News gathered 2023-12-22

The identification of Aspergillus by metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) remains a challenging task due to the difficulty of nucleic acid extraction. The objective of this study was to determine whether mNGS could provide an accurate and efficient method for detecting invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in immunocompromised patients (ICP).

A total of 133 ICP admitted to the ICU between January 2020 and September 2022 were enrolled in the study, of which 46 were diagnosed with IPA and 87 were non-IPA cases. The bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was analyzed for the presence of Aspergillosis and other co-pathogens using mNGS, and its diagnostic performance was compared to conventional microbial tests (CMTs) that included smear, cultures, serum and BALF galactomannan (GM) test. Clinical composite diagnosis was used as the reference standard

mNGS had a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 82.6%, 97.7%, and 92.5%, respectively, in diagnosing IPA. These findings were comparable to those of the combination of multiple CMTs. Interestingly, the sensitivity of mNGS was superior to that of any single CMT method, as demonstrated by comparisons with smears (8.7%, P < 0.001), culture (39.1%, P < 0.001), serum GM (23.9%, P < 0.001) and BALF GM (69.6%, P = 0.031). mNGS was capable of accurately distinguish strains of Aspergillus genus, with a consistency of 77.8% with culture. Furthermore, mNGS also identified A. fumigatus, A. flavus, A. terrestris, A. oryzae and Mucor spp. in culture-negative cases. The sequencing reads of Aspergillus by mNGS exhibited extensive variation, ranging from 11 to1702. A positive correlation was observed between the optical density index of BALF GM and unique reads by mNGS (r = 0.607, P = 0.001) in BALF-GM positive patients. Notably, mNGS was able to diagnose 35 out of 37 cases with mixed infection, with P. jirovecii and cytomegalovirus being the most common co-pathogens.

mNGS presents a feasible and remarkably sensitive approach for detecting Aspergillus in ICP, thereby serving as a valuable adjunctive tool to CMT. Furthermore, mNGS’s ability to accurately identify fungal species and co-pathogens can assist in guiding appropriate antimicrobial therapy.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1209724 Save to Pocket

A Frivolous Feature

date: 2023-12-22, from: Marginallia log

Marginalia Search very recently gained the ability to filter results by Autonomous System, not only searching by ASN but by the organization information for that AS. At a glance this seems like a somewhat frivolous feature, but it has interesting effects. Autonomous Systems are part of the Internet’s routing infrastructure. If your mental model of an IP number is that they are the phone number of the computer, this is something akin to a postal code.

https://www.marginalia.nu/log/96_frivolous_asn/ Save to Pocket

The 10 Best Books of 2023, From California Review of Books

date: 2023-12-21, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

The book review team sounds off on their favorite titles of the year.

The post The 10 Best Books of 2023, From California Review of Books appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2023/12/21/the-10-best-books-of-2023-from-california-review-of-books/ Save to Pocket

Cute food art: butter sleigh rides down foods like pancakes and potatoes….

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/23/12/0043654-cute-food-art-butter-slei Save to Pocket

Programmable or ‘purpose-bound’ money is coming, probably as a feature in central bank digital currencies

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Governments may dictate where or when you use it, but it’s not a gift card

Interview  As the tide of enthusiasm for cryptocurrency ebbs, new forms of digital currency are emerging, including something called purpose bound money (PBM) – digibucks that can only be spent in certain ways coded into them by their issuers, or would only change hands under certain conditions.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/12/21/programmable_money/ Save to Pocket

Foothills Forever Raises $1 Million for Restoration Endowment Bringing the $20 Million Campaign to Preserve the San Marcos Foothills West Mesa Across the Finish Line

date: 2023-12-21, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

Foothills Forever, the coalition that led the 2021 successful effort to purchase and permanently preserve the West Mesa of the

The post Foothills Forever Raises $1 Million for Restoration Endowment Bringing the $20 Million Campaign to Preserve the San Marcos Foothills West Mesa Across the Finish Line appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2023/12/21/foothills-forever-raises-1-million-for-restoration-endowment-bringing-the-20-million-campaign-to-preserve-the-san-marcos-foothills-west-mesa-across-the-finish-line/ Save to Pocket

Deputies: Woman assaulted at Newhall Metrolink Station 

date: 2023-12-21, from: The Signal

A woman was assaulted at the Newhall Metrolink Station by a man Wednesday afternoon, according to Deputy Kabrina Borbon, a spokeswoman for the SCV Sheriff’s Station.  Deputies responded to a call at the 24300 block of Railroad Avenue at 4:16 p.m. regarding a woman screaming.  “During the investigation, deputies learned a male adult physically assaulted […]

The post Deputies: Woman assaulted at Newhall Metrolink Station  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2023/12/deputies-woman-assaulted-at-newhall-metrolink-station/ Save to Pocket

Chinese Chip Import Concerns Prompt US to Review Semiconductor Supply Chain

date: 2023-12-21, from: VOA News USA

washington — The U.S. Department of Commerce said Thursday that it would launch a survey of the U.S. semiconductor supply chain and national defense industrial base to address national security concerns from Chinese-sourced chips. 

The survey aims to identify how U.S. companies are sourcing so-called legacy chips — current-generation and mature-node semiconductors — as the department moves to award nearly $40 billion in subsidies for semiconductor chip manufacturing. 

The department said the survey, which will begin in January, aims to “reduce national security risks posed by” China and will focus on the use and sourcing of Chinese-manufactured legacy chips in the supply chains of critical U.S. industries. 

A report released by the department on Thursday said China had provided the Chinese semiconductor industry with an estimated $150 billion in subsidies in the last decade, creating “an unlevel global playing field for U.S. and other foreign competitors.” 

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said, “Over the last few years, we’ve seen potential signs of concerning practices from [China] to expand their firms’ legacy chip production and make it harder for U.S. companies to compete.” 

China’s embassy in Washington said Thursday that the United States “has been stretching the concept of national security, abusing export control measures, engaging in discriminatory and unfair treatment against enterprises of other countries, and politicizing and weaponizing economic and sci-tech issues.” 

Raimondo said last week that she expected her department to make about a dozen semiconductor chip funding awards within the next year, including multibillion-dollar announcements that could drastically reshape U.S. chip production. Her department made the first award from the program on December 11. 

The Commerce Department said the survey would also help promote a level playing field for legacy chip production. 

“Addressing non-market actions by foreign governments that threaten the U.S. legacy chip supply chain is a matter of national security,” Raimondo added. 

U.S.-headquartered companies account for about half of the global semiconductor revenue but face intense competition supported by foreign subsidies, the department said. 

Its report said the cost of manufacturing semiconductors in the United States may be “30-45% higher than the rest of the world,” and it called for long-term support for domestic fabrication construction. 

It added that the U.S. should enact “permanent provisions that incentivize steady construction and modernization of semiconductor fabrication facilities, such as the investment tax credit scheduled to end in 2027.”

https://www.voanews.com/a/chinese-chip-import-concerns-prompt-us-to-review-semiconductor-supply-chain-/7407888.html Save to Pocket

Northbound Highway 101 Slow Lane Closed in Montecito

date: 2023-12-21, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

Update: Southbound ramps reopen in Santa Barbara at Garden and Mission streets.

The post Northbound Highway 101 Slow Lane Closed in Montecito appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2023/12/21/northbound-highway-101-slow-lane-closed-in-montecito/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2023-12-21, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

Why aren't all heaters computers?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38727202 Save to Pocket

American Fuel Economy Just Hit a Record, Thanks to EVs and Hybrids

date: 2023-12-21, from: Heatmap News

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is out with its annual Automotive Trends Report for 2022 model-year vehicles, and the numbers are some of the best it’s seen. Average emissions are at a record low and fuel economy is at a record high — and according to preliminary 2023-model-year data, those trends will continue into the new year.

Overall, the EPA says average real-world CO2 emissions for new vehicles sold in 2022 dropped by 10 grams of carbon dioxide per mile for an average of 337 g/mile, the lowest the agency has recorded. On the other side, fuel economy averages are at 26 miles per gallon, an improvement of 0.6 MPG and another record high for new vehicles sold.

Of the five categories of vehicles tested, four are the most fuel efficient the agency has seen since its inception, with crossovers (what the EPA classifies as “car SUVs”) showing the biggest drop in emissions at 27 g/mile, followed by pickup trucks, sedans/wagons, minivans, and SUVs.

The not-so-good-news is the EPA also recorded its highest number of SUVs, pickups, and minivans/vans sold since 1975, accounting for a whopping 63% of new vehicles that rolled off dealer lots. And across the board, 2022 vehicles were also the heaviest and largest ever sold.

This is primarily due to two things: First, automaker safety is at an all-time high, swelling cars with better crumple zones, dozens of airbags, and scads of active safety systems. Second, Americans just like big vehicles with more power — what the EPA calls “market trends.” That likely won’t change with 2023’s numbers.

Thankfully, there will be more EVs and hybrids coming to market, which should help to offset some of the emissions. Electrics helped reduce average emissions by 22 g/mile in 2022 and increased overall fuel economy by 1.2%, and projections for the next report show an even bigger boost to 26.9 MPG in 2023.

https://heatmap.news/sparks/fuel-economy-record-epa-evs-hybrids Save to Pocket

Unblocking user freedom: the right to use adblockers

date: 2023-12-21, from: OS News

Advertisements are a part of our lives, including our digital ones. They are in the websites we browse, the search results we receive, and the online news we read. Tired of receiving so many ads, some users try to avoid them by installing an adblocker. But is this a legal practice? Is using adblockers an act of restricting market autonomy, or do they help achieve user freedom? Imagine a scenario where website owners hold copyright over their websites, including whatever ads they place, and could effectively sue for copyright infringement if users were to remove or suppress ads when visiting these websites. This hypothetical situation would enable any website copyright holder to use the legal system to stop any ordinary user on the internet who tries to bypass these ads. This would lead to an internet where unsolicited information and advertisements are imposed on users. Fortunately, recent court decisions have at least prevented this hypothetical from becoming a reality in Germany. ↫ FSFE Good. My position has always been clear: your computer, your rules. Block ads to your heart’s content. Even on OSNews – block away if you want. There are far better ways to support us, anyway (Patreon, Ko-Fi, Liberapay, merch).

https://www.osnews.com/story/138110/unblocking-user-freedom-the-right-to-use-adblockers/ Save to Pocket

Lapsus$ teen sentenced to indefinite detention in hospital after Nvidia, GTA cyberattacks

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Arion Kurtaj will remain hospitalized until a mental health tribunal says he can leave

Two British teens who were members of the Lapsus$ gang have been sentenced for their roles in a cyber-crime spree that included compromising Uber, Nvidia, and fintech firm Revolut, and also blackmailing Grand Theft Auto maker Rockstar Games.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/12/21/lapsus_teens_sentenced/ Save to Pocket

City Hall hears calls for more dialogue

date: 2023-12-21, from: The Signal

Nearly a year after the city of Santa Clarita’s Human Relations Roundtable quietly disbanded, residents issued calls to bring back more dialogue during the Dec. 12 City Council meeting.  The last effort ended quietly near the end of 2022, with one former member saying Wednesday the group was given little notice or explanation of its […]

The post City Hall hears calls for more dialogue  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2023/12/city-hall-hears-calls-for-more-dialogue/ Save to Pocket

Scientists Are Coming Around on Geoengineering

date: 2023-12-21, from: Heatmap News

Katherine Ricke, a University of California at San Diego sustainability professor, turned to face the roomful of attentive scientists at the American Geophysical Union a few weeks ago. In any other year, she would have been about to break one of climate science’s biggest taboos.

“Geoscientists know very well at this point that solar geoengineering is not a very good substitute for emissions reductions,” she said. “The question that comes next, then, is, Is solar geoengineering a complement to mitigation?”

The answer, she then argued, was yes. While cutting greenhouse gas emissions might bring down the planet’s temperature in the long term, she said, it would not do so immediately. But spraying sulfate aerosols into the stratosphere was pretty cheap, and it could quickly help relieve the planet’s fever. “Solar geoengineering has a rapid but temporary effect on global temperatures, while the effect of emissions reduction is deferred but persistent,” she said.

Ricke went on to ask whether the economics of solar geoengineering made sense — and about its risks. Would it deprive other important efforts of research funding? Probably not. Could it encourage the public to procrastinate on cutting emissions? Maybe yes.

Yet perhaps the presentation’s biggest surprise — for people who have long thought about the issue — was that nobody in the audience of normal climate scientists gasped. Nobody shooed Ricke out of the room or told her that her talk didn’t belong in a session devoted to achieving net zero — that is, to climate mitigation, to reducing carbon pollution, not blotting out its effects.

To get a sense of what American climate scientists are talking about, you can do a lot worse than attending the annual fall meeting of the AGU, where more than 20,000 scientists come to network, present new research, and gossip about their superiors. This year, AGU was held in the cavernous Moscone Center in San Francisco. The arrival of tens of thousands of people immediately broke the city’s post-pandemic downtown; Starbucks ran out of breakfast sandwiches and every restaurant within a quarter mile of the conference site was jammed before the 8:30 a.m. sessions.

AGU is almost always held, for some nonsensical reason, at roughly the same time as the annual United Nations climate conference, and the two events have a lot in common: They are bazaars, free-for-alls, half salon and half trade show, and each way too big for any one person to see. Yet by keen attention to sounds and signals, one can detect a vibe at both events. The vibe of this year’s AGU was clear: Geoengineering is here to stay.

This sincere interest in geoengineering and climate modification represents a broader shift in climate science from observation to intervention. It also represents a huge change for a field that used to regard any interference with the climate system — short of cutting greenhouse gas emissions — as verboten. “There is a growing realization that [solar radiation management] is not a taboo anymore,” Dan Visioni, a Cornell climate professor, told me. “There was a growing interest from NASA, NOAA, the national labs, that wasn’t there a year ago.”

At the highest level, this acceptance of geoengineering shows that scientists have seriously begun to imagine what will happen if humanity blows its goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Why the sudden embrace of geoengineering? Part of it is that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has become increasingly insistent that carbon removal is crucial — and opened the door to other once-taboo ideas.

But another part is that climate disasters seem to get bigger and bigger every year, and humanity seems to be growing more and more alarmed about them, yet no country plans to cut emissions fast enough to relieve global warming’s near-term dangers. 2023 was the warmest year in modern human history, but the Paris Agreement’s temperature goals remain far off. “It was always pretty clear that the kind of emissions reduction to stay below 1.5 [degrees Celsius] was never going to happen in any realistic scenario, but there was always a conviction that just by saying it was physically possible, it was going to inspire people into some kind of action,” Visioni said. “2023 has shown this to not be the case.”

Perhaps one more reason is that, for better or worse, geoengineering is already happening. Economists have long argued that stratospheric aerosol injection is so cheap that someone will eventually try to do it. Then, last year, Luke Iseman, a 39-year-old former employee of the startup incubator Y Combinator, claimed to have conducted rogue experiments in western Mexico delivering reflective sulfur molecules to the atmosphere using weather balloons. It’s unclear whether this “move fast and break things”-styled effort actually reflected any meaningful sunlight back into space. What it did do was awaken the Mexican government to a regulatory arbitrage. It responded by banning solar geoengineering.

Yet more serious attempts have been made at bringing geoengineering into the mainstream. In September, the Overshoot Commission, a panel of current and former world leaders — including an influential Chinese adviser and a former Canadian prime minister — recommended that the world begin to seriously study solar geoengineering. And Congress recently mandated that the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy study the technique — although the office’s resulting report also suggested that scientists are still treading carefully around it. Its hilariously curt title: “Congressionally-Mandated Report on Solar Radiation Modification.”

“The way that broader climate intervention has started to move into the mainstream has been kind of astounding,” said Shuchi Talati, a University of Pennsylvania scholar and former Energy Department official. “If you look at AGU of four or five years ago, if there was one [solar radiation management] panel, that was novel,” she told me. But this year, there were more panels and side conversations than ever. “You can feel it in the air that there was more interest.”

Ricke’s was far from the only geoengineering presentation in San Francisco this year. In a packed lunchtime session, Lisa Graumlich, AGU’s president, led a town hall about the organization’s draft proposal on how to research climate intervention ethically. “Are we attempting to play God? Do we have the right to do this? What risks are we willing to accept? Or … do we have the right not to?” Cynthia Scharf, a former UN adviser who helped lead a Carnegie Foundation project on how the world could possibly govern geoengineering, told the room by video conference. The crowd wasn’t exactly rewarded for attending: After every panelist had finished going through their introductions, the audience only had time to ask two questions.

Across the hall, more than 60 people were talking about a different kind of climate intervention. For years, scientists have known that the stability of a few glaciers in West Antarctica could mean the difference between quasi-manageable amounts of sea-level rise this century and a rapid, catastrophic surge. So small groups of glaciologists have now started to ask whether those specific glaciers — such as Thwaites, which holds a quadrillion gallons of water and is larger than Florida — could be engineered or modified somehow to slow their collapse.

Perhaps a berm could be built on the seafloor, in front of each of the glaciers, in order to prevent warm water from eroding them. Or maybe holes could be drilled into the glaciers, allowing the warmth of their subsurface to be vented to the surface. Glacial scientists have already met twice this year — at the University of Chicago and later Stanford — to begin hashing out the idea.

Another approach — using ships to spray ocean water into the atmosphere, thereby brightening clouds and reflecting more sunlight into space — was also the subject of several events. One scholar, Chih-Chieh Jack Chen, showed research suggesting that brightening the clouds over just 5% of the ocean surface could cool the planet enough to meet the world’s temperature targets — but that the climatic ripple effects of doing so might simultaneously raise temperatures in Southeast Asia by even more than what global warming would do alone. Others presented work showing that cloud brightening might accidentally shut down the planet’s westerly trade winds — or even silence the Pacific Ocean’s El Niño oscillation.

Then there were the carbon removal people, who arrived by the tens and who seemed to have graduated to a less controversial (and possibly more remunerative) plane than geoengineering. Most scientists seem to have accepted that carbon dioxide removal, or CDR, will need to happen to at least some degree. “CDR is a given. People don’t even consider it to be geoengineering any more, which is what the CDR people have always wanted,” Visioni told me. A new Department of Energy report, released during the conference, argues that by 2050, the United States might be able to suck 1 billion tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere for a mere $130 billion a year, creating 440,000 jobs. In other scenarios — and not only those sponsored by the federal government — America seems likely to become the keystone of the global carbon removal industry, its vast geological capacity and fossil-fuel expertise giving it a competitive advantage.

In anticipation, venture capital and public-sector cash has surged into carbon removal, creating a corps of CDR startups with one foot in the geosciences and the other in Silicon Valley. Their employees were at AGU too, mingling in full force. “It was interesting how much industry was there — researchers at companies, even heads of companies,” Talati told me. “I’ve never really experienced that at AGU.” Employees from Lithos, Heirloom, Carbon Direct, Stripe, and Additional Ventures all registered for the conference; in what might be an AGU first, scientists and technologists sipped cappuccinos and nibbled pastries during an early-morning confab at the Salesforce Tower, a few blocks from the official conference site. “AGU is not the place where you would have expected to find these kinds of people, even just for CDR, so it’s interesting that they’re there,” Visioni said.

The whole thing presented both a stark contrast and an inescapable mirror to COP28, where oil lobbyists roamed the grounds. Some environmental old-timers grumble that the UN climate conference has transformed from a diplomatic meeting into a trade show. But maybe there is now so much money and interest and public attention directed at the climate problem that any major gathering about it will take on shades of the commercial. There are lots of rich people with huge amounts of money who want to help do something about climate change. At the same time, the United States government is looking like less and less of a long-term reliable partner on climate research. Sooner or later, someone is going to try to do more serious geoengineering than releasing a few balloons in Mexico. Scientists have started preparing for that day. Is that smart? I don’t know. But it seems like a better strategy than feigned ignorance about where we’re headed.

Editor’s note: This story originally misidentified the name of the person who conducted geoengineering experiments in Mexico. We regret the error.

https://heatmap.news/technology/climate-tech-geoengineering-carbon-removal Save to Pocket

State Restoration With NSSecureCoding on Sonoma

date: 2023-12-21, from: Michael Tsai

Milen Dzhumerov: AppKit state restoration behaviour changed on macOS 14 Sonoma in a subtle way that can lead to apps not restoring their state correctly. The change can lead to silent breakages which can be hard to debug.[…]Violations can now arise in any -restoreStateWithCoder: implementations, so they need to be audited.Check for any usages of […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2023/12/21/state-restoration-with-nssecurecoding-on-sonoma/ Save to Pocket

How to Change a New iPhone Passcode If You Forget It

date: 2023-12-21, from: Michael Tsai

Tim Hardwick: In iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, it is now possible to reset an iPhone or iPad’s new passcode with the previous passcode you used for up to three days after the change is made. In other words, Apple lets you use your old passcode within 72 hours of setting a new one, which […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2023/12/21/how-to-change-a-new-iphone-passcode-if-you-forget-it/ Save to Pocket

Manual AutoFill in Safari

date: 2023-12-21, from: Michael Tsai

Dan Moren: In a very clever move, Apple has introduced essentially a manual mode for AutoFill. You’re no longer dependent on Safari recognizing that, yes, these are fields where you can put your address in. Instead, anywhere that you can enter text—and not just in Safari, but anywhere, in any app—bring up the contextual menu […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2023/12/21/manual-autofill-in-safari/ Save to Pocket

Here’s Why Most Dogs Have Brown Eyes

date: 2023-12-21, from: Smithsonian Magazine

Humans may have bred their canine companions to have darker eyes, because we perceive them as younger and more friendly, study finds

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/heres-why-most-dogs-have-brown-eyes-180983496/ Save to Pocket

MINIX Z100 is a small, fanless PC with an Intel N100 Alder Lake-N processor

date: 2023-12-21, from: Liliputing

The MINIX Z100 is a compact computer that measures 123 x 120 x 46mm (4.84″ x 4.72″ x 1.81″) and features an Intel Alder Lake-N processor, support for up to two displays, a decent set of ports, and support for WIFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and 2.5 GbE Ethernet connections. It’s also a fanless computer that […]

The post MINIX Z100 is a small, fanless PC with an Intel N100 Alder Lake-N processor appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/minix-z100-is-a-small-fanless-pc-with-an-intel-n100-alder-lake-n-processor/ Save to Pocket

El Condado publica el borrador del Informe de Impacto Ambiental  del Programa del Elemento de Vivienda y  presenta la herramienta Balancing Act

date: 2023-12-21, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

que le da al público la oportunidad de hacer comentarios y aportes

The post El Condado publica el borrador del Informe de Impacto Ambiental  del Programa del Elemento de Vivienda y  presenta la herramienta Balancing Act appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2023/12/21/el-condado-publica-el-borrador-del-informe-de-impacto-ambiental-del-programa-del-elemento-de-vivienda-y-presenta-la-herramienta-balancing-act/ Save to Pocket

Jan. 10: Sierra Hillbillies Hosts 10 Week Intermediate Dance Classes

date: 2023-12-21, from: SCV New (TV Station)

The Sierra Hillbillies wants Santa Clarita to start the New Year Dancing, with new Classes starting Jan. 10. 

https://scvnews.com/jan-10-sierra-hillbillies-hosts-10-week-intermediate-dance-classes/ Save to Pocket

Hack your Amazon Fire tablet with Fire Toolbox (Install Google Play, disable Amazon apps, and more)

date: 2023-12-21, from: Liliputing

Amazon’s Fire tablets offer a lot of bang for the buck. With list prices starting as low as $60, they’re far cheaper than any iPad, and more affordable than most Android tablets from companies like Samsung or Lenovo. Amazon’s tablets also go on sale for even lower prices at least a few times a year. […]

The post Hack your Amazon Fire tablet with Fire Toolbox (Install Google Play, disable Amazon apps, and more) appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/hack-your-amazon-fire-tablet-with-fire-toolbox-v10/ Save to Pocket

County Releases Draft Housing Element Program Environmental Impact Report & Introduces Balancing Act Tool

date: 2023-12-21, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

Giving the public an opportunity to provide comments and input

The post County Releases Draft Housing Element Program Environmental Impact Report & Introduces Balancing Act Tool appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2023/12/21/county-releases-draft-housing-element-program-environmental-impact-report-introduces-balancing-act-tool/ Save to Pocket

Piano cover of MIA’s Paper Planes, complete with “live” cash register and…

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/23/12/0043667-piano-cover-of-mias-paper Save to Pocket

Department Of Water Resources Approves Delta Conveyance Project

date: 2023-12-21, from: SCV New (TV Station)

The Department of Water Resources today approved the Delta Conveyance Project, a modernization of the infrastructure system that delivers water to millions of Californians

https://scvnews.com/department-of-water-resources-approves-delta-conveyance-project/ Save to Pocket

Philips recalls 340 MRI machines because they may explode in an emergency

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Rapid unscheduled disassembly not exactly a desirable quality for medical imaging equipment

Philips is recalling hundreds of MRI machines around the globe over concerns the medical imaging equipment could explode during normal operation — something a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) bulletin states has already happened once before.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/12/21/philips_exploding_mri/ Save to Pocket

Programming the SunFounder PiCar-X to be a Roomba

date: 2023-12-21, from: Stephen Smith’s blog

Introduction Last time, I introduced SunFounder’s PiCar-X, a robot car controlled by a Raspberry Pi. The previous article covered assembly and initial setup. In this article, we’ll look at writing a simple program for the PiCar-X written in Python, namely to simulate a Roomba. Learning the Object Model There doesn’t seem to be a User […]

https://smist08.wordpress.com/2023/12/21/programming-the-sunfounder-picar-x-to-be-a-roomba/ Save to Pocket

See the ‘Sparkling Snow Globe’ Galaxy Captured by the Hubble Space Telescope

date: 2023-12-21, from: Smithsonian Magazine

The new, holiday-inspired image features UGC 8091, an “irregular” dwarf galaxy in the constellation Virgo

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-sparkling-snow-globe-galaxy-captured-by-the-hubble-space-telescope-180983494/ Save to Pocket

Archaeologists Uncover ‘Exceptional’ Ancient Mural Near Colosseum

date: 2023-12-21, from: Smithsonian Magazine

The artwork—made from shells, tiles and other materials—demonstrated the wealth and power of its owner

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/italian-archaeologists-uncover-ancient-mural-made-of-seashells-and-imported-tile-180983489/ Save to Pocket

Retroid Pocket 4 handheld game console now availabel for $149 and up, with Dimensity 900 &1100 processor options

date: 2023-12-21, from: Liliputing

The upcoming Retroid Pocket 4 is a handheld game system with a 4.7 inch HD display, 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage, a microSD card reader, support for WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, and a 5,000 mAh battery. Designed for retro gaming, the handheld also features hall sensor joysticks and analog triggers. First announced earlier this […]

The post Retroid Pocket 4 handheld game console now availabel for $149 and up, with Dimensity 900 &1100 processor options appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/retroid-4-handheld-game-console-coming-soon-for-149-and-up-with-dimensity-900-1100-processor-options/ Save to Pocket

County Weathers Storm Overnight, Prepares for Second Round of Rain

date: 2023-12-21, from: SCV New (TV Station)

Los Angeles County Public Works has already captured 5 billion gallons of stormwater since Oct.1 which is enough water for 121,600 people

https://scvnews.com/l-a-county-weathers-storm-overnight-and-prepares-for-second-round-of-rain/ Save to Pocket

VIA installs 2024 board of directors  

date: 2023-12-21, from: The Signal

State Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, was in a jovial mood Tuesday at the Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook University Center at College of the Canyons as he was there for the installation of the 2024 board of directors for the Valley Industry Association.  He was there as an honored guest of VIA, the fifth […]

The post <strong>VIA installs 2024 board of directors</strong>   appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2023/12/via-installs-2024-board-of-directors/ Save to Pocket

Geekom teases Intel Meteor Lake and AMD Hawk Point mini PCs ahead of CES 2024

date: 2023-12-21, from: Liliputing

Chinese mini PC maker Geekom has announced it’s bringing two upcoming models sporting the latest Intel and AMD processors to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. The Geekom IT14 Pro is a mini PC with support for up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 Meteor Lake processor, while the Geekom A8Max supports up […]

The post Geekom teases Intel Meteor Lake and AMD Hawk Point mini PCs ahead of CES 2024 appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/geekom-teases-intel-meteor-lake-and-amd-hawk-point-mini-pcs-ahead-of-ces-2024/ Save to Pocket

Are social media and coordinated misinformation campaigns fomenting extremism?

date: 2023-12-21, from: Gary Marcus blog

Probably, yes.

https://garymarcus.substack.com/p/are-social-media-and-coordinated Save to Pocket

Daily Deals (12-21-2023)

date: 2023-12-21, from: Liliputing

The Steam Winter Sale kicks off today, with discounts on thousands of PC games through the morning of January 4, 2024. And, as is often the case, other game stores are getting in on the action with their own sales. Meanwhile, Amazon Prime Video is offering a bunch of subscription channels for $2 per month […]

The post Daily Deals (12-21-2023) appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/daily-deals-12-21-2023/ Save to Pocket

NASA Astronauts Test SpaceX Elevator Concept for Artemis Lunar Lander

date: 2023-12-21, from: NASA breaking news

NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Doug “Wheels” Wheelock participated in a recent test of a sub-scale mockup elevator for SpaceX’s Starship human landing system that will be used for NASA’s Artemis III and IV missions to the Moon. The Starship human landing system will carry two astronauts from the Orion spacecraft in lunar orbit to […]

https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/nasa-astronauts-test-spacex-elevator-concept-for-artemis-lunar-lander/ Save to Pocket

Richard Scarry Cars and Trucks and Things That Go tote bag! 😍…

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/23/12/0043666-richard-scarry-cars-and-t Save to Pocket

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, From My Family to Yours!

date: 2023-12-21, from: City of Santa Clarita

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, From My Family to Yours! By Mayor Cameron Smyth “Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas lies in your heart.” – The Polar Express    As the holiday season approaches, it is essential to pause and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Beyond the presents and holiday parties is […]

The post Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, From My Family to Yours! appeared first on City of Santa Clarita.

https://santaclarita.gov/blog/2023/12/21/merry-christmas-and-happy-holidays-from-my-family-to-yours/ Save to Pocket

The robots will make us more human

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

I’m not in the utopian or the apocalyptic camp on AI. Artificial intelligence, like the internet, smartphones and other transformative technologies before it, will bring both beauty and horror into our world. We’ll just have to do our best to tip the balance. But we’re already seeing a predictable (and widely predicted) low-grade horror: greedy…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/the-robots-will-make-us-more-human/ Save to Pocket

We’ll step up our defense of journalists in exile

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

2024 needs to be a year that our profession recognizes all journalism is local, including journalism in exile. As American journalism focuses on reviving local news, building connected ecosystems, and targeting infusions of philanthropic support, one of the biggest growth areas for journalism in the coming year is one that none of us would wish…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/well-step-up-our-defense-of-journalists-in-exile/ Save to Pocket

FTC wants to crack down on Big Biz profiting from kids’ data

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

COPPA changes on the horizon. Meta, Amazon and friends must be thrilled

It will soon be more difficult for corporations to collect and monetize kids’ data in the US if the FTC goes ahead with several changes to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/12/21/ftc_proposed_coppa_changes/ Save to Pocket

Too many news orgs adopt right-wing frames about trans people

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

If 2023 is anything to go by, 2024 will see a continued wave of attacks on trans people, driven by politicians who believe they can weaponize our existence as a wedge issue to electoral success and victory in the “culture wars.” And if 2023 is anything to go by, I predict 2024 will continue to…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/too-many-news-orgs-adopt-right-wing-frames-about-trans-people/ Save to Pocket

Rise of the news DJs

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

In 2024, the ascent of AI in news won’t lead to a Cambrian explosion of articles written by souped-up autofill algorithms. Instead, we’ll see the beginnings of ultra-segmented news presentations. This evolution will be driven by the genre-redefining changes in search engines we’re seeing today: AI summaries of query results that make clicking through to…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/rise-of-the-news-djs/ Save to Pocket

The cable news kayfabe is dead

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

There is a word I can’t stop thinking about recently, and once you hear it, you won’t be able to stop thinking about it either. That word is “kayfabe,” the carney term popularized by professional wrestlers to describe what is happening within the theatre of the absurd and fantastical world of good guys and bad…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/the-cable-news-kayfabe-is-dead/ Save to Pocket

The future-of-journalism crowd stops ignoring local TV news

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

Take The Breakfast Club or Fast Times at Ridgemont High or High School Musical, or any other Hollywoodized version of high school. Now map this on as a metaphor for local news ecologies. Local TV journalists are the beautiful, popular people in this hierarchy — with local newspapers and local nonprofits some version of the…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/the-future-of-journalism-crowd-stops-ignoring-local-tv-news/ Save to Pocket

Writer’s Pick: Top 5 TV Shows of The Year

date: 2023-12-21, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)

2023 was packed with many different types of new movies and TV shows. Whether you watched alone or with friends, there were shows that pulled at your heartstrings, made you scream at your screen or left you wanting more. 5. “The Bear” “The Bear” is a about a professional chef named Carmy who has to…

https://sundial.csun.edu/177725/arts-entertainment/writers-pick-top-5-tv-shows-of-the-year/ Save to Pocket

California Civil Rights Department files suit against grocer over hiring practices

date: 2023-12-21, from: The Signal

The California Civil Rights Department filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit against Ralphs Grocery Company on Thursday over alleged violations of California’s Fair Chance Act, which resulted in the unlawful denial of employment opportunities to hundreds of applicants at grocery store locations across Southern California, according to a department news release.  There are currently five Ralphs locations […]

The post California Civil Rights Department<strong> files suit against grocer over hiring practices</strong>  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2023/12/attorney-general-files-suit-against-grocer-over-hiring-practices/ Save to Pocket

Just How Rich Were the McCallisters in ‘Home Alone’? A: They were…

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/23/12/0043665-just-how-rich-were-the Save to Pocket

Could Climate Change Cause More Lakes to Turn Bright Pink?

date: 2023-12-21, from: Smithsonian Magazine

While rosy-hued waters exist naturally around the world, a pond in Hawaii recently turned pink, and Australian scientists say the same could happen there

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/could-climate-change-cause-more-lakes-to-turn-bright-pink-180983486/ Save to Pocket

Beeper is done fighting with Apple over iMessage for Android

date: 2023-12-21, from: Liliputing

This month cross-platform messaging app Beeper launched a new app called Beeper Mini that allowed Android users to tap into Apple’s iMessage service without a Mac or iOS device. It took Apple only a few days to roll out an update that stopped the app from working, prompting Beeper to roll out several new updates […]

The post Beeper is done fighting with Apple over iMessage for Android appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/beeper-is-done-fighting-with-apple-over-imessage-for-android/ Save to Pocket

Intel trims a few hundred workers in Cali just in time for Christmas

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Merry Xmas! Now get out

For 311 workers in Santa Clara and Folsom, California, it wasn’t the Grinch who stole Christmas: it was Intel.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/12/21/intel_gifts_311_cali_workers/ Save to Pocket

Shady Characters advent calendar 2023: the HP-35

date: 2023-12-21, from: Shady Characters

Welcome to day eleven of the first ever Shady Characters advent calendar! I’m counting down to Christmas by way of a collection of beautiful, clever, important, and/or outright odd calculators and calculating devices. Some come from the pages of Empire of the Sum, some are part of my Calculator of the Day series, and some will be new to the blog. I won’t manage twenty-four posts, but I do plan to hit at least one every other day. I hope you enjoy the series!

Read more →

https://shadycharacters.co.uk/2023/12/advent-calendar-hp-35/ Save to Pocket

Giuliani Files for Bankruptcy After Losing $148 Million Defamation Case

date: 2023-12-21, from: VOA News USA

NEW YORK — Rudy Giuliani has filed for bankruptcy, days after being ordered to pay $148 million in a defamation lawsuit brought by two former election workers in Georgia who said his targeting of them led to death threats that made them fear for their lives.

In his filing Thursday, the former New York City mayor listed nearly $153 million in existing or potential debts, including close to a million dollars in tax liabilities, money he owes his lawyers and many millions of dollars in potential legal judgments in lawsuits against him. He estimated his assets to be between $1 million and $10 million.

The biggest debt is the $148 million he was ordered to pay a week ago for making false statements about the election workers in Georgia stemming from the 2020 presidential contest.

Ted Goodman, a political adviser and spokesperson for Giuliani, a one-time Republican presidential candidate and high-ranking Justice Department official, said in a statement that the filing “should be a surprise to no one.”

“No person could have reasonably believed that Mayor Giuliani would be able to pay such a high punitive amount,” Goodman said. He said the bankruptcy filing would give Giuliani “the opportunity and time to pursue an appeal, while providing transparency for his finances under the supervision of the bankruptcy court, to ensure all creditors are treated equally and fairly throughout the process.”

But declaring bankruptcy likely will not erase the $148 million in damages a jury awarded to the former Georgia election workers, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss. Bankruptcy law does not allow for the dissolution of debts that come from a “willful and malicious injury” inflicted on someone else.

Last week’s jury verdict was the latest and costliest sign of Giuliani’s mounting financial strain, exacerbated by investigations, lawsuits, fines, sanctions and damages related to his work helping then-President Donald Trump try to overturn the 2020 election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

In September, Giuliani’s former lawyer Robert Costello sued him for about $1.4 million in unpaid legal bills, alleging that Giuliani breached his retainer agreement by failing to pay invoices in full and a timely fashion. Giuliani has asked a judge to dismiss the case, claiming he never received the invoices at issue. The case is pending.

Costello represented Giuliani from November 2019 to this past July in matters ranging from an investigation into his business dealings in Ukraine, which resulted in an FBI raid on his home and office in April 2021, to state and federal investigations of his work in the wake of Trump’s 2020 election loss.

In August, the IRS filed a $549,435 tax lien against Giuliani for the 2021 tax year.

Copies were filed in Palm Beach County, Florida, where he owns a condominium, and New York, under the name of his outside accounting firm, Mazars USA LLP. That’s the same firm that Trump used for years before it dropped him as a client amid questions about his financial statements.

Giuliani, still somewhat popular among conservatives in the city he once ran, hosts a daily radio show in his hometown on a station owned by a local Republican grocery store magnate. Giuliani also hosts a nightly streaming show watched by a few hundred people on social media, which he calls “America’s Mayor Live.”

https://www.voanews.com/a/giuliani-files-for-bankruptcy-after-losing-148-million-defamation-case/7407576.html Save to Pocket

SCV Education Foundation Reflects on 2023

date: 2023-12-21, from: SCV New (TV Station)

As 2023 is coming to a close, I can’t help but reflect back on what a big year it has been for the Foundation

https://scvnews.com/scv-education-foundation-thanks-this-years-supporters/ Save to Pocket

2023: The Year Artificial Intelligence Broke Through

date: 2023-12-21, from: VOA News USA

From ChatGPT to the impacts of machine learning on the music and film industry, academia and politics, generative artificial intelligence dominated technology news in 2023. Deana Mitchell takes a look.

https://www.voanews.com/a/the-year-artificial-intelligence-broke-through/7396644.html Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2023-12-21, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

This is the time of year every day feels like Saturday.

http://scripting.com/2023/12/21.html#a190111 Save to Pocket

The 50 best TV shows of 2023, including Silo, Deadloch, Reservation Dogs,…

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/23/12/0043663-the-50-best-tv-shows Save to Pocket

Santa Barbara Pounded by Rain Amid Flash Flood Warning

date: 2023-12-21, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

Update: Mission Street and State Street underpasses and northbound Laguna Street off-ramp close as flooding begins along South Coast.

The post Santa Barbara Pounded by Rain Amid Flash Flood Warning appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2023/12/21/santa-barbara-pounded-by-rain-amid-flash-flood-warning/ Save to Pocket

404 Media Holiday Gift Guide: A Gift Subscription to 404 Media

date: 2023-12-21, from: 404 Media Group

The perfect gift: a subscription that supports independent digital journalism.

https://www.404media.co/404-media-gift-guide-a-gift-subscription-to-404-media/ Save to Pocket

Finding Salvation in Newark

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: One Foot Tsunami

https://onefoottsunami.com/2023/12/21/finding-salvation-in-newark/ Save to Pocket

Chinese Still Largest Group of Foreign Students in US

date: 2023-12-21, from: VOA News USA

Washington — Students from China retained their position in 2023 as the largest group of international students in the United States. Despite a slight dip, they are still the leading country of origin for foreign students pursuing an education in the U.S.

The State Department granted more than 600,000 international student visas in fiscal 2023, which ended in September, the highest issuance since fiscal 2017. Among these, 289,526 visas were awarded to Chinese students, a decrease of 560 students compared to the previous year, according to State Department data. 

In a November call with reporters about the agency’s 2023 visa operations, Julie Stufft, deputy assistant secretary for visa services in the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, said in fiscal 2024, they will be focusing on shortening wait times. 

“We’ve driven down wait times in all categories worldwide, except for one, and that category is first-time visitors,” she said wait times for the 20-plus different types of visa categories, including students, are almost non-existent.

As of December 4, the current wait times for student visa applicants from China vary at U.S. consulates across China from three to eight days.

For all other countries, Stufft said wait times have “gotten so low that we don’t necessarily have to track.” 

For those who have gone through the process, like Shawn Zhan, an international student from China, the visa process is complex and “a lot of paperwork,” he told VOA. 

“And just going through all the examinations, taking TOEFL, and also physical exams as well. Took a lot of vaccines. But I will say, it’s worth the trouble if you’re determined to come,” he said. The Test of English as a Foreign Language assesses the English language ability of a student who wants to enroll in an English-speaking university.

Zhan is in his last school year at the University of Maryland. He is graduating with a degree in economics and plans to stay in the U.S. for graduate school. 

“I’m going to continue in the business school program in MSBA, the Master of Science in Business Analytics, for one more year,” he said.

According to the Open Doors 2023 Report on International Educational Exchange, the total number of students from China has decreased in the last three years mostly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The 2022-2023 school year, with 289,526 Chinese students, is the lowest number since the 2013-2014 academic year when 274,439 Chinese students attended U.S. colleges and universities. The highest enrollment number for Chinese students was 372,532 in 2019-2020. 

“However, this year we did see some modest increases in graduate students, non-degree, and students on [Optional Practical Training],” said Mirka Martel, head of research, evaluation and learning at the Institute of International Education.

Optional Practical Training allows international students to temporarily work in a field related to their academic focus.

In an email to VOA, a State Department official said on background that they have seen a two-year rebound of all international students in the United States following the pandemic, with more than a 14% percent growth in new enrollments this past year.  

The official also said the U.S. government is “committed to facilitating legitimate travel to the United States while maintaining high national security standards.”

Zhan said his first impression of the United States was “actually pretty nice,” and he had a host family who welcomed him.  

“It definitely helped me a lot to adapt to the language, environment, and all that. … People are so nice,” he said.

https://www.voanews.com/a/chinese-still-largest-group-of-foreign-students-in-us/7407560.html Save to Pocket

Joanna Stern Interviews iPhone Passcode Thief in Prison

date: 2023-12-21, from: TidBITS blog

https://tidbits.com/2023/12/21/joanna-stern-interviews-iphone-passcode-thief-in-prison/ Save to Pocket

Santa Cross is coming to town

date: 2023-12-21, from: The Round Up (Peirce College Student Paper)

Sunshine, blue skies and warm weather accompanied this year’s SoCalCross Santa Cross Weekend on the Pierce campus, which took place Dec. 16-17.  Cyclocross races have

The post Santa Cross is coming to town appeared first on The Roundup.

https://theroundupnews.com/2023/12/21/santa-cross-is-coming-to-town/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=santa-cross-is-coming-to-town Save to Pocket

Writer’s Pick: Top 5 Games of the Year of 2023

date: 2023-12-21, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)

The landscape of video games in 2023 shows that the medium continues to evolve by presenting compelling stories, exciting and innovative gameplay experiences and, most importantly, a wide variety of games from nearly every genre. Photo courtesy of Steam 5. Hi-Fi Rush Tango Gameworks surprised everyone when it released “Hi-Fi Rush” the same day it…

https://sundial.csun.edu/177714/arts-entertainment/writers-pick-top-5-games-of-the-year-of-2023/ Save to Pocket

If FeedLand were from Disney

date: 2023-12-21, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News

A beautiful and weird visualization of FeedLand.

http://scripting.com/2023/12/21/183330.html?title=ifFeedlandWereFromDisney Save to Pocket

Archaeologists Criticize Alleged Discovery of the ‘Oldest Pyramid in the World’

date: 2023-12-21, from: Smithsonian Magazine

A controversial study arguing an Indonesian structure is 25,000 years old is under investigation by the journal that published it

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-criticize-alleged-discovery-of-the-oldest-pyramid-in-the-world-180983490/ Save to Pocket

Los Angeles Will Distribute 1,000 Laptops to Military Veterans

date: 2023-12-21, from: SCV New (TV Station)

The County is thrilled to announce the success of its Laptops for Veterans campaign, which is providing free laptops to military veterans this holiday season

https://scvnews.com/los-angeles-will-distribute-1000-laptops-to-military-veterans/ Save to Pocket

Giuliani files for bankruptcy after $148M judgment

date: 2023-12-21, from: San Jose Mercury News

The bankruptcy declaration is another setback for the former New York City mayor, federal prosecutor and one-time front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, all stemming from his time as Donald Trump’s attorney after the 2020 presidential election.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/12/21/giuliani-files-for-bankruptcy-after-148m-judgment/ Save to Pocket

Families of Americans Imprisoned Overseas Get Small Cause for Celebration

date: 2023-12-21, from: VOA News USA

Loved ones of Americans imprisoned overseas have a small reason to celebrate this holiday season. The U.S. Congress passed an annual spending measure to fund the Department of Defense, including special considerations for Americans wrongfully detained. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has the story. Camera: Saqib Ul Islam

https://www.voanews.com/a/families-of-americans-imprisoned-overseas-get-small-cause-for-celebration-/7407432.html Save to Pocket

‘Court got this wrong’: AG Bonta to appeal judge’s decision blocking California’s concealed carry law

date: 2023-12-21, from: San Jose Mercury News

The judge cited a recent landmark Supreme Court decision to justify blocking the sweeping California state law, which had been challenged by the California Rifle and Pistol Association and Gun Owners of America, among other plaintiffs.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/12/21/court-got-this-wrong-ag-bonta-to-appeal-judges-decision-blocking-californias-concealed-carry-law/ Save to Pocket

Santa Clarita Restaurant Week: A culinary journey for a cause

date: 2023-12-21, from: The Signal

News release   As the new year gets under way, residents are being invited to embark on a culinary adventure during the upcoming SCV Restaurant Week, taking place from Jan. 26 to Feb. 2.   This event not only introduces you to the diverse dining scene of Santa Clarita but also supports feedSCV, a local […]

The post Santa Clarita Restaurant Week: A culinary journey for a cause appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2023/12/santa-clarita-restaurant-week-a-culinary-journey-for-a-cause/ Save to Pocket

After the Jan 6 attack on Congress, a woman went on Bumble…

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/23/12/0043660-after-the-jan-6-attack Save to Pocket

U.S. Battery Production Is Going Great, Actually

date: 2023-12-21, from: Heatmap News

Back in April, the Environmental Protection Agency announced new vehicle emissions standards that seem poised to transform how our roads look. They’re so strict, according to NPR, that up to 67% of new vehicles sold in 2032 would have to be electric to meet them.

Immediately, it looked like that would be a problem. The Inflation Reduction Act stipulates that, in order to be eligible for tax credits, electric vehicle components — including, crucially, the batteries — can’t be made by a country on the U.S.’s “foreign entities of concern” list. That rules out batteries made in China, which is, unfortunately, the world’s leader in battery manufacturing. As my colleague Emily Pontecorvo recently pointed out, that can lead to situations where nobody knows exactly which EVs qualify for tax credits to begin with. Without an increase in American battery manufacturing, we run the risk of Americans being either unwilling or unable to pay for the EVs that we’d need to hit those EPA standards.

But a new analysis from the Environmental Defense Fund, provided exclusively to Heatmap, shows that things might actually be quite bright on that front. Battery manufacturers around the country — many of them automakers themselves — have announced over 1,000 gigawatt hours of U.S. battery production that’s slated to come online by 2028, far outpacing projected demand.

“A really large investment has been made in the U.S. for domestic battery manufacturing, and many of these [announcements] came before the EPA announced their standards,” Ellen Robo, the author of the report, told me. “This is a transition that is following market trends and is not necessarily being driven by EPA standards, so I think that shows that the EPA’s standards are feasible.”

These findings are in line with a recent report from RMI, which found that demand for EVs rose as battery technology improved, and that investments in battery factories outstrip investments in both solar and wind factories combined. Robo also points out that the announced production capacity line in the above chart will likely change; it usually takes about two years for a battery factory to go from announcement to production in the U.S., and Robo expects to see many more factories announced in the next few years, many of which could be churning out batteries by 2028. The caveat, of course, is that these are mostly just announcements; there could be delays or cancellations that change the timeline.

Still, this all bodes well for both automakers and customers. If automakers are able to source their critical minerals from places that aren’t foreign entities of concern — a requirement that kicks in for 2025 — the IRA tax credits will likely apply to their vehicles. Rather than us writing yet another story about the confusing state of EV tax credits a year from now, that means you could walk into a car dealership safe in the knowledge that you will get a hefty discount on the EV you’ve had your eye on.

But if you’re impatient, as Emily mentioned, you could always take advantage of the tax credit by leasing an EV in the meantime.

https://heatmap.news/electric-vehicles/us-ev-battery-production-demand Save to Pocket

Review: ACT’s long-running ‘Christmas Carol’ goes out with a bang, and a tear

date: 2023-12-21, from: San Jose Mercury News

The current production is as exciting and moving as ever; next year the company plans to unfold a new take on the same classic.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/12/21/review-acts-long-running-christmas-carol-goes-out-with-a-bang-and-a-tear/ Save to Pocket

Bay Area New Year’s Eve 2023: Here are 3 best bets for music fans on Dec. 31

date: 2023-12-21, from: San Jose Mercury News

Here’s how to get tickets to see Lee Fields in San Francisco, Big Head Todd and the Monsters in Menlo Park, Dresden Dolls in Berkeley.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/12/21/bay-area-new-years-eve-2023-here-are-3-best-bets-for-music-fans-on-dec-31/ Save to Pocket

ChatGPT is my CSS advisor

date: 2023-12-21, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News

People who don’t program must not have any idea how much of a boon ChatGPT is to us programmers.

I am doing CSS coding far in advance of my previous capability. When I know something is possible, but I haven’t the slightest idea how to specify it, I just ask, in my own words.

For example, a very common thing to want to do is to put a : after the text in the first column every row of a table.

So I asked ChatGPT how to do it, in English, as I did above. This is what it came up with:

• tr td:first-child::after {content: “:”;}

When you see it like that you can almost figure out what’s going on if you squint and close one eye.

And it works. I literally shrieked when it did.

Now I am the boss of CSS..

Nice.

http://scripting.com/2023/12/21/175650.html?title=chatgptIsMyCssAdvisor Save to Pocket

New FAFSA: What parents of college students need to know

date: 2023-12-21, from: San Jose Mercury News

The new 2024-25 FAFSA will have a greater impact on divorced parents, undocumented parents and those with multiple kids in school.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/12/21/new-fafsa-what-parents-of-college-students-need-to-know/ Save to Pocket

András Schiff at 70

date: 2023-12-21, from: Logic Matters blog

András Schiff is seventy today. Here he is a decade ago, playing Bach’s Italian Concerto, with total mastery but also that evident enjoyment which conveys so much to his listeners. Twelve minutes of musical joy!

The post András Schiff at 70 appeared first on Logic Matters.

https://www.logicmatters.net/2023/12/21/andras-schiff-at-70/ Save to Pocket

Three-bedroom home in Saratoga sells for $4.2 million

date: 2023-12-21, from: San Jose Mercury News

A spacious house located in the 20100 block of Chateau Drive in Saratoga has new owners. The 2,662-square-foot property, built in 1955, was sold on Dec. 1, 2023. The $4,210,000 purchase price works out to $1,582 per square foot.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/12/21/three-bedroom-home-in-saratoga-sells-for-4-2-million/ Save to Pocket

A holiday wish

date: 2023-12-21, from: Robert Reich on Substack

With thanks to you for joining me

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/holiday-thought Save to Pocket

Flash Flood Warning Issued for Southern and Central Santa Barbara County

date: 2023-12-21, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

Flash flooding is expected along the South Coast and in the Santa Ynez Valley through 4 p.m. this Thursday.

The post Flash Flood Warning Issued for Southern and Central Santa Barbara County appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2023/12/21/flash-flood-warning-issued-for-southern-santa-barbara-county/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2023-12-21, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

Accelerometer Experiments Clarify Einstein’s Gravity Theory.

https://davidlevitt.medium.com/accelerometer-experiments-clarify-einsteins-gravity-theory-9b57e50499e3 Save to Pocket

Substack explains why they are paying Nazis to publish on their platform….

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/23/12/0043664-substack-explains-why-the Save to Pocket

Three big Menlo Park towers are now eyed at ex-Sunset Magazine campus

date: 2023-12-21, from: San Jose Mercury News

Three massive towers could soar skyward above a quiet Menlo Park neighborhood on the former Sunset Magazine site.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/12/21/menlo-park-tower-house-home-office-hotel-store-sunset-build-buy-russia/ Save to Pocket

AOKZOE A2 handheld gaming PC hits Indiegogo for $599 and up

date: 2023-12-21, from: Liliputing

The AOKZOE A2 handheld gaming PC features a 7 inch, 1920 x 1200 pixel IPS LCD display, hall-effect joysticks and shoulder triggers, and RGB backlighting beneath the game controllers. While AOKZOE has been promoting the handheld since June as a Ryzen 7 7840U-powered system, now that it’s up for pre-order through an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, […]

The post AOKZOE A2 handheld gaming PC hits Indiegogo for $599 and up appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/aokzoe-a2-handheld-gaming-pc-hits-indiegogo-for-599-and-up/ Save to Pocket

Pollution rankings: How does Los Angeles compare to other cities in pollution?

date: 2023-12-21, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)

Los Angeles is famous for its beaches and celebrities. Still, a common concern among Angelenos is its notoriety for poor air quality, which goes hand in hand with the city’s subtropical climate. In two air quality reports provided by the American Lung Association, 40% of Americans live in areas that have unhealthy pollution levels, while…

https://sundial.csun.edu/177560/print-editions/print-stories/pollution-rankings-how-does-los-angeles-compare-to-other-cities-in-pollution/ Save to Pocket

Go 1.22: Interactive release notes

date: 2023-12-21, from: Anton Zhiyanov blog

Isolated loop variables, range over integers, math/rand v2 and enhanced routing.

https://antonz.org/go-1-22/ Save to Pocket

“Nuts” Redux

date: 2023-12-21, from: National Archives, Text Message blog

By late December 1960 and early January 1961, the last 30 days of the Eisenhower presidency, the U.S. relationship with Fidel Castro-led Cuba had deteriorated to the point where formal relations were about to be severed.  On December 31, 1960, the U.S. embassy in Havana reported that the Cuban “revolutionary press” was carrying stories that … Continue reading “Nuts” Redux

https://text-message.blogs.archives.gov/2023/12/21/nuts-redux/ Save to Pocket

Top US, Chinese Generals Speak for First Time in Over a Year

date: 2023-12-21, from: VOA News USA

https://www.voanews.com/a/top-us-chinese-generals-speak-for-first-time-in-over-a-year/7407280.html Save to Pocket

Kennedy Space Center Looks Ahead to a Busy Year in 2024

date: 2023-12-21, from: NASA breaking news

Another jam-packed year is in store for NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as the momentum of a busy 2023 is carried forward into the new year. On the horizon are missions to the Moon, more crew and cargo flights to the International Space Station, and several upgrade projects across the spaceport. NASA’s first CLPS […]

https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/kennedy/kennedy-space-center-looks-ahead-busy-2024/ Save to Pocket

Hundreds of Volunteers Get White House Ready for Christmas

date: 2023-12-21, from: VOA News USA

300 people from across the country spend up to a week decorating the presidential mansion for the holidays

https://www.voanews.com/a/hundreds-of-volunteers-get-white-house-ready-for-christmas-/7393548.html Save to Pocket

Rob Bateman and his journey to resurrect Flash content on today’s web

date: 2023-12-21, from: Chris Heilmann

Flash has been a boon to the web and the bane of my work as a web standards advocate. Now defunct, it is great that people work on converting old content. I’ve been talking to Rob Bateman about his work on converting Flash games to run on today’s web in an edition of Coffee With […]

https://christianheilmann.com/2023/12/21/rob-bateman-and-his-journey-to-resurrect-flash-content-on-todays-web/ Save to Pocket

Bay Area rainfall chart: Totals for this week’s storms

date: 2023-12-21, from: San Jose Mercury News

The highest four-day reading was 7.13 inches, at the Santa Cruz Mountains’ Empire Grade.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/12/21/bay-area-rainfall-chart-totals-for-this-weeks-storms/ Save to Pocket

Pixelmator Pro 3.5.2

date: 2023-12-21, from: TidBITS blog

https://tidbits.com/watchlist/pixelmator-pro-3-5-2/ Save to Pocket

Going the Extra 500 miles for Alaskan River Ice

date: 2023-12-21, from: NASA breaking news

Teachers and students in remote Alaskan villages have become vital NASA climate researchers. These special volunteers are so important that last year, climate scientists took an epic 550 mile snowmobile journey to collaborate with them! You can learn all about it in a new video from the Fresh Eyes on Ice project. The researchers stopped at several remote […]

https://science.nasa.gov/get-involved/citizen-science/going-the-extra-500-miles-for-alaskan-river-ice/ Save to Pocket

Investigative reporting will experiment with new forms

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism found recently that more people turn to social media platforms for news than news websites. For many journalists, this sounds like yet another dire blow to the industry. But it could also be an opportunity — if we take it. For me, investigative reporting serves the highest…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/investigative-reporting-will-experiment-with-new-forms/ Save to Pocket

Larry Magid: Meta, Ray-Ban release second-generation smart glasses

date: 2023-12-21, from: San Jose Mercury News

Although there is room for improvement, important advancements have been made

https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/12/21/larry-magid-meta-ray-ban-release-second-generation-smart-glasses/ Save to Pocket

Experts — not influencers — will cover more Black news

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

Tory Lanez shot Megan thee Stallion. That is a fact. He was found guilty of this crime and is serving a ten-year sentence in California. That is also a fact. But the road to this verdict and the unveiling of these facts was filled with misinformation and misogynoir from media bloggers who’ve cosplayed as journalists…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/experts-not-influencers-will-cover-more-black-news/ Save to Pocket

The rise of civic dialogue in news

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

News fatigue is real. There’s pressure to integrate emerging technologies, such as AI, into newsgathering, and to reverse the impacts of shifting social media algorithms to keep audiences engaged. News leaders spend countless hours redefining their digital strategies to beat the noise that misinformation and constant algorithmic changes bring. The business of media — the…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/the-rise-of-civic-dialogue-in-newsrooms/ Save to Pocket

Journalists will look for answers outside the news industry

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

For years, the word innovation has been used so loosely within news circles that it prompts the question, “Have we really tried to be as innovative as we could be?” I’m talking about innovation in not just the tech or AI or financial areas, but also innovation in how newsrooms approach topics and storytelling. I…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/journalists-will-look-for-answers-outside-the-news-industry/ Save to Pocket

Two men wounded in Oakland shootings

date: 2023-12-21, from: San Jose Mercury News

Two men were shot early Thursday in different areas of Oakland.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/12/21/two-men-wounded-in-oakland-shootings-11/ Save to Pocket

Journalism investment comes to Los Angeles

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

There are almost 10 million people in Los Angeles County — the most populous county in the United States. But unlike in other major metro areas of the U.S., a serious investment in local news from funders and policymakers has yet to materialize in L.A. The next decade in Los Angeles needs not only more…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/journalism-investment-comes-to-los-angeles/ Save to Pocket

News organizations will support product leadership

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

News product management is no longer niche. Over the past three years, organizations of all sizes have adopted methodologies from the tech industry by establishing product roles and teams, and the News Product Alliance’s community has grown to more than 3,000 members. By participating in training courses and engaging with a like-minded community of change…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/news-organizations-will-support-product-leadership/ Save to Pocket

A local way to think about funding local news

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

Local philanthropists and news leaders have pioneered a concept known as the Community News Fund (CNF), raising tens of millions of dollars for local news and inspiring a wave of others to jump in. The concept is simple yet effective, often starting as a partnership between a community foundation and a local newsroom to establish…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/a-grassroots-funding-model-supports-healthier-local-news-ecosystems/ Save to Pocket

User-centric editorial models embrace empathy and scale

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

The generalist times in the media are over. Differentiation is the name of the game; “riches in niches” is the often-used motto. Digital success comes to those operating between the axes of quality and focus — if you don’t, you are either not distinctive enough or are not producing the best content in your chosen…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/user-centric-editorial-models-embrace-empathy-and-scale/ Save to Pocket

Zoom 5.17

date: 2023-12-21, from: TidBITS blog

https://tidbits.com/watchlist/zoom-5-17/ Save to Pocket

Goodbye Windows Mixed Reality, we hardly knew Microsoft’s VR software

date: 2023-12-21, from: Liliputing

Like many companies, Microsoft made a big bet on virtual & augmented reality a few years back. But it looks like the company has decided that bet hasn’t really paid off. Windows Mixed Reality has been added to Microsoft’s list of deprecated features, and it will be removed from Windows altogether in an upcoming release. […]

The post Goodbye Windows Mixed Reality, we hardly knew Microsoft’s VR software appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/goodbye-windows-mixed-reality-we-hardly-knew-microsofts-vr-software/ Save to Pocket

Everyone gets an AI agent

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

In the near future, every content consumer, creator, and newsroom will have an AI agent that works for them. This will change the way we find and interact with information, and therefore how we publish and monetize it. An agent is a software program that acts on behalf of a person or a party. The…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/everyone-gets-an-ai-agent/ Save to Pocket

The obsession with “trust” will end

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

My prediction for 2024 is that journalists will realize that “trust” is a useless metric of their work. Okay, I’m kidding. I have no expectation that the news media will cease its pointless obsession with trust surveys. It’s not only a distraction but actually harmful. As Nobel Prize winner Maria Ressa has pointed out, authoritarian…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/the-obsession-with-trust-will-end/ Save to Pocket

Mellel 6.0

date: 2023-12-21, from: TidBITS blog

https://tidbits.com/watchlist/mellel-6-0/ Save to Pocket

Channels change the publishing game on WhatsApp

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

When I started thinking about WhatsApp strategy for publishers years ago, communication on the platform was largely limited to groups of 256 participants. A handful of services allowed users to send messages to larger groups, but they operated in gray areas of the platform’s T&Cs — until they didn’t. WhatsApp Channels, which can be used…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/channels-change-the-publishing-game-on-whatsapp/ Save to Pocket

We’ll move beyond “en Español” to reach Hispanic and Latino audiences

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

In 2024, Hispanic and Latino audiences will play a crucial role in shaping a new business strategy in U.S. media. The opportunity is here because of the continued growth in population and economic power in the sector, their potential impact on the upcoming presidential election, and the promise that digital tools like generative AI present…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/well-move-beyond-en-espanol-to-reach-hispanic-and-latino-audiences/ Save to Pocket

Wanna be a homeowner? It’ll cost ya.

date: 2023-12-21, from: Marketplace Morning Report

The costs that go with owning a home — including mortgage payments, insurance and taxes — now eat up about 34% of the average wage nationwide, according to a report out today. That’s more than many lenders advise and comes as a wave of millennials and Gen Zers look toward homeownership. Also on the show: Apple watches, consumer confidence, and Turkey’s painfully interest rates.

https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/wanna-be-a-homeowner-itll-cost-ya Save to Pocket

‘No Laughing Matter:’ Clowns Sue Clowns.com for Wage Theft

date: 2023-12-21, from: 404 Media Group

Former employees of the party entertainer company say they are victims of stolen wages and misclassification. The federal lawsuit details claims of QAnon conspiracy theorist bosses and retaliation for discussing allegedly illegal practices with colleagues.

https://www.404media.co/clowns-sue-clowns-com-for-wage-theft/ Save to Pocket

Scientists and Students Discuss the Future of Space Research at ASGSR Annual Conference

date: 2023-12-21, from: NASA breaking news

The American Society for Gravitational and Space Research’s (ASGSR) annual meeting brought together over 850 scientists, engineers, educators, and students from around the world to share their latest findings on microgravity research and discuss the future of space exploration. ASGSR stands at the forefront for fostering groundbreaking research and highlighting the cutting-edge science happening now […]

https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/biological-physical-sciences/asgsr-2023-annual-conference/ Save to Pocket

NASA’s Hubble Watches ‘Spoke Season’ on Saturn

date: 2023-12-21, from: NASA breaking news

This photo of Saturn was taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope on October 22, 2023, when the ringed planet was approximately 850 million miles from Earth. Hubble’s ultra-sharp vision reveals a phenomenon called ring spokes. Saturn’s spokes are transient features that rotate along with the rings. Their ghostly appearance only persists for two or three […]

https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/nasas-hubble-watches-spoke-season-on-saturn/ Save to Pocket

NASA Stennis Internship Brings Aerospace Industry to Life

date: 2023-12-21, from: NASA breaking news

A first-generation student from North Carolina will return to school in January feeling more motivated and better connected to her future thanks to time invested as a NASA Pathways Intern at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Raquel Cervantes Espinosa, the first member of her family to attend college and a rising […]

https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/stennis/nasa-stennis-internship-brings-aerospace-industry-to-life/ Save to Pocket

Run a Node project with Deno and win prizes in the #NodeToDenoChallenge

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: Deno blog

We’ve made a ton of improvements to our Node and npm compatibility this past year. Here’s a chance for you to experience those improvements and win some prizes.

https://deno.com/blog/node-to-deno-challenge Save to Pocket

The Best Film Scores & Soundtracks of 2023, including those for The…

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/23/12/0043662-the-best-film-scores Save to Pocket

Ron Perry | Noble Lies and Religion

date: 2023-12-21, from: The Signal

It is so interesting that on some issues we all see things somewhat the same but not completely the same. Take for instance Pastor David Hegg’s article (Dec. 15.) about “Noble Lies Aren’t Noble.” Please understand that I believe Pastor Hegg to be a good person. I am not calling him a liar because I […]

The post Ron Perry | Noble Lies and Religion appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2023/12/ron-perry-noble-lies-and-religion/ Save to Pocket

Bill Lyons | You Missed a Key Name: Beethoven

date: 2023-12-21, from: The Signal

For years I have enjoyed your list of birthdays in the Today in History column. But, I’ve always thought it was long on obscure actors and singers, but short on people of consequence. Today, Dec. 16, is a case in point. You list Theo James, an obscure actor whose recent credits include the movie “Dual,” […]

The post Bill Lyons | You Missed a Key Name: Beethoven appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2023/12/bill-lyons-you-missed-a-key-name-beethoven/ Save to Pocket

Four in five Apache Struts 2 downloads are for versions featuring critical flaw

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Seriously, people - please check the stuff you fetch more carefully

Security vendor Sonatype believes developers are failing to address the critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability in the Apache Struts 2 framework, based on recent downloads of the code.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/12/21/apache_struts_vulnerable_downloads/ Save to Pocket

Pluralistic: A year in illustration, 2023 edition (21 Dec 2023)

date: 2023-12-21, from: Cory Doctorow’s blog

Today’s links A year in illustration, 2023 edition: I amuse myself, at least. Hey look at this: Delights to delectate. This day in history: 2013, 2018, 2022 Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading A year in illustration, 2023 edition (permalink) I am objectively very bad at visual art. I am bad at vision, period – I’m astigmatic, shortsighted, color blind, and often miss visual details others see. I can’t even draw a stick-figure. To top things off, I have cataracts in both eyes and my book publishing/touring schedule is so intense that I keep having to reschedule the surgeries. But despite my vast visual deficits, I thoroughly enjoy making collages for this blog. For many years now – decades – I’ve been illustrating my blog posts by mixing public domain and Creative Commons art with work that I can make a good fair use case for. As bad as art as I may be, all this practice has paid off. Call it unseemly, but I think I’m turning out some terrific illustrations – not all the time, but often enough. Last year, I rounded up my best art of the year: https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/25/a-year-in-illustration/ And I liked reflecting on the year’s art so much, I decided I’d do it again. Be sure to scroll to the bottom for some downloadables – freely usable images that I painstakingly cut up with the lasso tool in The Gimp. The original AD&D hardcover cover art is seared into my psyche. For several years, there were few images I looked at so closely as these. When Hasbro pulled some world-beatingly sleazy stuff with the Open Gaming License, I knew just how to mod Dave Trampier’s ‘Eve Of Moloch’ from the cover of the Players’ Handbook. Thankfully, bigger nerds than me have identified all the fonts in the image, making the remix a doddle. https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/12/beg-forgiveness-ask-permission/#whats-a-copyright-exception Even though I don’t keep logs or collect any analytics, I can say with confidence that “Tiktok’s Enshittification” was the most popular thing I published on Pluralistic this year. I mixed some public domain Brother’s Grimm art, mixed with a classic caricature of Boss Tweed, and some very cheesy royalty-free/open access influencer graphics. One gingerbread cottage social media trap, coming up: https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys To illustrate the idea of overcoming walking-the-plank fear (as a metaphor for writing when it feels like you suck) I mixed public domain stock of a plank, a high building and legs, along with a procedurally generated Matrix “code waterfall” and a vertiginous spiral ganked from a Heinz Bunse photo of a German office lobby. https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/22/walking-the-plank/ Finding a tasteful way to illustrate a story about Johnson & Johnson losing a court case after it spent a generation tricking women into dusting their vulvas with asbestos-tainted talcum was a challenge. The tulip (featured in many public domain images) was a natural starting point. I mixed it with Jesse Wagstaff’s image of a Burning Man dust-storm and Mike Mozart’s shelf-shot of a J&J talcum bottle. https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/01/j-and-j-jk/#risible-gambit “Google’s Chatbot Panic” is about Google’s long history of being stampeded into doing stupid things because its competitors are doing them. Once it was Yahoo, now it’s Bing. Tenniel’s Tweedle Dee and Dum were a good starting point. I mixed in one of several Humpty Dumpty editorial cartoon images from 19th century political coverage that I painstakingly cut out with the lasso tool on a long plane-ride. This is one of my favorite Humpties, I just love the little 19th C businessmen trying to keep him from falling! I finished it off with HAL 9000’s glowing red eye, my standard ‘this is about AI’ image, which I got from Cryteria’s CC-licensed SVG. https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/16/tweedledumber/#easily-spooked Though I started writing about Luddites in my January, 2022 Locus column, 2023 was the Year of the Luddite, thanks to Brian Merchant’s outstanding Blood In the Machine: https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/26/enochs-hammer/#thats-fronkonsteen When it came time to illustrate “Gig Work Is the Opposite of Steampunk,” I found a public domain weaver’s loft, and put one of Cryteria’s HAL9000 eyes in the window. Magpie Killjoy’s Steampunk Magazine poster, ‘Love the Machine, Hate the Factory,’ completed the look. https://pluralistic.net/2023/03/12/gig-work-is-the-opposite-of-steampunk/ For the “small, non-profit school” that got used as an excuse to bail out Silicon Valley Bank, I brought back Humpty Dumpty, mixing him with a Hogwartsian castle, a brick wall texture, and an ornate, gilded frame. I love how this one came out. This Humpty was made for the SVB bailout. https://pluralistic.net/2023/03/23/small-nonprofit-school/#north-country-school The RESTRICT Act would have federally banned Tiktok – a proposal that was both technically unworkable and unconstitutional. I found an early 20th century editorial cartoon depicting Uncle Sam behind a fortress wall that was keeping a downtrodden refugee family out of America. I got rid of most of the family, giving the dad a Tiktok logo head, and I put Cryteria’s HAL9000 eyes over each cannonmouth. Three Boss Tweed moneybag-head caricatures, adorned with Big Tech logos, rounded it out. https://pluralistic.net/2023/03/30/tik-tok-tow/#good-politics-for-electoral-victories When Flickr took decisive action to purge the copyleft trolls who’d been abusing its platform, I knew I wanted to illustrate this with Lucifer being cast out of heaven, and the very best one of those comes from John Milton, who is conveniently well in the public domain. The Flickr logo suggested a bicolored streaming-light-of-heaven motif that just made it. https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/01/pixsynnussija/#pilkunnussija Old mainframe ads are a great source of stock for a “Computer Says No” image. And Congress being a public building, there are lots of federal (and hence public domain) images of its facade. https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/04/cbo-says-no/#wealth-tax When I wrote about the Clarence Thomas/Harlan Crow bribery scandal, it was easy to find Mr. Kjetil Ree’s great image of the Supreme Court building. Thomas being a federal judge, it was easy to find a government photo of his head, but it’s impossible to find an image of him in robes at a decent resolution. Luckily, there are tons of other federal judges who’ve been photographed in their robes! Boss Tweed with the dollar-sign head was a great stand-in for Harlan Crow (no one knows what he looks like anyway). Gilding Thomas’s robes was a simple matter of superimposing a gold texture and twiddling with the layers. https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/06/clarence-thomas/#harlan-crow “Gig apps trap reverse centaurs in wage-stealing Skinner boxes” is one of my best titles. This is the post where I introduce the idea of “twiddling” as part of the theory of enshittification, and explain how it relates to “reverse centaurs” – people who assist machines, rather than the other way around. Finding a CC licensed modular synth was much harder than I thought, but I found Stephen Drake’s image and stitched it into a mandala. Cutting out the horse’s head for the reverse centaur was a lot of work (manes are a huuuuge pain in the ass), but I love how his head sits on the public domain high-viz-wearing warehouse worker’s body I cut up (thanks, OSHA!). Seeing as this is an horrors-of-automation story, Cryteria’s HAL9000 eyes make an appearance. https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/12/algorithmic-wage-discrimination/#fishers-of-men Rockefeller’s greatest contribution to our culture was inspiring many excellent unflattering caricatures. The IWW’s many-fists-turning-into-one-fist image made it easy to have the collective might of workers toppling the original robber-baron. https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/14/aiming-at-dollars/#not-men I link to this post explaining how to make good Mastodon threads at least once a week, so it’s a good thing the graphic turned out so well. Close-cropping the threads from a public domain yarn tangle worked out great. Eugen Rochko’s Mastodon logo was and is the only Affero-licensed image ever to appear on Pluralistic. https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/16/how-to-make-the-least-worst-mastodon-threads/ I spent hours on the sofa one night painstakingly cutting up and reassembling the cover art from a science fiction pulp. I have a folder full of color-corrected, high-rez scans from an 18th century anatomy textbook, and the cross-section head-and-brain is the best of the lot. https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/04/analytical-democratic-theory/#epistocratic-delusions Those old French anatomical drawings are an endless source of delight to me. Take one cross-sectioned noggin, mix in an old PC mainboard, and a vector art illo of a virtuous cycle with some of Cryteria’s HAL9000 eyes and you’ve got a great illustration of Google’s brain-worms. https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/14/googles-ai-hype-circle/ Ireland’s privacy regulator is but a plaything in Big Tech’s hand, but it’s goddamned hard to find an open-access Garda car. I manually dressed some public domain car art in Garda livery, painstakingly tracing it over the panels. The (public domain) baby’s knit cap really hides the seams from replacing the baby’s head with HAL9000’s eye. https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/15/finnegans-snooze/#dirty-old-town Naked-guy-in-a-barrel bankruptcy images feel like something you can find in an old Collier’s or Punch, but I came up snake-eyes and ended up frankensteining a naked body into a barrel for the George Washington crest on the Washington State flag. It came out well, but harvesting the body parts from old muscle-beach photos left George with some really big guns. I tried five different pairs of suspenders here before just drawing in black polyhedrons with little grey dots for rivets. https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/03/when-the-tide-goes-out/#passive-income Illustrating Amazon’s dominance over the EU coulda been easy – just stick Amazon ‘A’s in place of the yellow stars that form a ring on the EU flag. So I decided to riff on Plutarch’s Alexander, out of lands to conquer. Rama’s statue legs were nice and high-rez. I had my choice of public domain ruin images, though it was harder thank expected to find a good Amazon box as a plinth for those broken-off legs. https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/14/flywheel-shyster-and-flywheel/#unfulfilled-by-amazon God help me, I could not stop playing with this image of a demon-haunted IoT car. All those reflections! The knife sticking out of the steering wheel, the multiple Munsch ’Scream’ers, etc etc. The more I patchked with it, the better it got, though. This one’s a banger. https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/24/rent-to-pwn/#kitt-is-a-demon To depict a “data-driven dictatorship,” I ganked elements of heavily beribboned Russian military dress uniforms, replacing the head with HAL9000’s eye. I turned the foreground into the crowds from the Nuremberg rallies and filled the sky with Matrix code waterfall. https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/26/dictators-dilemma/#garbage-in-garbage-out-garbage-back-in The best thing about analogizing DRM to demonic possession is the wealth of medieval artwork to choose from . This one comes from the 11th century ’Compendium rarissimum totius Artis Magicae sistematisatae per celeberrimos Artis hujus Magistros.’ I mixed in the shiny red Tesla (working those reflections!), and a Tesla charger to make my point. https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/28/edison-not-tesla/#demon-haunted-world Yet more dividends from those old French anatomical plates: a flayed skull, a detached jaw, a quack electronic gadget, a Wachowski code waterfall and some HAL 9000 eyes and you’ve got a truly unsettling image of machine-compelled speech. https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/02/self-incrimination/#wei-bai-bai I had no idea this would work out so well, but daaaamn, crossfading between a Wachowski code waterfall and a motherboard behind a roiling thundercloud is dank af. https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/03/there-is-no-cloud/#only-other-peoples-computers Of all the turkeys-voting-for-Christmas self-owns conservative culture warriors fall for, few can rival the “banning junk fees is woke” hustle. Slap a US-flag Punisher logo on and old-time card imprinter, add a GOP logo to a red credit-card blank, and then throw in a rustic barn countertop and you’ve got a junk-fee extracter fit for the Cracker Barrel. https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/04/owning-the-libs/#swiper-no-swiping Putting the Verizon logo on the Hinderberg was an obvious gambit (even if I did have to mess with the flames a lot), but the cutout of Paul Marcarelli as the ‘can you hear me now?’ guy, desaturated and contrast-matched, made it sing. https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/10/smartest-guys-in-the-room/#can-you-hear-me-now Note to self: Tux the Penguin is really easy to source in free/open formats! He looks great with HAL9000 eyes. https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/18/openwashing/#you-keep-using-that-word-i-do-not-think-it-means-what-you-think-it-means Rockwell’s self-portrait image is a classic; that made it a natural for a HAL9000-style remix about AI art. I put a bunch of time into chopping and remixing Rockwell’s signature to give it that AI look, and added as many fingers as would fit on each hand. https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/20/everything-made-by-an-ai-is-in-the-public-domain/ The West Midlands Police were kind enough to upload a high-rez of their surveillance camera control room to Flickr under a CC license (they’ve since deleted it), and it was the perfect frame for dozens of repeating clown images with HAL9000 red noses. This worked out great. The clown face is from a 1940s ad for novelty masks. https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/23/automation-blindness/#humans-in-the-loop I spent an absurd amount of time transforming a photo I took of three pinball machines into union-busting themed tables, pulling in a bunch of images from old Soviet propaganda art. An editorial cartoon of Teddy Roosevelt with his big stick takes center stage, while a NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo’s official portrait presides over the scene. I hand-made the eight-segment TILT displays. https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/06/goons-ginks-and-company-finks/#if-blood-be-the-price-of-your-cursed-wealth Working with the highest-possible rez sources makes all the difference in the world. Syvwlch’s extremely high-rez paint-scraper is a gift to people writing about web-scraping, and the Matrix code waterfall mapped onto it like butter. https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/17/how-to-think-about-scraping/ This old TWA ad depicting a young man eagerly pitching an older man has incredible body-language – so much so that when I replaced their heads with raw meat, the intent and character remained intact. I often struggle for background to put behind images like this, but high-rez currency imagery, with the blown up intaglio, crushes it. https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/04/dont-let-your-meat-loaf/#meaty-beaty-big-and-bouncy I transposed Photoshop instructions for turning a face into a zombie into Gimp instructions to make Zombie Uncle Sam. The guy looking at his watch kills me. He’s from an old magazine illustration about radio broadcasting. What a face! https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/18/the-people-no/#tell-ya-what-i-want-what-i-really-really-want The mansplaining guy from the TWA ad is back, but this time he’s telling a whopper. It took so much work to give him that Pinnocchio nose. Clearly, he’s lying about capitalism, hence the Atlas Shrugged cover. Bosch’s “Garden of Earthly Delights” makes for an excellent, public domain hellscape fit for a nonconensual pitch about the miracle of capitalism. https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/27/six-sells/#youre-holding-it-wrong There’s no better image for stories about techbros scamming rubes than Bosch’s ‘The Conjurer.’ Throw in Jeff Bezos’s head and an Amazon logo and you’re off to the races. I boobytrapped this image by adding as many fingers as I could fit onto each of these figures in the hopes that someone could falsely accuse me of AI-generating this. No one did. https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/06/attention-rents/#consumer-welfare-queens Once again, it’s Bosch to the rescue. Slap a different smiley-face emoji on each of the tormented figures in ‘Garden of Earthly Delights’ and you’ve got a perfect metaphor for the ‘brand safety’ problem of hard news dying online because brands don’t want to be associated with unpleasant things, and the news is very unpleasant indeed. https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/11/ad-jacency/#brand-safety I really struggle to come up with images for my linkdump posts. I’m running out of ways to illustrate assortments and varieties. I got to noodling with a Kellogg’s mini-cereal variety pack and I realized it was the perfect place for a vicious gorilla image I’d just found online in a WWI propaganda poster headed ‘Destroy This Mad Brute.’ I put so many fake AI tells in this one – extra pupils, extra fingers, a super-AI-esque Kellogg’s logo. https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/05/variegated/#nein Bloodletting is the perfect metaphor for using rate-hikes to fight inflation. A vintage image of the Treasury, spattered with blood, makes a great backdrop. For the foreground, a medieval woodcut of bloodletting quacks – give one the head of Larry Summers, the other, Jerome Powell. For the patient, use Uncle Sam’s head. https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/20/bloodletting/#inflated-ego I killed a long videoconference call slicing up an old pulp cover showing a killer robot zapping a couple of shrunken people in bell-jars. It was the ideal image to illustrate Big Tech’s enshittification, especially when it was decorated with some classic tech slogans. https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/22/who-wins-the-argument/#corporations-are-people-my-friend There’s something meditative about manually cutting out Tenniel engravings from Alice – the Jabberwock was insane. But it was worth it for this Tron-inflected illustration using a distorted Cartesian grid to display the enormous difference between e/acc and AI doomers, and everyone else in the world. https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/27/10-types-of-people/#taking-up-a-lot-of-space Multilayer source images for your remixing pleasure: Scientist in chemlab

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/21/collages-r-us/ Save to Pocket

Podcast: These Companies Say They’re Using Microphone Audio to Target Ads

date: 2023-12-21, from: 404 Media Group

On this week’s episode we discuss how marketers might actually be listening to conversations through smart devices. Here’s everything we know.

https://www.404media.co/404-media-podcast-week-18-mindsift-cmg-microphone-ads/ Save to Pocket

‘It’s possible to win’: Taitano seeks Greatest Baker title

date: 2023-12-21, from: Guam Daily Post

Another baker with Guam roots has entered the challenge of The Greatest Baker competition presented this year by famous cake baker Buddy Valastro.

https://www.postguam.com/island_life/it-s-possible-to-win-taitano-seeks-greatest-baker-title/article_5910bc72-9f87-11ee-9659-c7d3f243551d.html Save to Pocket

Teen in custody in alleged threat to school

date: 2023-12-21, from: Guam Daily Post

A 14-year-old male minor was taken into custody in connection to a social media threat allegedly made to Harvest Christian Academy last month.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/teen-in-custody-in-alleged-threat-to-school/article_681ae7e4-9fa8-11ee-83c9-4fddc9d2a304.html Save to Pocket

Defendant denies new charges in homicide

date: 2023-12-21, from: Guam Daily Post

Jordan Michael Babauta pleaded not guilty to charges related to the slaying of Jason Susuico.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/defendant-denies-new-charges-in-homicide/article_39380c66-9ee2-11ee-a6b2-9f645904189b.html Save to Pocket

GDOE: Teacher of the Year nominations being accepted

date: 2023-12-21, from: Guam Daily Post

The Guam Department of Education is seeking nominations for the 2025 Teacher of the Year award, the department announced in a press release.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/gdoe-teacher-of-the-year-nominations-being-accepted/article_72b17626-9f91-11ee-92fc-272af1bac046.html Save to Pocket

Rapist, burglar gets 16 years

date: 2023-12-21, from: Guam Daily Post

A man will spend 16 years in prison for burglarizing a woman’s home and raping her while holding a pair of scissors against her.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/rapist-burglar-gets-16-years/article_836c6668-9f9d-11ee-9965-4f906337a4eb.html Save to Pocket

Federal elections official visits Guam Election Commission

date: 2023-12-21, from: Guam Daily Post

Thomas Hicks, a commissioner with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, has been on Guam making observations and speaking to officials about election matters.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/federal-elections-official-visits-guam-election-commission/article_c113fe74-9faa-11ee-bee3-abf6fa0abf11.html Save to Pocket

Man is accused of attempted murder in Humåtak shooting

date: 2023-12-21, from: Guam Daily Post

A man who turned himself in to police on Wednesday morning was arrested and has been charged with attempted murder.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/man-is-accused-of-attempted-murder-in-hum-tak-shooting/article_a04aee26-9fac-11ee-b651-ff9202cad637.html Save to Pocket

Behavioral Health: Designated driver holiday program launched

date: 2023-12-21, from: Guam Daily Post

Revelers who decide to imbibe can enjoy the holiday season without worrying about getting pulled over, with a little help from the Safe Drive Home program.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/behavioral-health-designated-driver-holiday-program-launched/article_1a79ee4e-9fa4-11ee-8903-c7139ecdf483.html Save to Pocket

Public auditor finds issues with GPA, GWA, GVB credit card use

date: 2023-12-21, from: Guam Daily Post

The Office of Public Accountability has published reports on the Guam Power Authority, the Guam Waterworks Authority and the Guam Visitors Bureau as part of a series of audits on governmentwide credit and debit card use.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/public-auditor-finds-issues-with-gpa-gwa-gvb-credit-card-use/article_b8ba28e4-9fb8-11ee-a0ec-5bffa1590451.html Save to Pocket

AM Briefing: Insects in Decline

date: 2023-12-21, from: Heatmap News

Current conditions: Southern California remains at risk of flooding and may even see some waterspouts or tornadoes • A wildfire is burning out of control in Perth, in Australia • It’s the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

THE TOP FIVE

1. U.S. may hike tariffs on Chinese EVs

The Biden administration is reportedly considering raising tariffs on electric vehicles made in China, which tend to run cheaper than those made in the U.S. The move would be an attempt to “bolster the U.S. clean energy industry,” explains The Wall Street Journal. Chinese EVs are already subject to a 25% tariff. While an increase wouldn’t mean much in the immediate term for most Americans, it would put added strain on relations with China, which are already tense. Global markets are facing a glut of cheap Chinese clean-energy products, and the administration is reportedly also considering higher levies on solar products and EV battery packs, the Journal reports.

2. Study suggests some plants are evolving to not need pollinators

Wildflowers may be evolving to rely less on pollinators in order to reproduce as insect numbers decline. A new study published in the journal New Phytologist looked at flowering plants that grow in farmland near Paris and found they have become smaller and now produce less nectar than they would have 20 to 30 years ago. “Our study shows that pansies are evolving to give up on their pollinators,” says Pierre-Olivier Cheptou, one of the study’s authors. “They are evolving towards self-pollination, where each plant reproduces with itself, which works in the short term but may well limit their capacity to adapt to future environmental changes.” While the study “demonstrates that plant mating systems can evolve rapidly … in the face of ongoing environmental changes,” the authors say, it paints a troubling picture of a symbiotic relationship in a spiral: As insect populations suffer from loss of habitat and overuse of pesticides, plants begin to rely on them less and produce less nectar, exacerbating their decline.

3. U.S. completes auction for Gulf drilling rights

A U.S. auction of oil drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico went ahead yesterday. This is the last auction until 2025. Here are a few key numbers:

• 72.7 million – acres that were up for bidding, including 6 million acres considered habitat for the endangered Rice’s whale.
• $382 million – amount raised in the auction, the highest of any federal offshore oil and gas lease sale since 2015, according to Reuters.
• $88.2 million – highest amount offered, from Hess, for 20 successful bids.
• 3 – drilling rights auctions the Interior Department will hold over the next five years, the minimum required to comply with the Inflation Reduction Act. It represents “the smallest offshore oil program in U.S. history.”
• 47 – auctions over five years that were proposed by the Trump administration.
• 1.1 million – gallons of oil estimated to have spilled into the Gulf from a leak detected last month, the largest Gulf spill since Deepwater Horizon.
• 8 – days since the U.S. and nearly 200 other nations agreed at COP28 to transition away from fossil fuels.
• 21 – percent of the world’s oil produced by America in 2022.

4. Orsted commits to building world’s largest offshore wind farm

Danish energy giant Orsted plans to go ahead with building the world’s largest offshore wind farm, reports the Financial Times. The 2.9 gigawatt Hornsea 3 project is located in the North Sea. It will cost £8 billion (about $10 billion) and represents Orsted’s single biggest investment decision. Once finished in 2027, the project will power 3.3 million homes. Last month Orsted cancelled two major U.S. offshore wind projects and took a $4 billion writedown as a result. The Hornsea 3 investment shows “the offshore wind industry is picking back up, after a crisis year,” concludes Priscila Azevedo Rocha at Bloomberg.

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5. Cities are lowering their speed limits

Speed limits in some major U.S. cities are dropping, Yale Climate Connections reports. This is a “win for the climate” because slower vehicle speeds make for safer city streets, which could nudge people more toward less polluting modes of transportation, like walking or cycling. Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis, Hoboken, and Washington, D.C., have all lowered their speed limits, according to Yale Climate Connections. “Safety and environmental goals go together. They’re inevitably interlinked,” says Venu Nemani, the chief safety officer of the Seattle Department of Transportation.

THE KICKER

A recent White House briefing says more than one million EVs have been sold in the U.S. in 2023 — “three years ahead of the projections made earlier this year and 18 years ahead of the projections made in the beginning of 2021.”

The White House

https://heatmap.news/climate/am-briefing-insects-in-decline Save to Pocket

Newsrooms will refuse to reckon with their hypocrisy — again

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

In the years since 2020, some major newsrooms have made some progress with worker diversity, both at management and staffer levels. But diversity without support for marginalized journalists and their free speech is a hollow victory. Continued attrition and major newsroom crackdowns on journalists expressing their views about being a person experiencing life through historically…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/newsrooms-will-refuse-to-reckon-with-their-hypocrisy-again/ Save to Pocket

The climate crisis will cut across journalism

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

In 2023, Brazilians realized that climate change is not a concern for the future. Historic droughts in the Amazon, heatwaves in the Southeast, the Pantanal on fire, and floods in the South showed that the catastrophe is real and already happening. And when a crisis comes knocking, people turn to Journalism to make better decisions….

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/the-climate-crisis-will-cut-across-journalism/ Save to Pocket

Headlines are going out of style

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

Headlines have never been more important. In a news infoscape riddled with affective polarization, headlines help focus public opinion and offer much needed balance. Yet they exist in a system that slowly strips them of substance and renders them irrelevant. Jean Cocteau had famously quipped that “style is a simple way of saying complicated things.”…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/headlines-are-going-out-of-style/ Save to Pocket

I got 99 predictions, but AI ain’t one

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

Last year for the Nieman Lab prediction series, I created a video written and edited by AI about the impact that AI was going to have. I’ve spent a significant amount of time this year thinking through the applications of Generative AI. I’d say 2023 was the year our industry spent absorbing the idea of…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/i-got-99-predictions-but-ai-aint-one/ Save to Pocket

I gave ChatGPT the last 13 years of Nieman Lab predictions

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

Over the past year, I’ve been prototyping generative AI tools in media. A few things I’ve noticed for large language models (LLMs) that I believe will further develop in the upcoming year: It’s better to augment skills rather than replace with AI. Using chatGPT to write is okay, sometimes good, but not great. Instead, using…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/i-gave-chatgpt-the-last-13-years-of-nieman-lab-predictions/ Save to Pocket

There Was A Time When We Built More Affordable Housing. So What Happened?

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: The LAist

We look at how the Great Depression and a long housing crisis shaped the programs we have today.

https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/los-angeles-affordable-housing-history-rental-assitance-section-8-brooke-ammendment Save to Pocket

News From Gaza Is Rekindling Trauma For Muslim Communities In Southern California

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: The LAist

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza as airstrikes continue is prompting grief, survivors’ guilt, and “bringing back a lot of baggage.” Seeing a need for support, a mosque and school in Garden Grove have incorporated mental health into their programming.

https://laist.com/news/news-from-gaza-is-rekindling-trauma-for-muslim-communities-in-southern-california Save to Pocket

A Year After Medi-Cal Allowed Doula Services, Uptake Is Slow. Paperwork Is Just One Problem

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: The LAist

As of 2023, people who get health insurance through Medi-Cal can get doula support for free. One problem: Most doulas have yet to enroll as providers.

https://laist.com/news/education/early-childhood-education-pre-k/medical-medicaid-california-doulas-enrollment-benefit-paperwork Save to Pocket

We’re Not Living a “Predicted” Life: Student Perspectives on Wisconsin’s Dropout Algorithm

date: 2023-12-21, from: The Markup blog

Wisconsin took down its dropout predictions after a Markup investigation. Here’s what two students we featured have to say

https://themarkup.org/machine-learning/2023/12/21/were-not-living-a-predicted-life-student-perspectives-on-wisconsins-dropout-algorithm Save to Pocket

Lead Base Layer Discovered in Rembrandt’s ‘The Night Watch’

date: 2023-12-21, from: Smithsonian Magazine

Researchers analyzed a tiny paint sample from the piece and found a lead-rich layer on the canvas

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lead-base-layer-discovered-in-rembrandt-the-night-watch-180983487/ Save to Pocket

AI will democratize disinformation

date: 2023-12-21, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

Right now, there’s a voicemail on my phone from the president. “Hi, it’s Joe Biden,” his voice rings out clearly. “I’m calling on this Election Day to remind all of my friends in Madison, Wisconsin to get out and vote. And remember, due to a water main leak, your polling place has been moved.” Joe…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/12/ai-will-democratize-disinformation/ Save to Pocket

Can sharks survive this?

date: 2023-12-21, from: Marketplace Morning Report

Sharks have been around for millions of years, but their population has dropped by 70% in the past 50 years. That’s mostly been driven by the value of their fins, which are considered a delicacy and status symbol in parts of Asia. Today, we’ll hear how demand for the fins has driven a network of illicit trafficking. Plus, new cars see big gains in fuel efficiency.

https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/can-sharks-survive-this Save to Pocket

Cameron Smyth | Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, From My Family to Yours!

date: 2023-12-21, from: The Signal

“Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas lies in your heart.” – The Polar Express     As the holiday season approaches, it is essential to pause and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Beyond the presents and holiday parties is the deeper meaning of the “season of giving” — a spirit of generosity, compassion […]

The post Cameron Smyth | Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, From My Family to Yours! appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2023/12/cameron-smyth-merry-christmas-and-happy-holidays-from-my-family-to-yours/ Save to Pocket

Cyberattack on Ukraine’s Kyivstar Seems to Be Russian Hacktivists

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-20, from: Bruce Schneier blog

The Solntsepek group has taken credit for the attack. They’re linked to the Russian military, so it’s unclear whether the attack was government directed or freelance.

This is one of the most significant cyberattacks since Russia invaded in February 2022.

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2023/12/cyberattack-on-ukraines-kyivstar-seems-to-be-russian-hacktivists.html Save to Pocket

Artificial intelligence is a liability

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Automating people out of business processes will not go well at all, mark our words

Comment  Artificial intelligence, meaning large foundational models that predict text and can categorize images and speech, looks more like a liability than an asset.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/12/21/artificial_intelligence_is_a_liability/ Save to Pocket

Argentinians protest Milei’s economic “shock treatment”

date: 2023-12-21, from: Marketplace Morning Report

From the BBC World Service: Residents of Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires are pushing back on the plans of the recently-elected President Javier Milei. And in Turkey, people are facing dual pressures of high inflation and interest rates. Plus, why are standing ovations becoming more common in British theaters?

https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/argentinians-protest-mileis-economic-shock-treatment Save to Pocket

LEVER TIME: We Need To Talk About Zionism

date: 2023-12-21, from: The Lever News

David Sirota sits down with Vox journalist Zack Beauchamp for a candid conversation about the complicated history of Israel’s foundational ideology.

https://www.levernews.com/lever-time-we-need-to-talk-about-zionism/ Save to Pocket

Mozilla decides Trusted Types is a worthy security feature

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

DOM-XSS attacks have become scarce on Google websites since TT debuted

Mozilla last week revised its position on a web security technology called Trusted Types, which it has decided to implement in its Firefox browser.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/12/21/mozilla_decides_trusted_types_is/ Save to Pocket

One way or the other, the Supreme Court will determine Trump’s (and America’s) fate

date: 2023-12-21, from: Robert Reich on Substack

The least democratic branch of government will call many of the shots in the 2024 election

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/one-way-or-the-other-the-supreme Save to Pocket

Raspberry Pi Pico makes sure your Christmas tree never goes thirsty

date: 2023-12-21, from: Raspberry Pi News (.com)

Pater Practicus has made a Raspberry Pi Pico-powered thing to keep your Christmas tree looking brilliant and green throughout the season by making sure it gets the water it needs.

The post Raspberry Pi Pico makes sure your Christmas tree never goes thirsty appeared first on Raspberry Pi.

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UH-Manoa football nabs 14 in early signing class, including seven Hawai‘i high schoolers

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>HONOLULU &#8211; The University of Hawai&#8216;i football program announced the addition of 14 prospects for the Class of 2024 during the early signing period. The group includes 12 high school standouts, one junior college transfer, and one four-year transfer.</p>
        

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Wailea New Year’s mochi pounding canceled

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Wailea New Year&#8217;s &#0010;mochi pounding canceled</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/community/wailea-new-years-mochi-pounding-canceled/ Save to Pocket

Keiki urge vape bill’s passage: County Council votes 8-0 to approve the measure in first reading

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>A proposed Big Island ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products was widely popular Wednesday with residents and the Hawaii County Council.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/hawaii-news/keiki-urge-vape-bills-passage-county-council-votes-8-0-to-approve-the-measure-in-first-reading/ Save to Pocket

June Jones’ DUI case is dismissed

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Honolulu District Judge Timothy Ho dismissed the case against former Rainbow Warriors head coach June Jones for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/sports/june-jones-dui-case-is-dismissed/ Save to Pocket

New tower at surfing venue in Tahiti spurring more blowback against Paris Olympic organizers

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>SAINT-DENIS, France &#8212; Organizers of the Paris Olympics said Wednesday that building work will continue on a new tower for judges and TV cameras at the surfing venue in Tahiti despite the sport&#8217;s governing body saying it no longer supports the controversial project. </p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/sports/new-tower-at-surfing-venue-in-tahiti-spurring-more-blowback-against-paris-olympic-organizers/ Save to Pocket

Animal adoptions down in 2023, but holidays spark interest

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>After a difficult year, the holidays have created more momentum for animal adoptions at the Hawaii Island Humane Society.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/hawaii-news/animal-adoptions-down-in-2023-but-holidays-spark-interest/ Save to Pocket

PUC asked to reconsider solar decision

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Two solar industry groups have filed a motion requesting the state Public Utilities Commission reconsider a recent decision they say could make rooftop solar systems less attractive to homeowners and small businesses.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/hawaii-news/puc-asked-to-reconsider-solar-decision/ Save to Pocket

The Constitution’s insurrection clause threatens Trump’s campaign. Here is how that is playing out

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>DENVER &#8212; Former President Donald Trump&#8217;s bid to win back the White House is now threatened by two sentences added to the U.S. Constitution 155 years ago.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/nation-world-news/the-constitutions-insurrection-clause-threatens-trumps-campaign-here-is-how-that-is-playing-out/ Save to Pocket

Council approves allocation of funds for homeless providers

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Allocation of nearly $10 million to 16 homeless service providers covering 22 projects was approved Wednesday by the County Council.</p>
        

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Green appoints lawmaker as new homeless czar

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Gov. Josh Green on Wednesday named state Rep. John Mizuno of Oahu as the governor&#8217;s coordinator on homelessness.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/hawaii-news/green-appoints-lawmaker-as-new-homeless-czar/ Save to Pocket

Some state abortion bans stir confusion, and it’s uncertain if lawmakers will clarify them

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Ever since the nation&#8217;s highest court ended abortion rights more than a year ago, vaguely worded bans enacted in some Republican-controlled states have caused bewilderment over how exceptions should be applied.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/nation-world-news/some-state-abortion-bans-stir-confusion-and-its-uncertain-if-lawmakers-will-clarify-them/ Save to Pocket

Israel uncovers major Hamas command center in Gaza City as cease-fire talks gain momentum

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>JERUSALEM &#8212; The Israeli military on Wednesday said it had uncovered a major Hamas command center in the heart of Gaza City, inflicting what it described as a serious blow to the Islamic militant group as pressure grows on Israel to scale back its devastating military offensive in the coastal enclave.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/nation-world-news/israel-uncovers-major-hamas-command-center-in-gaza-city-as-cease-fire-talks-gain-momentum/ Save to Pocket

UH-Hilo holiday classic comes to a close

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>UH-Hilo&#8217;s annual Big Island Holiday classic ran from Friday to Tuesday, during which the Vulcans&#8217; men&#8217;s and women&#8217;s teams faced off against a variety of opponents at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.</p>
        

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Boys basketball: Kohala defeats Pahoa, KS-Hawai‘i defeats Ka‘u

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p><strong>KOHALA 52 - PAHOA 44</strong></p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/sports/boys-basketball-kohala-defeats-pahoa-ks-hawaii-defeats-kau/ Save to Pocket

Obituaries for December 21

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Sylvia Joyce Ingram Braun, 79, of Laupahoehoe, formerly of Bethlehem, Conn., died Nov. 26 at Hilo Medical Center. Born in Fitchburg, Mass., she graduated from Fitchburg High School in 1962, received a bachelor&#8217;s degree in education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, was a second grade teacher and office administrator, and later volunteered at her church in Torrington, Conn. Celebrations of life at a later date in Hawaii and the mainland. Survived by husband, Jim Braun of Laupahoehoe; daughter, Charlotte (Frank) Musonda of Ellicott City, Md.; brother, David (Jennifer) Ingram of Florida; sister, Alma (Edwin) Hubbell of Tennessee and Cape Cod, Mass.; three grandchildren; nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. Arrangements by Dodo Mortuary.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/obituaries/obituaries-for-december-21-10/ Save to Pocket

Shipwrecks teem with underwater life, from microbes to sharks

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Humans have sailed the world&#8217;s oceans for thousands of years, but they haven&#8217;t all reached port. Researchers estimate that there are some three million shipwrecks worldwide, resting in shallow rivers and bays, coastal waters and the deep ocean. Many sank during catastrophes &#8211; some during storms or after running aground, others in battle or collisions with other vessels.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/opinion/shipwrecks-teem-with-underwater-life-from-microbes-to-sharks/ Save to Pocket

A proposal to hand-count ballots promotes a false and dangerous narrative

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>To those who grumble that Jan. 6, 2021, is ancient history and everyone should just move on already, we offer rebuttal in the person of Missouri state Sen. Denny Hoskins. The Warrensburg Republican, who is in the running next year to become the state&#8217;s top election official, has filed legislation to require hand-counting of the state&#8217;s roughly 3 million ballots.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/opinion/a-proposal-to-hand-count-ballots-promotes-a-false-and-dangerous-narrative/ Save to Pocket

Your Views for December 21

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Kudos to Hirono for&#0010;FIGHT Act support</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/opinion/your-views-for-december-21-9/ Save to Pocket

Warriors blank Wildcats in doubleheader

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p><strong>GIRLS: WAIAKEA 5 - KONAWAENA 0</strong></p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/sports/warriors-blank-wildcats-in-doubleheader/ Save to Pocket

Federal judge blocks California law that would have banned carrying firearms in most public places

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) &#8212; A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked a California law that would have banned carrying firearms in most public places, ruling that it violates the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and deprives people of their ability to defend themselves and their loved ones.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/nation-world-news/federal-judge-blocks-california-law-that-would-have-banned-carrying-firearms-in-most-public-places/ Save to Pocket

Trump attacked for echoing Hitler

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>WATERLOO, Iowa &#8212; Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday doubled down on his widely condemned comment that immigrants in the United States illegally are &#8220;poisoning the blood of our country,&#8221; rebuffing criticism that the language echoed Adolf Hitler by insisting that he had never read the Nazi dictator&#8217;s autobiographical manifesto.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/nation-world-news/trump-attacked-for-echoing-hitler/ Save to Pocket

The checkered history of the poinsettia’s namesake and the flower’s origins get new attention

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>SANTA FE, N.M. &#8212; Like Christmas trees, Santa and reindeer, the poinsettia has long been a ubiquitous symbol of the holiday season in the U.S. and across Europe.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/nation-world-news/the-checkered-history-of-the-poinsettias-namesake-and-the-flowers-origins-get-new-attention/ Save to Pocket

US, Venezuela swap prisoners: Maduro ally for 10 Americans, plus fugitive contractor ‘Fat Leonard’

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>MIAMI &#8212; The United States freed a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicol&#0225;s Maduro in exchange for the release of 10 Americans imprisoned in the South American country and the return of a fugitive defense contractor known as &#8220;Fat Leonard&#8221; who is at the center of a massive Pentagon bribery scandal, the Biden administration announced Wednesday.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/nation-world-news/us-venezuela-swap-prisoners-maduro-ally-for-10-americans-plus-fugitive-contractor-fat-leonard/ Save to Pocket

Amanda Knox ready to take the stand in upcoming slander trial in Italy

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Amanda Knox, an American woman famously jailed in Italy and then acquitted in the 2007 murder of her roommate, lamented the fact that she&#8217;s still &#8220;fighting to clear (her) name&#8221; some 16 years later, while the man convicted of the grisly crime is &#8220;free from prison&#8221; and continues to hurl accusations regarding her involvement in the high-profile slaying.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/nation-world-news/amanda-knox-ready-to-take-the-stand-in-upcoming-slander-trial-in-italy/ Save to Pocket

Victim of Green River Killer is identified after nearly 40 years

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>(NYT News Service) &#8212; Investigators have identified a victim of the Green River Killer, one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history, more than four decades after the victim was last seen alive, officials in Washington state said Tuesday.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/nation-world-news/victim-of-green-river-killer-is-identified-after-nearly-40-years/ Save to Pocket

Parents of children sickened by lead linked to tainted fruit pouches fear for kids’ future

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>When Cora Dibert went for a routine blood test in October, the toddler brought along her favorite new snack: a squeeze pouch of WanaBana cinnamon-flavored apple puree.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/nation-world-news/parents-of-children-sickened-by-lead-linked-to-tainted-fruit-pouches-fear-for-kids-future/ Save to Pocket

Health officials push to get schoolchildren vaccinated as more US parents opt out

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>When Idaho had a rare measles outbreak a few months ago, health officials scrambled to keep it from spreading. In the end, 10 people, all in one family, were infected, all unvaccinated.</p>
        

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To respond to migrants, Florida sought weapons training for special State Guard unit

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>A select group of volunteers expected to help Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis intercept migrants at sea gathered at a Panhandle combat training facility this fall for lessons on how to use rifles and pistols, treat &#8220;massive hemorrhages&#8221; and practice &#8220;aerial gunnery.&#8221;</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/nation-world-news/to-respond-to-migrants-florida-sought-weapons-training-for-special-state-guard-unit/ Save to Pocket

States trashing troves of masks and pandemic gear as huge, costly stockpiles linger and expire

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>When the coronavirus pandemic took hold in an unprepared U.S., states scrambled for masks and other protective gear.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/nation-world-news/states-trashing-troves-of-masks-and-pandemic-gear-as-huge-costly-stockpiles-linger-and-expire/ Save to Pocket

Kremlin says it sees no grounds for Ukraine peace talks now

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Russia sees no current basis for holding negotiations to end its 22-month war in Ukraine, according to President Vladimir Putin&#8217;s spokesman.</p>
        

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Suspect in reporter’s slaying seeks judge’s removal

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>A former public official accused of killing former Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German is again asking for a new judge to oversee his impending murder trial.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/nation-world-news/suspect-in-reporters-slaying-seeks-judges-removal/ Save to Pocket

ABC News helicopter crashes in New Jersey woods, killing photographer and pilot

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>A news helicopter operated by WPVI, an ABC-affiliated television station in Philadelphia, crashed in the woods of southern New Jersey, killing two people, the new station said.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/nation-world-news/abc-news-helicopter-crashes-in-new-jersey-woods-killing-photographer-and-pilot/ Save to Pocket

Police seek whereabouts of missing teen

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Police are requesting the public&#8217;s assistance in finding 17-year-old Kaila Harris of Keaau, who was reported as a runaway. She was last seen at 8 a.m. Dec. 15 in Hilo.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/hawaii-news/police-whereabouts-of-missing-teen/ Save to Pocket

Police: Ocean View shooting suspect a fugitive

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Police are requesting the public&#8217;s assistance to help locate 44-year-old Dorson &#8220;Buddy&#8221; Behrendt of Ocean View, but they are cautioning the public that he should be considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2023/12/21/hawaii-news/police-ocean-view-shooting-suspect-a-fugitive/ Save to Pocket

New Hawaii Volcanoes National Park air tour management plan ‘significantly’ limits overflights

date: 2023-12-21, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>The National Park Service and the Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday completed an Air Tour Management Plan for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park that &#8220;significantly reduces&#8221; the number of helicopter and fixed-wing tours in the park.</p>
        

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Asahi’s Fedora remix dazzles and baffles on Apple Silicon

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Take an M1 or M2-powered Mac and turn it into a fast ARM64 PC, if that’s what you fancy

The Asahi Linux team has released the first version of its Fedora 39 remix for Apple Silicon Macs – at least the first couple of generations.…

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Celebrating young Coolest Projects creators at a London museum

date: 2023-12-21, from: Raspberry Pi (.org)

Each year, young people all over the world share and celebrate their amazing tech creations by taking part in Coolest Projects, our digital technology showcase. Our global online showcase and local in-person events give kids a wonderful opportunity to celebrate their creativity with their communities, explore other young creators’ tech projects, and gain inspiration and…

The post Celebrating young Coolest Projects creators at a London museum appeared first on Raspberry Pi Foundation.

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Why Nvidia and AMD are roasting each other over AI performance claims

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-22, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

My card could beat up your card

Analysis  Any time we write about vendor supplied benchmarks and performance claims they’re accompanied by a warning to take them with a grain of salt.…

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GDOL head: feds may soon require closure of incomplete DUA claims

date: 2023-12-21, from: Guam Daily Post

The next batch of Disaster Unemployment Assistance benefits, amounting to about $1.3 million, has been approved and is now being processed, according to a release from the Guam Department of Labor.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/gdol-head-feds-may-soon-require-closure-of-incomplete-dua-claims/article_1eeb13f4-9fd6-11ee-a3f4-f72fda9b3d84.html Save to Pocket

Today in SCV History (Dec. 21)

date: 2023-12-21, from: SCV New (TV Station)

1910 – Newhall (Auto) Tunnel opens, bypassing Beale’s Cut. [story

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What Punctuation Will You Put on This Year?

date: 2023-12-21, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

Question it, celebrate it, and take a period of reflection.

The post What Punctuation Will You Put on This Year? appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

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‘The computer was sitting in a puddle of mud, with water up to the motherboard’

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

We asked you to share the dirtiest places you’ve been asked to work. Here are some of your filthy answers

On Call: Dirt File  Each Friday, The Register shares another instalment of On Call, our weekly tale of epic tech support efforts.…

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Europe classifies three adult sites as worthy of its toughest internet regulations

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Very Large Online Platform status means NSFW sites must clean up their acts

The European Commission has designated three websites that host sexually explicit material as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) under the Digital Services Act – status that means the trio will be more highly regulated than other online services.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/12/21/europe_nsfw_vlops_sites/ Save to Pocket

Hope Amid The Hooligans

date: 2023-12-21, from: The Lever News

Why A Soccer Super-Fan Taken Hostage By Hamas Is A “Ray of Hope” In Israel

https://www.levernews.com/hope-amid-the-hooligans/ Save to Pocket

CSUN upsets UCLA in convincing fashion

date: 2023-12-21, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)

“It’s just Cal State Northridge,” a UCLA fan beside the press row heckled as the first half of the CSUN-UCLA basketball game came to a close. Yes, it is the Cal State Northridge Matadors who upset the UCLA Bruins 76-72 at the Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday night. For a team that hasn’t had a Power…

https://sundial.csun.edu/177708/sports/csun-upsets-ucla-in-convincing-fashion/ Save to Pocket

Mission Possible: Returning the Kelp Forest to Our Coast

date: 2023-12-21, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

Santa Barbara fisherman Chris Goldblatt plans to bring back reef habitats around the globe.

The post Mission Possible: Returning the Kelp Forest to Our Coast appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2023/12/20/mission-possible-returning-the-kelp-forest-to-our-coast/ Save to Pocket

Data loss prevention isn’t rocket science, but NASA hasn’t made it work in Microsoft 365

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Privacy review finds breach response plan is a mess, training could be better, but protection regime mostly holds up

NASA’s Office of Inspector General has run its eye over the aerospace agency’s privacy regime and found plenty to like – but improvements are needed.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/12/21/nasa_oig_privacy_review/ Save to Pocket

Poinsettia’s Origins, Namesake’s Checkered History Get New Attention

date: 2023-12-21, from: VOA News USA

SANTA FE, N.M. — Like Christmas trees, Santa and reindeer, the poinsettia has long been a ubiquitous symbol of the holiday season in the U.S. and across Europe.

But now, nearly 200 years after the plant with the bright crimson leaves was introduced in the U.S., attention is once again turning to the poinsettia’s origins and the checkered history of its namesake, a slaveowner and lawmaker who played a part in the forced removal of Native Americans from their land. Some people would now rather call the plant by the name of its Indigenous origin in southern Mexico.

Some things to know:

Where did the name poinsettia come from?

The name comes from the amateur botanist and statesman Joel Roberts Poinsett, who happened upon the plant in 1828 during his tenure as the first U.S. minister to the newly independent Mexico.

Poinsett, who was interested in science as well as potential cash crops, sent clippings of the plant to his home in South Carolina and to a botanist in Philadelphia, who affixed the eponymous name to the plant in gratitude.

A life-size bronze statue of Poinsett still stands in his honor in downtown Greenville, South Carolina.

However, he was cast out of Mexico within a year of his discovery, having earned a local reputation for intrusive political maneuvering that extended to a network of secretive masonic lodges and schemes to contain British influence.

Is the ‘poinsettia’ name losing its luster?

As more people learn of its namesake’s complicated history, the name “poinsettia” has become less attractive in the United States.

Unvarnished published accounts reveal Poinsett as a disruptive advocate for business interests abroad, a slaveowner on a rice plantation in the U.S., and a secretary of war who helped oversee the forced removal of Native Americans, including the westward relocation of Cherokee populations to Oklahoma known as the “Trail of Tears.”

In a new biography titled Flowers, Guns and Money, historian Lindsay Schakenbach Regele describes the cosmopolitan Poinsett as a political and economic pragmatist who conspired with a Chilean independence leader and colluded with British bankers in Mexico. Though he was a slaveowner, he opposed secession, and he didn’t live to see the Civil War.

Schakenbach Regele renders tough judgment on Poinsett’s treatment of and regard for Indigenous peoples.

“Because Poinsett belonged to learned societies, contributed to botanists’ collections, and purchased art from Europe, he could more readily justify the expulsion of Natives from their homes,” she writes.

A Christmas flower of many names

The cultivation of the plant dates back to the Aztec empire in Mexico 500 years ago.

Among Nahuatl-speaking communities of Mexico, the plant is known as the cuetlaxochitl (kwet-la-SHO-sheet), meaning “flower that withers.” It’s an apt description of the thin red leaves on wild varieties of the plant that grow to heights above 3 meters.

Year-end holiday markets in Latin America brim with the potted plant known in Spanish as the “flor de Nochebuena,” or “flower of Christmas Eve,” which is entwined with celebrations of the night before Christmas. The “Nochebuena” name is traced to early Franciscan friars who arrived from Spain in the 16th century. Spaniards once called it “scarlet cloth.”

Additional nicknames abound: “Santa Catarina” in Mexico, “estrella federal,” or “federal star” in Argentina and “penacho de Incan,” or “headdress” in Peru.

Ascribed in the 19th century, the Latin name, Euphorbia pulcherrima, means “the most beautiful” of a diverse genus with a milky sap of latex.

So what is its preferred name?

“Cuetaxochitl” is winning over some enthusiasts among Mexican youths, including the diaspora in the U.S., according to Elena Jackson Albarrán, a professor of Mexican history and global and intercultural studies at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

“I’ve seen a trend towards people openly saying: ‘Don’t call this flower either poinsettia or Nochebuena. It’s cuetlaxochitl,’” said Jackson Albarrán. “There’s going to be a big cohort of people who are like, ‘Who cares?’”

Most ordinary people in Mexico never say “poinsettia” and don’t talk about Poinsett, according to Laura Trejo, a Mexican biologist who is leading studies on the genetic history of the U.S. poinsettia.

“I feel like it’s only the historians, the diplomats and, well, the politicians who know the history of Poinsett,” Trejo said.

The Mexican roots of U.S. poinsettias

Mexican biologists in recent years have traced the genetic stock of U.S. poinsettia plants to a wild variant in the Pacific coastal state of Guerrero, verifying lore about Poinsett’s pivotal encounter there. The scientists also are researching a rich, untapped diversity of other wild variants, in efforts that may help guard against the poaching of plants and theft of genetic information.

The flower still grows wild along Mexico’s Pacific Coast and parts of Central America as far as Costa Rica.

Trejo, of the National Council of Science and Technology in the central state of Tlaxcala, said some informal outdoor markets still sell the “sun cuetlaxochitl” that resemble wild varieties, alongside modern patented varieties.

In her field research travels, Trejo has found households that preserve ancient traditions associated with the flower.

“It’s clear to us that this plant, since the pre-Hispanic era, is a ceremonial plant, an offering, because it’s still in our culture, in the interior of the county, to cut the flowers and take them to the altars,” she said in Spanish. “And this is primarily associated with the maternal goddesses: with Coatlicue, Tonantzin and now with the Virgin Mary.”

A lasting figure in history

Regardless of his troubled history, Poinsett’s legacy as an explorer and collector continues to loom large: Some 1,800 meticulously tended poinsettias are delivered in November and December from greenhouses in Maryland to a long list of museums in Washington, D.C., affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution.

A “pink-champagne” cultivar adorns the National Portrait Gallery this year.

Poinsett’s name may also live on for his connection to other areas of U.S. culture. He advocated for the establishment of a national science museum, and in part due to his efforts, a fortune bequeathed by British scientist James Smithson was used to underwrite the creation of the Smithsonian Institution.

https://www.voanews.com/a/poinsettia-s-origins-and-namesake-s-checkered-history-get-new-attention-/7406776.html Save to Pocket

Santa Barbara Rep. Carbajal Co-Authors Bill Enlisting Military in Fentanyl Interdiction

date: 2023-12-21, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

The Disrupt Fentanyl Trafficking Act, which defines illicit drug trafficking as a national security threat, heads to President Biden’s desk.

The post Santa Barbara Rep. Carbajal Co-Authors Bill Enlisting Military in Fentanyl Interdiction appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2023/12/20/505299/ Save to Pocket

December 20, 2023

date: 2023-12-21, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog

(Hey, folks: we are still without power, making laptop time very limited. Please excuse errors and awkward phrasing that didn’t get combed out.) On Monday, Republican governor Greg Abbott of Texas signed into law a measure that gives local law enforcement officers the power to arrest migrants, and local judges the power to send them to Mexico. Entering the state illegally would become a state crime, punishable by the state.

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/december-20-2023 Save to Pocket

International Astronaut Will Be Invited on Future NASA Moon Landing

date: 2023-12-21, from: VOA News USA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — An international astronaut will join U.S. astronauts on the moon by decade’s end under an agreement announced Wednesday by NASA and the White House.

The news came as Vice President Kamala Harris convened a meeting in Washington of the National Space Council, the third such gathering under the Biden administration.

There was no mention of who the international moonwalker might be or even what country would be represented. A NASA spokeswoman later said that crews would be assigned closer to the lunar-landing missions, and that no commitments had yet been made to another country.

NASA has included international astronauts on trips to space for decades. Canadian Jeremy Hansen will fly around the moon a year or so from now with three U.S. astronauts.

Another crew would actually land; it would be the first lunar touchdown by astronauts in more than a half-century. That’s not likely to occur before 2027, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

All 12 moonwalkers during NASA’s Apollo program of the 1960s and 1970s were U.S. citizens. The space agency’s new moon exploration program is named Artemis after Apollo’s mythological twin sister.

Including international partners “is not only sincerely appreciated, but it is urgently needed in the world today,” Hansen told the council.

NASA has long stressed the need for global cooperation in space, establishing the Artemis Accords along with the U.S. State Department in 2020 to promote responsible behavior not just at the moon but everywhere in space.

Representatives from all 33 countries that have signed the accords so far were expected at the space council’s meeting in Washington.

“We know from experience that collaboration on space delivers,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken, citing the Webb Space Telescope, a U.S., European and Canadian effort.

Notably missing from the Artemis Accords: Russia and China, the only countries besides the U.S. to launch their own citizens into orbit.

Russia is a partner with NASA in the International Space Station, along with Europe, Japan and Canada.

Even earlier in the 1990s, the Russian and U.S. space agencies teamed up during the shuttle program to launch each other’s astronauts to Russia’s former orbiting Mir station.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Harris also announced new policies to ensure the safe use of space as more and more private companies and countries aim skyward.

Among the issues that the U.S. is looking to resolve: the climate crisis and the growing amount of space junk around Earth.

A 2021 anti-satellite missile test by Russia added more than 1,500 pieces of potentially dangerous orbiting debris, and Blinken joined others at the meeting in calling for all nations to end such destructive testing.

https://www.voanews.com/a/international-astronaut-will-be-invited-on-future-nasa-moon-landing/7406777.html Save to Pocket

lynx –nocolor

date: 2023-12-21, from: Jirka’s blog

I really dislike how the Lynx WWW browser looks on some modern systems. On my SGI it was OK - it simply respected IRIS terminal colors. On modern systems in seems to be full of colors with gray background. Text colors are quite nice but I have disliked the gray background. I have wished to have or black one or transparent one (it a terminal emulator supports transparency).

http://jirka.1-2-8.net/20231221-0443_lynx_nocolor Save to Pocket

Working from home

date: 2023-12-21, from: Jirka’s blog

And this is my main tool:

http://jirka.1-2-8.net/20231221-0443_Working_from_home Save to Pocket

Tungsten W + PalmPix

date: 2023-12-21, from: Jirka’s blog

As you may know I do have a Palm Tungsten W. And I als othave the KODAK PalmPix for m5xx devices. So I have almost modern smarphone (jsut 17 years old!) with the (detachable camera).

http://jirka.1-2-8.net/20231221-0443_Tungsten_W_PalmPix Save to Pocket

TRGpro tuning

date: 2023-12-21, from: Jirka’s blog

The PILOT Pentopia Chameleon stylus for Palm III and VI {sup}1{/sup} arrived today. It is a stylus with integrated reset pin and - last but not least - an actual pen. The pen refill is thin and it is labelled “Pilot” but I assume that a thin (non-pressurized) Fischer refill will fit here. This stylus has a bit different shape than the original Palm III pen and its tip is a bit harder but it is usable (I am writing this post with it). It is also little thicker than the original which is actually a plus - it sits more reliable in stylus housing of my heavily used Palms - I lost several styli from my old IIIxe and almost lost one of my TRGpro recently. The {sup}1{/sup} says that it is better for writing than the original stylus but I don’t think so. I see no improvement.

http://jirka.1-2-8.net/20231221-0443_TRGpro_tuning Save to Pocket

TRG Pro: first impressions

date: 2023-12-21, from: Jirka’s blog

The title is all wrong because I extensively used the TRG Pro in the past. But the last time when I synced the TRG was in 2/2016 and then I have been using the original Palm III devices (IIIx + IIIxe) instead of the TRG. I have not wanted to damage or lost my only TRG Pro (which is pretty rare as you may know). Now I have two TRGs so I can use one of them on daily basis, I think.

http://jirka.1-2-8.net/20231221-0443_TRG_Pro_first_impressions Save to Pocket

Standing desk attempt

date: 2023-12-21, from: Jirka’s blog

I’m trying to set up a standing desk in my office. I found a (less or more) space, two older LCDs (the ViewSonic vp171s), then prepared the keyboard and mouse.

http://jirka.1-2-8.net/20231221-0443_Standing_desk_attempt Save to Pocket

Standing desk (5)

date: 2023-12-21, from: Jirka’s blog

I tried to add a Raspberry Pi model B. It seems to work (I have to figure how to set up the EDUROAM WiFi on the Raspbian) and it’s relatively slow. I need network connection here only for some tasks so slow connection and even slower WWW browser may be OK. I should test it LaTeX works (I think that I even didn’t tried to install it).

http://jirka.1-2-8.net/20231221-0443_Standing_desk_5 Save to Pocket

Standing desk (4)

date: 2023-12-21, from: Jirka’s blog

I tried to use second LCD (also VP171s but a newer one) and another DVI-HDMI adapter (this one I have used at home for years). The image is still terribly green and on the second LCD it is also unstable.

http://jirka.1-2-8.net/20231221-0443_Standing_desk_4 Save to Pocket

Officials Push to Get Kids Vaccinated as More US Parents Opt Out

date: 2023-12-21, from: VOA News USA

https://www.voanews.com/a/officials-push-to-get-kids-vaccinated-as-more-us-parents-opt-out-/7406765.html Save to Pocket

Solstice Gatherings Memorialize Homeless People Who Died on US Streets

date: 2023-12-21, from: VOA News USA

Phoenix — With his gap-tooth smile, hip-hop routines and volunteer work for a food charity, Roosevelt White III was well-known in the downtown Phoenix tent city known as The Zone.

But like many homeless people, White suffered from diabetes and cardiovascular disease. He died unexpectedly one sweltering September day at age 36.

Thousands of people like White who died this year without a permanent home are being memorialized on Thursday in communities from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to La Crosse, Wisconsin, to Riverside, California.

Established in 1990, the increasingly popular Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day is observed with prayers, candles, moments of silence and the reading of names on Dec. 21, the first day of winter and the longest night of the year.

A national gathering called “One Life, Too Many. Another Year, Too Long” is planned for Thursday afternoon in Washington, with a Zoom call so people can follow from afar.

Other gatherings will be in Cincinnati, Ohio; Wilmington, Delaware; and San Diego. A ceremony in Phoenix will honor 758 homeless people confirmed to have died so far this year in Maricopa County, the most populous in Arizona and home to Phoenix, the state’s largest city.

That’s already a record. The Maricopa County Medical Examiner investigated 732 deaths of homeless people in 2022, representing a 42% jump in deaths from 2021.

“Without sufficient housing and services, people will continue to die on the streets,” said Lisa Glow, CEO at Central Arizona Shelter Services, which operates the state’s largest emergency shelter, a 600-bed facility in Phoenix.

DeBorah Gilbert White, the public education director for the National Coalition for the Homeless, said learning about those who died can shatter stereotypes. At one event several years ago, she learned of a 3-year-old homeless girl who died in the nation’s capital.

White said that as the population grows older, more people are dying in their 60s. She noted that many with chronic conditions like diabetes don’t have the necessary conditions, such as refrigeration for insulin, to care for their health.

Overall, homelessness is surging. The recent Annual Homeless Assessment Report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development showed that roughly 653,100 people in the United States were experiencing homelessness. That’s a 12% overall increase over the previous year and the highest since reporting began in 2007.

“A lot of people living in encampments are uninsured and without access to medical treatment for a variety of illnesses that are exacerbated by living unsheltered,” said Etel Haxhiaj, a spokesperson for the National Healthcare for the Homeless Council.

The council supports remembrance events to push for better tracking of the deaths.

Maricopa County is among the few U.S. jurisdictions engaged in such tracking.

Drug and alcohol abuse played a role in many of the deaths and was often the main cause. While a stroke killed White, methamphetamine intoxication contributed to his death, according to the medical examiner. Cardiovascular events like strokes and heart attacks, followed by traffic injuries, are also common ways that homeless people die.

Many homeless people are estranged from family, which means their deaths can pass virtually unnoticed. But when White died, at least 60 people, including family members from Arizona and Oklahoma, showed up for his funeral. The food was catered by Feed Phoenix, the nonprofit organization he volunteered with.

Among the mourners was Phoenix documentary photographer Eric Elmore, who created numerous black and white portraits of White over a year. The downtown encampment where White lived once housed hundreds of people in tents, but it has since been cleared out under a court order.

“He had this kind of energy that would just draw you in,” Elmore said of White. “He had a huge personality.”

Megan Kepler, who volunteered with White, remembered him on Wednesday as “a man who was full of kindness and joy.”

“Although he had many struggles, he always had a smile on his face and a positive attitude. He stayed hopeful in the face of difficulties,” Kepler said. “We miss our friend dearly, and hope that others can see that he was not just a number, but instead a valued and loved human being.”

https://www.voanews.com/a/solstice-gatherings-memorialize-homeless-people-who-died-on-us-streets/7406768.html Save to Pocket

Free Emergency Storm Parking Activated

date: 2023-12-21, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

SANTA BARBARA, CA – December 20, 2023 Due to the approaching storm, the City of Santa Barbara has activated free

The post Free Emergency Storm Parking Activated appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

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SCV Water board considers compensation increase

date: 2023-12-21, from: The Signal

For the first time in three years, members of the governing board for the SCV Water Agency approved an increase to their per-meeting fee Tuesday.  The board voted 5-3 to approve a 6.7% hike, increasing the rate each member is to receive for attending a meeting by $16 for a total of $255 per meeting.  […]

The post SCV Water board considers compensation increase  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2023/12/scv-water-board-considers-compensation-increase/ Save to Pocket

Women’s soccer head coach resigns

date: 2023-12-21, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)

CSUN’s Director of Athletics Shawn Chin-Farrell announced that Christine Johnson has resigned from the women’s soccer team and will not return as head coach. Johnson first joined the Matadors in 2021 as an assistant coach prior to taking over as acting head coach. In June 2022 she was officially announced as the sixth head coach…

https://sundial.csun.edu/177703/sports/womens-soccer-head-coach-resigns/ Save to Pocket

Semi-truck blocks lanes on I-5; Sigalert issued 

date: 2023-12-21, from: The Signal

Just after 3 p.m. Wednesday, a Sigalert was issued for a closure of the No. 1 and 2 lanes on the northbound side of Interstate 5 south of Templin Highway, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Stephan Brandt.  “Around 2:45 p.m. someone called in a semi-truck blocking the lane. We arrived on scene, issued a […]

The post Semi-truck blocks lanes on I-5; Sigalert issued  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2023/12/semi-truck-blocks-lanes-on-i-5-sigalert-issued/ Save to Pocket

Thefts reported in women’s tennis facilities on campus

date: 2023-12-21, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)

The women’s tennis team at CSUN reported that some of their equipment was stolen in a break-in that happened Dec. 3 in the middle of the night. Sergeant Andrew Higgins from CSUN’s Department of Police Services confirmed that computers belonging to the school, as well as shoes and rackets used by the players during matches,…

https://sundial.csun.edu/177698/news/thefts-reported-in-womens-tennis-facilities-on-campus/ Save to Pocket

Japan to allow limited rideshare services starting April 2024

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Like Uber, but with drivers overseen by cab companies … for now

Japan will open its transport market to rideshare companies for the first time in 2024.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/12/21/japan_ridesharing_2024/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2023-12-21, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

Samizdat: How did people in the Soviet Union circumvent state censorship?

https://www.rbth.com/arts/literature/2017/07/10/samizdat_797635 Save to Pocket

COC alerts employees to third-party data breach 

date: 2023-12-21, from: The Signal

Unauthorized data breach via the college’s insurance provider affects more than 2,400 current, former employees  College of the Canyons is communicating with more than 2,400 affected personnel after an unauthorized data breach through its insurance provider, according to Eric Harnish, a spokesman for the college.  Keenan & Associates, a Torrance-based consulting and brokerage firm which […]

The post <strong>COC alerts employees to third-party data breach</strong>  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2023/12/coc-alerts-employees-to-third-party-data-breach/ Save to Pocket

Catalog Drops for December 2023

date: 2023-12-21, from: Playdate Blog

Here’s a roundup of December’s new games in Catalog. That wraps up our year, and boy is there a lot to download and play: 🧙‍♂️ Under the Castle, a classic rogue game where you’ll explore dungeons, gather Orbs of Light, and rescue enslaved villagers—with the power of your hat. Gorgeous art and ultra-satisfying gameplay. Made by Dani Diez, ZCorbs, VolcanoBytes. 🏎️ F-Out, a futuristic racing video game, with your spaceship racing at dizzying speeds, tight turns, and dangerous obstacles.

https://news.play.date/news/catalog-drops-dec-2023/ Save to Pocket

Tustin Students Brought Home Hangar Fire Debris From School, Parents Say

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: The LAist

Some debris from the fire was found to contain up to 37% asbestos, a material that can cause long-term health consequences if the fibers are inhaled.

https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/heritage-school-fire-testing-debris-asbestos-tustin-legacy Save to Pocket

Triggering Swift Property Observers From Initializers

date: 2023-12-21, from: Michael Tsai

Natalia Panferova: In Swift, property observers such as willSet and didSet are not called when a property is set in an initializer. This is by design, as the initializer’s purpose is to set up the initial state of an object, and during this phase, the object is not yet fully initialized. However, if we need […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2023/12/20/triggering-swift-property-observers-from-initializers/ Save to Pocket

Dictation and Predictive Text in macOS Sonoma and iOS 17

date: 2023-12-21, from: Michael Tsai

Kirk McElhearn: It may seem counterintuitive to dictate and type at the same time, but there is a reason for this. As you dictate, you will find that the accuracy of the transcription is far from 100%. Previously, when you spotted mistakes to correct while dictating, you would have to stop dictating, correct the mistakes, […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2023/12/20/dictation-and-predictive-text-in-macos-sonoma-and-ios-17/ Save to Pocket

Google Groups Ending Support for Usenet

date: 2023-12-21, from: Michael Tsai

Google (via Hacker News): Starting on February 22, 2024, you can no longer use Google Groups (at groups.google.com) to post content to Usenet groups, subscribe to Usenet groups, or view new Usenet content. You can continue to view and search for historical Usenet content posted before February 22, 2024 on Google Groups. In addition, Google’s […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2023/12/20/google-groups-ending-support-for-usenet/ Save to Pocket

The Original iPhone Demo

date: 2023-12-21, from: Michael Tsai

Fred Vogelstein (2013, via Hacker News): The software in the iPhone’s Wi-Fi radio was so unstable that Grignon and his team had to extend the phones’ antennas by connecting them to wires running offstage so the wireless signal wouldn’t have to travel as far. And audience members had to be prevented from getting on the […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2023/12/20/the-original-iphone-demo/ Save to Pocket

Measuring the Data iOS and Android Send to Apple and Google

date: 2023-12-21, from: Michael Tsai

Douglas J. Leith (2021 PDF, via John Opdenakker, ArsTechnica) We investigate what data iOS on an iPhone shares with Apple and what data Google Android on a Pixel phone shares with Google. We find that even when minimally configured and the handset is idle both iOS and Google Android share data with Apple/Google on average […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2023/12/20/measuring-the-data-ios-and-android-send-to-apple-and-google/ Save to Pocket

‘What Happens When Facebook Heats Your Home’

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: Daring Fireball

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/facebook-energy-heating-homes Save to Pocket

CP/M ported to to 30-year-old digital typewriter

date: 2023-12-21, from: OS News

CP/M is an operating system dating to the mid-1970s that found its niche giving cheap 8-bit home computers the flexibility, if not the power, of expensive workstations. The Brother SuperPowerNote was a fancy and “very weird” portable typewriter from the early 1990s. David Given ported the former to the latter, creating a freakishly versatile laptop. The source code is on github! ↫ Rob Beschizza And now I’m browsing eBay for electronic/digital typewriters again. There’s so many of them! And they all look so awesome and fun! Please stop me! One day I’ll finally pull the trigger.

https://www.osnews.com/story/138108/cp-m-ported-to-to-30-year-old-digital-typewriter/ Save to Pocket

Colorado Supreme Court Rules Trump Ineligible for President Under 14th Amendment

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: Daring Fireball

https://managingeditor.substack.com/p/the-mile-high-snub Save to Pocket

Mac OS 9 is still alive and kicking… And that’s not a bad thing

date: 2023-12-21, from: OS News

So what can you do with it? Well, let’s first address the elephant in the room – the internet is still lousy on OS 9. Despite Cameron Kaiser’s genius effort put into his Classilla browser project, he’s pretty much squeezed every ounce of usability from the now 20+ year old underlying networking frameworks. A lot of websites still render “ok” in the browser, but most of the modern web will simply cause it to spit back an error. Also, file sharing with other machines on your network takes a bit more forethought these days as OS 9’s implementation of AppleTalk will only work with OS X versions up to 10.4 Tiger. In Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and later, AppleTalk will not function at all without some difficult technical workarounds, so a “bridge” Mac is generally recommended (for those not familiar with that term – bridge Macs are machines that can handle both legacy and modern technologies and can be networked between both old and new hardware). It is also possible to wring out a bit more usability by setting up a web proxy such as macHTTP and running a small Netatalk server on one of your modern Macs (this is something I’d like to feature in the future). ↫ Adam Goff at Low End Mac Running Mac OS 9 today has become somewhat of a rite of passage for retrocomputing and operating system nerds (…2006), and every few years a new article about the experience makes the rounds. For good reason, too – OS 9 is fun, quirky, has tons of software to play around with, and still looks and feels great.

https://www.osnews.com/story/138104/mac-os-9-is-still-alive-and-kicking-and-thats-not-a-bad-thing/ Save to Pocket

CSUN Women’s Head Soccer Coach Resigns

date: 2023-12-21, from: SCV New (TV Station)

Director of Athletics Shawn Chin-Farrell recently announced that Christine Johnson has resigned and will not return as women’s soccer head coach.

https://scvnews.com/csun-womens-head-soccer-coach-resigns/ Save to Pocket

Poetry Connection | Connecting with Our Deceased Loved Ones

date: 2023-12-21, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

Bringing poetry to Hospice of Santa Barbara’s ‘Light Up a Life’ ceremonies.

The post Poetry Connection | Connecting with Our Deceased Loved Ones appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2023/12/20/poetry-connection-connecting-with-our-deceased-loved-ones/ Save to Pocket

Farm, Rail Companies Urge Reopening of US-Mexico Crossings Shut Over Migrants

date: 2023-12-21, from: VOA News USA

EAGLE PASS, Texas — Dozens of major U.S. agricultural groups on Wednesday urged the U.S. to reopen two rail crossings on the Texas-Mexico border in an effort by businesses to restore the trade routes shuttered because of increased migrant crossings. 

In a sharply worded letter to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the growers - representing corn, milk, rice and soybean producers, among others - said the crossings could be easily reopened and that closures already had caused steep export losses. 

“Each day the crossings are closed we estimate almost 1 million bushels of grain exports are potentially lost along with export potential for many other agricultural products,” the groups wrote, adding that blocking food heading to Mexico could lead to inflation or food insecurity there. 

Railroad companies and business groups - including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce - in recent days have pressed U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to reopen the two rail bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso after U.S. border authorities closed them on Monday in order to “redirect personnel” to process migrants crossing the border.  

Among the groups signing the agricultural business letter were the National Grain and Feed Association, U.S. Wheat Associates, American Soybean Association and National Corn Growers Association.

The U.S. Border Patrol apprehended about 10,800 migrants at the southwest border on Monday, according to an internal agency report reviewed by Reuters, a tally several current and former officials said was near or at a single-day record high.  

The news came after Mexico’s immigration agency said in an internal December 1 memo reviewed by Reuters that it would suspend migrant removals because of an end-of-year funding crunch.  

Operations should return to normal in January, a Mexican source familiar with the matter said, adding that the U.S. closure of legal border crossings appeared to be an attempt by the U.S. to pressure Mexico over the scaled-back enforcement. 

Mexico’s foreign ministry spokesperson said no date had been set for resuming the repatriations. 

The agricultural groups said CBP could reopen the railroad bridges with as few as five employees per crossing, challenging the agency’s rationale for closing the trade routes. 

Acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller said on Tuesday that illegal crossings were “presenting a serious challenge” and that CBP was using all available resources to keep agents and migrants safe. 

CBP did not immediately respond to a request for comment related to the agricultural groups’ demands, which echoed concerns from Mexico’s top farm lobby. 

Billions in monthly trade

In October, total rail freight between the El Paso and Eagle Pass ports topped $3 billion in both directions, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. That accounted for 4% of total trade across the U.S.-Mexico border that month. 

Neil Bradley, chief policy officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement to Reuters that the rail shutdowns “will inflict significant economic harm” and “do nothing to secure the border.”  

The increase in migrant crossings comes as Democratic President Joe Biden, who is running for re-election in 2024, has sought to strike a deal with Republican lawmakers that would pair increased U.S. border security with military aid for Ukraine and Israel.  

But a bipartisan group of senators negotiating a compromise have so far failed to reach a deal as a Christmas break approaches. 

Eagle Pass and El Paso have received thousands of newcomers in recent days, as migrants - including many families with young children - make their way to the border by bus, atop cargo trains, on foot and even by bicycle. 

On Wednesday in Eagle Pass, hundreds of migrants were being held in an outdoor area near the Rio Grande. Three migrants were carried out with medical emergencies in the afternoon while others called out for food, a Reuters witness said.  

CBP said it was aware of two medical emergencies, one related to dehydration and another that appeared to be seizure-related. 

During a press conference near the border, U.S. Representative Tony Gonzales, a Republican who represents Eagle Pass, urged U.S. lawmakers to make legal changes to deter illegal border crossings that have disrupted trade and transit. 

“This has to come to an end,” Gonzales said. “We need to have open trade and commerce again.” 

Some 270 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been pulled from their jobs handling deportations and international investigations to help with migrant transport and other tasks at the border, a Department of Homeland Security official told Reuters, requesting anonymity to discuss internal operations.  

Union Pacific and Berkshire Hathaway’s BNSF Railway, two of the nation’s largest freight railroad companies, warned of supply chain disruptions ahead of the Christmas holiday because of the railway bridge closures. 

Union Pacific said in a statement on its website that a range of products - including grain, beer, metals, cement and automotive parts - have been halted because of the closures. The closed bridges account for about 45% of its cross-border shipments, and the overall economic impact of the closure will be more than $200 million per day, the rail company said.  

BNSF declined to comment on the value of goods affected by the closings. 

In addition to the railroad crossing closures, U.S. border authorities this month have closed a busy pedestrian crossing near San Diego, California, and another crossing in remote Lukeville, Arizona, to free up workers to process arriving migrants.

https://www.voanews.com/a/farm-rail-companies-urge-reopening-of-us-mexico-crossings-shut-over-migrants-/7406704.html Save to Pocket

Cougs Pick Up Win Against Rio Hondo 89-78

date: 2023-12-21, from: SCV New (TV Station)

College of the Canyons picked up a win in the Cougar Cage on Friday night, getting past Rio Hondo College in an 89-78 final score

https://scvnews.com/cougs-pick-up-win-against-rio-hondo-89-78/ Save to Pocket

The Drawings of Virginia Frances Sterrett

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/23/12/the-drawings-of-virginia-frances-sterrett Save to Pocket

Two Views of a Master Orchestra, in Our Midst

date: 2023-12-21, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

The L.A. Phil, led by legendary maestro emeritus Zubin Mehta, paid second visit to the Granada this year.

The post Two Views of a Master Orchestra, in Our Midst appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2023/12/20/two-views-of-a-master-orchestra-in-our-midst/ Save to Pocket

Vibe Check №30

date: 2023-12-21, from: Dave Rupert blog

The year is almost over. The weather is delightful in Austin and walking the neighborhood is a joy. Happiness arrives in holiday cards. The tree is up and the ambient stress of moonlighting as an assistant to a jolly, fat norseman takes its toll. The power grid still hums but –the question on every Texan’s mind– for how long?

There’s a lot going on behind the scenes, big life changes, but here’s some of the highlights (nay, lowlights?) from the past couple months.

My wife’s back went out

Right after my last vibe check my wife’s back went out. We’re not sure what caused it, but this was the most severe episode she’s ever experienced. One parent down had a massive impact on our quality of life. November productivity was a wash due as I scrambled to assist her, visiting doctors, and assuming a large swath of family responsibilities. She is so much better at keeping the family gears turning, I was drowning.

After some successful PT she’s doing much better and we’re almost back to where we were before November, which is welcome. And our kids pitched in and helped as best they could, I’m thankful for that.

Covid strikes again

The week after Thanksgiving my beautiful daughter comes into our room at night and is restless. In a moment of uncool dadsmanship I inform her that she’s snoring too loud. A steam shower fixed the issue, poor kid. A couple days later I started to feel ill… then I felt terrible… then I tested positive for Covid. Oof.

This one laid me out pretty good with that terrible incurable headache and sandbag-like sinus gunk. I spent six days sick and isolated, whisking myself away like a goddamed phantom of the opera whenever my family came home. No one else tested positive, but seems like a clear case that my daughter carried it home from school after the break and gave it to me, the immune system deprived remote worker; a blank petri dish ripe for infection.

I’m all better now, but let me say getting Covid the first week of December puts you super far behind in your Christmas shopping.

The Great Subscription Culling

After interviewing family members about what shows they actually watch from each service and organizing it all in a spreadsheet, I nuked about $100 worth of monthly subscriptions. Services including but not limited to…

• Streaming: Peacock, Disney/Hulu, YouTube Premium, Apple One, Dropout, Crunchyroll
• Community: Some Patreons, some Discord boosts

The hard thing is that I like these services. I find value in them… just not all at the same time. How are we going to live without them? Well there’s some strategy…

1. On-demand services - If we want Service X more than Netlfix, we cancel Netflix.
2. Move to the ad-supported version of services (YouTube, Disney/Hulu) - Way cheaper and if we all hate the ads, we can decide as a family to remove them.
3. Ask for some as gifts (Dropout, Crunchyroll) - A monthly service fee for entertainment for one person in the household is excessive… but those make great gifts! It’s some bank account slight of hand, but I can enjoy my weird Gundam obsession guilt free.

On that note, a ShopTalk listener heard wind about my plans and graciously gifted me a subscription to Crunchyroll. Incredibly thoughtful. Thank you, Melanie.

I think Subscription Culling should be a national holiday we do every equinox. If streaming services are going to raise prices every quarter, we should normalize the threat of abandoning them en masse.

Stats

Data rules everything around me. These take a long time, I wonder if I could automate this.

💪 Fitness

• Still in the plateau, not a pound different after two months.
• Inspired by Chris Coyier’s “Sweat” habit, I’m taking up that goal as well.

📖 Reading

Finished

• The Big Myth - A dismantling of the idea about the invisible hand of the market. Paired with other books I’ve read this year, you see how “That’s socialism!” is a propaganda dogwhistle to cover for a much bigger lie that unfettered capitalism works. Starting back in the union busting days because people were getting their arms cut off in the machines, businesses began promoting the idea that regulating business is bad. The conservative thinktank at the Chicago school of economics developed the lie by cherry-picking and bastardizing Adam Smith’s writings to suit their “greed is good” agenda. I never knew Milton Friedman was a person I could get mad at… but here we are. This lie was then carried on by GE propagandists like (former SAG union president) Ronald Reagan who popularized trickle down economics during his US presidency and continued with neoliberal bank deregulation in the Clinton administration. The too-big-to-failures of the market never fall on the corporations, it’s always on the public and the taxpayer. [/rant]
• The Hard Switch - A sci-fi graphic novel set in the future time of “the hard switch” when the galaxy runs out of the fuel that enables long space travel. A++, would recommend.
• The Oven - A sci-fi graphic novel about a young couple trying to have a child outside the reach of an intrusive government.
• Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less - Non-fiction based on research that showed people overwhelmingly prefer additive solutions over subtractive solutions.

Re-started

• Caliban’s War - Struggling to get through the second book in The Expanse. Made good progress but the library called it back again.

Started

• Blood in the Machine - The true story of the Luddite rebellion.

📝 Blogging

Not much blogging… had a lot going on… but got lots of drafts. I focused a lot more on “digital gardening” like improving focus states, fixing a11y issues, improving cross-browser compat, and adding new section to the site for my projects and side projects.

• I spent a whole week refactoring a single file
• Projects: Finally a home for my projects, side projects, and weird ideas

🧠 Learning

As part of sunsetting some subscriptions, I picked up a substitute Duolingo habit instead.

• Japanese - The kanji and grammar practice is helpful for me. Otis is also learning Japanese.
• Music - The new music feature brought me back. It’s slow, but I’m trusting the process.
• Klingon - Qapla’ … this was a big whim, but no regrets.

Feel free to follow me on Duolingo, same handle as everywhere.

📺 Media

Big period of media consumption. Got back into podcasts and cleared out the queue pretty well.

Movies

• Barbie - Great movie, not sure about the ending where <spoiler>they decide to preserve gender inequality?</spoiler>… but still a good movie.
• David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived (Prime) - The story of Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double David Holmes who was tragically paralyzed in an injury during the filming of the 7th film in the series.

TV

• Welcome to Wrexham (Hulu) - Rob and Deadpool deserve an Emmy for this.

Anime

Lots of Gundam and auditioned a few shows but nothing stuck.

• Build Fighters Try S2 (Crunchyroll) - Build Fighters is fun… this one was a bit less fun than the first.
• Zeta Gundam (Crunchyroll) - Zeta Gundam is great but choppy, I frequently backtrack because I feel like if I look away for one second I miss a major reveal.
• ∀ Gundam E01-30 (GundamInfo) - INCREDIBLE. Set in the far future on a different timeline, the technologically advanced Moonrace invades the primitive Earth. A Gundam from a time long ago is found. It’s not a story about fighting robots so much as a story about people who find themselves in the middle of a war. It’s more like a Ghibli than a Gundam. I wish I had finished this but GundamInfo took the videos down. 😭
• Mobile Suit Gundam Reconguista in G Vol 1 (GundamInfo) - Also good… but GundamInfo took it down before I could finish all 5 movies.

Podcasts

• The Adventure Zone: Steeplechase (MaxFun) - Finished the series. This was one of my favorites; Blades in the Dark is such a fun system. Mixed feelings on the ending, not sure what I was hoping for, but the wrap-up was a bit fast and furious for me.
• The Adventure Zone Live Shows - Caught up on the incredible Dadlands and Hootenanny one-shots.
• Growth Machine (KUT) - A podcast about Austin’s urban design and population growth.
• The Disconnect (KUT) - A podcast about the Texas power grid. If you live in Texas and experience trauma from the grid, I recommend this series.
• Systems of Harm (Amy Hupe) - A podcast about design systems and inclusivity.

🎙 Recording

I did some Twitch streams but fell off with general busy-ness. ShopTalk is hitting some wonderful strides as we wrap our 12th year and approach Episode 600.

ShopTalk

• Cascade Layers, CSS Functions, and more CSS with Miriam Suzanne
• The Year of AI, Arc, and Being Mad About the Right Thing - 2023 Wrap-up Show

🧶 Crafts

Gunpla

Over the Thanksgiving break I binged and built three gunpla. Because I rewatched the original series, I wanted to fill out my squad of Zeon mobile suits.

• HG Zaku II - The infamous green grunt mobile suit for the Principality of Zeon.
• HG Gouf - The blue custom mobile suit piloted by Rambal Ral, who is one of my favorite characters from the series.
• MG Z’Gok - The underwater mobile suit piloted by Char Aznable during his raid on Jaburo.

⌨️ Open source

• Nothing. But new repos on the horizon.

👾 Video games

• Gundam UC Engage (iOS) - A gachapon style time-waster. If you like games like this, please join my clan “Side 5: Texas Colony”

Thus ends the retelling of the stats.

https://daverupert.com/2023/12/vibe-check-30/ Save to Pocket

L.A. County Raises Mudflow Forecast

date: 2023-12-21, from: SCV New (TV Station)

With moderate to heavy rainfall expected through Friday in foothill and mountain communities, Los Angeles County Public Works has raised its mudflow forecast to Phase 2 in recent burn areas and Phase 1 for burn areas with at least three years of recovery

https://scvnews.com/l-a-county-raises-mudflow-forecast/ Save to Pocket

Calculating Pi in the sky: Axiom Space plans to launch ‘orbital datacenter’

date: 2023-12-21, updated: 2023-12-21, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Small rack to lift off in 2027 – we reckon it might be 10U or 12U, which can pack a lot of power

Axiom Space says it plans to build and launch an orbital datacenter to support missions aboard its upcoming commercial space station.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/12/21/axiom_orbital_datacenter/ Save to Pocket

L.A. County Child Support Services Releases 2022-23 Annual Report

date: 2023-12-21, from: SCV New (TV Station)

The Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department (CSSD) released its Annual Report for federal fiscal year 2022-

https://scvnews.com/l-a-county-child-support-services-releases-2022-23-annual-report/ Save to Pocket

Dance Group Brings Korean Culture to Hollywood Christmas Parade

date: 2023-12-21, from: VOA News USA

In its 91st year, the Hollywood Christmas Parade brings together performers from across the country. Genia Dulot marched with a group of Korean American dancers who proudly showcase their culture.

https://www.voanews.com/a/dance-group-brings-korean-culture-to-hollywood-christmas-parade-/7406680.html Save to Pocket

Longest Night Ceremony to Pay Tribute to Those Who Died While Homeless in Santa Barbara

date: 2023-12-21, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

S.B.’s homeless population numbers dip slightly while nation’s and state’s take off.

The post Longest Night Ceremony to Pay Tribute to Those Who Died While Homeless in Santa Barbara appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2023/12/20/longest-night-ceremony-to-pay-tribute-to-those-who-died-while-homeless-in-santa-barbara/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2023-12-21, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

Booting Trump off the ballot isn't just legally correct — it's the smart move for the Supreme Court.

https://www.salon.com/2023/12/20/booting-off-the-ballot-isnt-just-legally-correct–its-the-smart-move-for-the/ Save to Pocket

Lady Mustangs Drop Bulldogs from Cactus Classic 69-56

date: 2023-12-21, from: SCV New (TV Station)

Madeline Cooke tied her career high with 17 rebounds and added three blocks as The Master’s University women’s basketball team knocked off RV Montana Western 69-56 Tuesday in the first game of the Cactus Classic in Chandler, Ariz

https://scvnews.com/lady-mustangs-drop-bulldogs-from-cactus-classic-69-56/ Save to Pocket

Heads up: RPM GPG keys are changing on 3 Jan 2024 ( RHEL and Fedora )

date: 2023-12-21, from: PostgreSQL News

As a part of having new x86_64 build instances, we updated all of the RPM signing keys to meet FIPS requirements (except RHEL7, where updated GPG keys will appear but not meet FIPS requirement) for RHEL 9, 8 and 7 (and their derivatives), and Fedora 39 & 38. Existing keys are weak and throwing warnings to many users.

We will also update aarch64 and ppc64le signing keys as well.

New repo RPMs, the new keys and RPMs re-signed with the new keys will be published on 3 January 2024.

If you want to receive updates from the PostgreSQL RPM repo after 3 January 2024, you’ll need to update the repository RPM and install new keys. We will publish detailed information and howto in https://yum.postgresql.org before new year.

There will be no change in the SLES 15 and SLES 12 RPMS, at least for now.

https://www.postgresql.org/about/news/heads-up-rpm-gpg-keys-are-changing-on-3-jan-2024-rhel-and-fedora-2770/ Save to Pocket

Effects of ondansetron exposure during ICU stay on outcomes of critically ill patients with sepsis: a cohort study

date: 2023-12-21, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology