News gathered 2024-01-04

(date: 2024-01-04 18:39:33)

Court orders arbitration for Wipro and ex-CFO who left for Cognizant

date: 2024-01-05, updated: 2024-01-05, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

India’s IT outsourcers have an exec poaching problem

A Bengaluru civil court has ordered Indian IT outsourcer Wipro to go into arbitration with its former CFO, Jatin Dalal, over accusations the latter violated a non-compete clause by joining competitor Cognizant.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/05/court_orders_arbitration_for_wipro/ Save to Pocket

South Africa to Take Israel to Top UN Court on Genocide Claim in Gaza

date: 2024-01-05, from: VOA News USA

white house — South Africa is taking the war in Gaza to a top global court, accusing Israel of genocide in a lengthy court filing that the International Court of Justice is preparing to hear next week.  

Israel says the filing constitutes “blood libel,” and the White House dimisses it as “meritless.”  

More than 22,000 Palestinians have perished since the start of Israel’s offensive on Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. U.S. officials have previously cast doubt on those figures, noting that the ministry is run by Hamas, the group that was elected to govern Gaza and whose armed wing launched the October 7 attack on Israel that killed more than 1,200 people. 

Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and some of its allies, lists the killing of Jews and the elimination of the Jewish state as its main objectives. 

South Africa’s 84-page submission, filed last week, says that Israel’s actions in its Gaza offensive “are genocidal in character, as they are committed with the requisite specific intent … to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group.”

Israel’s use of state organs and agents to do this, they say, is a violation of its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention.  

Alarms over possible war crimes

International organizations, including United Nations agencies, have raised alarms over possible war crimes, with the U.N.’s human rights agency calling in November for “prompt, transparent and independent investigations into allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity, perpetrated in Israel and in the Occupied Palestinian Territory on 7 October 2023 and thereafter.”  

Israel’s government has slammed the move as a “decision to play advocate for the devil” and accused South Africa of “blood libel.” The accusation that Jewish people use the blood of Christians in religious rituals has been touted for centuries — notably by the genocidal Nazi regime, which oversaw the extermination of some 6 million Jews — to justify targeting Jews.  

“History will judge South Africa for its criminal complicity with the bloodiest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, and it will judge it without mercy,” said Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy. 

The White House, when asked by VOA, dismissed South Africa’s argument.  

“We find this submission meritless, counterproductive and completely without any basis in fact whatsoever,” said John Kirby, director of strategic communications for the National Security Council.  

South Africa’s Foreign Affairs Ministry did not respond to requests for comment, but spokesperson Clayson Monyela said on the social media platform X that this is an example of his nation’s decision to “flex its diplomatic muscle in defense of humanity.”  

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress has historically supported the Palestinian cause, with the nation’s first democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela, saying, “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.”  

In the court application, South Africa argues that the treatment of Palestinians also bears strong resemblance to South Africa’s own racially motivated apartheid regime, which ended in 1994 with Mandela’s election.  

“It is important,” the submission reads, “to place the acts of genocide in the broader context of Israel’s conduct towards Palestinians during its 75-year-long apartheid, its 56-year-long belligerent occupation of Palestinian territory and its 16-year-long blockade of Gaza, including the serious and ongoing violations of international law associated therewith, including grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and other war crimes and crimes against humanity.” 

The grassroots Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says it supports South Africa’s submission, which has also been endorsed by Muslim-majority nations Turkey and Malaysia.  

Robert McCaw, government affairs department director for CAIR, notes that while the group has “condemned the killing of Palestinians and Israelis alike” and the actions of both Hamas and Israel’s government, it believes South Africa’s case “fits the definition of genocide.” 

“When you are systematically erasing Palestinians from Gaza, that is a genocide,” he said. “And you can, you know, use whatever terms you want to dismiss this claim, but it’s a genocide.” 

But can it stop the war? South Africa, in its submission, asks the court to immediately call upon Israel to halt attacks, but it’s not clear whether such a ruling would stick.  

“It can’t enforce its verdicts, but members of the United Nations, which are all the world’s government, they can accept its findings, and that impacts the types of policies that are put out by the U.N.,” McCaw said. 

“So, this can have a significant impact in how we might be able to get a cease-fire or to hold Israel accountable by other means for its ongoing genocide of Palestinians. Also, it’s a very good way to legally document the crimes that are occurring.” 

Proceedings begin January 11 and will be streamed live on the United Nations’ web-based TV site.

https://www.voanews.com/a/south-africa-to-take-israel-to-top-un-court-on-genocide-claim-in-gaza-/7427539.html Save to Pocket

Ryan Seacrest Tried Making an iPhone Hardware Keyboard Case 10 Years Ago

date: 2024-01-05, updated: 2024-01-05, from: Daring Fireball

https://www.engadget.com/2013-12-06-typo-keyboard.html?guccounter=1 Save to Pocket

The world’s smallest PNG

date: 2024-01-05, from: OS News

The smallest PNG file is 67 bytes. It’s a single black pixel. Here’s what it looks like, zoomed in 200×: The rest of this post describes this file in more detail and tries to explain how PNGs work along the way. There’s a big twist at the end, if that excites you. But I hope you’re just excited to learn about PNGs. ↫ Evan Hahn I know way too much about PNGs now, information I won’t ever need but am glad to have.

https://www.osnews.com/story/138206/the-worlds-smallest-png/ Save to Pocket

What should we know about APFS special files?

date: 2024-01-05, from: OS News

We may have been using APFS for nearly seven years, but some of its features remain thoroughly opaque. On Christmas Day, I posed the puzzle of 60 TB of snapshots being removed from a 2 TB disk. While we all accept that may be “technically correct”, for ordinary users it makes no sense. Suggestions that they should be “educated” miss the point that the Finder has to be accessible to all users, whether or not they have a degree in Computer Science. If my eleven year-old granddaughter can’t make sense of it, then the Finder is a failure. Today I turn to another thorny issue raised by the ingenuity of APFS: the size of its special file types, sparse and ‘clone’ files. As usual, I start with a practical demonstration. ↫ Howard Oakley I feel like I should ring a little bell while posting a link to this article.

https://www.osnews.com/story/138204/what-should-we-know-about-apfs-special-files/ Save to Pocket

Installing FreeBSD 14.0 on a USB drive

date: 2024-01-05, from: OS News

Having re-discovered my love for FreeBSD on the desktop for the past month or so, I embarked in yet another adventure with it: creating a portable installation of it a USB drive so I could carry it with me on the go. This would be a great addition to my everyday carry, and would also again put the OS in test against many situations I have not had faced yet with it. ↫ Klaus Zimmermann Always a useful tool to have.

https://www.osnews.com/story/138202/installing-freebsd-14-0-on-a-usb-drive/ Save to Pocket

Couture to join Sharks’ upcoming road trip with expectation that he might play

date: 2024-01-05, from: San Jose Mercury News

San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture has missed the entire season with a lower-body injury but has made significant progress with his health in recent weeks.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/04/sharks-couture-expected-to-return-to-lineup-during-upcoming-road-trip/ Save to Pocket

No Whining

date: 2024-01-05, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

We have just finished reading Nick Welsh’s latest column “No Whine Before Its Time.”

The post No Whining appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/04/no-whining/ Save to Pocket

‘Do you want me to shoot them?’ Five months after acquittal in murder case, Richmond man charged with home invasion robbery in San Pablo

date: 2024-01-05, from: San Jose Mercury News

Anthony Timmons, 26, allegedly pointed a gun at one of the three victims and asked a second robber, “Do you want me to shoot them?”

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/04/do-you-want-me-to-shoot-them-five-months-after-acquittal-in-murder-case-richmond-man-charged-with-home-invasion-robbery-in-san-pablo/ Save to Pocket

City invites community to Unity Walk on MLK Day

date: 2024-01-05, from: The Signal

News release   The city of Santa Clarita is inviting the community to come together for a Unity Walk in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Central Park, 27150 Bouquet Canyon Road, on Monday, Jan. 15, at 9 a.m.   The event will kick off with a brief program focusing on King’s […]

The post City invites community to Unity Walk on MLK Day appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/city-invites-community-to-unity-walk-on-mlk-day/ Save to Pocket

Fake Epstein documents already circulating on social media

date: 2024-01-05, from: San Jose Mercury News

Two people singled out in viral false claims containing images made to look like snippets from court documents were late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who died in 2018. In both cases, the images were used in an effort to tie the men to illicit activities involving Epstein.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/04/fake-epstein-documents-already-circulating-on-social-media/ Save to Pocket

Late model: OpenAI GPT Store may debut next week

date: 2024-01-05, updated: 2024-01-05, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Devil is in the as-yet-undisclosed revenue sharing details

OpenAI’s GPT Store – a one-stop shop for customized chatbot models – is expected to start business next week, after missing its planned debut last month amid boardroom turmoil at the startup.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/05/openai_gpt_store_may_debut/ Save to Pocket

Sharks’ Hertl selected to play in reformatted NHL All-Star Game

date: 2024-01-05, from: San Jose Mercury News

Tomas Hertl will represent the San Jose Sharks at the NHL All-Star Game next month in Toronto

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/04/sharks-hertl-selected-to-play-in-reformatted-nhl-all-star-game/ Save to Pocket

January 2024: This Month at TMU

date: 2024-01-05, from: SCV New (TV Station)

The Master’s University has released the lineup of upcoming events for January

https://scvnews.com/january-2024-this-month-at-tmu/ Save to Pocket

Gilroy residents rally against order for removal of controversial parklet

date: 2024-01-05, from: San Jose Mercury News

Braving Tuesday evening’s rain, a few dozen Gilroy residents gathered outside of Station 55 Mexican Restaurant downtown to rally against city orders to remove a parklet that has become the center of an ongoing dispute. When the Gilroy City Council ordered the removal by the end of December, the restaurant refused to comply. Many Gilroy […]

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/04/gilroy-citizens-rally-against-order-for-removal-of-controversial-parklet/ Save to Pocket

Clicks: New Hardware Keyboard for iPhone

date: 2024-01-05, updated: 2024-01-05, from: Daring Fireball

https://www.clicks.tech/ Save to Pocket

Public health encourages testing to reduce COVID-19 spread

date: 2024-01-05, from: The Signal

News release   With higher COVID-19 transmission levels in Los Angeles County – along with other respiratory viruses – and many residents returning to school and work after the holidays, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is encouraging residents to test if they have COVID-19 symptoms to prevent the spread of COVID-19.  Free at-home […]

The post Public health encourages testing to reduce COVID-19 spread appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/public-health-encourages-testing-to-reduce-covid-19-spread/ Save to Pocket

Discovery of body in Hercules triggers death investigation

date: 2024-01-05, from: San Jose Mercury News

The person was found early Thursday morning in the 600 block of Alfred Nobel Drive.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/04/discovery-of-body-in-hercules-triggers-death-investigation/ Save to Pocket

Doom, Dark Compute, and AI

date: 2024-01-05, from: Peter Warden

Back in 2020 Foone Turing caused a sensation when she showed Doom running on a pregnancy test. For anyone who remembered desktop computers from the 90’s, it was amazing to see a disposable device run something that used to take thousands of dollars worth of hardware. It’s not a fluke either – calculators, ATMs, fridges, […]

https://petewarden.com/2024/01/05/doom-dark-compute-and-ai/ Save to Pocket

COC Foundation creates endowment fund in Jenkins’ memory

date: 2024-01-05, from: The Signal

News release  The College of the Canyons Foundation has created an endowment fund in honor of Michele Jenkins, who died on Feb. 6, 2023, after nearly 40 years of service as a COC board of trustees member.  The Michele R. Jenkins Leadership Endowment will support Bridging the Canyons, the Michele R. Jenkins Scholarship, and faculty […]

The post COC Foundation creates endowment fund in Jenkins’ memory appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/coc-foundation-creates-endowment-fund-in-jenkins-memory/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-05, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

New York Knicks Trade RJ Barrett, Ultimate Consolation Prize.

https://www.si.com/nba/knicks/news/new-york-knicks-rj-barrett-trade-ultimate-consolation-prize-toronto-raptors Save to Pocket

49ers QB Sam Darnold sees season-ending showcase as meaningful

date: 2024-01-05, from: San Jose Mercury News

Sam Darnold will start in place of Brock Purdy as the 49ers close out the regular season Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams before taking the No. 1 seed into the NFC playoffs.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/04/49ers-brock-purdy-yields-for-sam-darnolds-season-ending-showcase/ Save to Pocket

College Briefs for Jan. 4

date: 2024-01-05, from: The Signal

Local students named to dean’s list at Washington University in St. Louis The following local students were named to the dean’s list for the spring 2023 semester at Washington University in St. Louis:   • Krista Semaan, of Newhall, and Natalia Pilpil, of Santa Clarita, were named to the dean’s list in the McKelvey School of […]

The post College Briefs for Jan. 4 appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/college-briefs-for-jan-4/ Save to Pocket

Letters: Football option | Wages over tips | Verify Trump

date: 2024-01-05, from: San Jose Mercury News

East Bay Times Letters to the Editor for Jan. 5, 2023

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/04/letters-1555/ Save to Pocket

Years after successful appeal, Vallejo man convicted once again in Hayward murder

date: 2024-01-05, from: San Jose Mercury News

Dereak Turner, 34, was convicted again of murdering Thomas Cunningham in a 2009 shooting.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/04/years-after-successful-appeal-vallejo-man-convicted-once-again-in-hayward-murder/ Save to Pocket

CalArts Alum Releases Second Novel in Steampunk Trilogy

date: 2024-01-05, from: SCV New (TV Station)

California Institute of the Arts alum Noah Lemelson (Critical Studies MFA 19) returned with his latest work, “The Lioness and the Rat Queen,” the second novel in his steampunk-apocalyptic-noir trilogy.

https://scvnews.com/calarts-alum-releases-second-novel-in-steampunk-trilogy/ Save to Pocket

US Prosecutors Can Now Charge Foreign Officials With Bribery

date: 2024-01-05, from: VOA News USA

https://www.voanews.com/a/us-prosecutors-can-now-charge-foreign-officials-with-bribery-/7427506.html Save to Pocket

LA Region’s COVID Cases Are Up As New Variant Sweeps The US

date: 2024-01-05, updated: 2024-01-05, from: The LAist

The post-holiday surge continues, according to the latest data.

https://laist.com/news/health/la-regions-covid-cases-are-up-as-new-variant-sweeps-the-us Save to Pocket

Family of ex-East Bay detective arrested on attempted murder charges thanks police who resolved standoff

date: 2024-01-05, from: San Jose Mercury News

Chunliam Saechao pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him at his arraignment Thursday.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/04/family-of-ex-east-bay-detective-arrested-on-attempted-murder-thanks-police-who-resolved-standoff/ Save to Pocket

Amid Fears of a Wider War, Blinken Returns to Middle East

date: 2024-01-05, from: VOA News USA

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading back to the Middle East late Thursday to visit multiple countries, including Israel, amid rising fears that the conflict is spreading. Tensions have surged between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah after a deputy Hamas leader was killed in Beirut on Tuesday. VOA’s Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports.

https://www.voanews.com/a/amid-fears-of-a-wider-war-blinken-returns-to-middle-east-/7427511.html Save to Pocket

Kidnapping report turns out to be a false alarm

date: 2024-01-05, from: The Signal

A report of a possible kidnapping on Thursday afternoon turned out to be a false alarm, as the man who was reported as having abducted a child was actually the child’s father, according to an L.A. County Sheriff’s Department source.   The report of a possible kidnapping had been under investigation by sheriff’s deputies on Thursday […]

The post Kidnapping report turns out to be a false alarm appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/possible-kidnapping-under-investigation/ Save to Pocket

Santa Barbara Police Officer Rescues Woman on Train Tracks with Help of Amtrak Employee

date: 2024-01-05, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

A woman “acting erratically” was pulled to safety after jumping onto the tracks ahead of an approaching train.

The post Santa Barbara Police Officer Rescues Woman on Train Tracks with Help of Amtrak Employee appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/04/santa-barbara-police-officer-rescues-woman-on-train-tracks-with-help-of-amtrak-employee/ Save to Pocket

Friday 5 January, 2024

date: 2024-01-05, from: John Naughton’s online diary

Van Gogh inverted This lovely photograph by Natalya Saprunova in yesterday’s Washington Post stopped me in my tracks. It shows bubbles of carbon dioxide and methane — released by permafrost melting — floating to the surface of a stream in … Continue reading →

https://memex.naughtons.org/friday-5-january-2024/38987/ Save to Pocket

Jan. 15: Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Unity Walk

date: 2024-01-05, from: SCV New (TV Station)

The city of Santa Clarita invites the community to come together for a Unity Walk in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at Central Park Monday, Jan. 15, at 9:00 a.m

https://scvnews.com/jan-15-annual-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-day-unity-walk/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-05, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

Wired, in its prime hired writers who had something interesting and eclectic going on, like my buddy Dave Jacobs, who did the Fetish column.

https://om.co/2024/01/02/is-optimism-wired-or-tired/ Save to Pocket

The News Business

date: 2024-01-05, from: Doc Searls (at Harvard), New Old Blog

How does the news business see itself? Easy: ask an AI. Or a lot of them.* That’s what I’ve been doing. Unless otherwise noted, all the following respond to the same three-word prompt: the news business. Here goes… Microsoft Bing (Full name: Microsoft Bing Image Creator from Designer), which uses DALL-E 3: Dream Studio by […]

https://doc.searls.com/2024/01/04/the-news-business/ Save to Pocket

Lilbits: MSI teases a handheld gaming PC, Kioxia retires the Plextor storage brand, and the beginning of the end for MS WordPad

date: 2024-01-04, from: Liliputing

CES 2024 officially kicks off next week, but some companies aren’t waiting until then to make big announcements. Today Dell unveiled its new line of XPS-branded thin and light laptops, Microsoft announced that Windows PC makers will begin including a dedicated Window Copilot button on their keyboards, and Qualcomm announced a new chip for higher-performance […]

The post Lilbits: MSI teases a handheld gaming PC, Kioxia retires the Plextor storage brand, and the beginning of the end for MS WordPad appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/lilbits-msi-teases-a-handheld-gaming-pc-kioxia-retires-the-plextor-storage-brand-and-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-ms-wordpad/ Save to Pocket

Microchip nabs $162M to keep chips for washing machines – and missiles – flowing

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Uncle Sam: Nothing goes together quite like a well-pressed uniform and weapons of mass destruction

Microchip will receive $162 million of US CHIPS and Science Act funding to bolster domestic production of microcontrollers used in both commercial and military applications.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/microchip_nabs_162m_to_keep/ Save to Pocket

The Talk Show: ‘Halos and Harps’

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: Daring Fireball

https://daringfireball.net/thetalkshow/2024/12/31/ep-392 Save to Pocket

The Greatest Gift is Time

date: 2024-01-04, from: Om Malik blog

Matt Mullenweg’s 40th birthday is coming up — and as a gift, I was going to buy him 40 types of cables. However, for a gift, he wants everyone to blog — especially on WordPress. So, that’s what I will do!  I mean, I already blog. So, not that much of a stretch. However, for Matt, I am going to …

https://om.co/2024/01/04/the-greatest-gift-is-time/ Save to Pocket

Proxying Ethernet in HTTP

date: 2024-01-04, from: Tilde.news

Comments

https://www.ietf.org/archive/id/draft-ietf-masque-connect-ethernet-01.html Save to Pocket

CDPH Warns Consumers Not to Eat Shemshad’s Mulberry Molasses and Mulberry Jam Due to Risk of Illness

date: 2024-01-04, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

The California Department of Public Health is warning consumers not to eat Shemshad’s Mulberry Molasses and Mulberry Jam food products due to potential Clostridium botulinum contamination. Products were sold at grocery stores in southern California including Woodland Hills Market in Woodland Hills, Q Market in Van Nuys, and Wholesome Choice Market in Irvine.

The post CDPH Warns Consumers Not to Eat Shemshad’s Mulberry Molasses and Mulberry Jam Due to Risk of Illness appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/04/cdph-warns-consumers-not-to-eat-shemshads-mulberry-molasses-and-mulberry-jam-due-to-risk-of-illness/ Save to Pocket

‘Anti-Religious’ Zionism Is Not Anti-Semitism

date: 2024-01-04, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

The original political Zionism aimed to establish a safe haven for Jews all over the globe, and fully achieved in 1948.

The post ‘Anti-Religious’ Zionism Is Not Anti-Semitism appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/04/anti-religious-zionism-is-not-anti-semitism/ Save to Pocket

Ventura County Is Asking You To Not Share Or Move Your Homegrown Fruit

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-05, from: The LAist

The urgent agricultural alert is meant to warn people about the Queensland fruit fly and Huanglongbing disease.

https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/ventura-county-is-asking-you-to-not-share-or-move-your-homegrown-fruit Save to Pocket

Laurene Weste: Trail Etiquette in 2024

date: 2024-01-04, from: SCV New (TV Station)

As we step into the new year, I find myself eagerly anticipating the adventures that lie ahead

https://scvnews.com/laurene-weste-trail-etiquette-in-2024/ Save to Pocket

CSUN’s Bostick Earns Big West Player of the Week

date: 2024-01-04, from: SCV New (TV Station)

California State University, Northridge men’s basketball Dionte Bostick picked up his first career Big West Player of the Week award, the league office announced on Monday

https://scvnews.com/csuns-bostick-earns-big-west-player-of-the-week/ Save to Pocket

Renewables Enter an Older and Wiser Phase

date: 2024-01-04, from: Heatmap News

Last year showed that renewables are not fated to always and everywhere get steadily cheaper. But if 2023 was a year when the industry was hampered by inflation, high interest rates, and lingering supply chain issues, then maybe 2024 could be a year of normalization — when governments, utilities, and energy companies have at least started to figure things out.

“There’s optimism going into 2024,” Allegra Dawes, an associate fellow at the Center for Center for Strategic and International Studies, told me.

The difficulties of 2023 were nowhere more obvious than in offshore wind, where rising costs led to cancellations of projects as states and developers couldn’t agree on new contracts. This year already has seen the scrubbing of one New York offshore wind project, Empire Wind 2, although developers Equinor and BP will likely rebid under a new system that better accounts for the possibilities of costs rising.

At (nearly) the same time, though, power customers on New York’s Long Island were the first in the U.S. to receive utility-scale offshore wind power at the end of last year, while New Englanders enjoyed their first offshore wind power just this week. The turmoil of 2023 doesn’t mean that offshore wind — or any other part of the energy transition — is completely off track, just that it’s entering a different, more mature phase.

“What we’re all learning is that building out renewable sources will likely be more expensive,” Dawes said. Repeated and rapid cost declines in solar — far beyond experts’ annual projections — may have lulled investors and policymakers into thinking that all renewable energy sources would forever follow the same trajectory. If so, the awakening was a rude one. “Those cost declines we saw in solar are not going to be easily replicable in all technologies,” Dawes said.

High interest rates have particularly bedeviled renewable projects, as they typically need a large amount of upfront financing for years before they can start generating power. This, at least, is one place the industry can expect relief: Federal Reserve officials have predicted that the central bank will cut rates three times in 2024, which could bring partial relief to renewable developers. Traders, meanwhile, predict a much faster pace of easing. And as laws like the infrastructure bill and Inflation Reduction Act are further implemented, meaning that funding for specific provisions begins to flow in earnest and newly written rules come into effect, investors and businesses will be able to make informed decisions as to how best to take advantage.

“We have massive amounts of projects in the queue,” Dawes said. “Announcements of solar and wind continue.” Just in solar, the Energy Information Administration expects 37 gigawatts of new capacity, on top of the 23 gigawatts it expects when the figures for 2023 are tallied up. Solar and wind, the EIA projects, will, all-told, generate more power than coal for the first time ever.

All this renewable energy will need new transmission capacity to meaningfully affect the carbon intensity of electricity generation in the United States. The difficulties of building new transmission — especially long-distance transmission — and the never-ending queue of new projects waiting to be connected to the grid have long been considered a major hold-up in the decarbonization process. While the nation’s grid and transmission problems won’t be solved in 2024, incremental progress will likely be made, with billions of dollars in federal funds available for grid planning and investment. One massive transmission project to bring wind power from New Mexico and Arizona that’s been in the works for literally decades finally started construction late last year, indicating that these types of projects can get financed.

And there are signs that, despite the rocky recent past, investors are beginning to believe in the long-term future of renewables. “The impact of unprecedented investment in renewable infrastructure will likely become more apparent in 2024,” Deloitte analysts said in a report. “Regulatory boosts to renewable energy and transmission buildout could help address grid constraints.”

There are still any number of bottlenecks beyond financing and costs. One is actually getting federal government programs to begin to build. As of early December, the $7.5 billion allotted for building out an electric vehicle charging network, for instance, had produced precisely zero chargers. But that, too, could begin to change this year, with Ohio breaking ground on chargers.

If we were to say any one thing about the energy transition story in 2024, it’s that it won’t be all about huge new laws or policies, but instead about steadily chipping away at implementation. That’s not fun or sexy, but it is what grown-ups do.

https://heatmap.news/climate/renewables-enter-an-older-and-wiser-phase Save to Pocket

Man fatally shot in Tumon Thursday night

date: 2024-01-04, from: Guam Daily Post

This morning the Office of the Governor, Guam Police Department and Guam Visitor’s Bureau will be making a statement regarding reports of a robbery and fatal shooting of a Korean tourist on Thursday evening.

https://www.postguam.com/news/man-fatally-shot-in-tumon-thursday-night/article_6c07a3c6-ab54-11ee-b16d-835cec96c410.html Save to Pocket

Former Santa Barbara City College Football Star Pleads Guilty to Felony Assault

date: 2024-01-04, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

Brandon Tyree Smith had committed to Oregon State the day he was arrested.

The post Former Santa Barbara City College Football Star Pleads Guilty to Felony Assault appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/04/former-santa-barbara-city-college-football-star-pleads-guilty-to-felony-assault/ Save to Pocket

AMD talks up car chips it hopes will join you for a ride some time soon

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

‘New’ ADAS and infotainment parts powered by older FPGAs and earlier cores. It’s good enough for Tesla

+Comment  Just in time for CES, which has become just as much a car show as an electronics event in recent years, AMD has revealed its newest chips for the automotive market: a processor powered by a nearly five-year-old core architecture, and a 2.5-year-old FPGA with some Arm cores and AI accelerators baked in.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/amd_car_chips/ Save to Pocket

‘Like I Said Many Years Ago, I Never Had a Problem With Drugs, Only With Cops.’

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: Daring Fireball

https://daringfireball.net/linked/2023/12/19/keith-richards-80#update Save to Pocket

White House Hopes for Free, Safe Polls in Taiwan

date: 2024-01-04, from: VOA News USA

white house — The Biden administration hopes that Taiwan’s voters can freely choose their next leader when the island votes next week in a general election, says John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, in an interview with VOA’s White House Correspondent Paris Huang on Thursday.

Kirby also reiterated that President Joe Biden and his administration are “all in” on cooperation with the African continent in the coming year.

The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

VOA: Let’s start with Taiwan’s elections. According to the Taiwanese government, China has been interfering in the election, including spreading disinformation and misinformation. Taiwanese prosecutors are investigating allegations that China bribed Taiwanese officials with travel and money to influence the election. When they met in San Francisco, President Biden told President Xi Jinping not to interfere with the Taiwan election. Is President Xi is ignoring his advice?

John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications: I can’t confirm these individual reports of interference with the electoral process in Taiwan. We’ve been very clear that we respect Taiwan’s democratic institutions. We respect the will of the people of Taiwan to make these sorts of decisions in terms of their own governance. And we don’t want any other actor, be it a nation state or otherwise, to interfere in this election.

VOA: Will the United States have confidence in Taiwan’s election results if there’s hard evidence that China did influence the election?

Kirby: Look, that’s a hypothetical. I’m just not willing to speculate at this point. We want these elections to be free and fair and transparent. We want the will of the people of Taiwan to be respected. We’ll just monitor this as closely as we can.

VOA: This year, China has sent at least nine fighter jets, four navy ships and at least six balloons over Taiwan. What is the White House’s message to China regarding rising tension in the region before the Taiwan election?

Kirby: Again, it’s important that as the people of Taiwan go to the polls to cast their ballots, that they can do so with a feeling of safety and security and comfort in the knowledge that their vote matters, and that it’s going to be appropriately tallied. And that’s really what we’re focused on. That’s what we want to see happen.

VOA: Moving on to the South China Sea. The United States and the Philippines recently had a joint exercise in the South China Sea. Now China is holding a rival exercise in the same region. And recently, China finally appointed a new defense minister, Navy Admiral Dong Jun. Is the White House watching this? Does this mean that China could be more aggressive in the South China Sea region in the future? And has Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reached out to the admiral?

Kirby: You’d have to talk to Secretary Austin. I don’t know whether he’s reached out to the new nominee for defense secretary. I think we should be careful before drawing conclusions over somebody’s nomination to a job and how they’re going to execute that job based on the jobs that they’ve had in the past. We’ll have to judge this individual as we would judge any leader around the world by their actions, not merely by their resume.

We don’t seek a conflict with the [People’s Republic of China]. We don’t want to see conflict in the South China Sea. We do want to make sure that our national interests and the national interests of our allies and partners are respected in the South China Sea and elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific, which is why we have a robust military capability there. It’s why the president felt it was so important to get military-to-military communications back up and running between the United States and the PRC, and they have, and that’s a good thing.

I’m sure Secretary Austin, at the appropriate time, will speak to the new defense minister. And it’s our hope that that relationship, while we don’t expect to agree on everything, can at least provide yet another layer of insulation in terms of preventing miscalculation and misunderstanding between our two countries. The PRC has made some unfounded maritime claims when it comes to the South China Sea. We expect that we’re going to maintain the capability for our allies and partners there to be able to manage their own national security and to protect the free flow of international commerce there.

VOA: Moving on to Africa. What is next for U.S.-Africa engagement? Could we see more military cooperation or some high-level trips this year?

Kirby: I think you’re going to see us continue to be all-in when it comes to Africa. We have already made terrific progress on many of the commitments that we made in the Africa Leaders Summit, and there have been visits by some 17 senior-level officials of the United States government. I fully expect that those high-level engagements will continue.

VOA: The U.S. has imposed sanctions on individuals in several African countries that are experiencing conflict, like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan. President Biden also recently revoked [African Growth and Opportunity Act] access over human rights issues in the Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger and Uganda. Is this type of economic statecraft the main lever that the United States has for managing its relationship with the continent? And is this enough to counter China’s rising influence and massive expenditures on the continent?

Kirby: Well, first of all, these actions we’re taking, these economic actions you’re talking about, were designed to express our deep concern and to do it tangibly about some of the practices by leaders in these countries. It has nothing to do with trying to counter China. It’s about leading our foreign policy with a strong focus on human and civil rights and doing what’s right and making it clear what we will and what we won’t stand for.

We have other tools at our disposal, which, again, I’m not in a position to speculate about right at this time, but it’s not about China. These countries all get to decide for themselves what kind of relationship they want with the United States and what kind of relationship they want with China. That’s up to them. We’re comfortable that we’ve got a strong network of relationships across the continent. We’re comfortable that we’re taking real action to give African nations and African leaders alternatives in terms of financing, transparent, healthy, vibrant financing opportunities that won’t push their countries further into debt the way that other financial relationships with other countries outside the continent have caused to our African friends.

We’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing, meeting the commitments that we made during the Africa Leaders Summit, offering opportunities for infrastructure growth and development and investment that are sound and viable and transparent, and continuing to honestly put our money where our mouth is when it comes to standing up for shared principles and values.

https://www.voanews.com/a/7427137.html Save to Pocket

New Data Show Racial Disparities In Local Law Enforcement Stops

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-05, from: The LAist

Black people were stopped at a higher rate disproportionate to their population size.

https://laist.com/news/politics/new-data-show-racial-disparities-in-local-law-enforcement-stops Save to Pocket

Canada’s Zombie Forests

date: 2024-01-04, from: Heatmap News

Although Canada has developed a reputation as a responsible steward of its massive — and environmentally crucial — boreal forests, a new study published in the journal Land calls that reputation into question. The analysis, by researchers at Australia’s Griffith University, found that 35.4 million acres of the country’s evergreen forests in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec have been effectively lost to logging since 1976. The government-approved methods used to regenerate those forests — which require loggers to replant cleared areas or show that the region will recover on its own — have had a devastating result, as similar practices have had in many other parts of the world.

Overview of logged forest within the study area from 1976 to 2020.Climate Action Beacon, Griffith University

While 56 million acres of older trees remain across the two provinces, that acreage is now interspersed with patchworks of newly planted trees chosen for their future suitability for logging, not for purposes of ecological diversity or wildfire prevention. “The Canadian government claims to have managed the forest according to the principles of sustainable forest management,” Brendan Mackey, the study’s lead author, told The New York Times. “But its notion of sustainability is really tied to maintaining and maximizing wood production and ensuring the regeneration of commercially desirable trees. That has a lot of implications for biodiversity.”

Canada’s forest managers say that “At 0.02% of its forested area, [the rate of] deforestation in Canada is among the world’s lowest,” which sounds impressive until this caveat: “an area with very young trees is still a forest. The term ‘deforestation’ refers to land that has been cleared of trees and permanently converted to another use.” It’s a bit like claiming that a zombie is a healthy, normal person, simply because it seems to be alive. So while Canada may not have widespread deforestation, what it does have are swaths of newer trees that are far less effective than their forebears when it comes to carbon capture, species diversity, and wildfire prevention. “Forest degradation is the more important metric for Canada because it really captures more of what’s actually happening,” Peter Wood, of the University of British Columbia, told the Times. “Canada has downplayed the impact of the forest industry.”

https://heatmap.news/sparks/canada-forests-logging-land-griffith-university Save to Pocket

Valencia boys’ soccer draws with Canyon

date: 2024-01-04, from: The Signal

Despite numerous chances on both sides of the field, Valencia Vikings boys’ soccer ended Tuesday’s home league match with the Canyon Cowboys in a draw.  Valencia and Canyon both had excellent chances at a go-ahead goal but the Foothill League match ended with just a 1-1 score.  After Canyon won the possession battle in the […]

The post Valencia boys’ soccer draws with Canyon  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/valencia-boys-soccer-draws-with-canyon/ Save to Pocket

Two years, 400 journalists and 50 climate experts: Here’s what we learnt…

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/01/0043731-two-years-400-journalists Save to Pocket

Why Republicans Are Going After Sunnova (And Jigar Shah)

date: 2024-01-04, from: Heatmap News

If Republicans have their way, Sunnova and Solyndra are about to have more in common than just being solar companies with Pokémon-sounding names.

More than 12 years after conservatives targeted Solyndra — a scandal-plagued, now-defunct solar company that received a $535 million loan from the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office under President Barack Obama — Republicans are attempting to run the same playbook on the rooftop solar company Sunnova, Bloomberg reported Thursday. They’ve literally said as much: “Solyndra is going to look like chump change compared to the amount of money that’s been wasted by this administration,” Wyoming Republican John Barrasso, who is leading the charge with his Senate colleague Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, bragged in comments to reporters last month.

The Solyndra fiasco of 2011 effectively shut down the Energy Department’s loan program, which aims to finance the U.S. energy transition by backing emerging technology companies that otherwise might be considered too risky for traditional lenders. At the time, Republicans had zeroed in on Obama’s Energy Department over its approval of a loan to Solyndra, which went insolvent shortly afterward and was later discovered to have misled the department during its application process. The whole ordeal effectively gave the Loan Programs Office “Solyndra PTSD,” Jigar Shah, the current director of the office, told The Wall Street Journal last year. It wasn’t until Biden revived the LPO as one of the three pots of money fueling his climate agenda that it really started loaning in earnest again. Under the Inflation Reduction Act, its loan authority grew to over $400 billion.

And despite the high-profile failed project and goal of helping high-risk businesses, the LPO has been mostly a major success: around the same time it was backing Solyndra, the office also gave a $465 million loan to Tesla, which in turn paid back the loan with interest a full nine years early. The LPO has actually made the government almost $5 billion in interest payments, Bloomberg adds, while LPO-supported projects were responsible for producing enough clean energy to power 900,000 homes and enough fuel-efficient vehicles to displace 2.1 million gallons of gasoline in 2022, the Department of Energy reports.

All this brings us to Sunnova Energy. A rooftop solar company based out of Houston, Sunnova was approved for a $3 billion loan guarantee by the LPO last April. Since then, the company has become a target of conservatives and right-wing media personalities, who seem intent on finding a Solyndra-shaped scandal “that would aid their efforts to repeal President Joe Biden’s landmark Inflation Reduction Act and its historic $369 billion in climate and energy provisions,” Media Matters writes. The Washington Free Beacon, citing customer complaints, has alleged Sunnova scammed elderly dementia patients, while Fox News’ Jesse Watters has repeatedly gone after the company for supposedly handing away “$3 billion — billion — of your money.” (Sunnova only has a loan guarantee; money has not been distributed yet, E&E News reports).

In December, Barrasso and Rodgers wrote a letter citing the scam allegations and demanding related documents from Shah, professing a desire to learn more about “the approval of DOE’s loan guarantee.” The pair have also asked the Energy Department’s inspector general to look into whether Shah has shown favoritism to companies linked to the Cleantech Leaders Roundtable, the renewable energy organization he founded and led until he left for the Department of Energy in 2021. (Shah has denied the accusations and said he has “no role to play whatsoever in choosing who gets a loan” and that the decisions are in the hands of staff).

Beyond all this being an obvious and stated Solyndra rerun, the “increased scrutiny of the [loans] program could deter potential applicants for funding,” Bloomberg further notes, pointing out that shares of Sunnova dipped 16% in December after Barrasso and Rodgers singled the company out in their letter.

However, while analysts generally agreed that the whole situation shows the risk of becoming a political target, Pavel Molchanov of Raymond James & Associates wrote in a research note on the day of the Republicans’ December letter that “we envision minimal risk of any consequences for [Sunnova] in a substantive sense, and view today’s move as an overreaction.”

https://heatmap.news/sparks/sunnova-loan-program-office-jigar-shah-solyndra-republicans Save to Pocket

COC Names Aaliyah Garcia, Raz Orbach Athletes of the Week

date: 2024-01-04, from: SCV New (TV Station)

College of the Canyons student-athletes Aaliyah Garcia (women’s basketball) and Raz Orbach (football) have been named the COC Athletic Department’s Women’s & Men’s Student-Athletes of the Week for the period running Dec. 26-

https://scvnews.com/coc-names-aaliyah-garcia-raz-orbach-athletes-of-the-week/ Save to Pocket

City of Goleta Grant Funds Available for Local Non-Profits

date: 2024-01-04, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

GOLETA, CA, January 4, 2024 – Local non-profits serving Goleta residents are reminded to apply for some of the $250,000 available

The post City of Goleta Grant Funds Available for Local Non-Profits appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/04/city-of-goleta-grant-funds-available-for-local-non-profits/ Save to Pocket

DARPA’s air-steered X-65 jet heads into production with goal of flying by 2025

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Moving parts on a plane? What is this, Kitty Hawk?

The latest experimental DARPA aircraft, which is designed to maneuver without the need for moving parts, is headed to the manufacturing stage and could be flying as soon as next year.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/darpas_airsteered_x65_jet_heads/ Save to Pocket

Shaunzi, LA Zoo’s 53-Year-Old Female Asian Elephant, Has Died

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The LAist

After Shaunzi was discovered down and unable to get up, even with help, the zoo decided to sedate and euthanize her.

https://laist.com/news/shaunzi-la-zoo-asian-elephant-dies Save to Pocket

How Media Help Change Conversation on Mental Health

date: 2024-01-04, from: VOA News USA

WASHINGTON — At a time when growing numbers of young Americans are diagnosed with mental health conditions, media are looking at ways to cover the issue more responsibly.

Data shows a rise in young adults being diagnosed with conditions such as depression or anxiety. But media reports of public incidents involving mental health sometimes use damaging language, experts say.

Terms such as “unhinged” or “erratic” — language used to describe a homeless man killed on the New York subway last year — are held up as poor examples of coverage.

Reporters on the health beat and experts who specialize in mental health say that such terms are damaging for those who have a medical condition and that they can be misleading.

“Media plays an important role in shaping public perception of many things, including mental illness,” said Christine Herman, a freelancer journalist.

Coverage can make it appear as if the illness is a moral failing or lack of character, Herman told VOA.

“Sometimes mental health issues are criminalized in our society,” she said, citing how some news outlets still use terms such as “commit suicide” when reporting on someone who has taken their own life.

The term dates to when suicide was still criminalized in the United States.

“The language we use and the way we describe and talk about mental health conditions can really contribute and shape perception,” Herman said.

Rebecca Brendel, a medical doctor and former president of the American Psychiatric Association, said she believes media plays an important role in explaining health conditions.

“We know that to get treatment and to be healthy, we need to have health literacy,” she told VOA. “We need to have an awareness. We need to have reliable information as consumers of health care and mental health care.”

The late first lady Rosalynn Carter was an early advocate for responsible reporting on mental health. Through the Carter Center, she created a fellowship that offers training to journalists on how to better cover the issue.

“Informed journalists can have a significant impact on public understanding of mental health issues as they shape debate and trends with the words and pictures they convey,” Carter said, as cited by the Center.

When Carter died in November, staff at the Center paid tribute to her legacy.

“She taught generations of journalists how to report about behavioral health in a way that reduces stigma and stimulates understanding and equitable treatment,” a statement read.

Since the fellowship started in 1996, more than 250 journalists have benefited from the program — including Herman.

“It’s important because the type of coverage we do … people in our communities read it, or people across the country read this coverage,” said Herman, who started her career in public radio.

Based in Champaign, Illinois, Herman said that as she started to cover health issues more regularly, her interest in mental health grew.

Her reporting on the obstacles for families trying to access mental health care was recognized with an award last year.

Herman, who serves on the board of the Association of Health Care Journalists, said the most effective reporting is accurate, based on science and puts a focus on the person not the condition.

She advocates for compassionate coverage that includes the voices and perspectives of the people affected.

“These are all things that can help contribute to dismantling stigma and ending discrimination toward people who have mental health conditions in our society,” she said.

Data from the American Psychiatric Association shows 1 in 5 Americans experiences a mental health disorder.

“We know that Americans are struggling with their mental health now more than ever before, following the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Brendel of the American Psychiatric Association. “In fact, in mental health circles, we’ve even called it a twin pandemic, a pandemic of mental health.”

She and Herman say they have seen an improvement in how media reports on mental illness, due in part to the Carter fellowship program.

Having the skills to report in a way “that is both accurate and actionable,” Herman said, ensures coverage that contributes to “better public understanding of these issues and ideally to dismantling stigma.”

https://www.voanews.com/a/how-media-help-change-the-conversation-on-mental-health/7427089.html Save to Pocket

For Shame, 23andMe

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: One Foot Tsunami

https://onefoottsunami.com/2024/01/04/for-shame-23andme/ Save to Pocket

Santa Barbara Public Library Awarded Grant for Sustainability Initiatives

date: 2024-01-04, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

SANTA BARBARA, CA – January 4, 2024 Santa Barbara Public Library (SBPL) is one of fifteen California local library systems

The post Santa Barbara Public Library Awarded Grant for Sustainability Initiatives appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/04/santa-barbara-public-library-awarded-grant-for-sustainability-initiatives/ Save to Pocket

Transición de temporada de alto riesgo de incendios a una temporada de  preparación en el invierno

date: 2024-01-04, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

CONDADO DE SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — El 3 de enero, el Departamento de Bomberos del Condado de  Santa Bárbara pasó

The post Transición de temporada de alto riesgo de incendios a una temporada de  preparación en el invierno appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/04/transicion-de-temporada-de-alto-riesgo-de-incendios-a-una-temporada-de-preparacion-en-el-invierno/ Save to Pocket

Transition from a High Fire Season to a Winter Preparedness Level

date: 2024-01-04, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. — On January 3, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department transitioned from a High Fire Season

The post Transition from a High Fire Season to a Winter Preparedness Level appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/04/transition-from-a-high-fire-season-to-a-winter-preparedness-level/ Save to Pocket

Scientists Uncover the Earliest Fossil Evidence of Photosynthesis

date: 2024-01-04, from: Smithsonian Magazine

Ancient cyanobacteria contained structures for producing oxygen around 1.75 billion years ago, according to a new study

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-uncover-earliest-fossil-evidence-of-photosynthesis-180983534/ Save to Pocket

When she was 19, Henn Kim stopped speaking for two years. “Growing…

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/01/0043730-when-she-was-19-henn Save to Pocket

COC Foundation Creates Endowment Honoring Michele Jenkins

date: 2024-01-04, from: SCV New (TV Station)

The College of the Canyons Foundation has created an endowment fund in honor of Michele Jenkins, who passed away on Feb. 6, 2023, after nearly 40 years of service as a COC Board of Trustees member

https://scvnews.com/coc-foundation-creates-endowment-honoring-michele-jenkins/ Save to Pocket

Google illegally refusing to bargain with employee union, says NLRB

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Search giant told yet again that contractors still employees, must be bargained with

Updated  The US National Labor Relations Board has decided that Google’s contractors are still its employees, thus Google is violating US labor laws by refusing to bargain with their chosen union.…

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Solving Time Machine’s iCloud Drive Blockage

date: 2024-01-04, from: TidBITS blog

https://tidbits.com/2024/01/04/solving-time-machines-icloud-drive-blockage/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-01-04, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

I always have multiple tabs open in my outliner. This tab, the one I’m writing into now, is for Scripting News. I have one for my development work, general notes, not project-specific. And tabs for all the projects I’ve been working on in the last few days or in some cases weeks or months. From a writing standpoint, it doesn’t matter whether they’re on different sites, the idea of a site is not even in the user interface of my editor. In WordPress it’s everything. The usual caveat: unless I’m missing something. I imagine people use browser tabs to work on more than one document at a time? I keep thinking there’s a lot of stuff we can do to make WordPress work better for writers, I’m trying to be nice about this, but it doesn’t work at all for me as a writer. I want it to work. I still can’t believe there aren’t a dozen different approaches to writing in WordPress. Seems like a fair amount of innovation is possible. I’m a writer who also is a developer. This has been bugging me for the last year or so. Why do I think WordPress is so important? 1. Obviously it has a huge installed base. If there’s an opportunity to create something that even a small number of them would like, it’s worth doing. 2. WordPress is the only product out there that supports all the features of textcasting. So If I want lots of outlets for basic text writing, you have to start somewhere. Luckily there’s WordPress, sitting there, ready to be recast as a social media app. If you know me, you know I love puzzles like this. 😄

http://scripting.com/2024/01/04.html#a212251 Save to Pocket

This 1,200-Year-Old Artifact Is Stunning—But Nobody Knows What It Is

date: 2024-01-04, from: Smithsonian Magazine

The intricately decorated silver object was likely created by a highly skilled craftsperson in England

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-lovely-anglo-saxon-artifact-has-baffled-experts-180983536/ Save to Pocket

Apple’s classic Pascal poster, remade as a nice clean vector image

date: 2024-01-04, from: Tilde.news

Comments

http://www.danamania.com/print/Apple%20Pascal%20Poster/PascalPosterV3%20A1.pdf Save to Pocket

Watch Peloton Instructor Dunk on ‘Tenet’ to Christopher Nolan’s Face

date: 2024-01-04, from: 404 Media Group

Director Christopher Nolan apparently sweated through Peloton instructor Jenn Sherman calling his 2020 film impossible to understand during a workout class.

https://www.404media.co/watch-peloton-instructor-dunk-on-tenet-christopher-nolan/ Save to Pocket

Paul Ford: To Own the Future, Read Shakespeare. “The interdisciplinarian is essentially…

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/01/0043729-paul-ford-to-own-the Save to Pocket

AI-generated bug reports are seriously annoying for developers

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Hallucinated programming flaws vex curl project

Generative AI models like Google Bard and GitHub Copilot have a user problem: Those who rely on software assistance may not understand or care about the limitations of these machine learning tools.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/aiassisted_bug_reports_make_developers/ Save to Pocket

What We Got Right, What We Got Wrong

date: 2024-01-04, from: Rob Pike’s blog

This is my closing talk (video) from the GopherConAU conference in Sydney, given November 10, 2023, the 14th anniversary of Go being launched as an open source project. The text is interspersed with the slides used in the presentation.

What We Got Right, What We Got Wrong

INTRODUCTION

Hello.

Let me start by thanking Katie and Chewy for the giving me the honor of presenting the closing talk for the conference. And apologize for reading this from my script but I want to get the words right.

November 10, 2009

Today is November 10, 2023, the 14th anniversary of the launch of Go as an open source project.

That day, at 3pm California time if memory serves, Ken Thompson, Robert Griesemer, Russ Cox, Ian Taylor, Adam Langley, Jini Kim and I watched expectantly as the site went live and the world learned what we had been up to.

Fourteen years later, there is much to look back on. Today I’d like to take the opportunity to talk about some of the larger lessons learned since that day. Even the most successful projects have things that, upon reflection, could have been done better. And of course, things that in hindsight seem to have been key to their success.

Up front I must make clear that I am speaking only for myself, not for the Go team and not for Google.  Go was and still is a huge effort by a dedicated team and a huge community, so if you agree with anything I say, thank them. If you disagree, blame me but please keep it to yourself 😃.

Given the title of this talk, many people might expect I’m going to be analyzing good and bad things in the language. Of course I’ll do some of that, but much more besides, for several reasons.

First, what’s good and bad in a programming language is largely a matter of opinion rather than fact, despite the certainty with which many people argue about even the most trivial features of Go or any other language.

Also, there has already been plenty of discussion about things such as where the newlines go, how nil works, using upper case for export, garbage collection, error handling, and so on.  There are certainly things to say there, but little that hasn’t already been said.

But the real reason I’m going to talk about more than the language is that that’s not what the whole project was about. Our original goal was not to create a new programming language, it was to create a better way to write software. We had issues with the languages we were using—everyone does, whatever the language—but the fundamental problems we had were not central to the features of those languages, but rather to the process that had been created for using them to build software at Google.

The first gopher on a t-shirt

The creation of a new language provided a new path to explore other ideas, but it was only an enabler, not the real point. If it didn’t take 45 minutes to build the binary I was working on at the time, Go would not have happened, but those 45 minutes were not because the compiler was slow, because it wasn’t, or because the language it was written in was bad, because it wasn’t. The slowness arose from other factors.

And those factors were what we wanted to address: The complexities of building modern server software: controlling dependencies, programming with large teams with changing personnel, ease of maintainability, efficient testing, effective use of multicore CPUs and networking, and so on.

In short, Go is not just a programming language. Of course it is a programming language, that’s its definition, but its purpose was to help provide a better way to develop high-quality software, at least compared to our environment 14 plus years ago.

And that’s still what it’s about today. Go is a project to make building production software easier and more productive.

A few weeks back, when starting to prepare this talk, I had a title but little else.  To get me going, I asked people on Mastodon for input. A fair few responded, and I noticed a trend in the replies: people thought the things we got wrong were all in the language, but those we got right were in the larger story, the stuff around the language like gofmt and deployment and testing. I find that encouraging, actually. What we were trying to do seems to have had an effect.

But it’s worth admitting that we didn’t make clear early on what the true goals were. Perhaps we felt they were self-evident.  To address that shortcoming, in 2013 I gave a talk at the SPLASH conference entitled, Go at Google: Language Design in the Service of Software Engineering.

Go at Google

That talk and associated blog post are perhaps the best explanation of why Go happened.

Today’s talk is something of a follow-on to the SPLASH talk, looking back on the lessons learned once we got past building the language and could apply ourselves to the bigger picture more broadly.

And so… some lessons.

First, of course, we have:

The Gopher

It may seem an odd place to start, but the Go gopher is one of the earliest factors in Go’s success.  We knew long before the launch that we wanted a mascot to adorn the schwag - every project needs schwag - and Renee French offered to create one for us. We got that part absolutely right.

Here is a picture of the very first instance of the gopher plushie.

The gopher

And here is a picture of the gopher with the less successful first prototype.

The gopher with his less evolved ancestor

The Gopher is a mascot who serves as a badge of honor, even an identifier for Go programmers everywhere.  At this moment you are in a conference, one of many, called GopherCon.  Having a recognizable, funny creature ready to share the message from day one was vital to Go’s growth.  Its goofy yet intelligent demeanor—he can build anything!

Gophers building a robot (drawing by Renee French)

—sets the tone for the community’s engagement with the project, one of technical excellence allied with real fun. Most important, the gopher serves as a banner for the community, a flag to rally around, especially in the early days when Go was still an upstart in the programming world.

Here’s a picture of gophers attending a conference in Paris some years back. Look how excited they are!

Gopher audience in Paris (photo by Brad Fitzpatrick)

All that said, releasing the Gopher design under a Creative Commons Attribution license was perhaps not the best choice.  On the one hand, it encouraged people to remix him in fun ways, which in turn helped foster community spirit.

Gopher model sheet

Renee created a “model sheet” to help artists work with him while keeping him true to his spirit.

Some artists had fun playing with these characteristics and making their own versions of him; Renee and my favorites are the ones by the Japanese designer @tottie:

@tottie’s gophers

and game programmer @tenntenn:

@tenntenn’s gopher

But the “attribution” part of the license often resulted in frustrating arguments, or in false credit given to Renee for creations that were not hers and not in the spirit of the original. And, to be honest, the attribution was often honored only reluctantly or not at all. For instance, I doubt @tenntenn was compensated or even acknowledged for this use of his gopher illustration.

gophervans.com: Boo!

So if we were doing it over, we’d think hard about the best way to make sure the mascot stays true to his ideals. It’s a hard problem, maintaining a mascot, and the solution remains elusive.

But on to more technical things.

Done Right

Here is a list of things that I think we got objectively right, especially in retrospect.  Not every language project has done these things, but each was crucial to the ultimate success of Go. I’ll try to be brief, because they will all be familiar topics.

1. Specification. We started with a formal specification. Not only does that lock down behavior when writing a compiler, it enables multiple implementations to coexist and agree on that behavior. A compiler alone is not a specification. What do you test the compiler against?

The specification, as seen on the web

Oh and by the way, the first draft of the specification was written here, on the 18th floor of a building on Darling Harbour in Sydney. We are celebrating Go’s birthday in Go’s home town.

2. Multiple implementations. There are multiple compilers, all implementing the same spec. Having a spec makes this much easier to achieve.

Ian Taylor surprised us when he sent mail one day informing us that, having read our draft spec, he’d written a compiler himself.

    Subject: A gcc frontend for Go

    From: Ian Lance Taylor

    Date: Sat, Jun 7, 2008 at 7:06 PM

    To: Robert Griesemer, Rob Pike, Ken Thompson

    One of my office-mates pointed me at http://…/go_lang.html .  It

    seems like an interesting language, and I threw together a gcc

    frontend for it.  It’s missing a lot of features, of course, but it

    does compile the prime sieve code on the web page.

That was mind-blowing, but many more have followed, all made possible by the existence of a formal specification.

Lots of compilers

Having multiple compilers helped us refine the language and polish the specification, as well as providing an alternative environment for others less enamored with our Plan-9-like way of doing business.

(More about that later.)

Today there are lots of compatible implementations, and that’s great.

3. Portability. We made cross-compilation trivial, which allowed

programmers to work on whatever platform they liked, and ship to whatever platform was required. This may be easier with Go than with any other language.  It’s easy to think of the compiler as

native to the machine it runs on, but it has no reason to be.

Breaking that assumption is powerful and was news to many developers.

Portability

4. Compatibility. We worked hard to get the language in shape for

version 1.0, and then locked it down with a compatibility guarantee. Given what a dramatic, documented effect that made on Go’s uptake, I find it puzzling that most other projects have resisted doing this.  Yes, there’s a cost in maintaining strong compatibility, but it blocks feature- itis and, in a world in which almost nothing else is stable, it’s delightful not to have to worry about new Go releases breaking your project.

The Go compatibility promise

5. The library. Although it grew somewhat as an accident, as there was no other place to install Go code at the beginning, the existence of a solid, well-made library with most of what one needed to write 21st century server code was a major asset. It kept the community all working with the same toolkit until we had experience enough to understand what else should be made available. This worked out really well and helped prevent variant libraries from arising, helping unify the community.

The library

6. Tools. We made sure the language was easy to parse, which enabled tool-building. At first we thought we’d need an IDE for Go, but easy tooling meant that, in time, the IDEs would come to Go. And along with gopls, they have, and they’re awesome.

Tools

We also provided a set of ancillary tools with the compiler, such as automated testing, coverage, and code vetting. And of course the go command, which integrated the whole build process and is all many projects need to build and maintain their Go code.

Fast builds

Also, it didn’t hurt that Go acquired a reputation for fast builds.

7. Gofmt. I pull gofmt out as a separate item from tools because it is the tool that made a mark not only on Go, but on the programming community at large. Before Robert wrote gofmt (which, by the way, he insisted on doing from the very beginning), automated formatters were not high quality and therefore mostly unused.

Gofmt proverb

Gofmt showed it could be done well, and today pretty much every language worth using has a standard formatter. The time saved by not arguing over spaces and newlines is worth all the time spent defining a standard format and writing this rather difficult piece of code to automate it.

Also, gofmt made countless other tools possible, such as simplifiers, analyzers and even the code coverage tool. Because gofmt’s guts became a library anyone could use, you could parse a program, edit the AST, and just print byte-perfect output ready for humans to use as well as machines.

Thanks, Robert.

Enough with the congratulations, though. On to some more contentious topics.

Concurrency

Concurrency is contentious? Well, it certainly was in 2002, the year I joined Google. John Ousterhout had famously written that threads were bad, and many people agreed with him because they seemed to be very hard to use.

John Ousterhout doesn’t like threads

Google software avoided them almost always, pretty much banning them outright, and the engineers doing the banning cited Ousterhout. This bothered me. I’d been doing concurrency-like things, sometimes without even realizing it, since the 1970s and it seemed powerful to me. But upon reflection it became clear that Ousterhout was making two mistakes. First, he was generalizing beyond the domain he was interested in using threads for, and second, he was mostly complaining about using them through with clumsy low-level packages like pthread, and not about the fundamental idea.

It’s a mistake common to engineers everywhere to confuse the solution and the problem like this. Sometimes the proposed solution is harder than the problem it addresses, and it can be hard to see there is an easier path. But I digress.

I knew from experience that there were nicer ways to use threads, or whatever we choose to call them, and even gave a pre-Go talk about them.

Concurrency in Newsqueak

But I wasn’t alone in knowing this; a number of other languages, papers, and even books had been written about concurrent programming that showed it could be done well. It just hadn’t caught on as a mainstream idea yet, and Go was born partly to address that. In that legendary 45-minute build I was trying to add a thread to a non-threaded binary, and it was frustratingly hard because we were using the wrong tools.

Looking back, I think it’s fair to say that Go had a significant role in convincing the programming world that concurrency was a powerful tool, especially in the multicore networked world, and that it could be done better than with pthreads. Nowadays most mainstream languages have good support for concurrency.

Google 3.0

Also, Go’s version of concurrency was somewhat novel, at least in the line of languages that led to it, by making goroutines unflavored.  No coroutines, no tasks, no threads, no names, just goroutines. We invented the word “goroutine” because no existing term fit. And to this day I wish the Unix spell command would learn it.

As an aside, because I am often asked about it, let me speak for a minute about async/await.  It saddens me a bit that the async/await model with its associated style is the way many languages have chosen to support concurrency, but it is definitely a huge improvement over pthreads.

Compared to goroutines, channels, and select, async/await is easier and smaller for language implementers to build or to retrofit into existing platforms. But it pushes some of the complexity back on the programmer, often resulting in what Bob Nystrom has famously called “colored functions”.

What Color is Your Function?

I think Go shows that CSP, which is a different but older model, fits perfectly into a procedural language without such complication. I’ve even seen it done several times as a library. But its implementation, done well, requires a significant runtime complexity, and I can understand why some folks would prefer not to build that into their system. It’s important, though, whatever concurrency model you provide, to do it exactly once, because an environment providing multiple concurrency implementations can be problematic. Go of course solved that issue by putting it in the language, not a library.

There’s probably a whole talk to give about these matters, but that’s enough for now.

[End of aside]

Another value of concurrency was that it made Go seem like something new.  As I said, some other languages had supported it before, but they were never mainstream, and Go’s support for concurrency was a major attractor that helped grow early adoption, pulling in programmers that hadn’t used concurrency before but were intrigued by its possibilities.

And that’s where we made two significant mistakes.

Whispering gophers (Cooperating Sequential Processes)

First, concurrency is fun and we were delighted to have it, but the use cases we had in mind

were mostly server stuff, meant to be done in key libraries such as net/http, and not everywhere in every program.  And so when many programmers played with it, they struggled to work out how it really helped them.  We should have explained up front that what concurrency support in the language really brought to the table was simpler server software.  That problem space mattered to many but not to everyone who tried Go, and that lack of guidance is on us.

The related second point is that we took too long to clarify the difference between parallelism - supporting multiple computations in parallel on a multicore machine - and concurrency, which is a way to structure code to do that well.

Concurrency is not parallelism

Countless programmers tried to make their code faster by parallelizing it using goroutines, and were often baffled by the resulting slowdown. Concurrent code only goes faster when parallelized if the underlying problem is intrinsically parallel, like serving HTTP requests. We did a terrible job explaining that, and the result baffled many programmers and probably drove some away.

To address this, in 2012 I gave a talk at Waza, Heroku’s developer conference, called, Concurrency is not Parallelism. It’s a fun talk but it should have happened earlier.

Apologies for that. But the good point still stands: Go helped popularize concurrency as a way to structure server software.

Interfaces

It’s clear that interfaces are, with concurrency, a distinguishing idea in Go. They are Go’s answer to objected-oriented design, in the original, behavior-focused style, despite a continuing push by newcomers to make structs carry that load.

Making interfaces dynamic, with no need to announce ahead of time which types implement them, bothered some early critics, and still irritates a few, but it’s important to the style of programming that Go fostered.  Much of the standard library is built upon their foundation, and broader subjects such as testing and managing dependencies rely heavily on their generous, "all are welcome" nature.

I feel that interfaces are one of the best-designed things in Go.

Other than a few early conversations about whether data should be included in their definition, they arrived fully formed on literally the first day of discussions.

A GIF decoder: an exercise in Go interfaces (Rob Pike and Nigel Tao 2011)

And there is a story to tell there.

On that famous first day in Robert’s and my office, we asked the question of what to do about polymorphism. Ken and I knew from C that qsort could serve as a difficult test case, so the three of us started to talk about how our embryonic language could implement a type-safe sort routine.

Robert and I came up with the same idea pretty much simultaneously: using methods on types to provide the operations that sort needed. That notion quickly grew into the idea that value types had behaviors, defined as methods, and that sets of methods could provide interfaces that functions could operate on. Go’s interfaces arose pretty much right away.

sort.Interface

That’s something that is not often not acknowledged: Go’s sort is implemented as a function that operates on an interface. This is not the style of object-oriented programming most people were familiar with, but it’s a very powerful idea.

That idea was exciting for us, and the possibility that this could become a foundational

programming construct was intoxicating.  When Russ joined, he soon pointed out how I/O would fit beautifully into this idea, and the library took place rapidly, based in large part on the three famous interfaces: empty, Writer, and Reader, holding an average of two thirds of a method each.  Those tiny methods are idiomatic to Go, and ubiquitous.

The way interfaces work became not only a distinguishing feature of Go, they became the way we thought about libraries, and generality, and composition. It was heady stuff.

But we might have erred in stopping the conversation there.

You see, we went down this path at least in part because we had seen too often how generic programming encouraged a way of thinking that tended to focus on types before algorithms. Early abstraction instead of organic design. Containers instead of functions.

We defined generic containers in the language proper - maps, slices, arrays, channels - without giving programmers access to the genericity they contained. This was arguably a mistake. We believed, correctly I still think, that most simple programming tasks could be handled just fine by those types. But there are some that cannot, and the barrier between what the language provided and what the user could control definitely bothered some people.

In short, although I wouldn’t change a thing about how interfaces worked, they colored our thinking in ways it took more than a decade to correct. Ian Taylor pushed us, from early on, to face this problem, but it was quite hard to do given the presence of interfaces as the bedrock of Go programming.

Critics often complained we should just do generics, because they are “easy”, and perhaps they can be in some languages, but the existence of interfaces meant that any new form of polymorphism had to take them into account. Finding a way forward that worked well with the rest of the language required multiple attempts, several aborted implementations, and many hours, days, and weeks of discussion. Eventually we roped in some type theorists to help out, led by Phil Wadler.  And even today, with a solid generic model in the language, there are still lingering problems to do with the presence of interfaces as method sets.

Generic sort specification

The final answer, as you know, was to design a generalization of interfaces that could absorb more forms of polymorphism, transitioning from “sets of methods” to “sets of types”. It’s a subtle but profound move, one that most of the community seems to be fine with, although I suspect the grumbling will never stop.

Sometimes it takes many years to figure something out, or even to figure out that you can’t quite figure it out. But you press on.

By the way, I wish we had a better term than “generics”, which originated as the term for a different, data-structure-centric style of polymorphism. “Parametric polymorphism” is the proper term for what Go provides, and it’s an accurate one, but it’s an ugly mouthful. But “generics” is what we say, even though it’s not quite right.

The Compiler

One of the things that bothered the programming language community was that the early Go compiler was written in C. The proper way, in their opinion, was to use LLVM or a similar toolkit, or to write the compiler in Go itself, a process called self-hosting.  We didn’t do either of these, for several reasons.

First, bootstrapping a new language requires that at least the first steps towards its compiler must be done in an existing language. For us, C was the obvious choice, as Ken had written a C compiler already, and its internals could serve well as the basis of a Go compiler. Also, writing a compiler in its own language, while simultaneously developing the language, tends to result in a language that is good for writing compilers, but that was not the kind of language we were after.

The early compiler worked. It bootstrapped the language well. But it was a bit of an odd duck, in effect a Plan 9-style compiler using old ideas in compiler writing, rather than new ones such as static single assignment.  The generated code was mediocre, and the internals were not pretty.  But it was pragmatic and efficient, and the compiler code itself was modest in size and familiar to us, which made it easy to make changes quickly as we tried new ideas. One critical step was the addition of segmented stacks that grew automatically. This was very easy to add to our compiler, but had we been using a toolkit like LLVM, the task of integrating that change into the full compiler suite would have been infeasible, given the required changes to the ABI and garbage collector support.

Another area that worked well was cross-compilation, which came directly from the way the original Plan 9 compiler suite worked.

Doing it our way, however unorthodox, helped us move fast. Some people were offended by this choice, but it was the right one for us at the time.

The Go compiler architecture post Go 1.5

For Go version 1.5, Russ wrote a tool to translate the compiler semi-automatically from C to Go. By then the language was complete, and concerns about compiler-directed language design were irrelevant. There are talks online about this process that are worth a look. I gave one talk at GopherCon in 2016 about the assembler, which is something of a high point in my lifelong quest for portability.

The Design of the Go Assembler (GopherCon 2016)

We did the right thing by starting in C, but eventually translating the compiler to Go has allowed us to bring to its development all the advantages that Go has, including testing, tooling, automatic rewriting, performance analysis, and so on. The current compiler is much cleaner than the original and generates much better code. But, of course, that is how bootstrapping works.

Remember, our goal was just not a language, but much more.

Our unusual approach was in no way an insult to LLVM or anyone in the language community. We just used the tool that best suited our task. And of course, today there is an LLVM-hosted compiler for Go, and many others, as there should be.

Project Management

We knew from the start that to succeed, Go had to be an open source project. But we also knew that it would be more productive to develop in private until we had the key ideas figured out and a working implementation. Those first two years were essential to clarifying, free of distraction, what we were trying to achieve.

The transition to open source was a huge change, and educational. The input from the community was overwhelming. Engaging with the community took a lot of time and effort, especially for Ian, who somehow found time to answer every question anyone asked. But it also brought so much more. I still marvel at how quickly the Windows port arrived, done entirely by the community under the guidance of Alex Brainman. That was amazing.

It took us a long time to understand the implications of the switch to an open source project, and how to manage it.

In particular, it’s fair to say it took us too long to understand the best way to work with the community. A theme throughout this talk is poor communication on our part - even as we thought we were communicating well - and a lot of time was wasted due to misunderstandings and mismatched expectations. It could have been better done.

In time, though, we convinced the community, at least the part that stayed with us, that some of our ideas, although different from the usual open source way, were valuable. The most important were around our insistence on maintaining high code quality through mandatory code review and exhaustive attention to detail.

Mission Control (drawing by Renee French)

Some projects work differently, accepting code quickly and then cleaning up once it’s been committed. The Go project works the other way around, trying to get the quality first. I believe that’s the more efficient way, but it pushes more work back on the community and they need to understand the value or they will not feel as welcome as they should. There is still much to learn here, but I believe things are much better these days.

By the way, there’s a historical detail that’s not widely known. The project has had 4 different content management systems: SVN, Perforce, Mercurial and then Git. Russ did a Herculean job of keeping all the history alive, so even today the Git repo contains the earliest changes as they were made in SVN. We all believe it’s valuable to keep the history around, and I thank him for doing the heavy lifting.

One other point. People often assume Google tells the Go team what to do. That’s simply not true. Google is incredibly generous in its support for Go, but does not set the agenda. The community has far more input. Google has a huge internal Go code base that the team uses to test and verify releases, but this is done by importing from the public repo into Google, not the other way around. In short, the core Go team is paid by Google but they are independent.

Package Management

The process of developing package management for Go was not done well. The package design in the language itself was excellent, I believe, and consumed a large amount of time in the first year or so of our discussions. The SPLASH talk I mentioned earlier explains in detail why it works the way it does if you’re interested.

A key point was the use of a plain string to specify the path in an import statement, giving a flexibility that we were correct in believing would be important. But the transition from having only a “standard library” to importing code from the web was bumpy.

Fixing the cloud (drawing by Renee French)

There were two issues.

First, those of us on the core Go team early on were familiar with how Google worked, with its monorepo and everyone building at head. But we didn’t have enough experience using a package manager with lots of versions of packages and the very difficult problems trying to resolve the dependency graph. To this day, few people really understand the technical complexities, but that is no excuse for our failure to grapple with those problems from the start. It’s especially embarrassing because I had been the tech lead on a failed project to do something similar for Google’s internal build, and I should have realized what we were up against.

deps.dev

My work on deps.dev was a something of a penance.

Second, the business of engaging the community to help solve the dependency management problem was well-intentioned, but when the final design came out, even with plenty of documentation and writing about the theory, many in the community felt slighted.

pkg.go.dev

This failing was a lesson to the team in how engagement with the community should really work, and much has improved since as a result.

Things are settled now, though, and the design that emerged is technically excellent and appears to be working well for most users. It just took too long and the road was bumpy.

Documentation and Examples

Another thing we didn’t get right up front was the documentation. We wrote a lot of it, and thought we did a good job, but it soon became clear that the community wanted a different level of documentation than we expected.

Gophers fixing a Turing machine (drawing by Renee French)

The key missing piece was examples of even the simplest functions. We thought that all you needed to do was say what something did; it took us too long to accept that showing how to use it was even more valuable.

Executable examples

That lesson was learned, though. There are plenty of examples in the documentation now, mostly provided by open source contributors. And one thing we did very early was make them executable on the web. I gave a talk at Google I/O in 2012 that showed concurrency in action, and Andrew Gerrand wrote a lovely bit of web goo that made it possible to run the snippets right from the browser. I doubt that was the first time it had ever been done, but Go is a compiled language and many in the audience had never seen that trick before. The technology was then deployed to the blog and to the online package documentation.

The Go playground

Perhaps even more important was its deployment to the Go playground, a freely available open sandbox for people to try things out, and even develop code.

Conclusion

We have come a long way.

Looking back, it’s clear many things were done right, and they all helped Go succeed. But much could have been done better, and it’s important to own up to those and learn from them. There are lessons on both sides for anyone hosting a significant open source project.

I hope that my historical tour of the lessons and their causes will be helpful, and perhaps serve as a sort of apology/explanation for those who objected to what we were doing and how we were doing it.

GopherConAU 2023 mascot by Renee French

But here we are, 14 years after the launch. And it’s fair to say that overall it’s a pretty good place.

Largely because of the decisions made through the design and development of Go as a way to write software - not just as a programming language - we have arrived somewhere novel.

We got here in part because of:

• a strong standard library that implements most of the basics needed for server code
• concurrency as a first-class component of the language
• an approach based on composition rather than inheritance
• a packaging model that clarifies dependency management
• integrated fast build and testing tools
• rigorous consistent formatting
• a focus on readability over cleverness
• a compatibility guarantee

And, most of all, because of the support of an unbelievably helpful and diverse community of Gophers.

A diverse community (drawings by @tenntenn)

Perhaps the most interesting consequence of these matters is that Go code looks and works the same regardless of who’s writing it, is largely free of factions using different subsets of the language, and is guaranteed to continue to compile and run as time goes on. That may be a first for a major programming language.

We definitely got that right.

Thank you.

https://commandcenter.blogspot.com/2024/01/what-we-got-right-what-we-got-wrong.html Save to Pocket

What Can I Do About the Climate Emergency?

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/01/what-can-i-do-about-the-climate-emergency Save to Pocket

X-ploited: Mandiant restores hijacked Twitter account after attempted crypto heist

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Miscreants mock Google-owned security house: ‘Change password please’

Miscreants took over security giant Mandiant’s Twitter account for several hours on Wednesday in an attempt to steal cryptocurrency, then trolled the Google-owned security shop, telling its admins to change the password.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/mandiant_restores_hijacked_x_account/ Save to Pocket

Evaluating New Features in the iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 9, and AirPods Pro

date: 2024-01-04, from: TidBITS blog

https://tidbits.com/2024/01/04/evaluating-new-features-in-the-iphone-15-pro-max-apple-watch-series-9-and-airpods-pro/ Save to Pocket

Houthis Show ‘No Signs’ of Heeding US Warnings

date: 2024-01-04, from: VOA News USA

pentagon — Houthi militants appear to be ignoring U.S. warnings about their repeated attacks on ships in the Red Sea, launching a naval drone Thursday that came within “a couple of miles” of merchant ships and American combat vessels before detonating.

U.S. naval officials said the so-called unmanned surface vessel was launched from Houthi territory in Yemen and traveled about 50 miles into busy shipping lanes before exploding. They said it is unclear who or what the Houthis were trying to target, adding the explosion did not cause any damage or injuries.

“There are no signs that their irresponsible behavior is abating,” Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Navy operations in the Middle East, told reporters.

“Shipping lanes in this region are dense,” Cooper said. “These Houthi attacks are, for sure, destabilizing and contrary to international law and clearly, as have as has been articulated by many, must stop immediately.”

Twenty-five attacks since November

Since November, the Iranian-backed Houthis have launched 25 attacks on vessels sailing through the Red Sea, claiming the ships are linked to Israel and that the attacks are in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

In response, the United States, along with France, Britain and nearly 20 other countries launched Operation Prosperity Guardian in mid-December to protect ships from Houthi attacks.

So far, about 1,500 vessels have passed safely through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, with the U.S. and its partners shooting down 11 Houthi drones, six anti-ship ballistic missiles and two cruise missiles. U.S. forces also sunk three Houthi boats Sunday after they attacked a container ship.

“We now have the largest surface and air presence in the southern Red Sea in years,” Cooper said. “And in the coming weeks, we expect additional countries to contribute, which will only strengthen our ability to deter.”

But Cooper also said the five warships and other assets taking part in Operation Prosperity Guardian are “entirely defensive in nature” and are separate from any capabilities that might be used to strike at the Houthis.

US, allies warn Houthis

On Wednesday, the U.S. and 12 allies issued a statement warning the Houthis of unspecified consequences if their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea continue.

“Let our message now be clear: We call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews,” the statement said.

Signatories on the statement include Britain, which on Monday issued its own warning to the Houthis of “direct action,” as well as Australia, Canada, Germany and Japan.

Late Wednesday, a senior U.S. administration official —briefing reporters on the condition of anonymity — said the Houthis should “not anticipate another warning” from the U.S. or its partners.

https://www.voanews.com/a/houthis-show-no-signs-of-heeding-us-warnings/7426871.html Save to Pocket

Daily Deals (1-04-2023)

date: 2024-01-04, from: Liliputing

The Epic Games Store is giving away Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy PC game for free this week. Several mini PC makers continue to offer dirt cheap systems with Intel Alder Lake-N processors. And Woot is running a sale on refurbished, previous-gen Fire tablets and Kindle eReaders. While I normally wouldn’t recommend picking up a […]

The post Daily Deals (1-04-2023) appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/daily-deals-1-04-2023-2/ Save to Pocket

Identity Released of Man Fatally Shot by Lompoc Police at Circle K

date: 2024-01-04, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

The 20-year-old Lompoc resident was killed by officers responding to a reported carjacking and robbery attempt at the convenience store last week.

The post Identity Released of Man Fatally Shot by Lompoc Police at Circle K appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/04/identity-released-of-man-fatally-shot-by-lompoc-police-at-circle-k/ Save to Pocket

Dismal Start to 2024 California Snow Survey

date: 2024-01-04, from: SCV New (TV Station)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — The Golden State’s first test of the season’s snowpack left experts underwhelmed at the chances for another wet winter year, with California measuring well below average for rain and snowfall so far

https://scvnews.com/dismal-start-to-2024-california-snow-survey/ Save to Pocket

The Great Lakes Reached a Record Low for Ice Cover on New Year’s Day

date: 2024-01-04, from: Smithsonian Magazine

The ‘extreme’ lack of ice follows warm temperatures in December and calls attention to recent downward trends in ice coverage on the lakes

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-great-lakes-reached-record-low-ice-cover-new-years-day-180983535/ Save to Pocket

“There should be lots of different, human-scale alternative experiences on the internet…

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/01/0043728-there-should-be-lots-of Save to Pocket

@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-01-04, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)

Ok, I decided to start a blog series on the design decisions and technical challenges of adapting Godot to the iPad using SwiftUI and SwiftGodot:

https://blog.la-terminal.net/igodot/

https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/111699284729283576 Save to Pocket

Former Adobe software engineering leader convicted of insider trading

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Another Silicon Valley Icarus flies too close to the Sun

A former Adobe software engineer was this week sentenced to 18 months in prison for his role in an insider trading scheme that earned him millions before the feds caught on.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/adobe_engineer_insider_trading/ Save to Pocket

Purchased for $25, This Bargain Brooch Could Sell for $19,000—Thanks to ‘Antiques Roadshow’

date: 2024-01-04, from: Smithsonian Magazine

The piece is part of a rare collection by the Victorian-era designer and architect William Burges

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-bargain-brooch-is-now-valued-at-19000-thanks-to-antiques-roadshow-treasure-hunt-180983528/ Save to Pocket

Funding Future Tech: NASA Names 2024 Innovative Concept Studies

date: 2024-01-04, from: NASA breaking news

NASA selected the 2024 Phase I awardees for its program to fund ideas that could  innovate for the benefit of all and transform future agency missions. From proposals to explore low Earth orbit to the stars, the 13 concepts chosen stem from companies and institutions across the United States. The NIAC (NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts) […]

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/funding-future-tech-nasa-names-2024-innovative-concept-studies/ Save to Pocket

Niklaus Wirth, RIP

date: 2024-01-04, from: Michael Tsai

Bertrand Meyer (Hacker News, Slashdot, Reddit): We lost a titan of programming languages, programming methodology, software engineering and hardware design. Niklaus Wirth passed away on the first of January. We mourn a pioneer, colleague, mentor and friend. David M Williams: Wirth is well-remembered for his pioneering work in programming languages and algorithms. For these achievements, […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/01/04/niklaus-wirth-rip/ Save to Pocket

How to Be Optimistic About Technology Now

date: 2024-01-04, from: Michael Tsai

Nick Heer: If you measure your level of optimism by how much course-correction has been working, then 2023 was a pretty hopeful year. In the span of about a decade, a handful of U.S. technology firms have solidified their place among the biggest and most powerful corporations in the world, so nobody should be surprised […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/01/04/how-to-be-optimistic-about-technology-now/ Save to Pocket

Doom at 30

date: 2024-01-04, from: Michael Tsai

Wouter Groeneveld: On 10 December 1993, John Carmack, John Romero, Sandy Petersen, and the rest of the id Software crew completely changed the world by releasing the most violent and satisfying DOS shooter ever created. Hundreds of so-called “DOOM clones” followed, frantically trying to join in on the cash grabbing fun. Several controversial lawsuits and […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/01/04/doom-at-30/ Save to Pocket

Apple’s Mac Gaming Push

date: 2024-01-04, from: Michael Tsai

Raymond Wong (MacRumors, Slashdot): No doubt “losing” in gaming for decades has not been fun for Apple. It’s certainly painful and disappointing for Mac users both new and old, who have to buy a separate PC or console to play AAA games. But in 2023, the winds of change began to blow.[…]Gaming on the Mac […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/01/04/apples-mac-gaming-push/ Save to Pocket

David Feldman, RIP

date: 2024-01-04, from: Michael Tsai

Legacy: He earned a BS in Computer Science from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. In 2023, he served as Distinguished Visiting Technologist at the MIT Center for Art, Science & Technology, and received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from the Maine College of Art and Design for developing the technology […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/01/04/david-feldman-obituary-rip/ Save to Pocket

Carlos Orozco to Serve as JCI Santa Clarita’s 27th President

date: 2024-01-04, from: SCV New (TV Station)

Happy new year! My name is Carlos Orozco and I will be serving as the 27th President of JCI Santa Clarita for

https://scvnews.com/carlos-orozco-to-serve-as-jci-santa-claritas-27th-president/ Save to Pocket

Amazonian Leaders Visit “Space for Earth”

date: 2024-01-04, from: NASA breaking news

Amazonian leaders visit “Space for Earth,” an immersive audio-visual installation that draws from near real-time satellite data and images, in NASA’s Earth Information Center at the NASA Headquarters Mary W. Jackson Building in Washington on Nov. 17, 2023. The leaders, joined by University of Richmond faculty and NASA representatives, gathered to discuss how NASA’s data […]

https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/amazonian-leaders-visit-space-for-earth/ Save to Pocket

Infosec experts divided over 23andMe’s ‘victim-blaming’ stance on data breach

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Users apparently at fault after reusing credentials the company didn’t check were already compromised

23andMe users’ godawful password practices were supposedly to blame for the biotech company’s October data disaster, according to its legal reps.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/23andme_victim_blaming_breach/ Save to Pocket

The Man Who Invented Fifteen Hundred Necktie Knots. “He established or articulated…

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/01/0043719-the-man-who-invented-fift Save to Pocket

Banana Pi BPI-M6 single-board PC with quad-core ARM Cortex-A73 CPU and NPU for on-device AI features

date: 2024-01-04, from: Liliputing

The Banana Pi BPI-M6 is a credit card-sized computer that looks like a Raspberry Pi at first glance. But this little computer has a few special tricks up its sleeve. Among other things, it has an integrated NPU with up to 6.75 TOPS of performance for AI tasks, two micro HDMI ports (one for output and […]

The post Banana Pi BPI-M6 single-board PC with quad-core ARM Cortex-A73 CPU and NPU for on-device AI features appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/banana-pi-bpi-m6-single-board-pc-with-quad-core-arm-cortex-a73-cpu-and-npu-for-on-device-ai-features/ Save to Pocket

NIAC 2024 Selections

date: 2024-01-04, from: NASA breaking news

Phase I Matthew McQuinnSolar System-Scale VLBI to Dramatically Improve Cosmological Distance MeasurementsUniversity of Washington, SeattleSeattle, Washington 98195-10002024 Phase I Kenneth CarpenterA Lunar Long-Baseline Optical Imaging Interferometer: Artemis-enabled Stellar Imager (AeSI)NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, MD 20771-24002024 Phase I Alvaro Romero-CalvoMagnetohydrodynamic Drive for Hydrogen and Oxygen Production in Mars TransferGeorgia Tech Research CorporationAtlanta, Georgia 30332-00012024 Phase […]

https://www.nasa.gov/general/niac-2024-selections/ Save to Pocket

Electro-luminescently Cooled Zero-boil-off Propellant Depots Enabling Crewed Exploration of Mars

date: 2024-01-04, from: NASA breaking news

Aaswath Pattabhi RamanUniversity of California, Los Angeles Exploration of Mars has captivated the public in recent decades with high-profile robotic missions and the images they have acquired seeding our collective imagination. NASA is actively planning for human exploration of Mars and laid out some of the key capabilities that must be developed to execute successful, […]

https://www.nasa.gov/general/electro-luminescently-cooled-zero-boil-off-propellant-depots/ Save to Pocket

A Revolutionary Approach to Interplanetary Space Travel: Studying Torpor in Animals for Space-health in Humans (STASH)

date: 2024-01-04, from: NASA breaking news

Ryan SprengerFauna Bio Inc. The use of non-model organisms in medical research is an expanding field that has already made a significant impact on human health. Insights gleaned from the study of unique mammalian traits are being used to develop novel therapeutic agents. The remarkable phenotype of mammalian hibernation confers unique physiologic and metabolic benefits […]

https://www.nasa.gov/general/studying-torpor-in-animals-for-space-health-in-humans/ Save to Pocket

LIFA: Lightweight Fiber-based Antenna for Small Sat-Compatible Radiometry

date: 2024-01-04, from: NASA breaking news

Zhang, Beijia Zhang, BeijiaMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Lincoln Lab Very large space-based RF antennas can be large and expensive to manufacture and deploy. These problems become more challenging for cases when an array of antennas are needed such as for correlation interferometers that provide high spatial resolution of Earth and space. The proposal will […]

https://www.nasa.gov/general/lifa-lightweight-fiber-based-antenna-for-small-sat-compatible-radiometry/ Save to Pocket

Swarming Proxima Centauri: Coherent Picospacecraft Swarms Over Interstellar Distances

date: 2024-01-04, from: NASA breaking news

Thomas EubanksSpace Initiatives, Inc. Tiny gram-scale interstellar probes pushed by laser light are likely to be the only technology capable of reaching another star this century. We presuppose availability by mid-century of a laser beamer powerful enough (~100-GW) to boost a few grams to relativistic speed, lasersails robust enough to survive launch, and terrestrial light […]

https://www.nasa.gov/general/swarming-proxima-centauri/ Save to Pocket

Detoxifying Mars: the biocatalytic elimination of omnipresent perchlorates

date: 2024-01-04, from: NASA breaking news

Lynn RothschildNASA Ames Research Center (ARC) Water is the lifeblood of human survival and civilization and is critical for our sustained exploration beyond Earth. Fortunately, Mars has plenty of water to sustain our aspirations in the form of subsurface ice. Unfortunately, it is not clean water – it is contaminated by toxic perchlorates. Perchlorate and […]

https://www.nasa.gov/general/detoxifying-mars/ Save to Pocket

Add-on to Large-Scale Water Mining Operations on Mars to Screen for Introduced and Alien Life

date: 2024-01-04, from: NASA breaking news

Steven BennerFoundation For Applied Molecular Evolution As noted at NASA’s 2019 Carlsbad Conference we have good reason to think that: The purpose of this NIAC project is to change this view, and to do so before human arrival planned by NASA, the Chinese National Space Agency, and SpaceX, “by 2040”, “in 2033”, and “before 2030”, […]

https://www.nasa.gov/general/large-scale-water-mining-operations-on-mars/ Save to Pocket

Mars Aerial and Ground Global Intelligent Explorer (MAGGIE)

date: 2024-01-04, from: NASA breaking news

Ge-Cheng ZhaCoflow Jet, LLC We propose to develop a novel global mobility Mars exploration platform , Mars Aerial and Ground Intelligent Explorer (MAGGIE). MAGGIE is a compact fixed wing aircraft with ultra-high productivity efficiency powered by solar energy to fly in the Martian atmosphere with vertical take-off/landing (VTOL) capability, which is enabled by advanced deflected […]

https://www.nasa.gov/general/mars-aerial-and-ground-global-intelligent-explorer/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-04, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

Fear of MAGA “backlash” is no reason to let Donald Trump make an illegal run for president.

https://www.salon.com/2024/01/04/fear-of-maga-backlash-is-no-reason-to-let-donald-make-an-illegal-run-for/ Save to Pocket

RIP: Software design pioneer and Pascal creator Niklaus Wirth

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Evangelist of lean software and devisor of 9 programming languages and an OS was 89

Obit  Swiss computer scientist Professor Niklaus Wirth died on New Year’s Day, roughly six weeks before what would have been his 90th birthday.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/niklaus_wirth_obituary/ Save to Pocket

Learn How to Dance Like David Byrne (From Byrne Himself)

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/01/learn-how-to-dance-like-david-byrne-from-byrne-himself Save to Pocket

Safe Trails in the New Year

date: 2024-01-04, from: City of Santa Clarita

Safe Trails in the New Year By Councilmember Laurene Weste As we step into the new year, I find myself eagerly anticipating the adventures that lie ahead. As a long-time resident and former parks commissioner of the City of Santa Clarita, I have always been captivated by the simple joy of hiking and embracing the […]

The post Safe Trails in the New Year appeared first on City of Santa Clarita.

https://santaclarita.gov/blog/2024/01/04/safe-trails-in-the-new-year-2/ Save to Pocket

Police Say 17-year-old Killed a Sixth-Grader and Wounded Five in Iowa School Shooting

date: 2024-01-04, from: VOA News USA

Perry, Iowa — A 17-year-old opened fire at a small-town Iowa high school on the first day of school after the winter break, killing a sixth-grader and wounding five others as students barricaded in offices and fled in panic.

The suspect, a student at the school in Perry, died of what investigators believe is a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and at least one of the victims is a school administrator, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

The official was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

Perry has about 8,000 residents and is about 64 kilometers northwest of Des Moines, on the edge of the state capital’s metropolitan area. It is home to a large pork-processing plant, and low-slung, single-story homes spread among trees now shorn of their leaves by winter. The high school and middle school are connected, sitting on the east edge of town.

Perry High School senior Ava Augustus said she was waiting in a counselor’s when she heard three shots. She and other people barricaded the door, preparing to throw things, if necessary, with a window being too small for an escape.

“And then we hear ‘He’s down. You can go out,’” Augustus said through tears. “And I run, and you can just see glass everywhere, blood on the floor. I get to my car and they’re taking a girl out of the auditorium who had been shot in her leg.”

Three gunshot victims were taken by ambulance to Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, a spokesperson for its health system said. Some other patients were transported to a second hospital in Des Moines, a spokesperson for MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center confirmed, declining to comment on the number of patients or their statuses.

Vigils were planned Thursday evening at a park and a local church. A post on the high school’s Facebook page said it would be closed Friday, with counseling services planned at the public library Friday and Saturday.

In Washington, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland was briefed on the shooting. FBI agents from the Omaha-Des Moines office are assisting with the investigation led by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

The shooting occurred in the backdrop of Iowa’s first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses. Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy had a campaign event scheduled in Perry at 9 a.m. about 2.4 kilometers from the high school but canceled it to have a prayer and intimate discussion with area residents.

Mass shootings across the U.S. have long brought calls for stricter gun laws from gun safety advocates, and Thursday’s did within hours. But that idea has been a non-starter for many Republicans, particularly in rural, GOP-leaning states like Iowa.

As of July 2021, Iowa does not require a permit to purchase a handgun or carry a firearm in public, though it mandates a background check for a person buying a handgun without a permit.

Ramaswamy said the shooting is a sign of a “psychological sickness” in the country. In Des Moines, Republican rival and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that gun violence “is more of a local and state issue” in an interview with the Des Moines Register and NBC News.

The high school in Perry is part of the 1,785-student Perry Community School District. The town is more diverse than Iowa as a whole, with census figures showing that 31% of the residents are Hispanic, compared to less than 7% for the state. Those figures also show that nearly 19% of the town’s residents were born outside the U.S.

An active shooter was reported at 7:37 a.m. Thursday, and officers arrived seven minutes later, Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante said. Emergency vehicles surrounded the middle and high school.

Zander Shelley, 15, was in a hallway when he heard gunshots and dashed into a classroom, according to his father, Kevin Shelley. Zander was grazed twice and hid in the classroom before texting his father at 7:36 a.m.

Kevin Shelley, who drives a garbage truck, told his boss he had to run.

“It was the most scared I’ve been in my entire life,” he said.

Rachael Kares, an 18-year-old senior, was wrapping up jazz band practice when she and her bandmates heard what she described as four gunshots, spaced apart.

“We all just jumped,” Kares said. “My band teacher looked at us and yelled, ‘Run!’ So, we ran.”

Kares and many others from the school ran out past the football field, as she heard people yelling, “Get out! Get out!” She said she heard additional shots as she ran but didn’t know how many. She was more concerned about getting home to her 3-year-old son.

“At that moment, I didn’t care about anything except getting out, because I had to get home with my son,” she said.

https://www.voanews.com/a/police-say-multiple-people-shot-at-high-school-in-iowa-suspect-dead/7426729.html Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-04, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

Trump Received Millions From Foreign Governments as President.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/04/us/politics/trump-hotels-foreign-business-report.html Save to Pocket

Your Journey, Your Schedule: How to Modify Flight Dates with Qatar Airways

date: 2024-01-04, from: The Signal

Travel plans are often subject to change, and flexibility is key when it comes to adapting to unforeseen circumstances or shifting schedules UK-Bangla Airlines. Qatar Airways understands the dynamic nature of travel, and they offer a seamless process for modifying flight dates to ensure that your journey aligns perfectly with your schedule. In this guide, […]

The post Your Journey, Your Schedule: How to Modify Flight Dates with Qatar Airways appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/your-journey-your-schedule-how-to-modify-flight-dates-with-qatar-airways/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-04, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

Happy Birthday, Jabber!

https://discourse.igniterealtime.org/t/happy-birthday-jabber/93463 Save to Pocket

Importance of corporate advisory services

date: 2024-01-04, from: The Signal

Introduction   Corporate advisory services involve advice relating to mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring, and capital raising. Corporate restructuring provides strategic and financial guidance to management by skilled professionals. There is a wide range of corporate advisory services that involve selling, buying a business, acquiring, demerger, splitting off, etc. Head over to Nash Advisory to find […]

The post Importance of corporate advisory services appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/importance-of-corporate-advisory-services/ Save to Pocket

New Jersey Police Seek Killer of Newark Mosque Leader

date: 2024-01-04, from: VOA News USA

https://www.voanews.com/a/new-jersey-police-seek-killer-of-muslim-leader-outside-newark-mosque-/7426718.html Save to Pocket

@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-01-04, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)

Baby steps on my quest to ipadify Godot.

Here I show a SwiftUI panel that will replace the Godot version (they run concurrently right now).

Perhaps I should start a blog series on these design decisions - native iPad menus:

https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/111698762223897003 Save to Pocket

What if Microsoft had given us Windows XP 2024?

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Modern life is rubbish. What if your favorite tech giant had stopped trying to reinvent the wheel?

A brave hero has given us a glimpse at an alternative universe, where Microsoft evolved the Windows XP design language. And isn’t that a better use of time than coming up with the Copilot key?…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/windows_xp_reimagined/ Save to Pocket

Rolling Stone picks The 150 Greatest Science Fiction Movies of All Time….

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/01/0043725-rolling-stone-picks-the-1 Save to Pocket

These Ants Can Diagnose and Treat Their Comrades’ Infected Wounds

date: 2024-01-04, from: Smithsonian Magazine

Matabele ants in sub-Saharan Africa often sustain injuries while hunting termites—and their survival strategy may help humans fight infections, too

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-ants-can-diagnose-and-treat-their-comrades-infected-wounds-180983526/ Save to Pocket

Facebook’s new old way to follow you around!

date: 2024-01-04, from: Om Malik blog

The company pitches Link History as a useful tool for consumers “with your browsing activity saved in one place,” rather than another way to keep tabs on your behavior. With the new setting you’ll “never lose a link again,” Facebook says in a pop-up encouraging users to consent to the new tracking method. The company …

https://om.co/2024/01/04/facebook-doing-facebook-things/ Save to Pocket

HPE’s Hotard hits the hot seat at Intel’s datacenter and AI biz

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Outsider brought in to rule crucial unit will play key part in AI strategy

Intel has hired Justin Hotard to head up its Data Center and AI (DCAI) Group, poaching the exec from HPE where he lead its High Performance Computing business.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/intel_hires_new_dc_chief/ Save to Pocket

Jim Courtney, RIP

date: 2024-01-04, from: Om Malik blog

Nothing quite reminds you of the passage of time as the passing of people you have met on your journey. Today I learned from Andy Abramson that Jim Courtney, a long-time blogger who wrote about all things voice telephony and Skype, had recently passed away. Andy knew him much more closely than I did. He was a lively presence in the “VoIP” …

https://om.co/2024/01/04/jim-courtney-founder-of-skype-journal-rip/ Save to Pocket

Paul Hollywood & Prue Leith Judge the Best American Snacks

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/01/paul-hollywood-prue-leith-judge-the-best-american-snacks Save to Pocket

Microsoft and Windows OEMs to put dedicated “AI” Copilot key on keyboards

date: 2024-01-04, from: OS News

The introduction of the Copilot key marks the first significant change to the Windows PC keyboard in nearly three decades. We believe it will empower people to participate in the AI transformation more easily. The Copilot key joins the Windows key as a core part of the PC keyboard and when pressed, the new key will invoke the Copilot in Windows experience to make it seamless to engage Copilot in your day to day*. Nearly 30 years ago, we introduced the Windows key to the PC keyboard that enabled people all over the world to interact with Windows. We see this as another transformative moment in our journey with Windows where Copilot will be the entry point into the world of AI on the PC. ↫ Yusuf Mehdi on the official Windows blog Your next laptop will come with an “AI” key next to the spacebar. Yes, Microsoft and Windows OEMs are really going to be doing this. Your laptop will come with a dedicated copyright infringement key that will produce utter nonsense and misinformation at the push of a key. This is pure and utter insanity.

https://www.osnews.com/story/138199/microsoft-and-windows-oems-to-put-dedicated-ai-copilot-key-on-keyboards/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-04, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

2017: Bootstrap Demos by Dave.

http://bootstrapdemos.scripting.com/ Save to Pocket

“Let the writer decide”

date: 2024-01-04, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News

A simple rule for designers of social web systems.

• Let the writer decide if a post needs a title.

It isn’t one-size-fits-all. Some posts will have titles, others won’t.

PS: I think “Let the writer decide” has real potential as a slogan. 😄

http://scripting.com/2024/01/04/153601.html?title=letTheWriterDecide Save to Pocket

Putting all this job data together

date: 2024-01-04, from: Marketplace Morning Report

Private-sector hiring was stronger than expected in December, according to ADP, and we learned yesterday that there were slightly fewer job openings nationwide in November. But the official government jobs report for December doesn’t come out until tomorrow. What can we expect and what should we make of it all? Also on the show: More consumers opted for cars that are cheaper to buy and operate, and young people in China grapple with a high unemployment rate.

https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/putting-all-this-job-data-together Save to Pocket

SpaceX accused of firing employees critical of free speech fan Elon Musk

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Rule 1: You do not criticize the boss. Rule 2: You do NOT criticize the boss

The US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has issued a complaint against SpaceX, alleging it dismissed workers for being critical of the company’s boss, Elon Musk, among 37 other unfair labor practices.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/spacex_nlrb_complaint/ Save to Pocket

Deep Beneath Earth’s Surface, Clues to Life’s Origins

date: 2024-01-04, from: Quanta Magazine

The post Deep Beneath Earth’s Surface, Clues to Life’s Origins first appeared on Quanta Magazine

https://www.quantamagazine.org/deep-beneath-earths-surface-clues-to-lifes-origins-20240104/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-01-04, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

A discussion about whether a feed reader should support titleless items. It should, without question. The spec is very clear. “All elements of an item are optional, however at least one of title or description must be present.” It’s how social media sites like Bluesky, Mastodon, et al hook up to the RSS network. Their posts not only don’t require titles, they don’t allow them, something I’d like to see them ease up on, per textcasting. Let the writer decide if a post needs a title.

http://scripting.com/2024/01/04.html#a152714 Save to Pocket

Win32Emu/DIY WOW: run RISC Win32 binaries on x86 Windows

date: 2024-01-04, from: OS News

When the AXP64 build tools for Windows 2000 were discovered back in May 2023, there was a crucial problem. Not only was it difficult to test the compiled applications since you needed an exotic and rare DEC Alpha machine running a leaked version of Windows, it was also difficult to even compile the programs, since you needed the same DEC Alpha machine to run the compiler; there was no cross-compiler. As a result, I began writing a program conceptually similar to WOW64 on Itanium (or WX86, or FX-32), only in reverse, to allow RISC Win32 programs to run on x86. ↫ CaptainWillStarblazer People with this much skill just exist.

https://www.osnews.com/story/138197/win32emu-diy-wow-run-risc-win32-binaries-on-x86-windows/ Save to Pocket

Start 2024 Off Right, Get Your REAL ID Today

date: 2024-01-04, from: SCV New (TV Station)

Nearly 16.9 million Californians now have a REAL ID – an increase of 121,501 from the previous month – according to California Department of Motor Vehicles data

https://scvnews.com/start-2024-off-right-get-your-real-id-today/ Save to Pocket

How S Group, a cooperative company, became Finland’s dominant retailer. “For one…

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/01/0043720-how-s-group-a-cooperative Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-01-04, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

The usage of news.scripting.com keeps going up. All elements of an item are optional, however at least one of title or description must be present. I’m interested in knowing what you think, what you like, what could be improved, does it give you ideas, how can we help. Here’s a place for comments.

http://scripting.com/2024/01/04.html#a151046 Save to Pocket

The Next Turn of the Wheel

date: 2024-01-04, from: Ayjay blog

This is the novelist Janet Burroway, writing about her experience making a fifth edition of a textbook for creative writing classes: Unusually, this time around my publisher asked for no refreshing of my ideas, no major swaths of rewriting, only that I conform to the new sensibility. I was asked to change the binary “he/she,” […]

https://blog.ayjay.org/the-next-turn-of-the-wheel/ Save to Pocket

Semiconductor scene set for AI-led recovery in 2024, and China will be in front

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

That’s what happens when Uncle Sam tries to curb your chip sector

Global semiconductor capacity is tipped to grow in 2024, despite the doom and gloom, with China forecast to lead the way and expand its share of global chip production as it tries to become more self sufficient.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/china_semiconductor_recovery/ Save to Pocket

More city hall coverage won’t be enough to revive local news

date: 2024-01-04, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

Whether it’s a new round of journalist layoffs or further consolidation into the hands of a few owners, the problems confronting local media in the U.S. are easy to see. We are political scientists who study how the decline of local news affects American politics. In past work, we showed that these changes hamper the ability of local newspapers and television…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/01/more-city-hall-coverage-wont-be-enough-to-revive-local-news/ Save to Pocket

Google Contractor Pays Parents $50 to Scan Their Childrens’ Faces

date: 2024-01-04, from: 404 Media Group

Google is having parents film their children wearing hats and sunglasses, with the collected data to include eyelid shape and skin tone.

https://www.404media.co/google-telus-pays-50-to-scan-childrens-eyelid-shape-and-skin-tone/ Save to Pocket

Polish Hackers Say Manufacturer’s Repair DRM Killed Train’s Power, Broke Compressor

date: 2024-01-04, from: 404 Media Group

They found code that killed power to the train and broke a train’s compressor: “We are 100% certain of our findings.”

https://www.404media.co/polish-hackers-explain-exactly-how-they-fixed-trains-that-the-manufacturer-bricked/ Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-04, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

Why Trump wants you to compare him to Hitler. Because then you’re not calling him a loser

https://framelab.substack.com/p/why-trump-wants-you-to-compare-him Save to Pocket

“Find your mango,” and 13 other things we’ve learned about how to report on climate change

date: 2024-01-04, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

What could you learn if you put more than 400 journalists and editors from all across the world together over the course of nearly two years to talk about climate change? Quite a lot. Since the Oxford Climate Journalism Network (OCJN) kicked off in January 2022, reporters, editors, photographers and fact-checkers alike have gathered week…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/01/find-your-mango-and-13-other-things-weve-learned-about-how-to-report-on-climate-change/ Save to Pocket

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 can power 4K headsets

date: 2024-01-04, from: Liliputing

Qualcomm’s newest flagship processor for virtual and augmented reality headsets promises a 2.5X improvement in GPU performance, 8X better AI performance than the company’s XR2 Gen 1 chip, enabling support for 4K headsets (with up to 4.3K resolution per eye at up to 90 frames per second). The chip maker says the first device with Qualcomm […]

The post Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 can power 4K headsets appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/qualcomms-snapdragon-xr2-gen-2-can-power-4k-headsets/ Save to Pocket

Podcast: Inside a $7 Million Airbnb Scam

date: 2024-01-04, from: 404 Media Group

On this week’s episode of the 404 Media Podcast, we go into a massive, nationwide Airbnb scam; talk about Pornhub cutting off access to Montana and North Carolina; and finish up with the death of Wickr.

https://www.404media.co/404-media-podcast-inside-a-7-million-airbnb-scam/ Save to Pocket

Windows keyboards to get a Copilot key – but how quickly will users jump?

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Pushing your buttons: Microsoft’s AI assistant is going so well that it’s going to have its very own spot

Microsoft says a Copilot key will be coming to Windows 11 PCs, oddly exciting fanatics but confounding some others.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/windows_keyboards_copilot/ Save to Pocket

Evidence still being tested in rape case

date: 2024-01-04, from: Guam Daily Post

The trial on sexual assault charges of the partner of a foster parent may be delayed pending further testing of evidence.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/evidence-still-being-tested-in-rape-case/article_c20b3018-aa9a-11ee-b4ee-eb6148cd1fcc.html Save to Pocket

34 GWA wells may need PFAS treatment with new regulations

date: 2024-01-04, from: Guam Daily Post

The Guam Waterworks Authority has identified about 34 water wells that may require treatment for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, after proposed federal regulations come into effect.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/34-gwa-wells-may-need-pfas-treatment-with-new-regulations/article_110df2ae-aabe-11ee-8538-fb35d8838add.html Save to Pocket

GWA: 1 year to place systems to treat wells with highest dieldrin

date: 2024-01-04, from: Guam Daily Post

It will likely take about a year to install granulated activated carbon filtration systems at water wells that yielded the highest concentrations of dieldrin, a banned pesticide, Guam Waterworks Authority General Manager Miguel Bordallo said Thursday during an oversight hearing…

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/gwa-1-year-to-place-systems-to-treat-wells-with-highest-dieldrin/article_527c928e-aacf-11ee-8c27-a3416de9a50e.html Save to Pocket

Fisher seeks to disqualify OAG contracted lawyer in DOC case

date: 2024-01-04, from: Guam Daily Post

Sen. Thomas Fisher has asked the Superior Court of Guam to disqualify a private attorney contracted with the Office of the Attorney General from handling a case involving contraband at the Department of Corrections.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/fisher-seeks-to-disqualify-oag-contracted-lawyer-in-doc-case/article_b51b0982-a9d2-11ee-90fa-57c879e3946c.html Save to Pocket

Assault suspect: ‘I did it all. Arrest me!’

date: 2024-01-04, from: Guam Daily Post

A man accused of assaulting a woman known to him told police upon being arrested, “I did it all. Arrest me!”

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/assault-suspect-i-did-it-all-arrest-me/article_c92f1ca0-aa8c-11ee-bd04-47813a29184b.html Save to Pocket

Suspect in Mangilao stabbing being held on $100K cash bail

date: 2024-01-04, from: Guam Daily Post

A man accused in the fatal stabbing of his cousin was confined in prison on $100,000 cash bail.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/suspect-in-mangilao-stabbing-being-held-on-100k-cash-bail/article_9b943b3c-aa95-11ee-905a-2790d9e3e12e.html Save to Pocket

Lamorena is disqualified from Public Health corruption case

date: 2024-01-04, from: Guam Daily Post

Superior Court of Guam Presiding Judge Alberto Lamorena III has been disqualified as the sitting judge in the Department of Public Health and Social Services corruption case.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/lamorena-is-disqualified-from-public-health-corruption-case/article_5fd28810-aa9f-11ee-9bab-cf7e106c4c7f.html Save to Pocket

Pellet gun found on GDOE school bus

date: 2024-01-04, from: Guam Daily Post

George Washington High School students were searched Wednesday morning after administrators were informed that a student may be carrying a gun on a school bus headed for the school.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/pellet-gun-found-on-gdoe-school-bus/article_370c4880-aaa4-11ee-9d1e-4f361b05e5bd.html Save to Pocket

Ready or not, Windows PC keyboards are getting a dedicated Copilot key for Microsoft’s AI assistant

date: 2024-01-04, from: Liliputing

Microsoft has been betting big on AI over the last few years. But if you haven’t had much use for features like the company’s new Windows Copilot AI assistant, it’s been pretty easy to ignore. It’s going to be a little harder soon though, because Microsoft has been working with PC makers to include a […]

The post Ready or not, Windows PC keyboards are getting a dedicated Copilot key for Microsoft’s AI assistant appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/windows-pc-keyboards-are-getting-a-dedicated-copilot-key-for-microsofts-ai-assistant/ Save to Pocket

PeerJ Award Winners at CCS 2023

date: 2024-01-04, from: PeerJ blog

Davi Alves Oliveira University of Bahia State, Brazil.  Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your research interests? I am a doctoral candidate in the multidisciplinary and multi-institutional Postgraduate Program in Knowledge Diffusion (Programa de Pós-Graduação em Difusão do Conhecimento – PPGDC), affiliated with the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), the University of […]

https://peerj.com/blog/post/115284888738/peerj-award-winners-at-ccs-2023/ Save to Pocket

Infostealer malware, weak password leaves Orange Spain RIPE for plucking

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

No 2FA or special characters to prevent database takeover and BGP hijack

Updated  A weak password exposed by infostealer malware is being blamed after a massive outage at Orange Spain disrupted around half of its network’s traffic.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/orange_spain_outage_breach/ Save to Pocket

You Can Soon Take a Private Tour of the Acropolis—For a Steep Price

date: 2024-01-04, from: Smithsonian Magazine

Scheduled to begin April 1, the off-hours visits will cost €5,000 ($5,500) per group

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/greece-to-offer-private-guided-tours-of-the-acropolis-180983529/ Save to Pocket

Use a Browser That Blocks Tracking

date: 2024-01-04, from: The Markup blog

Surf the web in peace

https://themarkup.org/gentle-january/2024/01/04/use-a-browser-that-blocks-tracking Save to Pocket

As California mulls reparations, who should be eligible?

date: 2024-01-04, from: Marketplace Morning Report

A bill in the California Legislature would create a first-of-its-kind agency in charge of administering economic reparations for slavery, which could be voted on this year. Recommendations start “with those folks who are clearly descendants of 250 years of wage theft in this country,” said Sen. Steven Bradford, who introduced the legislation. Also, some shipping rates have more than doubled for routes in the Red Sea.

https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/as-california-mulls-reparations-who-should-be-eligible Save to Pocket

AM Briefing: ‘Bigger Than the Hoover Dam’

date: 2024-01-04, from: Heatmap News

Current conditions: The western U.S. is in the midst of a severe “snow drought” • The Great Lakes began 2024 with their smallest amount of ice cover in 50 years • Finland’s Enontekiö airport recorded the country’s coldest January temperature since 2006: -44 degrees Fahrenheit.

THE TOP FIVE

1. Offshore wind sees a turbulent start to 2024

“The rollercoaster that is the U.S. offshore wind industry is already racing in 2024,” says Canary Media’s Maria Gallucci. Indeed, after missing an end-of-year deadline to start sending energy to the U.S. grid, the nation’s first large-scale offshore wind farm came online at 11:52 p.m. on Tuesday, delivering five megawatts of power to the New England grid. The Vineyard Wind 1 project, located near Martha’s Vineyard, will eventually consist of 62 turbines capable of powering 400,000 homes in Massachusetts.

“The arrival of Vineyard Wind is a welcome tonic to a nascent offshore wind industry that has struggled in the US in recent months,” writes Oliver Milman at The Guardian. But on Wednesday, BP and Equinor abandoned a contract to sell offshore wind energy to the state of New York, citing the familiar headwinds of rising costs, interest rates, and supply chain problems. Last October the companies tried to negotiate with the state for higher rates for selling renewable energy credits. Their request was turned down, only for the state to open the floor to new project proposals, including from BP and Equinor. “The agreement is the latest evidence of the malaise engulfing the fledgling offshore US wind industry,” writes Myles McCormick at the Financial Times, “but also illustrates the willingness of state authorities to provide flexibility to prevent projects from being abandoned.”

2. Construction goes ahead on SunZia clean energy transmission line

Some important renewable energy news went under the radar this week: Pattern Energy’s SunZia Transmission line secured $11 billion in financing, which means construction can continue on the “largest clean energy infrastructure project in U.S. history.” The 550-mile high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line will run between central New Mexico and south-central Arizona, delivering power to western states from the SunZia Wind facility being built in New Mexico. “The size and scale of both the SunZia project and this multifaceted financing show that the renewable energy space can secure attractive capital at levels previously only seen in traditional generation,” says Daniel Elkort, executive vice president at Pattern Energy.

Upgrading transmission systems will be key to meeting the Biden administration’s goal of eliminating carbon emissions from the power sector by 2035: By one estimate, transmission systems will need to expand by 60% by 2030. The SunZia Transmission line will be able to move 3,000 megawatts of wind power to 3 million people and has been called “bigger than the Hoover Dam.” But its progress has been rocky: Indigenous groups have expressed concerns about the line’s impact on religious and cultural sites, and environmentalists worried it could harm wildlife habitat.

3. New maps show hidden extent of industrial activity at sea

Incredible new maps published in the journal Nature expose the great extent to which human activity has pervaded the world’s oceans. For the project, researchers led by Google-backed nonprofit Global Fishing Watch used artificial intelligence to analyze huge amounts of offshore data from satellite imagery. They found that many industrial vessels aren’t publicly tracked, exposing a potential blindspot for conservation efforts. The data also showed that offshore wind turbines now outnumber oil structures:

Nature

Nature

4. GOP climate advocate John Curtis launches Senate bid

Utah Rep. John Curtis announced this week he is running for the Senate seat left vacant by retiring Sen. Mitt Romney. The primary field is likely to be crowded, but Curtis’s entry is interesting because he is “one of the GOP’s leading voices on fighting climate change,” says E&E News. He launched and chairs the Conservative Climate Caucus, has supported some of the Biden administration’s policies on solar, and attended COP28 to push for permitting reform. But it will be interesting to see whether climate change features prominently in his campaign: Curtis didn’t mention environmental issues in his first campaign video but pledged to “work to make America not just energy independent, but energy dominant.”

5. Researchers hope volcanic magma could provide ‘quantum leap’ in geothermal energy

Researchers in Iceland have plans to drill into a magma chamber beneath a volcano in an attempt to better understand the hot molten rock and eventually even “make a quantum leap in geothermal energy production,” reports New Scientist. The Krafla Magma Testbed (KMT) project will start drilling in 2026, focusing on a volcano called Krafla in north-east Iceland. The researchers hope to develop near-magma geothermal energy technology that would allow wells to trap hot, pressurized water to drive turbines and produce cheap, clean electricity. “There are endless opportunities,” says Hjalti Páll Ingólfsson at the Geothermal Research Cluster (GEORG) in Reykjavík. “The only thing we need to do is to learn how to tame this monster.”

THE KICKER

A company called Moolec Science has been inserting pig genes into soy plants to produce beans that are pink and taste meaty.

https://heatmap.news/climate/am-briefing-bigger-than-the-hoover-dam Save to Pocket

How The 2008 Financial Crisis Led To ‘The Squad’

date: 2024-01-04, from: The Lever News

The Intercept’s Ryan Grim explores how crises during the Obama administration formed the politics of the Squad.

https://www.levernews.com/the-squad-part-2-from-obama-to-bernie-crisis-and-a-crossroads/ Save to Pocket

New cars bought in the UK must be zero emission by 2035 – it’s the law

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Meanwhile, finding a public charge point that works and doesn’t require a second mortgage remains a challenge

All new cars and vans bought in the UK must be zero emission by 2035, according to the latest legal mandate updated this week.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/new_cars_ev_2035/ Save to Pocket

New iPhone Exploit Uses Four Zero-Days

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2023-12-28, from: Bruce Schneier blog

Kaspersky researchers are detailing “an attack that over four years backdoored dozens if not thousands of iPhones, many of which belonged to employees of Moscow-based security firm Kaspersky.” It’s a zero-click exploit that makes use of four iPhone zero-days.

The most intriguing new detail is the targeting of the heretofore-unknown hardware feature, which proved to be pivotal to the Operation Triangulation campaign. A zero-day in the feature allowed the attackers to bypass advanced hardware-based memory protections designed to safeguard device system integrity even after an attacker gained the ability to tamper with memory of the underlying kernel. On most other platforms, once attackers successfully exploit a kernel vulnerability they have full control of the compromised system…

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2024/01/new-iphone-exploit-uses-four-zero-days.html Save to Pocket

Radical reforms in Argentina derailed by judges

date: 2024-01-04, from: Marketplace Morning Report

From the BBC World Service: Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei, is trying to introduce a radical financial agenda but has been met with wide-scale protests. Now courts have blocked changes to labor laws. Then, a joint statement has warned Houthi rebels in Yemen against carrying out further attacks in the Red Sea. And millions of young people in China are struggling to find a job.

https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/radical-reforms-in-argentina-derailed-by-judges Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-04, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

Apple Could Acquire Peloton This Year, Fund Manager Forecast Suggests.

https://www.macrumors.com/2024/01/04/apple-could-acquire-peloton-this-year/ Save to Pocket

Worse Than a “Do Nothing” Congress

date: 2024-01-04, from: Dan Rather’s Steady

For the past several decades of divisive American politics, there has been a game played by pundits and politicians alike: Is this Congress the least productive ever? I know it has been said before, but this 118th Congress may actually be the worst one yet. Rep. Patrick McHenry, a Republican from North Carolina who is calling it quits, labeled it “a very actively stupid political environment.”

https://steady.substack.com/p/worse-than-a-do-nothing-congress Save to Pocket

As lawmakers mull outlawing poor security, what can they really do to tackle online gangs?

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Headline-grabbing takedowns are nice, but long-term solutions require short-term sacrifices

Comment  In some ways, the ransomware landscape in 2023 remained unchanged from the way it looked in previous years. Vendor reports continue to show a rise in attacks, major organizations are still getting hit, and the inherent issues that enable it as a business model remain unaddressed.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/feds_stole_the_ransomware_limelight/ Save to Pocket

@Jessica Smith’s blog (date: 2024-01-04, from: Jessica Smith’s blog)

I swear, every time I actually start making good progress on my novel, it’s like I completely tunnel-vision on it and am completely incapable of remembering to do anything else 😅 I forgot to make anything for dinner tonight… but luckily Viv shoved a plate of skewers in front of my face. Oh well, on the bright side, this section of my novel I’m working on is coming along nicely!

https://www.jayeless.net/2024/01/tunnel-visioned-on-writing.html Save to Pocket

Welcoming Virginia Tech as a new Institutional Member, meaning APC-free publishing for the faculty

date: 2024-01-04, from: PeerJ blog

Virginia Tech become our latest Institutional Member We’re thrilled to share that Virginia Tech has joined the AIMs program. Via their Annual Institutional Membership (AIM), faculty, staff, and students affiliated with Virginia Tech can publish their work in any PeerJ journal without incurring article processing charges (APCs). Affiliated authors should complete this short form before […]

https://peerj.com/blog/post/115284888733/welcoming-virginia-tech-as-a-new-institutional-member-meaning-apc-free-publishing-for-the-faculty/ Save to Pocket

The “I won’t vote for the lesser of two evils” rubbish

date: 2024-01-04, from: Robert Reich on Substack

Recalling a discussion I had with Chris Hedges in 2016

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-i-wont-vote-for-the-lesser-of Save to Pocket

Dell XPS laptop gets a 2024 overhaul with XPS 13, XPS 14, and XPS 16 laptops coming soon

date: 2024-01-04, from: Liliputing

Dell’s XPS line of laptops have been around for over a decade, offering premium features and portable designs. The company shook up the lineup in 2022 with the introduction of the Dell XPS 13 Plus featuring a new (and kind of weird) keyboard and trackpad design, as well as a cheaper, lower-performance Dell XPS 13 […]

The post Dell XPS laptop gets a 2024 overhaul with XPS 13, XPS 14, and XPS 16 laptops coming soon appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/dell-xps-laptop-gets-a-2024-overhaul-with-xps-13-xps-14-and-xps-16-laptops-coming-soon/ Save to Pocket

Fujitsu wins flood contract extension despite starring in TV drama about its failures

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Deal expanded from £4.5M to £19.5M over 7 years as critics point to shortcomings

The UK’s Environment Agency has awarded Fujitsu – the tech biz embroiled in the high-profile Post Office scandal – a £2 million contract extension to run the flood warning system after apparent delays to finding a replacement supplier.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/fujitsu_flood_contract_extension/ Save to Pocket

Jim de Bree | A Congressional Ethics Dilemma

date: 2024-01-04, from: The Signal

Last year I wrote two columns expressing concerns about the Supreme Court’s lack of formal ethics standards and whether certain justices should recuse themselves from various cases before the court. Since then, that issue has garnered significant national attention. However, SCOTUS is not the only governmental branch whose ethical standards require scrutiny. In November 2011, […]

The post Jim de Bree | A Congressional Ethics Dilemma appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/jim-de-bree-a-congressional-ethics-dilemma/ Save to Pocket

Three Chinese balloons float near Taiwanese airbase

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Also: Remember that balloon over the US last February? It might have used a US internet provider

Four Chinese balloons have reportedly floated over the Taiwan Strait, three of them crossing over the island’s land mass and near its Ching-Chuan-Kang air base before disappearing, according to the Taiwan’s defense ministry.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/three_chinese_balloons_float_near/ Save to Pocket

Vulcans split doubleheader against CUI

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>IRVINE, Calif. &#8212; UH-Hilo&#8217;s basketball teams tipped off a brief, Pacific West Conference action California road trip, splitting a doubleheader against Concordia University Irvine on Tuesday.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/sports/vulcans-split-doubleheader-against-cui/ Save to Pocket

Waikoloa man charged with attempted murder after allegedly firing shotgun on highway

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>A 39 year-old Waikoloa man has been charged with numerous offenses following a shooting incident in Kawaihae in the early morning hours of Saturday, December 30.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/hawaii-news/waikoloa-man-charged-with-attempted-murder-after-allegedly-firing-shotgun-on-highway/ Save to Pocket

Iran says at least 95 were killed in blasts at a ceremony honoring slain general

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates &#8212; Two bombs exploded and killed at least 95 people at a commemoration for a prominent Iranian general slain by the U.S. in a 2020 drone strike, Iranian officials said, as the Middle East remains on edge over Israel&#8217;s war with Hamas in Gaza.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/nation-world-news/iran-says-at-least-95-were-killed-in-blasts-at-a-ceremony-honoring-slain-general/ Save to Pocket

Native Hawaiian salt makers combat climate change and pollution to protect a sacred tradition

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>HANAPEPE, Kauai &#8212; On a warm summer afternoon, Tina Taniguchi was on her hands and knees scraping dirt off an oblong depression in the ground. Thick brown hair peeked out from her coconut leaf hat. Splotches of mud stuck to her T-shirt and speckled her smiling face.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/hawaii-news/native-hawaiian-salt-makers-combat-climate-change-and-pollution-to-protect-a-sacred-tradition/ Save to Pocket

Rescuers race against time in search for survivors in Japan after powerful quakes leave 78 dead

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>SUZU, Japan &#8212; Rescuers braved the cold in a race against time as they searched for survivors along Japan&#8217;s western coastline Thursday after a powerful earthquake earlier in the week smashed homes and left at least 78 people dead and 51 missing.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/nation-world-news/rescuers-race-against-time-in-search-for-survivors-in-japan-after-powerful-quakes-leave-78-dead/ Save to Pocket

County hopes to complete Keawe St. improvements by April

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>After a slight pause during the holidays, nighttime roadwork will restart on Keawe Street beginning Monday.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/hawaii-news/county-hopes-to-complete-keawe-st-improvements-by-april/ Save to Pocket

Apparent New Year’s Day murder victim had been granted restraining order

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>A 42 year-old Kealakekua woman who was shot in an apparent New Year&#8217;s Day murder-suicide had been granted a temporary restraining order on Dec. 29 against her ex-boyfriend, 43 year-old Garret Kaleohano of Captain Cook.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/hawaii-news/apparent-new-years-day-murder-victim-had-been-granted-restraining-order/ Save to Pocket

Nelson Ho, environmental activist, dies at 73

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Nelson Ho, a prominent Hawaii Island environmental and political activist, died after a long illness Tuesday at Hilo Medical Center. He was 73.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/hawaii-news/nelson-ho-environmental-activist-dies-at-73/ Save to Pocket

Here’s who will sit during Week 18 of NFL

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p><strong>LAMAR JACKSON</strong></p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/sports/heres-who-will-sit-during-week-18-of-nfl/ Save to Pocket

Michigan QB McCarthy says sign-stealing saga masked work of players who ‘did things the right way’

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>The sign-stealing scandal that has hung over Michigan&#8217;s season has overshadowed the work the team has put in to go unbeaten and reach the College Football Playoff championship game, quarterback J.J. McCarthy said Wednesday. </p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/sports/michigan-qb-mccarthy-says-sign-stealing-saga-masked-work-of-players-who-did-things-the-right-way/ Save to Pocket

Firefighters put out large fire at the home of Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. &#8212; Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill and his family are safe after fire rescue crews responded to a large fire at his South Florida home Wednesday afternoon. </p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/sports/firefighters-put-out-large-fire-at-the-home-of-miami-dolphins-receiver-tyreek-hill/ Save to Pocket

Obituaries for January 4

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>John Hastings, 45, of Hawaii Island died June 11. No known family. Survivors are asked to call Hilo Medical Center at (808) 932-3500, option 4.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/obituaries/obituaries-for-january-4-9/ Save to Pocket

Prosecutors accuse Rays shortstop Wander Franco of commercial sexual exploitation, money laundering

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic &#8212; Dominican prosecutors on Wednesday accused Wander Franco of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering following allegations that the Tampa Bay Rays shortstop had a relationship with a minor whose mother also faces the same charges. </p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/sports/prosecutors-accuse-rays-shortstop-wander-franco-of-commercial-sexual-exploitation-money-laundering/ Save to Pocket

Hawaii head coach Timmy Chang shakes up his staff

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Offensive coordinator Ian Shoemaker, co-defensive coordinator Eti Ena and cornerbacks coach Steve Irvin will not be retained on the University of Hawaii football team&#8217;s coaching staff, head coach Timmy Chang announced on Tuesday.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/sports/hawaii-head-coach-timmy-chang-shakes-up-his-staff/ Save to Pocket

Nevada judge attacked by defendant during sentencing in Vegas courtroom scene captured on video

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>LAS VEGAS &#8212; A Nevada judge was attacked Wednesday by a defendant in a felony battery case who leaped over a defense table and the judge&#8217;s bench, landing atop her and sparking a bloody brawl involving court officials and attorneys, officials and witnesses said.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/nation-world-news/nevada-judge-attacked-by-defendant-during-sentencing-in-vegas-courtroom-scene-captured-on-video/ Save to Pocket

New PGA Tour season starts with renewed emphasis on charity with Lahaina in mind

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>KAPALUA, Maui &#8212; Collin Morikawa is making his fifth trip to Kapalua to start a new year on the PGA Tour at The Sentry. This was the first time he wore an apron and was shivering from cold. </p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/sports/new-pga-tour-season-starts-with-renewed-emphasis-on-charity-with-lahaina-in-mind/ Save to Pocket

Unsealed court records offer new detail on old sex abuse allegations against Jeffrey Epstein

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>NEW YORK &#8212; Amid great hype, a court began to release a new batch of previously secret court documents late Wednesday related to Jeffrey Epstein, the jet-setting financier who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/nation-world-news/unsealed-court-records-offer-new-detail-on-old-sex-abuse-allegations-against-jeffrey-epstein/ Save to Pocket

Israel’s Mossad chief vows to hunt down Hamas members a day after senior figure killed in strike

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>The chief of Israel&#8217;s Mossad intelligence service vowed Wednesday that the agency would hunt down every Hamas member involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, no matter where they are. His pledge came a day after the deputy head of the Palestinian militant group was killed in a suspected Israeli strike in Beirut.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/nation-world-news/israels-mossad-chief-vows-to-hunt-down-hamas-members-a-day-after-senior-figure-killed-in-strike/ Save to Pocket

US, Philippines hold fresh sea drills amid China tensions

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>The Philippine and U.S. militaries on Wednesday began their second maritime drills in the South China Sea in less than two months amid continuing tensions with China in the disputed waters.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/nation-world-news/us-philippines-hold-fresh-sea-drills-amid-china-tensions/ Save to Pocket

COVID has resurged, but scientists see a diminished threat

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>The holidays have come and gone, and once again Americans are riding a tide of respiratory ailments, including COVID-19. But so far, this winter&#8217;s COVID uptick seems less deadly than last year&#8217;s, and much less so than in 2022, when the omicron surge ground the nation to a halt.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/nation-world-news/covid-has-resurged-but-scientists-see-a-diminished-threat/ Save to Pocket

UH president won’t say if he was drinking before crash

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>The president of the University of Hawaii system declined to say whether he was drinking at a New Year&#8217;s Eve dinner before he hit a parked car and flipped his 2021 Toyota Rav4 early Monday.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/hawaii-news/uh-president-wont-say-if-he-was-drinking-before-crash/ Save to Pocket

Speaker Johnson demands hard-line policies during a border visit as Ukraine aid hangs in the balance

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>EAGLE PASS, Texas &#8212; U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson led about 60 fellow Republicans in Congress on a visit Wednesday to the Mexican border to demand hard-line immigration policies in exchange for backing President Joe Biden&#8217;s emergency wartime funding request for Ukraine. He expressed serious doubts about whether he would support a bipartisan compromise.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/nation-world-news/speaker-johnson-demands-hard-line-policies-during-a-border-visit-as-ukraine-aid-hangs-in-the-balance/ Save to Pocket

Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds of prisoners of war in biggest release so far

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>(AP) &#8212; Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war in the biggest single release of captives since Russia&#8217;s full-scale invasion in February 2022.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/nation-world-news/russia-and-ukraine-exchange-hundreds-of-prisoners-of-war-in-biggest-release-so-far/ Save to Pocket

Trump urges US Supreme Court to reverse Colorado ruling barring him from state’s ballot

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>WASHINGTON &#8212; Former President Donald Trump appealed to the Supreme Court Thursday and urged the justices to quickly reverse a Colorado state court decision that would keep him off the ballot there on the grounds that he engaged in insurrection against the United States.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/nation-world-news/trump-urges-us-supreme-court-to-reverse-colorado-ruling-barring-him-from-states-ballot/ Save to Pocket

It took decades, but San Francisco finally installs nets to stop suicides off Golden Gate Bridge

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>SAN FRANCISCO &#8212; Kevin Hines regretted jumping off San Francisco&#8217;s Golden Gate Bridge the moment his hands released the rail and he plunged the equivalent of 25 stories into the Pacific Ocean, breaking his back.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/nation-world-news/it-took-decades-but-san-francisco-finally-installs-nets-to-stop-suicides-off-golden-gate-bridge/ Save to Pocket

Ohtani strikes out California’s tax bureaucracy

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Tax rates do matter. Consider the financial implications of baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani&#8217;s new contract.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/opinion/ohtani-strikes-out-californias-tax-bureaucracy/ Save to Pocket

Your Views for January 4

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Point-by-point&#0010;counter to letter</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/opinion/your-views-for-january-4-6/ Save to Pocket

The Supreme Court of Israel protects the independent judiciary

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>That the Supreme Court of Israel issued its decisive opinion knocking down the narrow governing coalition of Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu&#8217;s terrible plan to undermine the country&#8217;s independent judiciary in the midst of a national mobilization for a war with Hamas is exactly what independent judges are supposed to do.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/opinion/the-supreme-court-of-israel-protects-the-independent-judiciary/ Save to Pocket

Maunakea Observatories’ Maunakea Coin Contest is now open

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Hawaii Island students can have a chance at immortality if their design is chosen for minting a keepsake coin as part of the annual Maunakea Observatories&#8217; Maunakea Coin Contest.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/community/maunakea-observatories-maunakea-coin-contest-is-now-open/ Save to Pocket

County names interim administrator for newly created office

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Bethany Morrison has been selected as the interim administrator of the newly established Hawaii County Office of Sustainability, Climate, Equity and Resilience, or OSCER. She will assume her new role in early 2024.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/community/county-names-interim-administrator-for-newly-created-office/ Save to Pocket

Hawaii State FCU announces call for 2024 scholarship applications

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Hawaii State Federal Credit Union announced the application period for its 2024 student scholarship program is now open through Feb. 29.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/community/hawaii-state-fcu-announces-call-for-2024-scholarship-applications/ Save to Pocket

Taking flight: Registration open for annual Amelia Earhart Girls in Engineering Day

date: 2024-01-04, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Registration is now open for the 8th Annual Amelia Earhart Girls in Engineering Day, which will be held 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27 at Waiakea High School. Sign ups for the free event are available for the first 50 girls from Hawaii Island in grades 4-8.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/04/community/taking-flight-registration-open-for-annual-amelia-earhart-girls-in-engineering-day/ Save to Pocket

Retro-style homebrew computer (with VERY neat wiring)

date: 2024-01-04, from: Raspberry Pi News (.com)

Shane Mason wanted to create a retro-looking computer using modern microcontrollers to better understand how his work as a software engineer translates in the real world of computing.

The post Retro-style homebrew computer (with VERY neat wiring) appeared first on Raspberry Pi.

https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/retro-style-homebrew-computer-with-very-neat-wiring/ Save to Pocket

Laurene Weste | Safe Trails in the New Year

date: 2024-01-04, from: The Signal

As we step into the new year, I find myself eagerly anticipating the adventures that lie ahead. As a long-time resident and former parks commissioner of the city of Santa Clarita, I have always been captivated by the simple joy of hiking and embracing the great outdoors. Our beloved city is a treasure trove of […]

The post Laurene Weste | Safe Trails in the New Year appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/laurene-weste-safe-trails-in-the-new-year/ Save to Pocket

How the Xbox Series X fridge chilled our holiday spirits

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

But not enough sodas

Christmas has been and gone. Were you a good techie? Did you get a Raspberry Pi 5? Or were you more like this vulture, who became the proud owner of an Xbox Series X … fridge?…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/xbox_series_x_fridge/ Save to Pocket

December 2023 – Volume 64 Issue 5

date: 2024-01-04, from: The Sundail (CSUN student paper)

Letter from the Editor: Issue 5 Volume 64 Yesterday’s News: CSUN’s road to sustainability Technology: Electric cars in California Power in Numbers: Pollution in Los Angeles The Menu: The price of palm oil The Metro migraine: How CSUN is working to improve transportation emissions If the mess fits: Making garments from garbage at Manzanita Hall…

https://sundial.csun.edu/177789/print-editions/december-2023-volume-64-issue-5/ Save to Pocket

GovGuam payroll may see delay due to AS400 error

date: 2024-01-04, from: Guam Daily Post

Government of Guam payroll may be delayed Friday due to a critical system error that occurred in the AS400 system, according to a release from the Department of Administration.

https://www.postguam.com/news/govguam-payroll-may-see-delay-due-to-as400-error/article_ec94dd2a-aad6-11ee-a6c1-5758385d6667.html Save to Pocket

Google to start third-party cookie cull for 30 million Chrome users

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

One of the ad APIs that will fill the void – Protected Audience – arguably may offer better privacy anyway

From today there will be a great disturbance in Chrome – as if millions of browser cookies suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/google_set_to_start_cookie/ Save to Pocket

January 3, 2023

date: 2024-01-04, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog

If yesterday was a news storm, today was a lot of follow-up. Tensions in the Middle East continue to tighten with the explosion of two bombs at a ceremony today honoring prominent Iranian general Qassem Soleimani on the fourth anniversary of his death from a U.S. drone strike in Iraq. At least 95 people were killed. No one has claimed responsibility for the bombings. Iran-backed militias, including Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hezbollah in Lebanon, are aligned against Israel.

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-3-2023-56e Save to Pocket

Pepsi Guam reaches $132k settlement in OSHA case

date: 2024-01-04, from: Guam Daily Post

The U.S. Department of Labor has reached a settlement agreement with Pepsi Guam Bottling after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that the company exposed employees to amputation and other injuries, a release from USDOL stated.

https://www.postguam.com/news/pepsi-guam-reaches-132k-settlement-in-osha-case/article_48a0ad7a-aad1-11ee-9673-db355857cf13.html Save to Pocket

Cabras 1 offline, possible partial implementation of outage schedule

date: 2024-01-04, from: Guam Daily Post

The Guam Power Authority is notifying residents that a partial implementation of its rotating outage schedule may happen at 4 p.m. today, due to limited generation capacity.

https://www.postguam.com/news/cabras-1-offline-possible-partial-implementation-of-outage-schedule/article_ec6df120-aac6-11ee-ba7a-6b60efc199f9.html Save to Pocket

13-Year-Old Gamer First to Beat ‘Unbeatable’ Tetris

date: 2024-01-04, from: VOA News USA

SAN FRANCISCO — The falling-block video game Tetris has met its match in 13-year-old Willis Gibson, who has become the first player to officially “beat” the original Nintendo version of the game — by breaking it.

Technically, Willis — aka “blue scuti” in the gaming world — made it to what gamers call a “kill screen,” a point where the Tetris code glitches, crashing the game. That might not sound like much of a victory to anyone thinking that only high scores count, but it’s a highly coveted achievement in the world of video games, where records involve pushing hardware and software to their limits. And beyond.

It’s also a very big deal for players of Tetris, which many had long considered unbeatable. That’s partly because the game doesn’t have a scripted ending; those four-block shapes just keep falling no matter how good you get at stacking them into disappearing rows. Top players continued to find ways to extend their winning streaks by staying in the game to reach higher and higher levels, but in the end, the game beat them all.

Until, that is, Willis managed on Dec. 21 to trigger a kill screen on Level 157, which the gaming world takes as a victory over the game — something along the lines of pushing the software past its own limits.

The makers of Tetris agree. “Congratulations to ‘blue scuti’ for achieving this extraordinary accomplishment, a feat that defies all preconceived limits of this legendary game,” Tetris CEO Maya Rogers said in a statement. Rogers noted that Tetris will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year and called Willis’ victory a “monumental achievement.”

It’s been a very long road. Early on, “the Tetris scene people didn’t even know how to get to these higher levels,” said David Macdonald, a gaming YouTuber who has chronicled the gaming industry for years. “They were just stuck in the 20s and 30s because they just didn’t know techniques to get any further.” Level 29 posed an especially tough roadblock because the blocks began falling more quickly than the in-game controller could respond.

Eventually players found ways to make progress, as Macdonald chronicled in his detailed video on Willis victory. In 2011, one got to Level 30 using a technique called “hypertapping,” in which a player could rhythmically vibrate their fingers to move the game controller faster than the game’s built-in speed. That technique took players to level 35 by 2018, after which they hit a wall.

The next big thing came in 2020 when a gamer combined a multifinger technique originally used on arcade video games with a finger positioned on the bottom of the controller to push it against another finger on the top. Called “rolling,” this much speedier approach helped one player reach Level 95 in 2022.

Then other obstacles arose. Because the original Tetris developers had never counted on players pushing the game’s limits so aggressively, bizarre quirks began to crop up at higher levels. One particularly difficult issue arose with the game’s color palette, which traditionally cycled through 10 easily distinguished patterns. Starting at level 138, though, random color combinations began to appear — some of which made it much harder to distinguish the blocks from the game’s black background.

Two particularly devilish patterns — one a dim combination of dark blues and greens later dubbed “Dusk,” the other composed of black, gray and white blocks called “Charcoal” — proved taxing for players. When combined with the strain of increasingly longer games, which could run 40 minutes or more, progress slowed again. It took a Tetris-playing AI program dubbed StackRabbit to break that logjam by helping map out just where players might happen across a glitch resulting in a kill screen, and finally beat the game.

StackRabbit, which managed to make it all the way to Level 237 before crashing the game, ran on a modified version of Tetris, so its achievements aren’t strictly comparable to those of human players. And its findings weren’t immediately applicable to the human-played game, either. But its runs clearly demonstrated that game-ending glitches could be triggered by very specific events, such as which block pieces were in play or how many lines a player cleared at once.

That let human players take over the task of mapping all possible scenarios that could cause such crashes in the original game. These typically resulted when the game’s decade-old code lost its place and began reading its next instructions from the wrong location, generally resulting in garbage input.

A massive effort spurred by StackRabbit’s experience eventually led to the compilation of a large spreadsheet that detailed which game levels and which specific conditions were most likely to lead to a crash.

That’s what compelled Willis to make his run for the record.

Yet even he appeared shocked when he crashed the game at Level 157. In his livestream video, he appears to hyperventilate before barely gasping “Oh my God” several times, clutching his temples and worrying that he might be passing out. After cupping his hands over his mouth in an apparent attempt to regulate his breathing, he finally exclaims, “I can’t feel my fingers.”

https://www.voanews.com/a/year-old-gamer-first-to-beat-unbeatable-tetris/7426148.html Save to Pocket

Justice Department Sues Texas, Says Immigration Law Unconstitutional

date: 2024-01-04, from: VOA News USA

AUSTIN, Texas — The Justice Department on Wednesday sued Texas over a new law that would allow police to arrest migrants who enter the U.S. illegally, taking Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to court again over his escalating response to border crossers arriving from Mexico.

The lawsuit draws Texas into another clash over immigration at a time when New York and Chicago are pushing back on buses and planes carrying migrants sent by Abbott to Democrat-led cities nationwide. Texas is also fighting separate court battles to keep razor wire on the border and a floating barrier in the Rio Grande.

But a law Abbott signed last month poses a broader and bigger challenge to the U.S. government’s authority over immigration. In addition to allowing police anywhere in Texas to arrest migrants on charges of illegal entry, the law — known as Senate Bill 4 — also gives judges the authority to order migrants to leave the country.

The lawsuit asks a federal court in Austin to declare the Texas law unconstitutional. It calls the measure a violation of the Supremacy Clause, which establishes that federal laws in most cases supersede state law. 

“Texas cannot run its own immigration system,” the Justice Department states in the lawsuit. “Its efforts, through SB 4, intrude on the federal government’s exclusive authority to regulate the entry and removal of noncitizens, frustrate the United States’ immigration operations and proceedings, and interfere with U.S. foreign relations.”

Abbott’s office did not respond to an email seeking comment.

“Biden sued me today because I signed a law making it illegal for an illegal immigrant to enter or attempt to enter Texas directly from a foreign nation.” Abbott said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “I like my chances.”

The law is scheduled to take effect in March. Civil rights organizations and officials in El Paso County, Texas, filed a lawsuit last month that similarly described the new law as unconstitutional overreach.

The Justice Department sent Abbott a letter last week threatening legal action unless Texas reversed course. In response, Abbott posted on X that the Biden administration “not only refuses to enforce current U.S. immigration laws, they now want to stop Texas from enforcing laws against illegal immigration.”

On Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson and about 60 fellow Republicans visited the Texas border city of Eagle Pass, which has been the center of Abbott’s $10 billion border initiative known as Operation Lone Star. Johnson suggested he could use a looming government funding deadline as further leverage for hard-line border policies.

President Joe Biden has expressed willingness to make policy compromises because the number of migrants crossing the border is an increasing challenge for his 2024 reelection campaign. Johnson praised Abbott, who was not in Eagle Pass, and slammed the lawsuits that seek to undo Texas’ aggressive border measures.

“It’s absolute insanity,” Johnson said.

Illegal crossings along the southern U.S. border topped 10,000 on several days in December, a number that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Commissioner Troy Miller called “unprecedented.” U.S. authorities closed cargo rail crossings in Eagle Pass and El Paso for five days last month, calling it a response to a large number of migrants riding freight trains through Mexico to the border.

Authorities this week also resumed full operations at a bridge in Eagle Pass and other crossings in San Diego and Arizona that had been temporarily closed.

Legal experts and opponents say Texas’ new law is the most far-reaching attempt by a state to police immigration since a 2010 Arizona law that was partially struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. That law had made it a state crime to be in the U.S. without legal status and gave police some immigration enforcement powers. A Supreme Court ruling in 2012 affirmed that immigration enforcement is solely within the authority of the federal government.

Under the Texas law, migrants could either agree to a Texas judge’s order to leave the U.S. or be prosecuted on misdemeanor charges of illegal entry. Migrants who don’t leave could face arrest again under more serious felony charges.

Those ordered to leave would be sent to ports of entry along the border with Mexico, even if they are not Mexican citizens. The law can be enforced anywhere in Texas but some places are off-limits, including schools and churches.

For more than two years, Texas has run a smaller-scale operation on the border to arrest migrants on misdemeanor charges of trespassing. Although that was also intended to stem illegal crossings, there is little indication that it has done so.

https://www.voanews.com/a/justice-department-sues-texas-says-immigration-law-unconstitutional-/7426146.html Save to Pocket

FBI Calls Bomb Threats Leading to Brief Lockdowns a Hoax

date: 2024-01-04, from: VOA News USA

https://www.voanews.com/a/fbi-calls-bomb-threats-leading-to-brief-lockdowns-a-hoax/7426145.html Save to Pocket

Black Box From US Osprey Found Off Japan

date: 2024-01-04, from: VOA News USA

Tokyo — The black box from an Osprey military aircraft that crashed off Japan in November with eight people on board has been recovered, the US military said Thursday, five weeks after the accident.

“Critical equipment identified by investigation officials has been recovered, including the Voice and Data Recorder, often called the black box,” U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command spokesperson Rebecca Heyse said.

“The equipment will be transported to laboratories for data retrieval with follow analysis of the data at AFSOC. We expect the analysis process to take several weeks,” Heyse said by email.

Seven bodies had previously been recovered and Heyse said the search for the eighth crewmember was ongoing.

The aircraft crashed in waters off southern Japan on November 29.

The Osprey, which can operate like a helicopter or a fixed-wing turboprop plane, has suffered a string of fatal accidents in recent years.

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US Imam Shot Outside New Jersey Mosque Dies

date: 2024-01-04, from: VOA News USA

NEW YORK — An imam who was shot Wednesday outside a mosque in New Jersey has died, the US state’s attorney general said, adding that the killing did not initially appear to be driven by “bias” or domestic terrorism.

Hassan Sharif was shot multiple times near a mosque in Newark, just west of New York, before being taken to hospital where he later died, New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin said.

“We do not yet know the motivation for this crime (but) the evidence collected thus far does not indicate that this was an act motivated by bias, or an act of domestic terrorism,” said Platkin.

He added that “in light of global events, and with a rise in bias that many communities are experiencing across our state — particularly the Muslim community — there are many in New Jersey right now who are feeling a heightened sense of fear.”

The state is home to 300,000 Muslim Americans, he said.

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, there has been an increase in Islamophobic and anti-Semitic attacks across the United States.

The Essex County prosecutor, Ted Stephens, confirmed Sharif was shot more than once, and that “it does not appear the imam was the victim of a bias crime or that this is related to terrorism.”

“We are dedicated to bringing justice for the imam’s family,” said Stephens, who called it a “dastardly crime.”

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration earlier confirmed that Sharif had worked as a security screener at Newark airport since 2016.

“We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing and send our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues,” said Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokeswoman.

Images published by the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) showed police vehicles deployed outside the Masjid Muhammad-Newark, a two-story yellow and green complex.

In a statement, CAIR described Sharif as “a beacon of leadership and excellence.”

“As always, and irrespective of this specific incident, we advise all mosques to keep their doors open but remain cautious especially given the recent spike in anti-Muslim bigotry,” the organization said.

https://www.voanews.com/a/us-imam-shot-outside-new-jersey-mosque-dies/7426125.html Save to Pocket

More US Hospitals Requiring Masks as Flu, COVID-19 Cases Surge

date: 2024-01-04, from: VOA News USA

NEW YORK — More U.S. hospitals are requiring masks and limiting visitors as health officials face an expected but still nasty post-holiday spike in flu, COVID-19 and other illnesses.

While many experts say this season likely won’t prove to be as deadly as some other recent winters, it still could mean hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and many thousands of deaths across the country.

New York City last week instituted a mask mandate for the city’s 11 public hospitals. Similar measures were ordered last week at some hospitals in Los Angeles and Massachusetts. Some hospitals reinstated masking rules for employees months ago, in anticipation of a seasonal rush of sick people.

Flu and COVID-19 infections have been increasing for weeks, with high levels of flu-like illness reported in 31 states just before Christmas. Updated national numbers are to be released Friday, but health officials predict infections will grow in many states well into January.

“What we’re seeing right now, in the first week of January, is really an acceleration — of flu cases, in particular,” said Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There is some good news. Flu and COVID-19 cases may peak by the end of the month and then drop, Cohen said. Though the flu has been skyrocketing, this year’s cases are being caused by a strain that usually doesn’t cause as many deaths and hospitalizations as some other versions. What’s more, signs suggest current flu vaccines are well-matched to the strain.

“I don’t think it’s going to be overwhelming,” said Dr. William Schaffner, Vanderbilt University infectious diseases expert. He deemed the current season “moderately severe.”

The CDC is pointing the public to an agency website where people can look up their county, which can help them make decisions about whether to wear masks or take other precautions. Cohen urged people to get vaccinated and to seek treatment for flu and COVID-19.

Vaccinations are down this year, officials say. About 44% of U.S. adults had gotten flu shots by Dec. 23, according to the most recently available CDC vaccination survey data. Only about 19% of U.S. adults were reported to have received an updated COVID-19 shot as of early December.

COVID-19 cases are causing more severe disease than the flu but have been rising less dramatically. Health officials are keeping an eye on JN.1, a new version of the ever-evolving coronavirus. The omicron variant was first detected in the U.S. in September and just before Christmas accounted for an estimated 44% of COVID-19 cases.

The JN.1 variant may spread easier or be better at evading our immune systems, but there is no evidence that it causes more severe disease than other recent variants, health officials say. Current evidence indicates vaccines and antiviral medications work against it.

The CDC also has reported disappointing vaccination rates against another seasonal bug, respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. That is a common cause of mild cold-like symptoms, but it can be dangerous for infants and older people. RSV cases rose in the fall but appear to have plateaued and are even going down in some places, according to the latest data.

At Hillsdale Hospital in southern Michigan, a 65% increase in respiratory illness activity in late December triggered a limitation to visitors in the birthing center. Only a spouse, a support person and grandparents can visit. They all must wear a mask and not show symptoms of sickness.

The restriction is common for the hospital around this time of year, said Dr. Nichole Ellis, a pediatrician who is the hospital’s medical chief of staff. But it’s more difficult this season, she added.

“In the past, we would have one … disease that we were tracking or monitoring at one time,” Ellis said. “But now, babies and children will have multiple diseases at the same time. It’s not that they just have RSV … but they’re getting RSV and COVID at the same time, or influenza and RSV at the same time because all of the diseases are prevalent in our community.”

https://www.voanews.com/a/more-us-hospitals-requiring-masks-as-flu-covid-19-cases-surge-/7426123.html Save to Pocket

White House Urges Congress to Fund Ukraine Fight

date: 2024-01-04, from: VOA News USA

Russia and Ukraine rang in 2024 by attacking each other, as Ukraine continues its quest to push invading Russian forces out. But much of the drama around this conflict is centered in Washington, where Republicans are reluctant to grant President Joe Biden’s increasingly urgent request for tens of billions in funding for Ukraine. VOA’s Anita Powell reports from the White House.

https://www.voanews.com/a/white-house-urges-congress-to-fund-ukraine-fight/7426100.html Save to Pocket

@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-04, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

Niklaus Wirth, Inventor of Pascal, Dies At 89.

https://developers.slashdot.org/story/24/01/04/0126247/niklaus-wirth-inventor-of-pascal-dies-at-89 Save to Pocket

Maestro: UNIX-like kernel and operating system written in Rust, compatible-ish with Linux

date: 2024-01-04, from: OS News

Maestro is a lightweight Unix-like kernel written in Rust. The goal is to provide a lightweight operating system able to use the safety features of the Rust language to be reliable. ↫ Maestro’s GitHub page The state of this project is actually kind of amazing – roughly 31% of Linux systemcalls are more or less already implemented, and it also comes with a daemon manager, a package manager, and can already run musl, bash, various core GNU utilities, and so on. It has kernel modules, a VGA text mode terminal, virtual memory, and a lot more.

https://www.osnews.com/story/138192/maestro-unix-like-kernel-and-operating-system-written-in-rust-compatible-ish-with-linux/ Save to Pocket

Here’s a list of thousands of artists Midjourney’s AI is ripping off, creatives claim

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Draw a picture of a smoking gun in the style of Sarah Andersen

A spreadsheet submitted as evidence in a copyright lawsuit against Midjourney allegedly lists thousands of artists whose images the startup’s AI picture generator “can successfully mimic or imitate.”…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/midjourney_artists_spreadsheet/ Save to Pocket

OpenBSD workstation hardening

date: 2024-01-04, from: OS News

I wanted to share a list of hardening you can do on your OpenBSD workstation, and explaining the threat model of each change. Feel free to pick any tweak you find useful for your use-case, many are certainly overkill for most people, but depending on the context, these changes could make sense for others. ↫ Solène Rapenne Writte by OpenBSD developer Solène Rapenne.

https://www.osnews.com/story/138186/openbsd-workstation-hardening/ Save to Pocket

Meet ‘Link History,’ Facebook’s new way to track the websites you visit

date: 2024-01-04, from: OS News

Facebook recently rolled out a new “Link History” setting that creates a special repository of all the links you click on in the Facebook mobile app. You can opt out if you’re proactive, but the company is pushing Link History on users, and the data is used for targeted ads. As lawmakers introduce tech regulations and Apple and Google beef up privacy restrictions, Meta is doubling down and searching for new ways to preserve its data harvesting empire. The company pitches Link History as a useful tool for consumers “with your browsing activity saved in one place,” rather than another way to keep tabs on your behavior. With the new setting you’ll “never lose a link again,” Facebook says in a pop-up encouraging users to consent to the new tracking method. The company goes on to mention that “When you allow link history, we may use your information to improve your ads across Meta technologies.” The app keeps the toggle switched on in the pop-up, steering users towards accepting Link History unless they take the time to look carefully. ↫ Thomas Germain at Gizmodo As more and more people in the technology press who used to be against Facebook have changed their tune since the launch of Facebook’s Threads – the tech press needs eyeballs in one place for ad revenue, and with Twitter effectively dead, Threads is its replacement – it’s easy to forget just what a sleazy, slimy, and disgusting company Facebook really is.

https://www.osnews.com/story/138182/meet-link-history-facebooks-new-way-to-track-the-websites-you-visit/ Save to Pocket

Unsealed Records Offer New Detail on Jeffrey Epstein Sex Abuse Allegations

date: 2024-01-04, from: VOA News USA

NEW YORK — Amid great hype, a new batch of previously secret court documents was unsealed late Wednesday related to Jeffrey Epstein, the jet-setting financier who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.

Social media has been rife in recent weeks with posts speculating the documents amounted to a list of rich and powerful men who were Epstein’s “clients” or “co-conspirators.”

There was no such list. The first 40 documents in the court-ordered release largely consisted of already public material revealed through nearly two decades of newspaper stories, TV documentaries, interviews, legal cases and books about the Epstein scandal.

Still, the records — including transcripts of interviews with some Epstein’s victims and old police reports — contained reminders that Epstein surrounded himself with famous and powerful figures, including a few who have also been accused of misconduct.

There were mentions of Epstein’s past friendship with Bill Clinton — who is not accused of any wrongdoing — and of Britain’s Prince Andrew, who previously settled a lawsuit accusing him of having sex with a 17-year-old girl who traveled with Epstein.

Epstein accuser Johanna Sjoberg testified in a newly released deposition that she once met Michael Jackson at Epstein’s Palm Beach, Florida, home, but that nothing untoward happened with the late pop icon.

The documents being unsealed are related to a lawsuit filed in 2015 by one of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Giuffre.

She is one of dozens of women who sued Epstein for abusing them at his homes in Florida, New York, the U.S. Virgin Islands and New Mexico. This suit was against Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison term for helping recruit and abuse Epstein’s victims.

Epstein, a millionaire known for associating with celebrities, politicians, billionaires and academic stars, killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.

Giuffre’s lawsuit was settled in 2017, but the court had kept some documents blacked-out or sealed because of concerns about the privacy rights of Epstein’s victims and others whose names had come up during the legal battle. More documents were to be released in coming days.

Among newly unsealed records were court memos in which Giuffre’s lawyers complained that some women who had worked for Epstein were proving difficult to serve with subpoenas, as was Epstein himself. Two of those women had invoked their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when questioned in other lawsuits about whether they had helped procure young women for Epstein to abuse.

Maxwell, in her deposition, chaffed at being asked about Giuffre’s allegations that she had arranged for her to have sexual encounters with Prince Andrew. She also reacted angrily to being asked about whether she had purchased sex toys or revealing outfits, or seen young, topless women at Epstein’s home.

One former member of Epstein’s domestic staff said in a deposition that he felt uncomfortable with the number of young women showing up at the house, and felt threatened by Maxwell to stay quiet after he quit.

Other documents included legal arguments over whether Giuffre should be allowed more time to depose potential witnesses, including Clinton. Giuffre never alleged he was involved in illegal behavior, but her attorneys said the former president was a “key person who can provide information about his close relationship” with Maxwell and Epstein.

Maxwell’s attorneys countered that Clinton testimony was not relevant and that Giuffre’s attorneys didn’t diligently try to subpoena him to testify.

The records included depositions of several Epstein victims, many of whom have told their stories publicly previously.

In her May 2016 deposition, Sjoberg described going to a dinner at one of Epstein’s homes with the magician David Copperfield.

She said Copperfield did magic tricks before asking if she was aware “that girls were getting paid to find other girls.” One of the key allegations against Epstein and Maxwell was that some of the girls he paid for sex acts then acted as recruiters to find him other victims. Sjoberg said Copperfield didn’t get more specific about what he meant.

A publicist for Copperfield did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Sjoberg also shed new light on an April 2001 trip to New York in which she said Prince Andrew touched her breast while they posed for a photo at Epstein’s Manhattan town house.

In the testimony, some of which appeared as excerpts in previous court filings, Sjoberg said she and Giuffre had flown with Epstein to New York on his private jet. Maxwell and Prince Andrew met them there, she said.

At one point, she testified, Maxwell called her to an upstairs closet where they pulled out a puppet of Prince Andrew that had been made for a television program.

“It looked like him,” Sjoberg said. “And she brought it down and presented it to him; and that was a great joke, because apparently it was a production from a show on BBC.”

“And they decided to take a picture with it, in which Virginia and Andrew sat on a couch. They put the puppet on Virginia’s lap, and I sat on Andrew’s lap, and they put the puppet’s hand on Virginia’s breast, and Andrew put his hand on my breast, and they took a photo.”

On the way to New York, Sjoberg testified, Epstein’s jet diverted to Atlantic City, New Jersey, and spent a few hours at one of Donald Trump’s casinos, because of bad weather.

Upon hearing the change of plans, Sjoberg recalled Epstein saying, “Great, we’ll call up Trump and we’ll go to” the casino. Sjoberg wasn’t asked if they’d met up with Trump that night. Later in her testimony, she said she was never asked to give Trump a massage.

Sjoberg also testified that though she never met Clinton, Epstein once remarked to her that “Clinton likes them young,” a remark she took as a reference to young women or girls.

In her deposition, Giuffre said the summer she turned 17, she was lured away from a job as a spa attendant at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club to become a “masseuse” for Epstein — a job that involved performing sexual acts.

She settled a lawsuit against Prince Andrew in 2022 in which she claimed he had sexually abused her during a trip to London. That same year, Giuffre withdrew an accusation she had made against Epstein’s former attorney, law professor Alan Dershowitz, saying she “ may have made a mistake ” in identifying him as an abuser.

The records released Wednesday included many references to Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling agent close to Epstein who was awaiting trial on charges that he raped underage girls when he killed himself in a Paris jail in 2022. Giuffre was among the women who had accused Brunel of sexual abuse.

Clinton’s name also came up because Giuffre was questioned by Maxwell’s lawyers about inaccuracies in newspaper reports about her time with Epstein, including a story quoting her as saying she had ridden in a helicopter with Clinton and flirted with Trump. Giuffre said neither of those things actually happened.

The judge said a handful of names should remain blacked out in the documents because they would identify people who were sexually abused. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they decide to tell their stories publicly, as Giuffre has done.

Even before the documents were released, misinformation about what was in them abounded. Social media users wrongly claimed that late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s name might appear in the documents, spurred by a crack New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers made Tuesday on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”

Kimmel said in a response on X that he had never met Epstein and that Rodgers’ “reckless words put my family in danger.”

https://www.voanews.com/a/first-set-of-jeffrey-epstein-court-records-are-released/7426053.html Save to Pocket

CalArts Alums Capture Emmys at Children’s, Family Awards

date: 2024-01-04, from: SCV New (TV Station)

More than a dozen graduates of California Institute of the Arts were nominated for the second annual National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Children’s and Family Emmy Awards. CalArtians were nominated across the 50 categories

https://scvnews.com/calarts-alums-capture-emmys-at-childrens-family-awards/ Save to Pocket

American Victims of Hamas Attack on Israel Plan to Sue North Korea

date: 2024-01-04, from: VOA News USA

Tel Aviv/Washington, DC — Families of Americans killed and injured in Hamas’ October 7 terror attack in Israel are contemplating a lawsuit against North Korea for indirectly supplying the Palestinian militant group with weapons, according to an Israeli attorney representing the families.

Weapons that Hamas used in its surprise attack on Israel were provided by North Korea “knowingly and intentionally,” said Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, an Israeli attorney and human rights activist who spoke with VOA’s Korean Service in Tel Aviv on December 27.

“North Korea knows its weapons go to Iran, and Iran gives the weapons to Hamas,” Darshan-Leitner continued, adding that Pyongyang “never once warned Iran not to send the weapons to Hamas.”

This makes North Korea “liable,” she said, explaining that she and her legal associates are considering filing a lawsuit in U.S. court against those countries that supported Hamas, such as Iran and North Korea, on behalf of American victims of the October 7 attack and their families. 

More than 30 Americans, many of them dual U.S.-Israeli citizens, were killed in the attack that initiated the latest round of violence between Hamas and Israel.

Darshan-Leitner is representing 10 Americans, including family members who lost their loved ones, as well as U.S. citizens who were injured or who incurred property damage in the attack.

VOA’s Korean Service contacted the North Korean mission to the U.N. seeking a response to a possible lawsuit against the regime by the American victims of the Hamas attack, but it did not respond.

The attorney said she expects more U.S. victims to join the suit, including hostages seized in October if they return safely.

“The burden is on us, the plaintiffs, to prove the case,” Darshan-Leitner said. “We are using experts who know a lot about North Korea, know how North Korean weapons wound up in the hands of Hamas.”

North Korean weapons have been found in Israel and Gaza since the attack on October 7. An Israeli military official said during a media tour in October that about 10% of the Hamas weapons recovered after the attack were made in North Korea.

Lieutenant Colonel Idan Sharon-Kettler, deputy commander of the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) enemy equipment collection unit, told VOA’s Korean Service on December 28 in Tzrifin, Israel, that Hamas modified North Korea’s rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) to make them more powerful.

“We see supplies coming from different countries, among them, North Korea,” said Sharon-Kettler at an IDF facility where recovered weapons were displayed.

“The rockets that we find, even the ones that are produced inside Gaza or the ones that are produced in Iran — all of the RPG-7s, for example — are using parts that come from North Korea,” said Sharon-Kettler.

He said the rockets were assembled with North Korean rocket engines, which give them capabilities to “penetrate heavy armor” and cause greater damage.

Darshan-Leiter said the rockets give Hamas the ability to attack civilians without being inside Israel.

“Once Israel built a fence around Gaza, Hamas terrorists can no longer go into Israel and carry out attacks inside,” she said. Before Hamas breached the border fence on October 7, “the only way that Hamas could kill Israeli people is by these rockets.”

Normally, foreign states are immune from being sued in a U.S. court under the Foreign Service Immunities Act, unless an exception applies. But if a foreign state is listed as a state-sponsored terrorist group, U.S. citizens can bring a lawsuit against that country.

In November 2017, North Korea was redesignated as a state sponsor of terrorism after being taken off the list in 2008. It was first designated in 1988 for blowing up a Korean Airline passenger flight in mid-air the previous year, killing all 115 people aboard.

North Korea was sued a number of times over the past several years. The most notable was a suit brought against the regime by the parents of Otto Warmbier, an American student who in 2017 died shortly after returning to the U.S. in a vegetative state following detention in North Korea.

A judge from a D.C. federal court ruled in 2018 that Cindy and Fred Warmbier were entitled to $500 million in damages from North Korea.

In October, a federal court in New York ordered the New York Mellon Bank to turn over to Cindy and Fred Warmbier approximately $2.2 million in frozen funds originally owned by a sanctioned Russian bank where North Korea’s Air Koryo kept an account.

In another case, Americans who were injured and the family members of U.S. citizens killed in an attack at the Lod Airport in 1972 — now Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv — filed a complaint against North Korea in 2022.

According to court documents, they are seeking damages from North Korea for its role in sponsoring the attack.

The attack killed 26 people and injured 80 and was carried out by three members of the Japanese Red Army who were reportedly recruited by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

The U.S. designated the group as a terrorist organization in 1997 but revoked the designation in 2001 when the group disbanded.

https://www.voanews.com/a/american-victims-of-hamas-attack-on-israel-plan-to-sue-north-korea/7426028.html Save to Pocket

Letters: No compassion | Reagan’s ‘ideals’

date: 2024-01-04, from: San Jose Mercury News

East Bay Times Letters to the Editor for Jan. 4, 2024

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/03/letters-1553/ Save to Pocket

Steamboat Willie Wall Art

date: 2024-01-04, from: Tilde.news

Comments

https://www.printables.com/model/701756-steamboat-willie-wall-art Save to Pocket

Biden’s Unfinished Climate Agenda

date: 2024-01-04, from: Heatmap News

If President Biden chose to sit on his hands for the remainder of his term, he would already have done far more to address climate change than any of his predecessors. But he still has a bunch of unfinished business — half-completed rules that will need to be finalized — that could go a long way toward making sure his initial achievements pay off. And he’s only got a few more months to get it done.

The most consequential items on his to-do list are finalizing two sets of regulations that his administration proposed last spring. The first would require most new cars sold in the U.S., and one-quarter of new heavy-duty trucks, to be electric by 2032; the second would drive more rapid reductions of emissions from the power sector and encourage a shift to renewables. The problem is that if the rules aren’t finalized by the end of this spring, they will be vulnerable to repeal if Republicans win a trifecta in Washington in the fall.

Biden’s biggest climate wins to date have been in the form of incentives, not requirements. The Inflation Reduction Act, the crowning achievement of his presidency, has made hundreds of billions of dollars available to build renewable energy and lower the cost of electric vehicles. Economic modeling by the Rhodium Group, a clean energy research firm, shows that these voluntary incentives make renewable energy so cost-effective that electricity-related emissions could decline by up to 75% from today’s levels by 2035 and transportation emissions could drop by up to 32%.

The operative word, however, is “voluntary.” Just because clean energy and electric vehicles are cheaper doesn’t mean they’ll be adopted with any urgency. Models assume the world optimizes for the best economic outcome, when in reality, there are many non-monetary factors at play — including, simply, resistance to change. The EPA’s rules are a backstop — they are the “sticks” to complement the “carrots” of the IRA.

“The incentives and the standards reinforce one another,” David Doniger, director of the climate and clean energy program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, told me. “You can’t be sure you’ll get the results with just the incentives. And at the same time, the incentives buy down the costs of the standards that lock in the results. So it’s a very good combination.”

Many environmental groups say the EPA proposals need to be strengthened before they are finalized. “Even if Biden gets elected into the second term, we won’t have the opportunity to open up these rules again,” Rachel Patterson, the deputy policy director of Evergreen Action, told me. For example, only certain kinds of new natural gas plants are covered by the rules, whereas the group wants to see all new fossil fuel plants covered. It is also pushing the agency to require a more rapid transition to electric heavy duty trucks — or at least one in line with rules already in place in California.

Patterson said these rules aren’t just urgent from a climate perspective. “Getting dirty vehicles off the road is going to improve people’s lives through cleaner air, through reduced pollution and health impacts. The same goes for clean power rules.”

The EPA’s most recent timetable shows the agency finalizing the car and truck standards in March and the power plant rules in April.

There’s a number of other ways that Biden could cement his climate legacy in the coming months. His Securities and Exchange Commission, led by Gary Gensler, has proposed climate reporting standards that would require public companies to disclose information to investors about their emissions and vulnerabilities to climate-related risks — these have yet to be finalized.

The number of programs in the Inflation Reduction Act is vast and the money is barely out the door. Patterson said Evergreen wants to see the administration getting the word out about the funding and providing technical assistance to states and communities to make sure these programs get fully taken advantage of.

It has also become increasingly clear that a transformation of the power sector is contingent on reforms to permitting processes and better planning for transmission infrastructure. Biden will need the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to finalize rules that require electric grid operators to incorporate clean energy policies into their planning.

At stake is not just Biden’s legacy, but the country’s commitment to the rest of the world to halve emissions by 2030 — a goal that will help prevent the most disastrous climate outcomes.

“You can see the price we’re paying,” Doniger said. “2023 was the hottest year ever, filled with climate driven disasters which killed people and cost gazillions of dollars. There’s no reason not to expect more of the same in 2024 and looking out ahead unless we finally clamp down on emissions.”

https://heatmap.news/politics/bidens-unfinished-climate-agenda Save to Pocket

Download the Newly Unsealed Jeffrey Epstein Documents Here

date: 2024-01-04, from: 404 Media Group

Hundreds of pages of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were unsealed Wednesday. Here they are.

https://www.404media.co/download-the-jeffrey-epstein-documents/ Save to Pocket

Did Pamela Price recall group exploit Oakland officer’s murder with fundraising thread?

date: 2024-01-04, from: San Jose Mercury News

A war of words between Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price’s campaign and the group pushing for her ouster has raised questions about the ethics of exploiting violence in Oakland for political purposes, and the increasingly tense recall effort.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/03/did-pamela-price-recall-group-exploit-oakland-officers-murder-with-fundraising-thread/ Save to Pocket

AVISO GENERAL DE LLUVIA PARA LAS PLAYAS DE TODO EL CONDADO EMITIDO POR LOS SERVICIOS DE SALUD AMBIENTAL

date: 2024-01-04, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

(SANTA BÁRBARA, California) – Debido a las lluvias durante la noche, los Servicios  de Salud Ambiental del Condado de Santa

The post AVISO GENERAL DE LLUVIA PARA LAS PLAYAS DE TODO EL CONDADO EMITIDO POR LOS SERVICIOS DE SALUD AMBIENTAL  appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/03/aviso-general-de-lluvia-para-las-playas-de-todo-el-condado-emitido-por-los-servicios-de-salud-ambiental/ Save to Pocket

Stockton man suspected of murdering Oakland officer had killed before as a teen; third suspect arrested

date: 2024-01-04, from: San Jose Mercury News

Mark Demetrious Sanders, 27, was on probation for a Contra Costa County burglary that he committed alongside two men also suspected in the cannabis burglary and fatal shooting of Oakland Officer Tuan Le.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/03/stockton-man-suspected-of-murdering-oakland-officer-had-killed-before-as-a-teen-third-suspect-arrested/ Save to Pocket

GENERAL RAIN ADVISORY FOR COUNTYWIDE BEACHES ISSUED BY ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

date: 2024-01-04, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) – Due to overnight rainfall, Santa Barbara County  Environmental Health Services (EHS) wants to remind residents about

The post GENERAL RAIN ADVISORY FOR COUNTYWIDE BEACHES ISSUED BY ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/03/general-rain-advisory-for-countywide-beaches-issued-by-environmental-health-services-2/ Save to Pocket

Nordic countries shiver in extreme cold as western Europe floods

date: 2024-01-04, from: San Jose Mercury News

Temperatures fell below minus 40 degrees Celsius (minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit) in the Nordic region for a second day in a row Wednesday. In Kvikkjokk-Årrenjarka in Swedish Lapland, the mercury dropped to minus 43.6 C (minus 46.5 F), the lowest January temperature recorded in Sweden in 25 years, Sweden’s TT news agency reported.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/03/nordic-countries-shiver-in-extreme-cold-as-western-europe-floods/ Save to Pocket

Blinken Heads to Middle East As Risk of Broader Conflict Grows

date: 2024-01-04, from: VOA News USA

State Department — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to the Middle East late Thursday amid intense diplomatic efforts to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, amid increasing international pressure on Israel to reduce civilian casualties among Palestinians.

Blinken’s fourth visit to the Middle East since October 7 comes as Israel’s war with Hamas militants approaches its three-month mark. Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and others.

“The secretary will visit Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank and Egypt for meetings with foreign counterparts and others,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller announced during Thursday’s briefing.

Blinken will discuss immediate measures to increase humanitarian assistance to Gaza, such as increasing the number of trucks allowed to enter Gaza to deliver food, water, medicine and commercial goods, according to the State Department. The chief U.S. diplomat also will pursue ongoing efforts to bring home the remaining hostages.

“You will see us pushing additional steps on what Gaza should look like at the end of the conflict,” Miller told reporters.

US making post-war roadmap

Israel began its military campaign to wipe out Hamas after Hamas fighters crossed into southern Israel on October 7. Israel said about 1,200 people were killed and about 240 captives taken in the terror attack. Gaza health officials say at least 22,000 Palestinians — a large percentage of them women and children — have been confirmed killed in Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

The United States has stated its opposition to forcibly removing Palestinians from Gaza. The U.S. also is working on a post-war road map for the Palestinian territories.

“Gaza cannot, once again, serve as a launching pad for terrorist attacks against Israel,” State Department spokesperson Miller told VOA on Wednesday. “What we ultimately want to see is Gaza and the West Bank reunited under Palestinian leadership,” and “certainly there’s no role for Hamas in that.”

Israel plans more targeted strategy

On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant outlined the country’s plans for the next stage of its operations in Gaza. The new approach involves a more targeted strategy in northern Gaza and a continued pursuit of Hamas leaders in the south.

Gallant said in a statement that after the war, Gaza would no longer be under Hamas control. While Israel retains operational freedom, there won’t be any Israeli civilians present in the Gaza Strip.

Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden, also will travel to Israel to work toward calming tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told reporters Blinken will hold meetings with Turkish officials on Saturday, according to local media.

Senior U.S. officials’ meetings in the Middle East come at a time when the risk of a broader regional conflict is escalating, despite the collective efforts of Western and regional powers to confine the Israel-Hamas war to the Gaza Strip.

The State Department said the United States remains “incredibly concerned” about the risk of the conflict spreading into other fronts, after the killing Tuesday of senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut.

The Israeli army said it was on high alert for attacks by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. This follows a drone strike in Beirut that killed al-Arouri, who was closely associated with Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.

In a televised speech, Nasrallah said there would be a “response and punishment,” but he did not clearly declare that his forces would escalate attacks against Israel.

US sends ‘direct message’

The U.S. has sent a “very direct message to Hezbollah” and other entities in the region that “now is not the time to think of escalating further,” according to the State Department.

“You’ve seen us take deterrence steps to deliver that message. You’ve seen us take diplomatic steps to deliver it. We’ll continue to deliver it,” Miller, the State Department spokesperson, told reporters during a briefing on Wednesday.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon also has voiced concern over the potential for escalation, while urging all parties to exercise restraint.

Earlier this week, Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, condemned the strike that resulted in the death of al-Arouri, calling it a crime deliberately aimed at dragging Lebanon into a new phase of confrontations.

Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran, whose militant allies in Syria, Iraq and Yemen also have been carrying out longer-range attacks against Israel.

Humanitarian aid

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that Gaza is becoming a public health disaster and that recent mass displacement across southern Gaza is fueling disease outbreaks.

More than 400,000 cases of infectious diseases have been reported since October 7, with about 180,000 people suffering from upper respiratory infections. There have also been more than 136,000 cases of diarrhea reported, half among children younger than 5, according to OCHA.

“Humanitarian workers need safe, sustained and unhindered access now to deliver urgently needed life-saving assistance,” OCHA said.

Efforts to release hostages continue

Meanwhile, intense diplomatic efforts to retrieve the remaining hostages held in Gaza by Hamas militants continue. There are believed to be 129 people held by Hamas and other militants in Gaza.

Last week, Egypt proposed a plan to end the military conflict involving a cease-fire, a phased hostage release, and the formation of a Palestinian government of experts to administer the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Details of the plan were reportedly worked out with the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar and presented to Israel, Hamas, the United States and European governments. But the head of Hamas’ political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, stated on Tuesday that the hostages will be released only on Hamas’ terms.

The State Department said it’s a “top priority” for the U.S. government to bring all hostages home but declined to comment publicly on the negotiations.

Some material for this report came from Reuters.

https://www.voanews.com/a/blinken-heads-for-israel-other-middle-east-countries-thursday/7425640.html Save to Pocket

SEE International Partners with Savie Health for Vision Clinic in North County

date: 2024-01-04, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

January 2, 2024- Santa Barbara, CA – SEE International is honored to announce the opening of a new vision clinic

The post SEE International Partners with Savie Health for Vision Clinic in North County  appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/03/see-international-partners-with-savie-health-for-vision-clinic-in-north-county/ Save to Pocket

Iffy Books Permacomputing Meetup – January 14th at 1:00 PM EST

date: 2024-01-04, from: Tilde.news

Comments

https://iffybooks.net/event/permacomputing-jan-14/ Save to Pocket

SCV Water OKs purchasing recycled water from Vista Canyon

date: 2024-01-04, from: The Signal

The city of Santa Clarita and the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency entered into an agreement to have SCV Water purchase recycled water from the city for irrigation purposes, according to a SCV Water news release. The recycled water would come from the city’s Vista Canyon Water Factory, which can produce up to 371,000 gallons […]

The post <strong>SCV Water OKs purchasing recycled water from Vista Canyon</strong> appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/scv-water-oks-purchasing-recycled-water-from-vista-canyon/ Save to Pocket

Friendship Center to host 25th Annual Festival of Hearts Luncheon

date: 2024-01-04, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

Santa Barbara, CA, January 2, 2024 – Friendship Center returns to Rosewood Miramar Beach this February to host the 25th Annual Festival

The post Friendship Center to host 25th Annual Festival of Hearts Luncheon appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/03/friendship-center-to-host-25th-annual-festival-of-hearts-luncheon/ Save to Pocket

Microsoft kills off Windows app installation from the web, again

date: 2024-01-04, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Unpleasant Christmas package lets malware down the chimney

Microsoft has disabled a protocol that allowed the installation of Windows apps after finding that miscreants were abusing the mechanism to install malware.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/04/microsoft_windows_app_installation/ Save to Pocket

Jan. 19-21: ‘Through the Years’ at The MAIN

date: 2024-01-04, from: SCV New (TV Station)

“Through the Years” presented by Off Book Theatre and Eclipse Theatre LA is a funny and poignant coming of age story that follows three best friends, Jack, Julie and Tess from age 5 as they share a lifetime of highs and lows

https://scvnews.com/jan-19-21-through-the-years-at-the-main/ Save to Pocket

Local Grassroots Organization Endorses Slate of Candidates Committed to Immigrant Worker Power, Environmental and Housing Justice for California’s Central Coast

date: 2024-01-04, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

CENTRAL COAST, CA  – Ahead of the statewide primary on March 5, 2024, CAUSE Action endorses a slate of regional, statewide, and

The post Local Grassroots Organization Endorses Slate of Candidates Committed to Immigrant Worker Power, Environmental and Housing Justice for California’s Central Coast appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/03/local-grassroots-organization-endorses-slate-of-candidates-committed-to-immigrant-worker-power-environmental-and-housing-justice-for-californias-central-coast/ Save to Pocket

Letters: Biden presidency

date: 2024-01-04, from: San Jose Mercury News

Mercury News Letters to the Editor for Jan. 4, 2024

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/03/letters-1552/ Save to Pocket

Book Review | ‘Piranesi’ by Susana Clarke

date: 2024-01-04, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

Novel inspired by the life of 18th century Italian artist and architect.

The post Book Review | ‘Piranesi’ by Susana Clarke appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/03/book-review-piranesi-by-susana-clarke/ Save to Pocket

U-Haul report cites California as No. 1 again — for exodus

date: 2024-01-04, from: The Signal

An annual report by one of the country’s largest moving companies again puts California as No. 1 in the nation — for people leaving the state on one-way trips.  Or, put another way, No. 50 on the U-Haul Growth Index.  The index, a report from the moving giant analyzing more than 2.5 million rental transactions, indicates […]

The post U-Haul report cites California as No. 1 again — for exodus  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/u-haul-report-cites-california-as-no-1-again-for-exodus/ Save to Pocket

Decoding the multifaceted interventions between human sirtuin 2 and dynamic hepatitis B viral proteins to confirm their roles in HBV replication

date: 2024-01-04, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology

The human sirtuin 2 gene (SIRT2) encodes a full-length Sirt2 protein (i.e., the Sirt2 isoform 1), which primarily functions as a cytoplasmic α-tubulin deacetylase, and which promotes the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication itself, or HBV X (HBx) protein-mediated transcriptional transactivation, enhances Sirt2.1 expression; therefore, Sirt2.1 itself is capable of positively increasing HBV transcription and replication. Sirt2.1 is linked to liver fibrosis and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and, consequently, augments the risk of HCC. The Sirt2.1 protein enhances the HBV replication cycle by activating the AKT/glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3β)/β-catenin pathway. It also activates the transcription of the viral enhancer I/HBx promoter (EnI/Xp) and enhancer II/HBc promoter (EnII/Cp) by targeting the transcription factor p53. The Sirt2 isoform 2 (Sirt2.2) is mainly localized in the cytoplasm, and the N-terminus is shorter by 37 amino acids than that of Sirt2.1. Despite the truncation of the N-terminal region, Sirt2.2 is still capable of enhancing HBV replication and activating the AKT/GSK3β/β-catenin signaling pathway. The Sirt2 isoform 5 (Sirt2.5) is primarily localized to the nucleus, it lacks a nuclear export signal (NES), and the catalytic domain (CD) is truncated. Upon HBV replication, expression of the Sirt2 isoforms is also enhanced, which further upregulates the HBV replication, and, therefore, supports the vicious cycle of viral replication and progression of the disease. Sirt2 diversely affects HBV replication such that its isoform 1 intensely augments HBV replication and isoform 2 (despite of the truncated N-terminal region) moderately enhances HBV replication. Isoform 5, on the other hand, tends to protect the cell (for smooth long-term continued viral replication) from HBV-induced extreme damage or death via a discrete set of regulatory mechanisms impeding viral mRNAs, the hepatitis B core/capsid protein (HBc), core particles, replicative intermediate (RI) DNAs, and covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) levels, and, consequently, limiting HBV replication. In contrast to Sirt2.1 and Sirt 2.2, the Sirt2.5-mediated HBV replication is independent of the AKT/GSK3β/β-catenin signaling cascade. Sirt2.5 is recruited more at cccDNA than the recruitment of Sirt2.1 onto the cccDNA. This recruitment causes the deposition of more histone lysine methyltransferases (HKMTs), including SETDB1, SUV39H1, EZH2, and PR-Set7, along with the respective corresponding transcriptional repressive markers such as H3K9me3, H3K27me3, and H4K20me1 onto the HBV cccDNA. In HBV-replicating cells, Sirt2.5 can also make complexes with PR-Set7 and SETDB1. In addition, Sirt2.5 has the ability to turn off transcription from cccDNA through epigenetic modification via either direct or indirect interaction with HKMTs.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1234903 Save to Pocket

Spatial profiling of the placental chorioamniotic membranes reveals upregulation of immune checkpoint proteins during Group B Streptococcus infection in a nonhuman primate model

date: 2024-01-04, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology

Differential regulation of multiple immune checkpoint proteins in the decidua at the site of a GBS infection indicates a major perturbation in immunologic homeostasis that could benefit the host by restricting immune-driven pathologies or the pathogen by limiting immune surveillance. Protein expression of VISTA, an inhibitory immune checkpoint, was upregulated in the chorion and decidua after GBS infection. Investigating the impact of innate immune cell expression of inhibitory immune checkpoints may reveal new insights into placental host-pathogen interactions at the maternal-fetal interface.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1299644 Save to Pocket

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Exploring the intestinal ecosystem: from gut microbiota to associations with subtypes of inflammatory bowel disease

date: 2024-01-04, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology

Significant differences have been discovered between subtypes of Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). The role of gut microbiota in promoting the onset of UC and CD is established, but conclusions regarding subtype-specific analyses remain limited.

This study aims to explore the influence of gut microbiota on subtypes of UC and CD, offering novel insights into the pathogenesis and treatment of UC and CD.Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was employed to examine the causal relationship between subtypes of UC and CD and gut microbiota composition. Gut microbiota data were sourced from the International Consortium MiBioGen, while UC and CD data were obtained from FINNGEN. Eligible single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected as instrumental variables. Multiple analytical approaches such as inverse variance-weighted (IVW), MR-Egger regression, weighted median, weighted mode, and MR-RAPS were utilized. Sensitivity analyses including MR-Egger intercept test, Cochran’s Q test, and leave-one-out analysis were conducted for quality control. Subsequently, we employed multivariable IVW, MR-Egger, weighted median, and LASSO regression methods to identify independently significant genera or families and conducted sensitivity analyses.

We have determined that Hungatella, Acidaminococcaceae, and 15 other microbial taxa act as protective factors for various CD and UC subtypes, while Terrisporobacter, Anaerostipes, and 23 other microbial taxa are associated with increased risk for different CD and UC subtypes. Furthermore, through multivariable MR analysis, we have identified significant genera or families with independent effects.

Our study confirms a causal relationship between dysbiosis of gut microbiota and the occurrence of CD and UC subtypes. Furthermore, it validates etiological distinctions among different subtypes of CD and UC. A novel approach to adjunctive therapy involving distinct UC or CD subtypes may involve the use of probiotics and represents a potential avenue for future treatments.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1304858 Save to Pocket

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A peroxidase-derived ligand that induces Fusarium graminearum Ste2 receptor-dependent chemotropism

date: 2024-01-04, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology

The fungal G protein-coupled receptors Ste2 and Ste3 are vital in mediating directional hyphal growth of the agricultural pathogen Fusarium graminearum towards wheat plants. This chemotropism is induced by a catalytic product of peroxidases secreted by the wheat. Currently, the identity of this product, and the substrate it is generated from, are not known.

We provide evidence that a peroxidase substrate is derived from F. graminearum conidia and report a simple method to extract and purify the FgSte2-activating ligand for analyses by mass spectrometry. The mass spectra arising from t he ligand extract are characteristic of a 400 Da carbohydrate moiety. Consistent with this type of molecule, glycosidase treatment of F. graminearum conidia prior to peroxidase treatment significantly reduced the amount of ligand extracted. Interestingly, availability of the peroxidase substrate appears to depend on the presence of both FgSte2 and FgSte3, as knockout of one or the other reduces the chemotropism-inducing effect of the extracts.

While further characterization is necessary, identification of the F. graminearum-derived peroxidase substrate and the FgSte2-activating ligand will unearth deeper insights into the intricate mechanisms that underlie fungal pathogenesis in cereal crops, unveiling novel avenues for inhibitory interventions.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1287418 Save to Pocket

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Deciphering complex antibiotic resistance patterns in Helicobacter pylori through whole genome sequencing and machine learning

date: 2024-01-04, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology

Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori, Hp) affects billions of people worldwide. However, the emerging resistance of Hp to antibiotics challenges the effectiveness of current treatments. Investigating the genotype-phenotype connection for Hp using next-generation sequencing could enhance our understanding of this resistance.

In this study, we analyzed 52 Hp strains collected from various hospitals. The susceptibility of these strains to five antibiotics was assessed using the agar dilution assay. Whole-genome sequencing was then performed to screen the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genotypes of these Hp strains. To model the relationship between drug resistance and genotype, we employed univariate statistical tests, unsupervised machine learning, and supervised machine learning techniques, including the development of support vector machine models.

Our models for predicting Amoxicillin resistance demonstrated 66% sensitivity and 100% specificity, while those for Clarithromycin resistance showed 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. These results outperformed the known resistance sites for Amoxicillin (A1834G) and Clarithromycin (A2147), which had sensitivities of 22.2% and 87%, and specificities of 100% and 96%, respectively.

Our study demonstrates that predictive modeling using supervised learning algorithms with feature selection can yield diagnostic models with higher predictive power compared to models relying on single single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites. This approach significantly contributes to enhancing the precision and effectiveness of antibiotic treatment strategies for Hp infections. The application of whole-genome sequencing for Hp presents a promising pathway for advancing personalized medicine in this context.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1306368 Save to Pocket

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Mendelian randomization analysis to investigate the gut microbiome in oral and oropharyngeal cancer

date: 2024-01-04, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology

Evidence supports an observational association between the gut microbiome and susceptibility to extraintestinal cancers, but the causal relationship of this association remains unclear.

To identify the specific causal gut microbiota of oral and oropharyngeal cancer, we performed two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis of gut microbiota on oral and oropharyngeal cancer using a fixed-effects inverse-variance-weighted model. Gut microbiota across five different taxonomical levels from the MiBioGen genome-wide association study (GWAS) were used as exposures. Oral cancer, oropharyngeal cancer and a combination of the two cancers defined from three separate data sources were used as the outcomes. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for disease per standard deviation (SD) higher abundance of microbiome.

There was little evidence for a causal effect of gut microbiota on oral and oropharyngeal cancer when using a genome-wide p-value threshold for selecting instruments. Secondary analyses using a more lenient p-value threshold indicated that there were 90 causal relationships between 58 different microbial features but that sensitivity analyses suggested that these were possibly affected by violations of MR assumptions and were not consistent across MR methodologies or data sources and therefore are also to unlikely reflect causation. These findings provide new insights into gut microbiota-mediated oral and oropharyngeal cancers and warrant further investigation.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1210807 Save to Pocket

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Gut microbiota as predictors of the occurrence of high on-treatment platelet reactivity in acute ischemic stroke patients

date: 2024-01-04, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology

In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between gut microbiota and high on-treatment platelet reactivity (HTPR) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

We enrolled a total of 48 AIS patients, including 19 HTPR patients and 29 non-high on-treatment platelet reactivity (NHTPR) patients, along with 10 healthy controls. Clinical and laboratory data, as well as stool samples, were collected from all participants. The composition and function of gut microbiota were assessed using 16S rRNA sequencing. Differences in the gut microbiota between the two groups were analyzed, and a diagnostic model based on the gut microbiota was established using random forest model.

HTPR patients exhibited a decreased microbial richness compared to NHTPR patients. Additionally, the relative abundance of unidentified_Clostridia and Ralstonia was lower in HTPR patients. Significant differences in biological functions, such as toxoplasmosis, were observed between the two groups. The combination of Ralstonia, unidentified-Clostridia, Mailhella, Anaerofustis, and Aggregatibacter showed excellent predictive ability for HTPR occurrence (AUC=0.896). When comparing AIS patients with healthy controls, alterations in the microbiota structure were observed in AIS patients, with imbalances in short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria and pathogenic bacteria. Significant differences in biological functions, such as oxidative phosphorylation, were noted between the two groups. The combination of Alloprevotella, Terrisporobacter, Streptococcus, Proteus, and unidentified_Bacteria exhibited strong predictive power for AIS occurrence (AUC=0.994).

This study is the first to uncover the microbial characteristics of HTPR in AIS patients and demonstrate the predictive potential of specific bacterial combinations for HTPR occurrence.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1257317 Save to Pocket

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Regulatory role of Mss11 in Candida glabrata virulence: adhesion and biofilm formation

date: 2024-01-04, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology

Candida glabrata has emerged as a fungal pathogen with high infection and mortality rates, and its primary virulence factors are related to adhesion and biofilm formation. These virulence factors in C.glabrata are primarily mediated by epithelial adhesins (Epas), most of which are encoded in subtelomeric regions and regulated by subtelomeric silencing mechanisms. The transcription factor Mss11, known for its regulatory role in adhesion, biofilm formation, and filamentous growth in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans, has also been implicated in the expression of EPA6, suggesting its potential influence on C.glabrata virulence. The present study aims to determine the regulatory role of Mss11 in the virulence of C. glabrata.

In this work, a Δmss11 null mutant and its complemented strain were constructed from a C.glabrata standard strain. The impact of the transcription factor Mss11 on the virulence of C.glabrata was investigated through a series of phenotypic experiments, including the microbial adhesion to hydrocarbons (MATH) test, adherence assay, biofilm assay, scanning electron microscopy and Galleria mellonella virulence assay. Furthermore, transcriptome sequencing, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) were employed to investigate the molecular mechanisms behind the regulation of Mss11.

In C.glabrata, the loss of MSS11 led to a significant reduction in several virulence factors including cell surface hydrophobicity, epithelial cell adhesion, and biofilm formation. These observations were consistent with the decreased virulence of the Δmss11 mutant observed in the Galleria mellonella infection model. Further exploration demonstrated that Mss11 modulates C. glabrata virulence by regulating EPA1 and EPA6 expression. It binds to the upstream regions of EPA1 and EPA6, as well as the promoter regions of the subtelomeric silencing-related genes SIR4, RIF1, and RAP1, indicating the dual regulatory role of Mss11.

Mss11 plays a crucial role in C. glabrata adhesion and biofilm formation, and thus has a broad influence on virulence. This regulation is achieved by regulating the expression of EPA1 and EPA6 through both promoter-specific regulation and subtelomeric silencing.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1321094 Save to Pocket

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Comprehensive evaluation of plasma microbial cell-free DNA sequencing for predicting bloodstream and local infections in clinical practice: a multicenter retrospective study

date: 2024-01-04, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) of plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) shows promising application for complicated infections that cannot be resolved by conventional microbiological tests (CMTs). The criteria for cfDNA sequencing are currently in need of agreement and standardization.

We performed a retrospective cohort observation of 653 patients who underwent plasma cfDNA mNGS, including 431 with suspected bloodstream infections (BSI) and 222 with other suspected systemic infections. Plasma mNGS and CMTs were performed simultaneously in clinical practice. The diagnostic efficacy of plasma mNGS and CMTs in the diagnosis of blood-borne and other systemic infections was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The sensitivity and specificity of the two methods were analyzed based on the final clinical outcome as the gold standard.

The mNGS test showed an overall positive rate of 72.3% (472/653) for detecting microorganisms in plasma cfDNA, with a range of 2 to 6 different microorganisms detected in 171 patient specimens. Patients with positive mNGS results were more immunocompromised and had a higher incidence of severe disease (P<0·05). The sensitivity of mNGS was higher for BSI (93·5%) and other systemic infections (83·6%) compared to CMTs (37·7% and 14·3%, respectively). The mNGS detected DNA from a total of 735 microorganisms, with the number of microbial DNA reads ranging from 3 to 57,969, and a higher number of reads being associated with clinical infections (P<0·05). Of the 472 patients with positive mNGS results, clinical management was positively affected in 203 (43%) cases. Negative mNGS results led to a modified clinical management regimen in 92 patients (14.1%). The study also developed a bacterial and fungal library for plasma mNGS and obtained comparisons of turnaround times and detailed processing procedures for rare pathogens.

Our study evaluates the clinical use and analytic approaches of mNGS in predicting bloodstream and local infections in clinical practice. Our results suggest that mNGS has higher positive predictive values (PPVs) for BSI and systemic infections compared to CMTs, and can positively affect clinical management in a significant number of patients. The standardized whole-process management procedure for plasma mNGS developed in this study will ensure improved pre-screening probabilities and yield clinically valuable data.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1256099 Save to Pocket

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Aspergillus terreus spondylodiscitis following acupuncture and acupotomy in an immunocompetent host: case report and literature review

date: 2024-01-04, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology

Aspergillus terreus is a fungus responsible for various infections in human beings; however, spine involvement is uncommon. Herein, we report a case of A. terreus spondylodiscitis following acupuncture and acupotomy in an immunocompetent Chinese patient. Admission lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed infection at the L4/5 level without significant vertebral destruction. After unsuccessful symptomatic and anti-tuberculosis treatments, A. terreus was identified through culture, microscopy of isolate, histological examination and VITEK system. Intravenous voriconazole was then given; however, the patient’s spinal condition deteriorated rapidly, resulting in evident destruction of the L4/5 vertebral bodies. Surgeries including L4/5 intervertebral disc debridement, spinal canal decompression, posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) with allogeneic fibula ring fusion cages, and posterior pedicle screw fixation were then performed. Imaging findings at one-month and six-month follow-up suggested that the patient was successfully treated. This case highlighted two important points: firstly, although acupuncture and acupotomy are generally regarded as safe conservative treatments for pain management, they can still lead to complications such as fungal spinal infection. Therefore, vigilance is necessary when considering these treatments; secondly, PLIF with allogeneic fibula ring fusion cages may be beneficial for A. terreus spondylodiscitis patients with spinal instability.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1269352 Save to Pocket

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Macrophthalmus (Macrophthalmus) abbreviatus Manning & Holthuis, 1981, a new natural host for Hematodinium perezi infection

date: 2024-01-04, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology

Recent reports have shown that wild crabs may be important hosts involved in the transmission and spread of the parasitic Hematodinium in cultured marine crustaceans. Therefore, monitoring the prevalence of Hematodinium infections in wild crabs is necessary to develop effective strategies for the prevention and control of Hematodinium disease. Here we report a wild crab species, Macrophthalmus (Macrophthalmus) abbreviatus Manning & Holthuis, 1981, as a new natural host for Hematodinium sp. infection. It is one of the common wild crab species dwelling in the ponds or waterways connected to the polyculture ponds located on the coast of Rizhao or Weifang, Shandong Peninsula, China. According to the results of PCR detection and phylogenetic analysis targeting the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS 1) region, these Hematodinium sp. isolates were identified as H. perezi and fell into the genotype II category within H. perezi. A high monthly prevalence of H. perezi infection was observed during the 2021–2022 field survey, ranging from 33.3% to 90.6% in M. abbreviatus originating from Weifang (n=304 wild crabs) and from 53.6% to 92.9% in those from Rizhao (n=42 wild crabs). Artificial inoculation infection experiments demonstrated that M. abbreviatus could be infected by H. perezi, and massive Hematodinium cells and typical histopathological changes were observed in the hepatopancreas and gill tissues of the infected crabs. To our knowledge, this is the first report of M. abbreviatus as a new natural host for H. perezi infection. Results in the present study extend the known host spectrum for this emerging parasite pathogen, and also provide valuable information for epidemic surveillance of the Hematodinium disease as well.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1328872 Save to Pocket

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Updated recipe, compiling PostgREST 12.0.2 (M1)

date: 2024-01-04, from: Robert’s Ramblings

These are my updated “quick notes” for compiling PostgREST v12.0.2 on a M1 Mac Mini using the current recommended versions of ghc, cabal and stack supplied GHCup. When I recently tried to use my previous quick recipe I was disappointed it failed with errors like

Resolving dependencies...
Error: cabal: Could not resolve dependencies:
[__0] trying: postgrest-9.0.1 (user goal)
[__1] next goal: optparse-applicative (dependency of postgrest)
[__1] rejecting: optparse-applicative-0.18.1.0 (conflict: postgrest =>
optparse-applicative>=0.13 && <0.17)
[__1] skipping: optparse-applicative-0.17.1.0, optparse-applicative-0.17.0.0
(has the same characteristics that caused the previous version to fail:
excluded by constraint '>=0.13 && <0.17' from 'postgrest')
[__1] trying: optparse-applicative-0.16.1.0
[__2] next goal: directory (dependency of postgrest)
[__2] rejecting: directory-1.3.7.1/installed-1.3.7.1 (conflict: postgrest =>
base>=4.9 && <4.16, directory => base==4.17.2.1/installed-4.17.2.1)
[__2] trying: directory-1.3.8.2
[__3] next goal: base (dependency of postgrest)
[__3] rejecting: base-4.17.2.1/installed-4.17.2.1 (conflict: postgrest =>
base>=4.9 && <4.16)

...

So this type of output means GHC and Cabal are not finding the versions of things they need to compile PostgREST. I then tried picking ghc 9.2.8 since the default.nix file indicated a minimum of ghc 9.2.4. The ghcup tui makes it easy to grab a listed version then set it as the active one. …

https://rsdoiel.github.io/blog/2024/01/04/updated-recipe-compiling-postgrest_v12.0.2.html Save to Pocket

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@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-03, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

Birb + Fossil: An RSS Revival?

https://timkellogg.me/blog/2024/01/03/birb Save to Pocket

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Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price barred from prosecuting former prosecutor and loudest critic

date: 2024-01-03, from: San Jose Mercury News

The case against Amilcar “Butch” Ford will now be handled by the California Attorney General’s Office.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/03/alameda-county-district-attorney-pamela-price-barred-from-prosecuting-former-prosecutor-and-loudest-critic/ Save to Pocket

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Wayland enjoyed many successes in 2023

date: 2024-01-03, from: OS News

The Wayland ecosystem had a phenomenal year from much better NVIDIA proprietary driver support, Firefox ending out the year shipping with Wayland support enabled by default, KDE Plasma 6.0 will default to Wayland following many improvements on the KDE side, the Wine Wayland driver upstreamed in its initial form, XWayland continuing to be enhanced, and a lot of other software from desktop environments to apps continuing to embrace Wayland. ↫ Michael Larabel at Phoronix This train ain’t stopping. Dare I say 2024 will be the year of Wayland on the desktop?

https://www.osnews.com/story/138180/wayland-enjoyed-many-successes-in-2023/ Save to Pocket

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Windows 11 is relaxing Microsoft account auto-sign in apps, but only in Europe

date: 2024-01-03, from: OS News

Windows is changing the way apps can access your Microsoft account. Currently, when you sign in to Windows 11 or 10 with your Microsoft account, most apps automatically use that Microsoft account for in-app sign-in. The tech giant plans to change this behaviour by allowing you to decline access to Microsoft accounts in installed apps. ↫ Mayank Parmar at Windows Latest This change, like so many others that are making Windows ever so slightly less of a trashfire, is EU-only.

https://www.osnews.com/story/138178/windows-11-is-relaxing-microsoft-account-auto-sign-in-apps-but-only-in-europe/ Save to Pocket

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In LA, Newsom Rallies Support For Proposition 1 And More Mental Health Treatment Beds

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The LAist

The proposal on the ballot in March would authorize $6.38 billion in bonds to pay for mental health treatment facilities and housing.

https://laist.com/news/newsom-proposition-1-mental-health-treatment-beds Save to Pocket

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A brief retrospective on SPARC register windows

date: 2024-01-03, from: OS News

As I work on moss and research modern processor design patterns and techniques, I am also looking for patterns and techniques from the past that, for one reason or another, have not persisted into our modern machines. While on a run this week, I was listening to an old Oxide and Friends episode where Bryan, Adam, and crew were reminiscing on the SPARC instruction set architecture (ISA). SPARC is a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) architecture originally developed by Sun Microsystems, with the first machine, the SPARCstation1 (a.k.a. Sun 4/60, a.k.a Campus), being delivered in 1987. It was heavily influenced by the early RISC designs from David Patterson and team at Berkeley in the 1970s and 1980s, which is the same lineage from which RISC-V has evolved. Given the decision to base moss on the RISC-V RV64I ISA, I was interested to learn more about the history and finer details of SPARC. ↫ Daniel Mangum The sad thing is that SPARC is pretty close to dead at this point, with the two major players in the high-end – Oracle and Fujitsu – throwing in the towel half a decade ago. There’s some lower-end work, such as the LEON chips, but those efforts, too, seem to be going nowhere at the moment. Definitely sad, since I’ve always been oddly obsessed with the architecture, and hope to still somehow get my hands on the last UltraSPARC workstation ever built (the Sun Ultra 45, which is, sadly, incredibly expensive on the used market). There’s also a whole boatload of servers on the used market with fancier, newer SPARC processors, but as far as I know, none of those support any form of even barely usable graphics, making them useless for weird people like me who want to run a desktop on them.

https://www.osnews.com/story/138176/a-brief-retrospective-on-sparc-register-windows/ Save to Pocket

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Bills of 2023 | Bill signed to limit hand vote counts in elections

date: 2024-01-03, from: The Signal

Editor’s note: The Signal is presenting CalMatters’ wrap-up stories on some of the key bills that reached the governor’s desk at the close of the 2023 legislative session. Here’s the CalMatters summary of a bill that requires machine counting of election ballots.  Assembly Bill 969 bans hand-counting of votes, except in very narrow circumstances — […]

The post Bills of 2023 | Bill signed to limit hand vote counts in elections appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/bills-of-2023-bill-signed-to-limit-hand-vote-counts-in-elections/ Save to Pocket

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Alzheimer’s Drugs Might Get Into the Brain Faster With New Ultrasound Tool

date: 2024-01-03, from: VOA News USA

washington — Scientists have found a way to help Alzheimer’s drugs seep inside the brain faster — by temporarily breaching its protective shield.

The novel experiment was a first attempt in just three patients. But in spots in the brain where the new technology took aim, it enhanced removal of Alzheimer’s trademark brain-clogging plaque, researchers reported Wednesday.

“Our goal is to give patients a head start,” by boosting some new Alzheimer’s treatments that take a long time to work, said Dr. Ali Rezai of West Virginia University’s Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, who led the study.

At issue is what’s called the blood-brain barrier, a protective lining in blood vessels that prevents germs and other damaging substances from leaching into the brain from the bloodstream. But it also can block drugs for Alzheimer’s, tumors and other neurologic diseases, requiring higher doses for longer periods for enough to reach their target inside the brain.

Now scientists are using a technology called focused ultrasound to jiggle temporary openings in that shield. They inject microscopic bubbles into the bloodstream. Next, they beam sound waves through a helmetlike device to a precise brain area. The pulses of energy vibrate the microbubbles, which loosen gaps in the barrier enough for medications to slip in.

Prior small studies have found the technology can safely poke tiny holes that seal up in 48 hours. Now Rezai’s team has gone a step further — administering an Alzheimer’s drug at the same time.

Some new Alzheimer’s drugs, on the market or in the pipeline, promise to modestly slow worsening of the mind-robbing disease. They’re designed to clear away a sticky protein called beta-amyloid that builds up in certain brain regions. But they require IV infusions every few weeks for at least 18 months.

“Why not try to clear the plaques within a few months?” Rezai said, his rationale for the proof-of-concept study.

3 patients, 1 drug, 6 months

His team gave three patients with mild Alzheimer’s monthly doses of one such drug, Aduhelm, for six months. Right after each IV, researchers aimed the focused ultrasound on a specific amyloid-clogged part of each patient’s brain, opening the blood brain-barrier so more of that day’s dose might enter that spot.

PET scans show patients’ amyloid levels before and after the six months of medication. There was about 32% greater plaque reduction in spots where the blood-brain barrier was breached compared to the same region on the brain’s opposite side, researchers reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.

This pilot study is elegant but too tiny to draw any conclusions, cautioned Dr. Eliezer Masliah of the National Institute on Aging.

Still, “it’s very exciting, compelling data,” added Masliah, who wasn’t involved with the research. “It opens the door for more extensive, larger studies, definitely.”

More testing on horizon

Rezai is about to begin another small test of a similar but better proven drug named Leqembi. Eventually, large studies would be needed to tell if combining focused ultrasound with Alzheimer’s drugs makes a real difference for patients.

Masliah said it’s also important to closely check whether speedier plaque reduction might increase the risk of a rare but worrisome side effect of these new drugs — bleeding and swelling in the brain.

Alzheimer’s isn’t the only target. Other researchers are testing if breaching the blood-brain barrier could allow more chemotherapy to reach brain tumors, and ways to target other diseases.

https://www.voanews.com/a/alzheimer-s-drugs-might-get-into-the-brain-faster-with-new-ultrasound-tool/7425611.html Save to Pocket

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The New California Laws You Need to Know

date: 2024-01-03, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

Several significant laws took effect January 1 that will affect schools, workplaces, and pocketbooks.

The post The New California Laws You Need to Know appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/03/the-new-california-laws-you-need-to-know/ Save to Pocket

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Trump Asks US Supreme Court to Review Colorado Ruling Barring Him From Ballot Over Jan. 6 Attack

date: 2024-01-03, from: VOA News USA

Denver, Colorado — Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a ruling barring him from the Colorado ballot, setting up a high-stakes showdown over whether a constitutional provision prohibiting those who “engaged in insurrection” will end his political career.

Trump appealed a 4-3 ruling in December by the Colorado Supreme Court that marked the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment was used to bar a presidential contender from the ballot. The court found that Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol disqualified him under the clause.

The provision has been used so sparingly in American history that the U.S. Supreme Court has never ruled on it.

Wednesday’s development came a day after Trump’s legal team filed an appeal against a ruling by Maine’s Democratic Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows, that Trump was ineligible to appear on that state’s ballot over his role in the Capitol attack. Both the Colorado Supreme Court and the Maine secretary of state’s rulings are on hold until the appeals play out.

Trump’s critics have filed dozens of lawsuits seeking to disqualify him in multiple states. He lost Colorado by 13 percentage points in 2020 and does not need to win the state to gain either the Republican presidential nomination or the presidency. But the Colorado ruling has the potential to prompt courts or secretaries of state to remove him from the ballot in other, must-win states.

None had succeeded until a slim majority of Colorado’s seven justices — all appointed by Democratic governors — ruled last month against Trump. Critics warned that it was an overreach and that the court could not simply declare that the Jan. 6 attack was an “insurrection” without a judicial process.

“The Colorado Supreme Court decision would unconstitutionally disenfranchise millions of voters in Colorado and likely be used as a template to disenfranchise tens of millions of voters nationwide,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in their appeal to the nation’s highest court, noting that Maine has already followed Colorado’s lead.

Trump’s new appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court also follows one from Colorado’s Republican Party. Legal observers expect the high court will take the case because it concerns unsettled constitutional issues that go to the heart of the way the country is governed.

All the parties to the case have urged the court to move quickly. Trump’s lawyers on Wednesday asked the court to overturn the ruling without even hearing oral arguments. The lawyers representing the Colorado plaintiffs have urged oral arguments but also seek a vastly accelerated schedule, calling for a resolution by next month. Colorado’s primary is March 5.

Sean Grimsley, an attorney for the plaintiffs seeking to disqualify Trump in Colorado, said late last month on a legal podcast called “Law, disrupted” that he hopes the nation’s highest court hurries once it accepts the case, as he expects it will.

“We have a primary coming up on Super Tuesday and we need to know the answer,” Grimsley said.

The Colorado high court upheld a finding by a district court judge that Jan. 6 was an “insurrection” incited by Trump. It agreed with the petitioners, six Republican and unaffiliated Colorado voters whose lawsuit was funded by a Washington-based liberal group, that Trump clearly violated the provision. Because of that, the court ruled he is disqualified just as plainly as if he failed to meet the Constitution’s minimum age requirement for the presidency of 35 years.

In doing so, the state high court reversed a ruling by the lower court judge that said it wasn’t clear that Section 3 was meant to apply to the president. That’s one of many issues the nation’s highest court would consider.

Additional ones include whether states such as Colorado can determine who is covered by Section 3, whether congressional action is needed to create a process to bar people from office, whether Jan. 6 met the legal definition of insurrection and whether Trump was simply engaging in First Amendment activity that day or is responsible for the violent attack, which was intended to halt certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory.

Trump held a rally before the Capitol attack, telling his supporters that “if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”

Six of the U.S. Supreme Court’s nine justices were appointed by Republicans, and three by Trump himself.

The Colorado ruling cited a prior decision by Neil Gorsuch, one of Trump’s appointees to the high court, when he was a federal judge in Colorado. That ruling determined that the state had a legitimate interest in removing from the presidential ballot a naturalized U.S. citizen who was ineligible for the office because he was born in Guyana.

Section 3, however, has barely been used since the years after the Civil War, when it kept defeated Confederates from returning to their former government positions. The two-sentence clause says that anyone who swore an oath to “support” the Constitution and then engaged in insurrection cannot hold office unless a two-thirds vote of Congress allows it.

Legal scholars believe its only application in the 20th century was being cited by Congress in 1919 to block the seating of a socialist who opposed U.S. involvement in World War I and was elected to the House of Representatives.

But in 2022, a judge used it to remove a rural New Mexico county commissioner from office after he was convicted of a misdemeanor for entering the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Liberal groups sued to block Republican Reps. Madison Cawthorn and Marjorie Taylor Greene from running for reelection because of their roles on that day. Cawthorn’s case became moot when he lost his primary in 2022, and a judge ruled to keep Greene on the ballot.

Some conservatives warn that, if Trump is removed, political groups will routinely use Section 3 against opponents in unexpected ways.

Biden’s administration has noted that the president has no role in the litigation.

The issue of whether Trump can be on the ballot is not the only matter related to the former president or Jan. 6 that has reached the high court. The justices last month declined a request from special counsel Jack Smith to swiftly take up and rule on Trump’s claims that he is immune from prosecution in a case charging him with plotting to overturn the presidential election, though the issue could be back before the court soon depending on the ruling of a Washington-based appeals court.

And the court has said that it intends to hear an appeal that could upend hundreds of charges stemming from the Capitol riot, including against Trump.

https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-asks-us-supreme-court-to-review-colorado-ruling-barring-him-from-ballot-over-jan-6-attack/7425629.html Save to Pocket

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Bills of 2023 | New law aims to boost clean energy

date: 2024-01-03, from: The Signal

Editor’s note: The Signal is presenting CalMatters’ wrap-up stories on some of the key bills that reached the governor’s desk at the close of the 2023 legislative session. Here’s the CalMatters summary of a bill that, among other things, encourages development of offshore wind energy projects.  By Julie Cart CalMatters Writer  Assembly Bill 1373 gives the […]

The post Bills of 2023 | New law aims to boost clean energy appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/new-law-aims-to-boost-clean-energy/ Save to Pocket

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2023 was a great year for Bay Area films and TV shows — here are some of the best

date: 2024-01-03, from: San Jose Mercury News

From ‘I’m a Virgo’ to ‘Fremont,’ the Bay Area figured in some terrific films and TV shows.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/03/2023-was-a-great-year-for-bay-area-films-and-tv-shows-here-are-some-of-the-best/ Save to Pocket

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Local Beaches Are Glowing Blue Again

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The LAist

The dinoflagellates that cause the waves to light up come and go in seasons.

https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/socal-beaches-bioluminescent-glowing-blue Save to Pocket

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House speaker demands hard-line policies during border visit

date: 2024-01-03, from: San Jose Mercury News

“We’ve got to do something,” President Joe Biden told reporters Tuesday night. He said Congress should approve his national security proposal because it also includes money for managing the influx of migrants. “They ought to give me the money I need to protect the border,” he said.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/03/house-speaker-demands-hard-line-policies-during-border-visit/ Save to Pocket

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New at Starbucks: Customers may use their own cups for mobile, drive-thru orders

date: 2024-01-03, from: San Jose Mercury News

Here’s how the company plans to maintain hygienic standards while reducing waste

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/03/new-at-starbucks-customers-may-use-their-own-cups-for-mobile-drive-thru-orders/ Save to Pocket

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Eddie Bernice Johnson dies at 88; trailblazing Texas legislator was first nurse elected to Congress

date: 2024-01-03, from: San Jose Mercury News

She was the first Black woman to chair the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and she also led the Congressional Black Caucus.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/03/eddie-bernice-johnson-dies-at-88-trailblazing-texas-legislator-was-first-nurse-elected-to-congress/ Save to Pocket

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Tip of the Day: Finding Unknown ‘Items’ in Your iCloud Photo Library

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-04, from: Daring Fireball

https://mastodon.social/@calebhailey/111653442283836729 Save to Pocket

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Garcia to hold teleconference town hall Thursday 

date: 2024-01-03, from: The Signal

Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, is scheduled to host a teleconference town hall on Thursday at 5 p.m. when he will address multiple national security issues and host a live question-and-answer session.  Those who join the teleconference can hear Garcia’s thoughts on the border crisis, support for Israel and other pressing national security challenges facing […]

The post <strong>Garcia to hold teleconference town hall Thursday</strong>  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/garcia-to-hold-teleconference-town-hall-thursday/ Save to Pocket

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Bills of 2023 | Newsom vetoes bill that would increase stipend to diversify juries

date: 2024-01-03, from: The Signal

Editor’s note: The Signal is presenting CalMatters’ wrap-up stories on some of the key bills that reached the governor’s desk at the close of the 2023 legislative session. Here’s the CalMatters summary of a bill that would have increased pay for jury members.  Assembly Bill 881 would expand a test of higher jury service payments […]

The post Bills of 2023 | Newsom vetoes bill that would increase stipend to diversify juries appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/newsom-vetoes-bill-that-would-increase-stipend-to-diversify-juries/ Save to Pocket

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Some Wonderful Things from 2023

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/01/some-wonderful-things-from-2023 Save to Pocket

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Feb. 2: SCV Chamber Awards, Installation

date: 2024-01-03, from: SCV New (TV Station)

The Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce 2024 Awards + Installation will be held Friday, Feb. at 6 p.m. The event will be held at the Hytt Valencia

https://scvnews.com/feb-2-scv-chamber-awards-installation/ Save to Pocket

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California Could See A Snow Drought This Year. What Will It Mean For The State’s Water Supply?

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The LAist

More snow is coming, but the Department of Water Resources said it’s too early to tell if that will make up the snow deficit.

https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/california-could-see-a-potential-snow-drought-this-year-what-will-it-mean-for-the-states-water-supply Save to Pocket

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Museum Realizes Ten J.E.H. MacDonald Sketches Are Fakes—and Puts Them on Display

date: 2024-01-03, from: Smithsonian Magazine

A new exhibition showcases how the Vancouver Art Gallery investigated the artworks’ authenticity

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/vancouver-art-gallery-exhibits-10-jeh-macdonald-sketches-uncovered-as-fakes-180983527/ Save to Pocket

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Xerox prints pink slips for 15% of workforce

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Happy New Year, now go replace that human resources cartridge

2024 isn’t starting off that well for Xerox: first it said it suffered an IT security breach, and now it’s laying off 15 percent of staff.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/03/xerox_layoffs/ Save to Pocket

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The Next Full Moon is the Cold, Frost or Winter Moon

date: 2024-01-03, from: NASA breaking news

January 2024 The Next Full Moon is the Cold, Frost, or Winter Moon; the Long Night Moon; the Moon after Yule; the Datta Jayanti and Thiruvathira Festival Moon; Unduvap Poya; and the Chang’e Moon. The next full Moon will be Tuesday evening, December 26, 2023, appearing opposite the Sun (in Earth-based longitude) at 7:33 PM […]

https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/the-next-full-moon-is-the-cold-frost-or-winter-moon/ Save to Pocket

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Radxa X2L is a pocket-sized PC board with Intel Celeron J4125 for $39 and up

date: 2024-01-03, from: Liliputing

The Radxa X2L is a phone-sized single-board computer that measure 155 x 80mm (6.1″ x 3.1″). But unlike most phones, this little computer has a set of full-sized ports including Gigabit Ethernet, USB-C and USB-A, HDMI, and a headphone jack. It also has an Intel Celeron J4125 processor, which is a 10-watt, 4-core, 4-thread chip […]

The post Radxa X2L is a pocket-sized PC board with Intel Celeron J4125 for $39 and up appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/radxa-x2l-is-a-pocket-sized-pc-board-with-intel-celeron-j4125-for-39-and-up/ Save to Pocket

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Jan. 18: 2024 California Employment Law Update

date: 2024-01-03, from: SCV New (TV Station)

The Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce Employment Law Update is returning for 2024. Join Brian Koegle, Partner at Greenspoon Marder LLP, for a comprehensive update on developments in employment law that will be most impactful for your business in the coming year

https://scvnews.com/jan-18-2024-scv-chamber-employment-law-update/ Save to Pocket

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NASA Captures Stunning Images of Jupiter’s Moon Io on Closest Flyby in 20 Years

date: 2024-01-03, from: Smithsonian Magazine

The Juno spacecraft’s instruments will help scientists better understand volcanic activity on the volatile moon’s surface

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nasa-captures-stunning-images-of-jupiters-moon-io-on-closest-flyby-in-20-years-180983525/ Save to Pocket

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NYE The Big 40 Birthday Style

date: 2024-01-03, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

Our Publisher, Brandi Rivera, started working with the Independent in 2008. She held a few different roles with us as

The post NYE The Big 40 Birthday Style appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

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People with Charles Bonnet syndrome have visual hallucinations. This man saw people…

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/01/0043710-people-with-charles-bonne Save to Pocket

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Ken Striplin | Welcoming the New Year

date: 2024-01-03, from: SCV New (TV Station)

As we welcome in 2024, there are several exciting projects, programs and events we can look forward to in the new year. Thanks to the leadership of the Santa Clarita City Council, several new city amenities will welcome residents during the next 12 months.

https://scvnews.com/ken-striplin-welcoming-the-new-year/ Save to Pocket

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Stay Out Of The Water: All LA County Beaches Under Rain Advisory

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The LAist

The advisory is in effect from Leo Carillo State Beach, out to Catalina Island, all the way down to San Pedro.

https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/stay-out-of-the-water-all-la-county-beaches-under-rain-advisory Save to Pocket

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Freight giant Estes refuses to deliver ransom, says personal data opened and stolen

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Pay up, or just decline to submit

One of America’s biggest private freight shippers, Estes Express Lines, has told more than 20,000 customers that criminals stole their personal information.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/03/estes_ransomware/ Save to Pocket

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House Republicans Visit US-Mexico Border as Ukraine Aid Hangs in Balance

date: 2024-01-03, from: VOA News USA

EAGLE PASS, Texas — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson is leading about 60 fellow Republicans in Congress on a visit Wednesday to the Mexican border as they demand hard-line immigration policies in exchange for backing President Joe Biden’s emergency wartime funding request for Ukraine. The trip to Eagle Pass, Texas, comes as Senate negotiators keep plugging away in hopes of a bipartisan deal.

With the number of illegal crossings into the United States topping 10,000 on several days last month, the border city has been at the center of Republican Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, his nearly $10 billion initiative that has tested the federal government’s authority over immigration and elevated the political fight over the issue.

An agreement in the lengthy talks in Washington would unlock Republican support for Biden’s $110 billion package for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. security priorities. In meetings, Senators Kyrsten Sinema, an Independent from Arizona, James Lankford, a Republican from Oklahoma, and Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, are trying to make progress before Congress returns to Washington next week.

It is not known whether Johnson, who has called for “transformational” changes to border and immigration policies, would accept a bipartisan deal from the Senate. Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, has pointed to a House bill, passed in May without a single Democratic vote, that would build more of the border wall and impose new restrictions on asylum seekers. Democrats said the legislation was “cruel” and “anti-immigrant,” and Biden promised a veto.

Nonetheless, the president has expressed a willingness to make policy compromises as the historic number of migrants crossing the border is an increasing challenge for his 2024 reelection campaign. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and White House staff have been involved in the Senate negotiations.

“We’ve got to do something,” Biden told reporters Tuesday night. He said Congress should approve his national security proposal because it also includes money for managing the influx of migrants. “They ought to give me the money I need to protect the border,” he said.

Administration officials have criticized Johnson’s trip as a political ploy that will do little to solve the problem.

“When they’re at the border, they’re going to see the magnitude of the problem and why we have said now for about three decades, their broken immigration system is in desperate need of legislative reform,” Mayorkas told CNN on Wednesday. “So, we are focused on the solutions, and we hope that they will return to Washington and focus on the solutions as well.”

House Republicans contend that Mayorkas’ management of the border has amounted to a dereliction of his duties and they are moving ahead with rare impeachment proceedings against a Cabinet member, with a first committee hearing on the matter scheduled for next week. Mayorkas told MSNBC he would cooperate with an inquiry.

During parts of December, border crossings in Eagle Pass, as well as other locations, swamped the resources of Customs and Border Protection officials. Authorities closed cargo rail crossings in Eagle Pass and El Paso for five days and shut down border crossings in the Arizona city of Lukeville.

Authorities say the numbers of migrants eased over the December holidays as part of a seasonal pattern. The border crossings are reopening, and illegal crossings in Eagle Pass fell to 500 on Monday, according to administration officials who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. Along the entire border, arrests for illegal crossings from Mexico fell to about 2,500 on Monday, from more than 10,000 on several days in December, officials said.

Republicans, who see the high number of migrants arriving at the border as a political weakness for the president, are pressuring Biden and Democrats to accept strict border measures.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell told reporters in Kentucky on Tuesday that in a conversation with 81-year-old Biden, he made the case: “You can’t do anything about how old you are, you can’t do anything about inflation, but this is something that’s measurable that you could claim credit for.”

McConnell also said he was approaching the talks with “optimism that somehow we will get this all together and we’re giving it our best shot.”

Senate negotiators have focused on tougher asylum protocols for migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, bolstering border enforcement with more personnel and high-tech systems, and enforcement measures that would kick in if the number of daily crossings passed a certain threshold.

Murphy, the chief Democratic negotiator, said Tuesday that he hoped that “at some point, Republicans can take the offer that we’ve all been working on together in the room for a long time.”

He raised concern that the longer the talks draw out, the longer it leaves Ukraine’s defenses hanging without assured support from the U.S. in the war with Russia.

The Pentagon in late December announced what officials say could be the final package of military aid for Ukraine if Congress does not approve Biden’s funding request. The weapons, worth up to $250 million, include air munitions and other missiles, artillery, anti-armor systems, ammunition, demolition and medical equipment and parts.

Russia has unleashed a flurry of missile and drone strikes on Ukraine in the new year.

“The consequence of Republicans’ decision to tie Ukraine funding to border is that the Ukrainians are already at a moment of real crisis,” Murphy said.

https://www.voanews.com/a/house-republicans-visit-us-mexico-border-as-ukraine-aid-hangs-in-balance/7425478.html Save to Pocket

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This small fanless PC is built for networking, with four 10 GbE SFP+ and five 2.5 Gb Ethernet ports

date: 2024-01-03, from: Liliputing

The QOTOM Q20332G9-S10 is more than just a fanless mini PC with a catchy name. It’s also a system with a lot of connectivity options. Available from Amazon and AliExpress with prices starting under $300, the computer is designed for use as a networking appliance and features four 10 GbE SFP+ ports, five 2.5 GbE Ethernet ports, optional […]

The post This small fanless PC is built for networking, with four 10 GbE SFP+ and five 2.5 Gb Ethernet ports appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/this-small-fanless-pc-is-built-for-networking-with-four-10-gbe-and-five-2-5-gb-ethernet-ports/ Save to Pocket

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No Whine Before It’s Time

date: 2024-01-03, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

If you’re not in denial, you’re not paying attention.

The post No Whine Before It’s Time appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/03/no-whine-before-its-time/ Save to Pocket

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‘Stuffie Sleepover’ Parties at Canyon Country, Newhall Libraries

date: 2024-01-03, from: SCV New (TV Station)

Bring your favorite stuffie to the Santa Clarita Public Library for a Stuffed Animal Sleepover Party. Sleepover parties will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at the Canyon Country Jo Anne Darcy Branch and a Stuffed Toy Slumber Party on Thursday, Jan. 25 at the Old Town Newhall Branch

https://scvnews.com/stuffie-sleepover-parties-at-canyon-country-newhall-libraries/ Save to Pocket

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Joshua Schlieder: Feet on the Ground, Head in the Stars

date: 2024-01-03, from: NASA breaking news

Goddard astrophysicist Dr. Joshua Schlieder supports NASA’s Roman Space Telescope and Swift Observatory with creativity, community, and curiosity.

https://www.nasa.gov/people-of-nasa/goddard-people/joshua-schlieder-feet-on-the-ground-head-in-the-stars/ Save to Pocket

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Make Myself at Home: Photo Highlights from 2023

date: 2024-01-03, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

Happy New Year! As we move forward into 2024, here’s a look at some of the houses we visited in

The post Make Myself at Home: Photo Highlights from 2023 appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/03/make-myself-at-home-photo-highlights-from-2023/ Save to Pocket

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Day in Review (January 3–4)

date: 2024-01-03, from: Association of Research Libraries News

Last Updated on January 3, 2024, 4:31 pm ET Sign up to receive the Day in Review by email. Jump to: Thursday, January 4 Wednesday, January 3 Top o’ the…

The post Day in Review (January 3–4) appeared first on Association of Research Libraries.

https://www.arl.org/day-in-review/day-in-review-january-3-4/ Save to Pocket

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CodaPet Expands to Santa Clarita Valley

date: 2024-01-03, from: SCV New (TV Station)

CodaPet has expanded compassionate in-home pet euthanasia services to the Santa Clarita Valley and surrounding cities. The veterinarian-owned startup empowers a network of veterinarians who provide peaceful in-home euthanasia to ease the passing of pets at home, surrounded by loved ones

https://scvnews.com/codapet-expands-to-santa-clarita-valley/ Save to Pocket

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This guy built his own little railcar and rides it on abandoned…

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/01/0043716-this-guy-built-his-own Save to Pocket

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Intel and VCs form Articul8 to push chip giant’s AI kit and IP

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

‘Independent’ biz unsurprisingly uses in Xeon and Habana, and patent libraries

In the latest bid to push its AI portfolio, Intel has teamed up with investment firm DigitalBridge to form a software spin-off specializing in the deployment of machine learning and large language models (LLMs).…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/03/intel_articul8_ai/ Save to Pocket

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Happy new year?

date: 2024-01-03, from: ldbeth Lisp/Music Programmer blog

Haven’t update this news feed for a while. Hope you still remembers me. I’ll resume music streaming after January.

https://ldbeth.sdf.org Save to Pocket

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Exploring the Unique Advantages of Diabetic and Compression Socks

date: 2024-01-03, from: The Signal

Foot health is essential, particularly for those with health concerns like diabetes, neuropathy or circulation issues. Understanding the difference between non-binding diabetic socks and compression socks is vital for making informed foot care decisions. This guide compares these two sock types, highlighting their distinct benefits.  Key Features of Diabetic Socks: Tailored for Comfort and Safety  Diabetic socks […]

The post Exploring the Unique Advantages of Diabetic and Compression Socks  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/exploring-the-unique-advantages-of-diabetic-and-compression-socks/ Save to Pocket

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SCV Water Releases Popular Annual Financial Report

date: 2024-01-03, from: SCV New (TV Station)

In furtherance of its commitment to providing transparent and open communication regarding the responsible management of ratepayer funds, the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency has announced the creation of SCV Water’s first Popular Annual Financial Report.

https://scvnews.com/scv-water-releases-popular-annual-financial-report/ Save to Pocket

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Decades-Long Debate on ‘Teenage’ Tyrannosaur Fossils Takes Another Turn

date: 2024-01-03, from: Smithsonian Magazine

A new paper adds to evidence suggesting a group of disputed fossils, identified by many scientists as young T. rex, are actually another species

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/decades-long-debate-on-teenage-tyrannosaur-fossils-takes-another-turn-180983524/ Save to Pocket

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US Renews Protection for Former Secretary of State, Aide Over Iran Threats

date: 2024-01-03, from: VOA News USA

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has once again renewed taxpayer-funded protection for former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and one of his top aides, who have been the targets of persistent threats from Iran. 

The State Department notified Congress late last month that the threats against Pompeo and Trump administration Iran envoy Brian Hook remain “serious and credible” and continue to warrant government-provided security details. 

The notifications are dated December 19 but were not transmitted to Congress until December 22. They were obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday. 

Tensions in the Middle East have soared since the outbreak of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and escalated further Wednesday after dozens of people were killed in blasts in Iran at a memorial service for Iran Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad on January 3, 2020. 

Pompeo and Hook were the public faces of the U.S. “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran after former President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018. Iran has blamed both for the killing of Soleimani. 

The notifications to Congress, signed by Deputy Secretary of State for Management Richard Verma, marked the 16th time the State Department has extended protection to Hook since he left office in January 2021 and the 13th time it has been extended to Pompeo. 

The discrepancy arises because Pompeo, as a former Cabinet secretary, automatically had government security for several months after leaving office. 

The AP reported in March 2022 that the State Department was paying more than $2 million per month to provide 24-hour security to Pompeo and Hook. The latest determinations do not give a dollar amount for the protection. 

The notifications do not specifically identify Iran as the source of the threats, but Iranian officials have long vented anger at Pompeo and Hook for leading the Trump administration’s policy against Iran, including designating the Revolutionary Guard Corps a “foreign terrorist organization,” subjecting it to unprecedented sanctions and orchestrating the Soleimani assassination.

https://www.voanews.com/a/us-renews-protection-for-former-secretary-of-state-aide-over-iran-threats/7425427.html Save to Pocket

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Jan Chipchase reports on a recent trip to Afghanistan under Taliban 2.0…

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/01/0043718-jan-chipchase-reports-on- Save to Pocket

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What the AI copyright fights are truly about: Human labor versus endless machines

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

The real beef concerns our future to create and be rewarded for it

Kettle  A slew of copyright lawsuits were filed against the makers of text and image-generating AI systems last year. Now in 2024 and beyond, we’re going to see how those play out, and what ramifications and settlements they bring.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/03/kettle_ai_copyright/ Save to Pocket

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CHP in search of speeding suspect 

date: 2024-01-03, from: The Signal

California Highway Patrol officers were unable to locate the driver of a red Chevrolet Camaro that was reportedly speeding in excess of 110 mph on the northbound Highway 14 on Wednesday morning before exiting the freeway, according to officials.  CHP officers began their pursuit at approximately 11:19 a.m. Wednesday after witnessing the driver driving “well […]

The post <strong>CHP in search of speeding suspect</strong>  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/chp-in-search-of-speeding-suspect/ Save to Pocket

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Daily Deals (1-03-2024)

date: 2024-01-03, from: Liliputing

Picked up a new gaming PC during the holiday season, or just find yourself with some free time on your hands? The Steam, GOG, and Epic Games Store’s winter holiday sales aren’t over just yet – although two out of three do end tomorrow. Meanwhile the Epic Games Store is continuing to give away a free […]

The post Daily Deals (1-03-2024) appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/daily-deals-1-03-2024/ Save to Pocket

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1000 Matchsticks Feature in This Epic Stop Motion Animation

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/01/1000-matchsticks-feature-in-this-epic-stop-motion-animation Save to Pocket

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New Jersey Used COVID Relief Funds to Buy Banned Chinese Surveillance Cameras

date: 2024-01-03, from: 404 Media Group

Cameras sold to police throughout New Jersey were made by a banned Chinese company but were modified to have different colors and the company’s logo removed, court records show.

https://www.404media.co/new-jersey-used-covid-relief-funds-to-buy-banned-dahua-chinese-surveillance-cameras/ Save to Pocket

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Devices That Are Not USB C in My Life

date: 2024-01-03, from: Michael Tsai

Mere Civilian: First, I give my appreciation to the European Union for their efforts in nudging (we all know it was more than a nudge) Apple to support USB C. However, there are still devices in my life that I use daily that are not USB C. Strangely, as each year passes by, it becomes […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/01/03/devices-that-are-not-usb-c-in-my-life/ Save to Pocket

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3-in-1 Charging Stations

date: 2024-01-03, from: Michael Tsai

Fernando Silva: I have been on the lookout for a 3-in-1 charging station for my Apple products that doesn’t break the bank. Don’t get me wrong – there are many options for 3-in-1 chargers, but it seems you have to spend upward of $100 or even $200 for a high-quality Apple 3-in-1 charger. But I […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/01/03/3-in-1-charging-stations/ Save to Pocket

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Gitea Cloud

date: 2024-01-03, from: Michael Tsai

Gitea (Hacker New): With just a few clicks, you can easily deploy your own Gitea instance on Gitea Cloud. Our team will handle all the maintenance, including backups, upgrades, and more. This allows you to focus on business development without worrying about operational issues. […] By using dedicated infrastructure, you don’t have to worry about […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/01/03/gitea-cloud/ Save to Pocket

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Taligent’s Guide to Designing Programs

date: 2024-01-03, from: Michael Tsai

David Goldsmith (1994, PDF, via Hacker News): If you browse the computer section of any technical bookstore, you’ll find many good books offering advice on how to do object-oriented design—books dealing both with general design principles and with design principles specific to C++. Why then does the industry need another book, one targeted not only […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/01/03/taligents-guide-to-designing-programs/ Save to Pocket

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Sketch Returns to the Mac App Store

date: 2024-01-03, from: Michael Tsai

Sindre Sorhus (Hacker News): Seems like Sketch is back on the App Store, after leaving it in 2015. They seem be using the original SKU, because the Mac App Store shows it as 4+ years old, but it currently has only 7 ratings with an average of 3 stars. Reviews complain that even though the […]

https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/01/03/sketch-returns-to-the-mac-app-store/ Save to Pocket

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Retired Akamai CEO sues daughter’s ex-husband over unpaid millions

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

And you thought your in-laws were bad

Updated  The next time someone accuses you of being a bad son-in-law, you can counter with the case of retired Akamai chairman and CEO George Conrades, who just sued his daughter’s ex-husband in an attempt to recover millions in unpaid business loans.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/03/former_akamai_ceo_lawsuit/ Save to Pocket

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SCV Water Purchases Vista Canyon Factory Recycled Water From City

date: 2024-01-03, from: SCV New (TV Station)

At its regular board meeting on Jan. 2, the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency Board of Directors approved entering into an agreement with the city of Santa Clarita for the purchase of recycled water from the city’s Vista Canyon Water Factory.

https://scvnews.com/scv-water-purchases-vista-canyon-factory-recycled-water/ Save to Pocket

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Nazi-Looted Painting Returned to Collector’s Heir

date: 2024-01-03, from: Smithsonian Magazine

The 16th-century piece was one of more than 1,100 artworks taken from a Dutch-Jewish art dealer’s collection during World War II

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/looted-16th-century-painting-returned-to-collectors-heir-180983523/ Save to Pocket

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@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-03, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

Colorado’s secretary of state blames Trump, GOP for threats.

https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/jena-griswold-colorado-trump-ballot-threats-rcna132050 Save to Pocket

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It’s weird seeing Roger Ebert, who was such a keen observer of…

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/01/0043714-its-weird-seeing-roger-eb Save to Pocket

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Updates on the Haneda Airport Collision (info for email readers).

date: 2024-01-03, from: James Fallows, Substack

What more is known, a day after the crash.

https://fallows.substack.com/p/updates-on-the-haneda-airport-collision Save to Pocket

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Foggy Fun with STEM

date: 2024-01-03, from: NASA breaking news

On March 30, 2023, NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Jessica Watkins, and Robert Hines took part in STEM demonstrations with local students in Washington. Lindgren, Hines, and Watkins spent 170 days in space as part of Expeditions 67 and 68 aboard the International Space Station. While aboard, the crew studied ways to reverse the aging of […]

https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/foggy-fun-with-stem/ Save to Pocket

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MIPS snags top SiFive brains to amp up RISC-V business

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Drew Barbier and Brad Burgess join after restructure at former employer

Chip designer MIPS has picked up two former execs from SiFive in a bid to boost its RISC-V development efforts.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/03/mips_sifive_hires/ Save to Pocket

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Chocolate Chronicles: A Sweet Journey with Compartés Through 75 Years

date: 2024-01-03, from: The Signal

Welcome to the delightful world of chocolate, where every bite is a journey through time and taste. In this exploration, we’ll unravel the fascinating evolution of chocolate trends, guided by the iconic brand Compartés. For 75 years, Compartés has been a beacon of innovation and craftsmanship in the chocolate industry, creating a legacy that sweet […]

The post Chocolate Chronicles: A Sweet Journey with Compartés Through 75 Years appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/chocolate-chronicles-a-sweet-journey-with-compartes-through-75-years/ Save to Pocket

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NASA Telescopes Start the Year With a Double Bang

date: 2024-01-03, from: NASA breaking news

A colorful, festive image shows different types of light containing the remains of not one, but at least two, exploded stars. This supernova remnant is known as 30 Doradus B (30 Dor B for short) and is part of a larger region of space where stars have been continuously forming for the past 8 to […]

https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/nasa-telescopes-start-the-year-with-a-double-bang/ Save to Pocket

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13-Year-Old Becomes First to Beat NES Tetris

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/01/13-year-old-becomes-first-to-beat-nes-tetris Save to Pocket

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Riding the Waves of Progress: A Deep Dive into E-commerce Fulfillment with AMS Fulfillment

date: 2024-01-03, from: The Signal

Navigating the Shores of E-commerce Evolution In the vast ocean of online commerce, the tides of change are constant. As consumers, we click, scroll, and wait for our packages to arrive at our doorsteps, often unaware of the intricate dance happening behind the scenes. E-commerce fulfillment, once a straightforward process, has evolved into a complex […]

The post Riding the Waves of Progress: A Deep Dive into E-commerce Fulfillment with AMS Fulfillment appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/riding-the-waves-of-progress-a-deep-dive-into-e-commerce-fulfillment-with-ams-fulfillment/ Save to Pocket

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We Asked: What Self-Help Book Changed Your Life? Here’s What Listeners Said

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The LAist

New Year, new you? These books might help.

https://laist.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/listeners-say-what-self-help-book-changed-their-life Save to Pocket

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SpaceX sends first direct-to-cell Starlinks to orbit

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

It’s like a cell tower… in spaaaaace

SpaceX has put the first six Direct to Cell-capable Starlink satellites into orbit following a successful Jan 3, 2023 launch.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/03/spacex_sends_directtocell_starlinks_into/ Save to Pocket

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@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-01-03, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)

On Friday I asked ChatGPT for 1000 words on RSS. The bot sorted through all the nonsense, got the story, where Wikipedia got mired. They left out almost all of the interesting stuff relating to the way it was adopted by the publishing and blogging worlds. The format isn’t all that important, see the rules for standards-makers, what matters is the interop it delivers. The RSS 0.91 to 2.0 thread was what the market built around, because it was promoted to the market and held steady for it. The other thread got bogged down in an academic theory of how the web should evolve. Content syndication was a real application. That’s the story, imho. There was no mention of the NYT in the Wikipedia piece, or Salon, Red Herring, Wired and Motley Fool. Or NPR in re podcasting, yet without the support of these news orgs, and of blogging software, there never would have been an RSS.

http://scripting.com/2024/01/03.html#a173253 Save to Pocket

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Minivans are better than trucks

date: 2024-01-03, from: Jeff Geerling blog

Minivans are better than trucks

        <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>...at least if you have a family, and need to transport datacenter racks.</p>

Consider this:

• You can fit full 4’ x 8’ plywood sheets in the back (assuming you fold down/remove the seats)
• You can fit up to 12’ long dimensional lumber (1x2, 2x4, etc.) inside (passing it through the gap between front seats)
• You can seat 7 or even 8 people inside, somewhat comfortably, with at least 2-3 cupholders per person (still preserving 20-30 ft³ ((0.8m³) of storage space in the back!)
• You can fit a full 42" deep 42U datacenter rack in the back, with space left over for one or two 2U 1500VA UPSes

From: Look at my HUGE RACK! (moving vlog 11).

All that, and all 140ft³ (4.2m³) of interior storage is fully enclosed and climate-controlled.

  <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Jeff Geerling</span></span>

January 3, 2024

https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2024/minivans-are-better-trucks Save to Pocket

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Lovely photography by Zay Yar Lin. Several arresting images in his portfolio….

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/01/0043715-lovely-photography-by-zay Save to Pocket

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What’s on the Ballot in the City of Santa Barbara in 2024?

date: 2024-01-03, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

A ballot measure on city contracts will be in the March primary, and three council seats will be up for grabs in the November general election.

The post What’s on the Ballot in the City of Santa Barbara in 2024? appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/03/whats-on-the-ballot-in-the-city-of-santa-barbara-in-2024/ Save to Pocket

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Open source PostgreSQL named DBMS of the year by DB-Engines

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Already more than 37 years old, the relational system continues to gain popularity

Open source PostgreSQL was today named database management system of the year by popular ranking site DB-Engines.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/03/opensource_postgresql_named_dbms_of/ Save to Pocket

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Passenger on Coast Starlight fatally shot by police officer on Christmas

date: 2024-01-03, from: San Jose Mercury News

A disturbance aboard the Amtrak train had been reported in Mount Shasta.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/03/passenger-on-coast-starlight-fatally-shot-by-police-officer-on-christmas/ Save to Pocket

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Go 1.22: Interactive release notes

date: 2024-01-03, 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

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Facing Nearly 100 Sexual-Abuse Lawsuits, Franciscan Friars of California Declare Bankruptcy

date: 2024-01-03, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

Santa Barbara attorney says survivors will now “almost certainly never tell their story under oath in a deposition or trial.”

The post Facing Nearly 100 Sexual-Abuse Lawsuits, Franciscan Friars of California Declare Bankruptcy  appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/03/facing-nearly-100-sexual-abuse-lawsuits-franciscan-friars-of-california-declare-bankruptcy/ Save to Pocket

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MINISFORUM V3 is a 14 inch Windows tablet with Ryzen 8040, pre-orders begin in Q1, 2024

date: 2024-01-03, from: Liliputing

The MINISFORUM V3 is a Windows tablet with a big, high-resolution display, support for a pressure-sensitive pen and detachable keyboard, two full-function USB4 40 Gbps ports and a third USB-C port that acts as a DisplayPort input, allowing you to use the tablet as a display for other devices. It’s also one of the first tablets announced […]

The post MINISFORUM V3 is a 14 inch Windows tablet with Ryzen 8040, pre-orders begin in Q1, 2024 appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/minisforum-v3-is-a-14-inch-windows-tablet-with-ryzen-8040-pre-orders-begin-in-q1-2024/ Save to Pocket

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Plagiarism charges downed Harvard’s president Claudine Gay. A conservative attack helped to fan the outrage

date: 2024-01-03, from: San Jose Mercury News

The campaign against Gay and other Ivy League presidents has become part of a broader right-wing effort to remake higher education, which has often been seen as a bastion of liberalism.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/03/plagiarism-charges-downed-harvards-president-a-conservative-attack-helped-to-fan-the-outrage/ Save to Pocket

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Tech Billionaires Need to Stop Trying to Make the Science Fiction They…

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: Jason Kittke’s blog

https://kottke.org/24/01/0043717-tech-billionaires-need-to Save to Pocket

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La NASA anticipa el primer vuelo del avión experimental X-59 para 2024

date: 2024-01-03, from: NASA breaking news

Lee esta historia en inglés aquí. La misión Quesst de la NASA ha ajustado la fecha prevista para el primer vuelo de su avión supersónico silencioso X-59 a 2024.  El X-59, un avión experimental único en su clase, ha requerido una compleja labor de ingeniería por parte de los investigadores de la NASA que trabajan […]

https://www.nasa.gov/es/la-nasa-anticipa-el-primer-vuelo-del-avion-experimental-x-59-para-2024/ Save to Pocket

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Teen shot in Oakland attempted robbery

date: 2024-01-03, from: San Jose Mercury News

The youth, an Oakland resident, told police he was standing outside a business when he was approached by thee males who attempted to rob him.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/03/teen-shot-in-oakland-attempted-robbery/ Save to Pocket

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Microsoft prepares Visual Studio 2013 for retirement

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Tick-tock, developers: End of the road comes on April 9, 2024

Microsoft is warning developers that only months remain before extended support for Visual Studio 2013 is pulled on April 9.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/03/visual_studio_2013_support/ Save to Pocket

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Conversion of San Jose tower from offices to homes starts to emerge

date: 2024-01-03, from: San Jose Mercury News

A project to convert a historic tower in downtown San Jose from offices to housing is starting to take shape – a proposal that could bring a rooftop restaurant to the iconic highrise.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/03/san-jose-office-home-convert-tower-history-real-estate-build-economy/ Save to Pocket

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AYA Neo Flip crowdfunding begins in late January, 2024 (handheld gaming PC with flip-up display and QWERTY keyboard or second screen)

date: 2024-01-03, from: Liliputing

The AYA Neo Flip is a handheld gaming PC with a 7 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel IPS LCD display featuring a 120 Hz refresh rate, an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor with Radeon 780M integrated graphics, and a clamshell design that lets you flip the screen up like a laptop and lock it in […]

The post AYA Neo Flip crowdfunding begins in late January, 2024 (handheld gaming PC with flip-up display and QWERTY keyboard or second screen) appeared first on Liliputing.

https://liliputing.com/aya-neo-flip-crowdfunding-begins-in-late-january-2024-handheld-gaming-pc-with-flip-up-display-and-qwerty-keyboard-or-second-screen/ Save to Pocket

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Engineers Design a Vibrating Pill for Weight Loss That Could Create a Feeling of Fullness

date: 2024-01-03, from: Smithsonian Magazine

The capsule is the size of a multivitamin, and in an experiment with pigs, it appeared to reduce the animals’ appetites

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/engineers-design-a-vibrating-pill-for-weight-loss-that-could-create-a-feeling-of-fullness-180983520/ Save to Pocket

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@IIIF Mastodon feed (date: 2024-01-03, from: IIIF Mastodon feed)

📣 The Call for Proposals for the 2024 IIIF Annual Conference is now open!

The 2024 #IIIF Conference will be June 4-7 in Los Angeles, CA jointly hosted by UCLA Libraries, Getty, and the #IIIF Consortium.

Read more and submit a proposal: https://bit.ly/24-iiif-cfp

https://glammr.us/@IIIF/111692842013030325 Save to Pocket

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Pac-12 WBB power ratings: UCLA repels USC in front of record crowd in Pauley Pavilion as conference play begins

date: 2024-01-03, from: San Jose Mercury News

The Pac-12 has four teams in the top 10 of the AP rankings

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/03/pac-12-wbb-power-ratings-ucla-repels-usc-in-front-of-record-crowd-in-pauley-pavilion-as-conference-play-begins/ Save to Pocket

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Atos confirms talks with Airbus over cybersecurity wing sale

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

IT service company’s latest move to clear its maturing debts

French IT services provider Atos has entered talks with Airbus to sell its tech security division in an effort to ease its financial burdens.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/03/atos_confirms_airbus_talks/ Save to Pocket

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An “optimistically cautious” forecast for the year ahead

date: 2024-01-03, from: Marketplace Morning Report

Economic forecasts for the coming year are decently optimistic, painting a picture of fairly low unemployment, gradually slowing inflation and continued economic growth. But there are still risks to this mostly sunny outlook — some that are global and some coming from D.C. Plus, soft landing or not, the Richmond Fed president advises us to buckle up. Oh, and Happy Dry January!

https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/an-optimistically-cautious-forecast-for-the-year-ahead Save to Pocket

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All-Bay Area News Group high school football 2023: Utility players

date: 2024-01-03, from: San Jose Mercury News

Acalanes, Campolindo, McClymonds, El Cerrito, Las Lomas players among those honored.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/03/all-bay-area-news-group-high-school-football-2023-utility-players/ Save to Pocket

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Teen’s promising swimming career in limbo after he is accused of slapping teammate on the backside

date: 2024-01-03, from: San Jose Mercury News

For 20 months, a teenage swimmer has been awaiting a decision about ‘sexual misconduct’ accusations filed against him by the U.S. Center for SafeSport. Police investigated and dismissed the allegations. But the swimmer remains in limbo.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/03/teens-promising-swimming-career-in-limbo-after-he-is-accused-of-slapping-teammate-on-the-backside/ Save to Pocket

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Biden to Sharpen Attack on Trump in Jan. 6 Anniversary Speech

date: 2024-01-03, from: VOA News USA

https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-to-sharpen-attack-on-trump-in-jan-6-anniversary-speech/7424982.html Save to Pocket

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The ‘Accidental Activist’ Who Changed the Face of Mathematics

date: 2024-01-03, from: Quanta Magazine

Throughout her 60-year career, Lenore Blum has developed new perspectives on logic and computation while championing women in mathematics and computer science. Now consciousness is on her mind.

The post The ‘Accidental Activist’ Who Changed the Face of Mathematics first appeared on Quanta Magazine

https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-accidental-activist-who-changed-the-face-of-mathematics-20240103/ Save to Pocket

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@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-03, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

NYT lists their 13 most likely contenders for Best Picture.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/03/movies/oscars-best-picture.html Save to Pocket

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Meet the newest breed to join the American Kennel Club, a little dog with a big smile

date: 2024-01-03, from: San Jose Mercury News

It’s small in stature, big on activity and known for a “smile,” and it’s ready to compete with 200 other dog breeds. Say hello to the Lancashire heeler.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/03/meet-the-newest-breed-to-join-the-american-kennel-club-a-little-dog-with-a-big-smile/ Save to Pocket

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All-Bay Area News Group high school football 2023: Defensive backs

date: 2024-01-03, from: San Jose Mercury News

Los Gatos, The King’s Academy, Pittsburg, Campolindo, Wilcox players among those honored

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/03/all-bay-area-news-group-high-school-football-2023-defensive-backs/ Save to Pocket

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Japan to test datacenter powered by reused hydrogen fuel cells

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

The source? Repurposed parts from electric vehicles

Honda and Mitsubishi are to test the feasibility of powering a datacenter with fuel cells taken from electric vehicles, using hydrogen produced as a byproduct of an industrial process.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/03/japan_to_test_datacenter_powered/ Save to Pocket

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Driver hospitalized after vehicle was hit by Caltrain in Burlingame

date: 2024-01-03, from: San Jose Mercury News

A person was hospitalized after their vehicle was struck by a Caltrain in Burlingame early Wednesday morning.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/03/driver-hospitalized-after-vehicle-was-hit-by-caltrain-in-burlingame/ Save to Pocket

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Is your Instagram feed “news”? Depends on how you feel.

date: 2024-01-03, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

We’ve become quite used to the notion that social media platforms’ endless stream of flattened, homogenized “content” has blurred the line between news and other forms of media and information (though, of course, that line was never perfectly clear to begin with). That blurring has allowed new and innovative voices into the news ecosystem, but it has also made news…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/01/is-your-instagram-feed-news-depends-on-how-you-feel/ Save to Pocket

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Fight Fire With Dragon

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: One Foot Tsunami

https://onefoottsunami.com/2024/01/03/fight-fire-with-dragon/ Save to Pocket

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Wickr Is Dead

date: 2024-01-03, from: 404 Media Group

The app was a privacy-championing startup, before becoming an app of choice for drug traffickers and being acquired by Amazon Web Services. Near the stroke of midnight on December 31, 2023, AWS shut down the free version of Wickr for good.

https://www.404media.co/wickr-closed-down-is-dead/ Save to Pocket

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Conservatives’ “anti-woke” alternative to Disney has arrived

date: 2024-01-03, from: Nieman Journalism Lab

As fanfare blares, female sprinters at the starting line suspiciously eye a man in a wig. A hulking, goateed wrestler slams a woman half his size to the mat. An ominous voiceover intones that women’s sports are being “trans-formed.” No, this isn’t the beginning of a classic cross-dressing comedy. It’s the trailer for “Lady Ballers,” a…

https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/01/conservatives-anti-woke-alternative-to-disney-has-arrived/ Save to Pocket

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Windows boss takes on taskbar turmoil, pledges to ‘make Start menu great again’

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Users aren’t the only ones questioning the Windows 11 feature’s utility

Windows boss Mikhail Parakhin has admitted that the Start menu needs a bit of work.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/03/windows_11_start_great_again/ Save to Pocket

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Guam Youth Congress resolution: More funding for FSM students

date: 2024-01-03, from: Guam Daily Post

The 34th Guam Youth Congress introduced a new resolution that sheds light on the abrupt cut in scholarship funding for Federated States of Micronesia students at the University of Guam.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/guam-youth-congress-resolution-more-funding-for-fsm-students/article_a28549d0-a91a-11ee-bd98-874a109ce3c3.html Save to Pocket

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UOG launches magazine for kids

date: 2024-01-03, from: Guam Daily Post

The University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant launched a new science, technology, engineering and math magazine, CHalan Deskubre, in December 2023 for children on Guam and the Northern Marianas.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/uog-launches-magazine-for-kids/article_72f43f98-a472-11ee-a49c-8f4c64cea8ec.html Save to Pocket

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Suspect allegedly stabbed victim in Mangilao death investigation

date: 2024-01-03, from: Guam Daily Post

A man was accused of stabbing Mike Tithin, whose body was found behind a Mangilao home last month.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/suspect-allegedly-stabbed-victim-in-mangilao-death-investigation/article_d47e9fc4-a9e5-11ee-9206-679f1a18dc88.html Save to Pocket

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Book details Babauta’s undercover gator mission

date: 2024-01-03, from: Guam Daily Post

Nobody will miss it.

https://www.postguam.com/entertainment/lifestyle/book-details-babauta-s-undercover-gator-mission/article_d73824be-a9c8-11ee-90ea-3fb23d824068.html Save to Pocket

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Court reverses OPA dismissed baggage procurement appeal

date: 2024-01-03, from: Guam Daily Post

Superior Court of Guam Judge Elyze Iriarte has determined that Public Auditor Benjamin Cruz improperly dismissed the procurement appeal filed by JMI-Edison Inc. regarding baggage conveyance system management and support services at the A.B. Won Pat International Airport.The decision boiled…

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/court-reverses-opa-dismissed-baggage-procurement-appeal/article_ca6dd746-a9d3-11ee-a513-f316714cc15e.html Save to Pocket

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UOG seeking US District Court’s dismissal of discrimination suit

date: 2024-01-03, from: Guam Daily Post

The University of Guam is seeking to dismiss the discrimination lawsuit filed by Ye-Kyoung Kim, arguing that her case failed to state a valid claim. The motion was filed by Deputy Attorney General Darlow Graham Botha and Special Assistant AG…

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/uog-seeking-us-district-court-s-dismissal-of-discrimination-suit/article_4ebab334-a86c-11ee-8cdc-a316a545d06e.html Save to Pocket

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Guam Green Growth accepting Conservation Corps applications

date: 2024-01-03, from: Guam Daily Post

Applications are now being accepted for the fourth cohort of Guam Green Growth’s Conservation Corps program.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/guam-green-growth-accepting-conservation-corps-applications/article_b15cba74-a915-11ee-b468-1369c1ed57e5.html Save to Pocket

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Gary Horton | Are We Who We Think We Are?

date: 2024-01-03, from: The Signal

Happy New Year to the Santa Clarita Valley! On to what will prove, one way or another, a monumentally important year.  Americans have long thought of themselves as an exceptional people, blessed of God. Some speak of us as a “Shining City on a Hill.” Our compassion and empathy are said to be unmatched. Britannica […]

The post Gary Horton | Are We Who We Think We Are? appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/gary-horton-are-we-who-we-think-we-are/ Save to Pocket

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Stephen Maseda | Noble Lies and Logic

date: 2024-01-03, from: The Signal

Mr. Ron Perry’s (Dec. 21) reply to Pastor David Hegg’s column of Dec. 15 concerning “Noble Lies” contains a number of assertions that do not withstand even cursory analysis.  We start from the conclusion that Mr. Perry is a non-believer, I assume an atheist. Based on his beliefs he asserts that religion is a “lie” […]

The post Stephen Maseda | Noble Lies and Logic appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/stephen-maseda-noble-lies-and-logic/ Save to Pocket

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Rob Kerchner | It Was Inevitable

date: 2024-01-03, from: The Signal

Once America began saying two men could be married, it wasn’t long before two men could be two women. Rob Kerchner Valencia 

The post Rob Kerchner | It Was Inevitable appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/rob-kerchner-it-was-inevitable/ Save to Pocket

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AM Briefing: A Deadline Blown​

date: 2024-01-03, from: Heatmap News

Current conditions: Parts of northern France are flooded after Storm Henk • China confirmed 2023 broke extreme heat records • A California-bound ship carrying 800 metric tons of lithium batteries is stuck in Alaska, riding out a major winter storm.

THE TOP FIVE

1. Tesla and Rivian release Q4 sales numbers

Tesla and Rivian yesterday reported their production and sales figures for the final three months of 2023: Tesla delivered 484,507, besting expectations. Rivian, a newcomer still trying to secure itself a foothold in the market, delivered 13,972 cars over the same time period, missing estimates by a hair. “The two companies’ numbers serve as snapshots of both the promise and peril of auto electrification as we roll into 2024,” writes Matthew Zeitlin at Heatmap. Tesla, having been overtaken by BYD in the global EV market, must now focus on scaling beyond the early EV adopters. Rivian, however, is at a very different stage, Zeitlin says: “not the early days of using investor money to develop a new vehicle, but the next stage, where you have an actual car to sell but you have to figure out a way to make money doing it.”

2. Vineyard Wind 1 project misses 2023 grid deadline

One of America’s first large-scale offshore wind farms missed its deadline to start supplying energy to the grid by the end of 2023. The Vineyard Wind 1 project is situated about 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and will eventually consist of 62 turbines that can power more than 400,000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts. Its first five turbines have been installed, and things were looking good for a December 31 launch. But at the very last minute a spokesperson said the project needed more testing. No timeline was given but the spokesperson said the goal was to “deliver power to shore soon.” The project was supposed to be fully operational by the middle of 2024 but developers have now “clarified” that the timeline is sometime within 2024. In December, the South Fork Wind project in New York became the first utility-scale offshore wind farm to generate power in the U.S.

3. U.K. fossil fuel electricity generation drops to 66-year low

The amount of the United Kingdom’s electricity that came from fossil fuels dropped by 22% last year to the lowest level since 1957, according to CarbonBrief. Electricity from coal, oil, and gas peaked in 2008 but has since plummeted thanks to the rapid expansion of renewables like wind and solar, a drop in electricity demand, and a boost in electricity imports. Coal use is down 97% since 2008; gas is down by 45%. Meanwhile, renewables output has increased six-fold, and last year renewable energy was the UK’s single largest source of power. “Overall, the electricity generated in the UK in 2023 had the lowest-ever carbon intensity,” CarbonBrief concludes.

On the flip side, UK power generation from nuclear plants dropped to a 42-year low last year as old stations were decommissioned. Without more nuclear power to fall back on during cloudy or wind-free days, the country may have to rely more on fossil fuels, explains Bloomberg.

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4. Wyoming carbon removal project would rely on small modular nuclear reactors

A major carbon removal project planned for Wyoming would rely on small modular nuclear reactors – a new kind of nuclear power plant that has never been built in the U.S. – prompting concerns about its feasibility, reports E&E News. Climate tech startup CarbonCapture recently received more than $10 million from the Department of Energy to explore plans for a direct air capture hub in Wyoming, dubbed “Project Bison.” Scientists say removing carbon from the air is necessary to help fight global warming. Small modular reactors could, in theory, provide carbon capture facilities with emissions-free power, but the nation’s first small modular reactors were axed last year as costs spiraled out of control. “It adds complication upon complication,” says Wil Burns, co-director of American University’s Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy. “You’re starting off with a complex new technology, and now you’re trying to wed another complex technology, including one that’s in transition.”

CarbonCapture

5. Study: Major East Coast cities are sinking

New research from Virginia Tech and the U.S. Geological Survey finds that major cities on the East Coast – from New York to Virginia Beach – are sinking. The team analyzed satellite data to spot land subsidence and found that some areas are sinking by as much as 5 millimeters per year. This subsidence, when combined with sea level rise caused by climate change, means essential structures like roads to airports are at risk in many major U.S. cities. “The problem is that the hotspots of sinking land intersect directly with population and infrastructure hubs,” says lead author Leonard Ohenhen.

THE KICKER

If you’re a journalist seeking comment on last year’s record temperatures, look no further than climate scientist Andrew Dressler’s “last year was hot” auto-response:

X/AndrewDressler

https://heatmap.news/climate/am-briefing-a-deadline-blown Save to Pocket

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Copy that? Xerox confirms ‘security incident’ at subsidiary

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Company’s removal from ransomware gang’s leak blog could mean negotiations underway

Xerox has officially confirmed that a cyber baddie broke into the systems of its US subsidiary - a week after INC Ransom claimed to have exfiltrated data from the copier and print giant.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/03/xerox_inks_confirmation_of_security/ Save to Pocket

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What Parents Of English Learners Need To Know | Quick Guide

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-04, from: The LAist

It can be difficult to understand whether your child is progressing toward proficiency in English. Here’s a quick guide for parents.

https://laist.com/news/education/what-parents-of-english-learners-need-to-know-quick-guide Save to Pocket

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Education Doesn’t Solve The Pay Gap. Experts Say They’re Not Surprised

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The LAist

The gap exists across industries but is bigger in higher-paying fields, leading to more calls for policies that aid women in the workforce.

https://laist.com/news/education/education-doesnt-solve-the-pay-gap-experts-say-theyre-not-surprised Save to Pocket

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It Keeps People With Schizophrenia In School And On The Job. Why Won’t Insurance Pay?

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The LAist

A new approach to schizophrenia involves managing early psychosis symptoms and keeping young people in school or jobs. The treatment is effective, but private insurance plans don’t usually cover it.

https://laist.com/news/education/schizophrenia-in-school-on-the-job-insurance Save to Pocket

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Gặp Bà Nội/Bà Ngoại Việt Nam Chiến Đấu Chống Tin Tức Không Đúng, Mỗi Lần Một Video trên YouTube

date: 2024-01-03, from: The Markup blog

“Tôi nghĩ rằng người Việt ở Hoa Kỳ không có nhận được đầy đủ tin tức đáng tin cậy. Và tôi không biết làm sao để giúp họ có được tin tức đáng tin cậy, ngoại trừ bằng cách làm hết sức mình qua video”.

https://themarkup.org/languages-of-misinformation/2024/01/03/gap-ba-noi-ba-ngoai-viet-nam-chien-dau-chong-tin-tuc-khong-dung-moi-lan-mot-video-tren-youtube Save to Pocket

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Put a Privacy Protector on Your Screen

date: 2024-01-03, from: The Markup blog

Prying eyes (like mine!) might be shoulder surfing your devices. Here’s how to protect yourself

https://themarkup.org/gentle-january/2024/01/03/put-a-privacy-protector-on-your-screen Save to Pocket

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California Rose Parade Features Float for Armenian Mothers

date: 2024-01-03, from: VOA News USA

Armenian Americans in Southern California celebrated their culture with a flowered float in the annual Rose Parade, moving on from a turbulent year that included Armenians’ exodus from their former enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh inside Azerbaijan’s borders. Genia Dulot has our story from Pasadena.

https://www.voanews.com/a/us-rose-parade-armenians-web-mp4/7424744.html Save to Pocket

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CloudBees co-founder buzzes about open source drama and AI

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Sacha Labourey on the HashiCorp license, Jenkins X experiments, and when LLMs will come for your job

Interview  “It’s the experiment that went too far,” says CloudBees’ Sacha Labourey of HashiCorp’s licensing change.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/03/cloudbees_sacha_labourey_interview/ Save to Pocket

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What might reparations look like? California could find out.

date: 2024-01-03, from: Marketplace Morning Report

After a California task force issued an 1,100-page report last summer, lawmakers there are starting to look at policy options to compensate Black residents descended from enslaved ancestors. Now, a state reparations bill could be voted on this year. As part of a three-part series, we’re chronicling the history, details and challenges of California’s reparations movement. But first, markets start 2024 with a course reversal.

https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/what-might-reparations-look-like-california-could-find-out Save to Pocket

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Facial Recognition Systems in the US

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2023-12-28, from: Bruce Schneier blog

A helpful summary of which US retail stores are using facial recognition, thinking about using it, or currently not planning on using it. (This, of course, can all change without notice.)

Three years ago, I wrote that campaigns to ban facial recognition are too narrow. The problem here is identification, correlation, and then discrimination. There’s no difference whether the identification technology is facial recognition, the MAC address of our phones, gait recognition, license plate recognition, or anything else. Facial recognition is just the easiest technology right now…

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2024/01/facial-recognition-systems-in-the-us.html Save to Pocket

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More vessels avoid the Red Sea

date: 2024-01-03, from: Marketplace Morning Report

From the BBC World Service: One in five major commercial ships is now avoiding the Red Sea because of the threat of attack, according to the head of the International Chamber of Shipping. Tesla has been toppled off its top slot as the global leader of electric car sales by Chinese rival BYD. And a cuckoo clock museum in the U.K. is looking for a someone to take the reins.

https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/more-vessels-avoid-the-red-sea Save to Pocket

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EU lassos tech giants in bid to rein in the AI Wild West

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Interpretation, debate, and judges set to decide how the rubber hits the road

Analysis  As 2023 drew to a close, the year of AI hype was ending as it began. According to figures from Pitchbook, Big Tech spent twice as much on deals with Generative AI startups than venture capital groups during the year.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/03/eu_ai_legistlation/ Save to Pocket

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The Michael Pollan Rule Applies to Fashion, Too

date: 2024-01-03, from: Heatmap News

News broke in early November that the U.S. federal dietary guidelines might soon warn Americans against eating “ultraprocessed food.”

It’s far from a done deal — an advisory committee is merely examining the issue, with no action expected before 2025. But it’s still somewhat of a duh moment for the millions of people who, over the past two decades, have turned away from food that comes in instant packets, boxes, and cans, and toward things that come from the produce aisle or the farmers market. Recent research makes a strong case that — more than individual villains like sugar, corn syrup, trans fats, and salt — it’s the way all these ingredients and more are pounded, mixed, extruded, and stuffed into shelf-stable forms that lead to health problems and weight gain.

Michael Pollan — the author who brought you the mantra “Eat real food, not too much, mostly plants” — is arguably one of the biggest catalysts for the real food movement. In a lesson from his Masterclass on intentional eating, he warns against foods with “very long ingredient lists,” saying that “the simplest way to think about an ultraprocessed food is you can’t imagine making it at home.”

You’ve heard of fast food and its linguistic child: the environmental scourge that is fast fashion. I would like to add a new term to the health and environmental zeitgeist:

Ultraprocessed fashion.

Corn Syrup versus Gore-Tex

In the early 2010s, I saw my own health and happiness vastly improve after overhauling my diet to eat whole, farm-fresh foods. But I wanted to take it further. I figured that if it matters to the environment and our health where we buy our food from, it might matter where we get other things, like beauty products, home goods, and fashion.

Still, for a long, the argument for U.S. shoppers in favor of buying more sustainable fashion — the kind of classic, durable pieces skillfully made of natural fibers by artisans and American factories — was largely an altruistic one. Sustainable fashion purchases were meant to benefit a cotton farmer in India you would never meet, to protect a river in Kenya you would never see, or support a community of craftspeople in Thailand you would never have the privilege of knowing.

Even more nebulous, arguments that purchasing this instead of that would prevent the release of (super rough estimate) a few pounds of invisible climate-polluting gas into the atmosphere have not proven to be a very strong motivator for shoppers. In survey after survey, consumers swear up and down that they care deeply about sustainability … as long as it doesn’t inconvenience them, cost more money, or look too crunchy.

That’s an impossible standard. Sustainable fashion, whether it takes the form of a 100% wool sweater from California, a hand-block-printed cotton sundress, or a naturally dyed button-down, is always going to be more expensive than its synthetic counterpart made in a sweatshop somewhere where the workers are cheap and the laws are loose. Neither does slow fashion keep up with TikTok trends, by definition.

I initially had a hard time connecting sustainable fashion to Western shoppers’ well-being beyond the argument that an overstuffed, chaotic closet full of fast fashion can’t be good for your mental health or time management. After all, we’re not eating our clothing, right?

That all changed in 2019, when I first heard that Delta Air Lines attendants were suing Lands’ End, the maker of their uniforms, saying the new clothes were making them sick.

If you could call any clothing ultraprocessed, it would be these uniforms. While old airline outfits were made of traditional wool suiting and cotton button-downs in staid colors, the uniforms introduced in the past decade or so at Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, and Southwest all were made of synthetic blends. They came in super-saturated colors and were coated in layers of performance chemicals: flame retardants, Teflon for stain resistance, and formaldehyde-based wrinkle-free finishes. They were made fast and cheap by suppliers in countries with lax environmental standards.

As I reported in my book To Dye For: How Toxic Fashion Is Making Us Sick – and How We Can Fight Back, at every single one of those four major airlines, up to a quarter of the attendants reported having health reactions, including rashes and skin burns, breathing problems, hair loss, blurry vision, brain fog, and extreme fatigue. Some attendants had to be taken off their planes and brought to the ER. Though the lawsuit by Delta flight attendants didn’t move forward, in November of this year a jury awarded over $1 million to four American Airlines flight attendants who said their Twin Hill uniforms made them sick.

The next question that arises is: Is this happening to regular folks, too? And the answer is yes, but in more subtle and insidious ways. For example, the kinds of dyes used on synthetic materials like polyester (disperse dyes) are well-known to dermatologists to be common skin sensitizers. But many people may not know it’s clothing exacerbating their toddler’s eczema or setting off their own skin problems.

But the issue is more serious than just rashes, though rashes are often the first sign that something is wrong. Researchers and advocacy groups have tested fashion from well-known brands and counterfeits alike and found heavy metals like lead, chromium, and cadmium; endocrine disruptors like Bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, and per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); biocides, pesticides, and fungicides; and known carcinogens like benzene, certain azo dyes, and formaldehyde. (This is an abbreviated list, by the way.)

We’ve known for a long time these chemicals end up in our water and environment. PFAS, a toxic class of chemicals used for imbuing synthetics with water resistance, has been found all over Mount Everest’s summit, for example. But what we’re increasingly seeing is that our fashion, like our diets, affects our physical health.

Take microfibers, which in Heatmap’s recent survey were deemed to be a problem by 61% of respondents, and an “extremely serious” problem by 25% of respondents. When microfibers come off our clothes in the wash or break off our clothes and become part of our house dust, they bring with them everything that is in and on clothing. Given that we’re ingesting microfibers every day, we are eating our clothes. We’re also breathing in their VOCs, and our sweat is pulling those chemicals out of fibers onto our skin, where they can be absorbed into our bloodstream.

One of the main reasons fashion has turned from a field-to-closet endeavor to a chemistry experiment is the same as for food: It’s more profitable to sell highly processed, branded products made exclusively from petrochemicals and with a lot of marketing promises than it is to sell traditional pieces made from natural materials.

This happens at both ends of the fashion spectrum. At the low end, as Shein has shown, you can grow your company at an unprecedented speed by sourcing huge volumes of $5 polyester minidresses from garment factories with dubious working conditions, according to numerous reports.

At the other end, a company can add proprietary, brand-name chemistry like Gore-Tex to outdoor gear and sell it at a huge markup. Just observe a bit currently going around on TikTok where a spouse or partner requests you wear your most expensive clothing to an event or to meet the parents, so you show up in hiking gear.

Sure, if you’re a professional fisherman plowing through rough seas for your catch, a first responder, or a scientist living in the Arctic, you may well need high-performance gear. But for the rest of us, it’s just aspirational marketing, kind of like drinking Gatorade while you’re on the couch watching football.

Yes, It’s That Bad

Like the food industry before it, the fashion industry’s focus when it comes to safe and non-toxic fashion has been on individual chemicals or classes of chemicals instead of the holistic picture. The (completely voluntary) standards used by some fashion brands and certifications will test a textile for a tiny percentage of the tens of thousands of possible chemical substances in circulation, and if each is under the (often arbitrary) limit, the fashion piece will be declared safe.

This approach, however, doesn’t take into account how chemicals can mix to have synergistic effects on the same organs or cause the same health effects.

For example, it’s completely within the realm of possibility for one clothing item or outfit to have BPA, phthalates, and PFAS, each of which by itself wreaks havoc on our hormonal system, even in tiny, tiny amounts. Some of these chemicals are used to process fibers. Some chemicals such as finishes, dyes, and glues are used deliberately and are meant to stay in and on the fashion. Some chemicals are accidental contaminants, as fabrics and components flow through an opaque, unregulated, and just plain sloppy supply chain.

That then can affect everything from our reproductive system and energy levels to our skin appearance and weight. And all this while you’re trying to take care of your health by taking a hike or hitting the gym. It kind of reminds me of when cereal brands will brag about the vitamins they’ve added to their sugary, processed cereal.

What’s more, unlike food, cleaning products, and beauty products, clothing doesn’t come with a complete ingredient list. Anything under 5% of the weight of the product doesn’t have to be included. So what kind of finishes, dyes, threads, or contaminants are present in any piece of fashion is somewhat of a mystery.

When people ask me what they should buy or what they should clean out of their closets, I usually give them a list of things to look for and things to avoid — yes to natural fibers like cotton, wool, linen, bamboo rayon, and silk; no to toxic “vegan” leather polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and other synthetics, which are more likely to contain hazardous or sensitizing chemicals; avoid neon bright colors and buy naturally dyed or undyed products when you can; don’t dry clean your clothes.

But a simpler way to think about it would be to avoid clothing and accessories that your grandparents would look askance at, just like Pollan has encouraged us to do at the grocery store. Wait, what is Pertex® 20D Diamond Fuse Ripstop nylon? Or a polyester Lycra® elastane blend with anti-odor technology? What does it mean when something has Durable Water Repellant? What is actually in Memory Foam™ or the smelly glue that bonds it to the bottom of a sneaker? Do you really believe that a piece of clothing that smells like gasoline out of the box is okay for your health — or for anyone’s health? Which sounds better to you: chromium-tanned leather or vegetable-tanned leather?

Sure, it may take a bit more time, skill, and investment than buying synthetic clothing that you drop off at the dry cleaner. But then again, so does making a nutritious meal from ingredients you get at the farmer’s market. And, I would argue, both are a core part of cultivating a healthier, more vibrant, community-oriented, and nurturing life.

https://heatmap.news/lifestyle/ultraprocessed-fashion-forever-chemicals Save to Pocket

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Japanese earthquake disrupts chip industry operations

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Industry lull good for tech, but human toll is grim reading

The 7.6 preliminary magnitude earthquake that hit Japan on New Year’s Day is forcing Ishikawa Prefecture chip and electronics companies to temporarily shut their doors, with affected companies including Toshiba, GlobalWafers, Murata and others.…

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Office Hours: Our start-of-year presidential poll

date: 2024-01-03, from: Robert Reich on Substack

Who in your view will win (not who should win, but who will win) the presidency?

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/office-hours-our-start-of-year-presidential Save to Pocket

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NASA Invites You to X-59 Rollout Watch Party

date: 2024-01-03, from: NASA breaking news

It’s almost time for NASA’s supersonic X-59 airplane to make its red, white, and blue public debut, and you’re invited to join friends and family in taking a front-row, virtual VIP seat to the rollout ceremony in the California high desert. As a historic milestone in aviation history, NASA is encouraging people across the nation […]

https://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics/x-59-rollout-watch-party/ Save to Pocket

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Huge Number of Migrants Highlights Border Crisis

date: 2024-01-03, from: VOA News USA

https://www.voanews.com/a/huge-number-of-migrants-highlights-border-crisis/7424665.html Save to Pocket

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@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-03, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)

Driverless cars swerve traffic citations in California.

https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/02/driverless_cars_tickets/ Save to Pocket

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In surprise move, Gentoo Linux starts offering binaries

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

The most successful compile-it-yourself Linux distro now has compiled, packaged executables

Gentoo now offers 20-plus gigabytes of pre-compiled binaries, from desktops to office suites, to speed up installations and updates.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/03/gentoo_starts_offering_binaries/ Save to Pocket

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First Pooh, now Mickey. In public domain, early Mickey Mouse version will star in horror movies

date: 2024-01-03, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>LOS ANGELES (AP) &#8212; The earliest iteration of Mickey Mouse is on a rampage, barely two days in the public domain.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/03/nation-world-news/first-pooh-now-mickey-in-public-domain-early-mickey-mouse-version-will-star-in-horror-movies/ Save to Pocket

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Obituares for January 3

date: 2024-01-03, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Lordes Lauro Galapir, 88, of Hilo, died Dec. 25. Born in Pahala, she was a homemaker. Visitation to be held from 8-9:30 a.m. Jan. 9 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Hilo, with funeral to take place at 9:30 a.m. and a committal service and burial to be held at noon the same day at East Hawaii Veterans Cemetery #2. Survived by sons Harvey (Debbie) Galapir of Pahala, Wesley (Ella) Galapir of Keaau and Patrick (Charlene) Galapir of Hilo; daughters Josephine (Steven) Pelayo of Keaau, Faith (Michael) Derasin of Waiohinu and Zina (Payton) Hough of Kauai; sister Encarnation Evangelista of Ainaloa; brother Alfred (Leslie) Lauro of Hilo; 14 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Arrangements by Dodo Mortuary.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/03/obituaries/obituares-for-january-3/ Save to Pocket

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Trump appeals Maine ruling barring him from ballot under the Constitution’s insurrection clause

date: 2024-01-03, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>PORTLAND, Maine &#8212; Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday appealed a ruling by Maine&#8217;s secretary of state barring him from the state&#8217;s 2024 ballot over his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, contending she had no authority, that he incited no riot, never swore to &#8220;support&#8221; the Constitution and was not a government officer as stipulated in the constitutional amendment she cited.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/03/nation-world-news/trump-appeals-maine-ruling-barring-him-from-ballot-under-the-constitutions-insurrection-clause/ Save to Pocket

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Armed man breaks into Colorado Supreme Court building, causes ‘significant and extensive’ damage

date: 2024-01-03, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>DENVER &#8212; A man shot through a window and broke into the Colorado Supreme Court building early Tuesday, causing &#8220;significant and extensive&#8221; damage in several areas of the building before surrendering to police, authorities said.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/03/nation-world-news/armed-man-breaks-into-colorado-supreme-court-building-causes-significant-and-extensive-damage/ Save to Pocket

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Judges let new California ban on guns in many public places take effect amid legal fight

date: 2024-01-03, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>A new California law barring licensed gun holders from carrying their firearms into an array of public places took effect Monday despite an ongoing legal challenge to its legitimacy.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/03/nation-world-news/judges-let-new-california-ban-on-guns-in-many-public-places-take-effect-amid-legal-fight/ Save to Pocket

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Harvard president Claudine Gay resigns amid plagiarism claims, backlash from antisemitism testimony

date: 2024-01-03, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p> Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned Tuesday amid plagiarism accusations and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing where she was unable to say unequivocally that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school&#8217;s conduct policy.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/03/nation-world-news/harvard-president-claudine-gay-resigns-amid-plagiarism-claims-backlash-from-antisemitism-testimony/ Save to Pocket

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Planes collide and catch fire at Japan’s busy Haneda airport, killing 5. Hundreds evacuated safely

date: 2024-01-03, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>TOKYO &#8212; A large passenger plane and a Japanese coast guard aircraft collided on the runway at Tokyo&#8217;s Haneda Airport on Tuesday and burst into flames, killing five people aboard the coast guard plane, officials said.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/03/nation-world-news/planes-collide-and-catch-fire-at-japans-busy-haneda-airport-killing-5-hundreds-evacuated-safely/ Save to Pocket

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2 Honolulu police officers shot, gunman dead after chase

date: 2024-01-03, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>HONOLULU (AP) &#8212; A man in Honolulu shot and wounded a woman, stole a car at gunpoint and was later killed in a shootout with police that left two officers wounded, authorities said.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/03/hawaii-news/2-honolulu-police-officers-shot-gunman-dead-after-chase/ Save to Pocket

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Apparent Israeli strike kills senior Hamas figure in Beirut and raises fears conflict could expand

date: 2024-01-03, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>BEIRUT &#8212; An apparent Israeli strike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut killed Hamas&#8217; No. 2 political leader Tuesday, marking a potentially significant escalation of Israel&#8217;s war against the militant group and heightening the risk of a wider Middle East conflict.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/03/nation-world-news/apparent-israeli-strike-kills-senior-hamas-figure-in-beirut-and-raises-fears-conflict-could-expand/ Save to Pocket

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LaPierre, longtime NRA leader, faces trial that could end his reign

date: 2024-01-03, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>NEW YORK &#8212; For decades, Wayne LaPierre, the National Rifle Association&#8217;s longtime leader, has been a survivor. He has endured waves of palace intrigue, corruption scandals and embarrassing revelations, including leaked video that captured his inability to shoot an elephant at point-blank range while on a safari.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/03/nation-world-news/lapierre-longtime-nra-leader-faces-trial-that-could-end-his-reign/ Save to Pocket

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States and Congress wrestle with cybersecurity after Iran attacks small town water utilities

date: 2024-01-03, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>HARRISBURG, Pa. &#8212; The tiny Aliquippa water authority in western Pennsylvania was perhaps the least-suspecting victim of an international cyberattack.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/03/nation-world-news/states-and-congress-wrestle-with-cybersecurity-after-iran-attacks-small-town-water-utilities/ Save to Pocket

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More bike-share stations constructed for Hilo and Kona

date: 2024-01-03, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Pedestrians can find more public bicycles in convenient locations thanks to the recent addition of HIBIKE bike-share stations in Hilo and Kailua-Kona.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/03/hawaii-news/more-bike-share-stations-constructed-for-hilo-and-kona/ Save to Pocket

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County seeks members for CDP Action Committees

date: 2024-01-03, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Hawaii County is seeking civic-minded residents to join action committees around the island to help shape policy for most of the island&#8217;s districts.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/03/hawaii-news/county-seeks-members-for-cdp-action-committees/ Save to Pocket

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Powerful earthquakes in Japan leave at least 62 dead. Fears grow about saving people still trapped

date: 2024-01-03, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>SUZU, Japan &#8212; A series of powerful earthquakes that hit western Japan left at least 62 people dead Wednesday, as rescue workers fought to save those feared trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/03/nation-world-news/powerful-earthquakes-in-japan-leave-at-least-62-dead-fears-grow-about-saving-people-still-trapped/ Save to Pocket

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Hawaii welcomes first babies of the new year

date: 2024-01-03, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>About 20 minutes into the new year, Queen&#8217;s North Hawaii Community Hospital welcomed the first baby to be born in a Big Island hospital in 2024.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/03/hawaii-news/hawaii-welcomes-first-babies-of-the-new-year/ Save to Pocket

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Government proposals worry Maui short-term rental owners

date: 2024-01-03, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>MAKAWAO &#8212; Finding housing for survivors has emerged as a top priority in the wake of the devastating Maui wildfires, but many fear that proposals coming forth to convert vacation rental units will jeopardize some businesses still struggling to stay afloat after the pandemic and since Lahaina&#8217;s destruction.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/03/hawaii-news/government-proposals-worry-maui-short-term-rental-owners/ Save to Pocket

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Plein aire exhibit and more open at Wailoa Center

date: 2024-01-03, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>The Wailoa Center and the Hawaii Island Art Alliance will be kicking off 2024 with the opening of multiple exhibits from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday at the center.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/03/community/plein-aire-exhibit-and-more-open-at-wailoa-center/ Save to Pocket

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UH-Hilo students work on Helelani planetary rover

date: 2024-01-03, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Four University of Hawaii at Hilo computer science and engineering students closed out 2023 by working to improve the computing code for the Helelani planetary rover.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/03/community/uh-hilo-students-work-on-helelani-planetary-rover/ Save to Pocket

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HFS offers $45K in scholarships

date: 2024-01-03, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Applications for the 2024 HFS Federal Credit Union Scholarship Program are now being accepted online from current Big Island high school seniors in the graduating class of 2024 and existing college students.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/03/community/hfs-offers-45k-in-scholarships/ Save to Pocket

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CERT training course slated for Jan. 27-28

date: 2024-01-03, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency has scheduled a two-day Community Emergency Response Team Basic Training course from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27, and Sunday, Jan. 28, at the Aupuni Center Conference Room at 101 Pauahi St. in Hilo.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/03/community/cert-training-course-slated-for-jan-27-28/ Save to Pocket

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Man identified in apparent murder/suicide in Kealakekua

date: 2024-01-03, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold

            <p>The Hawaii Police Department has identified the male victim in an apparent murder/suicide that took place New Year&#8217;s Day in Kealakekua.</p>
        

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/03/hawaii-news/man-identified-in-apparent-murder-suicide-in-kealakekua/ Save to Pocket

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SBF’s Victory From Behind Bars

date: 2024-01-03, from: The Lever News

Federal regulators allow a small cryptocurrency firm to vertically integrate, deregulating the industry just like Sam Bankman-Fried wanted.

https://www.levernews.com/sbfs-victory-from-behind-bars/ Save to Pocket

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Google flaunts concurrency, optimization as cloud rivals overhaul platforms

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Details sub-CPU allotments, performant Iceberg tables after Microsoft, Databricks bring market noise

Feature  Last year was a big one for data analytics and ML in the cloud. Two of the biggest players, Microsoft and Databricks, both overhauled their platforms, with the former also managing to launch products.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/03/google_flaunts_concurrency_and_optimizstion/ Save to Pocket

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Careful what you wish for

date: 2024-01-03, from: Bloonface Blog

I want to preface this by saying that I think Liz Truss is an idiot whose programme for government would have been very harmful, at the very least socially and in terms of public services, had it actually been implemented in any coherent sense, and is in basic opposition to almost everything I believe in. […]

http://blog.bloonface.com/2024/01/03/careful-what-you-wish-for/ Save to Pocket

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Togo hospital employs Raspberry Pi 400 as a thin client

date: 2024-01-03, from: Raspberry Pi News (.com)

Raspberry Pi 400 is helping to transform essential record-keeping at Bethesda Hospital in Togo, West Africa.

The post Togo hospital employs Raspberry Pi 400 as a thin client appeared first on Raspberry Pi.

https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/togo-hospital-employs-raspberry-pi-400-as-a-thin-client/ Save to Pocket

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The Savvy Senior | How to Close Social Media Accounts of a Deceased Loved One

date: 2024-01-03, from: The Signal

Dear Savvy Senior,   How do I go about canceling a person’s social media accounts when they die? My wife passed away a few months ago and her social media accounts are still active.    — Sad Spouse   Dear Sad,   I’m very sorry for your loss, but this is a smart move on […]

The post The Savvy Senior | How to Close Social Media Accounts of a Deceased Loved One appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/the-savvy-senior-how-to-close-social-media-accounts-of-a-deceased-loved-one/ Save to Pocket

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Formal ban on ransomware payments? Asking orgs nicely to not cough up ain’t working

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

With the average demand hitting $1.5 million, something’s gotta change

Emsisoft has called for a complete ban on ransom payments following another record-breaking year of digital extortion.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/03/ban_ransomware_payments/ Save to Pocket

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Tim Button on sets and functions

date: 2024-01-03, from: Logic Matters blog

A very interesting new piece on the arXiv by Tim Button, on “The iterative conception of function and the iterative conception of set” — what’s to choose between a universe of sets and a universe of functions as a “foundation”? Technically inventive, conceptually challenging.

The post Tim Button on sets and functions appeared first on Logic Matters.

https://www.logicmatters.net/2024/01/03/tim-button-on-sets-and-functions/ Save to Pocket

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Answers to my analytics inquiry

date: 2024-01-03, from: Manu - I write blog

I’m aware it’s not Saturday but I realised I didn’t need to collect a full week worth of data to get an answer to my question and so I decided that three full days were enough. I have data for December 30th and 31st and January 1st. That’s more that enough. So let’s do some digging shall we.

A quick acknowledgement

Before I cruch the numbers I want to highlight two people who got in touch mentioning their similar experiments: Jim Nielsen—who’s also a P&B guest—and Chris Krycho.

The metrics

I think it’s important to first establish what these tools are measuring. I’m interested in one single data point: how many people have accessed my content. Should be simple enough in theory. That information is often referred to as Unique user or Unique visitor. But how are these tools determining what counts as unique?

Plausible doesn’t use cookies and to track unique visitors they do the following:

Every single HTTP request sends the IP address and the User-Agent to the server so that’s what we use. We generate a daily changing identifier using the visitor’s IP address and User-Agent. To anonymize these datapoints and make them impossible to relate back to the user, we run them through a hash function with a rotating salt.

So a combination of IP and User Agent. So if someone is browsing from different devices they’d probably be counted multiple times. More info is available on the Plausible website.

Simple Analytics tracks a slightly different metric called “unique visits” which is based, according to their docs, on the referrer. More info at this page.

Fathom tracks “Visitors” defined as:

A visitor is a unique person who’s visited your site.

Not very helpful. I tried to poke around the docs but I couldn’t find how they track it so I’ll move on to the final platform, Pirsch. They do something similar to what Plausible is doing

Pirsch generates a unique number for each visitor calculated from the visitor’s IP address, the User-Agent, and a random string that is set for each website.

Finally, we have Goaccess, the tool I’m going to use to analyse my server logs. Goaccess defines a Unique Visitor as

HTTP requests containing the same IP, the same date, and the same user agent are considered a unique visitor. By default, it includes web crawlers/spiders.

We have our definitions, it’s time to get to some numbers.

The numbers

These are the (Unique) Visitors reported by the four online services and my server logs

• Plausible 358
• Fathom 403
• Pirsch 273
• Simple Analytics 728
• Server Logs 3894

Already, the difference between logs and client analytics is HUGE. But we need to dig a bit deeper into the logs because the situation there is messy. To start, there’s the issue of bots, spiders and crawlers. Goaccess has an optional flag I turned on to ignore a huge number of those. That 3894 is already ignoring a good % of non-human traffic. But I am sure something is still slipping through. Another thing that is present in my server logs that is obviously not present in the other four tools is RSS traffic because the JS necessary to keep track of the traffic is not included in the RSS feed. If I remove all the entries in my logs mentioning either rss or feed the Unique Visitors go from 3894 to 2111. Lower but still way higher than the client side data that was averaging around 440.

Clearly more work is needed on these logs because they’re incredibly noisy. I removed all 404s, manually removed all the entries mentioning any type of bot, I also grabbed only entries matching this regex (Gecko|Chrome|Firefox|AppleWebKit|Mac OS|Windows NT|Android). And that leaves us with 1821 unique visitors, according to my logs.

That number is still a lot higher than what I’m seeing in the online dashboard so what gives? Well, I think something obvious is happening here. I am a web developer with an indie blog that is followed by a lot of people who are also passionate about the web and are tech savvy. So I’d bet the % of people running one or multiple ad blockers between my readers is quite high. An article from the Plausible blog reports that a huge % of people is blocking google analytics for example but I’m sure modern ad blockers are also preventing these tools to work properly. Hell I had to disable mine just to access those dashboards. My visits to my site were not counted. Estimating the number of people running ad blockers is impossible and a quick online search tells me the numbers are anything between 30% to 65%.

If I were to adjust the numbers coming out of the four tools I used based on the 65% which is probably reasonable considering my type of audience we’d get

• Plausible 967
• Fathom 1089
• Pirsch 737
• Simple Analytics 1967

A lot closer to the 1821 coming out of my server logs. We can probably safely assume that some of those 1821 are bots cleverly disguised as genuine traffic and the true number has to be somewhere in the ~1200 range.

So, do I finally have an answer? Is ~1200 the answer I was looking for? Well, not quite. We excluded RSS earlier because it was not part of the data gathered by the four client side tools but RSS traffic is still traffic worth counting. Especially in 2024! Figuring out actual RSS traffic is close to impossible. Goaccess tells me there were 1973 unique IPs pinging the various feeds on my site. I’m going to follow Darek lead here and simply count exposed subscribers. According to my logs we have:

• 12 different Feedbin feeds with unique feed-id for a total of 439 subscribers;
• 3 instances of Inoreader with very distinct subscribers number for a total of 126
• 4 Feedly instances with very distinct subscribers number for a total of 391
• NewsBlur, BazQux Reader, and The Old Reader are the other services exposing subscribers number and combined are other 70

So the total, according to these services is 1026 subscribers, if my math is correct. Only thing missing to this weird roundup is the 110 people who are getting my posts directly in their inbox.

The conclusion

Is there even a lesson to be learn here? Don’t trust numbers blindly perhaps? Server logs are messy and can be over inflated while client based analytics can greatly under report your numbers if you have a very tech savvy audience. Also RSS is still doing fine and you should definitely have an RSS feed if you have a personal blog. And if you don’t have a personal blog I don’t know what you’re waiting for. Ditch social media and start blogging. You can thank me later. And if you don’t know where to start hit me up and I’ll be happy to help.

https://manuelmoreale.com/@/page/9ySjx3UbapdId1mz Save to Pocket

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OPA: procurement deficiencies, other issues with hospital consultancy contract

date: 2024-01-03, from: Guam Daily Post

The Office of Public Accountability has found several issues with a performance revenue cycle management (RCM) services contract for the Guam Memorial Hospital Authority.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/opa-procurement-deficiencies-other-issues-with-hospital-consultancy-contract/article_5ef057f6-a9e6-11ee-accd-1f9f7fe4706a.html Save to Pocket

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January 2, 2024

date: 2024-01-03, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog

The new year has hit with news flying in from a number of quarters. At home, minimum wage increased in nearly half of U.S. states; it has been 14 years since the last increase in the federal minimum wage, the longest stretch since 1938 according to the AFL-CIO. NPR correspondent David Gura quoted Goldman Sachs’s chief equity strategist to note, ​​”The S&P 500 index returned 26% including dividends in 2023, more than 2x the average annual return of 12% since 1986.”

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-2-2024 Save to Pocket

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Vape stores to close to testify against Bill 50

date: 2024-01-03, from: Guam Daily Post

Vape shops across the island will close their doors Thursday as a demonstration of unity to testify against Bill 50-37, legislation that would prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products within Guam.

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/vape-stores-to-close-to-testify-against-bill-50/article_959982d0-a9e8-11ee-8247-ab3c057ac7c5.html Save to Pocket

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India inches space program forward with launch of X-ray polarimetry satellite

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Meanwhile, ISRO chief sets sights on next crewed mission

India kicked off the new year with the launch of an X-ray polarimetry space observatory to research cosmic radiation.…

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/03/india_x_ray_polarimetry_satellite/ Save to Pocket

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US to Reopen Border Crossings as Illegal Immigration Drops

date: 2024-01-03, from: VOA News USA

https://www.voanews.com/a/us-to-reopen-border-crossings-as-illegal-immigration-drops/7422557.html Save to Pocket

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US National Debt Hits Record $34 Trillion as Congress Gears up for Funding Fight

date: 2024-01-03, from: VOA News USA

WASHINGTON — The federal government’s gross national debt has surpassed $34 trillion, a record high that foreshadows the coming political and economic challenges to improve America’s balance sheet in the coming years. 

The U.S. Treasury Department issued a report Tuesday logging U.S. finances, which have become a source of tension in a politically divided Washington that could possibly see parts of the government shut down without an annual budget in place. 

Republican lawmakers and the White House agreed last June to temporarily lift the nation’s debt limit, staving off the risk of what would be a historic default. That agreement lasts until January 2025. Here are some answers to questions about the new record national debt. 

How did the national debt hit $34 trillion?  

The national debt eclipsed $34 trillion several years sooner than pre-pandemic projections. The Congressional Budget Office’s January 2020 projections had gross federal debt eclipsing $34 trillion in fiscal year 2029. 

But the debt grew faster than expected because of a multiyear pandemic starting in 2020 that shut down much of the U.S. economy. The government borrowed heavily under then-President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden to stabilize the economy and support a recovery. But the rebound came with a surge of inflation that pushed up interest rates and made it more expensive for the government to service its debts. 

“So far, Washington has been spending money as if we had unlimited resources,” said Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at Loyola Marymount University. “But the bottom line is, there is no free lunch,” he said. “And I think the outlook is pretty grim.” 

The gross debt includes money that the government owes itself, so most policymakers rely on the total debt held by the public in assessing the government’s finances. This lower figure — $26.9 trillion — is roughly equal in size to the U.S. gross domestic product. 

Last June, the Congressional Budget Office estimated in its 30-year outlook that publicly held debt will be equal to a record 181% of American economic activity by 2053. 

What is the impact to the economy?  

The national debt does not appear to be a weight on the U.S. economy right now, as investors are willing to lend the federal government money. This lending allows the government to keep spending on programs without having to raise taxes. 

But the debt’s path in the decades to come might put at risk national security and major programs, including Social Security and Medicare, which have become the most prominent drivers of forecasted government spending over the next few decades. Government dysfunction, such as another debt limit showdown, could also be a financial risk if investors worry about lawmakers’ willingness to repay the U.S. debt. 

Foreign buyers of U.S. debt — like China, Japan, South Korea and European nations — have already cut down on their holdings of Treasury notes. 

A Peterson Foundation analysis states that foreign holdings of U.S. debt peaked at 49% in 2011 but dropped to 30% by the end of 2022. 

“Looking ahead, debt will continue to skyrocket as the Treasury expects to borrow nearly $1 trillion more by the end of March,” said Peterson Foundation CEO Michael Peterson. "Adding trillion after trillion in debt, year after year, should be a flashing red warning sign to any policymaker who cares about the future of our country. 

How could it affect me?  

The debt equates to about $100,000 per person in the U.S. That sounds like a lot, but the sum so far has not appeared to threaten U.S. economic growth. 

Instead, the risk is long term if the debt keeps rising to uncharted levels. Sohn said a higher debt load could put upward pressure on inflation and cause interest rates to remain elevated, which could also increase the cost of repaying the national debt. 

And as the debt challenge evolves over time, choices may become more severe as the costs of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid increasingly outstrip tax revenues. 

When it could turn into a more dire situation is anyone’s guess, says Shai Akabas, director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center. "But if and when that happens, it could mean very significant consequences that occur very quickly. 

“It could mean spikes in interest rates. It could mean a recession that leads to lots more unemployment. It could lead to another bout of inflation or weird goings-on with consumer prices — several of which are things that we’ve experienced just in the past few years,” he said. 

How do Republicans and Democrats differ?  

Both Democrats and Republicans have called for debt reduction, but they disagree on the appropriate means of doing so. 

The Biden administration has been pushing for tax hikes on the wealthy and corporations to reduce budget deficits, in addition to funding its domestic agenda. Biden also increased the budget for the IRS so that it can collect unpaid taxes and possibly reduce the debt by hundreds of billions of dollars over 10 years. 

Republican lawmakers have called for large cuts to non-defense government programs and the repeal of clean energy tax credits and spending passed in the Inflation Reduction Act. But Republicans also want to trim Biden’s IRS funding and cut taxes further, both of which could cause the debt to worsen. 

A Treasury Department representative did not respond to a request for comment. 

“There is growing concern among investors and rating agencies that the trajectory we’re on is unsustainable — when that turns into a more dire situation is anyone’s guess,” Akabas said.

https://www.voanews.com/a/us-national-debt-hits-record-34-trillion-as-congress-gears-up-for-funding-fight-/7422514.html Save to Pocket

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State water officials: Season’s first survey finds below-average snowpack

date: 2024-01-03, from: The Signal

By Signal Staff  The California Department of Water Resources on Tuesday conducted the first snow survey of the season at Phillips Station — and the results showed a below-average snowpack for this time of year.  The manual survey recorded 7.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 3 inches, which is 30% of […]

The post State water officials: Season’s first survey finds below-average snowpack appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/state-water-officials-seasons-first-survey-finds-below-average-snowpack/ Save to Pocket

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@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-01-03, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)

Gaza

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additional coverage: https://x.com/zei_squirrel/status/1742252796777505007?s=46

https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/111689278053543053 Save to Pocket

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@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-01-03, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)

Gaza

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Today in scandals:

• Israel assassinated the Hamas dude in Lebanon that was in charge of hostage release negotiations.
  • Israel Minister of National Security stated that ethnic cleansing of Gaza is the goal.
    • evidence is crumbling on the sex assault claims.

      Sorry for the twitter links:

      https://x.com/ryangrim/status/1742329879226368177?s=46

      https://x.com/dancohen3000/status/1742328782998905034?s=46

      https://x.com/shaykhsulaiman/status/1742191943243764084?s=46

https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/111689270780796197 Save to Pocket

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Santa Clarita Walk to End Alzheimer’s Exceeds Goal

date: 2024-01-03, from: SCV New (TV Station)

The Santa Clarita Walk to End Alzheimer’s held in October at Bridgeport Park raised nearly $173,000, exceeding the goal set for the event of $155,000. The fundraiser was held to benefit the care, support, advocacy and research programs of the Alzheimer’s Association.

https://scvnews.com/santa-clarita-walk-to-end-alzheimers-exceeds-goal/ Save to Pocket

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SCV holiday hoops roundup

date: 2024-01-03, from: The Signal

Nearly every local basketball team was in tournament action over the winter break. Several teams made runs at championships while others are still putting the pieces together for a late-season push.   Here are some headlines from the holiday break:  Canyon boys win first tourney in 10 years  Canyon went a perfect 6-0 over the holiday […]

The post <strong>SCV holiday hoops roundup</strong>  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/scv-holiday-hoops-roundup/ Save to Pocket

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X reverses course on headlines in article links – but just a little and maybe not

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)

Meanwhile: Fidelity downgrades social network’s valuation by 71%, so far

Updated  Links to articles and pages on the web made sense again on X, for a short while at least, as headlines and titles returned to preview cards shown in tweets in the digital land formerly known as Twitter. …

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/03/x_headlines_valuation/ Save to Pocket

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Wednesday 3 January, 2024

date: 2024-01-03, from: John Naughton’s online diary

Boxed set Cycling past the University Library in Cambridge over Christmas, I noticed that some genius — in a neat touch — had placed a classic red telephone box on the forecourt. Why ‘neat’? Simply that the phone box as … Continue reading →

https://memex.naughtons.org/wednesday-3-january-2024/38977/ Save to Pocket

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California reverses course on travel ban

date: 2024-01-03, from: The Signal

Editor’s note: The Signal is presenting CalMatters’ wrap-up stories on some of the key bills that reached the governor’s desk at the close of the 2023 legislative session. Here’s the CalMatters summary of a bill that ends California’s ban on state-funded travel to states whose laws are deemed “anti-LGBTQ.”  By Alexei Koseff  CalMatters Writer  Seven […]

The post California reverses course on travel ban appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.

https://signalscv.com/2024/01/california-reverses-course-on-travel-ban/ Save to Pocket

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Flowing Like a River, Alan Parsons in the Birthday Spotlight at 75

date: 2024-01-03, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News

Famed producer and musician Alan Parsons was paid a grand concert tribute at the Lobero, benefitting One805.

The post Flowing Like a River, Alan Parsons in the Birthday Spotlight at 75 appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

https://www.independent.com/2024/01/02/flowing-like-a-river-alan-parsons-in-the-birthday-spotlight-at-75/ Save to Pocket

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Man arrested in Mangilao death investigation

date: 2024-01-03, from: Guam Daily Post

A man has been arrested in connection to a lifeless body being found in Mangilao almost two weeks ago.

https://www.postguam.com/news/man-arrested-in-mangilao-death-investigation/article_61036158-a9c5-11ee-9c4d-2fb1214c2da9.html Save to Pocket

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Prosecutors Add Accusations to Bribery Indictment of US Senator

date: 2024-01-03, from: VOA News USA

new york — Federal authorities are accusing U.S. Senator Bob Menendez of introducing a member of the Qatari royal family to a New Jersey businessman seeking investments in a real estate project, an indictment said Tuesday.

The indictment against the New Jersey Democrat in Manhattan federal court did not identify the member of the Qatari royal family, but it said the individual was a principal of the Qatari Investment Company.

The indictment said the Qatari investor negotiated a multimillion-dollar investment in the real estate project planned by Fred Daibes, one of three businessmen charged in the indictment along with the senator and his wife. All have pleaded not guilty.

Messages left with lawyers and a spokesperson for Menendez were not immediately returned.

Tim Donohue, a lawyer for Daibes, said he had no immediate comment.

The indictment is the latest version of one that already charged Menendez in a bribery conspiracy that allegedly enriched the senator and his wife with cash, gold bars and a luxury car. The charges involving Qatar allegedly occurred from 2021 through 2023, according to the indictment, which did not add any new charges.

After his September arrest, the senator gave up his position as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He has resisted calls to resign from his Senate seat.

According to the indictment, Menendez accepted cash and gold bars in exchange for seeking to induce the Qatari Investment Company to invest with Daibes, including by taking actions favorable to the government of Qatar.

The indictment said that while the Qatari Investment Company was considering its investment in the real estate development owned by Daibes, Menendez made multiple public statements supporting the government of Qatar and then provided them to Daibes so he could share them with a Qatari investor and a Qatari government official.

In an earlier version of the indictment, Menendez, his wife and one of the businessmen were charged with conspiring to illegally use the senator as an agent of the Egyptian government.

Judge Sidney H. Stein, who is presiding over the case, refused last week to extend a May 5 trial date after defense lawyers requested more time to prepare for a trial that they said already includes more than 6.7 million documents.

https://www.voanews.com/a/prosecutors-add-accusations-to-bribery-indictment-of-us-senator-/7422490.html Save to Pocket

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The Web Renaissance Takes Off

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: Anil Dash

https://anildash.com/2024/01/03/human-web-renaissance/ Save to Pocket

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Birb + Fossil: An RSS Revival?

date: 2024-01-03, updated: 2024-01-03, from: Tom Kellog blog

http://timkellogg.me/blog/2024/01/03/birb Save to Pocket

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Urinary microbiota signatures associated with different types of urinary diversion: a comparative study

date: 2024-01-03, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology

Radical cystectomy and urinary diversion (UD) are gold standards for non-metastatic muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Orthotopic neobladder (or Studer), ileal conduit (or Bricker) and cutaneous ureterostomy (CU) are mainstream UD types. Little is known about urinary microbiological changes after UD.

In this study, urine samples were collected from healthy volunteers and patients with bladder cancer who had received aforementioned UD procedures. Microbiomes of samples were analyzed using 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing, and microbial diversities, distributions and functions were investigated and compared across groups.

Highest urine microbial richness and diversity were observed in healthy controls, followed by Studer patients, especially those without hydronephrosis or residual urine, α-diversity indices of whom were remarkably higher than those of Bricker and CU groups. Studer UD type was the only independent factor favoring urine microbial diversity. The urine microflora structure of the Studer group was most similar to that of the healthy individuals while that of the CU group was least similar. Studer patients and healthy volunteers shared many similar urine microbial functions, while Bricker and CU groups exhibited opposite characteristics.

Our study first presented urinary microbial landscapes of UD patients and demonstrated the microbiological advantage of orthotopic neobladder. Microbiota might be a potential tool for optimization of UD management.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1302870 Save to Pocket

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Human and animal exposure to newly discovered sand fly viruses, China

date: 2024-01-03, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology

The Hedi virus (HEDV) and Wuxiang virus (WUXV) are newly discovered Bunyaviruses transmitted by sandflies. The geographical distribution of isolation of these two viruses continues to expand and it has been reported that WUXV causes neurological symptoms and even death in suckling mice. However, little is known about the prevalence of the two viruses in mammalian infections.

In order to understand the infection status of HEDV and WUXV in humans and animals from regions where the viruses have been isolated, this study used Western blotting to detect the positive rates of HEDV and WUXV IgG antibodies in serum samples from febrile patients, dogs, and chickens in the forementioned regions.

The results showed that of the 29 human serum samples, 17.24% (5/29) tested positive for HEDV, while 68.96% (20/29) were positive for WUXV. In the 31 dog serum samples, 87.10% (27/31) were positive for HEDV and 70.97% (22/31) were positive for WUXV, while in the 36 chicken serum samples, 47.22% (17/36) were positive for HEDV, and 52.78% (19/36) were positive for WUXV.

These findings suggest there are widespread infections of HEDV and WUXV in mammals (dogs, chickens) and humans from the regions where these viruses have been isolated. Moreover, the positive rate of HEDV infections was higher in local animals compared to that measured in human specimens. This is the first seroepidemiological study of these two sandfly-transmitted viruses. The findings of the study have practical implications for vector-borne viral infections and related zoonotic infections in China, as well as providing an important reference for studies on the relationship between sandfly-transmitted viruses and zoonotic infections outside of China.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1291937 Save to Pocket

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Transovarial transmission of mosquito-borne viruses: a systematic review

date: 2024-01-03, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology

A number of mosquito-borne viruses (MBVs), such as dengue virus (DENV), zika virus (ZIKV), chikungunya (CHIKV), West Nile virus (WNV), and yellow fever virus (YFV) exert adverse health impacts on the global population. Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are the prime vectors responsible for the transmission of these viruses. The viruses have acquired a number of routes for successful transmission, including horizontal and vertical transmission. Transovarial transmission is a subset/type of vertical transmission adopted by mosquitoes for the transmission of viruses from females to their offspring through eggs/ovaries. It provides a mechanism for these MBVs to persist and maintain their lineage during adverse climatic conditions of extremely hot and cold temperatures, during the dry season, or in the absence of susceptible vertebrate host when horizontal transmission is not possible.

The publications discussed in this systematic review were searched for using the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, and websites such as those of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, using the search terms “transovarial transmission” and “mosquito-borne viruses” from 16 May 2023 to 20 September 2023.

A total of 2,391 articles were searched, of which 123 were chosen for full text evaluation, and 60 were then included in the study after screening and removing duplicates.

The present systematic review focuses on understanding the above diseases, their pathogenesis, epidemiology and host–parasite interactions. The factors affecting transovarial transmission, potential implications, mosquito antiviral defense mechanism, and the control strategies for these mosquito-borne viral diseases (MBVDs) are also be included in this review.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1304938 Save to Pocket

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The impact of Helicobacter pylori infection on low skeletal muscle mass risk in Chinese women over 40: a cross-sectional analysis

date: 2024-01-03, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology

Sarcopenia can lead to significant personal, social, and economic burdens. The diagnosis of sarcopenia heavily relies on the identification of Low Skeletal Muscle Mass (LSMM), which is an independent predictor of frailty, disability, and increased risk of death among seniors. Women have physiologically lower levels of skeletal muscle mass than men, and female sarcopenia appears to be more influenced by menopause. They also tend to have higher body fat levels than man, which increases the risk of sarcopenia obesity. On another front, it’s also recognized that humans are largely prone to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, with global prevalence rates often surpassing 50%. Nevertheless, the interconnection between H. pylori infection and LSMM remains relatively unexplored. Hence, our study specifically targeted women as the research population and sought to explore several risk factors for LSMM. Additionally, we delved into the potential correlation between LSMM and H. pylori infection in women, hoping to gain insights into potential preventative measures or treatment options that may enhance the quality of life for women affected by sarcopenia.

We conducted a cross-sectional study among women aged over 18 years undergoing physical examination. We performed 13C-urea breath test (UBT) for diagnosis of H. pylori infection and Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) for the assessment of LSMM. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the associations of H. pylori infection with LSMM.

This study enrolled 1984 Chinese women who were undergoing health check-ups. A univariate logistic regression analysis did not reveal a direct correlation between H. pylori infection and LSMM among this female population (OR=1.149, 95% CI 0.904-1.459, p=0.257). Yet, upon dividing the participants into age-based subgroups, an evident link was observed between H. pylori infection and LSMM in women aged 40 or above (OR=1.381, 95%CI 1.032-1.848, p= 0.030). After adjusting for variables including Age, BMI, TP, ALK, Cre, this relationship remained statistically relevant (OR=1.514, 95%CI 1.085-2.113, p= 0.015).

Women who are over 40 years old and currently infected with H. pylori have an increased risk of developing LSMM. Therefore, timely treatment for H. pylori eradication is recommended for this group of women to reduce the occurrence of LSMM.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1289909 Save to Pocket

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The crosstalk of intratumor bacteria and the tumor

date: 2024-01-03, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology

The in-depth studies reveal the interaction between the host and commensal microbiomes. Symbiotic bacteria influence in tumor initiation, progression, and response to treatment. Recently, intratumor bacteria have been a burgeoning research field. The tumor microenvironment is under vascular hyperplasia, aerobic glycolysis, hypoxia, and immunosuppression. It might be attractive for bacterial growth and proliferation. As a component of the tumor microenvironment, intratumor bacteria influence tumor growth and metastasis, as well as the efficacy of anti-tumor therapies. Therefore, understanding the intricate interplay of intratumoral bacteria and the host might contribute to better approaches to treat tumors. In this review, we summarize current evidence about roles of intratumor bacteria in tumor initiation and anti-tumor therapy, and what is remained to be solved in this field.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1273254 Save to Pocket

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Effect of Lactobacillus plantarum ZFM4 in Helicobacter pylori-infected C57BL/6 mice: prevention is better than cure

date: 2024-01-03, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology

This study was performed to explore the preventive and therapeutic effects of Lactobacillus plantarum ZFM4 on H. pylori infections of the stomach tissue in C57BL/6 mice.

In this study, 40 specific-pathogen-free female C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into five groups, namely, the control, ZFM4 pretreatment) ZFM4 pretreatment before H. pylori infected), model (H. pylori infected), triple therapy (H. pylori infected and treated with triple therapy), and ZFM4 treatment groups (H. pylori infected and treated with ZFM4). The preventive and therapeutic effects of Lactobacillus plantarum ZFM4 were evaluated in H. pylori-infected C57BL/6 mice by assessing gastric tissue morphology, inflammatory cytokine levels, microbial composition, and microbial diversity.

Lactobacillus plantarum ZFM4 was able to survive in low gastric pH and play a role in preventing H. pylori infection. This was evident from a reduction in both, the gastric inflammatory response and expression of inflammatory factors caused by H. pylori infection. Lactobacillus plantarum ZFM4 could also inhibit the growth of H. pylori via its beneficial impact on the gastric microbiota.

Our findings suggest that Lactobacillus plantarum ZFM4 offers superior preventive effects against H. pylori infections when used alone. However, the therapeutic effect on established infections is weaker. Further clinical trials are needed to confirm the specific dosage, duration, and other aspects of administration.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1320819 Save to Pocket