News gathered 2024-01-13
(date: 2024-01-13 14:31:39)
Challenges players face
date: 2024-01-13, from: Alex Schroeder’s Blog
Challenges players face
I’m running Arden Vul as an open table. Sessions are generally less than 2h long. There are maybe a dozen players, maybe half of them regulars. Arden Vul is a megadungeon. The PDF has about 1200 pages. There are many entrances, many levels, many factions, and so on. As it is a megadungeon, players can choose for themselves what difficulty level they want to go for. Conversely, if there’s a new player with a level 1 character, they can all agree to stick to lower level characters in order to make an adventure party that promises an entertaining evening for all.
Recently, I’ve started noticing that the setup introduces some player challenges that I hadn’t thought of.
If the party is powerful and the opposition is strong but clearly less powerful, then frontal assaults “work” but at the same time the session only lasts for a certain number of hours and endless fighting killing many dozens of goblins turns out to be somewhat boring.
Similarly, countless waves of weak opposition are both boring and sap away time. Even if the characters aren’t hurt, time is lost.
These are challenges that attack player entertainment somewhat like character death or long character creation, I feel.
You know how regular combat in the game attacks the player characters. Some elements of it also attack player resources. This is mostly related to character death. The result forces the player to do things they dislike: start with a new character that has fewer levels, fewer connections, less money, or incurs some other loss. Furthermore, if character creation takes a very long time, then the player has to spend the time thinking up a new build, a new concept.
In a way, an opposition that acts like a morass, wasting time unless the players find another way to circumvent the problem, is a similar attack upon the enjoyment of players. No amount of attack bonuses and initiatives won helps against waves of undead if you can’t turn them or hold them off some other way.
But there is more!
Since the megadungeon has a lot of doors and secrets that need keys, and artefacts that are required for certain goals or quests, it’s important to note who has what, and where it was found. I don’t want there to be a virtual pool of plot items in a bag of holding that is always with the group currently adventuring because even though everybody likes it now I dread the first total party kill where I announce that all the plot items are now lost. That’ll be the end of the campaign for sure.
I confess that I also hope on some level that knowing who has what plot-relevant item increases interactivity as people start to realize that for this or that to happen, they need to contact the player of the character who’s the owner of a particular item.
But yes, if players stop showing up, their characters don’t show up and the items they have, both magic items they found and plot items they hold, effectively disappear from the game.
So this is an additional player challenge of their organisational skills. Can they keep track of the items? Can they organise hand-overs?
Arden Vul is also a megadungeon where hints can be found in the hundreds of rumours, wall scribbles, frescos, mosaics, and so on. But if nobody collects and studies them, the information is effectively lost. If one player keeps notes on paper, or in their Google Docs, that information is effectively lost to the others.
I know that as a player in the Barrowmaze I’m also not a great organiser of rumours heard and information gathered. There is space for improvement!
So this is another player challenge, but not it’s about information sharing. Can they build a knowledge repository somewhere, that helps them distribute information and collect hypothesises and conclusions?
The same is true about the ruins explored, entrances found, and perhaps more importantly, the places where no entrances were found but also they left before making absolutely sure. In a few sessions, players don’t remember where they’ve been and they don’t remember whether an area was fully explored. This duplicates effort and lost opportunities.
All in all, this is a sort of price to pay for the freedom players have in this kind of setup.
https://alexschroeder.ch/view/2024-01-13-challenging-players Save to Pocket
Highway Casino Bonus Codes in 2024 ($7,000 Welcome Bonus, Free Spins, Cashback, and More)
date: 2024-01-13, from: San Jose Mercury News
Boost your bankroll and improve your chances of hitting it big with the best Highway Casino bonus codes available right now. Check out what’s on offer!
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/13/highway-casino-bonus-codes/ Save to Pocket
Former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf to run for state treasurer
date: 2024-01-13, from: San Jose Mercury News
Schaaf, who served as mayor from 2015 to 2023, aims to replace current State Treasurer Fiona Ma.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/13/former-oakland-mayor-libby-schaaf-to-run-for-state-treasurer/ Save to Pocket
San Jose: Police searching for woman kidnapped during carjacking Saturday
date: 2024-01-13, from: San Jose Mercury News
Silva was described as a “Hispanic female with long black hair, approximately 5’ 09” tall and 150 lbs,” who was last seen wearing a black sweater and black skirt, police said.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/13/san-jose-police-searching-for-woman-kidnapped-during-carjacking-saturday/ Save to Pocket
SCV Hub: ‘Virtual food hall’ a local stop for world cuisine
date: 2024-01-13, from: The Signal
The SCV Hub is the place to be for indecisive dinner plans with a group of friends or a one-stop spot to try new cuisines. From Indian to Italian to Southern, The SCV Hub is a “virtual food hall” operating on a model similar to the ghost kitchen concept that increased in popularity during the […]
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https://signalscv.com/2024/01/scv-hub-virtual-food-hall-a-local-stop-for-world-cuisine/ Save to Pocket
Blood drive to be held in honor of Clinkunbroomer
date: 2024-01-13, from: The Signal
A blood drive in memory of Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer is scheduled to take place at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital on Jan. 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In partnership with the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station and Kim Clinkunbroomer, Ryan’s mother, the American Red Cross will be hosting the blood drive in Santa Clarita later this […]
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Massive snowstorm not affecting Sharks’ travel plans, for now
date: 2024-01-13, from: San Jose Mercury News
San Jose Sharks on track to arrive to Saturday night at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, where nearly every arriving flight has already been canceled.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/13/massive-snowstorm-erie-county-travel-ban-not-affecting-sharks-travel-plans-for-now/ Save to Pocket
US Launches Follow-Up Strike on Houthi Radar Site
date: 2024-01-13, from: VOA News USA
washington — The United States launched a follow-up strike against a Houthi target in Yemen early Saturday, after officials said they were not satisfied with the damage inflicted during the initial round of airstrikes late Thursday.
U.S. Central Command said it launched the additional strike from the USS Carney, a guided missile destroyer, firing multiple Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles to take out a radar site that it said presented a continuing threat to maritime traffic.
The strike comes a little more than a day after the U.S. and British militaries carried out dozens of strikes against Houthi positions in Yemen in retaliation for weeks of Houthi attacks that have disrupted shipping and damaged vessels transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Early Friday, Houthi militants launched an anti-ship ballistic missile, U.S. military officials confirmed, though it did not hit any ships.
U.S. and British officials had expressed optimism Friday that the initial strikes late Thursday, which are now being described as two waves of strikes, were successful.
A U.S. defense official told VOA on Friday that the initial assessment indicates the first wave of precision strikes late on Thursday degraded the ability of the Houthis to launch further attacks.
The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss operational details, said a more comprehensive assessment of the strikes was still underway. But the sentiment echoed other early assessments by senior U.S. officials, who have described the damage to Houthi capabilities as “significant.”
“We feel very confident about where our munitions struck,” Lieutenant General Douglas Sims, the director of the Joint Staff, told reporters Friday. “But we don’t know at this point the complete battle damage assessment.”
More than 150 munitions aimed at Houthis
U.S. Central Command late Thursday said that U.S. fighter jets, naval vessels and submarines hit more than 60 targets at 16 locations across Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen, including command and control nodes, munitions depots, launching systems, and production facilities.
But, Sims said Friday, the U.S. and Britain launched a second wave of strikes against another 12 locations 30 minutes to an hour after the initial strikes were carried out.
The additional sites, each with multiple targets, “had been identified as possessing articles that could be potentially used against forces, maritime and air,” he said, noting the strikes were taken in self-defense.
U.S. officials said, in all, more than 150 precision guided munitions were aimed at Houthi targets, including Tomahawk missiles.
At least three U.S. guided missile cruisers and destroyers — the USS Gravely, the USS Philippine Sea, and the USS Mason — took part in the strikes along with an Ohio-class submarine, fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, and U.S. Air Force jets.
A separate statement Friday from the British Defense Ministry said four of its Typhoon fighter jets, accompanied by an air refueling tanker, used laser-guided bombs to hit two locations: a drone launch site in Bani, in northwestern Yemen, and an airfield in Abbs used to launch cruise missiles and drones at ships in the Red Sea.
“Early indications are that the Houthis’ ability to threaten merchant shipping has taken a blow,” the ministry said.
Retaliation likely, say US officials
Despite the optimistic strike assessments, U.S. officials said they believe the Houthis are likely to retaliate.
“My guess is that the Houthis are trying to figure things out on the ground and trying to determine what capabilities still exist for them,” Sims said. “Their rhetoric has been pretty strong and pretty high, and I would expect that they will attempt some sort of retaliation.”
“I would hope they wouldn’t,” he added, describing the Houthi efforts as “generally fruitless.”
But the White House repeated its warning Friday that the Houthis would face additional consequences if their attacks persisted.
“We will make sure that we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behavior, along with our allies,” U.S. President Joe Biden said in response to reporters’ questions during a stop at a coffee shop in Pennsylvania on Friday.
Reporters asked him if the Houthis are terrorists, and he replied, “I think they are.” In 2021, his administration removed the Houthis from the State Department’s list of foreign terrorist organizations.
Also Friday, the U.S. unveiled new sanctions aimed at commodity shipments that have been funding the Houthis and their Iranian backers.
U.S. Treasury Department officials imposed sanctions on a Hong-Kong-based company and another company in the United Arab Emirates, both of which have been working with Sa’id al-Jamal, a financier who has been supporting both the Houthis and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force.
“We will take all available measures to stop the destabilizing activities of the Houthis and their threats to global commerce,” Treasury Undersecretary Brian Nelson said in a statement.
Since mid-November, the Houthis have launched at least 28 attacks, affecting citizens, cargo and vessels from more than 50 countries, according to the U.S.
U.S. officials have said that Biden made the decision to launch Thursday’s strikes following a Houthi attack on shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden on Tuesday that involved 18 one-way attack drones, two cruise missiles and one ballistic missile.
U.S. combat jets, along with U.S. and British military vessels, responded by shooting down the drones and missiles, averting any damage to ships or injuries to their crews in the area.
Last week, the United States and 12 allies issued a statement warning the Houthis of unspecified consequences if their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea continued.
The statement followed the launch in mid-December of Operation Prosperity Guardian by the United States, Britain and nearly 20 other countries to protect ships from Houthi attacks.
Since the launch of Prosperity Guardian, at least 1,500 vessels have passed safely through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
The U.N. Security Council adopted its own resolution Wednesday, calling on the Houthis to stop the attacks immediately.
But Russia, which abstained in the vote, called for an emergency meeting of the council Friday evening to discuss the strikes. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia called the U.S.-British strikes a “blatant armed aggression against another country.” He argued that the strikes did not meet the conditions for self-defense under Article 51 of the U.N. Charter.
“Article 51 does not apply to the situation with commercial shipping,” Nebenzia said. “The right to self-defense cannot be exercised in order to ensure the freedom of shipping. Our American colleagues know this fact very well.”
In a statement Friday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea area are “not acceptable” and endanger the safety and security of global supply chains and have a negative impact on the economic and humanitarian situation worldwide. He urged the Houthis to immediately cease their attacks and called for all parties to respect the Security Council resolution in its entirety.
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Council that the strikes were consistent with international law and Article 51. She said Washington does not take such strikes lightly and they were only carried out “after non-military options proved inadequate to address the threat.”
VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara and U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-launches-follow-up-strike-on-houthi-radar-site-/7438870.html Save to Pocket
Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry to miss Saturday’s game against Milwaukee Bucks
date: 2024-01-13, from: San Jose Mercury News
Warriors are giving star Steph Curry the night off Saturday to rest in the middle of long Midwest trip.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/13/golden-state-warriors-steph-curry-to-miss-saturdays-game-against-milwaukee-bucks/ Save to Pocket
Best Live Poker Sites in 2024 for Poker Tournaments, High-Traffic Cash Games & Rakeback
date: 2024-01-13, from: San Jose Mercury News
Our experts have compiled the ultimate list of the top live poker sites that deliver thrilling live poker tournaments, generous bonuses, high-traffic tables, and more.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/13/live-poker-sites/ Save to Pocket
A British D-Day veteran celebrates turning 100, but the big event is yet to come
date: 2024-01-13, from: San Jose Mercury News
British D-Day veteran Bill Gladden turned 100 on Saturday, a day after his niece threw a surprise birthday party for him. It was a big fuss he didn’t really expect, though the old soldier had tears in his eyes long before he caught sight of a cake decorated with a replica of his uniform and the medals he earned.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/13/a-british-d-day-veteran-celebrates-turning-100-but-the-big-event-is-yet-to-come/ Save to Pocket
Genocide case against Israel: Where does the rest of the world stand on the momentous allegations?
date: 2024-01-13, from: San Jose Mercury News
South Africa says more than 50 countries have expressed support for its case at the United Nations’ top court accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in the war in Gaza.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/13/genocide-case-against-israel-where-does-the-rest-of-the-world-stand-on-the-momentous-allegations/ Save to Pocket
A weekend of ferocious winter weather could see low-temperature records set in the US heartland
date: 2024-01-13, from: San Jose Mercury News
A long weekend of ferocious winter weather loomed across the U.S. on Saturday, as a continuing wave of Arctic storms threatened to break low-temperature records in the nation’s heartland, spread cold and snow from coast to coast and cast a chill over everything ranging from football playoffs to presidential campaigns.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/13/a-weekend-of-ferocious-winter-weather-could-see-low-temperature-records-set-in-the-us-heartland/ Save to Pocket
Shuttered Bakery Sweet Lady Jane Is Facing a Lawsuit for Wage Theft, Mismanagement
date: 2024-01-13, updated: 2024-01-13, from: The LAist
The popular bakery, which had operated for 30 years until the end of 2023, was sued in June for failing to pay overtime, provide rest periods, and other alleged labor violations.
https://laist.com/news/shuttered-bakery-sweet-lady-jane-faces-lawsuit-for-wage-theft-mismanagement Save to Pocket
Ex-Sharks forward, now in Russia, garners interest from NHL teams
date: 2024-01-13, from: San Jose Mercury News
NHL teams have expressed interest in acquiring forward Sasha Chmelevski from the San Jose Sharks
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/13/ex-sharks-forward-now-in-russia-garners-interest-from-nhl-teams/ Save to Pocket
One transported with minor injuries in traffic collision
date: 2024-01-13, from: The Signal
One person was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries after a traffic collision occurred on Highway 14 at Soledad Canyon Road in Canyon County on Saturday morning, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department officials. According to Ed Pickett, supervising fire dispatcher for the L.A. County Fire Department, first responders were dispatched at […]
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Biden: US Delivered Private Message to Iran About Houthi Attacks
date: 2024-01-13, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden said Saturday the United States had delivered a private message to Iran about Iran-backed Houthis responsible for attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
“We delivered it privately, and we’re confident we’re well-prepared,” Biden told reporters at the White House before departing to the Camp David presidential retreat for the weekend.
The Houthi movement threatened a “strong and effective response” after the United States carried out another strike in Yemen overnight, further ratcheting up tensions as Washington vows to protect shipping from attacks by the Iran-aligned group.
The latest strike, which the U.S. said hit a radar site, came a day after dozens of American and British strikes on Houthi facilities in Yemen.
White House spokesperson John Kirby said Friday the initial strikes had hit the Houthis’ ability to store, launch and guide missiles or drones, which the group has used to threaten shipping.
He said Washington had no interest in a war with Yemen.
Biden, whose administration removed the Houthis from a State Department list of “foreign terrorist organizations” in 2021, was asked by reporters Friday whether he felt the term “terrorist” described the movement now. “I think they are,” Biden said.
https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-us-delivered-private-message-to-iran-about-houthi-attacks/7438822.html Save to Pocket
@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-01-13, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)
Fact checking Israeli military propaganda that supports their genocide:
https://www.oct7factcheck.com/index
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@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-13, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
I still believe tech companies can play a very important role in the open internet, as long as they are willing to treat users as customers and sell a product that has value without the usual michegas.
http://scripting.com/2024/01/13.html#a174302 Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-01-13, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)
I’ve been listening to the Grateful Dead today. Today my most favorite Dead song is Ripple. I love the bass beat, and the simple lyric. A wonderful sing-along. Let there be songs to fill the air. A song about singing. Love it.
http://scripting.com/2024/01/13.html#a175218 Save to Pocket
ROUGOL escapes to the light – 15th January
date: 2024-01-13, from: RiscOS Story
With the days still short and the nights long, who wouldn’t want to escape to the light? And that’s what the RISC OS User Group of London (ROUGOL) will be doing on Monday, 15th January, with the help of Tony Bartram from AMCOG Games. Well, almost – Tony will actually be talking to the group about the game called Escape to the Light, which is currently in development, covering his inspiration and the development process for the game. Spoiler alert: Tony has uploaded a few videos blogging the process, so…
https://www.riscository.com/2024/rougol-escapes-to-the-light-15th-january/ Save to Pocket
Pluralistic: Tech workers and gig workers need each other (13 Jan 2024)
date: 2024-01-13, from: Cory Doctorow’s blog
Today’s links Tech workers and gig workers need each other: Each disenshittifies the other. Hey look at this: Delights to delectate. This day in history: 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019, 2023 Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading Tech workers and gig workers need each other (permalink) We’re living in the enshittocene, in which the forces of enshittification are turning everything from our cars to our streaming services to our dishwashers into thoroughly enshittifified piles of shit. Call it the Great Enshittening: https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/09/lead-me-not-into-temptation/#chamberlain How did we arrive at this juncture? Is it the end of the zero rate interest policy? Was it that the companies that formerly made useful things that we valued underwent a change in leadership that drove them to make things worse? Is Mercury in retrograde? None of the above. There have been many junctures in which investors demanded higher returns from firms but were not able to force them to dramatically worsen their products. Moreover, the leaders now presiding over the rapid unscheduled disassembly of once-useful products are the same people who oversaw their golden age. As to Mercury? Well, I’m a Cancer, and as everyone knows, Cancers don’t believe in astrology. The Great Enshittening isn’t precipitated by a change in how greedy and callous corporate leaders are. Rather, the change is in what those greedy, callous corporate leaders can get away with. Capitalists hate capitalism. For a corporate executive, the fact that you have to make good things, please your customers, pay your workers, and beat the competition are all bugs, not features. The best business is one in which people simply pay you money without your having to do anything or worry that someday they’ll stop. UBI for the investor class, in other words. Douglas Rushkoff calls this “going meta.” Don’t sell things, provide a platform where people sell things. Don’t provide a platform, invest in the platform. Don’t invest in the platform, buy options on the platform. Don’t buy options, buy derivatives of options. A more precise analysis comes from economist Yanis Varoufakis, who calls this technofeudalism. Varoufakis draws our attention to the distinction between profits and rents. Profit is the income a capitalist receives from mobilizing workers to do something productive and then skimming off the surplus created by their labor. By contrast, rent is income a feudalist derives from simply owning something that a capitalist or a worker needs in order to be productive. The entrepreneur who opens a coffee shop earns profits by creaming off the surplus value created by the baristas. The rentier who owns the building the coffee shop rents gets money simply for owning the building. The coffee shop owner can never rest. At any moment, another coffee shop can open down the street and lure away their customers and their baristas. When that happens, the coffee shop goes bust and the owner is ruined. But not the landlord! After the coffee shop goes bust, the landlord’s asset is more valuable – an empty storefront just down the street from the hottest coffee shop in town. Capitalists hate capitalism. Faced with a choice of retaining their workers by paying them a fair wage and treating them well, or by saddling them with noncompetes that make it impossible to work for anyone else in the same field, and obligations to repay tens of thousands of dollars for “training” if they quit, bosses will take the latter every time. Go meta, baby. Same for competition. Faced with the choice of competing to win the most customers with the best products, or merging so that customers have nowhere else to go, even the bitterest of rivals find it remarkably easy to intermarry until our corporations landscape is so interbred the dominant firms all have Habsburg jaws. Think: Facebook-Instagram. Disney-Fox. Microsoft-Activision: https://locusmag.com/2021/07/cory-doctorow-tech-monopolies-and-the-insufficient-necessity-of-interoperability/ Enshittification has complex underlying dynamics and a reliable procession of stages, but the effect is quite straightforward: things are enshittified when they become worse for the people who use them and the suppliers who makes them, but nevertheless, the users keep using and the suppliers keep supplying. There are four forces that stand in the way of enshittification, and as each of these forces grows weaker, enshittification proliferates. The first and most important of these constraints is competition. Capitalists claim to love competition because it keeps firms sharp: they must constantly find ways to improve products and cut costs or be swept away by a superior alternative. There’s a degree of truth here, but that’s not the whole story. For one thing, competition can “improve” things that we would rather see abolished. Critics of the GDPR, the EU’s landmark privacy law, often point to the devastation that enforcing privacy law had on the European ad-tech industry, driving small firms out of business. But these firms were the most egregious privacy offenders, because they had the least to lose, lacking the dominant position of US-based Big Tech surveillance companies. Having the least to lose, they were the most reckless with their privacy invasions – but they were also the least equipped to pay expensive enablers from giant corporate law firms to hold off European enforcers, and so they were obliterated. The resulting lack of competition is fine, as far as privacy goes: we don’t want competition in the field of “who is most efficient at violating our human rights”: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/04/fighting-floc-and-fighting-monopoly-are-fully-compatible But there’s another benefit to competition: disorganization. A sector with hundreds of medium-sized, competing companies is a squabbling mob, incapable of agreeing on the site for an annual meeting. An industry dominated by a handful of firms is a cartel, handily capable of presenting a unified front to policy makers, and their commercial coziness provides them with vast war-chests they can use to suborn governments and capture their regulators: https://pluralistic.net/2022/06/05/regulatory-capture/ Competition is the first constraint. When there’s competition, corporate managers fear that you will respond to enshittification by defecting to a rival, costing them money. They don’t care about your satisfaction, but they do care about your money, and competition hitches their ability to satisfy you to their ability to get paid by you. Competition has been circling the drain for 40 years, as the “consumer welfare” theory of antitrust, hatched by Reagan’s court sorcerers at the University of Chicago School of Economics, took hold. This theory insists that monopolies are evidence of “efficiency” – if everyone shops at one store, that’s evidence that it’s the best store, not evidence that they’re cheating. For 40 years, we’ve allowed companies to violate antitrust law by merging with major competitors, acquiring fledgling rivals, and using investor cash to sell below cost so that no one else can enter the market. This has produced the inbred industrial hulks of today, with five or fewer firms dominating everything from eyeglasses to banking, sea freight to professional wrestling: https://www.openmarketsinstitute.org/learn/monopoly-by-the-numbers The endless and continuous weakening of competition has emboldened corporate enshittifiers, who operate on the logic of Lily Tomlin in her role as an AT&T spokeswoman: “We don’t care. We don’t have to. We’re the phone company”: https://vimeo.com/355556831 But the drawdown of competition has also enabled regulatory capture, by converting cutthroat adversaries to kissing cousins. These companies have convinced their regulators not to enforce privacy, consumer protection or labor laws, provided that the gross violations of these laws are accomplished via apps. This is where tech exceptionalism is warranted: while the bosses that run these companies aren’t any nobler – or more wicked – than the Robber Barons of yore, they are equipped with a digital back-end for their businesses that let them change the rules of the game from moment to moment. Think of labor law: as Veena Dubal writes, gig-work companies practice algorithmic wage discrimination, turning your paycheck into a slot machine that pays out more when you are more selective about which jobs you take, and which then docks your pay by tiny increments as you become less discriminating about answering the app’s call: https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/12/algorithmic-wage-discrimination/#fishers-of-men This is a plain violation of labor law, but the fiction that gig workers are contractors, combined with the opacity and speed of the wage discrimination back-end, lets the companies get away with it. But the monsters who hatched this scam are no worse than their forebears, nor are they any smarter. Any black-hearted coal-boss memorialized in a Tennessee Ernie Ford song would have gladly practiced algorithmic wage discrimination – but there just weren’t enough green-eyeshade accountants in the back office to change the payout from second to second. I call this “twiddling” – turning the knobs on the back end to continuously adjust the business logic that the firm operates on: https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/19/twiddler/ Twiddling is everywhere, and it is only possible because “it’s not a crime if we use an app” has been accepted by (captured) regulators. Think of Amazon’s “pricing paradox,” where deceptive search results – which Amazon makes $38b/year on – allow the company to offer lower prices, but charge higher ones: https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/06/attention-rents/#consumer-welfare-queens The first constraint on enshittification is competition – the fear that you’ll lose money when a disgusted customer take their business elsewhere. The second constraint is regulation – the fear that a regulator’s punishment will eat up all the expected gains from an enshittificatory move, or even exceed those gains, leading to a net loss. But the less competition there is in a sector, the easier it is for the remaining companies to capture their regulators. Say goodbye to that second constraint. But there’s another constraint – another one that’s unique to technology, and genuinely exceptional. That’s self-help. Digital technology is infinitely flexible, which is why managers can twiddle the business logic and change the rules on a dime. But it’s a double-edged sword. Users can twiddle back. The universal nature of digital products means it’s always technically possible to disenshittify the enshittified products in your world. Mercedes wants to charge you rent on your accelerator pedal via a monthly subscription? Just mod the car by toggling the “subscription paid” bit and get the accelerator for free: https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/24/rent-to-pwn/#kitt-is-a-demon HP tricks you into installing a “security update” that sneakily disables your printer’s ability to recognize and use third-party ink? Just roll back the operating system and you won’t be forced to spend $10,000/gallon to print out your boarding passes and shopping lists: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/11/ink-stained-wretches-battle-soul-digital-freedom-taking-place-inside-your-printer Self-help – AKA “adversarial interoperability” – isn’t just a way to override the greedy choices of corporate sadists. It’s a way to hold those sadists in check. It’s a constraint. Imagine a boardroom where someone says, “I calculate that if we make our ads 25% more invasive and obnoxious, we can eke out 2% more in ad-revenue.” If you think of a business as a transhuman colony organism that exists to maximize shareholder value, this is a no-brainer. But now consider the rejoinder: “If we make our ads 25% more obnoxious, then 50% of our users will be motivated to type, ‘how do I block ads?’ into a search engine. When that happens, we don’t merely lose out on the expected 2% of additional revenue – our income from those users falls to zero, forever.” Self-help is the third constraint on enshittification. But when competition fails, and regulatory capture ensues, companies don’t just gain the ability to flout the law – they get to wield the law, too. Tech firms have cultivated a thicket of laws, rules and regulations that make self-help measures very illegal. This thicket is better known as “IP,” a term that is best understood as meaning “any policy that lets me control the conduct of my competitors, my customers and my critics”: https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/ To put an ad-blocker in an app, you have to reverse-engineer it. To do that, you’ll have to decrypt and decompile it. That step is a felony under Section 1201 of the DMCA, carrying a five-year prison sentence and a $500,000 fine. Beyond that, ad-blocking an app would give rise to liability under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (a law inspired by the movie Wargames!), under “tortious interference” claims, under trademark, copyright and patent. More than 50% of web users have installed an ad-blocker: https://doc.searls.com/2023/11/11/how-is-the-worlds-biggest-boycott-doing/ But zero percent of app users have installed an ad-blocker, because they don’t exist, because you’d go to prison if you made one. An app is just a web-page wrapped in enough IP to make it a felony to add an ad-blocker to it. This is why self-help, the third constraint, no longer applies. When a corporate sadist says, “let’s make ads 25% more obnoxious to get 2% more revenue,” no one says, “if we do that, our users will all install blockers.” Instead, the response is, “let’s make ads 100% more obnoxious and get an 8% revenue boost!” https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/16/23763227/uber-video-advertising-ads-taxi-food-delivery-apps Which brings me to the final constraint: workers. Tech workers have historically enjoyed enormous bargaining power, thanks to a dire shortage of qualified personnel. While this allowed tech workers to command high salaries and cushy benefits, it also led many workers to conceive of themselves as entrepreneurs-in-waiting and not workers at all. This made tech workers very exploitable: their bosses could sell them on the idea that they were doing something heroic, which warranted “extremely hardcore” expectations – working 16 hour days, sleeping under your desk, sacrificing your health, your family and your personal life to meet deadlines and ship products (“Real artists ship” – S. Jobs). But the flip side of this appeal to heroism is that it only worked to the extent that it convinced workers to genuinely care about the things they made. When you miss you mother’s funeral and pass on having kids in order to meet deadline and ship a product, the prospect of making that product worse is unthinkable. Confronted by the moral injury of enshittifying a product you care about, and harming the users you see yourself as representing, many tech workers balked at the prospect. Because tech workers were scarce – and because there were plenty of employment prospects for workers who quit – they could actually prevent their bosses from making their products worse: https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/25/moral-injury/#enshittification But those days are behind us, too. Mass tech worker layoffs have gutted tech workers’ confidence. When Google lays off 12,000 tech workers just months after a stock buyback that would have paid their wages for the next 27 years, they deliver two benefits to their shareholders. It’s not just the short-term gains from the financial engineering – there’s the long-term gain of gutting worker power and stripping away the final impediment to enshittification: https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/10/the-proletarianization-of-tech-workers/ No matter how strong an individual tech worker’s bargaining power was, it was always brittle. Long before googlers were being laid off in five-digit cohorts, they were working in an environment where harassment and predation were just part of the job. The 20,000+ googlers who walked off the job in 2018 were an important step towards replacing the system where each tech worker’s power was limited to their moment-to-moment importance to their bosses’ plans with a new system based on a collective identity. Only through collective action and solidarity – unions – could tech workers hope to truly resist all the moral injuries of their bosses enshittification imperatives. No surprise then, that tech unions are on the rise: https://abookapart.com/products/you-deserve-a-tech-union But what is a little surprising – and very heartening! – is what happens when techies start to self-identify as workers: they come to understand that they share common cause with the other workers at the bottom of the tech stack. Think of Amazon’s tech workers walking out in solidarity with Amazon’s warehouse workers: https://gizmodo.com/tech-workers-speak-out-in-support-of-amazon-warehouse-s-1842839301 Superficially, the bottom rank of the tech industry is as different from the tech workers at the top as you can imagine. Tech workers are formally employed, with stock options, health care and theme-park “campuses” with gyms and gourmet cafeterias. The gig workers who pack, drive, deliver and support tech products aren’t even employees – they’re misclassified as contractors. They don’t get free massages – they get AI bosses that monitor their eyeballs and dock their paychecks for peeing: https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/11/robots-stole-my-jerb/#computer-says-no Gig workers desperately need unions, but they also derive extraordinary benefits from self-help measures. When an app is your boss, another app can make all the difference to your working conditions. Take Para, an app that fights algorithmic wage discrimination by allowing gig workers to collectively and automatically refuse any job where the pay is below a certain threshold, forcing the algorithm to pay everyone more: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/08/tech-rights-are-workers-rights-doordash-edition Para is fighting a grim legal and technical battle against companies like Doordash, whose margins depend on atomized workers with atomized apps, prohibited from countertwiddling. This is a surprisingly effective tactic: in Indonesia, gig workers co-ops create suites of “tuyul” apps that modify the behavior of their bosses’ apps’, unilaterally securing concessions that they lack the bargaining power to secure by other means: https://pluralistic.net/2021/07/08/tuyul-apps/#gojek Tuyul apps and other forms of countertwiddling aren’t a substitute for unionization, they’re an adjunct to it. The union negotiator whose rank-and-file are able to modify the apps that monitor and control their working conditions operates from a position of strength. “Please give my members more bathroom breaks” is a lot weaker than, “If you want my members to stop hacking their apps so they can piss when they need to, you’re going to have to give them official bathroom breaks.” This is where solidarity between the high-paid tech workers at the keyboard and low-paid tech workers on the delivery bikes comes in. Together, they can wring more concessions from their bosses, sure. But unionized coders can give their unionized delivery riders the apps they need to countertwiddle and increase the bargaining leverage of all the workers in the union. And when unionized coders’ bosses force them to put enshittifying anti-features in the apps they care about, unionized front-line workers can run counter-apps that disenshittify them. Other sectors are already working through versions of this. The ouster of the old corrupt leadership of the Teamsters ushered in a new, radical era that produced historic wage and working condition gains for drivers and the abolition of the two-tier contract system that eventually destroys any union that tries it. That change in leadership was possible because the Teamsters organized the Harvard Grad Students, and those Harvard kids memorized the union rulebook. At the historic conference where the old guard was abolished, it was teamwork between the union rank-and-file and the rules-lawyers from Harvard that turned the proceedings around: https://theintercept.com/2023/04/07/deconstructed-union-dhl-teamsters-uaw/ We are deep into the enshittocene and it is terribly demoralizing. But by understanding the constraints that kept enshittification at bay, we can rebuild them, and shore them up. Labor organizing among all kinds of tech workers isn’t just a way to get a better deal for those workers – it’s key to the disenshittification of all our lives. Hey look at this (permalink) Maintenance: Of Everything https://books.worksinprogress.co New Podcast “Necessary Tomorrows” Offers Hopeful Visions of the Future https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-podcast-necessary-tomorrows-offers-hopeful-visions-of-the-future-302028975.html (h/t Chris Brown) The Bill Gates Problem https://www.c-span.org/video/?531845-1/the-bill-gates-problem This day in history (permalink) #20yrsago Kodak gives up on film cameras https://web.archive.org/web/20040401104936/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/Default.aspx?id=3948032&p1=0 #20yrsago Tim O’Reilly’s 2004 wishlist https://web.archive.org/web/20040119133107/http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/4117 #20yrsago Gene Wolfe interviewed by Neil Gaiman https://web.archive.org/web/20040407120711/http://www.bordersstores.com/features/feature.jsp?file=gaimanwolfe #20yrsago S-Train blogger confronts a troll in meatspace https://web.archive.org/web/20040211084754/http://s-train.kaphmedia.net/archives/000318.php #15yrsago Complete fan-reading of my essay collection “Content” https://archive.org/details/CoryDoctorow-Content_268 #15yrsago Bush official: we tortured Gitmo detainee https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/13/AR2009011303372_pf.html #15yrsago Thomas Edison’s crappy, price-fixing EULA https://web.archive.org/web/20090125121517/http://www.alchemysite.com/blog/2009/01/eula-end-user-license-agreement-edison.html #10yrsago Why fiction works https://locusmag.com/2014/01/cory-doctorow-cheap-writing-tricks/ #10yrsago Holding mirrors up to police lines at #Euromaidan https://web.archive.org/web/20140113120206/http://www.kyivpost.com/multimedia/photo/mirror-action-in-memory-of-nov-30-334467.html #5yrsago China has a very Orwellian reason for banning typing “1984” on social media, while allowing people to read Nineteen Eighty-Four https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/01/why-1984-and-animal-farm-arent-banned-china/580156/ #5yrsago Hannu Rajaniemi’s Summerland: a midcentury spy thriller, with the afterlife https://memex.craphound.com/2019/01/13/hannu-rajaniemis-summerland-a-midcentury-spy-thriller-with-the-afterlife/ #5yrsago Not customers: doctors have patients, libraries have patrons, lawyers have clients and teachers have students https://memex.craphound.com/2019/01/13/not-customers-doctors-have-patients-libraries-have-patrons-lawyers-have-clients-and-teachers-have-students/ #5yrsago Trump chose a thin-skinned, blowhard ignoramus as ambassador to Germany, and now no one will talk to him except Nazis https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/u-s-ambassador-richard-grenell-is-isolated-in-berlin-a-1247610.html #5yrsago An embroidered computer whose circuits are ornate, golden thread https://ireneposch.net/the-embroidered-computer/ #1yrago Booklist on “Red Team Blues” https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/13/marty-hench/#red-team-blues Colophon (permalink) Today’s top sources: Currently writing: A Little Brother short story about DIY insulin PLANNING Picks and Shovels, a Martin Hench noir thriller about the heroic era of the PC. FORTHCOMING TOR BOOKS JAN 2025 The Bezzle, a Martin Hench noir thriller novel about the prison-tech industry. FORTHCOMING TOR BOOKS FEB 2024 Vigilant, Little Brother short story about remote invigilation. FORTHCOMING ON TOR.COM Spill, a Little Brother short story about pipeline protests. FORTHCOMING ON TOR.COM Latest podcast: The Internet’s Original Sin https://craphound.com/news/2023/12/17/the-internets-original-sin/) Upcoming appearances: Books & Books (Coral Gables, Florida), Jan 22 https://www.booksandbooks.com/event/in-person-an-evening-with-cory-doctorow/ Marshall McLuhan Lecture 2024 (Berlin), Jan 29 https://transmediale.de/en/2024/event/mcluhan-2024 The Lost Cause at Otherland (Berlin), Jan 30 https://www.otherland-berlin.de/de/event-details/autor-innenabend-mit-cory-doctorow.html Recent appearances: The Lost Cause (The Writer’s Voice) https://www.writersvoice.net/2024/01/cory-doctorow-the-lost-cause/ What the Future will Bring (Homeless Romantic) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_Vq8qW2A8I Talking “The Lost Cause” with Warren Mosler (MMT Podcast) https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-182-cory-95211955 Latest books: “The Lost Cause:” a solarpunk novel of hope in the climate emergency, Tor Books (US), Head of Zeus (UK), November 2023 (http://lost-cause.org). Signed, personalized copies at Dark Delicacies (https://www.darkdel.com/store/p3007/Pre-Order_Signed_Copies%3A_The_Lost_Cause_HB.html#/) “The Internet Con”: A nonfiction book about interoperability and Big Tech (Verso) September 2023 (http://seizethemeansofcomputation.org). Signed copies at Book Soup (https://www.booksoup.com/book/9781804291245). “Red Team Blues”: “A grabby, compulsive thriller that will leave you knowing more about how the world works than you did before.” Tor Books http://redteamblues.com. Signed copies at Dark Delicacies (US): and Forbidden Planet (UK): https://forbiddenplanet.com/385004-red-team-blues-signed-edition-hardcover/. “Chokepoint Capitalism: How to Beat Big Tech, Tame Big Content, and Get Artists Paid, with Rebecca Giblin”, on how to unrig the markets for creative labor, Beacon Press/Scribe 2022 https://chokepointcapitalism.com “Attack Surface”: The third Little Brother novel, a standalone technothriller for adults. The Washington Post called it “a political cyberthriller, vigorous, bold and savvy about the limits of revolution and resistance.” Order signed, personalized copies from Dark Delicacies https://www.darkdel.com/store/p1840/Available_Now%3A_Attack_Surface.html “How to Destroy Surveillance Capitalism”: an anti-monopoly pamphlet analyzing the true harms of surveillance capitalism and proposing a solution. https://onezero.medium.com/how-to-destroy-surveillance-capitalism-8135e6744d59?sk=f6cd10e54e20a07d4c6d0f3ac011af6b) (signed copies: https://www.darkdel.com/store/p2024/Available_Now%3A__How_to_Destroy_Surveillance_Capitalism.html) “Little Brother/Homeland”: A reissue omnibus edition with a new introduction by Edward Snowden: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250774583; personalized/signed copies here: https://www.darkdel.com/store/p1750/July%3A__Little_Brother_%26_Homeland.html “Poesy the Monster Slayer” a picture book about monsters, bedtime, gender, and kicking ass. Order here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626723627. Get a personalized, signed copy here: https://www.darkdel.com/store/p2682/Corey_Doctorow%3A_Poesy_the_Monster_Slayer_HB.html#/. Upcoming books: The Bezzle: a sequel to “Red Team Blues,” about prison-tech and other grifts, Tor Books, February 2024 Picks and Shovels: a sequel to “Red Team Blues,” about the heroic era of the PC, Tor Books, February 2025 Unauthorized Bread: a graphic novel adapted from my novella about refugees, toasters and DRM, FirstSecond, 2025 This work – excluding any serialized fiction – is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. That means you can use it any way you like, including commercially, provided that you attribute it to me, Cory Doctorow, and include a link to pluralistic.net. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Quotations and images are not included in this license; they are included either under a limitation or exception to copyright, or on the basis of a separate license. Please exercise caution. How to get Pluralistic: Blog (no ads, tracking, or data-collection): Pluralistic.net Newsletter (no ads, tracking, or data-collection): https://pluralistic.net/plura-list Mastodon (no ads, tracking, or data-collection): https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic Medium (no ads, paywalled): https://doctorow.medium.com/ Twitter (mass-scale, unrestricted, third-party surveillance and advertising): https://twitter.com/doctorow Tumblr (mass-scale, unrestricted, third-party surveillance and advertising): https://mostlysignssomeportents.tumblr.com/tagged/pluralistic “When life gives you SARS, you make sarsaparilla” -Joey “Accordion Guy” DeVilla
https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/13/solidarity-forever/ Save to Pocket
Deck Part 2: Framing
date: 2024-01-13, updated: 2024-01-13, from: Russell Graves, Syonyk’s Project Blog
https://www.sevarg.net/2024/01/13/deck-part-2-framing/ Save to Pocket
Redeployment Part Two
date: 2024-01-13, from: brr, an Antarctica IT blog
Station opening, and my flight out of Pole!
https://brr.fyi/posts/redeployment-part-two Save to Pocket
Bullet Points: OpenAI looks for its FarmVille, 90s tech nostalgia, and more on the Substack drama
date: 2024-01-13, from: Dave Karpf’s blog
Hi everyone, I’ve got three items to share, none of which merits a stand-alone post. So it’s time for another edition of Bullet Points, where Dave just talks about a bunch of stuff! Today: OpenAI is looking for its FarmVille, 90s tech nostalgia, and more Substack drama!
https://davekarpf.substack.com/p/bullet-points-openai-looks-for-its Save to Pocket
Podcast: How You Change, When You Learn Something New.
date: 2024-01-13, from: James Fallows, Substack
“I saw an interview with Harrison Ford, who learned to fly when he was 50. He said, ‘I hadn’t learned anything in a long time.’” For Patrick Chovanec, novice pilot at age 50, that rang a bell.
https://fallows.substack.com/p/podcast-how-you-change-when-you-learn Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-13, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
If you work on a team with other people who use Drummer (my outliner), you can share outlines with each other to "narrate your work." It's like blogging on a team level.
http://docserver.scripting.com/drummer/instantOutlines.opml Save to Pocket
NASA, Lockheed Martin reveal subtly supersonic X-59 plane
date: 2024-01-13, updated: 2024-01-13, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Boffins say the quiet part out loud: There’s no room for the sonic boom
NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft made its public debut on Friday in a media event at the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, where the plane was designed.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/13/nasa_lockheed_martin_x59/ Save to Pocket
YOU LOVE TO SEE IT: Regulators Come For Boeing and Co.
date: 2024-01-13, from: The Lever News
Following The Lever’s reporting, the companies behind a recent airliner accident could be facing a reckoning.
https://www.levernews.com/you-love-to-see-it-regulators-come-for-boeing-and-co/ Save to Pocket
Our View | Barger: An Unequivocal Endorsement
date: 2024-01-13, from: The Signal
By The Signal Editorial Board Ever since L.A. County’s 5th District voters first sent Kathryn Barger to downtown Los Angeles as their representative in 2016, she has done an exemplary job representing the residents of the district, which includes the Santa Clarita Valley. She hit the ground running because she had plenty of experience responding […]
The post Our View | Barger: An Unequivocal Endorsement appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/our-view-barger-an-unequivocal-endorsement/ Save to Pocket
The 24 Most Anticipated Video Games Of 2024
date: 2024-01-13, updated: 2024-01-13, from: The LAist
2024 may not have quite the stacked release calendar of 2023, but “Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth” is right around the corner. Signs also point to Nintendo Switch 2 later this year.
https://laist.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/the-24-most-anticipated-video-games-of-2024 Save to Pocket
Neil Fitzgerald | The Utter Calamity at Our Border
date: 2024-01-13, from: The Signal
In 2023 I wrote a column expressing concern about our southern border, especially with the Biden Administration rolling back previous Republican policies. In the aftermath, a number of media outlets spun a narrative that everything was fine, nothing to see here and that Republicans were “pouncing” and “seizing” and that the Biden Administration had everything […]
The post Neil Fitzgerald | The Utter Calamity at Our Border appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/neil-fitzgerald-the-utter-calamity-at-our-border/ Save to Pocket
Bordallo: 30 graduating officers makes DOC ‘a safer place’
date: 2024-01-13, from: Guam Daily Post
The Department of Corrections is “a safer place” after the graduation of 30 new corrections officers, Director Fred Bordallo said during a graduation ceremony on Friday morning.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/bordallo-30-graduating-officers-makes-doc-a-safer-place/article_ace99080-b0f3-11ee-8d03-4b282130bb3f.html Save to Pocket
Management statement pending in assistant AG termination case
date: 2024-01-13, from: Guam Daily Post
Lawyers for the Office of the Attorney General and Donna Lawrence, a former assistant attorney general, still hadn’t submitted a case management statement as of their first status call with the Civil Service Commission on Jan. 10, and had agreed…
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/management-statement-pending-in-assistant-ag-termination-case/article_f44e3f4e-b129-11ee-b44f-2bef661c4f2a.html Save to Pocket
Meth arrest results in multiple assault charges
date: 2024-01-13, from: Guam Daily Post
A man was charged with several counts of assault stemming from multiple incidents reported since October.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/meth-arrest-results-in-multiple-assault-charges/article_26c45ad2-b0ec-11ee-92af-3be76d4b7b6d.html Save to Pocket
GPA seeks completion of projects to mitigate 12-15 months of vulnerability
date: 2024-01-13, from: Guam Daily Post
Guam Power Authority General Manager John Benavente said he hopes to have some decision on the utility’s emergency procurement for temporary power by the time the Consolidated Commission on Utilities meets next week. Only one proponent came forward that would…
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/gpa-seeks-completion-of-projects-to-mitigate-12-15-months-of-vulnerability/article_68051b56-b0f3-11ee-8449-471808a75e63.html Save to Pocket
Different journeys: An exhibit of mothers and sons
date: 2024-01-13, from: Guam Daily Post
Two unique, inspirational and eclectic art exhibits are now on display at the Lees-Reyes Art Gallery in the Tumon Sands Plaza featuring two mothers and their sons. The exhibits will be on display until Feb. 13.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/different-journeys-an-exhibit-of-mothers-and-sons/article_b9a623d0-aeb2-11ee-b2cc-73d15aeaf5c3.html Save to Pocket
Many gather, wave teal and white for Cervical Cancer Month
date: 2024-01-13, from: Guam Daily Post
Local nonprofit and school organizations wore teal and white during Guam Cancer Care’s “Real Strong Teal Strong” wave Friday at the ITC intersection in Tamuning.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/many-gather-wave-teal-and-white-for-cervical-cancer-month/article_17031ee2-b1b1-11ee-a3e0-23359f782783.html Save to Pocket
Man, 23, accused of sending pornography to minor, 14
date: 2024-01-13, from: Guam Daily Post
A 23-year-old man was accused of sending nude photos to a 14-year-old special-needs student.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/man-23-accused-of-sending-pornography-to-minor-14/article_70658068-b0f0-11ee-99cc-cbde4bac8da7.html Save to Pocket
Hilmar Rosenast | A Biblical Correction
date: 2024-01-13, from: The Signal
Re: Ron Perry, letters, Jan. 10. You have every right to believe what you want. However, it seems you may not be as well informed as you think. I will not address every point you make but limit it to a most simple one, namely, “None of the four gospel writers were eyewitnesses to the […]
The post Hilmar Rosenast | A Biblical Correction appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/hilmar-rosenast-a-biblical-correction/ Save to Pocket
Thomas Oatway | New Year’s Thanks
date: 2024-01-13, from: The Signal
With the start of a new year, I thought it would be appropriate to express my thanks for my blessings, and reflect on some challenges for 2024. Unfortunately, many of us are quick to express frustration with our current condition, and reluctant to show gratitude for what we have. First and foremost, I have to […]
The post Thomas Oatway | New Year’s Thanks appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/thomas-oatway-new-years-thanks/ Save to Pocket
Arthur Saginian | If You Believe, It’s Not a Lie
date: 2024-01-13, from: The Signal
Pastor David Hegg pretty much described himself while accusing others of buying into “noble lies” (commentary, Dec. 17) because he is also guilty of “buying into” something that he has not validated/verified (i.e. I once tried and I failed to verify the existence of God). But I can’t really accuse Hegg of “telling” noble lies […]
The post Arthur Saginian | If You Believe, It’s Not a Lie appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/arthur-saginian-if-you-believe-its-not-a-lie/ Save to Pocket
They’re Like Little Free Libraries, But Stocked With DVDs And Look Like Blockbuster Video
date: 2024-01-13, updated: 2024-01-13, from: The LAist
These free DVD pantries have been popping up across the nation since 2019. The latest franchise is in Sun Valley.
https://laist.com/news/los-angeles-activities/little-free-libraries-dvds-blockbuster-video Save to Pocket
Bad Internet? Good Chance You’ll Miss a Key NFL Playoff Game This Weekend
date: 2024-01-13, from: The Markup blog
The real contest may not be the Dolphins versus the reigning champ Chiefs, but how Peacock’s streaming wars fare in parts of the country with low connectivity
https://themarkup.org/hello-world/2024/01/13/bad-internet-good-chance-youll-miss-a-key-nfl-playoff-game-this-weekend Save to Pocket
Robert Lamoureux | New laws on decks and catwalks: What you need to know
date: 2024-01-13, from: The Signal
Due to an overwhelming number of emails I’ve received with inquiries about new statutes for decking and catwalks, I am sharing the facts that I have gathered. The new statutes are Senate Bill 326 and SB721. SB326 is for homeowners associations and SB721 is for apartments. These regulations are for exterior decks and catwalk […]
The post Robert Lamoureux | New laws on decks and catwalks: What you need to know appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/robert-lamoureux-new-laws-on-decks-and-catwalks-what-you-need-to-know/ Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-13, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Supreme Court to Decide if States Can Prohibit Emergency Abortions.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/supreme-court-states-emergency-abortion-1234945425/ Save to Pocket
NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn’t happen this week
date: 2024-01-13, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/13/nation-world-news/not-real-news-a-look-at-what-didnt-happen-this-week-122/ Save to Pocket
Inoculated against democracy: Trump immunity claim is dangerous
date: 2024-01-13, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Donald Trump was in federal court Wednesday as his lawyers laid out his preposterous argument that presidents are immune from federal prosecution for actions taken in office unless impeached and convicted in the Senate. Whatever the three-judge appeals panel decides, the case will most likely end up before the Supreme Court, which must reject this ridiculous notion.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/13/opinion/inoculated-against-democracy-trump-immunity-claim-is-dangerous/ Save to Pocket
Washington’s Kalen DeBoer signs deal to replace Nick Saban at Alabama, AP source says
date: 2024-01-13, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>SEATTLE — Two hours and four minutes before Alabama coach Nick Saban’s retirement caused panic attacks in the Pacific Northwest, Kalen DeBoer was asked how he’s feeling in the wake of Washington’s loss in the national championship game.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/13/sports/washingtons-kalen-deboer-signs-deal-to-replace-nick-saban-at-alabama-ap-source-says/ Save to Pocket
Cam Davis handles the wind at Waialae for a 62 to lead Sony Open
date: 2024-01-13, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>HONOLULU — Cam Davis hopped islands in Hawaii and was happy to see the rust stayed back on Maui. He faced the strongest wind Thursday and produced the best opening round in the Sony Open, an 8-under 62 for a two-shot lead.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/13/sports/cam-davis-handles-the-wind-at-waialae-for-a-62-to-lead-sony-open/ Save to Pocket
Stafford, Watson and Lance: 2 trades that helped shape this postseason in a variety of ways
date: 2024-01-13, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>In 2021, the San Francisco 49ers gave Miami a package of picks so they could move up in the draft and take Trey Lance. Two years later, Sean Payton was the coach in Denver.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/13/sports/stafford-watson-and-lance-2-trades-that-helped-shape-this-postseason-in-a-variety-of-ways/ Save to Pocket
Patriots name Jerod Mayo as next head coach, Bill Belichick’s successor
date: 2024-01-13, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Jerod Mayo spent his entire professional football career learning from Bill Belichick, first as a player and then as an assistant.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/13/sports/patriots-name-jerod-mayo-as-next-head-coach-bill-belichicks-successor/ Save to Pocket
Tropical Gardening: Hawaiian paradise almost perfect, but be aware of dangers
date: 2024-01-13, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Our islands have few dangers except for rare volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and hurricanes. Excessive exposure to the sun can be dangerous, and carelessness can cause accidents while hiking in the mountains or swimming in the ocean. Although there are few poisonous native plants, some common exotic landscape plants are toxic such as oleander, crotons and angel trumpets. Some people can experience skin reactions like exposure to poison ivy from cashew and mango trees.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/13/features/tropical-gardening-hawaiian-paradise-almost-perfect-but-be-aware-of-dangers/ Save to Pocket
Clarence Thomas and the bottomless self-pity of the upper classes
date: 2024-01-13, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Articles asking us to feel sympathy for families barely scraping by on healthy six-figure incomes may be staples of the financial press, but it’s rare that they come packaged as real-world case studies attached to flesh-and-blood individuals.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/13/opinion/clarence-thomas-and-the-bottomless-self-pity-of-the-upper-classes/ Save to Pocket
Snow, ice, wind and bitter cold pummels the northern US in dangerous winter storm
date: 2024-01-13, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>ST. LOUIS — A dangerous winter storm swept the northern U.S. on Friday, with blinding snow in some places, freezing rain in others, and bitter cold temperatures and whipping winds across several states.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/13/nation-world-news/snow-ice-wind-and-bitter-cold-pummels-the-northern-us-in-dangerous-winter-storm/ Save to Pocket
Speaker Johnson insists he’s sticking to budget deal but announces no plan to stop partial shutdown
date: 2024-01-13, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson insisted Friday he is sticking with the bipartisan spending deal he struck with the other congressional leaders, but offered no clear path for overcoming hard-right opposition within his own party to prevent a partial government shutdown next week.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/13/nation-world-news/speaker-johnson-insists-hes-sticking-to-budget-deal-but-announces-no-plan-to-stop-partial-shutdown/ Save to Pocket
Daniel Day-Lewis breaks from retirement to fete Martin Scorsese at National Board of Review Awards
date: 2024-01-13, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>NEW YORK — Daniel Day-Lewis took a break from retirement to present Martin Scorsese the award for best director at the National Board of Review Awards in midtown Manhattan on Thursday night.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/13/nation-world-news/daniel-day-lewis-breaks-from-retirement-to-fete-martin-scorsese-at-national-board-of-review-awards/ Save to Pocket
Israel defends itself at the UN’s top court against allegations of genocide in Gaza
date: 2024-01-13, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Accused of committing genocide against Palestinians, Israel insisted at the United Nations’ highest court Friday that its war in Gaza was a legitimate defense of its people and that it was Hamas militants who were guilty of genocide.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/13/nation-world-news/israel-defends-itself-at-the-uns-top-court-against-allegations-of-genocide-in-gaza/ Save to Pocket
US warns ships to stay out of parts of Red Sea as Houthi rebels vow retaliation for US, UK strikes
date: 2024-01-13, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. Navy on Friday warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for the next 72 hours after the U.S. and Britain launched multiple airstrikes targeting Houthi rebels.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/13/nation-world-news/us-warns-ships-to-stay-out-of-parts-of-red-sea-as-houthi-rebels-vow-retaliation-for-us-uk-strikes/ Save to Pocket
Supreme Court to rule on clearing homeless encampments in the West, Hawaii
date: 2024-01-13, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide whether homeless people have a constitutional right to camp on public property when they have no other place to sleep.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/13/nation-world-news/supreme-court-to-rule-on-clearing-homeless-encampments-in-the-west-hawaii/ Save to Pocket
Taiwan prepares to elect a president and legislature in what’s seen as a test of control with China
date: 2024-01-13, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>TAIPEI, Taiwan — With rallies and concerts attended by thousands of flag-waving supporters, Taiwanese are preparing to elect a new president and legislature on Saturday in what many see as a test of control with China, which claims the self-governing island republic as its own.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/13/nation-world-news/taiwan-prepares-to-elect-a-president-and-legislature-in-whats-seen-as-a-test-of-control-with-china/ Save to Pocket
Trump lawyer: Fulton County DA allegations ‘salacious and scandalous’
date: 2024-01-13, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>ATLANTA — While Donald Trump has been busy trumpeting news of an alleged scandal in the Fulton County District Attorney’s office, his lawyer on Friday sounded a more cautious note.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/13/nation-world-news/trump-lawyer-fulton-county-da-allegations-salacious-and-scandalous/ Save to Pocket
Federal scientists recommend easing restrictions on marijuana
date: 2024-01-13, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Marijuana is neither as risky nor as prone to abuse as other tightly controlled substances and has potential medical benefits, and it therefore should be removed from the nation’s most restrictive category of drugs, federal scientists have concluded.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/13/nation-world-news/federal-scientists-recommend-easing-restrictions-on-marijuana/ Save to Pocket
Red Sea shipping attacks have impacts in Pacific
date: 2024-01-13, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Ongoing attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea by Houthi militants from Yemen are causing ripples here in the Pacific.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/13/nation-world-news/red-sea-shipping-attacks-have-impacts-in-pacific/ Save to Pocket
Boeing is under fire after Alaska Airlines Max 9 blowout. So is the FAA
date: 2024-01-13, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Nearly a week after a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 aircraft midflight, lawmakers and federal regulators are starting to look to the Boeing plane’s troubled history to understand what happened — and what didn’t.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/13/nation-world-news/boeing-is-under-fire-after-alaska-airlines-max-9-blowout-so-is-the-faa/ Save to Pocket
Will Trump walk away with the Republican nomination? Saturday Coffee Klatch
date: 2024-01-13, from: Robert Reich on Substack
With Heather Lofthouse and yours truly
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/will-trump-walk-away-with-the-republican Save to Pocket
The Time Ranger | Change a Street Name, Start a City…
date: 2024-01-13, from: The Signal
Hey saddlepals and saddlepalettes. Hope you survived the New Year intact and are ready for a full-fledged trek into the lore and history of Santa Clarita’s yesteryears. Bring a thick range coat with a big collar. We’ve some severe weather ahead, along with crooks, bandits and bootleggers. There’s fallen land barons, dumbing down the high […]
The post The Time Ranger | Change a Street Name, Start a City… appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/the-time-ranger-change-a-street-name-start-a-city/ Save to Pocket
Why do IT projects like the UK’s scandal-hit Post Office Horizon end in disaster?
date: 2024-01-13, updated: 2024-01-13, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Lack of skills, funding, and scrutiny – pick three
Kettle This week the incredible scandal that is the UK’s Post Office Horizon computer system, which ruined people’s lives and drove some to suicide, finally exploded into the mainstream.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/13/kettle_post_office_horizon/ Save to Pocket
VOA Immigration Weekly Recap, Jan. 6–13, 2024
date: 2024-01-13, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-immigration-weekly-recap-jan-6-13-2024/7436840.html Save to Pocket
$100M to Remain From Estate of Heiress Considered Last Hawaiian Princess
date: 2024-01-13, from: VOA News USA
HONOLULU — In life, Abigail Kawananakoa embodied the complexities of Hawaii: Many considered her a princess — a descendant of the royal family that once ruled the islands.
But she was also the great-granddaughter of a sugar baron and inherited vast wealth thanks to Westerners who upended traditional ways of life through the introduction of private property and the diversion of water for industrial plantations.
Now, more than a year after her death at age 96 and the bitter battles over her fortune in the twilight of her life, her estate has been settled. And recently finalized court documents show that after doling out tens of millions to various people — including former housekeepers, other longtime employees and her wife — there will be at least $100 million left to support Native Hawaiian causes.
Kawananakoa cared deeply about advancing Hawaiian culture, and resolving her estate is meaningful to Hawaiians because it is the last of what’s known as “alii,” or royal, trusts, which were set up by royalty to benefit Native Hawaiians, said Dr. Naleen Naupaka Andrade, executive vice president of Native Hawaiian health for The Queen’s Health System. The health system was created from a trust established by Queen Emma in 1859.
“Quite frankly, the needs of Hawaiians in education, in social welfare, in housing, in health far exceed the capacity of these trusts,” she said. “They augment what federal and state dollars should be doing for Hawaii’s Indigenous peoples.”
Fate of foundation
Many have been watching where the money ends up because of concerns about the fate of the foundation Kawananakoa set up to benefit Hawaiians. Kawananakoa’s trust will perpetuate Native Hawaiian culture and language, Andrade said.
According to documents in the probate case for her estate, $40 million will go to her wife. Settlements have also been reached with about a dozen other people who had claims, including someone described in court documents as her “hanai” son, referring to an informal adoption in Hawaiian culture.
Legal wrangling over Kawananakoa’s trust, which now has a value of at least $250 million, began in 2017 after she suffered a stroke. She disputed claims that she was impaired, and married Veronica Gail Worth, her partner of 20 years, who later changed her name to Veronica Gail Kawananakoa.
In 2020, a judge ruled that Abigail Kawananakoa was, in fact, impaired, and thus unable to manage her property and business affairs. The estate has been overseen by a trustee.
She inherited her wealth as the great-granddaughter of James Campbell, an Irish businessman who made his fortune as a sugar plantation owner and one of Hawaii’s largest landowners. She held no formal title but was a living reminder of Hawaii’s monarchy and a symbol of Hawaiian national identity that endured after the kingdom was overthrown by American businessmen in 1893.
Over the years, some insisted Kawananakoa was held up as royalty only because of her wealth. They disputed her princess claim, saying that had the monarchy survived, a cousin would be in line to be the ruler, not her.
Her causes
She put her money toward various causes, including scholarships, medical bills and funerals for Native Hawaiians. She supported protests against a giant telescope because of its proposed placement on Mauna Kea, a sacred mountain in Hawaiian culture; donated items owned by King Kalakaua and Queen Kapiʻolani for public display, including a 14-carat diamond from the king’s pinky ring; and maintained ʻIolani Palace — America’s only royal residence, where the Hawaiian monarchy dwelled, and which now serves mostly as a museum.
“Historically significant items” belonging to Kawananakoa will be delivered to the palace, said a statement issued by trustee Jim Wright on behalf of her foundation.
Her trust has been supporting causes dear to her, including programming at the palace such as night tours and cultural dinners, and paying for students at Hawaiian-focused schools to visit cultural sites and experience symphony performances in Hawaiian, Wright said.
After Internal Revenue Service clearance, the foundation will receive the leftover money, which Wright estimated to be at least $100 million, to fund similar efforts.
Kauikeolani Nani’ole, an educator at Halau Ku Mana Public Charter School in Honolulu, said her school recently received money from the trust for busing to community events.
“In those small ways, they make big impacts for schools like us,” she said.
She called Kawananakoa an “unsung alii” because she often donated to causes and people anonymously.
Fostering culture
According to documents establishing her foundation in 2001, Kawananakoa wanted it to “maintain, support, preserve and foster the traditional Hawaiian culture in existence prior to 1778” — the year the first European explorer, Captain James Cook, reached the islands. That includes Hawaiian music, religion, language and art.
Andrade recently visited Kawananakoa’s crypt at Mauna ʻAla, also known as the Royal Mausoleum State Monument, which is the burial place of Hawaiian royalty. She laid an offering of maile leaves entwined with white ginger — a flower Kawananakoa loved.
“All of the pilikia, all of the trouble, that occurred in the last several years after she became ill — what was lost in all that was her love of her people,” Andrade said. “Her deep, deep love and the thoughtfulness she had, and the foresight she had before she became ill about wanting to leave a legacy for her people that could make a difference.”
https://www.voanews.com/a/estate-of-heiress-considered-last-hawaiian-princess/7436904.html Save to Pocket
Today in SCV History (Jan. 13)
date: 2024-01-13, from: SCV New (TV Station)
1847 – Gen. Andres Pico (as in Pico Canyon) surrenders to Col. John C. Fremont, effectively ending the war between U.S. and Mexico. [story
https://scvnews.com/today-in-scv-history-4/ Save to Pocket
Election, Gaza War Factor Into Martin Luther King Holiday Events in US
date: 2024-01-13, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/election-gaza-war-factor-into-martin-luther-king-holiday-events-in-us-/7438485.html Save to Pocket
Artifact Is Shutting Down After One Year
date: 2024-01-13, updated: 2024-01-13, from: Daring Fireball
https://medium.com/artifact-news/shutting-down-artifact-1e70de46d419 Save to Pocket
US Launches Follow-Up Strike on Houthi Radar Site
date: 2024-01-13, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — The United States launched a follow-up strike against a Houthi target in Yemen early Saturday, after officials said they were not satisfied with the damage inflicted during the initial round of airstrikes late Thursday.
U.S. Central Command said it launched the additional strike from the USS Carney, a guided missile destroyer, firing multiple Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles to take out a radar site that it said presented a continuing threat to maritime traffic.
The strike comes a little more than a day after the U.S. and British militaries carried out dozens of strikes against Houthi positions in Yemen, in retaliation for weeks of Houthi attacks that have disrupted shipping and damaged vessels transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Houthi militants did launch an anti-ship ballistic missile early Friday, U.S. military officials confirmed, though it did not hit any ships.
U.S. and British officials expressed optimism Friday that the initial strikes late Thursday, which are now being described as two waves of strikes, were successful.
A U.S. defense official told VOA on Friday that the initial assessment indicates the first wave of precision strikes late Thursday degraded the ability of the Houthis to launch further attacks.
The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss operational details, said a more comprehensive assessment of the strikes was still underway. But the sentiment echoed other early assessments by senior U.S. officials, who have described the damage to Houthi capabilities as “significant.”
“We feel very confident about where our munitions struck,” Lieutenant General Douglas Sims, the director of the Joint Staff, told reporters Friday. “But we don’t know at this point the complete battle damage assessment.”
U.S. Central Command late Thursday said that U.S. fighter jets, naval vessels and submarines hit more than 60 targets at 16 locations across Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen, including command and control nodes, munitions depots, launching systems, and production facilities.
But Sims said Friday, the U.S. and Britain launched a second wave of strikes against another 12 locations 30 minutes to an hour after the initial strikes were carried out.
The additional sites, each with multiple targets, “had been identified as possessing articles that could be potentially used against forces, maritime and air,” he said, noting the strikes were taken in self-defense.
U.S. officials said, in all, more than 150 precision guided munitions were aimed at Houthi targets, including Tomahawk missiles.
At least three U.S. guided missile cruisers and destroyers (the USS Gravely, the USS Philippine Sea, and the USS Mason) took part in the strikes along with an Ohio-class submarine, fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, and U.S. Air Force jets.
A separate statement Friday from the British Defense Ministry said four of its Typhoon fighter jets, accompanied by an air refueling tanker, used laser-guided bombs to hit two locations: a drone launch site in Bani, in northwestern Yemen, and an airfield in Abbs, used to launch cruise missiles and drones at ships in the Red Sea.
“Early indications are that the Houthis’ ability to threaten merchant shipping has taken a blow,” the ministry said.
Despite the optimistic strike assessments, U.S. officials have said they believe the Houthis are likely to retaliate.
“My guess is that the Houthis are trying to figure things out on the ground and trying to determine what capabilities still exist for them,” Sims said. “Their rhetoric has been pretty strong and pretty high, and I would expect that they will attempt some sort of retaliation.”
“I would hope they wouldn’t,” he added, describing the Houthi efforts as “generally fruitless.”
But the White House repeated its warning Friday that the Houthis would face additional consequences if their attacks persist.
“We will make sure that we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behavior, along with our allies,” President Joe Biden said in response to reporters’ questions during a stop at a coffee shop in Pennsylvania on Friday.
Also Friday, the U.S. unveiled new sanctions aimed at commodity shipments that have been funding the Houthis and their Iranian backers.
U.S. Treasury Department officials imposed sanctions on a Hong-Kong-based company and another company in the United Arab Emirates, both of which have been working with Sa’id al-Jamal, a financier who has been supporting both the Houthis and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force.
“We will take all available measures to stop the destabilizing activities of the Houthis and their threats to global commerce,” Treasury Undersecretary Brian Nelson said in a statement.
Since mid-November, the Houthis have launched at least 28 attacks, affecting citizens, cargo and vessels from more than 50 countries, according to the U.S.
U.S. officials have said that Biden made the decision to launch Thursday’s strikes following a Houthi attack on shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden on Tuesday that involved 18 one-way attack drones, two cruise missiles and one ballistic missile.
U.S. combat jets, along with U.S. and British military vessels, responded by shooting down the drones and missiles, averting any damage to ships or injuries to their crews in the area.
Last week, the United States and 12 allies issued a statement warning the Houthis of unspecified consequences if their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea continued.
The statement followed the launch in mid-December of Operation Prosperity Guardian by the United States, Britain and nearly 20 other countries to protect ships from Houthi attacks.
Since the launch of Prosperity Guardian, at least 1,500 vessels have passed safely through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
The U.N. Security Council adopted its own resolution Wednesday, calling on the Houthis to stop the attacks immediately.
But Russia, which abstained in the vote, called for an emergency meeting of the council Friday evening to discuss the strikes. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia called the U.S.-British strikes a “blatant armed aggression against another country.” He argued that the strikes did not meet the conditions for self-defense under Article 51 of the U.N. Charter.
“Article 51 does not apply to the situation with commercial shipping,” Nebenzia said. “The right to self-defense cannot be exercised in order to ensure the freedom of shipping. Our American colleagues know this fact very well.”
In a statement Friday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea area are “not acceptable” and endanger the safety and security of global supply chains and have a negative impact on the economic and humanitarian situation worldwide. He urged the Houthis to immediately cease their attacks and called for all parties to respect the Security Council resolution in its entirety.
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Council that the strikes were consistent with international law and Article 51. She said Washington does not take such strikes lightly and they were only carried out “after non-military options proved inadequate to address the threat.”
VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara and U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-launches-follow-up-strike-on-houthi-radar-site-/7438462.html Save to Pocket
★ Al Gore, Mac Nerd and Internet Pioneer
date: 2024-01-13, updated: 2024-01-13, from: Daring Fireball
In 2003 there was one person in the world who could be described as a former vice president of the United States and avid Mac user.
https://daringfireball.net/2024/01/al_gore_mac_nerd_internet_pioneer Save to Pocket
January 12, 2024
date: 2024-01-13, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
Last week, after President Joe Biden went to Valley Forge and then spoke in Pennsylvania, I got a chance to sit down with him to ask a few questions. What I wanted to hear from him illustrates the difference between journalists and historians. Journalists are trained to find breaking stories and to explain them clearly so that their audience is better informed about what is happening in the world. What they do is vitally important to a democracy, and it is hard work. One of the reasons I always try to call out the names of journalists whose articles I’m describing is to highlight that there are real people working hard to dig out the stories we all need to know and that we are all part of a community trying together to figure out what’s happening in this country.
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-12-2024 Save to Pocket
Trump Ordered to Pay Legal Fees of New York Times, Three Reporters
date: 2024-01-13, from: VOA News USA
new york — Former President Donald Trump was ordered Friday to pay nearly $400,000 in legal fees to The New York Times and three investigative reporters after he sued them unsuccessfully over a Pulitzer Prize-winning 2018 story about his family’s wealth and tax practices.
The newspaper and reporters Susanne Craig, David Barstow and Russell Buettner were dismissed from the lawsuit in May. Trump’s claim against his estranged niece, Mary Trump, that she breached a prior settlement agreement by giving tax records to the reporters is still pending.
New York Judge Robert Reed said that given the “complexity of the issues” in the case and other factors, it was reasonable that Donald Trump be forced to pay lawyers for the Times and the reporters a total of $392,638 in legal fees.
“Today’s decision shows that the state’s newly amended anti-SLAPP statute can be a powerful force for protecting press freedom,” Times spokesperson Danielle Rhoads Ha said, referring to a New York law that bars baseless lawsuits designed to silence critics. Such lawsuits are known as SLAPPs or strategic lawsuits against public participation.
“The court has sent a message to those who want to misuse the judicial system to try to silence journalists,” Rhoads Ha said.
Trump’s niece
In a separate ruling Friday, Reed denied a request by Mary Trump – now the sole defendant – that the case be put on hold while she appeals his June decision that allowed Donald Trump’s claim against her to proceed.
Mary Trump’s lawyers declined to comment.
Donald Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, said they remained disappointed that the Times and its reporters were dropped from the case. She said they were pleased that the court had “once again affirmed the strength of our claims against Mary and is denying her attempt to avoid accountability.”
“We look forward to proceeding with our claims against her,” Habba said.
Donald Trump’s lawsuit, filed in 2021, accused the Times and its reporters of relentlessly seeking out Mary Trump as a source of information and persuading her to turn over confidential tax records. He contended that the reporters were aware her prior settlement agreement barred her from disclosing the documents, which she’d received in a dispute over family patriarch Fred Trump’s estate.
The Times’ reporting challenged Donald Trump’s claims of self-made wealth by documenting how his father, Fred Trump, had given him at least $413 million over the decades, including through tax avoidance schemes. Mary Trump identified herself in a book published in 2020 as the source of the documents.
The Times’ story said that Donald Trump and his father avoided gift and inheritance taxes by methods including setting up a sham corporation and undervaluing assets to tax authorities. The Times said its report was based on more than 100,000 pages of financial documents, including confidential tax returns for the father and his companies.
‘Personal vendetta’
Donald Trump, who sought $100 million in damages, alleged Mary Trump, the Times and the reporters “were motivated by a personal vendetta” against him. He accused them of engaging “in an insidious plot to obtain confidential and highly sensitive records which they exploited for their own benefit.”
In dismissing the Times and its reporters from the lawsuit, Reed wrote that legal news gathering is “at the very core of protected First Amendment activity.”
Mary Trump, 58, is the daughter of Donald Trump’s brother, Fred Trump Jr., who died in 1981 at age 42. She is an outspoken critic of her uncle, whom she has regarded as “criminal, cruel and traitorous.”
In July, Mary Trump filed a counterclaim against Donald Trump under New York’s anti-SLAPP law, arguing that Donald Trump’s lawsuit was “purely retaliatory and lacking in merit” and intended to “chill her and others from criticizing him in the future.”
https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-ordered-to-pay-legal-fees-of-new-york-times-three-reporters/7438417.html Save to Pocket
Number of orgs compromised via Ivanti VPN zero-days grows as Mandiant weighs in
date: 2024-01-13, updated: 2024-01-13, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Snoops had no fewer than five custom bits of malware to hand to backdoor networks
Two zero-day bugs in Ivanti products were likely under attack by cyberspies as early as December, according to Mandiant’s threat intel team.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/13/ivanti_zeroday_mandiant_analysis/ Save to Pocket
US Asks Court to Intervene Over Texas Blocking US Border Agents
date: 2024-01-13, from: VOA News USA
McALLEN, Texas — The Justice Department on Friday asked the Supreme Court to order Texas to stop blocking Border Patrol agents from a portion of the U.S.-Mexico border where large numbers of migrants have crossed in recent months, setting up another showdown between Republican Governor Greg Abbott and the Biden administration over immigration enforcement.
The request comes after Texas put up fencing to take control of a nearly 20-hectare public park along the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, which was a crossing point for thousands of migrants entering from Mexico last year. Although a similar power struggle played out in the same region more than a year ago, the area Texas closed off this week prevents federal agents from accessing a larger and more visible crossing spot.
Along one stretch, armed Texas National Guard members and their vehicles are preventing Border Patrol agents from accessing the river, the Justice Department said in a court filing. The Texas National Guard also allegedly used a military Humvee to keep Border Patrol agents off an access road.
“Because Border Patrol can no longer access or view this stretch of the border, Texas has effectively prevented Border Patrol from monitoring the border,” the Justice Department wrote in a filing.
Abbott told reporters that Texas has the authority to control access to any geographic location in the state.
“That authority is being asserted,” Abbott said.
The closure of Shelby Park was an escalation of the governor’s border enforcement efforts known as Operation Lone Star. The state and federal government are involved in multiple legal disputes over actions Texas has taken since 2023, including the use of buoys in the middle of the international river, the installment of razor wire, and an upcoming law that will allow police to arrest migrants.
Abbott defended closing off the park as he faced backlash from Democrats for telling conservative radio host Dana Loesch last week that Texas has done everything to curb illegal crossings short of shooting people. Loesch had asked Abbott how far Texas could go on the border before someone might arrest him.
“The only thing that we’re not doing is we’re not shooting people who come across the border because of course the Biden administration would charge us with murder,” he said as he discussed a New York City lawsuit against charter bus companies that he has used to transport migrants from Texas.
Mexico’s foreign relations secretary denounced Abbott’s comments, saying they could lead to violence and are dehumanizing to migrants.
On Friday, Abbott said he was making a distinction of what Texas can and cannot do on the border. “I was asked to point out where the line is drawn about what would be illegal and I pointed out something that is obviously illegal,” he said.
Texas notified the Eagle Pass government on Wednesday that the Department of Public Safety would be closing public access to Shelby Park.
Concern grew when Border Patrol noted it, too, lost access to the park, which agents use to launch boats into the Rio Grande. The area also served as a staging area where federal officers would take migrants into custody and process them. The Border Patrol’s access to the site for surveillance was similarly curtailed.
The Justice Department’s emergency request to the Supreme Court says agents no longer have access to a 4-kilometer stretch of the border in the region. The filing was made as part of the U.S. government’s lawsuit over the concertina wire the state installed along roughly 48 kilometers near Eagle Pass.
The union for Border Patrol agents, the National Border Patrol Council, praised the state’s move.
“By taking control of an area where so many illegal aliens are simply surrendering, he’s freeing up BP agents to patrol areas with high numbers of illegal aliens who attempt to escape arrest,” the union said in a message on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In 2022, a Texas pecan farm got caught in a similar dispute between Abbott and the Biden administration when the Texas Department of Public Safety moved in without the landowner’s consent and revoked a lease between the landowner and Border Patrol.
The state’s policies have been called into question not only by outside critics but internally when a trooper’s account over denying water and urgent medical care made headlines in July.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-asks-court-to-intervene-over-texas-blocking-us-border-agents-/7438416.html Save to Pocket
‘Insurrection or Rebellion’
date: 2024-01-13, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
The Colorado Supreme Court got it right.
The post ‘Insurrection or Rebellion’ appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/01/12/insurrection-or-rebellion/ Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-13, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Fox News Kicks Mike Lindell and His MyPillow Ads to the Curb.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/fox-news-kicks-mike-lindell-and-his-mypillow-ads-to-the-curb Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-13, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
2012: Voting matters.
http://scripting.com/stories/2012/09/02/votingMatters.html Save to Pocket
Welcome to the Intensive Care Unit
date: 2024-01-13, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
If you are really sick, this is the place to be. Your local intensive care unit is fully staffed, all the time.
The post Welcome to the Intensive Care Unit appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/01/12/welcome-to-the-intensive-care-unit/ Save to Pocket
The Power of Parklets
date: 2024-01-13, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
A thought experiment examines the relative income production of parklets, bike pods, and vehicle parking spots.
The post The Power of Parklets appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/01/12/the-power-of-parklets/ Save to Pocket
Mexico Unseats China as Top Exporter to US
date: 2024-01-13, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/mexico-unseats-china-as-top-importer-to-us/7438109.html Save to Pocket
Crime Fighters Go High-Tech with $50K Donation of Digital Forensics Kit
date: 2024-01-13, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Santa Barbara–based MOS Equipment donated kits with faraday bags, RF-shielded safes, and more.
The post Crime Fighters Go High-Tech with $50K Donation of Digital Forensics Kit appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/01/12/crime-fighters-go-high-tech-with-50k-donation-of-digital-forensics-kit/ Save to Pocket
Housing Shapes a Community
date: 2024-01-13, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
A staggering 59 percent of units in the City of Santa Barbara are occupied by renters, emphasizing the pivotal role landlords play in countless lives.
The post Housing Shapes a Community appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/01/12/housing-shapes-a-community/ Save to Pocket
Santa Barbara Teachers and School District Hit a Wall in Round Four of Salary Negotiations
date: 2024-01-13, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
The district accuses teachers’ union of bad-faith bargaining and proposes a process of in-depth budget analysis and fiscal fact-finding to remedy the impasse.
The post Santa Barbara Teachers and School District Hit a Wall in Round Four of Salary Negotiations appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/01/12/santa-barbara-teachers-and-school-district-hit-a-wall-in-round-4-of-salary-negotiations/ Save to Pocket
Youth Sports Ultimate Frisbee Clinic
date: 2024-01-13, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The city of Santa Clarita will offer a Youth Sports Ultimate Frisbee Clinic this spring open to children and teens ages 8-
https://scvnews.com/youth-sports-ultimate-frisbee-clinic/ Save to Pocket
Ride of the Operatic Symphony
date: 2024-01-13, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
The Santa Barbara Symphony’s season turns a spotlight on opera repertoire, at the Granada.
The post Ride of the Operatic Symphony appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/01/12/ride-of-the-operatic-symphony/ Save to Pocket
Why we update… Data-thief malware exploits SmartScreen on unpatched Windows PCs
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-13, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Phemedrone Stealer loots drives for passwords, cookies, login tokens, etc
Criminals are exploiting a Windows Defender SmartScreen bypass vulnerability to infect PCs with Phemedrone Stealer, a malware strain that scans machines for sensitive information – passwords, cookies, authentication tokens, you name it – to grab and leak.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/windows_phemedrone_stealer/ Save to Pocket
Politics at the Speed of TikTok
date: 2024-01-12, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
An ‘Old Millennial’ cracks the code of TikTok, discovering ludicrous concepts — like “Give Israel to Hamas” — with no adults in the room, but trying to ignore the online chatter is a non-starter because then the mainstream loses any legitimacy.
The post Politics at the Speed of TikTok appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/01/12/politics-at-the-speed-of-tiktok/ Save to Pocket
Poolside Kicks off the ‘Blame it All On Love’ Tour at Santa Barbara’s Beloved SOhO Music Club
date: 2024-01-12, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Frontman of Poolside, Jeffrey Paradise discusses songwriting, tour life, and getting personal as he gears up to start his North American tour in Santa Barbara.
The post Poolside Kicks off the ‘Blame it All On Love’ Tour at Santa Barbara’s Beloved SOhO Music Club appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/01/12/poolside-kicks-off-the-blame-it-all-on-love-at-santa-barbaras-beloved-soho-music-club/ Save to Pocket
Feb. 17: Free Document Shredding Event in Santa Clarita
date: 2024-01-12, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Burrtec Waste is hosting a free document shredding event for city of Santa Clarita residents only. Pre-registration is required
https://scvnews.com/feb-17-free-document-shredding-event-in-santa-clarita/ Save to Pocket
US Strikes Another Houthi Site in Yemen
date: 2024-01-12, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-reveals-second-wave-of-strikes-on-houthis-braces-for-reprisals-/7438072.html Save to Pocket
LAPD Chief Michel Moore Is Retiring
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-13, from: The LAist
The police chief will stay on as a consultant when he steps down in February, Mayor Karen Bass announced.
https://laist.com/news/criminal-justice/lapd-chief-michel-moore-retiring Save to Pocket
Where to Volunteer And Celebrate With Community This Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The LAist
Here’s a list of MLK events from parades to volunteer work happening this weekend and on the holiday.
https://laist.com/news/where-to-volunteer-and-celebrate-with-community-this-martin-luther-king-jr-weekend Save to Pocket
Jan. 16: Planning Commission Holds Public Hearing on Mister Car Wash
date: 2024-01-12, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Santa Clarita Planning Commission is holding its regular meeting Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers at Santa Clarita City Hall
https://scvnews.com/jan-16-planning-commission-holds-public-hearing-on-mister-car-wash/ Save to Pocket
Windows to launch Copilot “AI” automatically on boot on “widescreen” devices
date: 2024-01-12, from: OS News
We are trying out opening Copilot automatically when Windows starts on widescreen devices with some Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel. This can be managed via Settings > Personalization > Copilot. Note that this is rolling out so not all Insiders in the Dev Channel will see this right away. ↫ Amanda Langowski, Brandon LeBlanc at the official Windows blog You will use the copyright infringement tool, Windows user.
https://www.osnews.com/story/138304/windows-to-launch-copilot-ai-automatically-on-boot-on-widescreen-devices/ Save to Pocket
Deputy Program Manager Dr. Camille Alleyne
date: 2024-01-12, from: NASA breaking news
“I started the Brightest Stars Foundation 16 years ago because I realized there were no little ones in the pipeline who looked like me coming up. Because I had accomplished so much, it was important for me to pay it forward. I’ve mentored scores and scores of young people – early career professionals in high school, in college, […]
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/deputy-program-manager-dr-camille-alleyne/ Save to Pocket
Drop Off Unwanted Bulky Items at First Beautify Goleta Event of 2024
date: 2024-01-12, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
The drop-off starts on Saturday, January 27, at 9 a.m. and runs to 1 p.m. in Western Goleta.
The post Drop Off Unwanted Bulky Items at First Beautify Goleta Event of 2024 appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/01/12/drop-off-unwanted-bulky-items-at-first-beautify-goleta-event-of-2024/ Save to Pocket
Apple AirDrop leaks user data like a sieve. Chinese authorities say they’re scooping it up.
date: 2024-01-12, from: OS News
Chinese authorities recently said they’re using an advanced encryption attack to de-anonymize users of AirDrop in an effort to crack down on citizens who use the Apple file-sharing feature to mass-distribute content that’s outlawed in that country. According to a 2022 report from The New York Times, activists have used AirDrop to distribute scathing critiques of the Communist Party of China to nearby iPhone users in subway trains and stations and other public venues. A document one protester sent in October of that year called General Secretary Xi Jinping a “despotic traitor.” A few months later, with the release of iOS 16.1.1, the AirDrop users in China found that the “everyone” configuration, the setting that makes files available to all other users nearby, automatically reset to the more contacts-only setting. Apple has yet to acknowledge the move. Critics continue to see it as a concession Apple CEO Tim Cook made to Chinese authorities. ↫ Dan Goodin at Ars Technica The most damning aspect of this story is that Apple has been aware of this vulnerability in AirDrop since 2019, and has not addressed it in any way. The use of AirDrop by dissidents in China to spread critique of the Chinese government has been well-known, so it’s not entirely unreasonable to conclude that Apple has been weary of closing this security vulnerability in order to not offend China – as further evidenced by the sudden changes to AirDrop as mentioned above. What’s going to be interesting now is what Apple is going to do about this. Are they going to finally address this security hole, and thereby risking offending China? Will it fix the hole, but only in non-totalitarian countries? Will it just leave it open? Whatever they do, they’ll end up offending someone.
https://www.osnews.com/story/138255/apple-airdrop-leaks-user-data-like-a-sieve-chinese-authorities-say-theyre-scooping-it-up/ Save to Pocket
This Week in the IndieWeb
date: 2024-01-12, from: This week in Indie Web
January 5-12, 2024
Recent Events
From events.indieweb.org/archive:
<p>Join us online in Zoom for demos of personal sites, recent breakthroughs, discussions about the independent web, and meet IndieWeb community members! Homebrew Website club is for all levels and areas of IndieWeb interest, whether curious, creative, coder, or all the above.</p>
</div><div><img src="https://indieweb.org/this-week/images/2024-01-12/5c1986971575b78013ef887339278f92089ebc3c.jpg" style="width:100%" class="u-photo"></div></div>- FÜRTH, Bayern: Fab Lab Region Nürnberg e.V.
<p>HWC Nuremberg is a in-person meeting for everybody who is interested in setting up a personal website and talk about web-related issues.</p>
</div><div><img src="https://indieweb.org/this-week/images/2024-01-12/45bc90b88e19e7c3520bec756c43dee589cb92b4.jpg" style="width:100%" class="u-photo"></div></div>Upcoming Events
From events.indieweb.org:
<p>Join us online in Zoom for demos of personal sites, recent breakthroughs, discussions about the independent web, and meet IndieWeb community members! Homebrew Website club is for all levels and areas of IndieWeb interest, whether curious, creative, coder, or all the above.</p>
</div></div> <p>Join us online in Zoom for demos of personal sites, recent breakthroughs, discussions about the independent web, and meet IndieWeb community members! Homebrew Website club is for all levels and areas of IndieWeb interest, whether curious, creative, coder, or all the above.</p>
</div></div>- FÜRTH, Bayern: Fab Lab Region Nürnberg e.V.
<p>HWC Nuremberg is a in-person meeting for everybody who is interested in setting up a personal website and talk about web-related issues.</p>
</div></div>What We’re Listening To
From huffduffer.com/tags/indieweb:
What We’re Reading
From news.indieweb.org:
New Community Members
From IndieWeb Wiki: New User Pages:
User:Tnbd.xyz
Greg Lopez Pronouns: He/Him/His Greg Lopez is a blind dude who hails from the suburbs south of Seattle, Washington & shares his unique perspective on the world around him via his blog titled TNBD (The Nerdy Blind Dude). https://tnbd.xyz Chat Nickname: tnbd Elsewhere: Facebook GitHub Gravatar Twitch Contact: Discord Matrix Mastodon
Created by Tnbd.xyz on Friday and edited 2 more times
User:Enindu.com
Created by Enindu.com on Monday and edited 1 more time
User:Lumen.pink
Created by Lumen.pink on Sunday and edited 1 more time
Top New Wiki Pages
From IndieWeb Wiki: New Pages:
easier
Making it easier to setup and use your own IndieWeb presence is a goal of the IndieWeb community, with minimum maintenance, and helps us focus efforts on everything from providing more encouraging and accessible paths to getting started, to making sure developer-centric approaches like SSGs are clearly documented as such, and in general improving the usability of the IndieWeb wiki itself (help wikify and garden).
Created by [tantek] on Monday with 10 more edits by tantek.com and loqi.me
ISSN
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is an identification number for periodicals that at least two IndieWeb community members have on their websites.
Created by capjamesg on Tuesday with 7 more edits by jamesg.blog, loqi.me, tantek.com and www.ciccarello.me
Argument Machine
The Argument Machine is a post by Derek Powazek describing how Twitter’s UI appears designed to cause and amplify arguments, and lessons from that analysis can be used for better design of commenting/replying/threading systems, including on the IndieWeb.
Created by [tantek] on Friday and edited 3 more times
2024/CreateSpringClean
Created by Jamesg.blog on Monday and edited 2 more times
Vercel
Vercel is a serverless web app host in the vein of Netlify and Heroku that allows you to deploy static and dynamic websites.
Created by [snarfed] on Tuesday and edited 1 more time
New Event Notes
From IndieWeb Wiki: New Pages:
Homebrew Website Club Europe/London: 2024-01-10
Homebrew Website Club - Nuremberg/Germany: 2024-01-10
Top Edited Wiki Pages
From IndieWeb Wiki: Recent Changes:
- custom emoji 16 edits by www.svenknebel.de and loqi.me
- 100 days 6 edits by tantek.com
- static site generator 5 edits by tantek.com and loqi.me
- static site CMS 5 edits by gregorlove.com and tantek.com
- PKCE 4 edits by tantek.com and gregorlove.com
- timeline 4 edits by tantek.com
- chat-names 3 edits by tnbd.xyz and artlung.com
- 2019/homepage 3 edits by www.lazaruscorporation.co.uk
- 2023-12-indieweb-gift-calendar 3 edits by notiz.blog and tantek.com
- Decap CMS 3 edits by www.ciccarello.me
https://indieweb.org/this-week/2024-01-12.html Save to Pocket
Google allows EU citizens to unlink certain services
date: 2024-01-12, from: OS News
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is an EU law that takes effect on March 6, 2024. As a result of the DMA, in the EU, Google offers you the choice to keep certain Google services linked. ↫ Google’s support site So what does linking services really do for you? When linked, these services can share your data with each other and with all other Google services for certain purposes. For example, linked Google services can work together to help personalize your content and ads, depending on your settings. It doesn’t seem like unlinking will mean much, but but at least the option is there now – but only for EU/EEA citizens.
https://www.osnews.com/story/138295/google-allows-eu-citizens-to-unlink-certain-services/ Save to Pocket
The Brains Behind 2024’s Status Stove
date: 2024-01-12, from: Heatmap News
Impulse Labs debuted its much anticipated induction stove at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. Coming to grips with this high-tech culinary wonder is a little bit like that meme of an expanding brain.
At first glance, the Impulse Cooktop is just a sexy-looking, $5,999 appliance: sleek black glass, burners that resemble a DJ turntable, knobs that add a satisfying analog touch to an otherwise fully digital interface.
But then you learn it also has integrated temperature sensors that keep the burners at the precise temperature you want.
And then you learn that the stove has a battery in it, which means that unlike most other induction stoves, it can plug into a standard 120-volt outlet. You don’t have to get a pricy circuit upgrade, or an even pricier electrical panel upgrade, to install it.
Plus, the battery delivers enough power to boil a liter of water in 40 seconds. And you can still cook if the power goes out. And its eligible for a 30% tax credit .
And then, your brain explodes when you learn the battery is a smart energy storage device that can charge up when power is cheap in the morning so that you save money when you use it in the evening, when power prices are highest. You can also participate in programs that will pay you to dispatch power from your stove to the grid when demand is high.
Who knew a stove could, or should, do so much?
Courtesy
of Impulse Labs
I caught up with Sam D’Amico, the mastermind behind Impulse Labs, while he was at CES, to learn more about the story behind the stove. We talked about pizza, why induction cooking is the wedge to getting whole homes off gas, and his vision for putting a battery in every appliance. Our conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.
What’s your background? What were you up to before founding Impulse?
I graduated Stanford in 2012. In 2013 I got my masters. When I was there, I was on the solar car team and actually wrote battery management firmware as part of that. That gave me my first taste in electrification. You had to build a full EV and drive it across Australia. Then I immediately got sucked into consumer electronics and worked on a number of devices, including Google Glass, Oculus.
Part of the thesis for Impulse is, home appliances really haven’t seen a lot of innovation in 50 years or so. There’s been a number of advances in consumer electronics, so being able to take a lot of the talent and supply chain and experience from that and apply it to the appliance space is underleveraged.
You were working on all these computer electronics, and then somehow you got interested in stoves. I understand it had something to do with making the perfect pizza. Could you tell me that story?
I was in Japan at a conference, and we went to this pizza place and they cooked my pizza in like 45 seconds. And I’m like, that is insane. I think it’s called Savoy Pizza, you should definitely go to it. Tastiest pizza I’ve ever had. Super memorable. And then I’m like, I want to do that. But can I make it a tabletop device in my house?
And so I was getting obsessive with how to replicate that, but I realized you couldn’t do it on a 120-volt plug. I basically realized you had to put a battery in the appliance to be able to boost the power above what a 120 volt provides. All of the oven and smart appliance companies were really focused on AI and computer vision at that time, because they couldn’t innovate on the performance characteristics — they were topped out. And I realized this was an end run around that. You could actually make something that was three times better on the performance side, not have to worry about AI features that maybe no one is going to use, and really do some innovation.
That started me thinking about the bigger picture. I realized you could use that storage for the building. And then that kind of expanded into what became Impulse.
Did you figure out how to cook a pizza in 45 seconds?
So the first product is a cooktop. The idea here was we realized that the key appliance to getting gas out of the home was the stove. People don’t know what the fuel source is for all of their other appliances, including ovens. The big thing with gas stoves is that the user experience is the flame. So being able to address that, we thought, was fundamental to building decarbonization.
Utility companies know this. They know that getting people to get a gas stove is the way to get them off electric heat and on to gas heat. The wedge is actually the gas stove. So by producing an appliance that is just way more compelling, we can sever that dependency.
When we do an oven, I think we will have that pizza feature. I think the ballpark of performance of around 45 seconds is possible.
What was the process like of testing stoves and trying to figure out what the perfect stove is?
That was the fun part. We started buying hot plates and stoves and tearing them down. We basically realized that a lot of this stuff just hadn’t been attempted because the power wasn’t available. So the first thing we did was try to crank a ton of power into the stove. So we were like, let’s do 10 kilowatts, because 10 is a big number. That let us boil a liter of water in 40 seconds. We had that demo working in March or April of 2022.
But we realized immediately that this was too much performance unless you could solve the controls problem. The reason why people complain about warped pans and various other things is because the stove gets too hot. We then started tearing down all the hot plates and stoves we could find that had temperature sensors in them, and we realized that no one’s actually addressed this, and we found that there was a lot of leverage there that let us unlock the full performance of the stove. And so we’re monitoring the temperature in real time, making sure that we’re delivering the appropriate amount of power for the level you want to set, so that it holds a specific temperature.
If you need to use your stove all day, like for cooking a whole Thanksgiving dinner, is that possible with this? Or will the battery drain and then you can’t use it for a little bit?
You’re going to be okay, yes. You’ll drain the battery if you’re, let’s say, boiling a big pot of water for pasta. But then once it’s at temperature, you’re not going to be drawing more than what a 120-volt plug would draw. Maybe you’re stir-frying something. That pan, when it’s heating up, maybe it’s drawing a couple kilowatts for a minute, but then once everything’s up to temperature, you’re drawing hundreds of watts, and the battery is charging.
So basically, the average power draw [when you cook] is appropriate for even a 120-volt plug. It’s just that the peak power is more like an EV charger, or like an electric radiant heater, or something crazy. And that mismatch between peak and average is where the opportunity for putting batteries in appliances really shines.
The battery is like a quarter of a Tesla Powerwall. How valuable can that be for the grid?
There’s a couple of ways to weigh how valuable that is. In Southern California, which has really strong time-of-use energy rates, in the 4 to 9 pm slot, [using electricity during] that peak window is like 20 cents more expensive per kilowatt-hour than outside that window. So if you charge the battery outside the window and then you discharge the battery, whether it’s cooking or it’s putting power back into the house, inside that window, it’s worth hundreds of dollars a year in terms of energy bill savings.
We’ve got a full computer in there. It will basically pull those rate tables and make those choices semi-autonomously. We’re likely going to expose some level of choice to the end user, but we haven’t finalized the design.
What’s your pitch to the average consumer? How do you get people interested in having batteries in their appliances?
I think there’s a very direct pitch, which is, we are making the best possible appliances. It will make you a better cook. You will be able to do things faster and more efficiently.
Two is, you will be like, “I want to get an induction stove, I heard that’s a good thing to get.” And then your electricians will come by and tell you that you only have 10 amps available on your electric panel, and you’re going to be sad. And so we also solve that problem.
And then the third one is, now we’ve put some energy storage in your house. There’s 140 million homes in America. If we can intercept three major appliances per home, or four major appliances per home, that’s like 1.4 terawatt-hours of storage deployment potential. There’s an opportunity to deploy storage every year just by people upgrading their appliances. And so that’s part of the end game. Utilities will like that because it means they don’t have to invest in all this expensive transmission infrastructure.
Do you want to make other products besides stoves?
Yeah. We want to make the best appliances across the board. There’s a number of logical options, anything that has high peak but low average draw is the low hanging fruit. So you can imagine ovens — they draw power when they pre-heat. Water heaters are another one, where it’s like, if you’re taking a shower, it consumes a ton of power, but when you’re not, it doesn’t. Laundry is another one. I also want to emphasize that we’re making relatively high-end, premium appliances to start, but this architecture scales down fairly well to mid-range products. It’s just that as a startup, just as Tesla started with sports cars, we have to kind of start with the lower-volume, higher-margin products and then scale up from there.
How do people get one?
You can preorder it today on ImpulseLabs.com. There’s about 45% in federal discounts available. Because this thing has a battery and an inverter, it’s an energy storage product. It gets a 30% investment tax credit. A big change under the IRA was that stationary batteries, sold separately from solar, get that credit now. And then there’s also an $840 electric stove rebate that is available under the IRA. That one is income gated and expected to roll out in the fall. Our products are going to be available in Q4, so we expect the timing to be appropriate where all those rebates and credits will be available.
https://heatmap.news/impulse-labs-cooktop-sam-damico-induction-stove Save to Pocket
NASA to Join Astrobotic’s Media Call on Peregrine Mission One Status
date: 2024-01-12, from: NASA breaking news
NASA will join an Astrobotic media teleconference at 12 p.m. EST, Thursday, Jan. 18, to discuss updates on their Peregrine Mission One, which is carrying science for the agency as part of its Commercial Lunar Provider Services (CLPS) initiative. The audio-only teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website. Following a successful launch on Jan. […]
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-to-join-astrobotics-media-call-on-peregrine-mission-one-status/ Save to Pocket
GitHub Copilot copyright case narrowed but not neutered
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Microsoft and OpenAI fail to shake off AI infringement allegations
The judge overseeing the AI code-copying case filed against GitHub, OpenAI, and Microsoft has dismissed some but not all of the aggrieved developers’ claims, leaving the plaintiffs a more limited but still potentially potent opportunity to challenge the alleged algorithmic reproduction of their source code.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/github_copilot_copyright_case_narrowed/ Save to Pocket
Friday Squid Blogging: Giant Squid from Newfoundland in the 1800s
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-05, from: Bruce Schneier blog
Interesting article, with photographs.
As usual, you can also use this squid post to talk about the security stories in the news that I haven’t covered.
Read my blog posting guidelines here.
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2024/01/friday-squid-blogging-giant-squid-from-newfoundland-in-the-1800s.html Save to Pocket
What Are the 1,700 Items Missing From England’s Museums?
date: 2024-01-12, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Freedom of information requests have revealed more details about absent artifacts from the last 20 years
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/more-than-1700-objects-missing-from-england-museums-180983583/ Save to Pocket
Lineup Changes on Apple’s Board of Directors: Al Gore and James Bell Retire; Wanda Austin Joins
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: Daring Fireball
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/01/wanda-austin-to-join-apples-board-of-directors/ Save to Pocket
Why Platforms Do Platform Things
date: 2024-01-12, from: Om Malik blog
Every so often, when I ask myself — why do I make such an effort to maintain my homestead on the internet and manage my newsletter? The answer bubbles up every so often when a social media platform manages to jerk its users around. The latest brouhaha around Substack is like yet another Marvel movie sequel—a repeat of the old …
https://om.co/2024/01/12/why-platforms-do-platform-things/ Save to Pocket
Climate Change Is Melting Snowpack, Pushing Some Regions Past a ‘Snow-Loss Cliff’
date: 2024-01-12, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Some of the Northern Hemisphere’s most populous areas are at risk of warming past a critical threshold, after which snowpack melts rapidly with even small rises in temperature, study finds
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/climate-change-melting-snowpack-pushing-some-regions-past-snow-loss-cliff-180983589/ Save to Pocket
NASA Selects 12 Companies for Space Station Services Contract
date: 2024-01-12, from: NASA breaking news
NASA has selected 12 companies to provide research, engineering, and mission integration services for the International Space Station Program. The $478 million Research, Engineering & Mission Integration Services-2 or REMIS-2 contract will support the work of the International Space Station Program based at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The companies will provide spaceflight, ground […]
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-selects-12-companies-for-space-station-services-contract/ Save to Pocket
Judges in NY, DC Trump Cases Are Latest Targets in ‘Swatting’ Surge
date: 2024-01-12, from: VOA News USA
ATLANTA — Bomb threats and false reports of shootings at the homes of public officials, state capitols and courthouses have surged in recent weeks, including some connected to court cases against former President Donald Trump.
The judges overseeing the civil fraud case against Trump in New York and the criminal election subversion case against him in Washington, D.C., have both been targeted in recent days. Also, Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith was the subject of a fake emergency call Christmas Day.
A series of public officials from across the political spectrum were targeted by swatting over the holidays, and capitol buildings and courthouses in states across the U.S. were locked down and evacuated last week after receiving bomb threats. No explosives were found, and no one was hurt.
The FBI said Thursday that investigators have seen a widespread increase in threats of violence and take them seriously. “When the threats are made as a hoax, it puts innocent people at risk, is a waste of law enforcement’s limited resources and costs taxpayers,” the agency said in a statement.
Here’s a look at the spike in threats:
What is ‘swatting’?
Swatting is the act of making a prank call to emergency services to prompt a response at a particular address. The goal is to get authorities, particularly a special weapons and tactics (SWAT) team, to show up.
Some of the recent calls have featured the voice of a man calling himself “Jamal,” claiming he had shot his wife because she was sleeping with another man and saying he was holding the boyfriend hostage, demanding $10,000.
Who in the courts has been targeted?
In New York, authorities responded to a bomb threat at the Long Island home of Judge Arthur Engoron early Thursday morning, the day after the judge issued a ruling preventing the former president from delivering his own closing statements in the civil fraud case against him. Nothing amiss was found.
The false report came days after a fake emergency call reporting a shooting at the home of U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing Trump’s Capitol attack criminal case in Washington, D.C.
Smith was also the target of fake shooting report at his home, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the investigation. Smith and his family have been the subject of numerous threats and intimidating messages since he was appointed and Trump began posting messages about them online, prosecutors have said in court documents.
What other public officials have been targeted?
Public officials targeted by swatting range from Republican U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia to Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat who removed Trump from the state’s presidential primary ballot under the Constitution’s insurrection clause.
Other high-profile targets in recent days include U.S. Senator Rick Scott of Florida, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
In Greene’s case, a man called the Georgia suicide hotline Christmas morning, claiming that he had shot his girlfriend at Greene’s home and was going to kill himself next, police said. The call was quickly transferred to police, who determined it was a swatting attempt after contacting a private security detail for Greene, who has been targeted multiple times.
In Wu’s case, a male caller on the same day claimed he had shot his wife and had tied her and another man up at the Boston mayor’s address. Wu, a Democrat, has also been targeted by many swatting calls since she took office in 2021.
How widespread is the problem?
Hundreds of cases of swatting occur annually, with some using caller ID spoofing to disguise their number. And those targeted extend far beyond public officials.
Police have for months reported a huge surge in fake claims about active shooters at schools and colleges. There have also been reports of hundreds of swatting incidents and bomb threats against synagogues and other Jewish institutions since the Israel-Hamas war began.
The FBI said earlier this year that it had begun to create a database to track swatting incidents nationwide.
Do false threats pose other risks?
Such calls have proven dangerous, even deadly.
In 2017, a police officer in Wichita, Kansas, shot and killed a man while responding to a hoax emergency call. Earlier this year, the city agreed to pay $5 million to settle a related lawsuit, with the money to go to the two children of Andrew Finch, 28.
In 2015, police in Maryland shot a 20-year-old man in the face with rubber bullets after a fake hostage situation was reported at his home.
In addition to putting innocent people at risk, police and officials say they worry about diverting resources from real emergencies.
What kind of response could this prompt?
No arrests have been made in the recent threats, but some lawmakers have moved for heftier penalties.
Ohio earlier this year made it a felony offense to report a false emergency that prompts response by law enforcement. And Virginia increased the penalties for swatting to up to 12 months in jail. Similar bills are pending in other states and Congress.
In Georgia, Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones promised “an end to this madness” after his home in a small town south of Atlanta was swatted on Wednesday, only to have a bomb threat called in to his office on Thursday.
“Let me be clear — I will not be intimidated by those attempting to silence me,” Jones wrote on social media platform X.
https://www.voanews.com/a/judges-in-ny-dc-trump-cases-are-latest-targets-in-swatting-surge/7437998.html Save to Pocket
Emblem Academy Students to Receive Phone Call from International Space Station
date: 2024-01-12, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Students from Emblem Academy in Saugus, a school in the Saugus Union School District will have an opportunity to hear from NASA astronauts living and working aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday, Jan. 16.
https://scvnews.com/emblem-academy-students-to-recieve-phone-call-from-space/ Save to Pocket
How Trump is exploiting our scarcest resource
date: 2024-01-12, from: Robert Reich on Substack
And making Biden disappear
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/how-trump-is-exploiting-our-scarcest Save to Pocket
Perfect Friday Thing: Emoji Kitchen
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/01/perfect-friday-thing-emoji-kitchen Save to Pocket
Archaeologists Discover Ancient Cities Hidden in the Ecuadorian Amazon
date: 2024-01-12, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Laser imaging has revealed an extensive network of settlements and roads that challenge historical understandings of the area
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-ancient-city-has-been-hidden-in-the-amazon-for-2500-years-180983587/ Save to Pocket
Profits And Payouts Over Passenger Safety
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Lever News
For decades, Boeing chose shareholders and executives over workers and production quality — to the tune of $69 billion.
https://www.levernews.com/profits-and-payouts-over-passenger_safety/ Save to Pocket
Critical Minerals Can Pave the Road to More Robust International Development
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: RAND blog
In the developing world, mineral extraction and processing has historically caused not just environmental contamination but also corruption and displacement of local livelihoods. There are opportunities to improve the way companies from the Global North approach critical mineral projects there.
https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2024/01/critical-minerals-can-pave-the-road-to-more-robust.html Save to Pocket
Lilbits: Linux for Apple Silicon keeps getting better, MSI’s long-term plans for handheld gaming, and Google Assistant is losing some features
date: 2024-01-12, from: Liliputing
The developers behind the Asahi Linux project have been working to bring Linux to Macs with Apple Silicon for the past few years, and they’ve made a lot of progress since the early days. In a recent blog post, the team describes some of the many, many improvements they’ve made for Mac laptop and desktop computers […]
The post Lilbits: Linux for Apple Silicon keeps getting better, MSI’s long-term plans for handheld gaming, and Google Assistant is losing some features appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/lilbits-linux-for-apple-silicon-keeps-getting-better-msis-long-term-plans-for-handheld-gaming-and-google-assistant-is-losing-some-features/ Save to Pocket
NASA, Lockheed Martin Reveal X-59 Quiet Supersonic Aircraft
date: 2024-01-12, from: NASA breaking news
NASA and Lockheed Martin formally debuted the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft Friday. Using this one-of-a-kind experimental airplane, NASA aims to gather data that could revolutionize air travel, paving the way for a new generation of commercial aircraft that can travel faster than the speed of sound. “This is a major accomplishment made possible only […]
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-lockheed-martin-reveal-x-59-quiet-supersonic-aircraft/ Save to Pocket
Developers’ fireside gathering – 20th January
date: 2024-01-12, from: RiscOS Story
It’s time to for anyone interested in RISC OS programming to get the fire (or other heat source) going again, and gather around the computer for another friendly fireside chat. The next one takes place on 20th January, 2024 – next Saturday. Kicking off at 7:30pm, the meeting will as usual be held online using the Zoom video conferencing system, which means that as long as you have that running on a computer or other device, you can join in from wherever you are. The aim of these fireside chats…
https://www.riscository.com/2024/developers-meeting-20th-january/ Save to Pocket
Messenger Pro 9.01 brings ‘sender’ setting
date: 2024-01-12, from: RiscOS Story
The main commercial email client for RISC OS is Messenger Pro from R-Comp, and the company has just released version 9.01 – a very small increment in its version number (Messenger Pro 9 was released in the run up to the 2022 Wradfold Show; Wakefield, but in Bradford), but a change that may be quite important for some users. The main reason for the small increment is an addition to the settings, whereby any given user can now specify what should be used for the “Sender”. Setting this header correctly…
https://www.riscository.com/2024/messenger-pro-9-01-sender-setting/ Save to Pocket
Lady Mustangs Come Back For Road Win
date: 2024-01-12, from: SCV New (TV Station)
A strong fourth quarter broke a third quarter tie as The Master’s University women’s basketball team defeated the OUAZ Spirit 75-68 in Surprise, Ariz
https://scvnews.com/lady-mustangs-come-back-for-road-win/ Save to Pocket
Langlaufen im Goms
date: 2024-01-12, from: Alex Schroeder’s Blog
Langlaufen im Goms
Es ist wieder mal soweit…
https://alexschroeder.ch/view/2024-01-10-langlaufen Save to Pocket
Weather on the Way is the roadtrip app I never knew I needed
date: 2024-01-12, from: Matt Haughey blog
I take a lot of road trips, but I never knew Weather on the Way existed until this week and it’s a simple concept. Put in an address for where you’d like to go and the app plots the route using Apple Maps then looks up the weather along the way as well as highlights …Continue reading “Weather on the Way is the roadtrip app I never knew I needed”
https://a.wholelottanothing.org/2024/01/12/weather-on-the-way-is-the-roadtrip-app-i-never-knew-i-needed/ Save to Pocket
COVID-19 Weekly Roundup: Hospitalizations Remain Elevated
date: 2024-01-12, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Thursday 252 new laboratory confirmed cases and no new deaths from COVID-19 in the Santa Clarita Valley within the last week
https://scvnews.com/covid-19-weekly-roundup-hospitalizations-remain-elevated/ Save to Pocket
Fossils Reveal a Possible New Tyrannosaur Species, the Closest Relative of T. Rex
date: 2024-01-12, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The remains, dug up in the 1980s, might shed light on T. rex’s mysterious origins, according to a new paper
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fossils-reveal-a-possible-new-tyrannosaur-species-the-closest-relative-of-t-rex-180983586/ Save to Pocket
HA-4 mini PC with Ryzen 7 7735HS/7840HS sells for $300 and up
date: 2024-01-12, from: Liliputing
A few Chinese PC brands including Peladn and SZBOX are selling a new mini PC called the HA-4 that packs a fair amount of bang for not a lot of bucks. Prices start at around $300 for a barebones model with an AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS processor (Zen 3+ CPU and RDNA 2 graphics) or […]
The post HA-4 mini PC with Ryzen 7 7735HS/7840HS sells for $300 and up appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/ha-4-mini-pc-with-ryzen-7-7735hs-7840hs-sells-for-300-and-up/ Save to Pocket
Alaska Airlines Passengers File Lawsuit Against Boeing
date: 2024-01-12, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/alaska-airlines-passengers-file-lawsuit-against-boeing-/7437912.html Save to Pocket
Upgrading From an iPhone 12 mini to an iPhone 15 Pro
date: 2024-01-12, from: Michael Tsai
I’ve been using an iPhone 15 Pro for a few months now and so thought it was time to write down some notes. The first impression is, of course, that it’s much larger than the iPhone 12 mini, but in particular it feels much heavier. I miss the easy one-handed use and compactness in my […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/01/12/upgrading-from-an-iphone-12-mini-to-an-iphone-15-pro/ Save to Pocket
The week in weird: Check out the strangest CES tech of 2024
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Cat flap fever, a streaming service for dogs, and other oddities on display in Vegas this week
CES Ah, January: The start of a new year, crisp winter weather (if you live in the northern hemisphere, at least) and CES, with the latter giving us a look at what’s in store from the biggest names in tech.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/ces_weird_tech/ Save to Pocket
What Red Sea Airstrikes Are Doing to Energy Markets
date: 2024-01-12, from: Heatmap News
Almost a third of global container traffic goes through the Suez Canal, and around 8% of the world’s oil and gas. Because of its pivotal location between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal — and thus the Red Sea, which feeds into the canal — connects the huge flow of goods and commodities from the Middle East and Asia to Europe.
On Thursday, conflict in the Red Sea and its surrounding waterways reached a new pitch, with United States and allied forces striking several targets in Yemen as a response to weeks of attacks on shipping and naval assets in the area. The Houthis, a rebel group backed by Iran that controls large portions of the country, including the capital, have justified their attack as a response to Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip.
So far, according to market researcher Rory Johnston, author of the Commodity Context newsletter, the effect on the global oil market has been muted.
Some oil tankers rerouted away from the Red Sea, according to Reuters; of the roughly 2,000 ships diverted in total, Johnston said, “only a few dozen have been tankers,” although that number rose Friday morning. While oil prices jumped around 3% early Friday, they have since gone roughly flat on the day. So far, missiles from Yemen “had a narrow miss” with a Russian oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden, Bloomberg reported.
“This’ll be the test, but I don’t yet have any reason to believe that it
will be a material factor for oil markets,” Johnston told me. “[The]
ultimate question will be how the Houthis respond.”
The Houthi attacks have been going on for
months,
but the major energy producers in the Middle East have yet to curtail
their production and exports, Eurasia analyst Greg Brew told
me.
“Overall, the crisis in the Red Sea represents a disruption
risk to oil and gas, but not a threat to supply,” Brew said. “Tankers
have alternate routes, and while a diversion of oil and gas shipments on
par with the container ship diversion would add premiums to oil and gas
prices and might bring slight inventory draws in consumer markets,
they’re unlikely to seriously upset energy flows.”
It’s not just fossil fuels that are affected by turmoil in the Red Sea. Tesla’s Berlin plant will pause production for two weeks because of delays in getting parts. Citing both the plant delays and Hertz’s decision to sell off tens of thousands of Teslas from its rental fleet, Morgan Stanley analysts declared in a note to clients “EV Momentum Hits the Skids.”
The alternative route from the Middle East to Europe runs around the
Cape of Good Hope, an added distance of around 6,000 miles and
two
extra weeks of shipping time. If more ships are forced to detour
around Africa, that doesn’t just mean higher costs and longer waits, it
also means more emissions. Shipping accounts for
about
3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, a figure that could rise if
global supply chains become less efficient.
The Suez Canal is not the only global shipping chokepoint under pressure. The Panama Canal — through which about 6% of global trade flows — has had to reduce the number of ships it allows through due to an ongoing drought that has lowered levels in the artificial waterway that feeds the canal system. Last year was the “second driest year in recorded history of the Panama Canal Watershed,” according to the Panama Canal Authority, with the driest October on record.
The Authority announced recently that it would up the number of ships allowed through every day from 22 to 24, although typically in January, 36 ships would be able go to go through.
https://heatmap.news/sparks/red-sea-houthis-energy-shipping Save to Pocket
Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ is now available in the US for $220 and up
date: 2024-01-12, from: Liliputing
The Samsung Galaxy A9+ is a mid-range Android tablet with an 10.9 inch FHD+ display with a 90 Hz refresh rate, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor, and quad speakers. First launched in select markets last October, the Samsung Galaxy A9+ is now available in the US from Amazon, B&H, Best Buy, and Samsung. Prices start […]
The post Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ is now available in the US for $220 and up appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/samsung-galaxy-tab-a9-is-now-available-in-the-us-for-220-and-up/ Save to Pocket
China Evaluates Russia’s Use of Hypersonic ‘Daggers’ in the Ukraine War
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: RAND blog
A Chinese review of Russia’s use of Kinzhal hypersonic missiles in Ukraine is pessimistic about their ability to have a major impact on the outcome of the war. It is not yet clear how this insight will affect China’s assessments of its own hypersonic arsenal.
https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2024/01/china-evaluates-russias-use-of-hypersonic-daggers-in.html Save to Pocket
OSBP in the Community
date: 2024-01-12, from: NASA breaking news
January 15th, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a federal holiday designated as the National Day of Service. For the month of January, we will be celebrating OSBP in the Community! Join us as we spotlight how our advocacy extends beyond our commitment to small businesses. Truphelia M. Parker- Program Specialist, NASA Headquarters Naeemah A. […]
https://www.nasa.gov/organizations/osbp/osbp-in-the-community/ Save to Pocket
US House Speaker Insists He’s Sticking to Budget Deal but Announces No Plan to Stop Shutdown
date: 2024-01-12, from: VOA News USA
washington — House Speaker Mike Johnson insisted Friday he is sticking with the bipartisan spending deal he struck with the other congressional leaders, but he offered no clear path for overcoming hard-right opposition within his own party to prevent a partial government shutdown next week.
Johnson emerged from days of testy meetings behind closed doors at the Capitol to read a terse statement. Just months on the job, the new speaker is trying to set the record straight that he will not renege on the budget deal he made earlier this week. But in his first big test as the new leader, he has yet to show how he will quell the revolt from his right flank that ousted his predecessor.
“Our top-line agreement remains,” Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, said, referring to the budget accord reached January 7.
“We are getting our next steps together, and we are working toward a robust appropriations process,” he said. “So, stay tuned for all that.”
It’s the same intractable political dilemma that led a core group of right-flank Republicans to boot Representative Kevin McCarthy from the speaker’s office last year as they revolted against the deal he struck with the other congressional leaders and President Joe Biden signed into law.
Lawmakers during the first work week of the new year are furious that, after spending much of 2023 watching hard-right Republicans fight the leaders, they are quickly careening toward another crisis with just a week to go before the January 19 deadline to fund parts of the government or risk a shutdown yet again.
As some Republicans from the Freedom Caucus again raise the threat of a motion to oust the speaker over the deal, other Republicans are furious they are starting 2024 with the same problems of governing.
In the morning before Johnson made his statement, he met with about two dozen House Republicans, more of them centrist-leaning voices, urging him not to go back on his word and stick with the deal.
The centrists assured Johnson they have his back.
“I just can’t imagine the House wants to relive the madness,” said Representative French Hill of Arkansas, who had helped McCarthy negotiate the initial agreement with Biden and the other leaders.
“This concept of trying to break a deal that was negotiated, it’s a foreign concept,” said Republican Representative Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida. “What you would be asking is for the speaker to basically break his word and lie. That’s just something you can’t ask him to do.”
Since Congress resumed from the holiday break, Johnson has been holed up in his office at the Capitol receiving a steady stream of Republican lawmakers trying to force his hand.
Just two days into the workweek, the House hit a crisis Wednesday when hard-right Republicans forced the chamber to a standstill. They voted against a routine procedural rules package as a way to demand the speaker’s attention.
They are pressing Johnson to refuse the deal, with its $1.66 trillion in spending for the year, and to instead consider a temporary measure that would keep the government open but force 1% across-the-board cuts that are required to kick in if the broader package falls apart.
The hard-right flank is also insisting that new immigration policies be included, which they say would stop the record flow of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Republican Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona said in floor remarks that Republicans should “shut the government down until you shut the border down.”
But by Friday it was more centrist lawmakers making their way to Johnson’s office, many of them who serve on the appropriations panels writing the spending bills, urging him to hold firm to the deal he struck.
Some have suggested that Johnson should consider trying to pass a temporary measure that would fund the government for several more weeks, into March.
Biden signed the spending framework into law as part of a deal he struck last spring with McCarthy. It was agreed to by the other congressional leaders from both parties and approved by the House and Senate as part of an effort to raise the nation’s debt limit to avert a federal default.
In the time since, congressional leaders have been working to devise the top-line spending numbers. McCarthy could never deliver on the final numbers before he was ousted after reaching across the aisle to pass a temporary measure in September and prevent a shutdown at that time.
Johnson and the other leaders, Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate, picked up where they left off and reached a top-line deal at the start of the year that the speaker is now trying to have approved.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-house-speaker-insists-he-s-sticking-to-budget-deal-but-announces-no-plan-to-stop-shutdown-/7437823.html Save to Pocket
Sunday caption contest: the currents
date: 2024-01-12, from: Robert Reich on Substack
And last week’s winner
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/sunday-caption-contest-the-currents Save to Pocket
Exploit for under-siege SharePoint vuln reportedly in hands of ransomware crew
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
It’s taken months for crims to hack together a working exploit chain
Security experts claim ransomware criminals have got their hands on a functional exploit for a nearly year-old critical Microsoft SharePoint vulnerability that was this week added to the US’s must-patch list.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/microsoft_sharepoint_vuln_exploit/ Save to Pocket
Feb. 24: Bridge to Home Soup for the Soul Gala
date: 2024-01-12, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Bridge to Home will host the fundraising Soup for the Soul Gala “Lighting the Way Home” on Saturday, Feb. 24 at the Hyatt Regency Valencia. Tickets to the gala are $150 per person
https://scvnews.com/feb-24-bridge-to-home-soup-for-the-soul-gala/ Save to Pocket
The Cult of Mac (12 Jan 2024)
date: 2024-01-12, from: Tilde.news
https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/12/youre-holding-it-wrong/#if-dishwashers-were-iphones Save to Pocket
Take action for masks in healthcare settings
date: 2024-01-12, from: Peoples CDC blog
Join us in writing to the president, our governors, state and federal representatives and tell them to take action to bring back masks in healthcare. When you finish sending a letter, use our call-in toolkit to reinforce the message: the current COVID surge endangers us all. Bring back universal masking in healthcare. Our letter to… Continue reading Take action for masks in healthcare settings
https://peoplescdc.org/2024/01/12/take-action-for-masks-in-healthcare-settings/ Save to Pocket
Thursday, January 11, 2024 - a concise theory of notes about notes
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: p1k3.com community feed
https://p1k3.com/2024/1/11 Save to Pocket
thursday, december 14, 2023
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: p1k3.com community feed
https://p1k3.com/2023/12/14 Save to Pocket
Talking to the World with FT8 on a CRKits ADX-S QRP Radio
date: 2024-01-12, from: Stephen Smith’s blog
Introduction FT8 is a radio protocol developed by Amateur Radio enthusiasts Steve Franke and Nobel Prize laureate Joe Taylor. They also developed the program WSJT-X to operate this digital mode. This is a protocol where two computers communicate using a digital protocol over the ham radio HF bands. This protocol works in unfavorable conditions and […]
https://smist08.wordpress.com/2024/01/12/talking-to-the-world-with-ft8-on-a-crkits-adx-s-qrp-radio/ Save to Pocket
NASA’s Wallops C-130 Plays Vital Role in Successful Parachute Airdrop Test
date: 2024-01-12, from: NASA breaking news
NASA’s C-130 Hercules, managed at Wallops Flight Facility’s Aircraft Office in Virginia, provided aerial delivery support for a successful commercial crew parachute airdrop test Jan. 9 at the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. This week’s testing was in support of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and partner, Boeing, which are developing crew transportation capability to […]
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/nasas-wallops-c-130-plays-vital-role-in-successful-parachute-airdrop-test/ Save to Pocket
Avalon Lions Club 2024 50 mile/50k Benefit Run
date: 2024-01-12, from: Catalina Islander
Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, was greeted in Avalon by 1,139 excited runners. The 50-mile run from Avalon to Two Harbors and return saw 450 runners lined up for the 5 a.m., start ready go. An additional 689 runners were getting ready for the 6 a.m. start of the 50 Kilometer run to the Littler Harbor […]
https://thecatalinaislander.com/avalon-lions-club-2024-50-mile-50k-benefit-run/ Save to Pocket
The Threshold at Which Snow Starts Irreversibly Disappearing. Snowpacks react nonlinearly to…
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/01/0043780-the-threshold-at-which-sn Save to Pocket
Buffalo Supermarket Gunman Who Killed 10 Will Face Death Penalty in Federal Hate Crimes Case
date: 2024-01-12, from: VOA News USA
buffalo, new york — Federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty against a white supremacist who killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket, they said in a court filing Friday.
Payton Gendron, 20, is already serving a sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole after he pleaded guilty to state charges of murder and hate-motivated domestic terrorism in the 2022 attack.
New York does not have capital punishment, but the Justice Department had the option of seeking the death penalty in a separate federal hate crimes case. Gendron had promised to plead guilty in that case if prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty.
In a notice announcing the decision to seek the death penalty, Trini Ross, the U.S. attorney for western New York, wrote that Gendron had selected the supermarket “in order to maximize the number of Black victims.”
The notice cited a range of factors for the decision, including the substantial planning leading to the shooting and the decision to target at least one victim who was “particularly vulnerable due to old age and infirmity.”
Relatives of the victims had expressed mixed views on whether they thought federal prosecutors should pursue the death penalty.
“I’m not necessarily disappointed in the decision. … It would have satisfied me more knowing he would have spent the rest of his life in prison being surrounded by the population of people he tried to kill,” Mark Talley, whose 63-year-old mother Geraldine Talley was killed, said Friday.
“I would prefer he spend the rest of his life in prison suffering every day,” he added.
This is the first time Attorney General Merrick Garland has authorized a new pursuit of the death penalty. Under his leadership, the Justice Department has permitted the continuation of two capital prosecutions and withdrawn from pursuing death in more than two dozen cases.
There was no immediate comment from other victims’ families or prosecutors.
The Justice Department has made federal death penalty cases a rarity since the election of President Joe Biden, a Democrat who opposes capital punishment. Garland instituted a moratorium on federal executions in 2021 pending a review of procedures. Although the moratorium does not prevent prosecutors from seeking death sentences, the Justice Department has done so sparingly.
It successfully sought the death penalty for an antisemitic gunman who murdered 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue, which had been authorized as a death penalty case before Garland became attorney general. It also went ahead last year with an effort to get the death sentence against an Islamic extremist who killed eight people on a New York City bike path, though a lack of a unanimous jury meant that prosecution resulted in a life sentence.
The Justice Department has declined to pursue the death penalty in other mass killings. It passed on seeking the execution of a gunman who killed 23 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas.
On May 14, 2022, Gendron attacked shoppers and workers with a semi-automatic rifle at a Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo after driving more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) from his home in rural Conklin, New York.
He chose the business for its location in a predominantly Black neighborhood and livestreamed the massacre from a camera attached to his tactical helmet.
The victims, who ranged in age from 32 to 86, included eight customers, the store security guard and a church deacon who drove shoppers to and from the store with their groceries. Three people were wounded but survived.
The rifle Gendron fired was marked with racial slurs and phrases including “The Great Replacement,” a reference to a conspiracy theory that there’s a plot to diminish the influence of white people.
https://www.voanews.com/a/buffalo-supermarket-gunman-who-killed-10-will-face-death-penalty-in-federal-hate-crimes-case-/7437733.html Save to Pocket
Islanders mourn loss of Pastor Ron Eroen
date: 2024-01-12, from: Catalina Islander
Waves of grief began circulating across the island this week after news regarding the sudden death of longtime Pastor and Harbor Patrolman Ron Eroen was confirmed. Authorities say they are still investigating the circumstances surrounding his death, but Eroen died four days after being involved in a scooter accident on New Year’s Eve near the […]
https://thecatalinaislander.com/islanders-mourn-loss-of-pastor-ron-eroen/ Save to Pocket
Avalon hospital in financial trouble
date: 2024-01-12, from: Catalina Islander
A slide depicting a forecast of days with “cash on hand” showed the local hospital’s cash decreasing until June. Jason Paret, CEO of Catalina Island Health, told the Avalon City Council on Tuesday, Jan. 9, that he might be able to hang on until June. Paret said he was not asking the city for money. […]
https://thecatalinaislander.com/avalon-hospital-in-financial-trouble/ Save to Pocket
Henry Mayo Chief Medical Officer Resigns
date: 2024-01-12, from: SCV New (TV Station)
Robert Pretzlaff, M.D., M.B.A., Henry Mayo Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer since May of 2021, has resigned.
https://scvnews.com/henry-mayo-chief-medical-officer-resigns/ Save to Pocket
Google to lay Asia-Pacific to South America undersea cable
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Humboldt cable to zoom from Chile to Australia through the South Pacific
Google says it is building the first ever subsea cable connecting South America to Asia-Pacific, in partnership with Chilean state-run infrastructure fund Desarrollo Pais and the Office of Posts and Telecommunications of French Polynesia (OPT).…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/first_asiapacific_to_south_america/ Save to Pocket
Golf: Big Break winners
date: 2024-01-12, from: Catalina Islander
Catalina Island Women’s Club had their Big Break Tournament. The tournament has a point system to win. Points are given for longest drive, closest to the pin and others. The winner was Teri Alexander with 7 points. Second was Ellen Guion with 6 and a tie for 3rd with Elena Maria and Celeste Meza coming […]
https://thecatalinaislander.com/golf-big-break-winners/ Save to Pocket
“Slow Change Can Be Radical Change”
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/01/slow-change-can-be-radical-change Save to Pocket
Construction Workers Discover Indigenous Burial Ground in Toronto
date: 2024-01-12, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Researchers who investigated the site estimate that it’s about 700 years old
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-toronto-construction-crew-has-discovered-a-700-year-old-indigenous-burial-ground-180983576/ Save to Pocket
SCV Sheriff’s Station Seeks Explorer Program Applicants
date: 2024-01-12, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station is now accepting applications for the Explorer Program
https://scvnews.com/scv-sheriffs-station-seeks-explorer-program-applicants/ Save to Pocket
League play heating up for Lancer hoops
date: 2024-01-12, from: Catalina Islander
The Avalon High girls basketball team has taken an early lead in the Academy League race, going 2-0 in their first two games. The Lancers have league wins over Western Christian and Newport Christian. In the win over Newport Christian, Xemina Moreno led the Lancers with 25 points in a 39-28 win over the Seahawks […]
https://thecatalinaislander.com/league-play-heating-up-for-lancer-hoops/ Save to Pocket
Behind the Blog: Open Source Platforms and Impactful Journalism
date: 2024-01-12, from: 404 Media Group
This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss tenacity in blogging, seeing results from journalism, and open-source platforms.
https://www.404media.co/behind-the-blog-open-source-impact/ Save to Pocket
It’s 2024 and FiiO is making a portable cassette player with all-analog features
date: 2024-01-12, from: Liliputing
A decade ago I was moderately surprised to find that companies like Sony were showing off portable music players at CES, because I figured most people had moved on to using smartphones to listen to music. But that’s before I realized there was a whole world of portable hi-fi music products. So what’s new at […]
The post It’s 2024 and FiiO is making a portable cassette player with all-analog features appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/its-2024-and-fiio-is-making-a-portable-cassette-player-with-all-analog-features/ Save to Pocket
The Millennium Camera
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: One Foot Tsunami
https://onefoottsunami.com/2024/01/12/the-millennium-camera/ Save to Pocket
El análisis de la NASA confirma que 2023 fue el año más cálido registrado
date: 2024-01-12, from: NASA breaking news
Read this release in English here. En el año 2023, la temperatura promedio de la superficie de la Tierra fue la más cálida que se haya registrado, según un análisis de la NASA. Las temperaturas globales del año pasado estuvieron alrededor de 1,2 grados Celsius (2,1 grados Fahrenheit) por encima del promedio para el período de […]
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/el-analisis-de-la-nasa-confirma-que-2023-fue-el-ano-mas-calido-registrado/ Save to Pocket
Ancient DNA From Eurasian Herders Sheds Light on the Origins of Multiple Sclerosis
date: 2024-01-12, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Genetic variants linked to the risk of MS were brought to Europe during a migration around 5,000 years ago, a new study finds—and they might have helped herders survive
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-dna-from-eurasian-herders-sheds-light-on-the-origins-of-multiple-sclerosis-180983579/ Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-12, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Buttondown lets you use your own editor and will publish emails via an RSS feed. This is the right way to do it.
https://buttondown.email/features/rss Save to Pocket
Nature Is Amazing: This Species Of Salamander Has Evolved A Sell-By Date…
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/01/0043778-nature-is-amazing-this-sp Save to Pocket
Secret multimillion-dollar cryptojacker snared by Ukrainian police
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Criminal scored $2M in crypto proceeds but ends up in ’cuffs following property raid
The criminal thought to be behind a multimillion-dollar cryptojacking scheme is in custody following a Europol-led investigation.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/secret_multimilliondollar_cryptojacker_snared_by/ Save to Pocket
Pluralistic: The Cult of Mac (12 Jan 2024)
date: 2024-01-12, from: Cory Doctorow’s blog
Today’s links The Cult of Mac: You cannot reason a person out of a position they did not reason themself into in the first place. Hey look at this: Delights to delectate. This day in history: 2014, 2019, 2023 Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading The Cult of Mac (permalink) Apple’s most valuable intangible asset isn’t its patents or copyrights – it’s an army of people who believe that using products from a $2.89 trillion multinational makes them members of an oppressed religious minority whose identity is coterminal with the interests of Apple’s shareholders. Take the App Store. Apple blocks third parties from offering rival app stores for its iOS platform, which means you can only install apps that have been blessed by Apple. That blessing is contingent on the software authors involved giving $0.30 out of every dollar you spend in their apps to Apple. This has two effects: first, it makes certain products impossible to offer. The gross margin on an audiobook is 20%. Apple takes a 30% cut of sales. Try to sell audiobooks in an app, and you’ll lose money on every sale. That’s why non-Apple audiobook stores like Libro.fm and Downpour require you to buy your books in a browser, which hamstrings them and gives Apple an unbeatable advantage (Apple doesn’t charge itself 30% on every transaction, obviously). But at least you can buy audiobooks on Apple Books. There are plenty of services whose gross margins are lower than 30%. Apple’s 30% App Tax renders these unviable, and if Apple doesn’t deign to offer its own in-house monopoly version, the service is simply unavailable as an iPhone app. But that’s not the only bad outcome. Some lucky service providers are able to pay the Apple Tax by gouging Apple’s customers, raising prices to pay the danegeld. That’s the second effect. This is obviously bad for industry. Take the news media: some people think the thing that Big Tech steals from the news is the news itself. That’s a frankly bizarre argument: including the news in a search index or providing a forum where people can talk about the news is not bad for the news. News you’re not allowed to find or talk about isn’t news, it’s a secret. But Big Tech most assuredly steals from the news: it steals money. The ad-tech duopoly takes 51% out of every ad dollar. Social media holds news subscribers to ransom and requires “boosting” payment to reach the people who’ve asked to see their articles. And the mobile duopoly takes 30% out of every in-app subscription dollar: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/06/save-news-we-must-open-app-stores The mobile duopoly likes to talk about the “mobile ecosystem,” but it’s no ecosystem – it’s a pair of walled gardens: https://crookedtimber.org/2022/12/08/your-platform-is-not-an-ecosystem/ It’s a planned economy run by a pair of corporate executives who deliberate in secret and are accountable only to their shareholders. Thankfully, some regulators are alive to the hazards of this technofeudal arrangement and are taking firm measures: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-13/apple-set-to-be-hit-by-eu-antitrust-order-in-app-store-fight-with-spotify These regulators couch their enforcement action in terms of defending an open market, but the benefits to app makers is only incidental. The real beneficiaries of an open app world is Apple customers. After all, it’s Apple customers who bear the 30% app tax when it’s priced into the apps they buy and the things they buy in those apps. It’s Apple customers who lose access to apps that can’t be viably offered because the app tax makes them money-losing propositions. It’s Apple customers who lose out on the ability to get apps that Apple decides are unsuitable for inclusion in its App Store. That’s where the Cult Of Mac steps in to cape for the $3 trillion behemoth. The minority of Apple customers for whom their brand loyalty is a form of religious devotion insist that “no Apple customer wants these things.” This is such obvious nonsense that it can only be described as an article of faith, not a reasoned position. If rival app stores – ones that had different editorial standards and different payment policies – existed, the only people who could possibly use them are Apple customers. Android users won’t be using an alternative iOS store. Symbian users aren’t going to be installing apps from an iOS store offered by someone other than Apple. If it’s true that “Apple customers don’t want non-Apple app stores,” then Apple wouldn’t need to use technological countermeasures and legal threats to prevent them from coming into existence. These non-Apple app stores would fail on their own terms. This is a point I first raised in The Guardian in 2015, with a satirical piece called “If Dishwashers Were iPhones” – a letter from a charismatic smart dishwasher company called Absterge, explaining why it’s unreasonable for customers to expect to their dishes from third-party dish vendors: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/feb/13/if-dishwashers-were-iphones The comments on that article are wild. It’s just a litany of people saying, “If you want to choose where you buy your apps, you shouldn’t buy an iPhone.” That this is exactly the same argument the fictional Absterge CEO makes about his dishwasher (“People who don’t want to go the Absterge way don’t have to”) is lost on them. As far as they’re concerned, any Apple customer who wants have the final say over how their $1,000 pocket computer works isn’t a true Apple customer. This is a very weird idea. But weirder still is how it captured lawmakers, like the former Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore. In 2010, Moore and his colleague, the disgraced sex pest Tony Clement, tabled a bill that would make it illegal for Canadians to modify their iPhones (and other gadgets) to work in ways that benefited them at the expense of corporate shareholders. They ran a consultation on this measure, and the responses overwhelmingly rejected it (6138 submissions opposed to the measure, 54 in support!). They pressed ahead anyway: https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2010/04/copycon-final-numbers/ When the public demanded an explanation for this, Moore said that opponents of the measure were “radical extremists”: https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/copyright-debate-turns-ugly-1.898216 This was a bridge too far. I am a bestselling Canadian author whose copyright-related income comes from royalties, not industry campaign contributions. The idea that the Heritage Minister would brand me a “radical extremist” got my goat, so I picked a fight with him on Twitter, where he unwisely took the bait: https://web.archive.org/web/20130407101911if_/http://eaves.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/Conversations%20between%20@doctorow%20and%20@mpjamesmoore.jpg Moore’s responses were straight out of the comments from “If iPhones Were Dishwashers.” Quoth the Minister: “Don’t use Mac. There are other options out there.” Remember: the only people who could use an alternative iOS store are Apple customers. Moore – a Minister from the Conservative Party – went on record saying that if you want to use your private, personal property in ways that the corporation that manufactured it objects to you, the government should step in to defend the corporation from you. This is not the property-worshiping, market-based ideology the Conservative Party claims to support. The only way to square that circle is if somehow, the people who want to install apps on their phones without the manufacturer’s approval are not really customers. They’re pretenders. Apostates. They’re holding it wrong: https://www.wired.com/2010/06/iphone-4-holding-it-wrong/ These religious apologetics for Apple’s business practices are a devastatingly effective defense against the public outcry that would accrue to any other business that abused its customers in similar fashion. Every time Apple finds a new way to rip off its customers, the cult is there to insist that those aren’t true Apple customers at all! Think of Apple’s years-long war on repair. When Apple gets a veto over where you fix the small, slippery, glass object you carry everywhere and hence break a lot, they can get up to all kinds of mischief. They can gouge you on parts and service charges, sure. But they can also simply rule out fixing your device at all, declaring it beyond repair. This prompts you to buy another gadget from them, and they get to offer you a trade-in. That means that your old gadget gets “recycled” by Apple, who – uniquely among electronics manufacturers – drops all its “recycled” gadgets in giant shredders, ensuring that parts from old phones don’t find their way into the secondary market for use by independent repair: https://pluralistic.net/2022/05/22/apples-cement-overshoes/ Apple isn’t coy about all this! Tim Apple’s 2019 shareholders letter spelled it out explicitly: Apple’s revenues are falling because its customers are fixing their phones rather than replacing them: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/01/letter-from-tim-cook-to-apple-investors/ Apple led the coalition that killed dozens of state right to repair bills for years. When repair advocates pointed out that this was creating mountains of immortal ewaste that included tons of conflict minerals, Apple’s religious adherents stepped into insist that Apple customers preferred to get their iPhone fixed by Apple and its approved depots. Again, this is obvious nonsense. If it were the case that No True Apple Customer would patronize a third-party repair depot, then Apple could simply step out of the way of right to repair campaigns and those independent phone fixit places would sink without a trace. People who own Android devices don’t get their phones fixed with unauthorized iPhone parts. The chorus of credulous, faithful shouters gives Apple enormous cover to get up to the worst behavior. Apple keeps making announcements about its commitment to repair that get trumpeted to the heavens, even though these announcements barely bother to cover up how Apple will continue to block repair in practice: https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/22/vin-locking/#thought-differently This reality-distortion field is remarkably durable. It remains intact even when rivals take the exact opposite position and demonstrate exactly what a real, non-pretextual pro-repair policy looks like: https://www.404media.co/google-formally-endorses-right-to-repair-will-lobby-to-pass-strong-repair-laws/ A key tenet of the Cult Of Mac is that Apple’s sins are actually virtues, because all its monopolistic conduct is in service to its users’ privacy and security. After all, this is the company that faced down the FBI when the US government tried to force it to weaken its encryption: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/04/fbi-could-have-gotten-san-bernardino-shooters-iphone-leadership-didnt-say And it’s true, they did! They also added anti-tracking features that shut down Facebook’s ability to spy on iOS users, a move that Facebook claims cost it $10b in the first year alone (you love to see it): https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/05/96-of-us-users-opt-out-of-app-tracking-in-ios-14-5-analytics-find/ But Apple’s commitment to your privacy and security is always contingent, and when its own profits are on the line, the company will swiftly stuff you and your safety out the airlock. Apple refused to weaken its security for the FBI, but when China threatened its access to cheap manufacturing and hundreds of millions of customers, Apple eviscerated its products: https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/11/foreseeable-consequences/#airdropped Apple blocked Facebook from spying on you, but when it wanted to build its own surveillance advertising empire, it switched iOS spying back on, gathering exactly the same data as Facebook had, but for its own sole use, and then lied about it: https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/14/luxury-surveillance/#liar-liar And then there’s iMessage, Apple’s default messaging service – “default” in the sense that there’s no way to use other messaging apps without taking additional steps. IMessage has end-to-end encryption – but only when you’re communicating with other Apple customers. The instant an Android user is added to a chat or group chat, the entire conversation flips to SMS, an insecure, trivially hacked privacy nightmare that debuted 38 years ago – the year Wayne’s World had its first cinematic run. About 41% of American mobile phone users have an Android phone, which means that any time an Apple customer tries to have a conversation with a colleague, a merchant, a loved one, a friend or a family member, there’s a 4 in 10 chance it’s going out “in the clear,” with zero privacy protections. This is not good for Apple customers. It exposes them to continuous, serious privacy risks. Our mobile devices are keepers of our most intimate secrets, and when mobile security fails, the consequences are grave, as Apple discovered in the hardest way possible, ten years ago: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_celebrity_nude_photo_leak Apple’s answer to this is grimly hilarious. The company’s position is that if you want to have real security in your communications, you should buy your friends iPhones. Presumably, if those friends – or merchants, or colleagues – don’t want to change operating systems and throw away their device and all their apps, you should just stop talking to them: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tim-cook-says-buy-mom-210347694.html One of the clinical signs that someone is in a cult is that they are encouraged to isolate themselves from people who aren’t also in that cult: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isolation_to_facilitate_abuse#In_cults But there are billions of Apple customers and only a small (but vocal and obnoxious!) minority of those customers are actual cult members, which means that there are billions of people who’d prefer to have private, secure communications with everyone in their lives, not just their fellow Apple customers. That’s where Beeper Mini comes in: it’s a third-party Android version of iMessage that builds on the work of a teenager who reverse-engineered iMessage and found a way to let Android users receive secure messages sent by Apple customers: https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/07/blue-bubbles-for-all/#never-underestimate-the-determination-of-a-kid-who-is-time-rich-and-cash-poor This was an immense service to Apple customers, correcting a gaping security vulnerability in Apple’s flagship product, that had been deliberately introduced, putting the company’s profits ahead of its customers’ safety and privacy. Apple immediately rolled out a series of countermeasures to block Beeper Mini. When The Verge’s David Pierce asked them why, Apple said they did it to protect their customers’ security (!!): https://www.theverge.com/2023/12/9/23995150/beeper-imessage-android-apple-statement The company claimed that there was some nonspecific way in which Beeper Mini weakened the security of Apple customers, though they offered no evidence in support of that claim. Remember, the gold standard for security claims is proof-of-concept code, not hand-waving: https://nostarch.com/gtfo For its part, Beeper engaged in a brief but intense cat-and-mouse game with Apple, taking countermeasures and countercountermeasures to preserve Apple customers’ access to secure communications with Android users: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/12/without-interoperability-apple-customers-will-never-be-secure Apple used its $3 trillion megaphone to condemn Beeper Mini all the while, even after Beeper published the source code for Beeper Mini so that anyone could verify for themselves that nothing nefarious was going on: https://blog.beeper.com/p/beeper-moving-forward Meanwhile, Apple’s cultists rallied behind the company. Not only would No True Apple Customer ever want to have secure communications with an Android user, but it was unfair for Beeper to profit by accessing Apple’s messaging infrastructure, which Apple has to pay to maintain. This is some serious upside-down cult logic. Beeper isn’t accessing Apple’s infrastructure: Apple’s customers are accessing Apple’s infrastructure. If there were no Apple customers trying to talk to Android users, there would be no load on Apple’s servers. But those customers don’t count. They aren’t real Apple customers, because they want to do things that benefit them, not Apple’s shareholders. In other words: they’re holding it wrong. Hey look at this (permalink) Terry Bisson (1942-2024) https://locusmag.com/2024/01/terry-bisson-1942-2024/ BOMBASTIC!Boeing Going Through An Internal Crisis https://www.airliners.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=213075 (h/t Naked Capitalism) Wave of the hand defeats new $700k subway gates meant to deter fare evaders https://boingboing.net/2024/01/11/wave-of-the-hand-defeats-new-700k-subway-gates-meant-to-deter-fare-evaders.html This day in history (permalink) #10yrsago Total corruption: Organised crime infiltrated and compromised UK courts, police, HMRC, Crown Prosecution Service, prisons, and juries https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/the-corruption-of-britain-uk-s-key-institutions-infiltrated-by-criminals-9052617.html #10yrsago What blogging meant https://web.archive.org/web/20140111184521/https://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/2014/01/08/what-blogging-was/comment-page-1/ #5yrsago In DHS tests, prototypes of Trump’s chosen barrier posts were easily defeated by hacksaws https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/test-steel-prototype-border-wall-showed-it-could-be-sawed-n956856 #5yrsago A month after the statutory restoration of expat Canadians’ voting rights, Supreme Court says taking those rights away was illegal https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/scc-sides-with-overseas-canadians-in-expat-voting-decision-1.4249319 #1yrago John Deere’s repair fake-out https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/12/beg-forgiveness-ask-permission/#deerey-me #1yrago Good riddance to the Open Gaming License https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/12/beg-forgiveness-ask-permission/#whats-a-copyright-exception Colophon (permalink) Today’s top sources: Currently writing: A Little Brother short story about DIY insulin PLANNING Picks and Shovels, a Martin Hench noir thriller about the heroic era of the PC. FORTHCOMING TOR BOOKS JAN 2025 The Bezzle, a Martin Hench noir thriller novel about the prison-tech industry. FORTHCOMING TOR BOOKS FEB 2024 Vigilant, Little Brother short story about remote invigilation. FORTHCOMING ON TOR.COM Spill, a Little Brother short story about pipeline protests. FORTHCOMING ON TOR.COM Latest podcast: The Internet’s Original Sin https://craphound.com/news/2023/12/17/the-internets-original-sin/) Upcoming appearances: Books & Books (Coral Gables, Florida), Jan 22 https://www.booksandbooks.com/event/in-person-an-evening-with-cory-doctorow/ Marshall McLuhan Lecture 2024 (Berlin), Jan 29 https://transmediale.de/en/2024/event/mcluhan-2024 The Lost Cause at Otherland (Berlin), Jan 30 https://www.otherland-berlin.de/de/event-details/autor-innenabend-mit-cory-doctorow.html Recent appearances: The Lost Cause (The Writer’s Voice) https://www.writersvoice.net/2024/01/cory-doctorow-the-lost-cause/ What the Future will Bring (Homeless Romantic) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_Vq8qW2A8I Talking “The Lost Cause” with Warren Mosler (MMT Podcast) https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-182-cory-95211955 Latest books: “The Lost Cause:” a solarpunk novel of hope in the climate emergency, Tor Books (US), Head of Zeus (UK), November 2023 (http://lost-cause.org). Signed, personalized copies at Dark Delicacies (https://www.darkdel.com/store/p3007/Pre-Order_Signed_Copies%3A_The_Lost_Cause_HB.html#/) “The Internet Con”: A nonfiction book about interoperability and Big Tech (Verso) September 2023 (http://seizethemeansofcomputation.org). Signed copies at Book Soup (https://www.booksoup.com/book/9781804291245). “Red Team Blues”: “A grabby, compulsive thriller that will leave you knowing more about how the world works than you did before.” Tor Books http://redteamblues.com. Signed copies at Dark Delicacies (US): and Forbidden Planet (UK): https://forbiddenplanet.com/385004-red-team-blues-signed-edition-hardcover/. “Chokepoint Capitalism: How to Beat Big Tech, Tame Big Content, and Get Artists Paid, with Rebecca Giblin”, on how to unrig the markets for creative labor, Beacon Press/Scribe 2022 https://chokepointcapitalism.com “Attack Surface”: The third Little Brother novel, a standalone technothriller for adults. The Washington Post called it “a political cyberthriller, vigorous, bold and savvy about the limits of revolution and resistance.” Order signed, personalized copies from Dark Delicacies https://www.darkdel.com/store/p1840/Available_Now%3A_Attack_Surface.html “How to Destroy Surveillance Capitalism”: an anti-monopoly pamphlet analyzing the true harms of surveillance capitalism and proposing a solution. https://onezero.medium.com/how-to-destroy-surveillance-capitalism-8135e6744d59?sk=f6cd10e54e20a07d4c6d0f3ac011af6b) (signed copies: https://www.darkdel.com/store/p2024/Available_Now%3A__How_to_Destroy_Surveillance_Capitalism.html) “Little Brother/Homeland”: A reissue omnibus edition with a new introduction by Edward Snowden: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250774583; personalized/signed copies here: https://www.darkdel.com/store/p1750/July%3A__Little_Brother_%26_Homeland.html “Poesy the Monster Slayer” a picture book about monsters, bedtime, gender, and kicking ass. Order here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626723627. Get a personalized, signed copy here: https://www.darkdel.com/store/p2682/Corey_Doctorow%3A_Poesy_the_Monster_Slayer_HB.html#/. Upcoming books: The Bezzle: a sequel to “Red Team Blues,” about prison-tech and other grifts, Tor Books, February 2024 Picks and Shovels: a sequel to “Red Team Blues,” about the heroic era of the PC, Tor Books, February 2025 Unauthorized Bread: a graphic novel adapted from my novella about refugees, toasters and DRM, FirstSecond, 2025 This work – excluding any serialized fiction – is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. That means you can use it any way you like, including commercially, provided that you attribute it to me, Cory Doctorow, and include a link to pluralistic.net. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Quotations and images are not included in this license; they are included either under a limitation or exception to copyright, or on the basis of a separate license. Please exercise caution. How to get Pluralistic: Blog (no ads, tracking, or data-collection): Pluralistic.net Newsletter (no ads, tracking, or data-collection): https://pluralistic.net/plura-list Mastodon (no ads, tracking, or data-collection): https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic Medium (no ads, paywalled): https://doctorow.medium.com/ Twitter (mass-scale, unrestricted, third-party surveillance and advertising): https://twitter.com/doctorow Tumblr (mass-scale, unrestricted, third-party surveillance and advertising): https://mostlysignssomeportents.tumblr.com/tagged/pluralistic “When life gives you SARS, you make sarsaparilla” -Joey “Accordion Guy” DeVilla
https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/12/youre-holding-it-wrong/ Save to Pocket
Engage with NASA Glenn
date: 2024-01-12, from: NASA breaking news
At NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, we pride ourselves on making the seemingly impossible, possible. From creating more fuel-efficient jet engines and exploring advances in air mobility, to enhancing radio frequency and optical communications technology, Glenn plays an important role in many of NASA’s most prestigious missions. Each year, Glenn highlights its research and […]
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/glenn/engage-with-nasa-glenn/ Save to Pocket
Accounts Payable
date: 2024-01-12, from: NASA breaking news
Vendor Payment NASA is committed to expedient and accurate payment of invoices. Any questions or inquiries should be addressed to the Contracting Officer designated on your award or to the NSSC Customer Contact Center. NSSC Customer Contact Center telephone: 1-877-677-2123 (1-877-NSSC123) Fax: 1-866-779-6772 (1-866-779-NSSC) Vouchers and invoices are to be submitted in the Treasury’s Invoice Processing Platform […]
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/nssc/accounts-payable/ Save to Pocket
I Own an EV But Won’t Rent One on Vacation. Here’s Why.
date: 2024-01-12, from: Heatmap News
A year ago, before a vacation to see the eruption of the Hawaiian volcano Kīlauea, I found myself scrolling through my rental car options. A few users on the car-sharing service Turo offered up their Tesla Model 3s, and I was tempted by the idea of driving electric on holiday just as I would at home. One problem: There are no superchargers on the Big Island. I opted instead for a dependable, decade-old Hyundai Sonata — one that cost half as much per day.
An electric rental car is an easier sell in a big city with plenty of fast chargers. Even so, it appears that Americans at large are making the same choice that I did. Rental car giant Hertz made a big splash by adding Teslas to its fleet in 2021 and using NFL legend Tom Brady to advertise them. Now, instead of scaling up to 25% EV by this year as it had once planned, Hertz says it will sell off a third of its EVs because of weak demand and higher costs. The company plans to use the money to shift back toward more gasoline-powered cars.
I can’t say I’m surprised. EVs are, at least for this moment, an awkward fit for America’s rental car economy.
On the one hand, a rental is a great way for someone with no time behind the wheel of an EV to experience the reality of ownership. As a member of the car press, I got to test a Model 3 for several days before I bought my own. Believe me: A brief test drive from the dealership is nothing compared to what you’ll learn from puttering around in one of Hertz’s EVs for a few days, getting accustomed to its user interface and to the task of recharging. If you’re thinking about buying an electric car and you have a vacation in the near future, I’d encourage you to take the opportunity. An EV rental car is also an attractive option for lowering a vacation’s environmental footprint, since you’re probably already flying in a carbon-spewing airplane.
A rental car is also a good excuse to drive something fun or goofy. On a business trip a decade ago, I fulfilled a boyhood daydream by taking the bright red Jeep Wrangler and bombing around the San Francisco Bay Area with the top down (thanks, corporate card). A weekend car rental offers the chance to hop in a Tesla, which remains an usual or exotic experience in most places outside of California. However, Hertz’s struggles suggest that allure isn’t enough to overcome the higher cost of renting an EV. Especially when the bottom-dollar beater gets you where you’re going, if not in style.
The biggest issue, of course, is the fear of the unknown. Because so few Americans own a pure EV, renting one means learning a new driving paradigm — a chore, if not an outright headache. The last thing most people want to do while traveling to a conference in Boston or vacationing to the beaches of Los Angeles is to figure out how to put a Tesla into reverse or worry whether there’s a supercharger close to the hotel.
In truth, it’s not so bad. Once you’re inside an electric vehicle, the experience is built to be as idiot-proof as possible. Most modern EVs feature a big touchscreen with a map that will route you to available charging locations. The car will make sure to warn you, repeatedly, if it thinks you’re letting the battery get too low or straying too far from available chargers.
As much as the vehicle’s UI strives to inspire confidence, though, it’s easy to see why drivers who don’t already own EVs feel wary. The Biden administration’s big push may indeed expand America’s charging infrastructure. For now, though, there are still plenty of horror stories of people beset by busted plugs, slow chargers, long lines, or lousy interfaces. Vacation is supposed to be about decompressing, not range anxiety. Until chargers become much more reliable and get closer to ubiquitous, travelers will choose the known quantity: pump gas and put away the climate part of their brain.
That’s not to say EVs are doomed in the rental car market, or that tourists will forever spew carbon emissions from the backs of their battered Nissan Altimas and Honda CR-Vs. As Bloomberg reports, Hertz is paying close attention to GM’s attempts to revive the Chevrolet Bolt and introduce an electrified Equinox crossover as entry-level EVs in the low $30,000s. At that level, an agency could rent out EVs at prices more competitive with their traditional gas-burners. As EVs grow cheaper to rent and drivers grow more confident about charging, some of them will think hard about renting electric — especially in times of spiking gas prices. Perhaps a day will come when companies require their traveling employees to rent EVs instead of combustion cars as a way to keep costs down or to contribute to the firm’s green claims.
In the meantime, the question of rental EVs hovers in the same moment of uncertainty that clouds everything EV. Sales of electrics are not slowing, despite reports to the contrary. However the legacy automakers are seriously struggling with their electric transitions. Heatmap’s reporting has shown a major partisanship-based gap in EV buying interest, and that drivers in much of the country aren’t nearly as interested in buying electric cars as Ford and GM have suddenly become in selling them. The bad vibes are enough to make one wonder whether those living outside of large, EV-friendly large cities will ever embrace owning an EV, let alone become comfortable enough to rent one the next time they fly the family to Disney World.
https://heatmap.news/electric-vehicles/hertz-tesla-ev-selloff Save to Pocket
The Clever Engineering Trick That Allows Simple Rice Cookers to Perfectly Cook Rice
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/01/the-clever-engineering-trick-that-allows-simple-rice-cookers-to-perfectly-cook-rice Save to Pocket
NASA Analysis Confirms 2023 as Warmest Year on Record
date: 2024-01-12, from: NASA breaking news
Lee esta nota de prensa en español aquí. Earth’s average surface temperature in 2023 was the warmest on record, according to an analysis by NASA. Global temperatures last year were around 2.1 degrees Fahrenheit (1.2 degrees Celsius) above the average for NASA’s baseline period (1951-1980), scientists from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New […]
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-analysis-confirms-2023-as-warmest-year-on-record/ Save to Pocket
US tech innovation dreams soured by changed R&D tax laws
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
But Congress is on top of that, right?
A US federal tax change that took effect in 2022 thanks to a time-triggered portion of the Trump-era Tax Cuts and Jobs Act may leave entrepreneurs with massive tax bills. …
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/us_tax_research/ Save to Pocket
2 men rescued and 1 believed dead after avalanche hits Idaho back country
date: 2024-01-12, from: San Jose Mercury News
A rescue effort began shortly before 3 p.m. Thursday when law enforcement received a GPS alert of a possible fatality in an avalanche near Stevens Peak close to the Montana border.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/12/2-men-rescued-and-1-believed-dead-after-avalanche-hits-idaho-back-country/ Save to Pocket
AYA Neo Next Lite is a handheld gaming PC for $299 and up (with Ryzen 4000U and a 3rd-party SteamOS build)
date: 2024-01-12, from: Liliputing
The AYA Neo Next Lite is a budget handheld gaming PC with a starting price under $299, making it the cheapest x86 handheld from AYA Neo to date. But after teasing the handheld earlier this week, the company has now revealed the full spec sheet… and I’m not sure it’s worth even that much money. Don’t get […]
The post AYA Neo Next Lite is a handheld gaming PC for $299 and up (with Ryzen 4000U and a 3rd-party SteamOS build) appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/aya-neo-next-lite-is-a-handheld-gaming-pc-for-299-and-up-with-ryzen-4000u-and-a-3rd-party-steamos-build/ Save to Pocket
The Mathematician Who Finds the Poetry in Math and the Math in Poetry
date: 2024-01-12, from: Quanta Magazine
The links between math, music and art have been explored for thousands of years. Sarah Hart is now turning a mathematical eye to literature.The post The Mathematician Who Finds the Poetry in Math and the Math in Poetry first appeared on Quanta Magazine
https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-theorist-who-sees-math-in-art-music-and-writing-20240112/ Save to Pocket
Going green Hertz: Rental giant axes third of EV fleet over lack of demand
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Company expects $245 million hit due to depreciation
Rental giant Hertz is backing away from electric vehicles (EVs) and plans to sell off a third of its global fleet of battery-powered cars.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/hertz_electric_vehicle_cuts/ Save to Pocket
A year after the death of California lawyer in Mexico, mystery remains but healing begins
date: 2024-01-12, from: San Jose Mercury News
Elliot Blair’s widow still believes he was murdered, but is resigned to the fact that she may never know how he died and who was responsible.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/12/a-year-after-the-death-of-oc-lawyer-elliot-blair-in-mexico-mystery-remains-but-healing-begins/ Save to Pocket
Blinken Meets Top China Foreign Minister Candidate Before Taiwan Elections
date: 2024-01-12, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks with veteran Chinese diplomat Liu Jianchao on Friday morning, a day before Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections — a test for efforts to stabilize tensions between the United States and China.
Washington has cautioned Beijing against using the elections as a pretext for instability in the Taiwan Strait.
In keeping with a long-standing precedent, the United States is sending a bipartisan delegation to Taiwan after the election.
The U.S. delegation includes members of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus; Laura Rosenberger, who chairs the American Institute in Taiwan; and former officials who served under both Democratic and Republican administrations.
Direct message
Liu, who heads the Chinese Communist Party’s International Liaison Department, is the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit the United States since U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit south of San Francisco on November 15.
A source familiar with the meeting said that in diplomacy, it is crucial to convey messages directly to China on “the importance of peace and stability in the region ahead of the Taiwan elections, and in light of recent PRC provocations in the South China Sea.”
In a statement, the State Department said Blinken “reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea.”
“The two sides had a constructive discussion on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues, including areas of potential cooperation and areas of difference,” said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
“The secretary emphasized the importance of resolving the cases of American citizens who are wrongfully detained or subject to exit bans in China and raised U.S. concerns about PRC human rights abuses,” Miller said in a statement late Friday.
The sending of the U.S. delegation to Taipei after the elections is perceived as an effort to preempt a strong reaction from Beijing.
A Chinese spokesperson repeated Beijing’s assertion on Friday that Taiwan’s elections are China’s internal affairs, and that China opposes any form of official contact between the U.S. and Taiwan.
China claims sovereignty over the self-ruled democracy. The U.S. acknowledges but has never endorsed Beijing’s position.
The winner of Taiwan’s presidential election will be inaugurated on May 20. The transition period in the coming months is seen as sensitive in cross-strait relations.
Liu is seen as a leading contender to be China’s next foreign minister, according to some media reports and analysts.
It is unusual for the minister of the International Liaison Department, a unit under the Communist Party’s Central Committee, to visit the United States, according to Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the German Marshall Fund.
“The most likely explanation for this visit, and the reason that he is being received by Blinken, is that Liu is likely to be China’s next foreign minister. The visit provides an opportunity for the U.S. to take his measure in advance of his formal appointment, likely at the upcoming National People’s Congress” in early March, Glaser told VOA.
In a blog post by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, or CSIS, Liu was described as China’s “shadow foreign minister.”
“China still has the same leader, Xi Jinping, whose overall views and vision have not changed. Shifts in other personnel or a more engaging tone may not make a huge difference in the content of China’s foreign policy,” said the CSIS blog.
Senior U.S. officials attending Friday’s meeting include the State Department’s top diplomat on East Asian and Pacific affairs, Daniel Kritenbrink, and its China coordinator, Mark Lambert.
World Economic Forum
Communication between the world’s two largest economies will continue after Taiwan’s elections, as senior U.S. and Chinese officials are to attend next week’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Blinken and Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend the annual economic meetings at the Swiss mountain resort.
Blinken’s talks with Chinese officials are described as efforts to maintain open lines of communication, responsibly manage differences between the two nations and address various issues. These include global and regional security concerns, such as Russia’s war against Ukraine, as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
According to some estimates, about half of all global trade flows through the Taiwan Strait, and its stability is critical to the global economy.
VOA’s Cindy Saine contributed to this report.
https://www.voanews.com/a/blinken-meets-top-china-foreign-minister-candidate-before-taiwan-election/7437408.html Save to Pocket
California is facing a budget mess. It’s not alone.
date: 2024-01-12, from: Marketplace Morning Report
California, home of the fifth largest economy in the world, has a budget deficit of between $38 billion and $68 billion, depending on the estimate. But even with the economy doing pretty well across the country, other states have budget woes as well, many of which were papered over by federal pandemic aid. Also on the program: a look at falling wholesale prices and increased oversight of Boeing.
https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/california-is-facing-a-budget-mess-its-not-alone Save to Pocket
Russia, Turkey, Iran Condemn Attack on Yemeni Houthis
date: 2024-01-12, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/russia-turkey-iran-condemn-attack-on-yemeni-houthis/7437363.html Save to Pocket
TikTok owner eyes big San Jose office deal in potential tech expansion
date: 2024-01-12, from: San Jose Mercury News
The owner of the TikTok video service is eyeing a big office deal in San Jose.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/12/san-jose-tech-tiktok-bytedance-real-estate-office-rent-china-roku/ Save to Pocket
Pac-12 recruiting: WSU, OSU land impact transfers while Washington secures top in-state player (for the first time in years)
date: 2024-01-12, from: San Jose Mercury News
The Cougars and Beavers hit the portal hard to replenish their rosters and secured several former Pac-12 players.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/12/pac-12-recruiting-wsu-osu-land-impact-transfers-while-washington-secures-top-in-state-player-for-the-first-time-in-years/ Save to Pocket
Widespread, prolific rainstorm headed to Northern California on Saturday
date: 2024-01-12, from: San Jose Mercury News
Widespread rainfall is in Saturday’s forecast across the Bay Area, according to the National Weather Service.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/12/widespread-prolific-rainstorm-headed-to-northern-california-on-saturday/ Save to Pocket
Bay Area high school basketball: What to know about MLK showcases
date: 2024-01-12, from: San Jose Mercury News
Miramonte, Bishop O’Dowd, De La Salle among the schools that will play host to MLK basketball games.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/12/bay-area-high-school-basketball-what-to-know-about-mlk-showcases/ Save to Pocket
NASA Volunteers Shine at American Astronomical Society Meeting
date: 2024-01-12, from: NASA breaking news
The American Astronomical Society (AAS) met in New Orleans this week, attended by thousands of astronomers and reporters, and NASA volunteers were in the spotlight. Wow! Big congratulations to everyone involved!
https://science.nasa.gov/get-involved/citizen-science/nasa-volunteers-shine-at-american-astronomical-society-meeting/ Save to Pocket
Media experts cry foul over AI’s free lunch of copyrighted content
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
US senators want to know how chatbots represent an existential crisis to journalism and democracy
Tech companies should compensate news publishers for training AI models on their copyrighted content, media experts told senators in a hearing this week.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/senate_committee_ai_journalism/ Save to Pocket
Cop pleads no contest to soliciting prostitute in Daly City
date: 2024-01-12, from: San Jose Mercury News
Bakersfield police Officer Nghia Hieu Duong will serve six months of probation.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/12/cop-pleads-no-contest-to-soliciting-prostitute-in-daly-city/ Save to Pocket
Our Attentive Supervisor
date: 2024-01-12, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
I am so happy to have Joan Hartmann as the County Supervisor representing Lompoc. She listens and takes action.
The post Our Attentive Supervisor appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/01/12/our-attentive-supervisor/ Save to Pocket
How Threads Will Integrate with the Fediverse, some notes by Tom Coates…
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/01/0043774-how-threads-will-integrat Save to Pocket
This Week on The Analog Antiquarian
date: 2024-01-12, from: Digital Antiquarian
The Sistine Chapel, Chapter 20: The Artist’s Return
https://www.filfre.net/2024/01/this-week-on-the-analog-antiquarian-2/ Save to Pocket
Prep roundup: Clayton Valley boys rally down stretch, beat Campolindo
date: 2024-01-12, from: San Jose Mercury News
Elijah Perryman leads Clayton Valley to a big DAL win. Madalyn Kanazawa helps Salesian girls edge St. Patrick-St. Vincent. Christopher girls bounce back to win a league game over Leland.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/12/prep-roundup-clayton-valley-boys-rally-down-stretch-beat-campolindo/ Save to Pocket
My night at the Dean campaign
date: 2024-01-12, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News
I’d love to tell you a story about the time I had the authority to post to the Dean campaign home page, and they deleted a post I wrote on the night of the famous Dean Scream that might have saved the campaign. They were trying to make the story go away. As we know the story didn’t go away.
2008: “The campaign had video that showed clearly that the press was actively trying to kill his candidacy. They had a website, and they had enough money to pay for the bandwidth to run it. They knew what the press was trying to do. They could have fought it. But they didn’t.”
That
night I became friends with Nicco Mele, he was the webmaster at Dean who
gave
me the power. I was in their Burlington headquarters at the moment the
whole thing imploded, the night of the Iowa caucus. I’ve also become
friends with Joe Trippi, the campaign manager for Dean in 2008. They
probably accelerated the adoption of online media in American politics
by a decade or more. However, a lot of the ideas from that time are
gone, but hopefully not forever.
The biggest idea was that it gave people a sense of belonging, that they weren’t powerless to influence or even control the US government. We all felt that the war in Iraq was wrong, Dean gave Americans a way to say that clearly, with their own actions. I think if we want to achieve our destiny in the 2024 election, we need to get some of that into the campaign, or democracy won’t prevail.
There’s a story about how Trump makes people feel like they belong in the Washington Post written by Philip Bump that Joe and Nicco should read if they haven’t. This is something Trump gets that the Democrats have forgotten they know. People don’t vote on policy, they vote to belong to something they believe might fix things, whatever that means to them.
PS: I also blogged about my adventure at the Dean campaign headquarters in January 2004 before and during the Iowa caucus and the Dean campaign implosion.
PPS: A picture of the blogging room in Burlington the night of the Iowa caucus in 2004.
PPPS: In February 2004, I wrote a piece summing up what we learned from Dean. “In a virtual sense, the Internet was looking for a candidate, and Howard Dean fit the bill. He was bloggable.”
http://scripting.com/2024/01/12/142825.html?title=myNightAtTheDeanCampaign Save to Pocket
More Americans will get their student loans canceled in February as President Biden accelerates his new plan
date: 2024-01-12, from: San Jose Mercury News
The accelerated forgiveness drew fire from Republicans, who called it an attempt to win voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/12/some-americans-will-get-their-student-loans-canceled-in-february-as-biden-accelerates-his-new-plan/ Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s Scripting News (date: 2024-01-12, from: Dave Winer’s Scripting News)
Fixed a bug in news.scripting.com that caused it to display only the All tab, leaving the other tabs inaccessible. Glad to get it fixed now and sorry for the breakage. Please keep the error reports coming.
http://scripting.com/2024/01/12.html#a141637 Save to Pocket
With climate change, king tides could be the new normal
date: 2024-01-12, from: San Jose Mercury News
King tides returned to the San Francisco Bay this week, though flooding across the region was mild.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/12/with-climate-change-king-tides-could-be-the-new-normal/ Save to Pocket
@Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed (date: 2024-01-12, from: Miguel de Icaza Mastondon feed)
SwiftUI-ficating Godot on iPad is the ultimate Yak Shaving exercise.
Yesterday I figured “quick win, remove the menu” and that turned into “wire up the Godot new scene” and that turned into “oh but that needs to use my new dialog”, “this needs a general purpose bridge” and realized I needed to finish my general callout framework rather than registering callbacks everywhere.
But I think I got it! Expect a blog post soon.
https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/111743370178388224 Save to Pocket
Microsoft suggests command line fiddling to get faulty Windows 10 update installed
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Unhelpful error codes, complex fixes … When did Windows turn into Linux?
Microsoft sent yet another problematic patch into the wild this week in the form of KB5034441. However, rather than deal with a BitLocker vulnerability, the patch is failing to install for some users.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/microsoft_update_for_bitlocker_vuln/ Save to Pocket
Policymaking Needs to Get Ahead of Artificial Intelligence
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: RAND blog
President Biden’s executive order on AI is a key step toward a regulatory regime that protects against AI’s possible perils while balancing its potential. But more policies are needed—especially when it comes to security issues.
https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2024/01/policymaking-needs-to-get-ahead-of-artificial-intelligence.html Save to Pocket
UOG, local organizations host financial webinar and fair
date: 2024-01-12, from: Guam Daily Post
The start of a new semester is coming for the Tritons at the University of Guam and the university hosted a three-day webinar and fair focusing on financial management for incoming students.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/uog-local-organizations-host-financial-webinar-and-fair/article_b680285e-b042-11ee-8b8f-130d30498404.html Save to Pocket
UOG breaks ground for Dr. Lucio Chua Tan Student Success Center
date: 2024-01-12, from: Guam Daily Post
The University of Guam and its partners held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday for the university’s fourth new facility, the Dr. Lucio Chua Tan Student Success Center.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/uog-breaks-ground-for-dr-lucio-chua-tan-student-success-center/article_139127cc-b035-11ee-8c5b-77d046f9b7ec.html Save to Pocket
1 hospitalized with minor injuries after scooter-car collision
date: 2024-01-12, from: Guam Daily Post
A patient was taken to the hospital with minor injuries after a car collided with a scooter in Tamuning on Thursday evening.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/1-hospitalized-with-minor-injuries-after-scooter-car-collision/article_1419e7a8-b0e2-11ee-b699-b3c2ea13f56f.html Save to Pocket
Competing hospital location measures on session agenda
date: 2024-01-12, from: Guam Daily Post
Two measures competing to determine the location of a new public hospital or medical complex on Guam will be up for debate during this month’s legislative session.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/competing-hospital-location-measures-on-session-agenda/article_475926e8-b0fa-11ee-82a9-47a37e2a415d.html Save to Pocket
Fisher continues push for ban on flavored tobacco products
date: 2024-01-12, from: Guam Daily Post
Sen. Thomas Fisher is not backing down on efforts to ban flavored tobacco products on Guam, and has introduced updated legislation he says should be heard in early February.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/fisher-continues-push-for-ban-on-flavored-tobacco-products/article_6bb04756-af88-11ee-a5d1-4b94a1221e94.html Save to Pocket
Camacho could face life without parole plus 77 years in Tumon shooting
date: 2024-01-12, from: Guam Daily Post
A man charged in connection to the death of a Korean tourist could face life in prison plus 77 years if convicted of all the charges.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/camacho-could-face-life-without-parole-plus-77-years-in-tumon-shooting/article_0c7046be-b0e7-11ee-80e3-8762db20faf9.html Save to Pocket
Complaint: Victim shot with BB gun by man who owed money
date: 2024-01-12, from: Guam Daily Post
A man allegedly shot his neighbor with a BB gun after the victim went to collect money owed to him.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/complaint-victim-shot-with-bb-gun-by-man-who-owed-money/article_eb540d8e-b0dd-11ee-a65e-c7f965c63eec.html Save to Pocket
Man accused of intent to deal meth said he ‘just found’ drugs, paraphernalia
date: 2024-01-12, from: Guam Daily Post
A man allegedly told police he “just found” a pouch which contained resealable bags of methamphetamine, a glass pipe, a digital scale and syringes.
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/man-accused-of-intent-to-deal-meth-said-he-just-found-drugs-paraphernalia/article_91e382aa-b0da-11ee-91f8-f37fcf79b981.html Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-12, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
If you're thinking about leaving Substack, good for you. Please insist that your new platform lets you post via a feed.
http://scripting.com/2024/01/12.html#a134140 Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-12, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
2022: Substack, interop and the philosophy of blogging.
http://scripting.com/2022/12/30/173742.html?title=substackLockin Save to Pocket
Human Rights Watch Accuses Israel of War Crimes, Criticizes ‘Selective Outrage’ of Allies
date: 2024-01-12, from: VOA News USA
In its annual report published Thursday, Human Rights Watch accused Israel of war crimes and said many governments were expressing “selective outrage” over atrocities committed in the conflict in Gaza. Henry Ridgwell reports
https://www.voanews.com/a/human-rights-watch-accuses-israel-of-war-crimes-criticizes-selective-outrage-of-allies/7437214.html Save to Pocket
The Ferris Bueller Finale With Music From Inception
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/01/the-ferris-bueller-finale-with-music-from-inception Save to Pocket
So, are we going to talk about how GitHub is an absolute boon for malware, or nah?
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Microsoft says it’s doing its best to crack down on crims
The popularity of Github has made it too big to block, which is a boon to dissidents ducking government censors but a problem for internet security.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/github_malware_popularity/ Save to Pocket
California Is Boosting Doula Pay. Will It Bring More Support For Families?
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The LAist
New parents and pregnant Californians can now request the support of a doula through Medi-Cal, but for the program to succeed, the state needs to attract more birthworkers to the program.
https://laist.com/news/education/early-childhood-education-pre-k/california-medi-cal-medicaid-doula-pay-increase-pregnancy-2024 Save to Pocket
What The Displacement Of Storied Restaurant Suehiro Means For Little Tokyo
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The LAist
The move of Suehiro Cafe to Downtown LA is yet another example of local businesses leaving the neighborhood, nibbling away at its cultural identity
https://laist.com/news/food/suehiro-what-the-displacement-of-a-storied-restaurant-means-for-little-tokyo Save to Pocket
What The Displacement Of A Storied Restaurant Means For Little Tokyo
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The LAist
The move of Suehiro Cafe to Downtown LA is yet another example of local businesses leaving the neighborhood, nibbling away at its cultural identity
https://laist.com/news/what-the-displacement-of-a-storied-restaurant-means-for-little-tokyo Save to Pocket
Iconic Pea Soup Andersen’s Has Closed. Here Are Your Memories
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-13, from: The LAist
We share memories from staff and others about visiting Pea Soup Andersen’s in Buellton, which closed this week.
https://laist.com/news/food/iconic-pea-soup-andersens-has-closed-here-are-your-memories Save to Pocket
I Ate 100 Iconic LA Sandwiches In 2023. Here’s What I Learned
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The LAist
From tortas to tuna melts, all sandwiches tell a unique story as they celebrate Los Angeles’ diverse tapestry of flavors with each bite.
https://laist.com/news/food/i-ate-100-iconic-la-sandwiches-in-2023-heres-what-i-learned Save to Pocket
‘Squeezed From All Sides’: Why 2023 Shuttered So Many LA Eateries
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The LAist
Food and labor costs, pandemic pressures, and strike impacts slashed revenue for L.A. restaurants last year. Many of them closed shop.
https://laist.com/news/food/squeezed-from-all-sides-why-2023-shuttered-so-many-la-eateries Save to Pocket
Sign Up for a Simple Burner Phone Number
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Markup blog
Give a Google Voice number whenever you sign up for a store’s loyalty program—or go on a first date
https://themarkup.org/gentle-january/2024/01/12/sign-up-for-a-simple-burner-phone-number Save to Pocket
Tesla’s New Supply Chain Woes
date: 2024-01-12, from: Heatmap News
Current conditions: An “Arctic outbreak” will bring bitter cold to much of the U.S. this weekend • 109 weather stations in China have broken mid-January heat records • Nearly a quarter of humanity now lives in drought conditions.
THE TOP FIVE
- Red Sea tensions hit Tesla Berlin factory
Tesla will suspend operations at its Berlin gigafactory for two weeks – from January 29 through February 11 – due to supply chain problems caused by the escalating tensions in the Red Sea, Reuters reported. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who support Hamas in its conflict with Israel have been attacking vessels in the region, disrupting trade in one of the world’s busiest shipping routes. “Tesla is the first company to disclose a resulting interruption to output,” Reuters noted. Other companies, including Ikea and China’s Geely, have hinted at possible delivery delays. On Thursday a U.S.-led coalition launched strikes against the militants in Yemen. President Biden said he “will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”
- Hertz suggests its EV rentals are in more accidents than gas
guzzlers
Car-rental company Hertz is making a “dramatic about-face” on electric vehicles, reports Bloomberg Green. The firm will sell off 20,000 EVs – about a third of its EV fleet – and use the money to buy gas-powered cars. One analyst suggested the sell-off could boost Hertz’s cashflow by up to $300 million over the next year or so. The company has given several reasons for the move:
- Lack of demand from customers
- Unexpected loss in resale value due to Tesla’s steep price cuts (most of the vehicles in Hertz’s EV fleet are Teslas)
- Increased collisions and higher repair costs
Why more accidents? Perhaps customers who rent EVs don’t understand how the driving experience differs from that of a gasoline vehicle, posited Stephen Scherr, Hertz’s chief executive. EVs are much heavier, after all, and they accelerate more quickly. While some schools are starting to incorporate EVs into their driver’s ed courses, a small learning curve still exists for most Americans, and a road trip probably isn’t the best time to confront it.
Hertz says it isn’t abandoning EVs entirely, but wants to let the market develop. The upshot for anyone looking to buy a cheap EV is that “now would be a really good time to pop over to Hertz’s sales page and start browsing,” wrote Andrew J. Hawkins at The Verge. Tesla Model 3s are going for as little as $20,000.
- California budget cuts hit state climate programs
State funding for California’s climate goals could be cut by 11% – down to $48.3 billion from $54 billion – in the year to come, the Los Angeles Times reported. “Climate crusader” Governor Gavin Newsom needs to close a $37.9-billion budget deficit and is eyeing climate programs. The initiatives on the chopping block include clean transportation, forest maintenance, watershed resilience, and coastal protection. The state’s Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program would be trimmed by $40.1 million, and wildfire reduction programs could see $100.7 million in cuts. Environmentalists lamented the news; Newsom’s office insisted the state’s climate goals were still a priority, noting that more than $10 billion in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act will help soften the blow.
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- Natural gas investments on the rise
Global investment in natural gas infrastructure is growing even as green energy pledges mount and renewable technologies gain momentum, reported Gavin Maguire at Reuters, citing data from Global Energy Monitor (GEM). Natural gas is a fossil fuel energy source, albeit one the International Energy Agency says emits less carbon than other sources. Many see it as a “bridge fuel” in the clean energy transition. More than $720 billion is slated to go toward building natural gas pipelines worldwide, and another $190 billion will fund import facilities, according to GEM. “Once completed, the pipelines and LNG import terminals will extend the use of natural gas for years to come, and guarantee that fossil fuels will retain a critical role in key power systems well beyond 2030,” Maguire said.
- The case for naming heatwaves
A report from Australian nonprofit Renew suggests countries take a lesson from the Spanish city of Seville, which began naming heatwaves in 2022 to create a “heat culture” in which the public is more aware of and prepared for looming dangerous temperatures. “Naming heatwaves is about letting people know that this is a serious issue,” said Rob McLeod, a policy manager at Renew and author of the report. His recommendation is targeted mainly at Australia, but could be applied to many other regions where climate change is making extreme heatwaves more common.
THE KICKER
“Now that Stanley has helped show that relatively ecofriendly products can become wildly popular, the next milestone in nondisposable drinkware should be to prove that a mass consumer trend doesn’t inevitably lead to waste and excessive consumption.” –Elana Klein at Wired, The Big Problem With the Giant Stanley Cup
https://heatmap.news/electric-vehicles/red-sea-tesla-hertz-ev Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-12, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Zyns are filled with nicotine and are meant to be placed under your lip like tobacco dip. No spitting is required, so nicotine pouches are even less visible than vaping.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/12/opinion/children-nicotine-zyn-social-media.html?smid=tw-share Save to Pocket
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-01-12, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
I rode in a Hyundai Ioniq 5 with wheels that go sideways.
https://www.theverge.com/24035050/hyundai-mobis-e-corner-system-ioniq-5-crab-drive-360 Save to Pocket
How far will an additional $40 a month go?
date: 2024-01-12, from: Marketplace Morning Report
A new Summer EBT program that provides an extra $40 per month per kid per month will feed millions of children over summer vacation. But with grocery prices high and still rising, that money can only go so far. Also on the show: The shockwaves of war in the Middle East expand, and the economy remains on the minds of Taiwanese voters.
https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/how-far-will-an-additional-40-a-month-go Save to Pocket
Michael Molacek | More Distortions and Half-Truths
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Signal
Re: Response to Gary Horton column, Jan 3, “Are We Who We Think We Are?” Never ceases to amaze, the distortions and half truths. Almost immediately after rambling on about a painting, which is called “Am I Who I think I Am,” then his Donald Trump derangement syndrome starts: “Again, we find ourselves with a […]
The post Michael Molacek | More Distortions and Half-Truths appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/michael-molacek-more-distortions-and-half-truths/ Save to Pocket
P&B: Rachel Smith
date: 2024-01-12, from: Manu - I write blog
This is the 20th edition of People and Blogs, the series where I ask interesting people to talk about themselves and their blogs. Today we have Rachel Smith and her blog, rachsmith.com
Rachel is an Australian developer, working at CodePen and she’s been suggested by three of the previous guests so I had to get her on P&B.
To follow this series subscribe to the newsletter. A new interview will land in your inbox every Friday. Not a fan of newsletters? No problem! You can read the interviews here on the blog or you can subscribe to the RSS feed.
Let's start from the basics: can you introduce yourself?
I’m Rach, a 37 year old from Australia. I’m a mum to two little ones and I work as a developer at CodePen.
I always loved computers as a kid and the internet as a teen, but I struggled to find a place for me until I discovered front-end development as a profession in 2011.
I spent the first half of my career working in digital advertising, allowing me to live abroad working for agencies in the UK and USA, and the second half working on a single product (CodePen). Working for CodePen has allowed me to expand my skills far beyond the front end, and now I do a bit of everything.
What's the story behind your blog?
This is actually somewhere around the seventh attempt at keeping a blog. I had two LiveJournals and a Blogspot as a teen. Since I started my career as a developer I’ve had maybe three different self-hosted blogs, that I tore down and started again, as well as a now-defunct CodePen blog that had code-tutorial style posts. This iteration is the one that has stuck the longest.
What does your creative process look like when it comes to blogging?
Something that has been really helpful with my blog was actually to stop thinking about it in terms of a “blog”, and more of a “digital garden”. I can default to perfectionistic thinking if I’m not careful, and I used to treat blog posts like a finished piece that needed to be polished until it was just right before publishing. By changing my “blog posts” to “notes”, it changes the way I think about writing them and gets me to publish far more often.
I do all of my writing in an Obsidian vault. It keeps my personal notes as well as the published ones. When I want to publish a note I run a script that copies the note content to the directory holding my website’s content.
Do you have an ideal creative environment? Also do you believe the physical space influences your creativity?
Before having kids, I could be quite precious about needing a specific environment to get any work done. Now, it is certainly nice to be able to write in a peaceful setting, but I’m also able to do it from anywhere - on the phone in my car, at the kitchen bench with Paw Patrol playing in the background.
One thing I will say is by far the biggest environmental factor that influences my creativity is how much I am on my phone. If I’m on my phone consuming all the time, there is no space for having thoughts about what to write. If I put the phone away, the ideas arrive.
A question for the techie readers: can you run us through your tech stack?
I write all my posts in Markdown and use Astro to publish them on the web. All the content is kept in a GitHub repository with the site’s code. The site is hosted for free with Netlify.
Given your experience, if you were to start a blog today, would you do anything differently?
If I were to do it all again, I think I would make an effort to save more of the old posts I had on previous versions of this blog. I’m like the opposite of a hoarder - I think nothing of tossing things away as I love the idea of a fresh start. But sometimes I think it would be nice to go back and read what I wrote 10 years ago.
Financial question since the web is obsessed with money: how much does it cost to run your blog? Is it just a cost or does it generate some revenue? And what's your position on people monetising personal blogs?
All I have to pay for in the running of my blog is the analytics (Plausible) and the domain registration.
I’ve had a couple of ad networks offer to place ads on my blog but I’ve always turned them down. My audience is quite small, but very engaged and loyal. Annoying my regular readers wouldn’t be worth the small amount income I’d make from an attempt at monetisation.
Time for some recommendations: any blog you think is worth checking out? And also, who do you think I should be interviewing next?
I love reading blogs via RSS and am subscribed to about 30 personal blog feeds, including many of the people you’ve featured in this series already, so it is hard to choose favourites. I intend to add a blogroll to my site soon.
Speaking of blogrolls, I would suggest you interview Stefan Judis. His website is goals.
Final question: is there anything you want to share with us?
If you desire to write on your own blog but something is holding you back I would say: don’t make assumptions about what people will or won’t find interesting or useful. Every time I think I’m sharing something “too niche” I am surprised at the interest from readers.
This was the 20th edition of People and Blogs. Hope you enjoyed this interview with Rachel. Make sure to follow her blog (RSS) and get in touch with her if you have any questions.
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https://manuelmoreale.com/@/page/SWnJphyBFS3ysULy Save to Pocket
Tesla puts the brakes on German production over Red Sea attacks
date: 2024-01-12, from: Marketplace Morning Report
From the BBC World Service: Tesla is suspending manufacturing at its only European electric car factory as attacks in the Red Sea disrupt supplies. The company said longer delivery times created a gap in its supply chains as shipping companies avoid the route. And as Taiwan prepares to go the polls, its tense relationship with Beijing dominates campaigns — yet for many residents, the economy is among the biggest issues.
https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-morning-report/tesla-puts-the-brakes-on-german-production-over-red-sea-attacks Save to Pocket
It’s uncertain where personal technology is heading, but judging from CES, it smells
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-13, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Our vulture spent a week in Las Vegas – here are his key takeaways
Column Every January in Las Vegas a few hundred thousand folks gather to learn about the latest innovations from an ever-broadening range of gadget makers, appliance manufacturers, automobile companies – and, these days, an ever-growing number of “wellness” purveyors.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/ces_analysis/ Save to Pocket
On IoT Devices and Software Liability
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-05, from: Bruce Schneier blog
New law journal article:
Smart Device Manufacturer Liability and Redress for Third-Party Cyberattack Victims
Abstract: Smart devices are used to facilitate cyberattacks against both their users and third parties. While users are generally able to seek redress following a cyberattack via data protection legislation, there is no equivalent pathway available to third-party victims who suffer harm at the hands of a cyberattacker. Given how these cyberattacks are usually conducted by exploiting a publicly known and yet un-remediated bug in the smart device’s code, this lacuna is unreasonable. This paper scrutinises recent judgments from both the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and the Supreme Court of the Republic of Ireland to ascertain whether these rulings pave the way for third-party victims to pursue negligence claims against the manufacturers of smart devices. From this analysis, a narrow pathway, which outlines how given a limited set of circumstances, a duty of care can be established between the third-party victim and the manufacturer of the smart device is proposed…
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2024/01/on-iot-devices-and-software-liability.html Save to Pocket
TRAVESTY
date: 2024-01-12, from: Howard Jacobson blog
Guilty about the Holocaust? Here’s how not to be -
https://jacobsonh.substack.com/p/travesty Save to Pocket
The Corporations Weaponizing Trust To Obstruct Climate Action
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Lever News
Edelman, the world’s largest PR firm, used its authoritative research on consumer trust to help fossil fuel companies fight climate action.
https://www.levernews.com/the-corporations-weaponizing-trust-to-obstruct-climate-action/ Save to Pocket
How Fossil Fuels Found Their Influencers
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Lever News
Edelman, the world’s largest PR firm, used its authoritative research on consumer trust to help fossil fuel companies fight climate action.
https://www.levernews.com/how-fossil-fuels-found-their-influencers/ Save to Pocket
Data regulator fines HelloFresh £140K for sending 80M+ spams
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Messaging menace used text and email to bombard people
Food delivery company HelloFresh is nursing a £140,000 ($178k) fine by Britain’s data privacy watchdog after a probe found it had dispatched upwards of a staggering 79 million spam email and one million texts in just seven months.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/data_regulator_fines_hellofresh_140k/ Save to Pocket
‘It’s Really Terrifyingly Good Satire’: A New Mexico Passive Home Builder on Showtime’s ‘The Curse’
date: 2024-01-12, from: Heatmap News
Edie Dillman lives in the first certified passive house in New Mexico. She and her architect husband, Jonah Stanford, are founders of a company called B.Public Prefab that builds and supplies prefabricated panels for highly energy efficient homes.
So when The Curse began to air on Showtime this past fall, following an aspiring HGTV host couple Asher and Whitney Siegel, played by Canadian awkwardness spelunker and conceptual comic Nathan Fielder alongside America’s sweetheart Emma Stone, who are trying to get their show, “Flipanthropy” — during which they build and sell passive homes in Española, a town half an hour north of Santa Fe — picked up by the network, Dillman and her husband found out about it.
“I was aware the second it launched,” Dillman told me. “There’s some very obvious correlations of a husband and wife team doing passive homes in northern New Mexico, for sure. So people started texting saying, ‘are you watching this? This is horribly painful.’ They were right.”
The show plumbs new depths of discomfort for Fielder, who before this was best known for his conceptual reality shows Nathan For You and The Rehearsal. The Curse opens with a producer dabbing the eyes of an elderly woman dying of cancer with water and even blowing menthol on them to get her to cry when the Siegels offer her son a job at the upscale coffee shop they’ve brought into town. And it only gets more uncomfortable from there: Asher takes a $100 bill away from a young girl after giving it to her on camera and spills a Powerade on a former coworker in order to steal from his computer; the poor little girl’s father, meanwhile, goes through what might be the most uncomfortable chiropractor appointment of all time (some viewers thought he had died), courtesy of Whitney.
Dillman seemed good-natured about the whole thing, even acknowledging that “any press is good press” and that the show was probably the most media attention the passive house community has ever gotten.
She was also refreshingly forthright about her own position — literally.
“I think it’s fair to tell you, as a journalist writing about this, I’m
sitting in my own home that is a certified passive house and has the
plaque that is almost identical to the plaque they have in the show, so
it’s a little too close to home,” she said. “Be kind in your
reporting.”
The Curse is not a broadside against the passive house movement, which began in Germany in the 1980s and is based on using advanced building techniques — namely lots of insulation and thick windows that eliminate “thermal bridging,” where big differences in temperature create air flows that lead to inefficient air loss — to minimize the amount of energy needed to heat and cool a home. The target of the show is more the narcissism of do-gooders, how publicly virtuous behavior can mask and enable private avarice (the couple at the center of the show have an ultimate plan to goose the value of property they own in the town; Stone’s character is also the daughter of notorious Santa Fe slum lords) and how reality TV warps everything it touches.
But the vehicle The Curse chooses for its narcissistic, selfish, and emotionally damaged protagonists is nevertheless an oddly specific one. Not only have Whitney and Asher explicitly ripped off the design of their passive homes from artist Doug Aitken, whose designs famously feature mirrored exteriors, there’s even a German character clearly based on Passive House founder Wolfgang Feist who is brought in to explain the principles of passive homes.
The show does correctly identify some of the precise anxieties of the passive house movement. Any number of FAQs and guides to passive houses address the exact issues that come up in The Curse, such as whether you can open windows and doors or how homes are cooled in hot weather.
One buyer on the show tosses out an induction stove because he wants to be able to stir-fry, while in perhaps the series’s cringiest scene, another prospective buyer couple pulls out of a deal in part because of how long it takes for their prospective home to cool when a door is opened. The male half of the couple is already sweating when he enters the house and almost immediately asks for a glass of water. While trying to air himself out, he asks if there’s enough wattage for some air conditioning units.
“The answer to that is you don’t need one,” Whitney says, explaining that because the home “functions like a thermos,” it will never go below 65 degrees Fahrenheit or above 78.
“But 78 is sweltering,” the man says, before Whitney and Asher explain that because they had opened the door, it will take five to seven hours for the temperature to adjust.
The scene, Dillman said, “was a really funny exaggeration, and what’s painful is we often use the thermos analogy.”
But, she told me in a follow-up email, “I just want to say that opening doors and windows does not create hours of discomfort. My teenagers were horrified by that scene, as they have lived in a passive house for 12 years and have never experienced anything like that.”
Dillman noted that passive homes can have air conditioning and gas ranges, although for maximum carbon reduction and air quality, electrified cooking is best. The way the show depicts perfectionism, meanwhile, is “rightly satirized,” she said. Still, the idea of “a perfect home that you can’t open windows and doors,” was “really damaging and inaccurate — funny, but inaccurate.”
Dillman said few of the projects her company works on actually clear the passive house certification bar. “People are interested in the benefits, but not necessarily the gold star,” she told me.
Those benefits and how they’re achieved are explained at great length in The Curse — to the point that the third main character, an unctuous reality TV producer Dougie played by Benny Safdie, just about loses it. “This shit sucks, alright,” he says. “And it’s boring — really boring. I’m watching a guy talk about air for four minutes.”
But The Curse also milks drama from some of the thornier facets of the passive house movement, especially where it intersects with politics. When the couple drops out of buying the sweltering home, Asher calls another prospective buyer, who rolls up in a pickup truck sporting a pro-cop Blue Lives Matter decal. He loves the home — other “eco” homes he’s looked at “don’t even consider” thermal bridging, and he “love[s] that they’re basically off the grid.”
Instead of accepting that sustainable building practices can be appealing to people besides liberal do-gooders, Whitney — whose own goals of getting “Flipanthropy” picked up by HGTV, increasing the value of the real estate she and her husband own, and, most importantly, getting people to like and respect her are only glancingly associated with sustainability per se — goes near-catatonic with Asher.
“I actually loved that,” Dillman said. While she acknowledged that the stereotypical buyer of a passive home is a “white, liberal, do-gooder sustainability nut,” she also recognized that the energy independence a passive house offers might just as obviously appeal across the political spectrum. “It’s where the right and left somewhat come together and really agree,” Dillman told me.
While some of the downsides of passive home construction depicted on The Curse were “super inaccurate,” Dillman said, “I think seeing the humor in it and the morality is important.”
“I mean,” she added, “it’s really terrifyingly good satire.”
Read more about climate-related home design:
The
Deadly Mystery of Indoor Heat
How to
Prepare Your House for a Hotter Future
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SNES controller for giants
date: 2024-01-12, from: Raspberry Pi News (.com)
SNES XL is a gigantic Super Nintendo controller with functioning buttons and a Raspberry Pi hidden inside so you can play retro games and pretend you’re a borrower at the same time.
The post SNES controller for giants appeared first on Raspberry Pi.
https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/snes-controller-for-giants/ Save to Pocket
All the world’s a garden centre
date: 2024-01-12, from: Status-Q blog
All the world’s a garden centre And all the men and women merely customers.They have their checkouts and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts,His visits being seven ages. First, the Continue Reading
https://statusq.org/archives/2024/01/12/11916/ Save to Pocket
US, Britain Blast Houthi Targets in Yemen, Killing at Least 5 Fighters
date: 2024-01-12, from: VOA News USA
the pentagon — The United States, Britain and a handful of other allies answered dozens of Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with a series of powerful airstrikes designed to severely degrade the Iranian-backed group’s capabilities.
U.S. Central Command late Thursday said the series of strikes hit more than 60 targets at 16 locations in Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen, including command and control nodes, munitions depots, launching systems, and production facilities.
“We hit them pretty hard, pretty good,” a U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of the operation, told VOA, adding the strikes also targeted Houthi radar installations and air defense systems which did not fire back.
A spokesperson for the Houthi rebel group said the strikes killed at least five fighters and wounded six others, without specifying the targets that were hit.
The U.S. and British strikes, carried out with the help of Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Bahrain, were launched from fighter jets, surface vessels and submarines, the defense official said.
The U.S. alone, dropped more than 100 precision guided munitions on the Houthi installations, officials said, with the naval vessels and submarines firing Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles to take out the intended targets.
The official also said the targets were chosen both because of their threat to shipping and the lack of a civilian presence.
In a statement from the White House late Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden called the strikes a “direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks” on international shipping, saying they were necessary after attempts at diplomacy were ignored.
“These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes,” Biden said. “I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak likewise condemned the Houthi attacks as destabilizing, confirming the participation of British fighter jets in Thursday’s strikes.
“Their reckless actions are risking lives at sea and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Yemen,” Sunak said in a statement. “This cannot stand.”
It is the first time Houthi targets inside Yemen have been struck since the militants began attacking ships in the Red Sea following Hamas’ assault on Israel on October 7.
U.S. officials late Thursday were still studying the impact of the strikes against the Houthis, but an initial assessment suggested the damage to Houthi capabilities is “significant.”
“We were going after very specific capability in very specific locations with precision munitions,” said a senior U.S. military official, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss the operation.
“This was a significant action,” added a senior U.S. administration official. “[We have] every expectation that it will degrade in a significant way, the Houthis, a capability to launch exactly the sorts of attacks that they have conducted over the period of recent weeks.”
There have been 27 attacks launched from Houthi-held areas of Yemen since mid-November, impacting citizens, cargo and vessels from more than 50 countries, according to the U.S.
U.S. officials said in one instance last month, U.S. defensive action prevented a Houthi attack from hitting and likely sinking a commercial ship full of jet fuel.
The most recent Houthi attack, involving the launch of an anti-ship ballistic missile, took place earlier Thursday. The missile landed in the Gulf of Aden near a commercial vessel, causing no injuries or damage.
On Tuesday, U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East and South Asia, said the Houthis launched a complex attack using 18 one-way attack drones, two cruise missiles and one ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward Red Sea shipping lanes where dozens of merchant vessels were transiting.
U.S. combat jets, along with U.S. and British military vessels, responded by shooting down the drones and missiles, averting any damage to ships or injuries to their crews in the area.
The senior U.S. administration official said it was Tuesday’s massive attack by the Houthis that prompted Biden to order Thursday strikes.
Before the U.S. and British-led strikes late Thursday, multiple U.S. officials warned both the Houthis and Iran against what they described as reckless and illegal behavior.
“There will be consequences,” Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder said Thursday in response to a question from VOA.
“The Houthis are funded, trained, equipped by Iran to a large degree. And, so, we know that Iran has a role to play in terms of helping to cease this reckless, dangerous and illegal activity,” he said.
Last week, the United States and 12 allies issued a statement warning the Houthis of unspecified consequences if their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea continued.
“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 included Britain, Australia, Canada, Germany and Japan.
The statement followed the launch in mid-December of Operation Prosperity Guardian by the United States, Britain and nearly 20 other countries to protect ships from Houthi attacks.
Since the launch of Prosperity Guardian, at least 1,500 vessels have passed safely through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
The commander of U.S. Navy operations in the Middle East last week called it “the largest surface and air presence in the southern Red Sea in years.”
The U.N. Security Council issued its own resolution Wednesday, calling on the Houthis to stop the attacks immediately.
There are questions, however, as to whether the statements, backed now by the U.S. and British strikes against the Houthis, will do anything to deter Tehran.
“Iran has the luxury of really fighting a, what I would call, a hidden-hand operation with very few Iranians on the ground,” the former commander of U.S. Central Command, retired General Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie, told a webinar on Wednesday.
“They’re choking world shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb [Strait] at a very low, very low price for Iran,” he said.
But McKenzie argued that even if Iran continues to encourage the Houthis, the risk of a wider regional escalation is slim.
“I do not believe the escalation ladder leads out of Yemen. I believe it stays in Yemen,” he said. “And I believe Iran will leave their partners down there, their proxies down there, to their fate.”
U.S. officials said while they were bracing for the Houthis to try to mount some sort of response to the strikes, a slew of initial claims of attacks late Thursday appeared to be nothing more than disinformation.
This is not the first time the U.S. military has targeted Houthi launch sites in Yemen in response to militant attacks against vessels in nearby waters. In October 2016, the American destroyer USS Nitze launched Tomahawk cruise missiles at three radar sites along Yemen’s Red Sea coast in order to degrade the Houthi’s ability to track and target ships.
Ostap Yarysh with VOA’s Ukrainian Service contributed to this report.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-britain-blast-houthi-targets-in-yemen-killing-at-least-5-fighters-/7437034.html Save to Pocket
Professionals discuss impacts of climate change to Hawaii at briefing
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Several professionals gathered at the state capitol Thursday for an informational briefing to alert people to the immediacy and magnitude of the threat that climate change poses to Hawaii.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/hawaii-news/professionals-discuss-impacts-of-climate-change-to-hawaii-at-briefing/ Save to Pocket
Roth to run for reelection: Mayor cites successes, challenges of first term while gearing up to fight for a second
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Mitch Roth will seek a second term as mayor.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/hawaii-news/roth-to-run-for-reelection-mayor-cites-successes-challenges-of-first-term-while-gearing-up-to-fight-for-a-second/ Save to Pocket
Police: Fentanyl arrests, seizures in December
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>As part of its continuing community outreach about the dangers of fentanyl, the Hawaii Police Department provides monthly updates about the number of fentanyl-related arrests, whether possession or distribution, in Hawaii County and the quantity of fentanyl recovered for the preceding month.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/hawaii-news/police-fentanyl-arrests-seizures-in-december/ Save to Pocket
Hilo woman agrees to plea deal in stabbing
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>A 32-year-old Hilo woman accused of stabbing her 79-year-old former father-in-law during a custody dispute more than 16 months ago has changed her plea in the case.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/hawaii-news/hilo-woman-agrees-to-plea-deal-in-stabbing/ Save to Pocket
Council passes bill targeting flavored tobacco products
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Victory is sweet for health advocates after the Hawaii County Council passed a pending ban on flavored tobacco products, but the battle will continue at the state capitol.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/hawaii-news/council-passes-bill-targeting-flavored-tobacco-products/ Save to Pocket
Battle for Abigail Kawananakoa’s estate comes to an end
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>HONOLULU — In life, Abigail Kawananakoa embodied the complexities of Hawaii: Many considered her a princess — a descendant of the royal family that once ruled the islands.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/nation-world-news/battle-for-abigail-kawananakoas-estate-comes-to-an-end/ Save to Pocket
A cluster of lost cities in Ecuadorian Amazon that lasted 1,000 years has been mapped
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>WASHINGTON — Archeologists have uncovered a cluster of lost cities in the Amazon rainforest that was home to at least 10,000 farmers around 2,000 years ago.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/nation-world-news/a-cluster-of-lost-cities-in-ecuadorian-amazon-that-lasted-1000-years-has-been-mapped/ Save to Pocket
BIIF soccer: Warriors sweep Dragons, KSH edges HPA
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p><strong>KSH 2 - HPA 1</strong></p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/sports/biif-soccer-warriors-sweep-dragons-ksh-edges-hpa/ Save to Pocket
US set to push Zelenskyy at Davos for clearer war plan
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>The U.S. wants Ukraine to sharpen its plan for fighting Russia’s invasion as the war heads into its third year and is expected to raise the issue with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Davos next week.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/nation-world-news/us-set-to-push-zelenskyy-at-davos-for-clearer-war-plan/ Save to Pocket
Astrobotic successfully powers on all payloads on damaged Peregrine lander
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p> Astrobotic’s damaged Peregrine lander managed to send data back from all nine of its interfacing payloads over the three days it’s been hurtling through space, the company said Thursday.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/nation-world-news/astrobotic-successfully-powers-on-all-payloads-on-damaged-peregrine-lander/ Save to Pocket
Tua Tagovailoa: ‘Very, very, very, very grateful to have been able play under Nick Saban’
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Thirty-four of the 72 former Alabama players who appeared during the NFL’s 2023 regular season are on the 14 playoff teams. All were coached by Nick Saban while with the Crimson Tide.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/sports/tua-tagovailoa-very-very-very-very-grateful-to-have-been-able-play-under-nick-saban/ Save to Pocket
NCAA takes step toward determining if new tier of Division I where athletes can be paid is possible
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>PHOENIX — The NCAA on Thursday took the first step toward determining whether President Charlie Baker’s idea to create a new subdivision in which schools directly pay athletes can become a reality. </p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/sports/ncaa-takes-step-toward-determining-if-new-tier-of-division-i-where-athletes-can-be-paid-is-possible/ Save to Pocket
BIIF hoops: Konawaena defeats Waiakea, Kohala triumphs over Honoka‘a
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p><strong>KONAWAENA 61 - WAIAKEA 52</strong></p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/sports/biif-hoops-konawaena-defeats-waiakea-kohala-triumphs-over-honokaa/ Save to Pocket
South Africa tells top UN court Israel is committing genocide in Gaza as landmark case begins
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>THE HAGUE, Netherlands — In a case that strikes at the heart of Israel’s national identity, South Africa formally accused the country of committing genocide against Palestinians and pleaded Thursday with the United Nations’ top court to order an immediate halt to Israeli military operations in Gaza.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/nation-world-news/south-africa-tells-top-un-court-israel-is-committing-genocide-in-gaza-as-landmark-case-begins/ Save to Pocket
US, British militaries launch massive retaliatory strike against Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>WASHINGTON — The U.S. and British militaries bombed more than a dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen on Thursday, in a massive retaliatory strike using warship and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets, U.S. officials said. The military targets included logistical hubs, air defense systems and weapons storage and launching locations, they said.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/nation-world-news/us-british-militaries-launch-massive-retaliatory-strike-against-iranian-backed-houthis-in-yemen/ Save to Pocket
US investigating if Boeing made sure a part that blew off a jet was made to design standards
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating whether Boeing failed to make sure a panel that blew off a jetliner in midflight last week was safe and manufactured to meet the design that regulators approved.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/nation-world-news/us-investigating-if-boeing-made-sure-a-part-that-blew-off-a-jet-was-made-to-design-standards/ Save to Pocket
Patriots’ ‘partnership’ with Bill Belichick comes to an end after 24 seasons, 6 Super Bowl titles
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Bill Belichick had a vision of building the kind of sustained championship football team that had rarely been seen before in the NFL when he was hired by the New England Patriots. </p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/sports/patriots-partnership-with-bill-belichick-comes-to-an-end-after-24-seasons-6-super-bowl-titles/ Save to Pocket
In his 1st interview, friend who warned officials of Maine shooter says ‘I literally spelled it out’
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>LEWISTON, Maine — Sean Hodgson watched and worried as his best friend of nearly two decades unraveled. His former roommate and fellow U.S. Army reservist’s anger and paranoia were mounting, he had access to guns, and he refused to get help. So Hodgson did the hardest thing of his life: He sent a text about Robert Card to their Army supervisor.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/nation-world-news/in-his-1st-interview-friend-who-warned-officials-of-maine-shooter-says-i-literally-spelled-it-out/ Save to Pocket
Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to federal tax charges after an earlier deal imploded
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>LOS ANGELES — President Joe Biden’s son pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal tax charges filed after the collapse of a plea deal that could have spared him the spectacle of a criminal trial during the 2024 campaign.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/nation-world-news/hunter-biden-pleads-not-guilty-to-federal-tax-charges-after-an-earlier-deal-imploded/ Save to Pocket
there’s no ‘mission accomplished’ in Florida
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>The last two legislative sessions in Florida have been frenetic. If there was a cultural grievance Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed as he vied to become president, lawmakers were ready to cement it into law.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/opinion/theres-no-mission-accomplished-in-florida/ Save to Pocket
Your Views for January 12
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Response to letter
about immigration</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/opinion/your-views-for-january-12-8/ Save to Pocket
Trump’s attempt to intimidate a federal appeals court could ensure his defeat
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>During arguments Tuesday, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit expressed appropriate skepticism about Donald Trump’s claim of immunity from charges that he attempted to overturn the 2020 election. But what happened afterward may have been even worse for Trump than the hearing itself: The former president refused to rule out violence if the appeals court’s decision goes against him, as he appears to think it will.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/opinion/trumps-attempt-to-intimidate-a-federal-appeals-court-could-ensure-his-defeat/ Save to Pocket
Kim relishes his debut at the Sony Open
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>It took Chan Kim a decade longer than he had hoped, but today he is exactly where he dreamed golf would take him someday. The fact that it is just a couple of miles from where he grew up is a bonus.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/sports/kim-relishes-his-debut-at-the-sony-open/ Save to Pocket
Donald Trump defies judge, gives courtroom speech on tense final day of New York civil fraud trial
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>NEW YORK —</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/nation-world-news/donald-trump-defies-judge-gives-courtroom-speech-on-tense-final-day-of-new-york-civil-fraud-trial/ Save to Pocket
Pentagon inspector general will probe Austin hospitalization
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>The Pentagon’s internal watchdog announced it will probe the circumstances around Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization, after he suffered complications from prostate surgery but didn’t tell the White House for days.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/nation-world-news/pentagon-inspector-general-will-probe-austin-hospitalization/ Save to Pocket
Illegal tunnel under New York City synagogue destabilized nearby buildings, officials say
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>NEW YORK (AP) — The illegal tunnel discovered under a historic Brooklyn synagogue compromised the stability of several structures surrounding the religious complex, prompting an order to vacate as well as citations against its owners, city officials said.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/nation-world-news/illegal-tunnel-under-new-york-city-synagogue-destabilized-nearby-buildings-officials-say/ Save to Pocket
Obituaries for January 12
date: 2024-01-12, from: Hawaii Tribune Harold
<p>Helen Hart Aganus, 89, of Papaaloa died Dec. 14 at North Hawaii Community Hospital. Born in Paauilo, she was a retired secretary for Hamakua Medical Center and member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Visitation 9-10 a.m. Saturday (Jan. 20) at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Honokaa. Funeral Mass at 10 a.m. Burial to follow at Honokaa Catholic Cemetery. Casual attire. Survived by husband, Gary Aganus of Honokaa; daughter, Garolyn Aganus Akiona of Kona; son, Stacy Aganus of Honokaa; sisters-in-law, Caroline Hart and Kazue Hart of Honokaa, Charlene (Michael) Sohriakoff of Kona, Jane Aganus of Waimea; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; nephews and nieces. Arrangements by Dodo Mortuary.</p>
https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/01/12/obituaries/obituaries-for-january-12-11/ Save to Pocket
How the oligarchy shrank America’s middle class (Why American capitalism is so rotten, Part 8)
date: 2024-01-12, from: Robert Reich on Substack
I saw it happen.
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-declining-power-of-the-middle Save to Pocket
Your pacemaker should be running open source software
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Using embedded medical technology, such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, or insulin pump? What’s running inside is a complete mystery
Opinion Software Freedom Conservancy’s (SFC) Executive Director Karen Sandler was last year awarded an honorary doctorate by Belgium’s Katholieke Universiteit Leuven for her work for open source and software freedom.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/column/ Save to Pocket
January 11, 2024
date: 2024-01-12, from: Heather Cox Richardson blog
“Today, at my direction,” President Joe Biden said this evening, “U.S. military forces—together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands—successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways.”
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-11-2024 Save to Pocket
Mission Opera to present ‘Madama Butterfly’ Feb. 23-25
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Signal
News release The nonprofit Mission Opera is scheduled to perform Giacomo Puccini’s classic opera, “Madama Butterfly,” in February at Canyon High School. The timeless tale of unrequited love, set against the backdrop of Nagasaki, Japan, will be sung in the original Italian, with English supertitles projected above the stage, Feb. 23-25 at the Canyon […]
The post Mission Opera to present ‘Madama Butterfly’ Feb. 23-25 appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/mission-opera-to-present-madama-butterfly-feb-23-25/ Save to Pocket
USC researchers look to clean up social media
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Researchers are analyzing harmful online content to inform future moderation.
The post USC researchers look to clean up social media appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/01/12/usc-researchers-look-to-clean-up-social-media/ Save to Pocket
No more RSOs: University pausing acceptances until Fall semester
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Some organizations say USC has not been transparent regarding registration.
The post No more RSOs: University pausing acceptances until Fall semester appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/01/12/no-more-rsos-university-pausing-acceptances-until-fall-semester/ Save to Pocket
While we fire the boss, can you lock him out of the network?
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
And he would have got away with it, too, if it weren’t for this one tiny backdoor
On Call Welcome once more, dear reader, to On Call, The Register’s weekly reader-contributed column detailing the delights and dangers of working in tech support.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/on_call/ Save to Pocket
Classifieds – January 12, 2024
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The Daily Trojan features Classified advertising in each day’s edition. Here you can read, search, and even print out each day’s edition of the Classifieds.
The post Classifieds – January 12, 2024 appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/01/12/classifieds-january-12-2024/ Save to Pocket
China, Russia Trade Soared In 2023 As Commerce with US Sank
date: 2024-01-12, from: VOA News USA
BEIJING — Trade between China and Russia hit a record high in 2023, official data from Beijing showed on Friday, as commerce with the United States fell for the first time in four years on the back of geopolitical tensions.
China-Russia trade reached more than $240 billion, customs figures showed, overshooting a goal of $200 billion set by the neighbors in bilateral meetings last year.
The figure is a record for the two countries, who have grown closer politically and economically since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Beijing has drawn criticism from Western countries for its stance on the Ukraine war, on which China insists it is neutral.
It has refused to criticize Moscow’s invasion.
The trade figures represented a year-on-year increase of 26.3%, according to the data.
In contrast, trade between the U.S. and China fell for the first time since 2019.
Commerce with the United States was valued at $664 billion last year, down 11.6% from 2022.
Wang Lingjun, vice minister of the General Administration of Customs, told a news conference that the country’s trade would face more hurdles in 2024.
“The complexity, severity and uncertainty of the external environment are on the rise, and we need to overcome the difficulties and make more efforts to further promote the growth of foreign trade,” he said.
The figures also showed China’s exports fell 4.6% over the year, the first retreat since 2016, while imports were down 5.5%.
Friday also saw gloomy economic figures on the domestic front, with data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showing deflation in China continued for the third straight month in December.
The consumer price index (CPI) fell 0.3% on-year.
China slipped into deflation in July for the first time since 2021 and following a brief rebound the following month, prices have been in constant decline since September.
Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg expected a drop of 0.4% last month, having sunk 0.5% in November.
While deflation suggests goods were cheaper, it poses a threat to the broader economy as consumers tend to postpone purchases, hoping for further reductions.
A lack of demand can then force companies to cut production, freeze hiring or lay off workers, while potentially also having to discount existing stocks – dampening profitability even as costs remain the same.
By way of comparison, inflation in the United States stood at 3.4% in December.
Inflation in China for the whole of 2023 rose by an average of 0.2%, in contrast to other major economies, which saw prices soar once again.
The NBS also said producer prices sank 2.7%, the 15th consecutive month of declines.
The PPI index, which measures the cost of goods leaving factories and provides an insight into the health of the economy, fell 3% in November.
https://www.voanews.com/a/china-russia-trade-soared-in-2023-as-commerce-with-us-sank-/7437001.html Save to Pocket
emails I received, the collection
date: 2024-01-12, from: Daniel Stenberg Blog
I have since at least 2009 posted occasional emails I received on this blog. Often they are emails from people who found my email address somewhere, thinking I am involved in the product or service where they found me. In cars, games, traces after breaches, apps and more. They range from plain weird to fun … Continue reading emails I received, the collection
https://daniel.haxx.se/blog/2024/01/12/emails-i-received-the-collection/ Save to Pocket
Today in SCV History (Jan. 12)
date: 2024-01-12, from: SCV New (TV Station)
1937 – Boeing 247 crashes at Santa Clara Divide; 5 dead, 8 injured. [story
https://scvnews.com/today-in-scv-history-3/ Save to Pocket
A case for believing
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The practice of using celestial objects for predictions dates back to ancient Mesopotamia.
The post A case for believing appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/01/12/a-case-for-believing/ Save to Pocket
Women’s golf season back in full swing
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The Trojans get early start with sights set on a fourth national championship.
The post Women’s golf season back in full swing appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/01/12/womens-golf-season-back-in-full-swing/ Save to Pocket
A tribute to Pete Carroll’s timeless energy
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The USC great’s Seahawks career may be ending, but his legacy is unforgettable.
The post A tribute to Pete Carroll’s timeless energy appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/01/12/pete-carroll-tribute/ Save to Pocket
TikTok should not be making you buy it
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Social media’s promotion of product overconsumption spells danger for the public.
The post TikTok should not be making you buy it appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/01/12/tiktok-should-not-be-making-you-buy-it/ Save to Pocket
We need to support non-Spanish speaking Latines
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
Dividing Latines based on their Spanish-speaking ability is counterproductive.
The post We need to support non-Spanish speaking Latines appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/01/12/we-need-to-support-non-spanish-speaking-latines/ Save to Pocket
Senior A&E staff on the Emmys
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Daily Trojan (USC Student Paper)
The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony will be held Monday at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
The post Senior A&E staff on the Emmys appeared first on Daily Trojan.
https://dailytrojan.com/2024/01/12/senior-ae-staff-on-the-emmys/ Save to Pocket
Drivers: We’ll take that plain dumb car over a flashy data-spilling internet one, thanks
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Now that’s a smart move
CES Despite all the buzz around internet-connected smart cars at this year’s CES in Las Vegas, most folks don’t want vehicle manufacturers sharing their personal data with third parties – and even say they’d consider buying an older or dumber car to protect their privacy and security.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/smart_cars_data_privacy/ Save to Pocket
San Marcos Girls’ Basketball Pulls Away in Second Half for 49-36 Victory Over Rival Santa Barbara
date: 2024-01-12, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Natasha Bender knocked down five three-pointers in the first half.
The post San Marcos Girls’ Basketball Pulls Away in Second Half for 49-36 Victory Over Rival Santa Barbara appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/01/11/san-marcos-girls-basketball-pulls-away-in-second-half-for-49-36-victory-over-rival-santa-barbara/ Save to Pocket
Webcurios 12/01/24
date: 2024-01-12, from: Web Curios blog
Reading Time: 32 minutes NEW YEAR, NEW CURIOS! Or, more accurately, EXACTLY THE SAME TIRED OLD FORMAT YOU KNOW AND ARE LARGELY INDIFFERENT TO! Yes, while other newsletters may start the year with grandiose talk of ‘projects’ and ‘plans’ and ‘changes and improvements’, you can rest safe in the knowledge that the only thing that is likely to change…https://webcurios.co.uk/webcurios-12-01-24/ Save to Pocket
Disease X fever infects Davos: WEF to plan response to whatever big pandemic is next
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Heads up, this isn’t about Elon
When the World Economic Forum meets in Davos next week, global leaders are set to discuss how to prevent a future unknown “Disease X” the World Health Organization predicts could kill 20 times more people than the recent coronavirus outbreak. …
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/disease_x_wef/ Save to Pocket
US, Britain Blast Dozens of Houthi Targets in Yemen in Retaliatory Strikes
date: 2024-01-12, from: VOA News USA
the pentagon — The United States, Britain and a handful of other allies answered dozens of Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with a series of powerful airstrikes designed to severely degrade the Iranian-backed group’s capabilities.
U.S. Central Command late Thursday said the series of strikes hit more than 60 targets at 16 locations in Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen, including command and control nodes, munitions depots, launching systems, and production facilities.
“We hit them pretty hard, pretty good,” a U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of the operation, told VOA, adding the strikes also targeted Houthi radar installations and air defense systems which did not fire back.
The U.S. and British strikes, carried out with the help of Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Bahrain, were launched from fighter jets, surface vessels and submarines, the defense official said.
The U.S. alone, dropped more than 100 precision guided munitions on the Houthi installations, officials said, with the naval vessels and submarines firing Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles to take out the intended targets.
The official also said the targets were chosen both because of their threat to shipping and the lack of a civilian presence.
In a statement from the White House late Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden called the strikes a “direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks” on international shipping, saying they were necessary after attempts at diplomacy were ignored.
“These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes,” Biden said. “I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak likewise condemned the Houthi attacks as destabilizing, confirming the participation of British fighter jets in Thursday’s strikes.
“Their reckless actions are risking lives at sea and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Yemen,” Sunak said in a statement. “This cannot stand.”
It is the first time Houthi targets inside Yemen have been struck since the militants began attacking ships in the Red Sea following Hamas’ assault on Israel on October 7.
U.S. officials late Thursday were still studying the impact of the strikes against the Houthis, but an initial assessment suggested the damage to Houthi capabilities is “significant.”
“We were going after very specific capability in very specific locations with precision munitions,” said a senior U.S. military official, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss the operation.
“This was a significant action,” added a senior U.S. administration official. “[We have] every expectation that it will degrade in a significant way, the Houthis, a capability to launch exactly the sorts of attacks that they have conducted over the period of recent weeks.”
There have been 27 attacks launched from Houthi-held areas of Yemen since mid-November, impacting citizens, cargo and vessels from more than 50 countries, according to the U.S.
U.S. officials said in one instance last month, U.S. defensive action prevented a Houthi attack from hitting and likely sinking a commercial ship full of jet fuel.
The most recent Houthi attack, involving the launch of an anti-ship ballistic missile, took place earlier Thursday. The missile landed in the Gulf of Aden near a commercial vessel, causing no injuries or damage.
On Tuesday, U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East and South Asia, said the Houthis launched a complex attack using 18 one-way attack drones, two cruise missiles and one ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward Red Sea shipping lanes where dozens of merchant vessels were transiting.
U.S. combat jets, along with U.S. and British military vessels, responded by shooting down the drones and missiles, averting any damage to ships or injuries to their crews in the area.
The senior U.S. administration official said it was Tuesday’s massive attack by the Houthis that prompted Biden to order Thursday strikes.
Before the U.S. and British-led strikes late Thursday, multiple U.S. officials warned both the Houthis and Iran against what they described as reckless and illegal behavior.
“There will be consequences,” Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder said Thursday in response to a question from VOA.
“The Houthis are funded, trained, equipped by Iran to a large degree. And, so, we know that Iran has a role to play in terms of helping to cease this reckless, dangerous and illegal activity,” he said.
Last week, the United States and 12 allies issued a statement warning the Houthis of unspecified consequences if their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea continued.
“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 included Britain, Australia, Canada, Germany and Japan.
The statement followed the launch in mid-December of Operation Prosperity Guardian by the United States, Britain and nearly 20 other countries to protect ships from Houthi attacks.
Since the launch of Prosperity Guardian, at least 1,500 vessels have passed safely through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
The commander of U.S. Navy operations in the Middle East last week called it “the largest surface and air presence in the southern Red Sea in years.”
The U.N. Security Council issued its own resolution Wednesday, calling on the Houthis to stop the attacks immediately.
There are questions, however, as to whether the statements, backed now by the U.S. and British strikes against the Houthis, will do anything to deter Tehran.
“Iran has the luxury of really fighting a, what I would call, a hidden-hand operation with very few Iranians on the ground,” the former commander of U.S. Central Command, retired General Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie, told a webinar on Wednesday.
“They’re choking world shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb [Strait] at a very low, very low price for Iran,” he said.
But McKenzie argued that even if Iran continues to encourage the Houthis, the risk of a wider regional escalation is slim.
“I do not believe the escalation ladder leads out of Yemen. I believe it stays in Yemen,” he said. “And I believe Iran will leave their partners down there, their proxies down there, to their fate.”
U.S. officials said while they were bracing for the Houthis to try to mount some sort of response to the strikes, a slew of initial claims of attacks late Thursday appeared to be nothing more than disinformation.
This is not the first time the U.S. military has targeted Houthi launch sites in Yemen in response to militant attacks against vessels in nearby waters. In October 2016, the American destroyer USS Nitze launched Tomahawk cruise missiles at three radar sites along Yemen’s Red Sea coast in order to degrade the Houthi’s ability to track and target ships.
Ostap Yarysh with VOA’s Ukrainian Service contributed to this report.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-uk-strike-back-at-several-houthi-sites-in-yemen-/7436954.html Save to Pocket
GRMC to reinstate mask mandate
date: 2024-01-12, from: Guam Daily Post
Following the decision from Guam Memorial Hospital Authority to reinstate a temporary mask mandate in light of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases on island, the Guam Regional Medical City has now also decided to reinstate its own mask mandate,…
https://www.postguam.com/news/grmc-to-reinstate-mask-mandate/article_30326e5c-b109-11ee-9f44-e337179bfed6.html Save to Pocket
Cold Spell Hits Northwest US; Storm Forecast Cancels Flights, Classes Across Nation
date: 2024-01-12, from: VOA News USA
PORTLAND, Ore. — Tyrone McDougald wore a long-eared, leopard-print hat as he sorted through racks of warm clothes at a homeless service center in Portland, Oregon. He was already wearing multiple layers, but with no roof of his own, he grabbed two more coats to help him face a bitter cold snap arriving in the Northwest.
“I’m hoping that I can get in a shelter,” he said. “That would relieve a lot of the burden.”
An approaching storm was expected to deliver snow to Portland, a city more accustomed to winter rain, by Saturday. It’s one of a number of sprawling storms bringing everything from what the National Weather Service called “life-threatening wind chills” in South Dakota to the possibility of tornadoes in the South.
School and flights were canceled in advance in parts of the South and Midwest. Republican candidates campaigning ahead of Monday’s Iowa caucuses were contending with a blizzard warning covering most of the state, and Nikki Haley’s campaign canceled three Friday events and said it would be hosting “telephone town halls.”
Advocates were particularly worried about homeless people as well as older residents who might be snowed or iced in, especially in the Pacific Northwest, where the winters are typically mild.
In one hour Thursday, during the lunch service at Blanchet House, a homeless services nonprofit in Portland, about 165 warm clothing items were claimed — including the coats McDougald grabbed.
Julie Showers, the nonprofit’s spokesperson, said people were desperate for dry clothes and shoes after days of cold rain.
“We worry about frostbite, hypothermia,” she said. “There are a lot of people experiencing homelessness in Portland that are in mental health crisis … and slowly become hypothermic laying on the street because they don’t understand how cold it’s getting.”
McDougald said he’s spent the past two years unhoused: “I’m hoping I don’t have to do another whole winter out here.”
In the Chicago area, which could see more than 15 centimeters of snow by Saturday, advocates also worried for the growing population of migrants sent up from the U.S.-Mexico border. Hundreds are staying in eight parked “warming buses” to avoid sleeping outside while they await space in city-run shelters.
Among them was Angelo Travieso, a Venezuelan bused up from Texas. He wore a light jacket and sandals with socks.
“I slept sitting because there is almost no space left,” he said. “The buses are also small and you practically have to stay inside because of the heating, because it is deadly cold outside.”
In Portland and Seattle, temperature highs were expected to hover around zero to -3.3 Celsius and lows in the low 20s and about -5 C to -7.7 C from Friday through at least Monday.
The homelessness agency in King County, home to Seattle, activated its highest tier of severe weather operations through at least Tuesday, working with cities to open 24/7 shelters and with transit partners to provide transportation to shelters.
Seattle City Hall served as a shelter for up to 40 people Thursday night.
Multnomah County, home to Portland, provided outreach groups earlier in the week with clothing and cold weather supplies to distribute to people living outside, including wool blankets, tarps, tents and sleeping bags, said spokesperson Denis Theriault.
Cold spells in the past have been deadly for Portland’s homeless population. Two people died of cold in 2022, an annual county report on homeless deaths found. That was down from eight deaths from hypothermia in 2021 — the same year four people also died of overheating during the unprecedented and devastating “heat dome” that saw temperatures soar to an all-time high of 46.7 Celsius in Portland and smashed heat records across the region. The heat wave killed hundreds across Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.
Portland winters do not include regular or extended periods of snow, so the city’s transportation department only salts or de-ices about a third of the street grid.
Past snow and ice storms have effectively paralyzed the city, including in 2017 and in 2021, when freezing rain coated roads in dangerous ice and many ice-laden trees snapped and fell on power lines, cutting power to hundreds of thousands of people.
Last February, nearly 28 centimeters fell in what amounted to the second snowiest day in the city’s history, taking drivers by surprise and stranding them on freeways for hours.
Norman Chusid, owner of the Ankeny Hardware in southeast Portland, said he had to keep his store open two hours past closing on Wednesday to serve all the customers. The store has been selling 3 to 5 tons of ice melt every day, he said.
“Snow shovels have been going like crazy,” he said.
At higher elevations, heavy snow, high winds and whiteout conditions were expected to envelop the Cascade Mountains and make travel “very difficult to impossible,” the weather service said. Fresh snow already blanketed the Cascades earlier in the week.
An avalanche at a ski resort near Lake Tahoe in California on Wednesday swept up four people, killing one.
Outside a tent in Seattle’s International District on Thursday, David Dodds said he had lots of experience in the cold: He’d been homeless in Alaska.
“During the cold snaps, maybe that’d be time to make a new friend or two,” he said. “Two warm bodies under the same blanket will go a long ways. … This cold, when temperature drops, it’s no joke, and you can wind up dead.”
https://www.voanews.com/a/cold-spell-hits-northwest-us-storm-forecast-cancels-flights-classes-across-nation-/7436952.html Save to Pocket
June 8: SCV Book Festival Makes Inaugural Debut
date: 2024-01-12, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Inaugural Santa Clarita Valley Book Festival is set to make its debut on June 8, at College of the Canyons
https://scvnews.com/june-8-scv-book-festival-makes-inaugural-debut/ Save to Pocket
White House Sidesteps Questions About Bypassing Congress on Israel Arms
date: 2024-01-12, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/white-house-sidesteps-questions-about-bypassing-congress-on-israel-arms-/7436947.html Save to Pocket
Winter Planting Extravaganza
date: 2024-01-12, from: California Native Plants Society, Santa Clarita
Native plants bring beauty and habitat value to your garden, and winter is the best time to plant natives. Our Winter Planting Extravaganza includes two online plant sales and a Seed and Cutting Exchange!
Online Plant Sales
Order pickup for both of these plant sales will be at the Peninsula Conservation Center on Sunday, January 21 before and during the Seed and Cutting Exchange.
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Grassroots
Ecology’s Nursery: Place your orders
here: Seed and Cutting Exchange - Sunday, January 21
Are you a gardener on a budget? Do you like growing things “from scratch”? This is your opportunity to share and receive seeds and cuttings of native plants. The event will be held at the Peninsula Conservation Center, 3921 East Bayshore Road, Palo Alto.
11:00 - 12:00 - Plant pickup from the online sales at CNPS SCV Nursery and Grassroots Ecology’s Nursery
12:00 - 2:00pm - Seed and Cutting Exchange
We need help with this event. If you have time, please sign up at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F49A9A729AAFD0-46904115-seed#/
https://www.cnps-scv.org/events/plant-sale Save to Pocket
Happy Birthday Matt
date: 2024-01-12, from: Om Malik blog
In San Fran’s bay, where dreams take flight,Ma.tt’s the name, shining oh so bright.Crafting internet fame, in the WordPress game.Jazz in his soul, coding’s his art,Like a sax, soaring high and low,Crafting WordPress, with a soft, mellow flow.Ma.tt’s the maestro!Remote is his style, from café to shore,Global miles, open doors galore.In the web’s grand play, …
https://om.co/2024/01/11/happy-birthday-matt-2/ Save to Pocket
From the DF Archive: Are There Any Tetris Games for Mac?
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: Daring Fireball
https://daringfireball.net/linked/2018/03/28/tetris-mac Save to Pocket
Niklaus Wirth: ‘A Plea for Lean Software’
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: Daring Fireball
https://liam-on-linux.dreamwidth.org/88032.html Save to Pocket
Nvidia can’t sell its best chips to China, but India is more than happy to take them
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Datacenter biz plans to deploy 32,000 Nvidia H100 and H200s next year
Nvidia may not be able to sell its top-specced GPUs in China, but across the border in India, datacenter operators are buying up tens of thousands of accelerators to bolster their AI capabilities.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/nvidia_india_gpu/ Save to Pocket
Platformer, the tech news site, is leaving Substack. “We’ve seen this movie…
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/01/0043772-platformer-the-tech-news- Save to Pocket
A 26 bit build of RISC OS
date: 2024-01-12, from: OS News
This is a Rom Image and hard disc image of RISC OS, built from the open ROOL sources, but compiled up in 26bit compatible mode. It mostly uses code from approx 2000-2002, compiled up with a set of contempory tools. It should be compatible with Acorn RiscPCs, A7000s, A7000+, and the emulator RPCEmu. ↫ Peter Howkins I’m not particularly well-versed in the world of RISC OS, but I think this build is targeting older machines that use 26bit ARM processors.
https://www.osnews.com/story/138289/a-26-bit-build-of-risc-os/ Save to Pocket
GNU Hurd’s 64bit port progress, porting started to Aarch64, POWER9
date: 2024-01-12, from: OS News
While GNU Hurd predates the Linux kernel, its hardware support has been woefully behind with very limited and dated hardware support compared to modern PC/server hardware. Not only that, its been largely x86 limited but during Q4’2023 the developers involved have made progress on x86_64 support and begun tackling AArch64 porting. Developer Samuel Thibault shared that the GNU Hurd 64-bit port now has enough packages in the debian-ports archive to be able to bootstrap a chroot. A 64-bit Debian + GNU Hurd build daemon is getting setup and the other infrastructure work is coming along. ↫ Michael Larabel In addition, work has started to port Hurd to POWER9, and someone is working on bringing the Ladybird web browser to Hurd, for a more modern browsing experience, among many other points of progress.
https://www.osnews.com/story/138286/gnu-hurds-64bit-port-progress-porting-started-to-aarch64-power9/ Save to Pocket
Feds accuse Valencia man, Nigerian national of bribery
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Signal
A local man who was running a Koreatown-based immigration and injury law practice is facing a federal five-count felony indictment for his alleged role in a $2.1 million international bribery scheme, according to a Department of Justice news release issued Thursday. Paulinus “Pollie” Iheanacho Okoronkwo was identified as a 67-year-old Valencia resident in a federal […]
The post Feds accuse Valencia man, Nigerian national of bribery appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/feds-accuse-valencia-man-nigerian-national-of-bribery/ Save to Pocket
COSMIC: the road to alpha
date: 2024-01-12, from: OS News
Happy New Year, and welcome to 2024! We’re on the home stretch putting together COSMIC DE, the new desktop environment made for Pop!_OS and other distros. Basically, it’s the look, feel, and customizations. The goal for the COSMIC DE alpha is to feel like a complete product, albeit with features still to come. With a more stable alpha, we can better collect feedback on usability and focus on completing the Settings panels. From here, we can work towards an eventual 24.04 release over the summer. ↫ System76’s blog I’m very excited to try this out once it’s available.
https://www.osnews.com/story/138283/cosmic-the-road-to-alpha/ Save to Pocket
Daughter of George Carlin horrified someone cloned her dad with AI for hour special
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Seven words you can’t say – This won’t backfire and ruin art forever
The makers of an hour-long AI-generated comedy special mimicking the late and great American comedian and actor George Carlin have been criticized for, apparently, not obtaining explicit permission from his family to impersonate his voice and style for the vid.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/george_carlin_comedian_cloned/ Save to Pocket
CalArts Alum M. David Mullen Wins 2023 Creative Arts Emmy
date: 2024-01-12, from: SCV New (TV Station)
After a postponement due to last year’s writers’ and actors’ strikes, the Television Academy returned to recognize excellence in television from June 2022 to May 2023 in a two-part ceremony for the Creative Arts Emmy Awards this past weekend
https://scvnews.com/calarts-alum-m-david-mullen-wins-2023-creative-arts-emmy/ Save to Pocket
Assessor to host homeowner resource fair in SCV
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Signal
News release Los Angeles County Assessor Jeff Prang is scheduled Jan. 20 to host the next in-person Homeowners’ Resource Fair in Santa Clarita, where residents will get the latest information on vital Assessor Office and County services such as property tax savings, Proposition 19 and what to do after a natural disaster, among numerous other resources. […]
The post Assessor to host homeowner resource fair in SCV appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/assessor-to-host-homeowner-resource-fair-in-scv/ Save to Pocket
Massive Shortfall In Blood Donations Prompts Calls For SoCal To Step Up
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The LAist
The Red Cross says that the number of people donating blood has dropped by 40% over the last two decades
https://laist.com/news/health/massive-shortfall-in-blood-donations-prompts-calls-for-socal-to-step-up Save to Pocket
Nikki Haley Helped Boeing Kill Dark Money Disclosure Initiative
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Lever News
Following 737 crashes, the GOP presidential hopeful helped crush a proposal to force more disclosure of Boeing’s spending to influence safety regulators.
https://www.levernews.com/nikki-haley-helped-boeing-kill-dark-money-disclosure-initiative/ Save to Pocket
Cougars Take Down Cuesta College 83-71
date: 2024-01-12, from: SCV New (TV Station)
College of the Canyons picked up an important road win in its final non-conference contest, taking down host Cuesta College 83-71 while seeing four Cougars finish in double digits
https://scvnews.com/cougars-take-down-cuesta-college-83-71/ Save to Pocket
Friday 12 January, 2024
date: 2024-01-12, from: John Naughton’s online diary
It’s a long, long road… … that has no turning. (Though it might have been built by the Romans.) Quote of the Day ”The four stages of life are infancy, childhood, adolescence and obsolescence” Art Linklater Musical alternative to the … Continue reading
https://memex.naughtons.org/friday-12-january-2024/39023/ Save to Pocket
Taiwanese Americans Fly From SoCal To Help Pick Taiwan’s Next President
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The LAist
A three-way race for Taiwan’s presidency has lured thousands of Taiwanese Americans back to vote
https://laist.com/news/politics/taiwan-presidential-election-los-angeles-california-taiwanese-americans Save to Pocket
Lady Cougars Fall to Cypress College 41-51
date: 2024-01-12, from: SCV New (TV Station)
College of the Canyons fell in a 51-41 road contest at Cypress College, dropping to an even .500 in the team’s final non-conference game of the schedule.
https://scvnews.com/lady-cougars-fall-to-cypress-college-41-51/ Save to Pocket
Former Sheriff Alex Villanueva Set To Testify About Deputy Gangs
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The LAist
After defying several subpoenas over the years, Villanueva is slated to speak under oath before the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission on Friday.
https://laist.com/news/politics/former-sheriff-alex-villanueva-set-to-testify-about-deputy-gangs Save to Pocket
Las Vegas impersonators, the Edwards Twins, return to SCV
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Signal
News release Anthony and Eddie Edwards spent part of their early lives in the Santa Clarita Valley and attended college locally. They went on to study the art of impersonation and ended up as one of the most famous Las Vegas duos ever. They began to tour the country and performed over 400 […]
The post Las Vegas impersonators, the Edwards Twins, return to SCV appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/las-vegas-impersonators-the-edwards-twins-return-to-scv/ Save to Pocket
COC earns national recognition for community engagement
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Signal
News release College of the Canyons is the only California community college to receive the 2024 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, an elective designation that indicates institutional commitment to community engagement awarded by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Granted to 40 U.S. colleges and universities as part […]
The post COC earns national recognition for community engagement appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/coc-earns-national-recognition-for-community-engagement/ Save to Pocket
What to make of Google backing Right-to-Repair in Oregon? ‘It gives me hope’
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Anything to slow down the tech trash treadmill welcome at this point
Google on Thursday voiced support for pending Right to Repair legislation in the US state of Oregon, calling it “a compelling model for other states to follow.”…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/google_endorses_right_to_repair/ Save to Pocket
Jan. 18: SCV Water Public Outreach, Legislation Committee Meeting
date: 2024-01-12, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency’s Public Outreach and Legislation Committee is holding an in-person meeting Thursday, Jan. 18, at 5:30 p.m
https://scvnews.com/jan-18-scv-water-public-outreach-legislation-committee-meeting/ Save to Pocket
The SUPERs
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: Jason Kittke’s blog
https://kottke.org/24/01/the-supers Save to Pocket
Santa Barbara Unified School Board Appoints New Member to Fill Vacancy
date: 2024-01-12, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
New school boardmember Dr. Sunita Beall says, “Teachers need to have a living wage.”
The post Santa Barbara Unified School Board Appoints New Member to Fill Vacancy appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/01/11/santa-barbara-unified-school-board-appoints-new-member-to-fill-vacancy/ Save to Pocket
A life of preferences
date: 2024-01-12, from: Dave Rupert blog
It’s a secret to everyone! This post is for RSS subscribers only. Read more about RSS Club.
I think about this tweet a lot.
Being a billionaire must be insane. You can buy new teeth, new skin. All your chairs cost 20,000 dollars and weigh 2,000 pounds. Your life is just a series of your own preferences. In terms of cognitive impairment it's probably like being kicked in the head by a horse every day
— Thing Bad (@Merman_Melville) January 24, 2019
Casual ableism aside, that phrase “Your life is just a series of your own preferences” cuts like a knife. Wealth reshapes your relationship with hardships and grants access to leisure and luxuries that not everyone can afford.
I’ve had some recent experiences with people wealthier than me where I felt this acutely. Nothing malicious, but a realization of “Oh, that’s not a concern for you.” You or your kids want some expensive thing but it’d be fun? Buy now. Don’t like paying taxes and want a workaround? Buy now. Don’t like something about your house or car or body? Buy now.
To be fair, I see this effect of wealth in my own life too. Don’t want to make dinner or drive to a restaurant? Then don’t! That’s for the plebeians. I would prefer not to so I’ll use my tech salary to have a person on a gig app do that for me. I will – for a moment – have an on demand butler to cater to my whims.
Life, according to your own preferences.
https://daverupert.com/2024/01/life-of-preferences/ Save to Pocket
US, UK Strike Back at Several Houthi Sites in Yemen
date: 2024-01-12, from: VOA News USA
pentagon — The United States and Britain have launched a massive attack against Iranian-backed Houthis inside Yemen in retaliation for more than two dozen recent attacks against vessels transiting international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press, said American and British military assets struck more than a dozen Houthi targets Thursday, ranging from radar systems and airfields to drone and missile storage sites.
“We hit them pretty hard, pretty good,” a U.S. defense official, likewise talking on the condition of anonymity, told VOA, adding the strikes also targeted Houthi radar installations and air defense systems which did not fire back.
The U.S. and British strikes, carried out with the help of Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Bahrain, were launched from fighter jets, surface vessels and submarines, the defense official said.
The official also said the targets were chosen both because of their threat to shipping and the lack of a civilian presence.
In a statement from the White House late Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden called the strikes a “direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks” on international shipping, saying they were necessary after attempts at diplomacy were ignored.
“These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes,” Biden said. “I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak likewise condemned the Houthi attacks as destabilizing, confirming the participation of British fighter jets in Thursday’s strikes.
“Their reckless actions are risking lives at sea and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Yemen,” Sunak said in a statement. “This cannot stand.”
It is the first time Houthi targets inside Yemen have been struck since the militants began attacking ships in the Red Sea following Hamas’ assault on Israel on October 7.
U.S. officials late Thursday were still studying the impact of the strikes against the Houthis, but an initial assessment suggested the damage to Houthi capabilities is “significant.”
“We were going after very specific capability in very specific locations with precision munitions,” said a senior U.S. military official, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss the operation.
“This was a significant action,” added a senior U.S. administration official. “[We have] every expectation that it will degrade in a significant way, the Houthis, a capability to launch exactly the sorts of attacks that they have conducted over the period of recent weeks.”
There have been 27 attacks launched from Houthi-held areas of Yemen since mid-November, impacting citizens, cargo and vessels from more than 50 countries, according to the U.S.
U.S. officials said in one instance last month, U.S. defensive action prevented a Houthi attack from hitting and likely sinking a commercial ship full of jet fuel.
The most recent Houthi attack, involving the launch of an anti-ship ballistic missile, took place earlier Thursday. The missile landed in the Gulf of Aden near a commercial vessel, causing no injuries or damage.
On Tuesday, U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East and South Asia, said the Houthis launched a complex attack using 18 one-way attack drones, two cruise missiles and one ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward Red Sea shipping lanes where dozens of merchant vessels were transiting.
U.S. combat jets, along with U.S. and British military vessels, responded by shooting down the drones and missiles, averting any damage to ships or injuries to their crews in the area.
The senior U.S. administration official said it was Tuesday’s massive attack by the Houthis that prompted Biden to order Thursday strikes.
Before the U.S. and British-led strikes late Thursday, multiple U.S. officials warned both the Houthis and Iran against what they described as reckless and illegal behavior.
“There will be consequences,” Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder said Thursday in response to a question from VOA.
“The Houthis are funded, trained, equipped by Iran to a large degree. And, so, we know that Iran has a role to play in terms of helping to cease this reckless, dangerous and illegal activity,” he said.
Last week, the United States and 12 allies issued a statement warning the Houthis of unspecified consequences if their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea continued.
“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 included Britain, Australia, Canada, Germany and Japan.
The statement followed the launch in mid-December of Operation Prosperity Guardian by the United States, Britain and nearly 20 other countries to protect ships from Houthi attacks.
Since the launch of Prosperity Guardian, at least 1,500 vessels have passed safely through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
The commander of U.S. Navy operations in the Middle East last week called it “the largest surface and air presence in the southern Red Sea in years.”
The U.N. Security Council issued its own resolution Wednesday, calling on the Houthis to stop the attacks immediately.
There are questions, however, as to whether the statements, backed now by the U.S. and British strikes against the Houthis, will do anything to deter Tehran.
“Iran has the luxury of really fighting a, what I would call, a hidden-hand operation with very few Iranians on the ground,” the former commander of U.S. Central Command, retired General Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie, told a webinar on Wednesday.
“They’re choking world shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb [Strait] at a very low, very low price for Iran,” he said.
But McKenzie argued that even if Iran continues to encourage the Houthis, the risk of a wider regional escalation is slim.
“I do not believe the escalation ladder leads out of Yemen. I believe it stays in Yemen,” he said. “And I believe Iran will leave their partners down there, their proxies down there, to their fate.”
U.S. officials said while they were bracing for the Houthis to try to mount some sort of response to the strikes, a slew of initial claims of attacks late Thursday appeared to be nothing more than disinformation.
This is not the first time the U.S. military has targeted Houthi launch sites in Yemen in response to militant attacks against vessels in nearby waters. In October 2016, the American destroyer USS Nitze launched Tomahawk cruise missiles at three radar sites along Yemen’s Red Sea coast in order to degrade the Houthi’s ability to track and target ships.
Ostap Yarysh with VOA’s Ukrainian Service contributed to this report.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-uk-strike-back-at-several-houthi-sites-in-yemen-/7436803.html Save to Pocket
Story Poles on Carpinteria Bluffs Reignite Concerns over Proposed 99-Room Resort and Farmhouse
date: 2024-01-12, from: Santa Barbara Indenpent News
Community members say they plan to fight the proposal, while the developers say the project would make 14 acres of privately owned property available for public use and create 40 units of affordable housing.
The post Story Poles on Carpinteria Bluffs Reignite Concerns over Proposed 99-Room Resort and Farmhouse appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.
https://www.independent.com/2024/01/11/story-poles-on-carpinteria-bluffs-reignite-concerns-over-proposed-99-room-resort-and-farmhouse/ Save to Pocket
County approves updated outdoor dining ordinance
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Signal
Restaurants in unincorporated areas can now operate along public sidewalks, streets, alleys so long as public right-of-way is not impeded The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved the updated outdoor dining ordinance for unincorporated areas of the county at Tuesday’s meeting, allowing for a broader range of businesses to use public right-of-way areas for […]
The post <strong>County approves updated outdoor dining ordinance</strong> appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/county-approves-updated-outdoor-dining-ordinance/ Save to Pocket
The ultimate outdoor adventure: Exploring Placerita Canyon State Park and Nature Center
date: 2024-01-12, from: The Signal
Just outside Santa Clarita city limits and a short drive from Old Town Newhall, visitors can experience the beauty of nature and appreciate the biodiversity just minutes away from the city. The Placerita Canyon State Park and Nature Center offers scenic views, a chance to witness hummingbirds and other wildlife in their natural habitat, and […]
The post <strong>The ultimate outdoor adventure: Exploring Placerita Canyon State Park and Nature Center</strong> appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
https://signalscv.com/2024/01/the-ultimate-outdoor-adventure-exploring-placerita-canyon-state-park-and-nature-center/ Save to Pocket
Adios, dead zones: Starlink relays SMS in space for unmodified phones on Earth
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Now you’ll never have an excuse for missing that weekend work text or call
SpaceX’s Starlink has confirmed a successful test of its Direct to Cell (DTC) technology with a two-way text conversation held earlier this week. …
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/starlinks_satellite_cellular/ Save to Pocket
Dropout
date: 2024-01-12, from: Dave Rupert blog
Have you heard about Dropout? Spun off from College Humor, Dropout is a paid streaming service with hours and hours of high quality improv content. For $6/month (less than half a Netflix) you get access to a large swath of independently produced shows that are a guaranteed laugh.
Here’s five shows I love on Dropout and chances are if you’re reading this, you’d like them too.
Game Changer
Game Changer is a game show where the contestants don’t know what game they’re playing until the show starts. The contestants are all College Humor talent and have comedy and improv skills in spades.
The series has reached new heights in the last two seasons with even more ambitious games, including but not limited to: a The Bachelor clone, a Survivor clone, an improvised musical, a surprise escape room, an improvised Shakespearean play, and many more.
Make Some Noise
A spin-off of Game Changer, this show is pure improv in the exact style of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” This is my favorite of all the shows. Pure, corny, improv games. There’s even an improv karaoke episode with Wayne Brady from the US version of Whose Line to tie up the head nod perfectly.
Just when you think you’ve seen all the goofs to be goofed, newer cast members like Jake Wysocki and Vic Michaelis show up to inject new life and take it even further over the top.
Play It By Ear
Another Game Changer spin-off, Play It By Ear is a 30-minute five act improv musical. All you fellow thespians out there will love it.
Dimension 20
Say hi, intrepid heroes! Dimension 20 is an “actual play” series where comedians play DnD. It’s got great set pieces, funny goofs and top tier DMs like Brennan Lee Mulligan and Aabria Iyengar. I started with Tiny Heist featuring the McElroy Brothers (and their dad) from The Adventure Zone podcast and would recommend that as a starting point, but they’re all fun and have different settings, stories, and players. I’m sure you can find one you like.
Total Forgiveness
Now for something completely different. Total Forgiveness is a show about how far two people would go to forgive their student loans. Grant and Ally subject each other to weekly dares that prey on each other’s fears and insecurities approaching Jackass levels of impropriety.
Supporting small production companies
Production on new Dropout content stopped during to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Being web content, Dropout was technically exempt from the strike but decided to stand in solidarity with their writers and actors. That’s an admirable move for a small production company.
It’s fun to support smaller media ventures and Dropout feels like one of the chaotic good ones. You can even gift a subscription to someone in your life who likes TTRPGs or improv comedy (or both). Highly recommend. There’s also a lot of free episodes on YouTube, so hopefully this post has already blessed your algorithm.
https://daverupert.com/2024/01/dropout/ Save to Pocket
April 20, 21: Countdown to Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival Begins
date: 2024-01-12, from: SCV New (TV Station)
The city of Santa Clarita’s Cowboy Festival is set to return for its 28th year and is now 100 days away!
https://scvnews.com/april-20-21-countdown-to-santa-clarita-cowboy-festival-begins/ Save to Pocket
Release: Fossil 0.2
date: 2024-01-12, updated: 2024-01-12, from: Tom Kellog blog
http://timkellogg.me/blog/2024/01/12/fossil-0.2 Save to Pocket
Tackling strong biofilm and multi-virulent vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus via natural alkaloid-based porous nanoparticles: perspective towards near future eradication
date: 2024-01-12, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology
As a growing direction, nano-based therapy has become a successful
paradigm used to address the phytogenic delivery-related problems in
overcoming multivirulent vancomycin-resistant
Hence, our aim was to develop and assess a novel nanocarrier system
(mesoporous silica nanoparticles, MPS-NPs) for free berberine (Free-BR)
as an antimicrobial alkaloid against strong biofilm-producing and
multi-virulent VRSA strains using
Our outcomes demonstrated vancomycin resistance in 13.7% of
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1287426 Save to Pocket
Mucosal microbiome of surgically treated terminal ileal Crohn’s disease
date: 2024-01-12, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology
Crohn’s disease (CD) is associated with changes in the microbiome. The
role of these changes and their precise association with disease course
and activity remain ambiguous. In this prospective single-center study,
the mucosal microbiome of surgical CD and non-CD patients was compared
at the time of surgery. Microbial analyses were individually performed
for ileal and colonic tissue samples obtained during surgery using
16S-rRNA-gene amplicon sequencing. Three groups out of the 46 included
patients were formed: 1) a study group of CD of patients who received
ileocecal resection due to CD involvement (CD study, n=10); 2) a control
group of non-CD of patients who received intestinal resection due to
indications other than CD (non-CD control, n=27); and 3) a second
control group of CD who underwent resection of the intestine not
affected by CD (CD non-affected control, n=9). Species richness and
Shannon diversity were not different between all formed groups and
regions analyzed (p>0.05). Several significant taxonomic differences
were seen at the phylum-, order-, and genus-levels between the formed
groups, such as a decrease of
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1324668 Save to Pocket
Dissecting EXP2 sequence requirements for protein export in malaria parasites
date: 2024-01-12, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology
Apicomplexan parasites that reside within a parasitophorous vacuole
harbor a conserved pore-forming protein that enables small-molecule
transfer across the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM). In
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1332146 Save to Pocket
Characteristics of the gut microbiota of patients with symptomatic carotid atherosclerotic plaques positive for bacterial genetic material
date: 2024-01-12, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology
The gut microbiota (GM) is believed to be closely associated with symptomatic carotid atherosclerosis (SCAS), yet more evidence is needed to substantiate the significant role of GM in SCAS. This study, based on the detection of bacterial DNA in carotid plaques, explores the characteristics of GM in SCAS patients with plaque bacterial genetic material positivity, aiming to provide a reference for subsequent research.
We enrolled 27 healthy individuals (NHF group) and 23 SCAS patients (PFBS group). We utilized 16S rDNA V3-V4 region gene sequencing to analyze the microbiota in fecal samples from both groups, as well as in plaque samples from the carotid bifurcation extending to the origin of the internal carotid artery in all patients.
Our results indicate significant differences in the gut microbiota (GM) between SCAS patients and healthy individuals. The detection rate of bacterial DNA in plaque samples was approximately 26%. Compared to patients with negative plaques (PRSOPWNP group), those with positive plaques (PRSOPWPP group) exhibited significant alterations in their GM, particularly an upregulation of 11 bacterial genera (such as Klebsiella and Streptococcus) in the gut, which were also present in the plaques. In terms of microbial gene function prediction, pathways such as Fluorobenzoate degradation were significantly upregulated in the GM of patients with positive plaques.
In summary, our study is the first to identify significant alterations in the gut microbiota of patients with positive plaques, providing crucial microbial evidence for further exploration of the pathogenesis of SCAS.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1296554 Save to Pocket
Comparative genomic analysis of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes in Staphylococcus aureus isolates from patients and retail meat
date: 2024-01-12, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology
A total of 136
Antibiotic resistance genes were prevalent in both meat and patient
Our study established a genetic connection between
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1339339 Save to Pocket
Functional characterization of Plasmodium vivax hexose transporter 1
date: 2024-01-12, from: Frontiers in Cellar and Infection Microbiology
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1321240 Save to Pocket