, it means that the intellectual capital I have is being wasted on maintaining the interest and joys of shareholders that I could put towards a collective effort to modernize digital systems, work on open networking systems, make video games that teach people of the times of the past and allow people to imagine a better world, or even repairing older devices to help counter consumerist consumption corralled by corporations cornering us into an avoidable global catastrophe. It reminds me that branding myself by my labor without acknowledgment of the industry’s inherent role in maximizing this intellectual rift makes me implicitly complicit in its objective - but to the same degree that paying taxes in America contributes to violence in foreign countries - it’s something we could stop doing but couldn’t stop doing alone.
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US News And World Report ☛ California Disney Characters Are Unionizing Decades After Florida Peers. Hollywood Plays a Role
Unlike the experiences of his peers at Disney's parks in Orlando, Florida, where there is a much smaller talent pool, the performers who play Mickey Mouse, Goofy and other beloved Disney characters at the California parks aren't always provided a consistent work schedule by the company.
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France24 ☛ France charges ex-wife of top IS group official with crimes against humanity
A woman identified as Sonia M., the former wife of the jihadist group’s head of external operations Abdelnasser Benyoucef, was charged on March 14, Le Parisien said Saturday.
The Yazidi woman, who was 16 when she was forced into slavery by Benyoucef, accused Sonia M. of raping her twice and knowing that her husband was raping her, the report said.
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Internet Policy/Net Neutrality
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Stanford University ☛ Net neutrality is back: U.S. promises fast, safe and reliable internet for all
Still, there were changes. Some ISPs implemented zero-rating plans, the practice of excluding some apps from data charges, she notes, or were caught throttling — intentionally slowing down consumer internet speeds.
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Digital Restrictions (DRM)
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Techdirt ☛ LittleBigPlanet: Now You Don’t Own What You’ve Created, Either
For several years now, we’ve had a running series of posts discussing how, when it comes to digital goods, you often don’t own what you’ve bought. This ugliness shows up with all kinds of content, including purchased movies, books, and shows on digital platforms. But it has reared its head acutely as of late in the video game industry. The way this goes is that a publisher releases a game in whole, people buy it, and at some later date the publisher decides to shut down backend servers that render the game partially or totally unplayable for those that bought it. This has the effect of deleting pieces of culture, a real problem for those interested in the preservation of this artform, and a real problem for the entire bargain that is copyright, where all that culture is eventually supposed to end up in the public domain.
But all of that is just on the topic of not owning what you’ve bought. With more games allowing for creative expression within them, spearheaded in part by titles like LittleBigPlanet, it’s also the case that you don’t own what you’ve created. Well, with the full shutdown of the LittleBigPlanet servers, all of the user-created content in the game is being whisked away along with the ability to purchase the game itself.
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YLE ☛ Finland opens national e-library
The digital library will include audiobooks, e-books as well as magazines. More than 200 municipalities have joined the endeavour, and the service is accessible to 85 percent of people in Finland. Accessing the service does not require a library card, as patrons use their bank codes to log in.
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The National Library of Finland ☛ Soon-to-open E-library is a pioneer in the international library sector
“Similar solutions are rare globally,” says Annastiina Louhisalmi, Head of Services for E library. “The nearest one is found in Denmark. Discussions on the development of similar services are taking place in other Nordic countries. The Finnish model is based on the separation of platform and material. In other words, the materials can be chosen more freely, as they are not tied to the limitations of a specific platform. And we also control the app development.”
E-library will be released first as a mobile application for use by residents of the participating municipalities. On the opening day, the service will encompass approximately 85% of the population living in Finland. Some municipalities will join in at the beginning of next year.
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Chris Hannah ☛ What's Holding Me Back From Android?
I've been creating a list of what I use my iPhone for, and what would happen if I switched to Android.
For most cases, it wouldn't make any difference. For example, for things like Notes, Email, Photos, etc. I use standard Apple apps, so I'd just as happily use Google apps.
For social networking, entertainment, and all the third-party stuff, everything is available on Android.
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Patents
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Unified Patents ☛ Portsmouth Network Corp communication patent monopoly challenge instituted
On April 19, 2024, less than six weeks after Unified filed an ex parte reexamination, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) granted Unified’s request, finding substantial new questions of patentability on the challenged claims of U.S. Patent 8,014,394, owned by Portsmouth Network Corporation, an NPE. The '394 patent monopoly is generally directed to methods and systems for delivering multicast traffic over communication networks.
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Unified Patents ☛ OptiMorphix network services patent monopoly challenge instituted
On April 19, 2024, less than two months after Unified filed an ex parte reexamination, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) granted Unified’s request, finding substantial new questions of patentability on the challenged claims of U.S. Patent 7,586,871, owned by OptiMorphix, Inc. The ‘871 patent monopoly relates to providing services in a data communications system.
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Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ The Non-Compete Ban: Impact on Patenting and Challenging Implementation
Non-compete agreements fly under the radar for most American lawyers. One reason is that such restrictions have long been banned within legal practice. As an example, the American Bar Association (ABA) Model Rule 5.6(a) prohibits lawyers from entering into agreements that restrict their right to practice law after terminating an employment, partnership, or other professional relationship. The rule’s stated aim is to protect clients’ freedom to choose their legal representation, but it also ensures that lawyers can practice their profession without restriction.
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Software Patents
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Unified Patents ☛ Quest entity Taasera cyber security patent monopoly challenge instituted
On April 19, 2024, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) granted Unified’s request, finding substantial new questions of patentability on the challenged claims of U.S. Patent 7,673,137, owned by Taasera Licensing LLC, an NPE and a Quest Patent Research Corporation entity.
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Unified Patents ☛ Another GEVC HEVC patent monopoly revoked in EPO
On April 18, 2024, the European Patent Office announced the revocation of all claims of EP 3343781 B1, owned by GE Video Compression, LLC. The patent monopoly relates to context-adaptive binary entropy coding of video data. The EP‘781 patent monopoly is related to patents that have been deemed essential to the Access Advance patent monopoly pool.
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Copyrights
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Torrent Freak ☛ Operation Anime Phase 2: New Anti-Piracy Crackdown Executed in Brazil
Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security has announced a second phase of Operation Anime, an initiative to disrupt piracy of Japanese anime and Korean webtoon content. This second wave follows the first which took place close to a year ago. In coordination with Japan-based anti-piracy group CODA and COA based in South Korea, authorities conducted 11 search and seizure warrants in five regions. No sites have been named but domains appeared to have been seized.
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Monopolies/Monopsonies
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