News gathered 2024-10-05
(date: 2024-10-05 09:53:05)
Supreme Court opens new term with election disputes looming
date: 2024-10-05, from: VOA News USA
washington — Transgender rights, the regulation of “ghost guns” and the death penalty highlight the Supreme Court’s election-season term that begins Monday, with the prospect of the court’s intervention in voting disputes lurking in the background.
The justices are returning to the bench at a time of waning public confidence in the court and calls to limit their terms to 18 years that have wide support, including the backing of Democratic President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s White House nominee.
Whether by design or happenstance, the justices are hearing fewer high-profile cases than they did in recent terms that included far-reaching decisions by the 6-3 conservative majority on presidential immunity, abortion, guns and affirmative action.
The lighter schedule would allow them to easily add election cases, if those make their way to the high court in the run-up to the Nov. 5 election between Republican Donald Trump and Harris, or its immediate aftermath.
“I think there are legal issues that arise out of the political process. And so, the Supreme Court has to be prepared to respond if that should be necessary,” Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson told CBS News last month in an interview to her promote new memoir Lovely One.
The court’s involvement in election disputes might depend on the closeness of the outcome and whether the justices’ intervention would tip the outcome, David Cole, the outgoing legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said at a recent Washington event.
“I don’t think the court wants to get involved, but it may have to,” Cole said.
The court turned away multiple challenges from Trump and his allies to the results of the 2020 election that he lost to Biden. It’s been nearly a quarter-century since the Supreme Court effectively decided the 2000 presidential election, in which Republican George W. Bush edged Democrat Al Gore.
When the justices gather Monday morning on a date set by federal law, they will shake hands with each other as they always do. Just after 10 o’clock, they will emerge from behind freshly cleaned heavy red drapery and take their seats on the curved mahogany bench, Chief Justice John Roberts in the center chair and his eight colleagues seated in order of seniority.
There are likely to be smiles and shared private jokes. But the friendliness of that moment will not sweep away tensions that have barely been concealed.
During the summer, two justices, Elena Kagan and Jackson, voiced support for toughening the new ethics code that so far lacks a means of enforcement.
The leak to The New York Times of the contents of a memo Roberts wrote last winter that outlined his approach to the court’s presidential immunity decision “was nothing short of shocking,” Supreme Court lawyer Lisa Blatt said last week at a Washington preview of the coming term.
Two years ago, Politico obtained the draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark abortion case.
“Something does feel broken,” Blatt said. Describing her experience arguing before the court, she said, some justices “just seem visibly frustrated.”
Important cases dot the court’s calendar, beginning Tuesday. The court will take up a challenge to a Biden administration attempt to regulate hard-to-trace “ghost guns” that had been turning up at crime scenes in increasing numbers. The Supreme Court jumped into the case after the conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals invalidated the regulation.
Last term, conservatives voted 6-3 to strike down a gun regulation that had banned bump stocks, an accessory that allows some weapons to fire at a rate comparable to machine guns. Bump stocks were used in the nation’s deadliest modern mass shooting in Las Vegas.
A day after the guns case, the justices will take up the latest twist in Oklahoma death row inmate Richard Glossip’s long quest for freedom. His case is the rare instance in which prosecutors are conceding mistakes in the trial that led to Glossip’s conviction and death sentence.
The highest-profile case on the agenda so far is a fight over transgender rights that is focused on state bans on gender-affirming care. It probably will be argued in December.
Republican-led states have enacted a variety of restrictions on health care for transgender people, school sports participation, bathroom usage and drag shows. The administration and Democratic-led states have extended protections for transgender people. The Supreme Court has separately prohibited the administration from enforcing a new federal regulation that seeks to protect transgender students.
The case before the high court involves a law in Tennessee that restricts puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors. About half the states have enacted similar restrictions.
Also on tap for the late fall is an appeal from the adult entertainment industry to overturn a Texas law that requires pornographic websites to verify the age of their users.
Only about half the court’s calendar for the term has been filled, and several big cases could be added. Among those is a push by Republican-led states and conservative legal outlets to further restrict federal agencies.
The immediate target is the method the Federal Communications Commission has used to fund telephone service for rural and low-income people and broadband services for schools and libraries.
The case, which the administration has appealed to the Supreme Court, could give the justices the opportunity to revive a legal doctrine known as nondelegation that has not been used to strike down legislation in nearly 90 years. Several conservative justices have expressed support for the idea of limiting the authority Congress can delegate to federal agencies.
https://www.voanews.com/a/supreme-court-opens-new-term-with-election-disputes-looming-/7811578.html
Hooked On Clarendon
date: 2024-10-05, from: Tedium site
I saw a font recently, and it inspired me to kick off work on a full redesign. The funny part: It’s the most common font, ever.
https://feed.tedium.co/link/15204/16834600/clarendon-font-inspiration-redesign
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-10-05, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Anndrew Shell has added a blogroll to his home page, somewhat inspired by the one on my blog.
https://blog.andrewshell.org/essays/added-blogroll/
Apocalyptic Asteroid Impact Was Great for Ants
date: 2024-10-05, from: 404 Media Group
Ants farm as Earth burns, back on the Sun beat, and a spirit animal for introverts.
https://www.404media.co/apocalyptic-asteroid-impact-was-great-for-ants/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-10-05, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
“I’m a Doctor. ChatGPT’s Bedside Manner Is Better Than Mine.”
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-10-05, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
2018: How journalism is like the Mets.
http://scripting.com/2018/06/24/181734.html
Swiping At Swiping Monopolies
date: 2024-10-05, from: The Lever News
The Feds take on Big Credit Card and take aim at big, bad junk fees, regulators strike again at a fossil fuel company’s poisonous machinery, and voter suppression gets suppressed.
https://www.levernews.com/swiping-at-swiping-monopolies/
Nearly 24M immigrants eligible to vote in U.S. election
date: 2024-10-05, from: VOA News USA
In the United States, nearly 24 million immigrants are eligible to vote in November’s presidential election, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. census data. VOA’s Jeff Swicord spoke with two naturalized citizens about the choices they are making in this vote.
https://www.voanews.com/a/nearly-24m-immigrants-eligible-to-vote-in-u-s-election-/7811466.html
Ryanair faces GDPR turbulence over customer ID checks
date: 2024-10-05, updated: 2024-10-05, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Irish data watchdog opens probe after ‘numerous complaints’
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) has launched an inquiry into Ryanair’s Customer Verification Process for travelers booking flights through third-party websites or online travel agents (OTA).…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/10/05/irish_dpc_ryanair_probe/
A working Turing Machine hits Lego Ideas
date: 2024-10-05, updated: 2024-10-05, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
It now seeks 10K supporters for Expert Review
A working Turing Machine was this week submitted to Lego Ideas, consisting of approximately 2,900 parts and a bucketload of extreme cleverness.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/10/05/lego_ideas_turing_machine/
UK’s Sellafield nuke waste processing plant fined £333K for infosec blunders
date: 2024-10-05, updated: 2024-10-05, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Radioactive hazards and cyber failings … what could possibly go wrong?
The outfit that runs Britain’s Sellafield nuclear waste processing and decommissioning site has been fined £332,500 ($440,000) by the nation’s Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) for its shoddy cybersecurity practices between 2019 and 2023.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/10/05/sellafield_nuclear_site_fined/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-10-05, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Biden: I don't know if Netanyahu is trying to sway US election.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cje3zl0dq2ko.amp
A week after Helene hit, thousands still without water struggle to find enough
date: 2024-10-05, from: VOA News USA
ASHEVILLE, North Carolina — Nearly a week after Hurricane Helene brought devastation to western North Carolina, a shiny stainless steel tanker truck in downtown Asheville attracted residents carrying 19-liter containers, milk jugs and buckets to fill with what has become a desperately scare resource — drinking water.
Flooding tore through the city’s water system, destroying so much infrastructure that officials said repairs could take weeks. To make do, Anna Ramsey arrived Wednesday with her two children, who each left carrying plastic bags filled with 7.6 liters of water.
“We have no water. We have no power. But I think it’s also been humbling,” Ramsey said.
Helene’s path through the Southeast left a trail of power outages so large the darkness was visible from space. Tens of trillions of liters of rain fell and more than 200 people were killed, making Helene the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland U.S. since Katrina in 2005. Hundreds of people are still unaccounted for, and search crews must trudge through knee-deep debris to learn whether residents are safe.
It also damaged water utilities so severely and over such a wide inland area that one federal official said the toll “could be considered unprecedented.” As of Thursday, about 136,000 people in the Southeast were served by a nonoperational water provider and more than 1.8 million were living under a boil water advisory, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Western North Carolina was especially hard hit. Officials are facing a difficult rebuilding task made harder by the steep, narrow valleys of the Blue Ridge Mountains that during a more typical October would attract throngs of fall tourists.
“The challenges of the geography are just fewer roads, fewer access points, fewer areas of flat ground to stage resources” said Brian Smith, acting deputy division director for the EPA’s water division in the Southeast.
After days without water, people long for more than just a sponge bath.
“I would love a shower,” said Sue Riles in Asheville. “Running water would be incredible.”
The raging floodwaters of Helene destroyed crucial parts of Asheville’s water system, scouring out the pipes that convey water from a reservoir in the mountains above town that is the largest of three water supplies for the system. To reach a second reservoir that was knocked offline, a road had to be rebuilt.
Boosted output from the third source restored water flow in some southern Asheville neighborhoods Friday, but without full repairs schools may not be able to resume in-person classes, hospitals may not restore normal operations, and the city’s hotels and restaurants may not fully reopen.
Even water that’s unfit to drink is scarce. Drew Reisinger, the elected Buncombe County register of deeds, worries about people in apartments who can’t easily haul a bucket of water from a creek to flush their toilet. Officials are advising people to collect nondrinkable water for household needs from a local swimming pool.
“One thing no one is talking about is the amount of poop that exists in every toilet in Asheville,” he said. “We’re dealing with a public health emergency.”
It’s a situation that becomes more dangerous the longer it lasts. Even in communities fortunate enough to have running water, hundreds of providers have issued boil water notices indicating the water could be contaminated. But boiling water for cooking and drinking is time consuming and small mistakes can cause stomach illness, according to Natalie Exum, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
“Every day that goes by, you could be exposed to a pathogen,” Exum said. “These basic services that we take for granted in our everyday lives actually do do a lot to prevent illness.”
Travis Edwards’ faucet worked immediately after the storm. He filled as many containers as he could for himself and his child, but it didn’t take long for the flow to weaken, then stop. They rationed water, switching to hand sanitizer and barely putting any on toothbrushes.
“(We) didn’t realize how dehydrated we were getting,” he said.
Federal officials have shipped millions of liters of water to areas where people also might not be able to make phone calls or switch on the lights.
Power has been restored to about 62% of homes and businesses and 8,000 crews are out working to restore power in the hardest hit parts of North Carolina, federal officials said Thursday. In 10 counties, about half of the cell sites are still down.
The first step for some utilities is simply figuring out how bad the damage is, a job that might require EPA expertise in extreme cases. Ruptured water pipes are a huge problem. They often run beneath roads, many of which were crumpled and twisted by floodwaters.
“Pretty much anytime you see a major road damaged, there’s a very good chance that there’s a pipe in there that’s also gotten damaged,” said Mark White, drinking water global practice leader at the engineering firm CDM Smith.
Generally, repairs start at the treatment plant and move outward, with fixes in nearby big pipes done first, according to the EPA.
“Over time, you’ll gradually get water to more and more people,” White said.
Many people are still missing, and water repair employees don’t typically work around search and rescue operations. It takes a toll, according to Kevin Morley, manager of federal relations with the American Water Works Association.
“There’s emotional support that is really important for all the people involved. You’re seeing people’s lives just wiped out,” he said.
Even private well owners aren’t immune. Pumps on private wells may have lost power and overtopping floodwaters can contaminate them.
There’s often a “blind faith” assumption that drinking water won’t fail. In this case, the technology was insufficient, according to Craig Colten. Before retiring to Asheville, he was a professor in Louisiana focused on resilience to extreme weather. He hopes Helene will prompt politicians to spend more to ensure infrastructure withstands destructive storms.
And climate change will only make the problem more severe, said Erik Olson, a health and food expert at the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council.
“I think states and the federal government really need to step back and start looking at how we’re going to prepare for these extreme weather events that are going to be occurring and recurring every single year,” he said.
Edwards has developed a system to save water. He’ll soap dirty dishes and rinse them with a trickle of water with bleach, which is caught and transferred to a bucket — useable for the toilet.
Power and some cell service have returned for him. And water distribution sites have guaranteed some measure of normalcy: Edwards feels like he can start going out to see friends again.
“To not feel guilty about using more than a cup of water to, like, wash yourself … I’m really, really grateful,” he said.
Aesthetic Command Lines with Hyper, Spaceship, and Oh My Zsh
date: 2024-10-05, from: Maggie Appleton blog
https://maggieappleton.com/aesthetic-commands
@Tomosino’s Mastodon feed (date: 2024-10-04, from: Tomosino’s Mastodon feed)
Day and night at the cabin
https://tilde.zone/@tomasino/113251771456848242
US dockworkers earn pay increase following strike
date: 2024-10-04, from: VOA News USA
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-dockworkers-earn-pay-increase-following-strike-/7811092.html
An Oil Giant Railroads Its SCOTUS Connection To Gut Environmental Law
date: 2024-10-04, from: The Lever News
A fossil fuel tycoon tied to Neil Gorsuch and other corporate power brokers are pushing the Supreme Court to help approve a controversial oil train and kill environmental protections.
https://www.levernews.com/an-oil-giant-railroads-its-scotus-connection-to-gut-environmental-law/
159 Automattic staff take severance offer and walk out over WP Engine feud
date: 2024-10-04, updated: 2024-10-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
WordPress supremo Mullenweg channels Churchill: Never let a good crisis go to waste
Matthew Mullenweg, CEO of WordPress biz Automattic and co-creator of the open source software, says he feels “much lighter” after 159 employees departed in the wake of his controversial attempt to pressure WP Engine to license trademarks the rival has used for years.…
China-connected spamouflage networks spread antisemitic disinformation
date: 2024-10-04, from: VOA News USA
washington — Spamouflage networks with connections to China are posting antisemitic conspiracy theories on social media, casting doubt on Washington’s independence from alleged Jewish influence and the integrity of the two U.S. presidential candidates, a joint investigation by VOA Mandarin and Taiwan’s Doublethink Lab, a social media analytics firm, has found.
The investigation has so far uncovered more than 30 such X posts, many of which claim or suggest that core American political institutions, including the White House and Congress, have pledged loyalty to or are controlled by Jewish elites and the Israeli government.
One post shows a graphic of 18 U.S. officials of Jewish descent, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and the head of the Homeland Security Department, Alejandro Mayorkas, and asks: “Jews only make up 2% of the U.S. population, so why do they have so many representatives in important government departments?!”
Another post shows a cartoon depicting Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for president, and her opponent, Donald Trump, having their tongues tangled together and wrapped around an Israeli flagpole. The post proclaims that “no matter who of them comes to power, they will not change their stance on Judaism.”
Most of the 32 posts analyzed by VOA Mandarin and Doublethink Lab were posted during July and August. The posts came from three spamouflage accounts, two of which were previously reported by VOA.
Each of the three accounts leads its own spamouflage network. The three networks consist of 140 accounts, which amplify content from the three main accounts, or seeders.
A spamouflage network is a state-sponsored operation disguised as the work of authentic social media users to spread pro-government narratives and disinformation while discrediting criticism from adversaries.
Jasper Hewitt, a digital intelligence analyst at Doublethink Lab, told VOA Mandarin that the impact of these antisemitic posts has been limited, as most of them failed to reach real users, despite having garnered over 160,000 views.
U.S. officials have cast China as one of the major threats looking to disrupt this year’s election. Beijing, however, has repeatedly denied these allegations and urged Washington to “not make an issue of China in the election.”
Tuvia Gering, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub, has closely followed antisemitic disinformation coming from China. He told VOA Mandarin that Beijing isn’t necessarily hostile toward Jews, but anti-Semitic conspiracy theories have historically been a handy tool to be used against Western countries.
“You can trace its origins back to the Cold War, when the Soviet Union promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories all over the world just to instigate in Western societies,” Gering said, “because it divides them from within and it casts the West in a bad light in a strategic competition. [It’s] the same thing you see here [with China].”
Anti-Semitic speech floods Chinese internet
Similar antisemitic narratives about U.S. politics posted by the spamouflage accounts have long been flourishing on the Chinese internet.
An article that received thousands of likes and reposts on Chinese social media app WeChat claims that “Jewish capital” has completed its control of the American political sphere “through infiltration, marriages, campaign funds and lobbying.”
The article also brings up the Jewish heritage of many current and former U.S. officials and their families as evidence of the alleged Jewish takeover of America.
“The wife of the U.S. president is Jewish, the son-in-law of the former U.S. president is Jewish, the mother of the previous former U.S. president was Jewish, the U.S. Secretary of State is Jewish, the U.S. Secretary of Treasury is Jewish, the Deputy Secretary of State, the Attorney General … are all Jewish,” it wrote.
In fact, first lady Jill Biden is Roman Catholic, and the mother of former President Barack Obama was raised as a Christian. The others named are Jewish.
Conspiracy theories and misinformation abounded on the Chinese internet after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill in May that would empower the Department of Education to adopt a new set of standards when investigating antisemitism in educational programs.
Articles and videos assert that the bill marks the death of America because it “definitively solidifies the superior and unquestionable position of the Jews in America,” claiming falsely that anyone who’s labeled an antisemite will be arrested.
One video with more than 1 million views claimed that the New Testament of the Bible would be deemed illegal under the bill. And since all U.S. presidents took their inaugural oath with the Bible, the bill allegedly invalidates the legitimacy of the commander in chief. None of that is true.
The Chinese public hasn’t historically been hostile toward Jews. A 2014 survey published by the Anti-Defamation League, a U.S.-based group against antisemitism, found that only 20% of the participants from China harbored an antisemitic attitude.
But when the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out a year ago, the otherwise heavily censored Chinese social media was flooded with antisemitic comments and praise for Nazi Germany leader Adolf Hitler.
The Chinese government has dismissed criticism of antisemitism on its internet. When asked about it at a news conference last year, Wang Wenbin, then the spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, said that “China’s laws unequivocally prohibit disseminating information on extremism, ethnic hatred, discrimination and violence via the internet.”
But online hate speech against Jews has hardly disappeared. Eric Liu, a former censor for Chinese social media Weibo who now monitors online censorship, told VOA Mandarin that whenever Israel is in the news, there would be a surge in online antisemitism.
Just last month, after dozens of members of the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah were killed by explosions of their pagers, Chinese online commentators acidly condemned Israel and Jews.
The attack “proves that Jews are the most terrifying and cowardly people,” one Weibo user wrote. “They are self-centered and believe themselves to be superior, when in fact they are considered the most indecent and shameless. When the time comes, it’s going to be blood for blood.”
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-10-04, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Zeldman is staying at Automattic.
https://zeldman.com/2024/10/04/i-stayed/
Despite obstacles, new NATO leader aims to increase support for Ukraine
date: 2024-10-04, from: VOA News USA
london — With an escalating war in the Middle East, uncertainty over Western military aid for Ukraine, and the U.S. presidential election looming next month, new NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has no time to settle in.
The former Dutch prime minister was appointed to the role at a ceremony at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday, where he told delegates that “there can be no lasting security in Europe without a strong, independent Ukraine,” and affirmed that “Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO.”
On Thursday, Rutte was welcomed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Kyiv.
Zelenskyy wasted no time in relaying his demands.
“We have discussed the most urgent needs of our troops, the weapons and the recruitment to the brigades,” Zelenskyy said at a news conference alongside Rutte on Thursday. “We will have more time today to discuss more details on how to strengthen Ukraine’s positions on the front so that we can exert more pressure on Russia in order to support just and realistic diplomacy. That is why we need sufficient quantity and quality of weapons, including long-range weapons, the decision on which, in my opinion, our Western partners are delaying,” he told reporters.
Ukraine wants to use Western long-range missiles on targets inside Russia. The U.S. and other allies are holding back, fearing escalation with Moscow.
NATO’s new secretary-general made his position clear.
“Ukraine obviously has the right to defend itself and international law is on the side of Ukraine, meaning that this right does not end at the border. Russia is pursuing this illegal war … targeting Russian fighter jets and missiles before they can be used against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure can help save lives,” Rutte told reporters.
Ukraine’s president was asked whether he feared the world was forgetting about his country, amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
“I wish that Ukraine is not forgotten,” Zelenskyy said. “And the best way to show this is by giving particular weapons, by giving particular permissions. And help to shoot down hostile drones — by the way, the same Iranian rockets and drones — to shoot them down the same way as they are shot down in the sky of Israel. Do the same over the skies of Ukraine.”
Rutte is a longtime ally of Ukraine, noted analyst Armida van Rij, a senior research fellow at the London-based think tank Chatham House.
“While he was prime minister of the Netherlands, he was very supportive of Ukraine. He’s the one who signed off on the F-16s [fighter jets] deal for Ukraine as well. So, there is that history of support,” van Rij told VOA.
However, Rutte is facing headwinds as he tries to boost military support for Ukraine among NATO allies.
Next month, U.S. voters will choose a new president: Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. Rutte said he would work with whoever is elected — but neither outcome will be straightforward, said van Rij.
“There is a real risk for Ukraine that Trump may try to force Ukraine’s hand and force Ukraine to capitulate to Russia, which would be terrible for European security. That’s the first challenge. But the second challenge is even if Vice President Harris were to win the U.S. elections, she may still face a divided Congress and she may still struggle to pass aid packages in support for Ukraine through Congress.”
Either scenario would require European NATO allies to step up their military aid.
“And there again, there’s challenges because many countries have depleted their stocks. They’ve given as much as they feel comfortable with at this point. What I would like to see is to think through some of the practical ways in which we can advance EU and NATO collaborations specifically on this issue of developing a European defense industrial base,” van Rij told VOA.
There are fears in Europe that a victory for Trump could upend the United States’ relationship with NATO.
“Like [former NATO Secretary-General Jens] Stoltenberg, Rutte is known as a ‘Trump whisperer.’ He is one of the few European politicians who developed a good working relationship with Donald Trump. However, a potential second Trump term could prove much more disruptive, with less U.S. aid to Ukraine, more concessions to Russia and further questioning of the value of NATO,” said Oana Lungescu, a distinguished fellow at Britain’s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and a former NATO spokesperson, in an email to VOA.
The Kremlin said this week that Russian President Vladimir Putin knew Rutte well from his time as Dutch prime minister.
“At that time there were hopes of building good pragmatic relations,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a phone call Tuesday. “But we know what followed — the Netherlands adopted a rather defiant attitude to fully exclude all contacts with Russia. So, we don’t think that anything new or significant will happen with the policy of the [NATO] alliance,” Peskov said.
Meanwhile, Rutte takes the helm of NATO as it faces an increasingly assertive China.
“On Ukraine, everyone’s very much on the same line. On China, there’s still some allies saying, ‘We’re not sure we need to quite go into the Indo-Pacific theater.’ In a scenario where U.S. resources and capabilities are drawn elsewhere, i.e., the Indo-Pacific, Europeans have to be able to fend for themselves — including look after Ukraine in the current short-term scenario,” van Rij told VOA.
Rutte said another priority would be to strengthen NATO’s partnerships with allies outside the alliance in an interconnected world.
His primary focus must be on keeping NATO members safe, said Lungescu of RUSI.
“As NATO secretary-general, Rutte must take the lead in arguing for more defense spending across the alliance,” Lungescu said. “He should make a strong case not just about figures and percentages, but about the concrete capabilities that are needed to keep NATO nations safe in a dangerous world.”
Breaking Barriers: Student Research Grant Recipient Selena Vengco on Changing the Field
date: 2024-10-04, from: California Native Plants Society
Selena Vengco is safeguarding the future of the rare Erythranthe discolor through conservation research.
The post Breaking Barriers: Student Research Grant Recipient Selena Vengco on Changing the Field appeared first on California Native Plant Society.
https://www.cnps.org/education/student-research-grant-selena-vengco-40435
JOB OPPORTUNITIES: NASA OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL
date: 2024-10-04, from: NASA breaking news
There are no current openings. Please check back later for opportunities to join our team.
https://www.nasa.gov/general/job-opportunities-nasa-office-of-the-general-counsel/
Lilbits: Goodbye Windows Mixed Reality, Hello Raspberry Pi 500, 80 Gbps USB4 v2 cables, and Rockchip RK3688 processor
date: 2024-10-04, from: Liliputing
Last year Microsoft announced that it would be ending support for Windows Mixed Reality and, sure enough, when the company begin rolling out Windows 11 24H2 this week it no longer included support for the virtual reality headsets released by companies like Acer, HP, and Lenovo between 2017 and 2020. The platform was never enormously […]
The post Lilbits: Goodbye Windows Mixed Reality, Hello Raspberry Pi 500, 80 Gbps USB4 v2 cables, and Rockchip RK3688 processor appeared first on Liliputing.
How to Catch a Glimpse of the Draconid Meteor Shower
date: 2024-10-04, from: Smithsonian Magazine
While the annual shower usually makes for a sleepy showing, it has been known to produce fantastic outbursts in the past
Friday Links: October 4, 2024
date: 2024-10-04, from: California Native Plants Society
Get the deets about why fungi love sounds; how ants have been farming for 66 million years, give or take; the plan to save endangered wildflowers, and more!
The post Friday Links: October 4, 2024 appeared first on California Native Plant Society.
https://www.cnps.org/friday-links/friday-links-october-4-2024-40523
Bullet Points: Techbros-telling-stories edition
date: 2024-10-04, from: Dave Karpf’s blog
Sam Altman, geoengineering, and AI obscuring decision-making, oh my!
https://davekarpf.substack.com/p/bullet-points-techbros-telling-stories
Daily Deals (10-04-2024)
date: 2024-10-04, from: Liliputing
The Epic Games Store is giving away another free PC game this week, and GOG has one free game for folks who grab it in the next few days. Meanwhile Amazon is offering 57 free games for Prime members, including recently added titles such as Tomb Raider: Legend, Spirit of the North, The Eternal Cyindar, […]
The post Daily Deals (10-04-2024) appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/daily-deals-10-04-2024/
About a quarter million Comcast subscribers had their data stolen from debt collector
date: 2024-10-04, updated: 2024-10-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Cable giant says ransomware involved, FBCS keeps schtum
Comcast says data on 237,703 of its customers was in fact stolen in a cyberattack on a debt collector it was using, contrary to previous assurances it was given that it was unaffected by that intrusion.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/10/04/comcast_fcbs_ransomware_theft/
A Year After the October 7 Start of the Israel-Hamas Conflict: Q&A with RAND Experts
date: 2024-10-04, updated: 2024-10-04, from: RAND blog
The bloody conflict in the Middle East has highlighted a complex web of strategic, geopolitical, and humanitarian challenges. RAND experts delve into the regional and global implications of the conflict, the factors that led up to it, where it could be headed, and the geopolitical fallout.
“Damaged” Mac App Store Apps
date: 2024-10-04, from: Michael Tsai
Keith Gugliotto: The Mac App Store places a receipt file in each purchased application. The receipt includes a certificate the application uses to validate that receipt to be sure you’ve made a bona fide purchase. That certificate is only valid for a limited amount of time – in our experience, up to about 25 months, […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/10/04/damaged-mac-app-store-apps/
Setting Up an iOS VPN Without an App
date: 2024-10-04, from: Michael Tsai
ForestVPN: Many of us rely on VPN apps to secure our online activities, but did you know there’s a way to set up a VPN on your iPhone without downloading an app? This method not only saves space but also provides a seamless experience for users who prefer a more direct approach. Via John Gruber: […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/10/04/setting-up-an-ios-vpn-without-an-app/
California’s Big Electrification Experiment
date: 2024-10-04, from: Heatmap News
California just hit a critical climate milestone: On September 1, Pacific Gas and Electric, the biggest utility in the state, raised natural gas rates by close to $6 due to shrinking gas demand.
I didn’t say it was a milestone worth celebrating. But experts have long warned that gas rates would go up as customers started to use less of the fossil fuel. PG&E is now forecasting enough of a drop in demand, whether because homeowners are making efficiency improvements or switching to electric appliances, that it needs to charge everyone a bit more to keep up with the cost of maintaining its pipelines.
Shortly after the rate increase went into effect, however, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill aimed at addressing this exact problem. The new law gives PG&E and other utilities permission to use money they would have spent to replace aging, leaky pipelines to pay for the electrification of the homes served by those pipes — as long as electrifying the homes is cheaper. Instead of investing millions of ratepayer dollars into the gas system, utilities can start to decommission parts of it, shrinking gas use and fixed costs in tandem.
PG&E actually already has the freedom to do this, and has even completed a fair number of projects. But the utility has had limited success, mainly because of an anti-discrimination law that gives building owners the right to stick with natural gas. It only takes one gas stalwart to thwart a whole neighborhood’s prospects for free electric appliances, since in order to keep delivering gas to that one household, the utility has to invest in the entire section of pipeline serving the area. A 2023 report showed that while PG&E had completed more than 100 projects, it hadn’t been able to convince clusters of customers larger than five at a time to convert.
The new law doesn’t fundamentally change the anti-discrimination rule, known as a utility’s “duty to serve,” but it does relieve PG&E and others of this duty if at least two-thirds of the homeowners served by a given section of pipeline consent to getting off gas. For now, the legislation limits utilities to executing 30 such projects. But for those 30, as long as two-thirds consent, the utility can now tell the holdouts that it is retiring the pipeline, and that they have no choice but to get on the electric bandwagon.
“If a supermajority wants it, it can move forward,” Matt Vespa, a senior attorney from Earthjustice who worked on the legislation, told me. “Which I think is probably a good place to start from. You want to have a place where there’s significant buy-in.”
This strategy, sometimes called “zonal decarbonization” or “targeted electrification,” is one that many climate groups are advocating for as a way to achieve an orderly and equitable transition off of natural gas. The approach most states have taken so far — providing subsidies that gently prod consumers into going electric — results in a random pattern of adoption that can benefit some homeowners while harming others. It also does nothing to deter gas utilities from investing hundreds of millions of dollars in maintaining, replacing, or building new pipelines each year — investments that are set up to be recouped from ratepayers over the course of decades.
California isn’t the first place in the world to experiment with targeted electrification. The Swiss city of Zurich began systematically shutting down sections of its gas system in 2021, giving affected users about a decade of warning and offering partial compensation for the cost of new equipment. In Massachusetts, the utility Eversource is piloting a unique neighborhood-scale electrification project. The company hooked up 32 residential buildings and a few commercial businesses in the city of Framingham to a new underground network of pipes that carry water rather than natural gas, which in turn connect to geothermal heat pumps that use the water to heat or cool the air inside. There are more than a dozen such “thermal energy network” pilot projects in various stages in Massachusetts, New York, Colorado, Washington, Vermont, Maryland, and Minnesota.
But the new California program is unique in its scale and approach. For one thing, it applies to all gas utilities in the state. Beginning next summer, they will each need to submit maps to the utility commission that identify potential pipeline replacement projects; then, in 2026, regulators will use those maps to designate priority areas, giving precedence to low-income communities and households that lack heating or cooling. By July of that year, the commission must establish the rules of the pilot program, including a methodology for utilities to determine when electrification is more cost-effective than pipeline replacement, and rules for how utilities can pay for the projects and recover costs.
PG&E supported the bill and worked closely with its authors on the language. The utility declined an interview, but emailed me a statement saying the legislation “enables cost-effective, targeted electrification projects which will help avoid more expensive gas pipeline replacements, reducing gas system operating costs, and support the state’s and PG&E’s decarbonization goals.”
Utilities will still be spending ratepayer money on the electrification projects, but far less than they would have spent on pipeline infrastructure. For the remaining gas customers, it’s still possible rates will go up, though by less than they would have otherwise. Mike Henchen, a principal in the carbon-free buildings program at RMI, told me these pilot projects alone are not going to pull so many customers away from the gas system that it will put upward pressure on rates. The law caps the program at no more than 1% of a utility’s customers.
Vespa, the Earthjustice attorney, told me he originally worked on a more ambitious version of the bill that would have required utilities to avoid any new investments in the gas system when electrification was a cheaper alternative. But it was pared back and made voluntary in order to get it through the legislature. “The hope is that we’ll get projects off the ground, we’ll get proof-of-concept,” he said. “I think there was a need to demonstrate some successful stories and then hopefully expand from there.”
While these pilots make sense, economically, for a dual gas and electric company like PG&E, one big question is whether the state’s gas-only utilities like Southern California Gas will take the initiative. (SoCalGas did not respond to my inquiry prior to publication, but the company did support the legislation.)
Looking ahead, even if lawmakers do expand the program to authorize every cost-effective project, this model can’t transition the entire state away from gas. These projects are more likely to pencil out in places with lower housing density, where a given section of pipeline is serving only a handful of homes. A fact sheet about the bill published by its lead sponsor, state senator David Min, says that “zero emissions alternatives” to pipeline replacement are only technically feasible and cost effective for about 5% of PG&E’s territory. “Gas customers won’t be able to pay for the decommissioning of the whole gas system, or even 50% of it,” said Henchen.
In the meantime, however, there’s lots of low-hanging fruit to pluck. Targeted electrification of just 3% to 4% of gas customers across the state could reduce gas utility spending by $15 billion to $26 billion through 2045, according to an analysis by Energy and Environmental Economics.
“It’s a modest step,” said Vespa of the new law. “But I do think it’s meaningful to start moving forward and developing the frameworks for this.”
https://heatmap.news/economy/california-gas-electrification-law
Google is killing its one-click app to run Chrome OS in a VM on Android devices
date: 2024-10-04, from: OS News
Remember earlier this year, when Android Authority discovered Google was experimenting with letting you run full Chrome OS on your Android device? In case you were wondering if that particular piece of spaghetti was sticking to the wall, I’m sorry to disappoint you it isn’t. Despite creating the Ferrochrome launcher app, which would’ve made the whole thing a one-click affair, Google has just removed the whole concept from the Android code base altogether. Unfortunately, though, Google has decided to kill its Ferrochrome launcher app. This was revealed to us by a code change recently submitted to the AOSP Gerrit. The code change, which hasn’t been merged yet, removes the entire Ferrochrome launcher app from AOSP. Google’s reason for removing this app is that it doesn’t plan to ship it or maintain its code. It seems that Google is shifting towards using the Linux-based Debian distro instead of Chrome OS as its testbed for AVF development. ↫ Mishaal Rahman at Android Authority I’m not really sure if people were really asking for something like this, and to Google’s credit – for once – the company never even so much as hinted at releasing this to the general public. Still, the idea of carrying just your phone with you as your primary computer, and plugging into a display and input devices as the need arises, remains something a lot of people are fascinated with, and putting Chrome OS on your Android phone would’ve been one way to achieve this goal. Despite decades of attempts, it seems not even the smartest people in Silicon Valley can crack this nut. Perhaps they should ask Gemini to solve it for them? It doesn’t involve pizza’s, glue, or rocks, so who knows – it might surprise them!
A California Health Care Ballot Measure Is a Stalking Horse for Battling Landlords
date: 2024-10-04, from: Capital and Main
Following the money reveals the gaming of the state’s initiative process.
The post A California Health Care Ballot Measure Is a Stalking Horse for Battling Landlords appeared first on .
How can we make FreeBSD more attractive to new users?
date: 2024-10-04, from: OS News
For nearly 15 years, FreeBSD has been at the core of my personal infrastructure, and my passion for it has only grown over time. As a die-hard fan, I’ve stuck with BSD-based systems because they continue to deliver exactly what I need—storage, networking, and security—without missing a beat. The features I initially fell in love with, like ZFS, jails, and pf, are still rock-solid and irreplaceable. There’s no need to overhaul them, and in many ways, that reliability is what keeps me hooked. My scripts from 20 years ago still work, and that’s a rare kind of stability that few platforms can boast. It’s not just me, either—big names like Netflix, Microsoft, and NetApp, alongside companies like Tailscale and AMD, continue to support FreeBSD, further reinforcing my belief in its strength and longevity (you can find the donators and sponsors right here). Yet, while this familiarity is comforting, it’s becoming clear that FreeBSD must evolve to keep pace with the modern landscape of computing. ↫ gyptazy It’s good to read so many articles and comments from long-time FreeBSD users and contributors who seem to recognise that there’s a real opportunity for FreeBSD to become more than ‘just’ a solid server operating system. This aligns neatly with FreeBSD itself recognising this, too, and investing in improving the operating system’s support for what are not considered basic laptop features like touchpad gestures and advanced sleep states, among other things. I’ve long held the belief that the BSDs are far closer to attracting a wider, more general computing-focused audience than even they themselves sometimes seem to think. There’s a real, tangible benefit to the way BSDs are developed and structured – a base system developed by one team – compared to the Linux world, and there’s enough disgruntlement among especially longtime Linux users about things like Wayland and systemd that there’s a pool of potential users to attract that didn’t exist only a few years ago. If you’re a little unsure about the future of Linux – give one of the BSDs a try. There’s a real chance you’ll love it.
https://www.osnews.com/story/140857/how-can-we-make-freebsd-more-attractive-to-new-users/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-10-04, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
It could be that human intelligence, once we figure out what it is, will be as trivial as they tell us the AI "intelligence" is.
http://scripting.com/2024/10/04.html#a190204
Fighting to Protect California’s 13,000-Year-Old Oak
date: 2024-10-04, from: California Native Plants Society
CNPS and partners are suing to protect the world’s oldest known living oak, estimated to be at least 13,000 years old.
The post Fighting to Protect California’s 13,000-Year-Old Oak appeared first on California Native Plant Society.
https://www.cnps.org/news-releases/fighting-to-protect-californias-13000-year-old-oak-40567
ImageWriter II Color Ribbon Fix
date: 2024-10-04, from: Biosrhythm blog
If you’ve attempted to use an original color ribbon in your ImageWriter II recently, you’ve quickly found out that the pinch rollers inside the cartridge have disintegrated over time. More specifically, the foam that goes around the rollers that pull the ribbon through the cartridge have fallen apart and turned to sticky dust. I recently […]
https://biosrhythm.com/?p=2919
Tesla Cybertruck recalled again. This time, a software fix for backup camera glitch
date: 2024-10-04, updated: 2024-10-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
10 seconds to Elon blaming this on Kamala or something
Tesla has submitted another safety recall for the Cybertruck, this time over problems with its backup camera - an essential feature, considering the bulky vehicle’s barely functional rearview mirror.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/10/04/tesla_cybertruck_recall/
Metal Detectorists Unearth 1,000-Year-Old Viking Coins on a Small Island in the Irish Sea
date: 2024-10-04, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Experts say that the trove of silver currency is official treasure and includes coins from England and Ireland
Two and a Half Years After the Russian Invasion, Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage Remains at Risk
date: 2024-10-04, from: Smithsonian Magazine
A $1 million grant from the U.S. is the latest effort to support Ukraine’s fight to preserve its rich past
macOS 15.0.1
date: 2024-10-04, from: Michael Tsai
Juli Clover (release notes, no security, enterprise, no developer, full installer, IPSW): According to Apple’s release notes, macOS Sequoia 15.0.1 fixes a bug that could cause the Messages app to crash when a message with a shared Apple Watch face was sent, and it improves third-party software compatibility. See also: Mr. Macintosh and Howard Oakley. […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/10/04/macos-15-0-1/
iOS 18.0.1
date: 2024-10-04, from: Michael Tsai
Juli Clover (release notes, security, enterprise, no developer): iOS 18.0.1 update addresses issues with several bug fixes for the touch screen, camera, and Messages app. Previously: iPadOS 18.0.1 iOS 18
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/10/04/ios-18-0-1/
Scientists Use Cold War-Era Spy Plane to Find Unexpected Gamma Rays in Thunderstorms
date: 2024-10-04, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The new findings bring storm researchers one step closer to solving the mystery of how lightning forms
iPadOS 18.0.1
date: 2024-10-04, from: Michael Tsai
Juli Clover (release notes, security, no developer): Apple today released iPadOS 18.0.1 for the iPad, and it brings iPadOS 18 to the for M4 iPad Pro models for the first time since the iPadOS 18 update was pulled for those devices. After iPadOS 18 was released, it was found that a small number of M4 […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/10/04/ipados-18-0-1/
watchOS 11.0.1
date: 2024-10-04, from: Michael Tsai
Juli Clover (release notes, no security, no developer): watchOS 11.0.1 introduces bug fixes for the Apple Watch. It fixes an issue that could cause the Music app to crash, plus it addresses a bug that could cause the battery to drain faster than expected. There’s also a fix for a bug that could cause the […]
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/10/04/watchos-11-0-1/
visionOS 2.0.1
date: 2024-10-04, from: Michael Tsai
Juli Clover (release notes, no developer, no security, no enterprise): The visionOS 2 update fixes a bug that could cause YouTube in Safari to freeze, plus it addresses an issue with Safari Web Extension data. Previously: visionOS 2
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/10/04/visionos-2-0-1/
DigiPort is a Raspberry Pi-powered HDMI stick that turns any TV into a PC for retro gaming, video streaming, and more (crowdfunding)
date: 2024-10-04, from: Liliputing
Raspberry Pi is known for making small, low-power single-board computers. But you typically have to connect them to a monitor, mouse, keyboard, and other peripherals using cables or wireless connections. The DigiPort removes at least one of those cables. It’s basically a PC-on-a-stick that’s designed to plug directly into the HDMI port of a TV. It […]
The post DigiPort is a Raspberry Pi-powered HDMI stick that turns any TV into a PC for retro gaming, video streaming, and more (crowdfunding) appeared first on Liliputing.
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-10-04, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Greg Abbott’s Border 'Theatrics' Now Include Acting Like the State Department.
https://www.texasobserver.org/border-abbott-terrorist-venezuela-immigration/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-10-04, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Register to vote in your state.
If you’re excited by that $1.5B Michigan nuke plant revival, bear in mind it’s definitely a fixer-upper
date: 2024-10-04, updated: 2024-10-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Activists, ex-insider sound the alarm as operator says all is under control
Analysis A shuttered Michigan nuclear power plant is going to need a lot of work to get back online, according to atomic watchdogs. But its operators say the project is still on track despite extensive steam tube damage.…
Sunglint on the Alabama River
date: 2024-10-04, from: NASA breaking news
In this June 26, 2023, photo taken from the International Space Station, sunlight shines off the smooth waters of the Alabama River in a phenomenon known as sunglint. When photographing Earth, astronauts often take advantage of sunglint’s tendency to increase the contrast between water surfaces and surrounding land surfaces. In the 1960s, the Alabama River […]
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/sunglint-on-the-alabama-river/
Science Activation’s PLACES Team Facilitates Third Professional Learning Institute
date: 2024-10-04, from: NASA breaking news
The NASA Science Activation program’s Place-Based Learning to Advance Connections, Education, and Stewardship (PLACES) project supports middle and high school educators to engage students in data-rich Earth science learning through the integration of NASA data sets, images, classroom lessons, and other assets. This project draws on a place-based approach as a means to increase “data […]
Drivers for Lyft and Uber Are Building a National Movement
date: 2024-10-04, from: Capital and Main
From Chicago to San Jose, California, rideshare drivers are working together for higher pay, safer work and better jobs.
The post Drivers for Lyft and Uber Are Building a National Movement appeared first on .
https://capitalandmain.com/drivers-for-lyft-and-uber-are-building-a-national-movement
‘Pride and Prejudice’ Gets a New Adaptation: an Interactive A.I. Avatar
date: 2024-10-04, from: Smithsonian Magazine
Lizzy, the avatar based on the novel’s Elizabeth Bennet, will hold period-accurate conversations with visitors at Jane Austen’s cottage home
Behind the Blog: Newsworthy FOIA Files and the Art and Science of Paywalling
date: 2024-10-04, 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 FOIAing after those racist pet-eating claims, the art and science of paywalling, and gambling with journalism.
https://www.404media.co/behind-the-blog-newsworthy-foia-files-and-the-art-and-science-of-paywalling/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-10-04, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 is next Waymo robotaxi.
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2024/10/the-hyundai-ioniq-5-will-be-the-next-waymo-robotaxi/
The Dream of Swappable EV Batteries Is Alive in Trucking
date: 2024-10-04, from: Heatmap News
Battery swaps used to be the future. To solve the unsolvable problem of long recharging times for electric vehicles, some innovators at the dawn of this EV age imagined roadside stops where drivers would trade their depleted battery for a fully charged one in a matter of minutes, then be on their merry way.
That vision didn’t work out for passenger EVs — the industry chose DC fast charging instead. If the startup Revoy has its way, however, this kind of idea might be exactly the thing that helps the trucking industry surmount its huge hurdles to using electric power.
Revoy’s creation is, essentially, a bonus battery pack on wheels that turns an ordinary semi into an EV for as long as the battery lasts. The rolling module carries a 525 kilowatt-hour lithium iron phosphate battery pack attaches to the back of the truck; then, the trailer full of cargo attaches to the module. The pack offers a typical truck 250 miles of electric driving. Founder Ian Rust told me that’s just enough energy to reach the next Revoy station, where the trucker could swap their depleted module for a fresh one. And if the battery hits zero charge, that’s no problem because the truck reverts to its diesel engine. It’s a little like a plug-in hybrid vehicle, if the PHEV towed its battery pack like an Airstream and could drop it off at will.
“If you run out of battery with us, there’s basically no range anxiety,” Rust said. “And we do it intentionally on our routes, run it down to as close to zero as possible before we hit the next Revoy swapping station. That way you can get the maximum value of the battery without having to worry about range.”
To start, a trucker in a normal, everyday semi pulls up to a Revoy station and drops their trailer. A worker attaches a fully charged Revoy unit to the truck and trailer—all in five minutes or less, Revoy promises. Once in place, the unit interfaces seamlessly with the truck’s drivetrain and controls.
“It basically takes over as the cruise control on the vehicle,” he said. “So the driver gets it up to speed, takes their foot off the gas, and then we actually become the primary powertrain on the vehicle. You really only have to burn diesel for the little bit that is getting onto the highway and then getting off the highway, and you get really extreme MPGs with that.”
The Revoy model is going through its real-world paces as we speak. Rust’s startup has partnered with Ryder trucking, whose drivers are powering their semis with Revoy EVs at battery-swap stops along a stretch of Interstate 30 in Texas and Arkansas, a major highway for auto parts and other supplies coming from Mexico. Rust hopes the next Revoy corridor will go into Washington State, where the ample hydropower could help supply clean energy to all those swappable batteries. Happily, he said, Revoy can expand piecemeal like this because its approach negates the chicken-and-egg problem of needing a whole nation of EV chargers to make the vehicles themselves viable. Once a truck leaves a Revoy corridor, it’s just a diesel-powered truck again.
Early data from the Ryder pilot shows that the EV unit slashed how much diesel fuel a truck needs to make it down the designated corridor. “This is a way we can reduce a path to reduce the emissions of our fleet without having to buy anything — and without having to have to worry about how much utilization we’re going to have to get,” Mike Plasencia, group director of New Product Strategy at Ryder, told me.
Trucking represents one of the biggest opportunities for cutting the carbon emissions of the transportation sector. It’s also one of the most challenging. Heatmap has covered the problem of oversized SUV and pickup truck EVs, which need larger, more expensive batteries to propel them. The trucking problem is that issue on steroids: A semi can tow up to 80,000 pounds down an American highway.
There are companies building true EV semi trucks despite this tall order — Tesla’s has been road-testing one while hauling Pepsi around, and trucking mainstays like Peterbilt are trying their hand as well. Although the EV model that works for everyday cars — a built-in battery that requires recharging after a couple hundred miles — can work for short-haul trucks that move freight around a city, it is a difficult fit for long-haul trucking where a driver must cover vast distances on a strict timetable. That’s exactly where Revoy is trying to break in.
“We are really focused on long haul,” he told me. “The reason for that is, it’s the bigger market. One of the big misconceptions in trucking is that it’s dominated by short haul. It’s very much the opposite. And it’s the bigger emission source, it’s the bigger fuel user.”
Rust has a background in robotics and devised the Revoy system as a potential solution to both the high cost of EV semis and to the huge chunks of time lost to fueling during long-distance driving. Another part of the pitch is that the Revoy unit is more than a battery. By employing the regenerative braking common in EVs, the Revoy provides a redundancy beyond air brakes for slowing a big semi—that way, if the air brakes fail, a trucker has a better option than the runaway truck lane. The setup also provides power and active steering to the Revoy’s axle, which Rust told me makes the big rig easier to maneuver.
Plasencia agrees. “The feedback from the drivers has been positive,” he said. “You get feedback messages like, it felt like I was driving a car, or like I wasn’t carrying anything.”
As it tries to expand to more trucking corridors across the nation, Revoy may face an uphill battle in trying to sell truckers and trucking companies on an entirely new way to think about electrifying their fleets. But Rust has one ace up his sleeve: With Revoy, they get to keep their trucks — no need to buy new ones.
https://heatmap.news/electric-vehicles/revoy-electric-trucking
Scientists Unveil the First-Ever Complete Map of an Adult Fruit Fly’s Brain, Captured in Stunning Detail
date: 2024-10-04, from: Smithsonian Magazine
The brain diagram, called a connectome, could revolutionize researchers’ understanding of the human brain, which has many parallels with a fruit fly’s
SpaceX accuses ‘meme-stock’ rival of ‘misinformation’ over Starlink signals waiver
date: 2024-10-04, updated: 2024-10-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
AST SpaceMobile partners ‘provide zero technical support for their opposition,’ letter to FCC rages
The competition to deliver satellite-based phone connections is getting nasty, with SpaceX accusing AST SpaceMobile of a misinformation campaign.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/10/04/spacex_ast_spacemobile_dispute/
Why work as a “bee chauffeur” is big business
date: 2024-10-04, from: Marketplace Morning Report
Several times a year, millions of honeybees are transported back and forth across the country to help pollinate the nation’s crops. Whose job is it to move them? Plus, what to make of the gangbusters September jobs report.
Pilet 5 console is a Raspberry Pi-powered handheld PC with a QWERTY keyboard
date: 2024-10-04, from: Liliputing
This summer Souls Circuit unveiled the Pilet 7, a modular computer that combines a Raspberry Pi 5 with a 7 inch touchscreen display, a retro-inspired case, and a slot for modular add-ons like a keyboard or game controller. Now the team has introduced a smaller model called the Pilet 5 that’s designed to be a […]
The post Pilet 5 console is a Raspberry Pi-powered handheld PC with a QWERTY keyboard appeared first on Liliputing.
https://liliputing.com/pilet-5-console-is-a-raspberry-pi-powered-handheld-pc-with-a-qwerty-keyboard/
NASA Announces Teams for 2025 Student Launch Challenge
date: 2024-10-04, from: NASA breaking news
NASA has selected 71 teams from across the U.S. to participate in its 25th annual Student Launch Challenge, one of the agency’s Artemis Student Challenges. The competition is aimed at inspiring Artemis Generation students to explore science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for the benefit of humanity. As part of the challenge, teams will design, […]
US adds 254,000 jobs, unemployment dips to 4.1% in still-sturdy labor market
date: 2024-10-04, from: VOA News USA
WASHINGTON — America’s employers added a surprisingly strong 254,000 jobs in September, the latest evidence that the U.S. labor market is still solid enough to support steady hiring and a growing economy.
Last month’s hiring gain was far more than economists had expected, and it was up sharply from the 159,000 jobs that were added in August. And after rising for most of 2024, the unemployment rate dropped for a second straight month, from 4.2% in August to 4.1% in September, the Labor Department said Friday.
The latest figures suggest that many companies are still confident enough to fill jobs despite the continued pressure of high interest rates. Few employers are laying off workers, though many have grown more cautious about hiring.
In an encouraging sign, the Labor Department also revised up its estimate of job growth in July and August by a combined 72,000.
The September job gains were fairly broad-based, a healthy trend if it continues. Restaurants and bars added 69,000 jobs. Health care companies gained 45,000, government agencies 31,000, social assistance employers 27,000 and construction companies 25,000. A category that includes professional and business services added 17,000 after having lost jobs for three straight months.
Average hourly raises were solid, too. They rose by a higher-than-expected 0.4% from
August, slightly less than the 0.5% gain the month before. Measured from a year earlier, hourly wages climbed 4%, up a tick from a 3.9% year-over-year gain in August.
The economy’s progress in taming inflation led the Federal Reserve last month to cut its benchmark interest rate by a sizable half-point, its first rate cut in more than four years, and said further cuts were likely in the coming months. The Fed said it wanted to ease the cost of borrowing to help bolster the job market. Considering Friday’s strong jobs report, the Fed is now likely to reduce its key rate by more typical quarter-point increments.
“The September jobs report shows a nice bump in labor demand at the beginning of the fall,″ said Bill Adams, chief economist at Comerica Bank. “The U.S. economy is growing solidly in 2024 even as inflation slows to near the Fed’s target.”
The resilience of the economy has come as a relief. Economists had expected that the Fed’s aggressive campaign to subdue inflation — it jacked up interest rates 11 times in 2022 and 2023 — would cause a recession. It didn’t. The economy kept growing even in the face of ever-higher borrowing costs for consumers and businesses.
Most economists say the Fed appears to have achieved the once unlikely prospect of a “soft landing,” in which high interest rates help vanquish inflation without triggering a recession.
The economy is weighing heavily on voters as the Nov. 5 presidential election nears.
Many Americans are unimpressed by the job market’s durability and are still frustrated by high prices, which remain on average 19% above where they were in February 2021. That was when inflation began surging as the economy rebounded with unexpected speed and strength from the pandemic recession, causing severe shortages of goods and labor.
The public’s discontent with inflation and the economy under President Joe Biden has been a political burden for Vice President Kamala Harris in her race for the White House against former President Donald Trump.
The jobs report for October, which the government will issue four days before Election Day, will likely be muddied by the effects of Hurricane Helene and a strike by Boeing machinists.
Across the economy, though, most indicators look solid. The U.S. economy, the world’s largest, grew at a vigorous 3% annual pace from April through June, boosted by consumer spending and business investment. A forecasting tool from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta points to slower but still healthy 2.5% annual growth in the just-ended July-September quarter.
The Institute for Supply Management, an association of purchasing managers, reported that America’s services businesses grew for a third straight month in September and at an unexpectedly fast pace. The economy’s service sector is closely watched because it represents more than 70% of U.S. jobs.
Last month, the nation’s households increased their spending at retailers. And even with hiring having slowed, Americans are enjoying unusual job security. Layoffs are near a record low as a percentage of employment. The number of people filing for unemployment benefits also remains near historically low levels.
Companies seem generally reluctant to let workers go even though some are also hesitant to expand their payrolls. That unusual dynamic may stem from many employers having been caught flat-footed and short of staff after the economy began roaring back from the pandemic recession. Posted job openings, too, have declined steadily, to 8 million in August, after having peaked at 12.2 million in March 2022.
Workers have noticed the chillier environment for jobseekers. Far fewer feel confident enough to leave their jobs to seek a better position. The number of Americans who are quitting their jobs has reached its lowest level since August 2020, when the economy was still reeling from COVID.
@IIIF Mastodon feed (date: 2024-10-04, from: IIIF Mastodon feed)
Join us for the next
#IIIF
Community call on Oct. 9, featuring the team from
Mirador Viewer
providing an update on the collaborative work process toward the
upcoming Mirador release.
To join, use the Zoom on the IIIF Community Calendar: http://iiif.io/community
https://glammr.us/@IIIF/113249717788194264
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-10-04, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Last night it wasn't lookin good for the Mets.
http://scripting.com/2024/10/04/132351.html?title=howAboutTheMets
NASA Announces Teams to Compete in International Rover Challenge
date: 2024-10-04, from: NASA breaking news
NASA has selected 75 student teams to begin an engineering design challenge to build rovers that will compete next spring at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center near the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The competition is one of the agency’s Artemis Student Challenges, encouraging students to pursue degrees and careers in […]
October 7th and the Limits of Diplomacy
date: 2024-10-04, updated: 2024-10-04, from: RAND blog
Outside mediators, including the United States, may not be able to end the Israel-Hamas war—particularly if the combatants themselves don’t want to stop fighting.
https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2024/10/october-7th-and-the-limits-of-diplomacy.html
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-10-04, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
Matt Mullenweg's blog post on Automattic employees taking the buyout.
https://ma.tt/2024/10/alignment/
TSMC and Amkor link up to bring advanced packaging stateside
date: 2024-10-04, updated: 2024-10-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Arizona looks like the place to be for US semiconductor manufacturing
Taiwan’s TSMC has inked a deal with US semiconductor outfit Amkor Technology to beef up advanced chip packaging on American soil.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/10/04/tsmc_amkor_arizona/
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-10-04, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
159 employees are leaving Automattic as CEO's fight with WP Engine escalates.
A Big Change Is Coming to the Texas Power Grid
date: 2024-10-04, from: Heatmap News
Current conditions: Hurricane Kirk, now a Category 4 storm, could bring life-threatening surf and rip currents to the East Coast this weekend • The New Zealand city of Dunedin is flooded after its rainiest day in more than 100 years • Parts of the U.S. may be able to see the Northern Lights this weekend after the sun released its biggest solar flare since 2017.
THE TOP FIVE
- DOE announces $1.5 billion investment in transmission projects
The Energy Department yesterday announced $1.5 billion in investments toward four grid transmission projects. The selected projects will “enable nearly 1,000 miles of new transmission development and 7,100 MW of new capacity throughout Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, while creating nearly 9,000 good-paying jobs,” the DOE said in a statement. One of the projects, called Southern Spirit, will involve installing a 320-mile high-voltage direct current line across Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi that connects Texas’ ERCOT grid to the larger U.S. grid for the first time. This “will enhance reliability and prevent outages during extreme weather events,” the DOE said. “This is a REALLY. BIG. DEAL,” wrote Michelle Lewis at Electrek.
The DOE also released a study examining grid demands through 2050 and concluded that the U.S. will need to double or even triple transmission capacity by 2050 compared to 2020 to meet growing electricity demand.
- Duke Energy doubles down on fossil fuels
Duke Energy, one of the country’s largest utilities, appears to be walking back its commitment to ditch coal by 2035. In a new plan released yesterday, Duke said it would not shut down the second-largest coal-fired power plant in the U.S., Gibson Station in Indiana, in 2035 as previously planned, but would instead run it through 2038. The company plans to retrofit the plant to run on natural gas as well as coal, with similar natural-gas conversions planned for other coal plants. The company also slashed projects for expanding renewables. According to Bloomberg, a Duke spokeswoman cited increasing power demand for the changes. Electricity demand has seen a recent surge in part due to a boom in data centers. Ben Inskeep, program director at the Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana, a consumer and environmental advocacy group, noted that Duke’s modeling has Indiana customers paying 4% more each year through 2030 “as Duke continues to cling to its coal plants and wastes hundreds of millions on gasifying coal.”
- EEI forecasts 80 million EVs on the road by 2035
The Edison Electric Institute issued its latest electric vehicle forecast, anticipating EV trends through 2035. Some key projections from the trade group’s report:
- By 2030, annual EV sales will reach 7.7 million and account for 46% of total light-duty sales.
- That will soar to 12.2 million annual sales by 2035, with EVs accounting for about 72% of total light-duty sales.
- The total number of EVs on U.S. roads in 2035 will be nearly 80 million, up from 4.5 million at the end of last year. This means that in about a decade, roughly a quarter of all the vehicles on the road – new and old – will be electric.
- All this growth will necessitate the installation of more than 42.2 million charge points by 2035, 325,000 of which will need to be public DC fast chargers.
- Tesla issues another Cybertruck recall
Tesla issued another recall for the Cybertruck yesterday, the fifth recall for the electric pickup since its launch at the end of last year. The new recall has to do with the rearview camera, which apparently is too slow to display an image to the driver when shifting into reverse. It applies to about 27,000 trucks (which is pretty much all of them), but an over-the-air software update to fix the problem has already been released. There were no reports of injuries or accidents from the defect.
- Study: Antarctic ‘greening’ is accelerating
A new study published in Nature found that vegetation is expanding across Antarctica’s northernmost region, known as the Antarctic Peninsula. As the planet warms, plants like mosses and lichen are growing on rocks where snow and ice used to be, resulting in “greening.” Examining satellite data, the researchers from the universities of Exeter and Hertfordshire, and the British Antarctic Survey, were shocked to discover that the peninsula has seen a tenfold increase in vegetation cover since 1986. And the rate of greening has accelerated by over 30% since 2016. This greening is “creating an area suitable for more advanced plant life or invasive species to get a foothold,” co-author Olly Bartlett, a University of Hertfordshire researcher, told Inside Climate News. “These rates of change we’re seeing made us think that perhaps we’ve captured the start of a more dramatic transformation.”
Moss
on Ardley Island in the
Antarctic.
Dan Charman/Nature
THE KICKER
Japan has a vast underground concrete tunnel system that was built to take on overflow from excess rain water and prevent Tokyo from flooding. It’s 50 meters underground, and nearly 4 miles long.
Carl Court/Getty Images
https://heatmap.news/climate/a-big-change-is-coming-to-the-texas-power-grid
A Big Change Is Coming to the Texas Power Grid
date: 2024-10-04, from: Heatmap News
Current conditions: Hurricane Kirk, now a Category 4 storm, could bring life-threatening surf and rip currents to the East Coast this weekend • The New Zealand city of Dunedin is flooded after its rainiest day in more than 100 years • Parts of the U.S. may be able to see the Northern Lights this weekend after the sun released its biggest solar flare since 2017.
THE TOP FIVE
- DOE announces $1.5 billion investment in transmission projects
The Energy Department yesterday announced $1.5 billion in investments toward four grid transmission projects. The selected projects will “enable nearly 1,000 miles of new transmission development and 7,100 MW of new capacity throughout Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, while creating nearly 9,000 good-paying jobs,” the DOE said in a statement. One of the projects, called Southern Spirit, will involve installing a 320-mile high-voltage direct current line across Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi that connects Texas’ ERCOT grid to the larger U.S. grid for the first time. This “will enhance reliability and prevent outages during extreme weather events,” the DOE said. “This is a REALLY. BIG. DEAL,” wrote Michelle Lewis at Electrek.
The DOE also released a study examining grid demands through 2050 and concluded that the U.S. will need to double or even triple transmission capacity by 2050 compared to 2020 to meet growing electricity demand.
- Duke Energy doubles down on fossil fuels
Duke Energy, one of the country’s largest utilities, appears to be walking back its commitment to ditch coal by 2035. In a new plan released yesterday, Duke said it would not shut down the second-largest coal-fired power plant in the U.S., Gibson Station in Indiana, in 2035 as previously planned, but would instead run it through 2038. The company plans to retrofit the plant to run on natural gas as well as coal, with similar natural-gas conversions planned for other coal plants. The company also slashed projects for expanding renewables. According to Bloomberg, a Duke spokeswoman cited increasing power demand for the changes. Electricity demand has seen a recent surge in part due to a boom in data centers. Ben Inskeep, program director at the Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana, a consumer and environmental advocacy group, noted that Duke’s modeling has Indiana customers paying 4% more each year through 2030 “as Duke continues to cling to its coal plants and wastes hundreds of millions on gasifying coal.”
- EEI forecasts 80 million EVs on the road by 2035
The Edison Electric Institute issued its latest electric vehicle forecast, anticipating EV trends through 2035. Some key projections from the trade group’s report:
- By 2030, annual EV sales will reach 7.7 million and account for 46% of total light-duty sales.
- That will soar to 12.2 million annual sales by 2035, with EVs accounting for about 72% of total light-duty sales.
- The total number of EVs on U.S. roads in 2035 will be nearly 80 million, up from 4.5 million at the end of last year. This means that in about a decade, roughly a quarter of all the vehicles on the road – new and old – will be electric.
- All this growth will necessitate the installation of more than 42.2 million charge points by 2035, 325,000 of which will need to be public DC fast chargers.
- Tesla issues another Cybertruck recall
Tesla issued another recall for the Cybertruck yesterday, the fifth recall for the electric pickup since its launch at the end of last year. The new recall has to do with the rearview camera, which apparently is too slow to display an image to the driver when shifting into reverse. It applies to about 27,000 trucks (which is pretty much all of them), but an over-the-air software update to fix the problem has already been released. There were no reports of injuries or accidents from the defect.
- Study: Antarctic ‘greening’ is accelerating
A new study published in Nature found that vegetation is expanding across Antarctica’s northernmost region, known as the Antarctic Peninsula. As the planet warms, plants like mosses and lichen are growing on rocks where snow and ice used to be, resulting in “greening.” Examining satellite data, the researchers from the universities of Exeter and Hertfordshire, and the British Antarctic Survey, were shocked to discover that the peninsula has seen a tenfold increase in vegetation cover since 1986. And the rate of greening has accelerated by over 30% since 2016. This greening is “creating an area suitable for more advanced plant life or invasive species to get a foothold,” co-author Olly Bartlett, a University of Hertfordshire researcher, told Inside Climate News. “These rates of change we’re seeing made us think that perhaps we’ve captured the start of a more dramatic transformation.”
Moss
on Ardley Island in the
Antarctic.
Dan Charman/Nature
THE KICKER
Japan has a vast underground concrete tunnel system that was built to take on overflow from excess rain water and prevent Tokyo from flooding. It’s 50 meters underground, and nearly 4 miles long.
Carl Court/Getty Images
https://heatmap.news/climate/texas-grid-doe-southern-spirit
Gugusse Roller transfers analogue film to digital with Raspberry Pi
date: 2024-10-04, from: Raspberry Pi News (.com)
This canny way to transfer analogue film to digital was greatly improved by using Raspberry Pi, Rosie Hattersley discovers.
The post Gugusse Roller transfers analogue film to digital with Raspberry Pi appeared first on Raspberry Pi.
Knock It Off, Zoos
date: 2024-10-04, updated: 2024-10-04, from: One Foot Tsunami
https://onefoottsunami.com/2024/10/04/knock-it-off-zoos/
Podcast: One Year Anniversary Subscriber Bonanza
date: 2024-10-04, from: 404 Media Group
In this special podcast episode, we talk subscriber numbers, what people value, how to get our articles in front of people, and what we’re looking to do next year.
https://www.404media.co/podcast-one-year-anniversary-subscriber-bonanza/
Dockworkers suspend their strike — for now
date: 2024-10-04, from: Marketplace Morning Report
Dockworkers have suspended their strike until Jan. 15 in response to a new, higher wage offer from port operators. But what about their demands around automation? Plus, a judge blocks the Biden administration’s latest student debt relief plan, and the complicated work of tracking political donations by companies and business owners.
Hubble Observes a Peculiar Galaxy Shape
date: 2024-10-04, from: NASA breaking news
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image reveals the galaxy, NGC 4694. Most galaxies fall into one of two basic types. Spiral galaxies are young and energetic, filled with the gas needed to form new stars and sporting spiral arms that host these hot, bright youths. Elliptical galaxies have a much more pedestrian look, and their […]
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-observes-a-peculiar-galaxy-shape/
How Meta Brings in Millions Off Political Violence
date: 2024-10-04, from: The Markup blog
CalMatters and The Markup used Facebook’s AI model to count the millions of dollars it makes after violent news events
https://themarkup.org/investigations/2024/10/04/how-meta-brings-in-millions-off-political-violence
Apple fixes bug that let VoiceOver shout your passwords
date: 2024-10-04, updated: 2024-10-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Not a great look when the iGiant just launched its first password manager
Apple just fixed a duo of security bugs in iOS 18.0.1 and iPadOS 18.0.1, one of which might cause users’ saved passwords to be read aloud. It’s hardly an ideal situation for the visually impaired.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/10/04/apple_voiceover_password_bug/
What impact will new tariffs on Chinese EVs have on the EU market?
date: 2024-10-04, from: Marketplace Morning Report
From the BBC World Service: The European Union has given the green light to big tariffs on electric vehicles made in China, but not all member states or European car manufacturers are happy with the decision.
AI in organizations: Some tactics
date: 2024-10-04, from: One Useful Thing
Meet the Lab and the Crowd
https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/ai-in-organizations-some-tactics
ULA nears second launch of Vulcan Centaur in pursuit of US Space Force approval
date: 2024-10-04, updated: 2024-10-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
No spaceplane in the payload, but it won’t be a wasted mission
Updated United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan Centaur is ready to blast off from Florida this morning, the second flight to space for the rocket.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/10/04/ula_vulcan_centaur_launch/
Office 2024 unveiled for Microsoft 365 refuseniks
date: 2024-10-04, updated: 2024-10-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
For the IT professional who has to take work home
The Long Term Service Channel (LTSC) version of Microsoft Office 2024 is being joined by a version aimed at consumers and small businesses that want to avoid paying subscription fees.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/10/04/office_2024/
The Final Touches: What’s New In v2.0.0-rc.10
date: 2024-10-04, updated: 2024-10-04, from: Deno blog
We’ve merged in many fixes and improvements to the Deno 2 release candidate. Here’s what’s new.
https://deno.com/blog/v2.0-release-candidate-update
Busybox 1.37 is tiny but capable, the way we like Linux tools to be
date: 2024-10-04, updated: 2024-10-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Self-proclaimed Swiss Army knife of embedded Linux moves slow and fixes things in latest release
Busybox is tiny, unobtrusive, and runs quite a lot of routers and other key bits of the internet – somewhat like Linux itself used to be.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/10/04/busybox_137/
Analysts: Japan’s new prime minister may seek nuclear consulting body with US
date: 2024-10-04, from: VOA News USA
Washington — Japan’s new prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, who began his term this week, may advocate for forming a nuclear body with the United States that is similar to an arrangement between the U.S. and South Korea aimed at planning for nuclear warfare contingencies.
“The U.S.-ROK [Republic of Korea, or South Korea] approach is probably a good example of where the U.S. and Japan might go in the future if nuclear threats keep increasing,” said James Schoff, a senior director of the U.S.-Japan NEXT Alliance Initiative at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA.
“It’s not about nuclear sharing or Japan building its own nuclear forces — both politically impossible at the moment and not necessary — but [about] the alliance taking more practical steps to be prepared for U.S. nuclear retaliation, if it becomes necessary,” Schoff said.
He said creating such a body would demonstrate resolve, credibility and readiness to any potential adversary and thus deter nuclear use in the first place.
Nuclear talk body
The new body would resemble the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) that South Korea and the United States established as part of the Washington Declaration in April 2023. The Washington-Seoul nuclear body is aimed at planning for potential nuclear contingencies caused by North Korea.
A U.S.-Japan nuclear consultative body would focus on nuclear threats from China and Russia in addition to North Korea, analysts say.
In a joint statement issued at their Security Consultative Committee meeting in July, Tokyo and Washington shared concerns over China’s “rapid expansion of its nuclear weapons arsenal” and agreed to strengthen deterrence through their ongoing Extended Deterrence Dialogue.
“Ishiba is likely to continue the strategies of [his predecessor Fumio] Kishida against China, and may in fact try to be bolder,” said Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Indo-Pacific Security Initiative and an associate professor at Tokyo International University.
Countering China
Though he is not entirely anti-China, Ishiba, a former defense minister who analysts say tends to view foreign relations through a security framework, is expected to be tough on China’s military assertions.
“Prime Minister Ishiba has spoken openly about the serious security challenges China poses to Japan,” said Ken Weinstein, the Japan chair at Hudson Institute.
“These challenges lie behind his desire for an Asian NATO and nuclear sharing, neither of which is likely to be policy,” Weinstein continued. “Instead, we are likely to see a change in tone towards the PRC with a tougher line from the Kantei on Chinese provocations than we saw from the more establishmentarian Kishida government.”
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the official name of China, and the Kantei refers to the Japanese prime minister’s office.
Before Ishiba was elected, he wrote an article published in September by the Hudson Institute, an American conservative non-profit think tank based in Washington D.C., advocating for an Asian version of NATO that would consider sharing U.S. nuclear weapons or introducing nuclear weapons in the region.
He said if nuclear threats by China and North Korea escalate in the region, “the U.S. extended deterrence in the region will no longer function.”
Extended deterrence involves a U.S. commitment to use all military assets, including nuclear weapons, to defend the region. Such a commitment would deter potential adversaries from causing any conflict.
But in recent years, there has been growing skepticism among U.S. allies over its extended deterrence commitment, leading South Korea to call for its own nuclear weapons.
In January 2023, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said South Korea may have to consider developing its own nuclear weapons or ask the U.S. to redeploy nuclear weapons in South Korea.
Yoon later retracted his statement after the NCG was created in April 2023, saying that South Korea will instead focus on enhancing deterrence with the United States to deal with North Korea’s nuclear threat.
Asian NATO
Ishiba’s call for a collective security arrangement like an Asian NATO and nuclear deployment and sharing options stems from uncertainty in relying “solely on the security alliance with the U.S.,” said Daniel Sneider, a lecturer in international policy focusing on Japanese foreign policy at Stanford University.
Ishiba sees “the need to protect Taiwan from Chinese attempts to forcefully reunify” the self-governed island that Beijing considers its own territory. He also wants Japan “to be prepared for any eventualities, including the retreat of the United States from global leadership,” amid concerns over U.S. foreign policy after the presidential election in November, Sneider said.
Before Japan’s own election this month, Ishiba, as a member of the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party, visited Taiwan in August and told Taiwan President Lai Ching-te that enhanced deterrence was necessary to resist China’s aggression in the Taiwan Strait.
The Sasakawa Peace Foundation’s Schoff said Ishiba probably knows that a true Asian NATO is not feasible, but “he is sending a signal to China and Russia that their aggressive use of military forces harassing other countries and penetrating their sovereign space is being noticed and will push Asian countries closer together in collective defense if they keep it up.”
Japan accused a Chinese spy plane of violating its airspace for the first time in August.
Matthew Brummer, a professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo, said instead of calling for an Asian NATO, Japan will likely increase cooperation with NATO countries, deepening security agreements, especially regarding joint technology sharing and production.
Revenge for being fired is best served profitably
date: 2024-10-04, updated: 2024-10-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Why yes, I will help you again – for a price
On Call The exchange of labor for currency can be a grim business, which is why The Register ends each working week with a new instalment of On Call – the reader contributed column in which you tell cathartic tales of Working For The Man.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/10/04/on_call/
Harvard duo hacks Meta Ray-Bans to dox strangers on sight in seconds
date: 2024-10-04, updated: 2024-10-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
‘You can build this in a few days – even as a very naïve developer’
A pair of inventive Harvard undergraduates have created what they believe could be one of the most intrusive devices ever built – a wake-up call, they tell The Register, for the world to take privacy seriously in the AI era.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/10/04/harvard_engineer_meta_smart_glasses/
Google Cloud to help India export its Digital Public Infrastructure
date: 2024-10-04, updated: 2024-10-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Bundles free government apps to help digital diplomacy – and maybe find some new customers
Google Cloud will help India to spread its Digital Public Infrastructure – the suite of government apps it offers to help other nations – through the development of a “DPI in a box” tool.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/10/04/google_assists_to_export_indias/
Elon Musk’s X mashed by Australian court for evading child protection reporting
date: 2024-10-04, updated: 2024-10-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Argument that it didn’t inherit Twitter’s legal obligations did not hit the spot
Australia’s Federal Court has rejected Elon Musk’s assertion that X/Twitter does not need to comply with local requirements to provide information about how it detects, removes and prevents the spread of child sexual abuse material.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/10/04/x_loses_australian_child_safety_case/
Big brands among thousands infected by payment-card-stealing CosmicSting crooks
date: 2024-10-04, updated: 2024-10-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Gangs hit 5% of all Adobe Commerce, Magento-powered stores, Sansec says
Updated Ray-Ban, National Geographic, Whirlpool, and Segway are among thousands of brands whose web stores were reportedly compromised by criminals exploiting the CosmicSting flaw in hope of stealing shoppers’ payment card info as they order stuff online.…
Mixed verdict for 3 Memphis officers convicted in man’s fatal beating
date: 2024-10-04, from: VOA News USA
MEMPHIS, Tennessee — Three former Memphis police officers were convicted Thursday in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, but were acquitted of the harshest charges they faced for a death that sparked national protests and calls for broad changes in policing.
Jurors deliberated for about six hours before coming back with the mixed verdict for Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith.
All were convicted of witness tampering related to the cover-up of the beating, but Bean and Smith were acquitted of civil rights charges. Haley was acquitted of violating Nichols’ civil rights causing death, but convicted of the lesser charge of violating his civil rights causing bodily injury. He was also convicted of a conspiracy to witness tamper charge that the others were acquitted of.
The court remained silent as the verdicts were read.
The judge ordered all three officers to be taken into custody. He planned to hold a hearing Monday to hear from the defense lawyers about releasing them pending sentencing. The witness tampering charges carry possible sentences of up to 20 years in prison. The civil rights charge against Haley carries up to 10 years in prison. They had faced up to life in prison if convicted on the harshest charges.
The verdict marked a partial setback for prosecutors who were unable to land a conviction for civil rights violations for two officers who played an active role in the encounter. Jurors repeatedly watched graphic clips from police video that showed the officers punch and kick Nichols and hit him with a police baton just steps from his home, as the 29-year-old called out for his mother.
In a statement, Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who oversees the Justice Department’s civil rights division, said “Tyre Nichols should be alive today.”
“We hope this prosecution provides some measure of comfort as the law enforcement officers tied to his death have been held accountable,” Clarke said.
Bean and Smith were seen on video wrestling with Nichols and holding his arms, while also hitting him, but the jury was not convinced those actions amounted to civil rights violations. An FBI agent said Smith told him he punched Nichols, but defense lawyers argued Bean and Smith were merely slapping Nichols’ hands away as they tried to put handcuffs on him.
Rodney Wells, Nichols’ stepfather, told The Associated Press outside the courtroom: “A win is a win. They’re all going to jail.”
Five officers were charged in Nichols’ death, but two pleaded guilty and testified against members of their old crime suppression unit.
Prosecutors argued that Nichols was beaten for running from a traffic stop, saying it was part of a common police practice referred to in officer slang as a “street tax” or “run tax.” They said the officers lied — to a supervisor, to medical professionals attending to Nichols and in required written reports — about the extent of the force they used.
“This has been a long journey for our family,” RowVaughn Wells, Nichols’ mother, told reporters. “I’m actually in shock right now because I still can’t believe all the stuff that’s going on. But we’re happy that they all have been convicted and they have been arrested.”
Smith’s lawyer declined to comment. Attorneys for Bean and Haley did not respond to requests for comment.
Nichols, who was Black, ran from the traffic stop despite being hit with pepper spray and a Taser. The five officers, who were fired after the beating, also are Black.
Some of the most emotional testimony at trial came from one of the officers, Desmond Mills, who took a plea deal in which prosecutors call for up to 15 years in prison. He testified in tears that he was sorry, that he left Nichols’ young son fatherless and that he wishes he stopped the punches. Later, he testified that he went along with a cover-up in hopes that Nichols would survive and the whole thing would “blow over.”
Nichols died Jan. 10, 2023, three days after the beating. His son is now 7 years old.
The other officer who reached a deal with prosecutors, Emmitt Martin, testified that Nichols was “helpless” while officers pummeled him, and that afterward the officers understood “they weren’t going to tell on me, and I wasn’t going to tell on them.” Under his plea agreement, prosecutors will suggest a prison sentence of up to 40 years.
Defense attorneys sought to portray Martin as a principal aggressor. Martin testified Nichols was not a threat, yet he acknowledged punching and kicking Nichols in the head.
Mills’ lawyer declined to comment. Martin’s attorney did not immediately respond to a phone message.
The police video shows the officers milling about and talking as Nichols struggles with his injuries. An autopsy report shows he died from blows to the head. The report describes brain injuries, and cuts and bruises on his head and other areas.
With the federal criminal trial complete, other investigations and court action still aren’t settled.
The five officers also have been charged with second-degree murder in state court, where they pleaded not guilty, although Mills and Martin are expected to change their pleas. A trial date in state court has not been set.
The U.S. Department of Justice is conducting a “patterns and practices” investigation into how Memphis officers use force and conduct arrests, and whether the department in the majority-Black city engages in racially discriminatory policing.
The Justice Department also has a separate review concerning use of force, de-escalation strategies and specialized units within Memphis police.
Pastor Earle Fisher, a Memphis activist who has long called for investigations of the city’s police, said he hopes the probes “provide for us the remedies we so rightly deserve.”
Additionally, Nichols’ mother filed a $550 million lawsuit against the city and its police chief.
Ben Crump and Anthony Romanucci, lawyers for Nichols’ family, said the verdicts “bring a measure of accountability for his senseless and tragic death.”
“Our fight for justice for Tyre is far from over,” the lawyers said in a joint statement.
Grace period for US student loan payments is over. Here’s what you need to know
date: 2024-10-04, from: VOA News USA
NEW YORK — The 12-month grace period for student loan borrowers ended on September 30. The “on-ramp” period helped borrowers who are struggling to make payments avoid the risk of defaulting and hurting their credit score.
“The end of the on-ramp period means the beginning of the potentially harsh consequences for student loan borrowers who are not able to make payments,” said Persis Yu, Deputy Executive Director at the Student Borrower Protection Center.
Around 43 million Americans have student loan debt, amounting to $1.5 trillion. Around eight million of those borrowers had enrolled in the SAVE plan, the newest income-driven repayment plan that extended the eligibility for borrowers to have affordable monthly student loan payments. However, this plan is currently on hold due to legal challenges.
With the on-ramp period and a separate program known as Fresh Start ending and the SAVE plan on hold, student loan borrowers who are struggling to afford their monthly payments have fewer options, added Yu. Student loan borrowers who haven’t been able to afford their monthly payments must consider their options to avoid going into default.
If you have student loans, here’s what you need to know.
What was the on-ramp period?
The Education Department implemented this grace period to ease the borrower’s transition to make payments after a three-year payment pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this year-long period, borrowers were encouraged to keep making payments since interest continued to accumulate.
“Normally, loans will default if you fall about nine months behind on making payments, but during this on-ramp period, missed payments would not move people towards defaulting and then being subject to forced collections. However, if you missed payments, you still be falling behind ultimately on repaying your loans,” said Abby Shaforth, director of National Consumer Law Center’s Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project.
Since this grace period has ended, student loan borrowers who don’t make payments will go delinquent or, if their loans are not paid for nine months, go into default.
Borrowers who cannot afford to make payments can apply for deferment or forbearance, which pause payments, though interest continues to accrue.
What happens if I don’t make my payments?
Borrowers who can’t or don’t pay risk delinquency and eventually default. That can badly hurt your credit rating and make you ineligible for additional aid and government benefits.
If a borrower missed one month’s payment, they will start receiving email notifications, said Shaforth. Once the loan hasn’t been paid for three months, loan servicers notify to the credit reporting agencies that the loan is delinquent, affecting your credit history. Once the borrower hasn’t paid the loan for nine months, the loan goes into default.
If you’re struggling to pay, advisers first encourage you to check if you qualify for an income-driven repayment plan, which determines your payments by looking at your expenses. You can see whether you qualify by visiting the Federal Student Aid website. If you’ve worked for a government agency or a non-profit organization, you could also be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which forgives student debt after 10 years.
What happens when a loan goes into default?
When you fall behind on a loan by 270 days — roughly nine months — the loan appears on your credit report as being in default.
Once a loan is in default, it goes into collections. This means the government can garnish wages (without a court order) to go towards paying back the loan, intercept tax refunds, and seize portions of Social Security checks and other benefit payments.
What if I can’t pay?
If your budget doesn’t allow you to resume payments, it’s important to know how to navigate the possibility of default and delinquency on a student loan. Both can hurt your credit rating, which would make you ineligible for additional aid.
If you’re in a short-term financial bind, you may qualify for deferment or forbearance — allowing you to temporarily suspend payment.
To determine whether deferment or forbearance are good options for you, you can contact your loan servicer. One thing to note: interest still accrues during deferment or forbearance. Both can also impact potential loan forgiveness options. Depending on the conditions of your deferment or forbearance, it may make sense to continue paying the interest during the payment suspension.
What is an income-driven repayment plan?
The U.S. Education Department offers several plans for repaying federal student loans. Under the standard plan, borrowers are charged a fixed monthly amount that ensures all their debt will be repaid after 10 years. But if borrowers have difficulty paying that amount, they can enroll in one of several plans that offer lower monthly payments based on income and family size. Those are known as income-driven repayment plans.
Income-driven options have been offered for years and generally cap monthly payments at 10% of a borrower’s discretionary income. If a borrower’s earnings are low enough, their bill is reduced to $0. And after 20 or 25 years, any remaining debt gets erased.
What is the latest with the SAVE program?
In August, the Supreme Court kept on hold the SAVE plan, the income-driven repayment plan that would have lowered payments for millions of borrowers, while lawsuits make their way through lower courts.
Eight million borrowers who had already enrolled in the SAVE plan don’t have to pay their monthly student loan bills until the court case is resolved. Debt that already had been forgiven under the plan was unaffected.
The next court hearing about this case will be held on October 15.
What happened with the Fresh Start program?
The Fresh Start program, which gave benefits to borrowers who were delinquent prior to the pandemic payment pause, also closed on September 30. During this limited program, student loan borrowers who were in default prior to the pandemic were given the opportunity to remove their loans from default, allowing them to enroll in income-driven payment plans, or apply for deferment, among other benefits.
US dockworkers to suspend strike until January
date: 2024-10-04, from: VOA News USA
detroit — The union representing 45,000 striking U.S. dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports reached a deal Thursday to suspend a three-day strike until January 15 to provide time to negotiate a new contract.
The union, the International Longshoremen’s Association, is to resume working immediately. The temporary end to the strike came after the union and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies, reached a tentative agreement on wages, the union and ports said in a joint statement.
A person briefed on the agreement said the ports sweetened their wage offer from about 50% over six years to 62%. The person didn’t want to be identified because the agreement is tentative. Any wage increase would have to be approved by union members as part of the ratification of a final contract.
The union went on strike early Tuesday after its contract expired in a dispute over pay and the automation of tasks at 36 ports stretching from Maine to Texas. The strike came at the peak of the holiday shopping season at the ports, which handle about half the cargo from ships coming into and out of the United States.
The walkout raised the risk of shortages of goods on store shelves if it lasted more than a few weeks. Most retailers, though, had stocked up or shipped items early in anticipation of the dockworkers’ strike.
“With the grace of God, and the goodwill of neighbors, it’s gonna hold,” President Joe Biden told reporters Thursday night after the agreement.
In a statement later, Biden applauded both sides “for acting patriotically to reopen our ports and ensure the availability of critical supplies for Hurricane Helene recovery and rebuilding.”
Biden said that collective bargaining is “critical to building a stronger economy from the middle out and the bottom up.”
The union’s membership won’t need to vote on the temporary suspension of the strike, meaning that giant cranes should start loading and unloading shipping containers Thursday night. Until January 15, the workers will be covered under the old contract, which expired on September 30.
The union had been demanding a 77% raise over six years, plus a complete ban on the use of automation at the ports, which members see as a threat to their jobs. Both sides also have been apart on the issues of pension contributions and the distribution of royalties paid on containers that are moved by workers.
Thomas Kohler, who teaches labor and employment law at Boston College, said the agreement to halt the strike means that the two sides are close to a final deal.
“I’m sure that if they weren’t going anywhere they wouldn’t have suspended (the strike),” he said. “They’ve got wages. They’ll work out the language on automation, and I’m sure that what this really means is it gives the parties time to sit down and get exactly the language they can both live with.”
Industry analysts have said that for every day of a port strike it takes four to six days to recover. But they said a short strike of a few days probably wouldn’t gum up the supply chain too badly.
Kohler said the surprise end to the strike may catch railroads with cars, engines and crews out of position. But railroads are likely to work quickly to fix that.
Just before the strike had begun, the Maritime Alliance said both sides had moved off their original wage offers, a tentative sign of progress.
The settlement pushes the strike and any potential shortages past the November presidential election, eliminating a potential liability for Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee. It’s also a big plus for the Biden-Harris administration, which has billed itself as the most union-friendly in American history. Shortages could have driven up prices and reignited inflation.
Thursday’s deal came after administration officials met with foreign-owned shipping companies before dawn on Zoom, according to a person briefed on the day’s events who asked not to be identified because the talks were private. The White House wanted to increase pressure to settle, emphasizing the responsibility to reopen the ports to help with recovery from Hurricane Helene, the person said.
Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su told them she could get the union to the bargaining table to extend the contract if the carriers made a higher wage offer. Chief of Staff Jeff Zients told the carriers they had to make an offer by the end of the day so a manmade strike wouldn’t worsen a natural disaster, the person said.
By midday the Maritime Alliance members agreed to a large increase, bringing about the agreement, according to the person.
@Dave Winer’s linkblog (date: 2024-10-04, from: Dave Winer’s linkblog)
This is a tiny little text box. My goal is to eradicate these beasts
http://scripting.com/2024/01/14/031201.html
Not just AI datacenters needing own power: Taiwanese server-maker Quanta has bought microgrids
date: 2024-10-04, updated: 2024-10-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
California utilities couldn’t deliver for hyperscalers’ favorite hardware slinger
It’s not just datacenters running AI that need their own energy sources. Taiwanese hardware manufacturer to the clouds Quanta has revealed the purchase of three sets of fuel cell microgrid systems to power one of its California plants, after purchasing two in April of this year.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/10/04/quanta_buys_microgrids/
Biden tours, deploys troops to hurricane-ravaged US states
date: 2024-10-04, from: VOA News USA
President Joe Biden traveled to the election battleground states of Florida and Georgia on Thursday to survey damage caused by Hurricane Helene. It’s the second day the U.S. president reassured storm victims that the federal government will support recovery efforts. Patsy Widakuswara reports.
https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-tours-deploys-troops-to-hurricane-ravaged-us-states-/7810036.html
Sols 4323-4324: Surfin’ Our Way out of the Channel
date: 2024-10-04, from: NASA breaking news
Earth planning date: Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024 As a member of the group tasked with organizing our campaign to investigate the Gediz Vallis channel and deposit (informally known as the Channel Surfers), I was a little sad this morning to see that our drive had successfully taken us out of the channel, back onto the […]
https://science.nasa.gov/blog/sols-4323-4324-surfin-our-way-out-of-the-channel/
Biden surveys Hurricane Helene’s damage in southeastern US
date: 2024-10-04, from: VOA News USA
Lawmakers Are Hiding Their Private Equity Millions
date: 2024-10-04, from: The Lever News
As Wall Street fights legislative crackdowns, J.D. Vance and other top lawmakers have tens of millions invested in private equity — and most don’t have to disclose the details.
https://www.levernews.com/lawmakers-are-hiding-their-private-equity-millions/
AI’s energy appetite too big for Texas grid, regulators warn
date: 2024-10-04, updated: 2024-10-04, from: The Register (UK I.T. News)
Datacenters coming online in the next 15 months will need to supply at least some of their own power
Updated As the saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas, but as datacenter footprints explode amid the AI boom, regulators fear even the Lone Star state’s utilities won’t be able to keep up for much longer.…
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2024/10/04/texas_dc_power/