● 03.24.23

Gemini version available ♊︎

● Links 24/03/2023: Microsoft’s Fall on the Web and Many New Videos

Posted in News Roundup at 1:31 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNU/Linux

Desktop/Laptop

• Framework is introducing new Intel and AMD versions of the Framework Laptop 13, as well as a new 16-inch notebook with upgradeable graphics and removable numpads.

Server

• In the March 2023 survey we received responses from 1,116,018,952 sites across 269,281,081 domains and 12,106,182 web-facing computers. This reflects a loss of 11.6 million sites, 1.4 million domains, and 36,610 web-facing computers.

• This month, for the first time, nginx overtook Apache within the top million busiest sites. nginx gained 1,447 sites, which increased its market share by 0.14pp to 21.37%, compared to Apache at 21.18% (-0.16pp). This allowed it to regain 2nd place, which it lost when Cloudflare overtook both to claim the top spot in January.

• Recently, AWS announced the general availability of Amazon Linux 2023 (AL2023), a third-generation distribution with a high-security standard, predictable lifecycle, and deterministic updates.

• By Steef-Jan Wiggers

Audiocasts/Shows

• Whenever there is an Open Mic Night, there are two things that are likely to happen.

• We’re interviewing Dan Langille about his new server project. He’ll talk to us about the things he’s building, some of which are a bit out of the ordinary. We’re also talking about BSDCan 2023 and what to expect after returning to an in-presence conference format.

Applications

• Stable Diffusion is a deep learning text-to-image diffusion model capable of generating photo-realistic images given any text input. In seconds you can create stunning artwork. Stable Diffusion uses a kind of diffusion model, called a latent diffusion model.

• We recently published reviews of InvokeAI and Stable Diffusion web UI, Stable Diffusion toolkits, both offering straightforward installations of Stable Diffusion with attractive web user interfaces. As we you might expect, there are other projects pursuing similar lines.

• Easy Diffusion offers a web user interface for Stable Diffusion. This is cross-platform open source software running on Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Instructionals/Technical

• In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of setting up and utilizing Google Cloud Platform on Linux Mint, from installation to usage of various GCP services. Our step-by-step instructions are tailored for both experienced Linux users and newcomers, aiming to facilitate seamless integration of GCP into your workflow. Let’s embark on this journey to harness the potential of Google Cloud Platform on your Linux Mint system!

• In this guide, we will provide a comprehensive overview of system logs in Linux Mint, including their importance, how to access and read them, and how to troubleshoot common issues. We will also cover the various tools available for managing system logs in Linux Mint, including the syslog service, journalctl command, and logrotate utility.

• Whether you are a beginner or an experienced developer, this guide will provide you with valuable insights into how to get the most out of Tmux and Vim integration. By the end of this guide, you will have a deeper understanding of how to use these powerful tools in tandem, and you will be able to streamline your workflow and achieve greater efficiency in your coding tasks.

• This article provides tips and best practices for creating secure Dockerfiles that are highly maintainable. Like code, Dockerfiles change over time and, therefore, should be written in such a way that makes them easy to update in the future. It is also important that the images that they create are secure and do not contain unnecessary vulnerabilities that increase the attack surface for your application. The image produced should be as small as possible because the image(s) must be stored remotely and transported in the network. Also, they must not be blotted. Finally, the Dockerfile, like any well-written code, should be easy to understand and use.

• In this tutorial, we will show you how to install TeamViewer on Fedora 37. For those of you who didn’t know, TeamViewer is a popular remote access and support software that allows users to remotely control computers, share screens [...]

• In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Geeqie on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

• You might encounter this error while using the rm command in Linux. The rm command is used in Linux to delete files and directories.

• You will encounter such an error when there is an issue with a Linux server’s DNS resolver. In this tutorial, we have curated a solution for this error. There are multiple solutions for this error.

• As the demand for data processing and analysis increases, more and more companies are turning to the Hue platform. Hue is a web-based interface for Apache Hadoop, which is an open-source framework for distributed storage and processing of large datasets.

• The Hue platform, introduced by Philips, is a smart lighting system that can change the color and brightness of light with the help of a mobile application. The platform offers users control over the ambiance of their homes and offices, while also contributing to energy conservation.

• Introduction Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration platform that allows you to automate deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It has become the de facto standard for managing containerized applications in production. A multi-user Kubernetes cluster is a cluster that is designed to host multiple users and their applications.

• Introduction Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration system that is widely used by organizations to manage their containerized workloads. It is a powerful platform that enables teams to run and scale their applications efficiently.

• Serial communication can be done using Bluetooth. ESP32 features dual Bluetooth which can be configured in receiving data from multiple sources.

• Back up your AAP environment to restore it to your current environment or a new one.

• Brasero is a versatile and user-friendly disc-burning utility that offers a comprehensive range of features for creating, copying, and burning CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs. Developed by the GNOME Project, Brasero is free and open-source software highly popular among Ubuntu users.

• The Xanmod Kernel is an open-source, performance-enhanced Linux kernel designed to optimize system responsiveness, stability, and overall performance. This alternative kernel has been customized and optimized by the Xanmod team, a group of independent developers who maintain the project.

• A decade after the previous release, the highly anticipated MariaDB Server 11.0 has finally arrived, boasting a wealth of improvements and new features. Among the most notable advancements is the introduction of a new optimizer cost model, which aims to enhance the accuracy of predicting query execution plan costs.

• Sublime Merge is a cutting-edge Git client developed by the same team behind the popular Sublime Text editor. With its sleek, intuitive interface, powerful features, and unmatched performance, Sublime Merge has rapidly become the go-to choice for developers seeking a sophisticated, user-friendly Git experience.

• Brave browser is a free, open-source, and privacy-focused web browser that has been gaining popularity since its initial release in 2016. Developed by Brave Software Inc., which was founded by Brendan Eich (creator of JavaScript and co-founder of Mozilla), Brave aims to provide a faster, more secure, and ad-free browsing experience for its users.

• Suricata is a Network Monitoring tool that examines and processes every packet of internet traffic that flows through your server. It can generate log events, trigger alerts and drop traffic upon detecting any suspicious activity.

• CentOS PowerTools is not available in RHEL 9-based systems instead its equivalent repository which is known as CRB (Code Ready Builder). In this article, we learn the commands to enable CRB in Almalinux or Rocky Linux 9.

• Enterprise Linux operating systems are renowned for their stability and security. They have established widespread use in IT infrastructures around the world.

• To get some additional packages on your Enterprise Almalinux or Rocky Linux 9, here are the steps to enable EPEL and EPEL repository on them.

• If you’re a Linux user, you might have come across the terms “yum” and “DNF” when it comes to enterprise package management.

Games

• The NYT’s head of games explains how games are a key way the subscription powerhouse attracts audiences.

Desktop Environments/WMs

GNOME Desktop/GTK

• Arch Linux is a popular distribution known for its rolling release model, which provides its users with the latest software updates as soon as they are available.

• GNOME, one of the most popular desktop environments for Linux, is also a common choice among Arch users. However, some of them may be confused about when they can expect to receive the latest version of GNOME.

• This happens every time a new version of the desktop environment is released. Why? Because it is a rolling release distribution, many Arch users expect it to be available for installation from the stable Arch repositories the very next day.

• However, the case differs regarding the GNOME desktop environment, so let’s shed more light on the matter.

• The accent colour is a colour that is used to highlight various elements of the desktop user interface. It provides visual feedback and makes it easier for users to distinguish between different parts of the interface.

• The GNOME team is gearing up for the next release, and a new feature, “Accent colour”, might land in the upcoming version.

Distributions and Operating Systems

SUSE/OpenSUSE

• This year’s openSUSE Conf of the openSUSE community will be held at the Z-Bau in Nuremberg, from Friday, May  26 to Sunday, May 28. The Call for Proposals (CFP) is already open, and the submission period will close on April 09.

• A failed IPO, political attacks, and purchased “awards” are the legacy of the departing CEO of the oldest Linux company.

Canonical/Ubuntu Family

• The new kernel security update for Ubuntu 22.10 patches CVE-2022-2196, a vulnerability where the KVM VMX implementation failed to handle indirect branch prediction isolation between L1 and L2 virtual machines, allowing an attacker in a guest virtual machine to expose sensitive information from the host operating system or other guest virtual machines.

• Also patched are CVE-2022-42328 and CVE-2022-42329, two race conditions discovered in the Xen network backend driver that could allow an attacker to cause a denial of service (kernel deadlock), as well as CVE-2023-0266, a use-after-free vulnerability discovered in the ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) subsystem that could allow a local attacker to crash the system by causing a denial of service.

Open Hardware/Modding

• Cytron’s CM4 Maker Board is designed for the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and offers a veritable bounty of ways in which we can build projects. From simple sensors, to SSD powered servers, all are possible with this pleasantly purple PCB.

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

• Email marketing is a digital marketing strategy that involves sending promotional messages or newsletters to a group of subscribers via email.

Events

• Here is a new illustration to announce I’ll be the 8 and 9 April in Mons, Belgium, for signing sessions at the festival Trolls & Légendes. Looking forward to meeting many of you!

Programming/Development

• Introduction to Stack: A stack is a linear data structure in computer science that follows the Last-In-First-Out (LIFO) principle.

• A roff system consists of an extensible text formatting language and a set of programs for printing and converting to other text formats.

• Welcome to our in-depth guide on setting session timeouts in PHP. This article will delve into the various methods of setting session timeouts and provide you with advanced examples and best practices. Our objective is to empower you with the knowledge and tools to create secure, optimized PHP applications that effectively manage session timeouts.

• We are happy to announce that the latest Qt for Android Automotive is out, based on Qt 6.4.3. This is a minor bug fixing release where one issue with notification and another issue with ActivityView were fixed. Detail changes can be found in https://doc.qt.io/QtAndroidAutomotive-6.4/qtaa-change-log.html.

• A new release 0.2.7 of our RcppSMC package arrived at CRAN earlier today. It contains several extensions added by team member (and former GSoC student) Ilya Zarubin since the last release. We were a little slow to release those—but “one of those CRAN emails” forced our hand for a release now. The updated ‘uninitialized variable’ messages in clang++-16 have found a fan in Brian Ripley, and so he sent us a note. And as the issue was trivially reproducible with clang++-15 here too I had it fixed in no time. And both changes taken together form the incremental 0.2.7 release.

• Hello and welcome to another issue of This Week in Rust!

• Simple, powerful and flexible site generation framework with everything you love from Next.js.

Python

• The numpy.math.factorial() function takes in a positive integer value and returns its factorial back to the caller. However, it does not work for negative values.

Standards/Consortia

• This weekend marks, once again, the changing of the clocks across Europe – but the EU had actually come up with a plan to end this practice back in 2019. So what happened?

Leftovers

• Hindenburg Research announced that Block—the wide-ranging fintech company founded by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey—was its latest short position, after accusing the company of widespread fraud in its performance metrics.

Hardware

• esd electronics CAN-PCIeMiniHS/402 is a half-size mini PCIe card with four CAN FD Interfaces designed for embedded systems with one model adding extended temperature range support from -40C to 85°C. The company also introduced the CAN-Mini/402-4-DSUB9-150mm adapter to more easily connect the four CAN network interfaces via DSUB9 connectors. It comes with four individual small adapter boards, each equipped with a DSUB9 plug and a jumper for selectable onboard CAN termination, as well as 150 mm long wires. CAN-PCIeMiniHS/402 highlights: 4x CAN FD interfaces according to ISO 11898-2, no galvanic isolation, bit rates from 10 Kbit/s up to 8 Mbit/s Bus mastering and local data management by FPGA (Intel Cyclone IV EP4CGX) PCIe Mini interface according to Mini Card Electromechanical Spec.

• Last year, Jean-Luc introduced the T113-S3 processor and the small MangoPi-Dual board with T113-S3. This time, I will introduce a development board with relatively rich resources, the 100ASK-T113-PRO, which consists of a core board with T113-S3 and a carrier board with a large number of peripheral interfaces, and the upcoming Allwinner T113-S4 SoC with 256MB DDR3. 100ASK-T113-Pro Allwinner T113-S3 industrial board While the T113-S3 and D1s/F133 RISC-V processors are pin-to-pin compatible, the T113-S3 is a dual-core Arm Cortex-A7 processor with HiFi4 DSP, CAN interfaces added (CAN is not mentioned publicly, but can be seen in the T113-S3 Datasheet) and 128MB DDR3 on-chip memory.

• Octavo Systems OSD62x is a system-in-package (SiP) combining the Texas Instruments AM62x processor with LPDDR4 RAM, EEPROM, power management, oscillators, and passive components, plus optional features such as an RTC and an 8-channel ADC.

• China develops its own ACC chiplet interface that is incompatible with UCIe.

• There is some chatter – some might call it well-informed speculation – going on out there on the Intertubes that Japanese system maker NEC is shutting down its “Aurora” Vector Engine vector processor business.

• Recently, I’m coming to feel the burden on my shoulder, it makes me so annoyed.

• As of that, I’ve considered replacing the hardware (keyboard).

Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

• It’s not just lettuce that grows in the desert.

• Some 293 bowel cancer patients at Aarhus University Hospital waited longer than they should have to undergo surgery.

• TikTok’s chief executive faced tough questions from the US Congress members who are convinced the Chinese-owned short video app should be barred for being a “tool” of the Chinese Communist Party and because it carries content that can harm children’s mental health.

• A nearly six-hour grilling of TikTok’s CEO by lawmakers brought the platform’s 150 million U.S. users no closer to an answer as to whether the app will be wiped from their devices. Shou Zi Chew’s testimony Thursday came at a crucial time for the company, which has 150 million American users but is under increasing pressure from U.S. officials concerned about data security and user safety.

• Visitors to Hong Kong’s public hospitals and residential care homes will no longer have to take a Covid-19 rapid antigen test beforehand as of this Saturday. Mandatory daily rapid testing for staff will also be axed.

• A Hong Kong man has been sentenced to 7.5 months behind bars, after he was found guilty of exposing other people to the risk of contracting Covid-19 by visiting restaurants and other public premises while he was infected.

• Catte Black Recently, prominent “anti-vaxxer” Michael Yeadon publicly stated he does not believe there was ever a new disease called “covid”.

• Rehire all the city workers who stood up for their principles (whether you agree or not). They all deserve back pay. And they deserve our respect. All of them. Mr. Mayor, it’s over. Shake hands. Do the right thing.

• In the previous week, from March 13 to March 19 , the average intensity of influenza increased slightly in Latvia, but is generally described as low. Meanwhile, in hospitals, the number of patients with Covid-19 increased by 30.9%, the Disease Prevention and Control Center (SPKC) reported on March 22.

• This is very concerning.

• Ludwig van Beethoven died in Vienna nearly 200 years ago after a lifetime of composing some of the most influential works in classical music.

Security

• A vulnerability in a popular data transfer tool has resulted in a mass ransomware attack:

• Hacker groups linked to China have demonstrated the growing ability to infiltrate systems and remain hidden while they steal data.

• New CISA and NSA guidance includes recommended best practices for identity and access management (IAM) administrators.

• Cisco’s semiannual security updates for IOS and IOS XE software resolve high-severity DoS, command injection, and privilege escalation vulnerabilities.

• Promoted as a MaaS, the Nexus Android trojan targets 450 financial applications for account takeover.

• Dole has admitted in an SEC filing that its investigation into the recent ransomware attack found that the hackers had accessed employee information.

• What might happen if some of the world’s most proficient hackers targeted some of the biggest tech names at the same time? That’s what we are finding out as the Pwn2Own Vancouver 2023 hacking competition kicked off yesterday, and some tech titans fell to some serious zero-day security exploit action. Over the course of just this one day, 22 March, Apple macOS, Microsoft Windows 11, Microsoft SharePoint, Ubuntu Desktop, Tesla Gateway, Adobe Reader, and Oracle VirtualBox all fell at the hands of these elite hackers.

Privacy/Surveillance

• “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good” is a cliché, but we have clichés for a reason.

• If you recently purchased a Philips, Levoit, Mi, Winix, Dyson, or any other modern air purifier, there is a good chance it can be connected to your phones and tablets.

• French government plans to trial surveillance cameras upgraded with artificial intelligence at the 2024 Olympics have opponents fuming at what they say is unnecessary and dangerous security overreach.

Defence/Aggression

• The extent of the cruelty displayed by Russia’s invaders has shocked the people of Ukraine and deepened their determination to fight for their nation’s survival.

• Putin hoped his Ukraine invasion would secure his place among Russia’s greatest rulers. Instead, he looks destined to enter history as a genocidal dictator forever linked with the mass abduction of Ukrainian children, writes Peter Dickinson.

• The SRE submitted the appeal on March 14, challenging a ruling that U.S. immunity law protects U.S. gun manufacturers, even in Mexico.

• Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Thursday he would seek an explanation from Hungary about why it is delaying its parliament’s ratification of Sweden’s Nato bid but not Finland’s.

• The bill is sent to President Yoweri Museveni, responsible for signing it into law.

• The Chinese military said it warned a US warship to “leave” waters in the disputed South China Sea on Thursday, claims swiftly denied as “false” by American forces.

• The Chinese military said it warned a US warship to “leave” waters in the disputed South China Sea on Thursday, claims swiftly denied as “false” by American forces.

• North Korean state news agency KCNA said on Friday it tested a new nuclear underwater attack drone under leader Kim Jong Un’s guidance this week, as a US amphibious assault ship arrived in South Korea for joint drills.

• Drones from China’s DJI contain high-res cameras, advanced sensors and wireless access, opening the door for espionage and sabotage.

• The State Security Service (VDD) is checking information related to the possible involvement of the Latvian-based chocolate manufacturer SIA “Pobeda Confectionery” in providing support to the Russian armed forces, the LETA news agency reported March 23.

• In early March, Syria’s foreign ministry condemned a surprise visit by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley to an army base in northeast Syria, with Syrian media dubbing it “illegal” and a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty and integrity” of Syrian territory…

• Throughout history, most academics have been the witting or unwitting servants of power. Socrates was accused of failing to honor the gods of Athens and corrupting the youth with his ideas.

• Sending depleted uranium shells would not lead to a de-escalation of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Gergely Gulyas said.

• Up to a million Russians have left their country since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Many have ended up in Georgia. They have brought along an economic boom, while at the same time reopening many past wounds.

• In an interview, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur discusses EU support for Ukraine, NATO’s presence in the Baltic region and the state of Germany’s military.

• Hungary would not arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he entered the country, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff said, adding that it would have no legal grounds.

• Five Iranians — four men and one woman — in the northwestern Iranian city of Urmia have been sentenced by a court to death for allegedly engaging in intelligence cooperation and espionage activities that benefited Israel.

• Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on March 23 that he would seek an explanation from Hungary as to why its parliament is delaying ratification of Sweden’s NATO bid but not Finland’s.

• Slovakia has delivered the first four of a total of 13 Soviet-made fighter jets promised to Ukraine, the Slovak Defense Ministry said on March 23.

• Defector-turned-lawmaker Thae Yong Ho believes Seoul can force the North to engage if it builds a nuclear arsenal.

• The Finnish president has formally sealed the Nordic country’s historic bid to join NATO by signing into law the required national legal amendments needed for membership in the Western military alliance.

• At the European Council’s working lunch on Thursday “all eyes will be on one country: Lithuania”, writes Politico. As the EU is preparing to ease sanctions on Belarusian fertilisers, Lithuania “is making it a bit difficult”.

• A new bill making its way in the parliament will make it easier to take away Lithuanian citizenship from foreigners who support Russia.

Environment

• Cape Verde is just one of many countries that are struggling under the effects of global warming. But a new approach could provide relief: Debt forgiveness in exchange for a climate fund.

• The IPCC report released on Monday (March 20) has an idea for shaving off as much as 10% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 2030: end fossil fuel subsidies once and for all.

• Climate Envoy Kerry’s meeting with AMLO discussed topics ranging from increasing renewables to speeding emissions reduction but only broadly.

Energy/Transportation

• Ford is finally giving investors what they want: a price-tag on its electric vehicle revolution.

• The former CEO and co-founder of cryptocurrency company Terraform Labs has been captured in Montenegro, the country’s interior minister said on March 23.

• By Jessica Kutz—Originally published by The 19th

• A few months ago, Renee Russak and her partner of 30 years embarked on a road trip from their home in Seattle to Whistler, Canada, to visit a friend. This was different from past travels: They were driving in their recently purchased electric car, a used Volvo.

• The US Department of Energy (DOE) has published a clean hydrogen paper as part of a series of Liftoff Reports aimed at accelerating the commercialisation of clean energy technologies.

• A burgeoning row between France and Germany fired by differences over nuclear energy and combustion engines threatened to spill over into a gathering of the 27 European Union leaders Thursday.

• The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has sued Justin Sun, a cryptocurrency founder of the Tron blockchain. Several high-profile celebrities are also named.  Sun is being sued on allegations of “offering for sale unregistered crypto asset securities.

• The Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC) has sent Coinbase a letter warning of possible legal action.

Wildlife/Nature

• While invasive carp have previously been captured as far north as the Twin Cities, Monday’s catch is the biggest number at one time this far upstream, the DNR said.

• Sentient beings.

• Fifty shades of extinct.

Overpopulation

• Around 80% of people in Asia live under water stress.

• China’s demographic crisis has reached its capital city.

Finance

• Unions for service workers at Walt Disney World have reached a tentative deal with the company that would raise the starting minimum wage from $15 to $18. Disney World service workers who are in the six unions that make up the Service Trades Council Union coalition planned to vote on the contract proposal next Wednesday. They rejected an earlier offer last month. The agreement reached Thursday covers around 45,000 service workers at the Disney theme park resort outside Orlando. Union leaders say workers could see their hourly wages rise between $5.50 and $8.60 an hour by the end of the five-year contract, if it’s approved.

• Russia’s war in Ukraine is no longer the main driver for high inflation in Latvia, said Mārtiņš Kazāks, president of the Latvian central bank (Bank of Latvia), in an interview on Latvian Television March 22.

• French protesters downed their tools and marched once again in Paris and other cities on Thursday, galvanised by President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to ram his deeply unpopular pension reform through parliament without a vote, in what critics have branded a “denial of democracy”.

• A day out from the NSW election, Premier Dominic Perrottet and his Labor opponent Chris Minns will campaign feverishly as they attempt to win over undecided voters.

• The Australian economy is slowing after a slight improvement in business activity last month.

• US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has sought to reassure jittery investors that American bank deposits are safe and promised policymakers have more firepower to battle any crisis even as bank stocks resumed their slide.

• Banking shares have slipped in Europe as the instability that surged through the global banking system prompts investors to adjust to more challenging economic and lending conditions ahead.

• Financial regulators remain confident Australia’s banking system, including smaller banks, can ride out ructions in global financial markets. The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority ramped up its monitoring regime after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and UBS’s takeover of Credit Suisse.

• The researchers, who compare the current dynamic to the 1980s savings and loan crisis, have identified nearly 200 banks at risk of a “rational” run, in which depositors pull their money for good reason.

• Encampment residents describe being misled about housing availability and heavy police presence as part of Mayor Karen Bass’ “proactive” program.

• Sweden’s Finance Minister has called for supermarkets to follow Lidl’s lead after the grocery chain announced that it would lower and freeze prices on more than a hundred items.

• The U.S. monetary policy should also carefully evaluate its negative spillover effects abroad.

• Instead of assuming the legitimacy of the protests, President Emmanuel Macron verbally lashes out at the French, comparing them to Brazilian and U.S. right-wing extremists.

• The People’s Own Savings Bank (POSB) has partnered with Mastercard to unveil new debit and prepaid cards. Okay, ‘what’s interesting about that?’ – you ask. Read on. Mastercard debit The more interesting of the two is the debit card. The Mastercard debit card allows customers to make dual currency transactions on the same card.

• Discover the precarious state of the banking system and the need for regulatory reform in this incisive interview with James Fauntleroy, a regular contributor to the Revolutionary Blackout Network, as he discusses the potential for a catastrophic economic crisis.

• Stocks fell sharply Wednesday after the Federal Reserve indicated the end may be near for its economy-crunching hikes to interest rates, but it also doesn’t expect to cut rates anytime soon despite Wall Street’s hopes.

• The International Monetary Fund warned on Thursday that Lebanon was in a very dangerous situation a year after it committed to reforms it has failed to implement and said the government must stop borrowing from the central bank.

• Riding an oil-price boom last year, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman directed government-backed Saudi National Bank to make a $1.5 billion investment in Credit Suisse. Now, the Saudi investment is almost wiped out after Credit Suisse’s emergency merger with UBS Group AG, ‘The Wall Street Journal’ claims.

• A little over five months after nearly 30 CD Baby and Soundrop team members were laid off, Downtown Music has reportedly announced another round of personnel cutbacks. New York City-headquartered Downtown’s latest layoffs came to light in a recent report from Billboard, which cited an internally circulated message from CEO Andrew Bergman.

• Unilever is cutting down production in Nigeria. The company has cited the country’s worsening economic condition for its move, which could now add to the woes of Africa’s biggest economy.

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

• Chew says U.S. arm of Chinese-owned ByteDance is independent from Beijing.

• If you believe TikTok boss Shou Zi Chew’s testimony Thursday, his platform isn’t just harmless but the best thing since sliced bread. In fact, lawmakers and security officials are dead right to see it as a dangerous threat.

• TikTok CEO Shou Chew Thursday testified before the US House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Lawmakers questioned Chew on TikTok’s consumer privacy and data security practices amid growing national security concerns from lawmakers and the Biden administration.

• The popular discussion platform requires publishers using it to take a different approach.

• The Israeli Parliament (Knesset) Thursday passed the first of many controversial judicial reform laws. The law amends Israel’s Basic Law, raising the threshold at which the government can declare the prime minister incapacitated.

• Israeli divisions over the government’s judicial reform programme widened Thursday as police fired water cannon at protesters blocking a highway in Tel Aviv and right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to restore unity.

• Three former leaders of the group which once organised Hong Kong’s annual mass Tiananmen vigils have filed an appeal against conviction and sentence for refusing to comply with a data demand from national security police.

Censorship/Free Speech

• A Belarus court Thursday sentenced Gennady Mozheyko, a reporter working for the pro-Kremlin Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda v Belarusi, to three years prison. The court found that Mozheyko violated Part 1 of Article 368 of Belarusian law by insulting Belarusian authorities.

• A parent is arguing that if banned books like ‘Gender Queer’ are pulled from shelves, the Bible—with its sex scenes, incest, and murder—should be banned, too.

• The Congressional TikTok hearing is a shitshow of conflicting interests and ignorant assertions about how fundamental parts of the internet have worked for decades.

• The American Library Association (ALA) Wednesday released a report quantifying a dramatic increase in demands for book censorship last year. The ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom compiled data on the number of attempts to restrict access to certain library books.

• The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Wednesday released statistics demonstrating 3,697 antisemitic incidents in the US during 2022, a 36 percent increase from the 2,717 incidents recorded in 2021.

Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

• Geoff Holland – If you were an omniscient observer watching over life on Earth at this moment, what would you see? Jelani Cobb – I would see a tragic redundancy, a tragic repetition of previous patterns. Despite all that we’ve learned, or have the ability to learn.

• A Belarusian journalist who wrote about a deadly raid by officers of the Committee of State Security (KGB) on a Minsk apartment in September 2021 has been sentenced to three years in prison.

• Artsyom Syamyanau, a Belarusian lawyer who defended jailed RFE/RL journalist Ihar Losik, was sentenced to 15 days in jail on March 22 on a charge of disobeying requests by authorities.

Civil Rights/Policing

• French unions have called for new nationwide strikes and protests next week, which will coincide with King Charles III’s planned visit to France, after more than 1 million people demonstrated throughout the country against unpopular pension reforms. The Interior Ministry said the march in Paris — marred by violence, as were numerous marches elsewhere Thursday — drew 119,000 people. That was a record for the capital during the pension protests. Polls show most French oppose President Emmanuel Macron’s bill to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64. He says it’s necessary to keep the system afloat.

• The Chicago Blackhawks will not wear Pride-themed warmup jerseys before their Pride Night game against Vancouver because of security concerns involving a Russian law that expands restrictions on activities seen as promoting LGBTQ rights in the country.

• French public sector trade unionists have warned they will not provide red carpets during the visit of Britain’s King Charles III to Paris next week, but non-striking workers are expected to roll them out.

• Unrest in France is tarnishing the sheen of King Charles III’s first overseas trip as monarch. Striking workers have refused to provide red carpets and critics are calling for the British king’s visit to be canceled altogether amid pension reform protests. The British king is scheduled to undertake the trip beginning Sunday on behalf of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government, which hoped a royal tour would underscore efforts to rebuild Anglo-French ties.

Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

Monopolies

Patents

• On 1 February 2023, Marleen van den Horst moved from her long-held role as head of patent litigation at BarentsKrans to become a partner at another full-service firm, La Gro Geelkerken Advocaten (LGGA).

Trademarks

• The US Supreme Court Wednesday heard oral arguments in the case of Jack Daniels Properties, Inc. v. VIP Products, LLC. Jack Daniels Properties, Inc. (JDPI) claims an excrement-themed dog toy sold by VIP Products, LLC. (VIP), which closely resembles its Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey, violates the company’s trademark.

Copyrights

• The UK Government is preparing to introduce legislation that would force Google and Facebook to pay for news.

• Last week, my roommate and I dropped what we were doing, piled in the car and drove four hours to Chicago to go to a Gracie Abrams concert we had rather spontaneously purchased tickets for.

• The years spanning 1991 to 1993 are widely recognized as the peak of golden age Hip-Hop. This title has been rightfully earned due to the creativity and diversity present within the music produced at the time. But what about what came after? Hip-Hop’s evolution and growth in popularity during this period led to the dilution….

• Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing doesn’t lie. In a tale of two audiences, Bruce Springsteen ticket prices are surging to $8,000 at Madison Square Garden in New York after sinking to just $6 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Gemini* and Gopher

Personal

• This is how we’ve been doing initiative for the last few months. It’s fast and it gives a varied result with a lot of back & forth instead of first all on one side go, then all on the other side goes. Best of all, your parry is immediately followed-up by your own attack.

• Thinking out loud about a possible homemade small TRPG.

• Players, make characters and describe your actions in diegetic terms. That’s your interface to the game. Just talking and making notes.

• GMs, prep a full blorb with maps, NPCs, event tables etc. Also prepare and shuffle two decks, the injury deck and the event deck. Keep them face down but shuffled in full view. You also need one note, label, or marker for each character’s injury pile.

• I’ve written about why D&D over other RPGs, where I argued for D&D as whole, not for 5e specifically.

• Dwarves are rich and paranoid. There’s also a long excursion about dwarves, elves, halflings and humans in the monster manual.

• Some people don’t know this, but I’m a moderately religious Muslim. I say “moderately”, but depending on the other person’s point of view (preconceived notions), they either find me apparently irreligious or very devout. If that sounds paradoxical, it pretty much is, but people vary widely in their understandings.

• To be more accurate, I observe most Islamic norms. I have a beard (I trim it very short), I eat halal, I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t gamble, I fast every Ramadan, but I don’t pray every day, and I don’t fast outside of Ramadan. I have what I consider to be above-average knowledge about the religion, to an extent that sometimes makes uneducated laypeople angry if I tell them something they don’t agree with.

Technical

• This Tuesday I received an email from Oracle about their new policy of automatically stopping instances in the Always Free tier that have been idle for more than 7 days. The email stated that my (one and only) compute instance fell under their definition of idle.

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