Techrights Bulletin for Thursday, October 29, 2020 ┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅ Generated Fri 30 Oct 00:03:10 GMT 2020 Created by Dr. Roy Schestowitz (roy (at) schestowitz (dot) com) Full hyperlinks for navigation omitted but are available in the originals The corresponding HTML version are at techrights.org Older bulletins can be found at: http://techrights.org/txt-archives ╒═══════════════════ INDEX ═══════════════════════════════════════════╕ Bulletin articles (as HTML) to comment on (requires login): http://techrights.org/2020/10/29/irc-log-281020/#comments http://techrights.org/2020/10/29/liberating-users/#comments http://techrights.org/2020/10/29/msft-mozilla/#comments http://techrights.org/2020/10/29/normalcy-again/#comments Followed by Daily Links (news picks): http://techrights.org/2020/10/29/nvidia-455-38-linux-driver/#comments http://techrights.org/2020/10/29/pypi-key-signing-ceremony/#comments ╒═══════════════════ ARTICLE ═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ****** 10.29.20 ****** ***** IRC_Proceedings:_Wednesday,_October_28,_2020 ***** Posted in IRC_Logs at 2:21 am by Needs Sunlight [GNOME_Gedit] [GNOME_Gedit] #techrights_log #boycottnovell_log [GNOME_Gedit] [GNOME_Gedit] #boycottnovell-social_log #techbytes_log Enter_the_IRC_channels_now ╒═══════════════════ ARTICLE ═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ****** 10.29.20 ****** ***** Moving_to_Phones_Won’t_Liberate_Users ***** Posted in Free/Libre_Software, GNU/Linux, Kernel at 6:06 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz A matter of objective/s [Taking picture]Summary: A so-called ‘phone’ (or ‘smart’ phone) with Linux under the bonnet isn’t freedom; it’s a branding war being won, but principles are being abandoned THE concept of phone ‘ownership’ does not appeal to me personally because many so-called ‘phones’ do more against their users (so-called ‘owners’) than they do for them, albeit it’s thinly disguised as “national security” or “in case of an emergency…” “I still use a PDA and it’s never connected to the Internet (it has no support for that, it was made 18 years ago).”We’ve recently seen a large bunch of PDAs or handheld consoles with GNU/Linux on them, sometimes with a keyboard too. Those are very nice. I still use a PDA and it’s never connected to the Internet (it has no support for that, it was made 18 years ago). But we also see a bunch of GNU/Linux-powered ‘phones’ being promoted heavily (the latest is “Pro1_X” with a scientific-sounding brand) although they inherently harm privacy, no matter how one uses them (unless the battery is removed at all times). “If we want real freedom and if we value “tech rights” (rights like privacy), we should strive for GNU/Linux (or BSD) everywhere… but do we want just loads of so-called ‘phones’?”Landlines still work in general. There may be places where those aren’t possible to have anymore, but in the Western world they’re quite a universal feature of every home because that’s integrated with wired connectivity (including Wi-Fi from the router/hub outwards). If we want real freedom and if we value “tech rights” (rights like privacy), we should strive for GNU/Linux (or BSD) everywhere… but do we want just loads of so-called ‘phones’? Android already runs Linux (GPL), but it’s a surveillance machine. Little is known about how Google processes every piece of data extracted from Android (it was learned some years ago that Google pulls plenty of data from Android devices overnight). “Aim high, get something meaningful… maybe.”Wanting “Linux to win” is understandable because us activists-advocates have been dreaming about it for decades. But a world dominated by “Linux” alone isn’t guaranteed to usher in freedom, as we’ve been warning for years. The Linux_Foundation (LF) became little but a front group of monopolies — that much is very easy to see — but taking note of this_new_interview (“Torvalds says no need to name successor as that will take care of itself”), as an associate of ours just did, we should remember that GAFAM took over Linux in the same way it took over Python. “It looks like LF is making Linus [Torvalds] do the career equivalent of dig his own grave, read a prepared statement of support for the current regime, and then stand in it while they shoot him,” our associate wrote. They almost literally kill the “community” element of GNU/Linux; Red Hat (IBM) does that to GNU and it’s no secret that LF basically killed/kicked out anything resembling “community” years ago (we wrote a number of articles about that last year). We need to think “bigger” (or further) than “let’s get rid of Microsoft” because even when Microsoft goes away — as every company eventually does — we still won’t have freedom (for that matter, moving from GitHub to GitLab is often like swapping prison cells as few self-host). We’re not really accomplishing the goals as set/put forth in the GNU Manifesto. Not the way things are going at the moment… Aim high, get something meaningful… maybe. Aim low, get something meaningless… like “Open Source has won” meaning “Microsoft has subsumed everything in GitHub.” (Including the OSI itself) █ “The Internet? We are not interested in it.” –The ‘visionary’ Bill Gates in 1993 ╒═══════════════════ ARTICLE ═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ****** 10.29.20 ****** ***** [Meme]_Mozilla’s_2020_Vision ***** Posted in Free/Libre_Software, Microsoft at 6:53 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz Recent: Mozilla_Hires_From_Microsoft_for_Mozilla’s_Board [Three Stooges: Liberate the Web, with proprietary Azure and proprietary GitHub] Summary: Mozilla does not seem to understand that proprietary Azure and proprietary GitHub won’t offer Mozilla a way/path out of the mess it’s in ╒═══════════════════ ARTICLE ═════════════════════════════════════════╕ ****** 10.29.20 ****** ***** Techrights_Done_With_Maintenance_For_Now,_Will_Resume_Posting_at_a_Higher Publication_Pace ***** Posted in Site_News at 6:30 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz Maintenance over for the time being [Old Road]Summary: With a few new features added to the site we can finally resume normal operations (more articles per day) THE GOAL of posting 10 or more articles/memes per day (on average) was fulfilled… since around May. But not this month. This month we spent a lot of time coding and organising a bunch of stuff. The more visible element of it is the menu at the top and the footer. The less visible element is preparing the site for distribution as onion, gopher, maybe (s)ftp and torrent as well. At the moment we have this_daily_archive_of_the_site (as plain text), so Techrights can be read fully without a Web browser. We have the whole thing scripted now, so a daily bulletin will be generated at the end of every day (after midnight) along with IRC logs. Those infrastructural changes aren’t too big, but they do take a lot of time and effort. Once put in place they can be set aside for years and we can resume research/publication with ‘high-velocity’ output. We’re proud to be one of the most actively updated Free software sites. “We’re proud to be one of the most actively updated Free software sites.”The birthday is coming soon (just after the US election; don’t forget your voice does not count unless you vote!) and we’ve prepared a few things. In the meantime, for the remainder of this week and going into the weekend we hope to go back to about 10 posts per day. [Techrights birthday] Got any suggestions for our anniversary? Get in touch, we’d love to hear it. At the bottom of each post we now have easy-to-use applet (JavaScript required) for access to our main IRC channel. Anyone can come and chat in real time. There are about 60 of us in there. █ ╒═══════════════════ DAILY LINKS ════════════════════════════════════════╕ ****** 10.29.20 ****** ***** Links_29/10/2020:_LibreOffice_7.0.3,_Linux_5.9.2,_NVIDIA_455.38_Linux Driver ***** Posted in News_Roundup at 4:39 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz [GNOME bluefish] **** Contents **** * GNU/Linux o Distributions o Devices/Embedded * Free_Software/Open_Source * Leftovers * **** GNU/Linux **** o **** Audiocasts/Shows **** # ** BSDNow_374:_OpenBSD’s_25th_anniversary ** OpenBSD 6.8 has been released, NetBSD 9.1 is out, OpenZFS devsummit report, BastilleBSD’s native container management for FreeBSD, cleaning up old tarsnap backups, Michael W. Lucas’ book sale, and more. # ** Bad_Voltage_3×16:_Not_Fun_To_Watch ** Stuart Langridge, Jono Bacon, and Jeremy Garcia present Bad Voltage, in which the utilities question comes up again, we create spin-off show “Sussing Out Stocks With Stuart”, and… # ** Ubuntu_Podcast_from_the_UK_LoCo:_S13E32_–_Sleeping northwards ** This week we’ve been escaping from Hell and using Stadia controllers over WiFi. We It’s Season 13 Episode 32 of the Ubuntu Podcast! Alan Pope, Mark Johnson and Martin Wimpress are connected and speaking to your brain. o **** Kernel Space **** # ** Linux_5.9.2 ** I'm announcing the release of the 5.9.2 kernel. All users of the 5.9 kernel series must upgrade. The updated 5.9.y git tree can be found at: git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/ stable/linux-stable.git linux-5.9.y and can be browsed at the normal kernel.org git web browser: https://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/stable/ linux-s... thanks, greg k-h # ** Linux_5.8.17 ** # ** Linux_5.4.73 ** # ** Linux_4.19.153 ** # ** Linux_4.14.203 ** # ** Linux_4.9.241 ** # ** Linux_4.4.241 ** # ** Real-Time_Patches_Updated_For_Linux_5.9/5.10_With_The_Code Not_Yet_Mainlined ** There was talk earlier this year of mainlining the real-time Linux kernel patches after similar discussions last year didn’t result in it happening. Merging the RT code didn’t happen for the recent Linux 5.10 merge window but at least the out-of-tree patches were quickly re-based for Linux 5.9 stable and 5.10-rc1. Sebastian Andrzej Siewior announced today 5.9.1- rt20 and 5.10-rc1-rt1 as the latest real-time patches for the current stable and development kernels. # ** [ANNOUNCE]_v5.9.1-rt20 ** # **** Graphics Stack **** # ** Nvidia_455.38_Adds_GeForce_RTX_3070_Support,_AMD Secure_Memory_Encryption_Compatibility ** Nvidia 455.38 is the second short-lived driver that Nvidia releases this month. Coming three weeks after Nvidia 455.28, this new release introduces support for the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card, but only on GNU/Linux and BSD platforms. Only for Linux users, Nvidia 455.38 also adds compatibility with AMD Secure Memory Encryption, as well as support for using an Nvidia-driven display as a PRIME Display Offload sink with a PRIME Display Offload source driven by the open-source xf86-video- intel driver. # ** NVIDIA_455.38_Linux_Driver_Released_With_RTX_3070 Support,_AMD_SME_Compatibility_–_Phoronix ** Timed with today’s (limited) availability of the GeForce RTX 3070 graphics cards, the NVIDIA Unix driver team has released the 455.38 Linux driver with support for this new Ampere graphics card plus tucking in a few new features and fixes too. With this being another NVIDIA 455 series driver, the 455.38 driver update isn’t all that huge and headlined by having the official GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card that is shipping today at $499 USD. Unfortunately we haven’t received any review sample yet of the GeForce RTX 3070 and thus have no Linux benchmarks to share today. # ** AMD_ROCm_3.9_Released_With_AOMP_OpenMP_Offloading Integrated_–_Phoronix ** A new version of the AMD Radeon Open eCosystem (ROCm) has been released on the same day as the company announcing the Radeon RX 6800/6900 series. Meet ROCm 3.9. While announced on the same day as the Big Navi RX 6800/6900 reveal, ROCm 3.9 has no mention of supporting these GPUs starting to ship in November. In fact, the Radeon RX 5000 “Navi 1″ graphics cards are still not listed as supported with ROCm 3.9 with Vega/GFX9 still being listed as the latest hardware support. # ** AMDVLK_2020.Q4.2_Vulkan_Driver_Released_–_Phoronix ** As we hit the end of October AMD has issued their second open-source Vulkan driver code drop of the quarter with the AMDVLK 2020.Q4.2 availability. Listed with this morning’s AMDVLK 2020.Q4.2 update is just updating against Vulkan API 1.2.157 and fixing a GPU hang that can occur with DOOM Eternal running under Steam Play. That’s it as far as the listed changes go for today’s update. o **** Intel **** # ** Intel_Begins_Their_Open-Source_Driver_Support_For_Vulkan Ray-Tracing_With_Xe_HPG_–_Phoronix ** Intel’s open-source developers have begun publishing their patches enabling their “ANV” Vulkan Linux driver to support Vulkan ray-tracing! This is in preparation for next year’s Xe HPG graphics card that will feature hardware- accelerated ray-tracing. Jason Ekstrand as the lead developer originally on the Intel ANV driver has posted today the initial ray-tracing code for ANV in order to support VK_KHR_ray_tracing for their forthcoming hardware. Today is the first time Intel has approved of this open-source code being published and more is on the way. The code today isn’t enough for Vulkan ray- tracing but more is on the way and based against the latest internal Khronos ray-tracing specification. At the moment they are not focusing on the former NVIDIA-specific ray-tracing extension but may handle it in the future if game vendors continue targeting it rather than the forthcoming finalized KHR version. # ** Intel_Reveals_Few_More_Details_Regarding_11th_Gen_“Rocket Lake”_Processors_–_Phoronix ** While 11th Gen “Rocket Lake” desktop processors aren’t expected to be released until the end of Q1’2021, given the interest building around AMD Ryzen 5000 “Zen 3″ processors, Intel revealed a few more details today about their next-generation wares. Intel reiterated that Rocket Lake S is on track for Q1’2021 and will combine Cypress Cove cores with Gen12 Xe Graphics. Nothing new and was already expected based on prior Linux patches. Intel says that Rocket Lake will provide “double-digit percentage IPC performance improvements” gen-over- gen and enhanced graphics. # ** Intel’s_oneDNN_Continues_Improving_Support_For_Non-Intel Hardware_–_Phoronix ** Earlier this year was the surprising move of Intel’s oneDNN neural network library adding AArch64 support and that was then complemented by adding IBM POWER support to this neural network library that is part of their oneAPI collection. Now with the latest oneDNN 2.0 beta they have furthered the support and performance for non-Intel hardware. Not only is there IBM POWER (PowerPC 64) support but IBM z (390x) is also now supported by this library formerly known as MKL-DNN and DNNL. This library is focused on providing the “building blocks” for constructing deep learning applications. o **** Applications **** # ** 2_Ways_to_Install_Citrix_Receiver_and_Connect_to_Desktops from_Ubuntu_and_Other_Linux ** After a long trial and error, I managed to get Citrix Workspace App (formerly Receiver) working in Ubuntu and Other Linux. This guide explains 2 Ways to Install Citrix Receiver and Connect to Desktops from Ubuntu and Other Linux. o **** Instructionals/Technical **** # ** Set_up_CUPS_Print_Server_in_Ubuntu_20.04_–_Linux_Hint ** The job of a print server is to accept print requests from multiple machines, process those requests, and then send them to the specified printer for serving those requests. CUPS is a utility designed for Linux operating systems that can turn a regular computer system into a print server. This article provides a method for setting up the CUPS print server in Ubuntu 20.04. # ** Ubuntu_Unity_Groovy_Gorilla ** This tutorial explains how to switch Ubuntu 20.10 user interface back to Unity rather than GNOME. This is for computer users who prefer Ubuntu with its innovative Unity appearance that found in version 10.04 LTS and 16.10. Now let’s have fun! # ** Install_a_free_Let’s_Encrypt_SSL_certificate_on_Debian_10 –_PragmaticLinux ** This PragmaticLinux article teaches you how to generate a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate and install it on your Debian based web server. # ** Install_Squid_Proxy_On_Ubuntu_20.04_|_Itsubuntu.com ** Squid is a caching proxy for the Web. It has support for the HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and other protocols. It helps to speed up a web server by caching repeated requests, caching web, DNS and access geo-restricted content. # ** How_to_Install_Pandora_FMS_Monitoring_Tool_in_Ubuntu_20.04 ** Pandora FMS also know as “Pandora Flexible Monitoring System” is a monitoring tool used for servers, networks, applications, and virtual infrastructure. It is simple, scalable and suitable for complex and larger environments. It uses several protocols including, TCP, UDP, SNMP, HTTP and agents to collect the different metrics. You can monitor the status and performance of web servers, database servers, applications, routers, and other network devices using the Pandora FMS. # ** Display_Git_Repository_Summary_In_Terminal_Using_Onefetch –_OSTechNix ** Onefetch is a command line tool to display Git repository summary in terminal. Onefetch is like Neofetch but for Git repositories only. # ** How_To_Install_AnyDesk_on_CentOS_8_–_idroot ** In this tutorial we will show you how to install AnyDesk on CentOS 8, as well as some extra required package by AnyDesk # ** How_to_Format_a_USB_drive_in_Debian ** Formatting a USB is a common operation in most computer systems and it comes in handy in a number of ways. For instance, you can format a USB drive if it gets infected with a virus, and data is corrupted or you want to change the file system as it is not compatible with your OS. Similarly, it can be helpful if you want to completely wipe off the old data so that you can fully use the storage space. So whatever the reason, you can easily format your USB device through different methods in a Debian operating system. In this article, I will show you different methods to format a USB drive on the command-line and on Debian Desktop. You can use either of them based on your preferences. Note that we have run the commands and procedure mentioned in this article on a Debian 10 system. # ** Linux_Netstat_Command_Tutorial_for_SysAdmins_[40_Examples] ** The netstat (network statistics) utility in Linux provides information related to network connections. You can use various netstat commands to display active network connections, interface data, routing tables, and so on. These are essential information for network admins and infosec professionals. That’s why we have prepared this guide with a wide selection of useful netstat examples. After completing this guide, you will be able to inspect all the network-related information for your Linux machine. We also encourage readers to try these examples on their own machine for obtaining a more hands-on experience. # ** Linux_Fu:_Troubleshooting_Incron_|_Hackaday ** You probably know about cron, a program that lets you schedule programs to run at various times. We’ve also talked about incron, which is very similar but instead of time, it reacts to changes in the file system. If you ever wanted to write a program that, say, detects a change in a file and automatically uploads it to a programmer, backs it up, e-mails it somewhere, or anything else, then incron might be for you. Although we’ve talked about it before, incron has some peculiarities that make it very difficult to debug problems, so I thought I’d share some of the tricks I use when working with incron. I was thinking about this because I wanted to set up a simple system where I have a single document directory under git control. Changing a markdown file in that folder would generate Word document and PDF equivalents. Conversely, changing a Word document would produce a markdown version. This is easy to do with pandoc — it speaks many different formats. The trick is running it only on changed files and as soon as they change. The task isn’t that hard, but it does take a bit to debug since it’s a bit nontrivial. o **** Games **** # ** 7_Halloween-themed_Retro-Games_for_RetroPie_–_YouTube ** Halloween is my favorite holiday! And to celebrate, here are 7 great retro games that are perfect for the occasion. These are some great spooky-fun games to add to your RetroPie. o **** Desktop Environments/WMs **** # **** GNOME Desktop/GTK **** # ** Enable_a_Magic_Lamp_Effect_on_Ubuntu_with_this_GNOME Extension ** Called “Compiz-alike magic lamp effect”, this a free, open source GNOME Shell extension does an excellent job of recreating this famously flashy window minimisation effect on the Ubuntu desktop (as well as other Linux distros which use GNOME Shell). The “genie effect” animation is synonymous with Mac computers as it was the default window minimisation effect used during the early years of the system. Notably, the effect was first shown off during an Apple keynote way back in 2000 — it’s been around that long! Linux users wanting to add the animation to their systems have had several ways to do it over the years. The best known effect is the ‘Magic Lamp’ effect for Compiz, the 3D composited window manager, though (naturally) elementary OS provides it too. # ** Friends_of_GNOME_Update_–_October_2020 ** We’re working with our friends at KDE on the Linux Application Summit (LAS). This event takes place November 12 – 14. It will be online this year. The event will cover all things to do with apps in a Linux environment. Registration is open! LAS is also looking for volunteers, so if you’d like to get involved, please fill out this form. Registration for GNOME.Asia is open! The GNOME.Asia Summit 2020 will be taking place online on November 24 – 26. While the conference is centered around the GNOME Project, there will be talks, workshops, and Birds of a Feather sessions for everyone interested in free and open source software. You can register online. o **** Distributions **** # **** SUSE/OpenSUSE **** # ** PostgreSQL_13,_Latest_Stable_Kernel_Update_in Tumbleweed ** One of the two major version updates in the latest 20201026 snapshot was a Mozilla Firefox 82.0 update; the new version resolved seven Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures and improved performance with restoring sessions and page loads. Mozilla Thunderbird also had an update to version 78.4.0, which added some mail extension Application Programming Interfaces. The printing update to cups 2.3.3 added a workaround for the scheduler’s systemd support and fixed a warning options support for GNU Compiler Collection 9. A daylight saving time fix for glib2 2.66.2 changed the default format. The 5.9.1 Linux Kernel arrived in the snapshot and fixed a kernel panic bsc#1177973. MariaDB updated to version 10.5.6 from 10.4.14, which implemented new features and made all binaries previously beginning with mysql to begin with mariadb or with symlinks for the corresponding mysql command. The other major version update was to perl-URI 5.05 from version 1.76; the change was made to bump all versions to 5.05 in order to remove various version mismatches, according to the changelog. The snapshot is trending moderately at an 83 rating on the Tumbleweed snapshot reviewer. Only two Python packages arrived in snapshot 20201025, which is trending at a 96. A major version update of python-hyperlink 20.0.1, which provide pure-Python implementations of immutable URLs, fixed several bugs related to hidden states; this made all data on a URL object (including rooted and uses_netloc) reflective by and consistent with its textual representation. The update of python-numpy 1.19.2 increased the required memory to avoid test failures and openQA found an issue (boo#1176832) and upgraded older distro versions, which did not package f2py using update-alternatives. Two more major version updates arrived in snapshot 20201024 and postgresql 13 was one of them. Significant improvements in postgresql 13 include indexing and a lookup system that benefit large databases; this helps with space savings and performance gains for indexes as well as faster response times for queries that use aggregates or partitions. A list of improvements can be found in the project’s news release. The other major version update was to the utility manager ndctl 70.1, which added firmware activation support. A few Advanced Linux Sound Architecture packages updated to version 1.2.4, which lists some configuration changes along with a few new hotplugs for AICA (Dreamcast) Firmware and AudioScience ASIHPI Firmware. Debugging tools in the xfsprogs 5.9.0 package fixed the potential unterminated string problem for libhandle. The snapshot is trending at a 90. # ** openSUSE_Community_To_Have_Kickoff_Session_for_Leap 15.3_–_openSUSE_News ** The openSUSE community is inviting package maintainers, contributors, open source developers and Leap 15.3 stakeholders to join the openSUSE community for a kickoff of Leap 15.3. The kickoff session starts Nov. 4 at 16:30 UTC on https://meet.opensuse.org/LeapKickoff. The session will start with a short pre- recorded video updating attendees about the status of Jump 15.2.1, explaining what to expect from the Leap 15.3 release and presenting a roadmap forward for the release. # **** IBM/Red Hat/Fedora **** # ** Fedora_33:_This_new_Linux_distribution_is_designed to_‘just_work’ ** Red Hat’s community-driven Fedora Project has released the latest version of its open- source Linux distribution, Fedora 33. The latest version of Fedora Workstation is designed for developers who want a desktop Linux setup that requires minimal configuration and “just works”, according to Fedora Project Leader, Matthew Miller. # ** The_OpenShift_opportunity_for_the_partner_ecosystem ** Red Hat’s Ernest Jones reflects on recent OpenShift momentum and what it means for the partner ecosystem. # ** Red_Hat_Software_Collections_3.6_and_Red_Hat Developer_Toolset_10_Beta_now_available ** The latest versions of Red Hat Software Collections and Red Hat Developer Toolset are available now in beta. Red Hat Software Collections 3.6 delivers the latest stable versions of many popular open source runtime languages, web servers and databases natively to the world’s leading enterprise Linux platform. These components are supported for up to five years, helping to enable a more consistent, efficient, and reliable developer experience. # ** Red_Hat_Insights_dashboard_provides_automatic discovery,_health_and_security_assessment_for_SAP_HANA on_Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux ** # ** What’s_new_in_Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux_8.3?_Enhanced container_tools,_more_system_roles_and_new_cloud_admin tools_just_for_starters ** Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 8.3 will be available in the coming weeks. In this post we’ll take a look at some of the highlights and important new features that are planned for RHEL subscribers. A RHEL release has many constituencies. RHEL has to meet the needs of system administrators who crave system stability and predictability, and developers who want flexibility and new language and software choices. With new system roles, a major RHEL container tools update, cloud administration updates and more, RHEL 8.3 delivers for those who depend on enterprise open source to run today’s businesses. The third update since RHEL 8′s release in early 2019, RHEL 8.3 continues the six-month cadence of minor releases. By offering a predictable, time-based release cycle we help drive new features in a timely fashion without compromising the reliability of RHEL that our users and customers depend on. # ** Collect_JDK_Flight_Recorder_events_at_runtime_with JMC_Agent_–_Red_Hat_Developer ** JDK Flight Recorder, or JFR, is an event- based production environment profiler available from OpenJDK 8u272 forward. Being a HotSpot-native feature, JDK Flight Recorder performs with extremely low overhead in terms of how it uses both space and time. While JDK Flight Recorder collects basic Java runtime information by default, it is also possible to use JFR’s Event API to collect custom events. Developers who want to collect application-level events must actively define and instantiate them in their application source code. In this article, we’ll show you how to use JMC Agent and the JMC Agent Plugin to instrument your application classes with event-emitting code. When you use JMC Agent with the JDK Flight Recorder Event API, you do not need to shut down the JVM and recompile the application code. # ** New_custom_metrics_and_air_gapped_installation_in Red_Hat_3scale_API_Management_2.9_–_Red_Hat_Developer ** We continue to update the Red Hat Integration product portfolio to provide a better operational and development experience for modern cloud– and container-native applications. The Red Hat Integration 2020-Q3 release includes Red Hat 3scale API Management 2.9, which provides new features and capabilities for 3scale. Among other features, we have updated the 3scale API Management and Gateway Operators. This article introduces the Red Hat 3scale API Management 2.9 release highlights, including air-gapped installation for 3scale on Red Hat OpenShift and new APIcast policies for custom metrics and upstream mutual Transport Layer Security (TLS). # **** Canonical/Ubuntu Family **** # ** Design_and_Web_team_summary_–_28th_October_2020_| Ubuntu ** The web team here at Canonical run two-week iterations. This iteration was slightly different as we began a new cycle. A cycle represents six months of work. Therefore, we spent the first-week planning and scheduling the cycles goals. Therefore, the following highlights of our completed work from the previous week. # ** UbuntuDDE_Remix_20.10_Released_With_Linux_5.8,_Snap Plugin,_And_More ** Earlier this year, we reported about a brand new UbuntuDDE Remix that combines the power of Ubuntu Linux and Deepin Desktop Environment (DDE) from Deepin Linux. After the successful launch of the first-ever UbuntuDDE Remix 20.04 LTS release, its project leader Arun Kumar Pariyar has now announced a new iteration called UbuntuDDE Remix 20.10 codenamed “groovy” (Groovy Gorilla). o **** Devices/Embedded **** # ** PolarFire_SoC_board_has_GbE_port_and_40-pin_GPIO ** Sundance will soon launch an SBC-like, $995 “PolarBerry” module that runs Linux on Microchip’s FPGA-enabled, RISC-V based PolarFire SoC with 4GB DDR4 and eMMC, dual CAN, a GbE port, and RPi style 40-pin GPIO. Microchip’s PolarFire SoC, the world’s first SoC to combine a Linux-ready RISC-V architecture CPU with an FPGA, has so far appeared on an Aries M100PFS module and Microchip’s own PolarFire SoC Icicle Kit SBC. Now, UK-based FPGA manufacturer Sundance has announced a Raspberry Pi sized PolarBerry SoM equipped with the hybrid SoC. It will soon launch on Crowd Supply for $995, with shipments due in January. # ** The_Pro1-X_will_help_support_FOSS_by_donating_to_the_Linux Foundation ** After years of rumors and plenty of April Fools’ jokes, we actually made a phone! The new Pro1-X is an adaptation of the Pro1 launched by our friends at F(x)tec last year and features more RAM, more storage, and more importantly, it runs a different platform. The first smartphone to run LineageOS out of the box, there’s plenty of reasons to like the Pro1-X but here’s one that we haven’t revealed until just now: we will be donating an amount per device to the Linux Foundation, to go towards supporting free, open-sourced software. [...] That’s not all though: the Pro1-X is also only available via the Indiegogo campaign, and will not be available to buy afterward. Miss it, and well, you miss the world’s first smartphone running LineageOS out of the box. As if that wasn’t enough, it’s also the most powerful Ubuntu Touch OS smartphone ever made, with the HDMI-out allowing you to just plug a cable in and use a full Ubuntu desktop experience using nothing more than the keyboard on the phone, and the screen as a trackpad. # ** Yeah,_XDA_made_a_phone_and_it’s_only_available_for_6 weeks! ** There have been many rumors and running jokes over the years that XDA would, and probably should, make a phone. Our history with alternative platforms such as LineageOS (and CyanogenMod that came before it) has meant that XDA has been at the forefront of helping develop viable alternatives to the primary platforms available on smartphones. Today, we’re super excited to announce that we’ve finally done it – we’ve made a phone. Earlier this year, we partnered with F(x)tec to discuss how we can bring an alternative platform to a wider audience. The F(x)tec Pro1-X does just this: it’s the world’s first phone to run LineageOS out of the box, and you can also get a version running Ubuntu Touch OS. [...] For years, we’ve teased that we’re planning to create a phone. So why did we finally do it? This year especially, privacy has become more important than ever before, and LineageOS is known for letting you go beyond the controls you’d find on a traditional Android smartphone. In particular, the Privacy Guard – in LineageOS 16, which was replaced by AOSP’s Permissions Hub in LineageOS 17 – allows you to only share the data you want to share, and not share the data you don’t want to share. We’ve also seen that the popularity of LineageOS and other platforms across our community has grown over the past few years and there’s more interest in these alternative Android distributions. Beyond just LineageOS, there’s a large community of Ubuntu users who’ve always dreamed of having a smartphone running Ubuntu Touch, and the Pro1-X is the first Qualcomm-powered smartphone to run Ubuntu Touch. Not only that, we’ve also managed to get the HDMI-out feature working, so you can plug an HDMI cable in and connect it to a big screen, and use the display as a trackpad. # ** Foreshadowing,_Why_the_Purism_Logo_is_a_Rectangle ** When I started Purism in 2014 I knew I wanted to build secure computing hardware bundled with a privacy-respecting operating system that had freedom-respecting applications and services. I also knew that a computer could be a server, desktop, laptop, tablet, phone, watch, among many other form factors, and most of these have screens or at least a screen used to interact with (until we get to read/write electrical signals in our brains–what I call brain embeddables, sci-fi terminology sometimes calls “beddies”–we will continue to see devices with screens). In early 2005 (when I started the first online cable company) I presented that the movie and television industry needed to look at all computers as TVs, since a TV is just a computing device showing videos on a screen, and the only difference was size of screen, distance to viewing, and user interaction. A “TV” in that sense was remote controlled from a couch, a laptop was keyboard and mouse controlled from close-up, a tablet and phone (realize this was 2005 so pre-smartphone) could also become a video device. All of these are “just screens” from my point of view. Forming Purism, I knew we would iterate from laptop toward phone; but also could include servers (with monitor), desktops (with monitor), tablets, watches, routers, and all sorts of brainstorm- worthy products–nearly all containing a screen or access via a screen. It was very easy for me to “just use a screen” as a logo, and in what is probably a very rare story, I drew the first logo which was the only logo and remains our logo to this day. A simple rectangle to reference that all these screen based devices are just computers and with them we can do anything we desire. # ** InferX_X1_SDK,_PCIe_and_M.2_Boards_for_edge_inference acceleration ** YOLOv3 is out now through the compiler framework and we can expect it to be demonstrated in the coming weeks. By Q1 2021, it will support popular customer models and initial support for Linux-based operating system Ubuntu and CentOS. # ** STMicro_unveils_VL53L5_multi-zone_ToF_ranging_sensor ** We’ve previously covered or even tested STMicro Time-of-Flight (ToF) ranging sensors with devices like VL53L0X with up to 2-meter range or VL53L1X extending the range to a maximum of 4 meters to measure the distance to one object aka region of interest (ROI). # ** NuMaker-IoT-M263A_board_is_the_Swiss_army_knife_of_IoT development ** # **** Open Hardware/Modding **** # ** SiFive_Is_Launching_The_Most_Compelling_RISC- V_Development_Board_Yet_–_Phoronix ** If you’ve been waiting to port your software to RISC-V until having a decent RISC-V system where you can develop on-host, wanting to experiment with the libre processor architecture or even use it as a daily desktop system, or just wanting a Linux system that’s not x86_64 / ARM / POWER, SiFive today is announcing a new board today that is the most promising yet. The SiFive HiFive Unmatched is the best RISC- V development board we’ve seen to date and the closest to being the first “RISC-V PC” for Linux use. # ** SiFive_unveils_plan_for_Linux_PCs_with_RISC- V_processors_|_VentureBeat ** SiFive today announced it is creating a platform for Linux-based personal computers based on RISC-V processors. [...] SiFive raised $61 million in August from investors that included chip superpowers Intel and Qualcomm. The startup has raised $190 million to date, and former Qualcomm executive Patrick Little recently joined SiFive as CEO. His task will be to establish the company’s RISC-V processors as an alternative to Arm. This move comes in the wake of Nvidia’s $40 billion acquisition of the world’s leading processor architecture. If Little is also looking to challenge Intel and AMD in PCs, he’ll have his work cut out for him. For starters, SiFive is currently focused on Linux-based PCs, not Microsoft Windows PCs. Secondly, SiFive wouldn’t build these processors or computers on its own. Its customers — anyone brave enough to take on the PC giants — would have to do that. # ** SiFive’s_RISC-V_PC_coming_soon_for_$665_–_Liliputing ** As promised, SiFive has unveiled a new computer featuring the company’s SiFive FU740 processor based on RISC-V architecture. The company, which has been making RISC- V chips for several years, is positioning its new SiFive HiFive Unmatched computer as a professional development board for those interested in working with RISC-V. But unlike the company’s other HiFive boards, the new Unmatched model is designed so that it can be easily integrated into a standard PC. # ** The_quest_for_a_blob-free_WiFi_&_Bluetooth_stack_for BL602_WiSoC ** I thought I was done writing about Bouffalo Lab BL602 WiFI & Bluetooth RISC-V SoC for a while after first covering the chip itself, and then an inexpensive BL602 development board this weekend. But the BL602 SDK has shown up in various Github repositories, including Bouffalo Lab’s own bl_iot_sdk repository, and as more people are looking into it, there’s now an effort to develop a fully open-source blob-free WiFi & Bluetooth stack for BL602, and other Bouffalo Lab WiFi and/or Bluetooth wireless chips. # **** Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications **** # ** How_to_get_an_almost_invisible_name_in_Among_Us: Step-by-step_guide_for_Android_devices ** # ** How_to_Change_the_Screen_Saver_on_Android_TV ** # ** How_to_install_a_new_keyboard_on_your_Android_+_5 great_picks ** # ** Convert_your_Android_smartphone_into_a_robot ** # ** Raspberry_Pi_4_gets_a_taste_of_Android_11_via OmniROM ** # ** Tip:_Android_11′s_built-in_screen_recorder_also works_for_voice_calls ** # ** Chrome_for_Android_is_getting_an_amazing_new screenshot_option ** # ** 5_Essential_Security_Checks_to_Keep_Your_Android Phone_Safe ** o **** Free, Libre, and Open Source Software **** # ** Collabora_developers_mentor_successful_GSoC_Projects ** Autumn is just around the corner. For many participants in the GSoC 2020, a busy and instructive summer full of hacking on open source projects came to an end a few weeks ago. Commits have been contributed and final reports have been written. This year experienced Collabora Productivity developers were again mentors for various projects of the Google Summer of Code for the LibreOffice project. Here are some examples of projects our team helped to succeed! # ** OpenBehavior:_A_Rich_Directory_for_Open-source_Behavioral Neuroscience_Projects ** OpenBehavior is an open-source repository for tools, software, projects and scripts that are dedicated for behavioral neuroscience research. The main goal is to promote and accelerate the collaboration of open-source neuroscience projects, neuroscience researchers and developers. Currently, OpenBehavior has 145 projects and active community of developers and research who are supporting this project. The project is founded and maintained by a group of researchers and professors. It started 2016 by Mark Lubach (PhD) and Alexxai Karvitz (PhD). The project is funded by NASA DC Space Grant Consortium to ML, Summer 2017. However, It’s still looking for more support as it’s 100% volunteer work. # **** Web Browsers **** # **** Mozilla **** # ** Taskcluster’s_DB_(Part_1)_–_Azure_to_Postgres [Ed: Mozilla flirtations with Microsoft again] ** This is a deep-dive into some of the implementation details of Taskcluster. Taskcluster is a platform for building continuous integration, continuous deployment, and software-release processes. It’s an open source project that began life at Mozilla, supporting the Firefox build, test, and release systems. The Taskcluster “services” are a collection of microservices that handle distinct tasks: the queue coordinates tasks; the worker-manager creates and manages workers to execute tasks; the auth service authenticates API requests; and so on. # **** Productivity Software/LibreOffice/Calligra **** # ** LibreOffice_7.0.3_Released_with_More_Than_90_Bug Fixes,_Update_Now ** Initially scheduled for the first or second week of November, LibreOffice 7.0.3 is here only three weeks after LibreOffice 7.0.2 to address some important issues discovered in the Calc component, which were introduced in the previous update, as well as to improve to document compatibility. LibreOffice 7.0.3 includes a total of 92 bug fixes, and you can study them all here. If you’re using the LibreOffice 7.0 office suite series on your personal computer, I highly recommend that you update to the new version as soon as possible if you want to experience improved stability and reliability, hopefully without any critical bugs. # ** The_Document_Foundation_releases_LibreOffice_7.0.3 ** LibreOffice 7.0.3, the third minor release of the LibreOffice 7.0 family, targeted at technology enthusiasts and power users, is now available for download from https:// www.libreoffice.org/download/, ahead of the planned schedule. LibreOffice 7.0.3 includes over 90 bug fixes, including Calc issues introduced with 7.0.2, and improvements to document compatibility. LibreOffice offers the highest level of compatibility in the office suite arena, starting from native support for the OpenDocument Format (ODF) – with better security and interoperability features – to wide support for proprietary formats. LibreOffice 7.0.3 represents the bleeding edge in term of features for open source office suites. Users wanting the robustness of a more mature version optimized for enterprise class deployments can still download LibreOffice 6.4.7. # ** Next_batch_of_videos_from_the_openSUSE_+_LibreOffice Conference_2020_–_The_Document_Foundation_Blog ** We’ve uploaded another batch of presentations and workshops from the recent openSUSE + LibreOffice Conference 2020! You can see them in the playlist, and here are the individual videos: Building LibreOffice’s Korean community, and CJK issues (DaeHyun Sung): Please confirm that you want to play a YouTube video. By accepting, you will be accessing content from YouTube, a service provided by an external third party. # **** FSF **** # **** GNU Projects **** # ** GNU_Chinese_Translators_Team_–_News:_Committee begins_review_of_High_Priority_Projects_free software_list_—_your_input_is_needed_by_January_8 [Savannah] ** The High Priority Free Software Projects (HPP) initiative draws attention to areas of improvement to the HPP list and specific projects of great strategic importance to the goal of freedom for all computer users. Longtime committee member Benjamin Mako Hill said previously that an “updated High Priority Projects list is a description of the most important threats, and most critical opportunities, that free software faces in the modern computing landscape.” As computing is more ubiquitous than ever, the HPP list must reflect ongoing changes in priorities for the free software movement. The committee is starting the new process of updating the HPP, and we need your input. We need your input! Send your suggested changes for the list to hpp- feedback@gnu.org by January 8, 2021. # **** Openness/Sharing/Collaboration **** # **** Open Access/Content **** # ** Excerpt_from_Masur_&_Ouellette’s_Free_Patent Law_Casebook_(Forthcoming_Summer_2021) ** In January 2020, Jonathan Masur (Chicago Law) and I decided to write a free patent law casebook, which has turned out to be a rewarding pandemic project. As James Grimmelmann has documented, there are now many inexpensive and open-access IP and technology law casebooks, but none focused on patent law. Jonathan and I plan to pilot our casebook with our own patent law courses in spring 2021, and we will release the casebook in summer 2021 for free download online and in print on an at-cost, royalty-free basis through Amazon. [...] To help instructors use active-learning pedagogical strategies, our casebook emphasizes problems and practical exercises that ask students to apply patent doctrine to situations from recent cases. We are also attempting to make the book as concise and conceptually clear as possible, with graphical illustrations to summarize the doctrine and manageable reading assignments focused on the details of modern patent practice and policy. * **** Leftovers **** o **** Hardware **** # ** Who_invented_the_microprocessor? ** The microprocessor is the engine of all modern computers including, desktops, laptops, and smartphones. The microprocessor is the component of computers that performs all of the functions of the Central Processing Unit (CPU). The microprocessor is one type of integrated circuit. An integrated circuit is a collection of circuits on a silicon chip. A typical integrated circuit might connect billions of transistors in a structured way to form the various logic gates and perform different operations. Microprocessors follow the machine instructions, and it can involve one of three basic functions. The first function is calculating various mathematical operations, which is done by the Arithmetic Logic Unit. The next function is moving data to different memory registers. The final function of a microprocessor is to read the instructions and jump to new instructions if needed. The history of the invention of the microprocessor is tendentious and controversial; the invention of the transistor was the first step. They came into production in 1947, long before microprocessors arrived on the scene. These original transistors were bipolar transistors. Integrated circuits containing multiple bipolar transistors were developed in the 1960s. The 1960s also saw the invention of the metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor. These transistors were originally slow, unreliable, and expensive, but rapid innovation made them the best option in transistors by the middle of the decade. o **** Health/Nutrition **** # ** The_Impact_of_the_Pandemic_on_Superstar_Cities ** This view is a bit peculiar. The argument in the article is essentially that these cities are very attractive places to live, and that will continue to be the case even if people have more opportunities to work remotely. However, that is not really the question. This is not a zero/one proposition. People will still want to live in places like Seattle, San Francisco, and New York even if everyone could work remotely. But that is besides the point. The issue is whether fewer people will want to live in these cities if they had the option to keep their jobs and work somewhere with much lower housing costs. o **** Integrity/Availability **** # **** Proprietary **** # **** Pseudo-Open Source **** # **** Openwashing **** # ** Open_Source_Drive-Thru_Contributors [Ed: Openwashing agenda by VM Brasseur or how to 'farm' a community for 'free labour'] ** VM Brasseur explains open source “drive-thru contributions” and explores how the process can be improved. In the ongoing efforts to create a sustainable free and open source software ecosystem—one where projects receive the attention they need without burning out their maintainers in the process—a lot of attention has justifiably fallen on increasing the number of FOSS contributors. Much of the discussion around increasing contributors assumes that the primary goal is to get contributors who will stick around and become community members and maintainers. It’s certainly true that many hands make light work, and the more maintainers a project has the less likely it is that any one of them will bear the brunt of the work and burn out. But, this isn’t the only way to support project sustainability through contributions. Another approach is to optimize your project for drive-thru contributors. # **** Privatisation/Privateering **** # **** Linux Foundation **** # ** Open_Source_Skills_in_Demand, According_to_Recent_Jobs_Reports ** The Robert Half Salary Guide 2021 details a long list of sought-after technology skills. As CRN’s Donna Goodison reports, “in-demand IT skills and expertise include Agile and Scrum, Angular, ASP.NET, C#, cloud computing (Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud), containerization (Docker, Kubernetes, and Helm), Golang, ITIL, Java, JavaScript, Kotlin, Linux, PHP, Python, ReactJS and React Native, Ruby on Rails, SQL, virtualization and virtual, augmented, mixed and cross reality.” # ** Why_the_hunt_is_on_for_open-source skills ** Shedding its earlier associations with small groups of software ‘enthusiasts’, open-source has become a household phenomenon driven by a common interest to support and improve solutions that both enterprises and communities can benefit from. It’s not just about throwing code out into the ether and waiting for comment, it’s about building communities around it. Cost is the immediate benefit to businesses, especially in the uncertain economic climate. No license fee requirements make for a distinctive advantage. But building these communities of often not-so-like-minded developer talent leads to richer, more capable, and robust code unlocked more quickly, while troubleshooting fixes can happen faster when issues occur. The software is not only superior in reliability but is often more secure. Rather than just one team within a company, a worldwide community develops a codebase that can be developed on online forums to be guided by experts. The result is rigorously reviewed and vetted source codes – any issues that do arise can be fixed more quickly and diligently when compared to proprietary software. # ** Open_Source_is_Revolutionizing Careers_in_Cybersecurity_–_What_You Need_to_Know ** Within the realm of cybersecurity, there are many sub-disciplines – but there are common technical foundations shared between cybersecurity jobs, too. You should be able to manage operating systems (for instance, numerous Linux distributions and Windows), as well as understand their architecture and administration, plus know about networking and virtualization software. You’ll also need to understand network load balancers and firewalls, plus common programming languages – among other topics Many employers will require you to have certain certifications before you’re hired, and these qualifications will be a major factor in this process; they show how much you know about this sector. Industry experience is essential in acquiring the correct skills as well. Open source talent and certifications are becoming increasingly sought after, with 81% of hiring professionals citing open source skills and certifications as at top priority. # **** Security **** # ** Ubuntu_publisher,_Samsung,_Huawei_join_major open-source_security_initiative ** Security has always been of utmost importance to the entire open source ecosystem. Eric S. Raymond, one of the luminaries of the open source movement, in his famous essay, Cathedral and the Bazaar, wrote “given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow.” While still true, the complexity of software, and the increasing number of collaborators, puts an increasing onus on the eyeballs hunting for vulnerabilities. In addition to well-defined security policies at a project level, virtually all of the top organisations that contribute to open source software have security initiatives of their own. # ** Open_Source_Security_Foundation_Announces Education_Courses_and_Participation_Initiatives to_Advance_its_Commitment_to_Securing_the_World’s Software_Infrastructure ** OpenSSF, a cross-industry collaboration to secure the open source ecosystem, today announced free training for developing secure software, a new OpenSSF professional certificate program called Secure Software Development Fundamentals and additional program and technical initiatives. It is also announcing new contributors to the Foundation and newly elected advisory council and governing board members. Open source software has become pervasive across industries, and ensuring its security is of primary importance. The OpenSSF, hosted at the Linux Foundation, provides a structured forum for a collaborative, cross- industry effort. The foundation is committed to working both upstream and with existing communities to advance open source security for all. # ** Security_updates_for_Thursday ** Security updates have been issued by Debian (linux-4.19), Fedora (tcpreplay, xen, and yubihsm-shell), SUSE (pacemaker), and Ubuntu (gosa and pam- python). # **** Privacy/Surveillance **** # ** Zoom_Shuts_Down_NYU_Event_To_Discuss Whether_Zoom_Should_Be_Shutting_Down_Events Based_On_Content ** Last month we wrote about Zoom blocking an online event by San Francisco State University because one of the speakers was Leila Khaled, a Palestinian activist/politician. 50 years ago she was involved in two airplane hijackings. As I noted in the post, this blockade was somewhat different than social media companies doing content moderation. Zoom is not hosting content, but rather just transmitting it, and thus is more akin to telecommunications infrastructure, and that raises significantly more questions about what it means when it starts reviewing the content of calls. o **** Defence/Aggression **** # ** Ninth_Circuit_Dumps_Sentencing_Enhancement_Handed_To Defendant_For_Opening_Social_Media_Accounts_For_ISIS Sympathizers ** The FBI is still creating terrorists — finding loud-mouthed online randos to radicalize by hooking them up with undercover agents and informants seemingly far more interested in escalating things than defusing possibly volatile individuals. # ** Impunity_and_Carefree_Violence:_Australia’s_Special_Forces in_Afghanistan ** Campbell duly tasked the inspector-general of the Australian Defence Force, James Gaynor, with the role of investigating war crimes allegations connected with the Special Operations Task Group during stints in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016. Paul Brereton, a New South Wales Supreme Court judge and major general in the Army Reserve, was given the task of leading the inquiry. For four years, it has been conducted under conditions of utmost secrecy. The instrument directing the inquiry, and the terms of reference of the inquiry, remain unpublished. The report is expected to be completed by year’s end, though some preparations for softening the blow are already being made. The IGADF annual report of 2018-9, tabled in parliament in February, at least alludes to the fact that more than 338 witnesses have been examined since March 2016, noting “55 separate incidents or issues under inquiry covering a range of alleged breaches of the Law of Armed Conflict, predominantly unlawful killings of persons who were non-combatants or were no longer combatants, but also ‘cruel treatment’ of such persons.” Exclusions are already clear: decisions made during the “heat of battle,” for instance, are of no concern. Focus, instead, “is on the treatment of persons who were clearly non- combatants or who were no longer combatants.” # ** Palestinian_Maher_Al-Akhras_Demands:_Freedom_or_Death ** Under the cover of chaos from the coronavirus crisis, Palestinian Maher Al-Akhras is on the brink of death in an Israeli hospital, on hunger strike to protest his administrative detention in Israeli prison. # ** The_Case_for_Abolition_After_Philadelphia_Police_Kill Walter_Wallace_Jr. ** Protesters in Philadelphia mark a second night of calling for the abolition of police after two Philadelphia police shot and killed Walter Wallace Jr., a 27-year-old Black man, while he was having a mental health crisis. The shooting reflects decades of defunding of social services, including for mental health, while police departments have continued to grow, says author and activist Marc Lamont Hill, who argues, “If all you have is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail.” Lamont Hill is professor of media studies and urban education at Temple University and author of We Still Here: Pandemic, Policing, Protest, and Possibility. o **** Finance **** # ** Freedom_Dreamers:_The_Faces_of_Student_Debt ** Millions of people don’t even know they’re being harmed by student debt, but should be dreaming of a world without it. The facts are staggering. o **** AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics **** # ** Tuesday’s_Down-Ticket_Elections_Are_the_Most_Important_in Generations ** Presidential contests have a quadrennial way of sucking all the oxygen out of the room, to the detriment of the local races which matter as much, if not more, as the one atop the ticket. The media enjoy covering big shiny things, and covering the nearly 500 House and Senate elections happening on the federal level alone involves encompassing a vast array of details that don’t squeeze well into the two-minute dollops of wisdom proffered by the networks. # ** Unleashing_the_Power_of_Poor_Voters ** Low-income voters could decide this election. These neighborhood activists are working to make it happen. # ** In_‘Extraordinary_Step,’_International_Crisis_Group_Issues Report_Warning_of_US_Election_Violence ** The report serves as “a testament to the erosion of U.S. democracy and the persistence of minority rule, of which the current presidency is a malignant symptom,” wrote one observer.  # ** Warning_of_the_‘Many_Trumps…_in_Waiting,’_Ocasio-Cortez Says_Democrats_‘Have_to_Be_Better’ ** “We’re not good enough right now,” the New York Democrat says of her party, and unless the material lives of working-class people are improved the nation’s dangerous slide to the right will continue. # ** The_Return_of_the_Trump-Obama_Feud ** Donald Trump often gives the impression that he’d rather run against anyone else than Joe Biden. Trump’s stock in trade is venomous bigotry, so he has little to work with against Biden, a straight white Christian man and steadfastly middle-of-the- road Democrat. Trump’s preferred moniker for Biden (“Sleepy Joe”) suggests the problem: It’s hard to feel threatened by someone who is sleepy. # ** ‘Don’t_Be_Fooled’:_Economists_Warn_Against_Deceptive_Trump Spin_on_New_GDP_Figures ** The GDP figures will come as tens of millions of Americans face “economic calamity” due to Republican lawmakers’ persistent refusal to approve additional coronavirus relief. # ** Is_Trump_Trying_to_Suppress_Votes_by_Saying_He’ll Disregard_Election_Results? ** As November nears, the world waits on pins and needles for the results of the U.S. presidential election, not least because of a valid concern that there may not be a peaceful transfer of power. President Donald Trump has been casting doubt on the results with veiled warnings like, “The only way we’re going to lose this election is if the election is rigged.” He panders to law enforcement at his rallies and has earned the endorsement of the largest police union in the country, causing worries that the president may be angling for their extralegal support on Election Day. During the first presidential debate, Trump spoke directly to the far right group the Proud Boys, telling them to “stand back and stand by,” and he encouraged his supporters to show up at the polls to keep “watch,” leading to anxieties about public intimidation or even violence at polling places. Add to this the right-wing demonization of the Black Lives Matter movement and anti-fascists, a global pandemic and looming economic crisis, and we have a powder keg of conditions that an authoritarian leader (like Trump) could exploit to remain in power should he not win at the ballot box. # ** Between_Chaos_and_Commonwealth ** Some reflections from decades of contemplating the rich, the poor, and the conviviality that comes with common purpose. # ** Miles_Taylor_(aka_‘Anonymous’)_Goes_Public_as_Voice_From Within_White_House_Who_Warned_of_Trump’s_Depraved_Personality and_Leadership ** “While I claim sole authorship of the work,” said the former Department of Homeland Security official. # ** Black_Americans_Won’t_Fall_for_Trump’s_Big_Con ** Comparing Trump to presidents who actually made things better is to fall into his trap. Trump hasn’t done things for African Americans, he has done things to them. # ** Trump_May_Become_First_Republican_to_Lose_Texas_Since 1976,_New_Polls_Suggest ** With less than a week until Election Day 2020, the path to reelection for President Donald Trump appears to be narrowing, while his Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, is expanding into states that candidates from his party haven’t made serious attempts to win in several decades. # ** Barrett_and_GOP_Threaten_Health_Care_for_Millions, Democrats_Say ** Less than week ahead of the election, Democrats and progressive groups are returning to a familiar theme and hammering Republicans on health care in the wake of the Senate vote on Monday to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. # ** Incensed_Over_Amy_Coney_Barrett’s_Confirmation?_Don’t Mourn—Organize_and_Vote ** For the past half century or so, the progressive movement has  often relied on the courts, not the political branches to win and protect rights. It’s time for that to change. # ** Let’s_Hold_Senate_Democrats’_Feet_to_the_Fire_Following Barrett_Confirmation ** The last weekend of January 2017 was a radicalizing moment for many Americans. Less than 10 days after being sworn into office, Donald Trump issued an executive order carrying out his campaign promise to ban Muslims from entering the United States. As more than 100 people were detained in airports across the country, thousands came out in the frigid winter weather to protest such blatant bigotry. # ** Angela_Walker_Speaks_With_Gravette_High_School_|_Howie Hawkins_for_President_|_Angela_Walker_for_Vice_President ** # ** Green_Party_Presidential_Candidate_On_His_Platform,_The 2020_Election ** o **** Freedom of Information/Freedom of the Press **** # ** ‘Stuff_of_Tinpot_Dictatorships’:_Trump_Appointee_Denounced for_Move_to_Turn_US_Media_Agency_Into_Mouthpiece_for_State ‘Propaganda’ ** “Trump stooge Michael Pack is eliminating the legally required editorial independence of U.S.- funded news outlets abroad so they can act like Trump’s Ministry of Propaganda,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren. o **** Civil Rights/Policing **** # ** Reclaiming_Possibility:_A_Rant_Against_Despair ** Fear can crowd out our imaginations and damper our compassion. What does it take to hold onto hope in these times? Kelly Hayes reflects on the world- building poetics of organizing. # ** Paul_Gilroy:_‘Whiteness_Just_Ain’t_Worth_What_it_Used_to Be’ ** In 1987, the historian and academic Paul Gilroy published There Ain’t No Black in the Union Jack, a searching examination of racism and nationalism in the United Kingdom in the second half of the 20th century. Its dissection of the fictions that contribute to ideas about “Englishness”—and the emphasis given at the time to a white, Christian frame for recognizing Englishness—as well as its examination of the ongoing accommodation of racist ideas by the British political and media establishment, were received at the time with great enthusiasm on one side and great ire on the other. # ** NLG_2021_Haywood_Burns_Fellowships ** The application for the NLG’s Haywood Burns Memorial Fellowship for Social and Economic Justice for Summer 2021 is now available! The Burns Fellowship is open to students and legal workers working on projects that find creative ways to use the law to advance justice. [...] Check out the Fellowship Page for information on previous Fellows and their projects. Please also take a look at the history of the Fellowships and the bio of Haywood Burns, which all applicants (and really everyone) should read. Fellowships may be completed with any existing organization whose mission addresses the needs of underserved individuals and groups. We encourage applicants to identify grassroots and non-traditional work opportunities for which there is a serious current societal need. This could be a small non-profit, a short-staffed community law firm, or an organizing campaign that needs legal assistance. In 2021, we expect to award $3,000 for ten weeks of full-time work and will be considering both in person and remote internships. o **** Internet Policy/Net Neutrality **** # ** The_Trump_Swamp_Fights_Itself_Over_Multi-Billion_Dollar No-Bid_Spectrum_Grab ** What does it look like when Trump’s swamp devours itself? Look no closer than a battle between Peter Thiel backed Rivada Networks and incumbent telecom giants AT&T and Verizon. o **** Monopolies **** # ** [Guest_Post]_How_can_the_AfCFTA_advance_transformative industrialisation?_–_Event_Report_–_The_IPKat ** The agreement establishing the AfCFTA was signed in Kigali Rwanda on 21 March 2018 at the 10th Extraordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) Assembly. AfCFTA creates the AU’s free trade area covering at least 55 countries and a potential market of more than 1.2 billion people. With the key objectives to establish a single market for goods and services and free movement of people to deepen economic integration, when fully implemented it will be the largest free trade area. It covers trade in goods, services, investment, intellectual property rights and competition policy, which are addressed in the different protocols of the agreement. The agreement establishing the AfCFTA, and protocols on trade in goods, trade in services and dispute settlement were adopted during Phase I and entered into force on 30 May 2019. Phase II of negotiations includes intellectual property rights, investment and competition policy and is currently ongoing. What made Professor Ncube’s presentation of significant interest is that the draft AfCFTA IP Protocol is not yet publicly available, therefore this was an opportunity to know what we should expect. Also, as the Covid-19 pandemic rages and access to the vaccine on the continent remains topical, her perspectives on what mechanisms could facilitate continental access to pharmaceutical products were key. She offered some insight into the structure of the document highlighting that it follows the template established in the protocols adopted under Phase I. For instance, the administrative structure will be a Committee on IP just as there are committees in all the other protocols. The negotiations have been underpinned by the same principles underlined in the AfCFTA, that is, variable geometry, flexibility and special and differential treatment, among others. [...] Professor Ncube reiterated that it was important to act locally as whatever the substantive provisions of the AfCFTA IP Protocol and whatever would emerge from the discussions at the WTO TRIPS Council on the waiver proposal, states would need to have the necessary mechanisms for implementation. She summed up with a powerful nugget: Context (IP and African Trade), Coordination (of regional hubs), Coherence (regulatory and policy positions) and a rallying cry for national action. # ** Three_Damages_Questions_for_the_Supreme_Court ** Following the verdict, the district court held a bench-trial on indefiniteness and found some of the claims indefinite. Since some of the infringed- claims were now invalid, the court awarded a new trial on damages issues. In addition, the court granted JMOL of no-willful-infringement. On appeal, the Federal Circuit reversed the willfulness judgment since Halo‘s more flexible test had replaced Seagate by that time. The new damages trial was also appealed, but the Federal Circuit refused to consider the issue since a new trial order is not a final judgment. On remand, the district court reconsidered its new trial order — and instead reinstated the verdict. The court decided that the verdict questions structured to allow damages on “either” of the patents. Since claims in one of the patents were still valid and infringed, the court found the verdict sufficient. This was supported by the evidence since the damages expert had apparently treated the patents together as a group. The court also reinstated the jury’s willfulness decision and then doubled the verdict — up to $268 million. Now the money is getting serious. # **** Patents **** # **** Software Patents **** # ** Express_Mobile_reexamination_request_granted_— Unified_Patents ** On October 28, 2020, the Central Reexamination Unit of the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted Unified Patents’ request for ex parte reexamination, finding substantial questions of patentability for all claims of U.S. Patent 7,594,168, owned and asserted by Express Mobile, Inc., a well-known NPE. The ’168 patent generally relates to website building software. Express Mobile has asserted this patent over 90 times in district court against companies employing both proprietary website-building platforms and open-source platforms like WordPress and Magento. Its numerous complaints have included assertions against companies large and small, including eGrove Systems, Shopify, Web.com Group, Inc., Squarespace, and HubSpot. ╒═══════════════════ DAILY LINKS ════════════════════════════════════════╕ ****** 10.29.20 ****** ***** Links_29/10/2020:_Istio_1.6.13,_Krita_4.4.1_and_PyPI_Key-Signing_Ceremony ***** Posted in News_Roundup at 9:19 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz [GNOME bluefish] **** Contents **** * GNU/Linux o Distributions o Devices/Embedded * Free_Software/Open_Source * Leftovers * **** GNU/Linux **** o **** Audiocasts/Shows **** # ** FLOSS_Weekly_602:_Linux_on_IBM_–_Encouraging_Open_Source Computing ** Reflecting on the 20-year anniversary of Linux on IBM Z mainframes. Hosts Doc Searls and Aaron Newcomb talk with Boaz Betzler, one of the original team members from the IBM Böblingen Lab in Germany responsible for porting Linux onto the IBM Z mainframes. They discuss the initial decision to port Linux onto the IBM mainframes and why that was a controversial decision at the time. They also talk about the impact of putting Linux on the mainframe and how it continues to impact the open- source community. # ** Unfettered_Freedom,_Ep._10_–_Youtube-dl,_Linux_Jobs,_LBRY, Text_Editors,_Ubuntu,_Fedora,_NixOS_–_YouTube ** Unfettered Freedom is a video podcast that focuses on news and topics about GNU/Linux, free software and open source software. On this freedom-packed episode: 0:00 – Intro 2:12 – The music industry goes after youtube-dl; it is removed from GitHub. 10:11 – Linux and open source jobs are hot right now. 14:04 – LBRY has a marketing problem. 17:30 – Six of the best text editors on Linux. o **** Applications **** # ** 10_Best_Free_and_Open_Source_Linux_Revision_Control_Tools ** Version control systems play an essential role for developers. First up, they allow developers to safely store successive versions of source code. Besides providing a secure backup of the source code, this type of software lets developers revert back to a stable release if subsequent code changes have unforeseen consequences. Equally important, revision control tools enable team members to work simultaneously on a project’s code. If you have ever collaborated with other people on a project, you will appreciate the frustration caused by swapping files. Revision control is an excellent way to combat the problem of sharing files between developers without treading on each other’s toes. For open source projects having tens/hundreds of people working on the same code base, revision control software is essential. # ** Announcing_Istio_1.6.13 ** This release contains bug fixes to improve robustness. This release note describes what’s different between Istio 1.6.12 and Istio 1.6.13 # ** Best_Audio_Mergers_to_Combine_Audio_Files_Together ** As a free audio merger, Audacity can help you manage audio files in different formats, such as WAV, AIFF, MP2, MP3, FLAC and OGG. It lets you easily merge multiple audio files together to make a long recording or song. In addition, it can handle your multi-track audio and work with Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux and other operating systems perfectly. o **** Instructionals/Technical **** # ** Kinto_–_Easily_Get_Mac_OS_Like_Keybinds_in_Ubuntu_Linux_| UbuntuHandbook ** For Mac users want to change keybinds in Ubuntu Linux or Windows, Kinto is an easy system-wide solution with setup wizard and system tray indicator. [...] Just click on ‘Agree’ button, follow the wizard, hit Enter, and you’re done! The system tray indicator is not enabled by default, you can enable it from the File menu. # ** Kinto_–_Easily_Get_Mac_OS_Like_Keybinds_in_Ubuntu_Linux_| UbuntuHandbook ** In this article, we will show you how to create your own abstract graphics using the GNU Image Manipulation Program for abstract graphic design. This program was initially created for Unix-like systems such as Linux. It has also been made available for Windows and OSX users. The following steps are very simple but can yield some awesome results. # ** Vdx_–_An_Intuitive_Commandline_Wrapper_To_FFmpeg_– OSTechNix ** Vdx is an intuitive commandline wrapper to FFmpeg. Using Vdx, we can do most common audio and video encoding and transcoding operations. # ** Linux_Bash_Shell_Special_Characters ** There are a set of characters the Bash shell treats in two different ways. When you type them at the shell, they act as instructions or commands and tell the shell to perform a certain function. Think of them as single-character commands. If you want to master the Bash shell on Linux, macOS, or another UNIX-like system, special characters (like ~, *, |, and >) are critical. We’ll help you unravel these cryptic Linux command sequences and become a hero of hieroglyphics. # ** Find_Ubuntu_Images_on_Microsoft_Azure [Ed: Microsoft would love to pretend that it now owns and controls its competition (and that it means "love")] ** # ** Deleting_many_files_from_an_S3_bucket_|_There_and_back again ** So we found ourselves in the need to delete a considerable amount of files (around 500000, amounting to 1.6T) from an S3 bucket. # ** Use_Docker_and_Alpine_Linux_to_build_lightweight containers ** When it comes to Docker, sometimes less is more — a maxim that applies especially to the base OS images installed in each Docker image. The use of a lightweight image — one with less than 200 MB — can result in significant resource and cost savings when used alongside optimized applications. A lightweight image also takes less time to deploy compared to a larger one, as it boots up faster. Most OS images are lightweight, with minimal compute resource requirements. But others, such as Windows containers, are huge. Alpine Linux is a super lightweight Linux distribution that’s useful for Docker containers. In this Docker and Alpine Linux tutorial, we’ll build an Nginx web server that demonstrates how small a Docker container image can be. # ** Managing_resources_with_cgroups_in_systemd_| Opensource.com ** Cgroups manage resources per application rather than by the individual processes that make up an application. # ** Improve_your_database_knowledge_with_this_MariaDB_and MySQL_cheat_sheet_|_Opensource.com ** When you’re writing an application or configuring one for a server, eventually, you will need to store persistent information. Sometimes, a configuration file, such as an INI or YAML file will do. Other times, a custom file format designed in XML or JSON or similar is better. But sometimes you need something that can validate input, search through information quickly, make connections between related data, and generally handle your users’ work adeptly. That’s what a database is designed to do, and MariaDB (a fork of MySQL by some of its original developers) is a great option. I use MariaDB in this article, but the information applies equally to MySQL. # ** Creating_a_Linux-Windows_hybrid_system_with_Cygwin_| Enable_Sysadmin ** When you need a consistent scripting platform in a heterogeneous data center, Cygwin delivers. # ** Eight_ways_to_protect_SSH_access_on_your_system_|_Enable Sysadmin ** The Secure Shell is a critical tool in the administrator’s arsenal. Here are eight ways you can better secure SSH, and some suggestions for basic SSH centralization. # ** Securely_tunnel_smart_phone_traffic_with_WireGuard_and OpenBSD ** Learn how to securely tunnel smart phone traffic over a WireGuard VPN with an OpenBSD 6.8 endpoint using the newly released in-kernel wg(4) driver with only base utilities. # ** How_to_Monitor_Ubuntu_Performance_Using_Netdata ** In this article, we will see how you can install Netdata on Ubuntu to monitor real-time, performance, and health monitoring of server and applications. # ** How_to_Select_the_Best_Hosting_Service_–_RoseHosting [Ed: Maybe a tad too self-promotional] ** Choose a hosting service that will provide everything that you’re looking for. These are our top factors to look out for in a hosting plan. # ** How_to_Use_apt-cache_Command_in_Linux ** With apt-cache command, you can search for package details in the local APT cache. Learn to use apt- cache command in this tutorial. # ** How_to_install_Kdenlive_20.08_on_a_Chromebook ** Today we are looking at how to install Kdenlive 20.08 or newer on a Chromebook. Please follow the video/audio guide as a tutorial where we explain the process step by step and use the commands below. # ** How_to_install_Xiphos_on_Ubuntu_20.04_LTS-_A_software_to Study_Bible_–_Linux_Shout ** Commands to install Xiphos on Ubuntu 20.04/18.04 LTS Linux. An open source software for Linux, Windows and Uinux to study Bible. # ** How_to_install_Zenmap_Nmap_GUI_on_Ubuntu_20.04_LTS_–_Linux Shout ** In simple words, the Zenmap is a graphical user interface developed for “Nmap“, a tool that we use on the command line terminal for scanning ports and networks. However, it could be difficult and cumbersome even for experienced users to use the command line for every small task, thus, in such scenarios, the Zenmap not only helps a lot but also expands the network tool with additional functions. It cross-platform GUI (Graphical User Interface) and make it very easy for beginners to use Nmap. When we install Zenmap it also adds the network driver WinPcap that programs such as Nmap and Wireshark need. If you don’t have any idea about Nmap, then it is a tool usually used by network security experts to analyze open ports over a network of a computer. It is a very powerful program. # ** How_to_use_the_history_command_on_CentOS_8 ** The ‘history’ command is used to display the terminal history. It keeps the history of all terminal commands executed on your system. It also allows users to replay or reuse previously executed commands on the terminal without having to type them all again. So the History command is useful in the situation when the user has forgotten a command that was previously executed on the terminal. The history of all executed commands is stored in the file ~/.bash_history. By default, the history file stores the record of all executed commands on the Linux system. If you have difficulties to check the history of all previously executed commands, this article would be useful for you. In this article we show you how to use the “history” command on your CentOS 8.0. # ** How_to_Install_Hadoop_Single_Node_Cluster_(Pseudonode)_on CentOS_7 ** This article describes the process to install the Pseudonode installation of Hadoop, where all the daemons (JVMs) will be running Single Node Cluster on CentOS 7. # ** How_to_Install_Eclipse_in_Ubuntu_20.04_|_IT_Pro ** Here are two ways to install Eclipse–and one way not to install Eclipse–in Ubuntu 20.04. # ** How_to_Give_Your_Raspberry_Pi_a_Static_IP_Address_–_Linux Hint ** It is essential to configure a static IP address on your Raspberry Pi system if you are planning to run some kind of server software on it. This article shows you how to configure a static IP address on the Ethernet and Wi-Fi network interface of your Raspberry Pi system running the Raspberry Pi OS. # ** How_to_Delete_a_Service_in_Kubernetes ** Learn two ways to delete a service in Kubernetes. [...] For example, your application has groups of pods running for various sections such as a group for serving front end load to users and other group for running back end processes and a third group connecting to an external data source. It is services that enable connectivity between these groups of pods. You can have as many services as required within the cluster. # ** How_to_Create_EC2_Duplicate_Instance_with_Ansible_|_Linux Journal ** Many companies like mine use AWS infrastructure as a service (IaaS) heavily. Sometimes we want to perform a potentially risky operation on an EC2 instance. As long as we do not work with immutable infrastructure it is imperative to be prepared for instant revert. One of the solutions is to use a script that will perform instance duplication, but in modern environments, where unification is an essence it would be wiser to use more common known software instead of making up a custom script. Here comes the Ansible! Ansible is a simple automation software. It handles configuration management, application deployment, cloud provisioning, ad-hoc task execution, network automation, and multi-node orchestration. It is marketed as a tool for making complex changes like zero-downtime rolling patching, therefore we have used it for this straightforward snapshotting task. # ** How_To_Install_Kodi_on_Debian_10_Buster_–_idroot ** In this tutorial we will show you how to install Kodi on Debian 10 Buster, as well as some extra required package by Kodi # ** Install_LibreELEC_on_Raspberry_Pi_to_Replace_Your_Smart_TV OS ** Don’t like ads on your smart TV? Learn how to replace your TV OS with LibreELEC (Embedded Linux Entertainment Center) and a Raspberry Pi. o **** Games **** # ** Gaming_On_Linux_To_Get_Major_Improvements,_Thanks_To Collabora ** Gone are the days when people would criticize Linux for its incapability to run games. Thanks to the vast open source community, gaming on Linux hasn’t been better than today. Collabora is a firm that specializes in open-source consultancy and development. The company has been striving to improve the overall gaming scenario on Linux alongside Valve, sponsoring the work. # ** Major_improvement_for_Windows_gaming_on_Linux_expected next_year ** Gaming on Linux systems could be about to get a lot more inclusive thanks to the work of one open- source company. Headquartered in Cambridge, Collabora specializes in open source consultancy and development. The company has been working to improve the Linux kernel to better support gaming on the behest of Valve, who has been sponsoring the work. While gaming on Linux has made major positive strides in the last few years, a vast majority of games still continue to be developed exclusively for Windows. Valve’s approach to bring this Windows-only gaming ecosystem to Linux is through emulation. o **** Desktop Environments/WMs **** # **** K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt **** # ** digiKam_7.2.0-beta1_is_released ** After a long time to integrate the student codes working on faces management while this summer, we are now ready to propose a first beta with the the new improvements planned since a very long time about the usability and the performances of faces tagging, faces detection, and faces recognition, already presented in July with 7.0.0 release announcement. We also fight against plenty of bugs, and after a long triaging stage, this new version come with more than 140 bug-fixes since last stable release 7.1.0 and look very promising. Nothing is completed yet, as we plan one more beta version before Christmas, when we will publish officially the stable version. It still bugs to fix while this beta campaign and all help will be welcome from the community to stabilize codes. # ** Krita_4.4.1_Released ** Despite an extra-long beta period during which we got awesome feedback from our community, 4.4.0 was released with several regressions, that is, bugs that weren’t present in 4.3.0. So today we’re releasing Krita 4.4.1 with the following fixes… o **** Distributions **** # ** EndeavourOS_is_a_Wholesome_Arch-Based_Distribution ** Most readers may probably remember the Antergos Linux distribution which was discontinued in 2019. It was an Arch-based Linux distribution that aimed to be beginner-friendly, easy to install and easy to use. Making the average life quite possible with Arch Linux as a base. It featured a graphical installer with multiple options to install various desktop environments in a few clicks. After it was discontinued, a group of the older community merged efforts to create a new continuation of that distribution, named EndeavourOS. The latest version was released around one and half months ago, and it uses Xfce as a default desktop environment, with many other options available for users. We’ll go today in a review of EndeavourOS 2020.09.20 and what to expect of it. TL;DR: It is a good distribution for anyone who wants an easy, minimal Arch installation. # **** New Releases **** # ** IPFire_2.25_–_Core_Update_152_is_available_for testing ** It is time for another Core Update: IPFire 2.25 – Core Update 152. It comes with various smaller bug fixes and improvements and updates the Windows File Sharing Add-on. IPFire is a small team of people from a range of backgrounds sharing one goal: make the Internet a safer place for everyone. Like many of our open source friends, we’ve taken a hit this year and would like to ask for your continued support. Please follow the link below where your donation can help fund our continued development: https:// www.ipfire.org/donate # **** IBM/Red Hat/Fedora **** # ** Fedora_33 ** Today we are looking at Fedora 33. It is based on Linux Kernel 5.8, Gnome 3.38, and uses about 1.7GB of ram when idling. Enjoy! # ** Fedora_33_Run_Through_–_YouTube ** In this video, we are looking at Fedora 33. Enjoy! # **** Canonical/Ubuntu Family **** # ** Ubuntu_21.04_Codename_Is_Hirsute_Hippo ** The codename of Ubuntu 21.04 has been revealed and it is Hirsute Hippo. Along with the codename development of Ubuntu 21.04 is now officially started. Ubuntu developer Matthias Klose posted a message over Ubuntu developer mailing list regarding the announcement… # ** Canonical_shares_release_schedule_for_Ubuntu_21.04 Hirsute_Hippo ** It’s only a week since we saw the release of Ubuntu 20.10 Groovy Gorilla, and now Linux- luvvie Canonical has shared details of the follow-up — Ubuntu 21.04 Hirsute Hippo. The newly published release schedule shows that work kicks off today with the toolchain upload. There are a number of key dates to look forward to, including a beta release on April 1, 2021 and the final release just three weeks later. o **** Devices/Embedded **** # ** Pro1-X:_A_New_Linux_Smartphone_Enters_The_Market_–_Boiling Steam ** The battery is rated at 3,200 mAh. The Indiegogo page says you can talk up to 10 hours, and keep the phone in standby for a whopping 480 hours. According to the CPU and GPU benchmarks on the same site, it did better than most competing devices, except for the OnePlus Nord, and even then it tied neck-and-neck for GPU performance. As such, one could definitely consider this to be a pretty decent gaming machine in your pocket. Connect to an external monitor via USB-C-to-HDMI, and use the phone like a desktop. You get the best of both worlds, really. Naturally, you’re probably going to think that, based on the hardware, the price tag is steep. And you’d be right. The off-the-shelf price is $900. That’s almost double what the OnePlus Nord costs. And as much as I’d like to say you can get it cheaper, you still can while pre-orders are live, but not by much. All of the early bird prices are gone right now — the first 30 customers who pre- ordered could get it as low as $500! I almost got mine for $600, but for some reason, Indiegogo had a problem with my order. Not sure if I just didn’t make it in time for the deal, or something’s wrong with my credit card. # ** XDA_partners_with_F(x)tec_to_make_a_phone_that_runs LineageOS_and_Ubuntu_Touch_OS ** XDA has been around since the dark ages of smartphones and has proven a fertile ground for mods – including CyanogenMod. Now the XDA team has decided to get in the driver’s seat and make a phone of its own. It partnered with F(x)tec to build the hardware so it can focus on the software. Fittingly, it chose LineageOS, the phoenix that rose from the Cyanogen ashes. But that’s not all, Ubuntu Touch OS is supported out of the box. The team managed to get HDMI out working (over USB- C), so you can hook up a large monitor and peripherals to turn the phone into a Linux desktop. Ubuntu can work perfectly fine on the phone’s own screen as well with a gesture-based UI and can run Android apps inside AnBox. The phone – dubbed Pro1-X – is based on the F(x)tec Pro1. XDA asked for more memory, so the X comes with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB storage (up from 6/128 GB). Other than that the device is largely unchanged. In case you missed it, the phone has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard hiding behind the 5.99” OLED screen (1080p+, 18:9). The phone measures 14 mm thick when closed and weighs 243 grams. When opened, the display is held at an angle. # ** Customizable_Apollo_Lake_mini-PC_runs_Linux ** ADL’s Linux-ready “ADLEPC-1700” industrial mini-PC offers an Apollo Lake SoC, 8GB soldered LPDDR4, SATA, 2x GbE, 2x USB 3.0, DP, mini-PCIe, and a customizable I/O that defaults to 2x COM. ADL Embedded Solutions has announced an Intel Apollo Lake based ADLEPC-1700 successor to its Intel Bay Trail ADLEPC-1500 from 2017. The system has the same 86 x 81 x 33mm dimensions but offers twice the RAM and a higher resolution 4K DP 1.2 port, among other changes. There is also a new customizable I/O compartment integrated into the top of the unit. Farther below we take a look at a few Apollo Lake SBCs from ADL that we missed, one of which may form the basis for the ADLEPC-1700’s mainboard. # **** Open Hardware/Modding **** # ** Talk_to_your_Raspberry_Pi_|_HackSpace_36 ** # **** Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications **** # ** Android_TV_Data_Saver_app_lands_on_the_Google_Play Store ** # ** You_can_disable_‘OK_Google’_on_your_Android_phone_– here’s_how ** # ** Google_is_working_on_scrolling_screenshot_support for_Chrome_on_Android ** # ** Lexar_launches_new_super-fast_microSD_cards_ideal for_Android_camera_phones ** # ** Best_Video_Streaming_Apps_for_Android_Devices_ [Alternatives_to_Netflix] ** # ** Delhi_CM_launches_Green_Delhi_app_for_Android:_How to_download,_how_it_works_and_more ** # ** Redmi_Note_8_MIUI_12_update_may_be_missing_some_ (Android_10)_features ** # ** 3SS_and_Skyworth_create_Netflix-ready_platform_for Android_TV ** # ** How_to_Play_Android_Games_on_a_PC ** o **** Free, Libre, and Open Source Software **** # **** FSF **** # ** The_FSF_Is_Looking_To_Update_Its_High_Priority_Free Software_Projects_List ** As we roll into 2021 the Free Software Foundation is looking to update its high priority free software projects list. These are the software projects that should be incorporating “the most important threats, and most critical opportunities, that free software faces in the modern computing landscape.” For now the FSF is looking for help deciding what to include. The FSF high priority projects list is what once included PowerVR reverse engineering as being very important albeit never happened prior to PowerVR graphics becoming less common. In fact, many FSF high priority projects never panned out as they weren’t contributing much in the way of resources to the causes but just calling attention to them. PDF support was among their high priority projects as well as another example as well as the likes of an open-source Skype replacement and reverse-engineering other popular technologies. # **** Programming/Development **** # ** Qt_Creator_4.14_Beta_released ** We are happy to announce the release of Qt Creator 4.14 Beta! The biggest change in Qt Creator 4.14 is one that you hopefully won’t notice: We switched the build of our packages completely to the CMake build system! Other changes behind the scenes include adaptations to the code needed for building Qt Creator with Qt 5 and Qt 6, which is still an ongoing process. But here follows a summary of functionality fixes and changes… # ** GNU_Toolchain_Begins_Adding_ARMv8.7-A_Support ** The GNU compiler toolchain has begun landing Arm’s contributions around ARMv8.7- A architecture support. While all of the ARMv8 cores to date remain with older versions of the architecture and even cases like ARMv8.2-A with the Cortex-A78 and X1, Arm continues working on new ARMv8 revisions and getting that software support in place well ahead of hardware availability. # ** Software_correctness_is_a_lot_like_flossing ** Which means that they’re not seeing the bigger picture. An explanation of why programmers “don’t care about correctness” shouldn’t just be post-hoc rationalizations. Here’s my main argument for why most programmers don’t seem to care about software correctness: Which is worse: buggy software or a root canal? How often do you floss? Whenever I pose this in a discussion, I get the same answer: everyone thinks root canals are worse, and at most half of the group flosses daily. That’s ridiculous! Flossing takes like three minutes a day. But people don’t do it because it’s fiddly, annoying, and inconvenient. If people are unwilling to do something simple to keep their teeth from rotting, why should we expect people to use annoying inconvenient tools to improve software? # ** Javascript_Alert_–_Linux_Hint ** Javascript is the most known language of the web. Javascript is widely used in front-end development as well as in the back-end. Javascript provides a lot of built-in functions to help in development. In this article, we are going to learn one of the javascript’s built-in alert() method, which is used to show pop-ups over the screen to either display a message or show a warning. The alert box is different from any other message or text on the screen. It is a pop-up that contains a message/text with an “OK” button. The user won’t be able to do any task while an alert box is over the screen, and he/she clicks the “OK” button. So, it is not recommended, if not needed. So, let’s have a look at what is an alert box and what are the different ways to use it. # ** Javascript_Print_Page_–_Linux_Hint ** Javascript is a scripting or programming language, which is most commonly used nowadays in the web industry. It provides a lot of built-in objects, functions, and methods to perform several tasks. In this article, we are going to have a look at one of them which is used to print the web page. So, let us get started! You must have encountered some websites that provide a button to print the whole web page, or you must have felt the need to print a web page but there is no print button there. Javascript’s built-in object window provides us a method named print(). We can use window.print() function to fulfill this requirement. # **** Perl/Raku **** # ** Planned_obsolescence_|_Playing_Perl_6␛b6xA Raku ** Twelve years ago Larry planned the obsolescence of one of my modules. His cunning plan was executed by lizmat a fortnight ago. If you are building Rakudo from source you take another shortcut now. # **** Python **** # ** Get_Started_With_Django_Part_3:_Django_View Authorization_–_Real_Python ** In part 1 of this series, you learned the fundamentals of Django models and views. In part 2, you learned about user management. In this tutorial, you’ll see how to combine these concepts to do Django view authorization and restrict what users can see and do in your views based on their roles. Allowing users to log in to your website solves two problems: authentication and authorization. Authentication is the act of verifying a user’s identity, confirming they are who they say they are. Authorization is deciding whether a user is allowed to perform an action. The two concepts go hand in hand: if a page on your website is restricted to logged-in users, then users have to authenticate before they can be authorized to view the page. Django provides tools for both authentication and authorization. Django view authorization is typically done with decorators. This tutorial will show you how to use these view decorators to enforce authorized viewing of pages in your Django site. # ** PyCharm_2020.3_EAP_#3 ** The third build of PyCharm 2020.3 is now available in the Early Access Program with features and fixes for a smoother, more productive experience. We invite you to join our EAP to try out the latest features we have coming up, test that they work properly in your environments, and help us make a better PyCharm for everyone! # ** Change_Tick_Frequency_in_Matplotlib ** Matplotlib is one of the most widely used data visualization libraries in Python. Much of Matplotlib’s popularity comes from its customization options – you can tweak just about any element from its hierarchy of objects. In this tutorial, we’ll take a look at how to change the tick frequency in Matplotlib. We’ll do this on the figure-level as well as the axis-level. # ** Python_Software_Foundation_News:_Key generation_and_signing_ceremony_for_PyPI ** On Friday October 30th at 11:15 AM EDT the Python Software Foundation will be live streaming a remote key generation and signing ceremony to bootstrap The Update Framework for The Python Package Index. You can click here to see what time this is in your local timezone. This ceremony is one of the first practical steps in deploying The Update Framework to PyPI per PEP 458. The Python Software Foundation Director of Infrastructure, Ernest W. Durbin III, and Trail of Bits Senior Security Engineer, William Woodruff, will be executing the runbook developed at https://github.com/psf/psf-tuf-runbook. For transparency purposes a live stream will be hosted from the Python Software Foundation’s YouTube channel. Please subscribe to the channel to be notified when the stream is live if you’d like to follow along. # ** Generating_random_avatar_images_in_Django/ Python_–_Peterbe.com ** But most people don’t have their mugshot on Gravatar.com unfortunately. But you still want to display an avatar that is distinct per user. Your best option is to generate one and just use the user’s name or email as a seed (so it’s always random but always deterministic for the same user). And you can also supply a fallback image to Gravatar that they use if the email doesn’t match any email they have. That’s where this blog post comes in. # ** How_to_work_with_Files_in_Python_|_FOSS_Linux ** In this tutorial, we see how to work with files in python, such as creating files, reading data from files, writing data to files, removing, and renaming files. # **** Rust **** # ** Lang_team_Backlog_Bonanza_and_Project Proposals ** A month or two back, the lang team embarked on a new initiative that we call the “Backlog Bonanza”. The idea is simple: we are holding a series of meetings in which we go through every pending RFC, one by one, and try to reach some sort of determination about what to do with it. Once we’ve finished that, we can start in on categorizing other forms of backlog, such as tracking issues. # ** Core_team_membership_changes ** The core team has had a few membership updates in the last month, and we wanted to provide an update. To start, Florian Gilcher is joining the Core team as a full member. Florian has been attending meetings as an observer since March 2019. He is the lead of the Community Events team, and has done a lot of work in the open source world, with plenty of insight to offer especially as we look to form a Rust Foundation. There are also two folks stepping back from the team. Carol Nichols has been a member of the team for three years, and she is stepping back to make more time for other projects in the community, including crates.io and her continued work on the Rust book. Nick Cameron has recently welcomed a second child (congratulations!) and is leaving the core team to be able to focus more on his family and his work at PingCAP. He will continue to be around in the Rust community. # ** This_Week_in_Rust_362 ** * **** Leftovers **** o ** DiPrima_on_a_Piano,_in_Eternity ** o ** Book_review:_The_Reasonable_Robot,_Artificial_Intelligence_and the_Law_–_The_IPKat ** The introduction ‘artificial intelligence and the law’ covers AI legal neutrality, tax, tort, intellectual property, criminal and the future of AI. In the intellectual property section, Abbott says that it is unclear whether AI-generated inventions, made without traditional inventors, are eligible for patent protection. As we know, this is currently being tested in the courts of the UK, USA, and Europe. In fact, Abbott was involved in the project which he discusses in the book, you can also find out more information on their website here, Katposts here and here. However, he suggests that “patent offices have likely been granting patents on AI-generated inventions for decades – but only because no one’s disclosing AI’s involvement.” Abbott argues that the law should permit patents for AI- generated inventions and even recognise AI as an inventor when AI meets inventorship criteria. This argument is based on the purpose of intellectual property to fulfil the purpose of encouraging socially valuable activities as well as financial motivations for inventors. He reasons that the machine has no use for the patent, but granting one would incentivise AI inventions. Chapter 1: ‘Understanding artificial intelligence’, provides a brief history and background on the development of AI. Abbott sets his definition of AI as ‘an algorithm or machine capable of completing tasks that would otherwise require cognition’. This Kat recalls the definition proposed by Jacob Turner in Robot Rules as ‘the ability of a non-natural entity to make choices by an evaluative process’. These are similar ideas but perhaps Abbott’s definition is a lower threshold, in that the AI only needs to complete a task, rather than make a choice. Abbott’s choice of word ‘cognition’ is interesting to this Kat – as she has a book called Law, Technology and Cognition! Cognition is a word that traditionally relates to brain function. This word therefore fits well with Abbott’s view that the law should not discriminate between AI and human behaviour. o **** Science **** # ** Did_James_Randi_“destroy_skepticism”? ** I debated about whether to write about the particular article I’m going to write about today, not so much because it’s something that makes me uneasy but rather because I wasn’t sure if I should give the writer who wrote it more attention. (Not that he likely needs it, give that, somehow, he got this drivel posted on Boing Boing, one of the most highly trafficked websites out there.) However, one week after the death of James “The Amazing” Randi, I suppose that I should have expected an attack like the one written by Mitch Horowitz and given the rather click-baity title of The man who destroyed skepticism. Obviously, given that the modern skeptic movement is inseparable from James Randi, who was one of the major figures who helped birth it decades ago, that title, plus the blurb, “Scourge of psychics James Randi was no skeptic; our culture is poorer as a result” was obviously intended as red meat. However, I ultimately decided that deconstructing the article is a useful exercise, because Horowitz uses a combination of Randi’s known shortcomings and missteps, numerous rhetorical devices that give away his bias, plus appeals to aggrieved pseudoexperts in the paranormal and “energy medicine” with whom Randi had tussled in his lifetime over their promotion of pseudoscience. I finally decided to bite the bullet and take one for the team. o **** Education **** # ** Many_Americans_still_don’t_have_internet_access_—_Congress should_help ** Home broadband is a necessity for all, regardless of race, income or geography — especially as we’re being asked to stay at home whenever possible to stop the spread of the virus. Yet according to a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) December 2018 Internet Access Services report, 44 million households do not even have a standard broadband connection, either because they do not have access or can’t afford it. This crisis is reaching a breaking point this fall as many schools hold all classes online. Congress cannot stand idly by while millions of people across the country are unable to connect with loved ones, work from home, engage in distance learning, take advantage of telehealth or otherwise fully participate in society because they lack affordable broadband access. Now, more than ever before, is the time to take the necessary steps toward universal, affordable broadband service. o **** Health/Nutrition **** # ** The_New_Humanitarian_|_COVID-19,_systemic_crises,_and_the need_for_aid_reform ** The humanitarian system has developed to respond to geographically contained and separate crises that are usually a long-haul flight from the centres of power and wealth that sustain it. But that is no longer how crises work. If you didn’t believe in systemic crises before, hopefully you do now – because like the COVID-19 virus, crises have jumped the species barrier and we don’t know how to contain them. The humanitarian system isn’t broken, or broke. But it is hopelessly ill prepared for our times, out of ideas, and running out of time. The COVID-19 pandemic provides a text-book example of systemic risk, where shocks are transmitted through the networks and systems that our global economy depends on. The cascading consequences are hard to predict, leaving policymakers aghast and adrift as they weigh decisions with little foresight of the trade-offs and their unintended repercussions. The legacies of the pandemic are expected to be wide-ranging and profound, including tipping a further 150 million people into extreme poverty by 2021, and leaving us in a more unequal and politically unstable world. # ** Trump_In_A_Nutshell:_They_Came_For_the_Covid,_But_Stayed For_the_Hypothermia ** # ** ‘Why_Tell_Me_That_We’re_Safer_Here?’ ** Merrimack County, N.H.—Frost came early this year. My tomatoes hung unripe on dead vines while it was still summer. If you’re one for metaphor, this is 2020: It gives, but it also takes. The take will be swift, cold, and absolute. It happens like this sometimes, my neighbors tell me about the frost. They are resigned to the loss with a knowing headshake. None seemed as devastated by the taking as I. # ** ‘We’ve_Made_Such_Progress,_It’s_Incredible,’_Trump_Lies_as US_Hits_Record_500,000_Covid_Cases_in_One_Week ** “Trump’s anti-science attitude is why 225,000 Americans are dead and why the pandemic is surging nationwide,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders. # ** White_House_Press_Release_Wrongly_Claims_Trump_Has Defeated_COVID ** The White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) published a news release on Monday asserting that the Trump administration had put a stop to the coronavirus pandemic — a dubious claim given that the nation is seeing its highest rates of new cases being reported since the crisis began. # ** Covid_Takes_Center_Stage_at_the_World_Series ** Let’s start with everything we should be talking about today in that narrow, rapidly collapsing space of escape from the political golems beating down our doors. We should be talking about the Los Angeles Dodgers—one of the great historic franchises in all of sports—winning their first World Series in 32 seasons, after years of devastating near-misses. We should be talking about Mookie Betts, the Dodgers’ right fielder and a player who—if MLB knew how to market anything beyond the building of a stadium on public money—could be a global superstar of swag. We should be talking about Los Angeles, a place that has had a hell of a hard year even by 2020 standards, now a city of champions, with the Dodgers’ following the Lakers’ victory in the NBA Finals. We should be talking about the greatest baseball announcer in history, Vin Scully, who at age 92 was able to celebrate another Dodgers World Series win and tweet his joy. # ** Academic_overwork_‘leaves_no_time_for_keeping_healthy’ ** Research involving more than 900 academics from dozens of universities across the two countries found that only 20.4 per cent of respondents in Australia and 18 per cent in the UK met the World Health Organisation guideline of two and a half hours of moderate aerobic activity each week. A similar proportion managed 90 minutes. In comparison, 55 per cent of Australian adults meet these benchmarks. o **** Integrity/Availability **** # **** Proprietary **** # ** Windows_REvil_ransomware_group_member_says_annual take_is_US$100m ** A man who claims to be a member of the group behind the Windows REvil ransomware says the group takes in more than US$100 million (A$1.4 million) annually through ransom payments. # ** Microsoft:_No_Driver_Updates_Allowed_for_Win7_and Win8 ** # ** Nitro_again_insists_data_breach_‘isolated’_as incident_gets_more_coverage ** ASX-listed Nitro Software, a firm that had its origins in Melbourne and offers a service to create, edit and sign PDFs and digital documents, has issued an update on Wednesday to its earlier statement regarding a data breach, in what appears to be an attempt to negate the details published about the incident by the American website Bleeping Computer and a number of other websites. # ** Git_shared_hosting_quirk_|_Daniel_Lange’s_blog ** The hack was discussed on Github in Dec 2018 when it was discovered. I forgot about it again but Konstantin’s mail brought the memory back and I think it deserves more attention. I’m sure putting some illegal content into a fork and sending a made up “blob” URL to law enforcement would go quite far. Good luck explaining the issue. “Yes this is my repo” but “no, no that’s not my data” … “yes, it is my repo but not my data” … “no we don’t want that data either, really” … “but, but there is nothing we can do, we host on github…1″. # **** Security **** # **** Privacy/Surveillance **** # ** CA_calls_for_restricting_state_agencies’ access_to_metadata ** The lobby group representing the telecommunications industry has called on the government to accept recommendations made by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security and repeal two sections of a law which have allowed numerous state agencies to gain access to Australians’ telecommunications metadata. # ** EFF_Files_Amicus_Brief_Arguing_That_Law Enforcement_Access_to_Wi-Fi_Derived Location_Data_Violates_the_Fourth_Amendment ** With increasing frequency, law enforcement is using unconstitutional digital dragnet searches to attempt to identify unknown suspects in criminal cases. In Commonwealth v. Dunkins, currently pending before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, EFF and the ACLU are challenging a new type of dragnet: law enforcement’s use of WiFi data to retrospectively track individuals’ precise physical location. Phones, computers, and tablets connect to WiFi networks—and in turn, the Internet—through a physical access point. Since a single access point can only service a limited number of devices within a certain range, WiFi networks that have many users and cover larger geographic areas have multiple stationary access points. When a device owner moves through a WiFi network with multiple access points, their device seamlessly switches to the nearest available point. This means that an access point can serve as a proxy for a device owner’s physical location. As an access point records a unique identifier for each device that connects to it, along with the time the device connected, access point logs can reveal a device’s precise location over time. # ** Disney_Plus_Now_Lets_Users_Share_Content on_Social_Media,_Messaging_Apps ** To share a piece of content, Disney Plus subscribers must tap the new “Share” button found on a Disney Plus title’s details page. They then select the preferred platform (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or messaging app) and, if applicable, the recipients of the message. The app’s sharing feature will compose a prepopulated message (e.g., “I thought you might like ‘The Mandalorian’ on Disney+”), but subscribers can overwrite it with their own text. Recipients can click on the shared link to go straight to the Disney Plus title — but, of course, they must subscribe to the $6.99/month service to actually watch it. # ** A_White_House_Adviser_Was_Involved_in Surveillance_of_Protesters ** After joining the DHS, Dobitsch was “promoted like crazy,” scoring three promotions in about a year, the former senior I&A intelligence officer said. “It was her that started taking the open source intelligence reports and memos and directing them to be changed to suit Trump’s narrative,” he added, referring to I&A’s production of intelligence reports on journalists covering the Portland protests. After news of these reports was broken by The Washington Post, a firestorm of controversy ensued and the DHS’s chief intelligence official, Bryan Murphy, was removed from his role and reassigned. [...] After the Portland controversy, some of I&A’s intelligence officers began taking copious notes on the orders they were being given, in anticipation of subpoenas from Congress or investigation by the inspector general. Despite this, a former intelligence officer familiar with the matter alleged that Dobitsch was careful to cover her tracks by refusing to memorialize certain directives on paper. “She never takes notes and shreds everything…so HPSCI [the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence] will never get her,” the former intelligence officer said. Every DHS source I spoke to seemed pessimistic about the likelihood that anyone would face consequences for their involvement in the Portland operation. # ** Facebook_Q3_Earnings_Preview:_Ad_Rebound Shouldn’t_Be_the_Only_Hope ** The other two issues (antitrust and Section 230) may not be addressed as directly. “Antitrust” was mentioned twice by Mark Zuckerberg during its Q3 2019 earnings, which followed that summer’s reports that the FTC and state attorneys general were investigating Facebook for antitrust reasons. But any information on how Facebook is dealing with its current government scrutiny woes, or even any insights gained from any recent conversations with Democratic lawmakers who want to break it up, could be helpful for long-term Facebook investors (which would have less incentive to be long-term on the stock if it no longer controlled the billion plus user-hosting Instagram). o **** Defence/Aggression **** # ** Another_Arrest_Shows_It’s_Pretty_Much_Everyone_But_Antifa Engaging_In_Anti-Government_Violence ** The DOJ really wants to make El Presidente’s antifa dreams come true. The anti-police brutality protests have been cast by the administration as a leftist conspiracy to… um… demand better policing and better police officers. In addition to sending federal officers to clamp down on unrest in “Democratic” cities, the FBI has been sending analysts to crack phones taken from protesters in hopes of finding some sort of antifa org chart the feds can use to dismantle this “group.” # ** The_World_is_Changing:_China_Launches_Campaign_for Superpower_Status ** Simply put, Beijing has long realized that, in order for it to sustain its economic growth unhindered, it has to develop the necessary tools to protect itself, its allies and their combined interests. The need for a strong China is not a novel idea developed by the current Chinese President, Xi Jinping. It goes back many decades, spanning various nationalist movements and, ultimately, the Communist Party. What sets Xi apart from the rest is that, thanks to the unprecedented global influence acquired by Beijing during his incumbency (2013 – present), China is now left with no alternative but to match its ‘economic miracle’ with a military one. # ** Breonna_Taylor_Grand_Jurors_Say_Police_Actions_Were “Criminal”;_Never_Given_Chance_to_Indict_Cops ** Two members of a Kentucky grand jury convened after the Louisville police killing of Breonna Taylor have spoken on camera for the first time, calling the actions of the Louisville officers responsible for Taylor’s death “criminal” and saying the state’s Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron never gave them the option to consider murder or manslaughter charges against the police officers involved. “From the very beginning, we have seen a campaign of prevarication, of dishonesty, of outright neglect of any semblance of justice for Breonna Taylor or for her family,” responds Marc Lamont Hill, professor of media studies and urban education at Temple University, who notes that in lieu of justice, her family at least deserves accountability. # ** ‘Eroding_Transparency’:_New_Airwars_Report_Details_Deadly US_Drone_Strikes_and_Raids_in_Yemen_Under_Trump ** Since Trump took office, U.S. actions in the country have killed “between 86 and 154 civilians, including at least 28 children and 13 women.” # ** Care_Not_Cops:_Marc_Lamont_Hill_Makes_Case_for_Abolition After_Philadelphia_Police_Kill_Walter_Wallace_Jr. ** Protesters in Philadelphia mark a second night of calling for the abolition of police after two Philadelphia police shot and killed Walter Wallace Jr., a 27-year-old Black man, while he was having a mental health crisis. The shooting reflects decades of defunding of social services, including for mental health, while police departments have continued to grow, says author and activist Marc Lamont Hill, who argues, “If all you have is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail.” Lamont Hill is professor of media studies and urban education at Temple University and author of “We Still Here: Pandemic, Policing, Protest, and Possibility.” # ** Draft_debacle:_Bellingcat_smears_OPCW_whistleblower, journalists_with_false_letter,_farcical_claims ** # ** Stop_the_Massacres_in Haiti!_End_U.S._and_UN_Support for the_Criminal_Regime_of_Jovenel_Moise ** On October 2nd, 2020, university student leader, law student, and teacher-in-training Gregory Saint- Hilaire  was shot in the back inside of the university by Jovenel Moise’s special security unit within the Haitian police that had illegally invaded the campus. Saint-Hilaire was an outspoken pro-democracy  activist who had been calling upon students and faculty to denounce government corruption, massacres, and Haiti’s rapid descent into dictatorship. After being shot Saint- Hilaire was prevented from receiving medical care for 4 hours or more and died. The next day, university students accused the Haitian police of involvement in setting the school library on fire. Gregory Saint-Hilaire’s murder came on the heels of the assassination of Monferrier Dorval,  a well- respected Haitian lawyer, constitutional scholar, and head of the Port-au-Prince bar association, who was killed on August 28th, 2020, literally within hours of speaking out against the regime in a radio broadcast. # ** Bolivia_calls_to_investigate_OAS_for_fraud_and_coup: Interview_with_Evo’s_Foreign_Minister_Diego_Pary ** # ** Blasphemy_Cases_Against_Shiite_Community_Surge_in_Pakistan ** According to Amnesty International, Islamabad’s laws concerning blasphemy are often used to go after marginalized people, including members of religious minorities such as the Shiites and Ahmadiyya. The watchdog group says the laws are “broad, vague and coercive,” violating the basic human rights of freedom of religion and expression. Pakistan is a Sunni majority country of 220 million people, with the Shiites making up 10% to 15% of its population. The group is one of the main targets of Sunni extremist groups. Waris Husain, a law professor at Howard University and former South Asia policy analyst at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, told VOA that those who engage in mob violence often justify themselves as protecting the country’s laws and values. “The process is unfair for the accused individuals. I am very concerned about the blasphemy laws against the Shia,” said Husain, adding that the law has exacerbated violence and sectarian division. o **** Environment **** # ** Antarctic_depths_warm_far_beyond_oceanic_average ** Heat from factories and car exhausts must go somewhere. A surprising amount is now sunk in the remote Antarctic depths. # ** Detroit_Knew:_GM_and_Ford_Were_Aware_of_Climate_Risks Decades_Ago_Too,_Investigation_Reveals ** “Just as with the oil industry, the auto industry was really focused on potential regulatory threats from pollution to its business long ago,” Carroll Muffett, president of the Center for International Environmental Law, a nonprofit law firm which helped uncover historical documents on Ford scientists’ climate research, told DeSmog.  # ** ‘Grotesquely_Fitting’_Say_Climate_Campaigners_as_Trump Mulls_Pro-Fracking_Executive_Order_Ahead_of_Election ** Polling data doesn’t support the idea that the issue is politically popular overall, and critics say the order would be “just one more desperate attempt by this White House to make fracking into a winning campaign issue.” # **** Energy **** # ** The_Koch_Operatives_Behind_the_Trump_Energy Department’s_Renewables_Research_Censorship ** Documents obtained by InvestigateWest reveal clear political interference in the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), much of it coordinated by Dan Simmons, the office’s Assistant Secretary, and Alex Fitzsimmons, the former Chief of Staff to Simmons. While the article notes the lobbying histories of DOE’s top brass, Simmons and Fitzsimmons also have recent ties to the Koch network.  # **** Wildlife/Nature **** # ** ‘Bankrolling_Extinction’:_Report_Shows_Big_Banks Lent_Over_$2.6_Trillion_to_Fund_Global_Biodiversity Destruction_in_2019 ** “Imagine a world in which projects can only raise capital when they have demonstrated that they will contribute meaningfully and positively to restoring the planet’s bounty and a safe climate for all. That’s the future this report envisions and builds toward.” # ** 60_Minutes’_Toothy_Porn ** Our treatment of animals has surely become more enlightened. We have banned wanton abuse of animals and curbed killing of wildlife. We have also learned a lot about the critical role that large carnivores play in the web of life and our national psyche. Our collective grief over the extirpation of many species fueled the passage of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) that codifies a national moral commitment to preventing extinctions. But just how much have we really evolved since the days of Nero? And why is it that so many are still entertained by the sight of animals being harassed, slaughtered, and eviscerated? What explains the thirst to possess body parts taken from large toothy predators? If, in fact, we were so enlightened, copies of Outdoor Life with covers featuring snarling grizzlies would no longer fly off the racks. And shows such as Savage Wild or Ted Nugent’s Spirit of the Wild that feature animals being gunned down and tormented would not have so many enthusiastic fans. # ** 5_Reasons_to_Rethink_the_Future_of_Dams ** # ** Clear_Lake_NWR_Emblematic_of_How_Livestock_Degrades Public_Wildlife ** The refuge uplands are clothed in native bunchgrasses and sagebrush, though the exotic cheatgrass and medusahead are also present. The Clear Lake NWR also serves other wildlife species, including the endangered sage grouse and several native fish. Many refuges around the West are compromised by on-going livestock grazing and agricultural production. As such, the Clear Lake Refuge situation is emblematic of a much larger problem of allowing commercial interest to compromise our wildlife refuge system. # ** ‘One_Word_for_This:_Vandalism’:_Six_Days_Before Election,_Trump_Finalizes_Plan_for_‘Catastrophic’ Attack_on_Largest_National_Forest ** “Destructive development in the country’s largest national forest—such as extractive logging and expansive road building—will be catastrophic for generations to come,” warned Greenpeace. # **** Overpopulation **** # ** The_pandemic_may_be_leading_to_fewer_babies_in_rich countries ** More sex doesn’t necessarily mean more babies. But covid-19 has disrupted supply chains for contraception. Poor people rarely buy several months’ worth of contraceptives at once. Even a short break can lead to unwanted pregnancies. Data from health facilities in India show that between December and March the distribution of contraceptive pills and condoms dropped by 15% and 23%, respectively. Insertions of intrauterine devices for long-term birth control also tumbled. The Guttmacher Institute, a pro-choice think- tank, points out that the strain placed on health-care systems in developing countries by covid-19 is likely to disrupt sexual- health services. It estimates that a fall of 10% in the use of such services in 132 low- and middle-income countries will mean that 50m more women will not get the contraceptives they need this year, leading to 15m unintended pregnancies. It estimates that 28,000 mothers and 170,000 newborns will die, and there will be an extra 3.3m unsafe abortions. o **** Finance **** # ** The_Black_Hole_of_Depressions:_Doing_Nothing_About_Climate Emergency_Could_Cost_More_Than_All_the_Wealth_in_the_World ** The worst case scenario of not doing anything is that we lose everything. # ** Capitalism_is_Double-Billing_Us:_We_Pay_From_Our_Wallets Only_to_be_Robbed_of_Our_Future ** It sounds like a piece of economic jargon. It is a piece of economic jargon. But it is also the foundation stone on which the west’s current economic and ideological system has been built. Focusing on how externalities work and how they have come to dominate every sphere of our lives is to understand how we are destroying our planet – and offer at the same time the signpost to a better future. In economics, “externalities” are usually defined indifferently as the effects of a commercial or industrial process on a third party that are not costed into that process. # ** After_Covid:_Will_the_Recession_Become_a_Depression? ** In June, the National Bureau of Economic Research, a private forecasting group, reported that the “peak in quarterly economic activity occurred in 2019-Q4.” It noted: It then warned that a recession had begun in February 2020, just around the time the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic struck – and a month before Diamond warned about the “pandemic.” It reported: o **** AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics **** # ** Top_FEC_Official’s_Undisclosed_Ties_to_Trump_Raise Concerns_Over_Agency_Neutrality ** Debbie Chacona oversees the division of the Federal Election Commission that serves as the first line of defense against illegal flows of cash in political campaigns. Its dozens of analysts sift through billions of dollars of reported contributions and expenditures, searching for any that violate the law. The work of Chacona, a civil servant, is guided by a strict ethics code and long-standing norms that employees avoid any public actions that might suggest partisan leanings. But Chacona’s open support of President Donald Trump and her close ties to a former Republican FEC commissioner, Donald McGahn, who went on to become the 2016 Trump campaign’s top lawyer, have raised questions among agency employees and prompted at least one formal complaint. Chacona, a veteran agency staffer who has run the FEC’s Reports Analysis Division, or RAD, since 2010, has made her partisan allegiance clear in a series of public Facebook posts that include a photo of her family gathered around a “Make America Great Again” sign while attending Trump’s January 2017 inauguration. # ** Supreme_Hypocrisy ** # ** What_Trump_and_Biden_Get_Wrong_About_North_Korea ** Instead of further militarizing the region and applying more sanctions and pressure, which are harming innocent North Korean civilians, the next administration should engage in the hard work of sustained diplomacy based on specific, concrete next steps. # ** Police_Raid_Humanitarian_Group_Over_Pandemic_Aid_to_North Korea ** United Nations and U.S. sanctions targeting North Korea prohibit almost all trade and transactions with the nation, resulting in collective punishment of the entire population. Ostensibly, humanitarian aid is exempt from sanctions. Still, many humanitarian groups have been compelled to curtail or halt assistance to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK – the official name for North Korea). U.S. officials regularly contact officials abroad, urging them to crack down on businesses, organizations, and individuals having any dealings with North Korea. One such group is the New Zealand-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Society (NZ DPRK Society), which over the years, has provided aid and engaged in educational exchanges with North Korea. Among its projects, it has provided farm equipment, diesel fuel, flood relief, and fertilizer to the NZ Friendship Farm, supplementary food to the SeungHo Home for the Elderly, and multiple shipments of medical supplies. These are only a few examples of the group’s many activities. # ** Who_Is_My_Member_of_Congress?_How_to_Find_Out_What_Your Elected_Officials_Have_Been_Up_To. ** You probably learned what Congress does back in elementary school social studies — maybe you’re old enough to remember the “Schoolhouse Rock” video on the subject. As a refresher, here’s how the process is supposed to work: # ** Trump_Got_What_He_Wanted_at_the_Border._Would_Biden_Undo It? ** In early October, hundreds of migrants in Honduras set out in a “caravan” with plans to travel through Mexico to the United States. The timing was similar to a caravan two years ago, which swelled to thousands of people, overwhelmed Guatemalan and Mexican border authorities and became the leading issue for President Donald Trump and Republicans going into the 2018 midterm election. # ** Make_McConnell_Pay_for_Amy_Coney_Barrett ** Amy Coney Barrett has begun her tenure as an illegitimate justice on the Supreme Court, which has been diminished by the antidemocratic charade that saw Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell elevate a right-wing judicial activist in a mad rush to avoid electoral accountability. # ** For_Black_Americans,_Being_Voters_Is_Who_We_Are ** My paternal grandmother, Ida Mingo, left Mississippi and fled north as a young woman in the 1920s to escape the Jim Crow violence and oppression that kept black people from voting and made us second-class citizens. # ** UK’s_Chaos_Unbound ** The negotiations with the EU point increasingly towards a No Deal Brexit, which will be catastrophic economically, piling yet more misery on top of the economic chaos caused by the Conservatives’ arbitrary and not-thought-through Covid-19 lockdowns and their accompanying band-aid job support schemes. As he sinks in the opinion polls, it becomes clearer by the day that Boris “BoJo” Johnson has no idea of what constitutes an adequate response to the pandemic. His proposed solutions are always ad hoc, the latest “solution” usually countermanding the one proferred a couple of days before. # ** The_Unraveling_of_Thailand’s_National_Myth ** When the uprising came, 27-year-old pro-democracy activist Chonthicha “Lookkate” Jangrew was ecstatic. She found herself on the streets of Bangkok last week surrounded by tens of thousands of young protesters in hard hats and masks, giving the three-fingered Hunger Games salute that has become a symbol of Thailand’s anti-authoritarian resistance. They were using social media and messaging apps to appear at landmarks and then vanish, a step ahead of the bewildered police. Most strikingly, they were chanting slogans against the Thai king himself—crossing a line that no prior generation of protesters had dared. After years of pain and hopelessness, Chonthicha felt an awakening had finally arrived: “I never thought it was going to happen.” # ** The_Rise_in_Material_Hardship_Among_Working-Class_Whites and_How_It_Could_Impact_the_2020_Election ** The rise in material hardship among lower-income whites without college degrees, and the Congressional GOP’s opposition to new legislation addressing it, will likely make it harder for Trump to hold on to these important swing voters in next week’s election. # ** Warren_Rips_USPS_Board_Members_for_‘Acting_as_Accomplices’ to_DeJoy_as_He_Sabotages_Mail_Delivery—and_the_Election ** “Once again, I call on the Board members to release their financial disclosure forms, remove DeJoy, and do their jobs by reversing DeJoy’s actions.” # ** “A_Desire_Rooted_in_Revolt”:_Chileans_Vote_Overwhelmingly to_Rewrite_Pinochet-Era_Constitution ** We get an update from Chile, where an overwhelming majority have voted to rewrite the country’s Pinochet dictatorship-era constitution and tens of thousands poured into the streets to celebrate, just one year after mass protests against social and economic inequalities rocked the country and set it on a path to social reform. Javiera Manzi, a spokesperson for Chile’s largest feminist advocacy group, Coordinadora Feminista 8M, says the referendum is the result of people doing what politicians had refused to do for decades. We also speak with journalist Pablo Vivanco, who says Chile’s neoliberal model has long been held up as an example to follow across Latin America. “Now with this vote … it really sends a signal throughout the region that this selling of the Chilean model and of the neoliberal state is a lie,” Vivanco says. # ** Out_of_the_UK,_a_Bold_Pay_Prescription_for_a_Post-Trump America ** Franklin D. Roosevelt, the new president that election would send to the White House, would soon bring some immediate relief from the callous approach to massive deprivation that the previous Hoover administration had so often displayed. FDR’s “First 100 Days” in 1933 would see a torrent of moves to arrest the economy’s frighteningly downward spiral. But what we know today as the “New Deal” — Social Security, labor rights, and so much more —  would only start taking shape two years later, after massive mobilizations of workers, seniors, and the unemployed recast the popular sense of what government could and should do. # ** A_Year_in_Kazakhstan:_Some_Observations ** “Trip to Kazakhstan” is probably an incorrect phrase to use here. Trips tend to last days and weeks, or months at best. I was in Kazakhstan for almost an entire year — definitely not a tourist. Well, whatever way we put it, visiting Kazakhstan was a shocker. Spending a Year in Kazakhstan… # ** Switzerland’s_Failing_Democracy ** While Switzerland was the first to submit a pledge in the lead-up to the convention, these initial targets are insufficient for the framework’s aims. Moreover, these first timid steps have still not been passed into law. What happened to Switzerland’s desire to lead the way on climate? The answer lies in the much-vaunted Swiss system of governance. First, the country’s history of strong federalism insures that power is not concentrated at the national level, but rather shared with the cantons and communes, making it difficult to enact the kind of sweeping measures for which the current situation calls. # ** With_US_poll_six_days_away,_ASPI_warns_of_attacks_on foreign_elections ** The defence industry lobby group Australian Strategic Policy Institute has issued a research paper claiming that state-backed actors are launching more and more online attacks and disinformation campaigns to interfere in foreign elections and referendums. # ** ‘Unusual’_Circumstance_Sends_Mail-in_Ballot_Back_To Voter’s_Home ** # ** Jeering_Sign-Wavers._Caravans_Of_Honking_Trucks._Voter Intimidation_Or_Free_Speech? ** # ** N.Y._Early_Voter_Rights:_Stay_On_Line,_Ask_for_Accessible Accommodations ** # ** Long_Lines_For_Last_Day_Of_On-Demand_Voting,_Applications For_Mail-In_Ballots ** # ** Misleading_Messages_To_Mendham_Voters_Follow_Nationwide Trend_Of_Election_Misinformation ** # ** Bucks_County_Scrambles_To_Handle_Last-Day_Early_Voting Crowds ** # ** Williamson_County_Elections_Chief:_There_Are_No_Mail-In Drop-Off_‘Boxes’ ** # ** Journalists_Pick_Sides_When_They_Call_Adding_Justices ‘Court_Packing’ ** By accepting “court packing” as “the term for” expanding the court, journalists lend a hand to those anti-democratic forces. # ** Texas_Supreme_Court_Upholds_‘Shameful,_Naked_Voter Suppression’_With_Ruling_Allowing_State_to_Limit_Counties_to One_Ballot_Drop_Box ** “Texas continues to be openly hostile to voting rights.” # ** Marc_Lamont_Hill:_Trump_Is_Counting_on_His_White Nationalist_Base_&_Supreme_Court_to_Win_Reelection ** Less than a week out from Election Day, we look at President Trump’s call for poll watchers in battleground states like Pennsylvania that he needs to win. Trump is “framing this all as a left-wing conspiracy to take away his presidency,” says Marc Lamont Hill, professor of media studies and urban education at Temple University in Philadelphia. “When he calls for people to come and form this sort of ‘army,’ when he calls for people to be his security force, he’s calling in his white nationalist base. … Trump very clearly knows the numbers are against him.” # ** Sanders_and_Klobuchar_Explain_to_Trump:_‘In_America,_We Count_the_Votes_to_Determine_Who_Wins’ ** Their joint statement came after the pair led a Senate report last week summarizing what Americans should expect on Election Day and reinforcing Democrats’ call for everyone to vote. # ** Nader,_Chomsky,_Salon_and_Biden ** It was typical Nader. On corporate crime, Nader said this…. # ** How_Not_to_Interview_a_Toddler ** The headline news from President Donald Trump’s 60 Minutes interview, taped on October 20, was that he walked out and ended the interview early, a fact CBS played up ahead of the October 25 airing of the show. # ** Biden_Slams_Trump_for_Stranding_Omaha_Rallygoers_in_Near- Freezing_Temperatures ** Democratic candidate for president Joe Biden lashed out at President Donald Trump on Wednesday, making strong criticisms against the president for a campaign event that he held in Omaha, Nebraska, on Tuesday night, which resulted in the stranding of thousands of rallygoers in near-freezing temperatures. # ** So_Trump_Loses,_What_Happens_Then? ** As one of those doomsday types, let me briefly suggest a few of the commonplace dystopian possibilities for November. Trump gets the majority of the votes cast in person on November 3rd. A Pew Research Center surveyfound that 60% of those supporting the president intend to vote that way on Election Day compared to 23% of Biden supporters; and a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll likewise revealed a sizable difference between Republicans and Democrats, though not as large. He does, however, lose handily after all mail-in and absentee ballots are counted. Once every ballot is finally tabulated, Biden prevails in the popular vote and ekes out a win in the Electoral College. The president, however, having convinced his faithful that voting by mail will result in industrial-scale fraud (unless he wins, of course), proclaims that he — and “the American people” — have been robbed by the establishment. On cue, outraged Trumpsters, some of them armed, take to the streets. Chaos, even violence, ensues. The president’s army of lawyers frenetically file court briefs contesting the election results and feverishly await a future Supreme Court decision, Mitch McConnell having helpfully rammed through Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to produce a 6- 3 conservative majority (including three Trump- appointed Supremes) that will likely favor him in any disputed election case. # ** Top_Federal_Election_Official_Corrects_Trump:_‘Counting Ballots—All_of_‘Em—Is_the_Appropriate,_Proper,_and_Very_Legal Way_to_Determine_Who_Won’ ** “An election is not a reality show with a big reveal at the end,” said FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub. # ** Voting_Will_Not_Save_Us,_But_We_Must_Show_Up_Anyway ** The work is voting. The work is showing up at city council and school board meetings. The work is taking care of your neighbors. The work is to not give up. The work is to fight. The work is to live. Let’s get to work. # ** After_Installing_Barrett,_McConnell_Adjourns_Senate_for Recess_Sans_COVID_Relief ** After installing right-wing judge Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court just days ahead of the November presidential election, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell summarily adjourned his chamber for recess late Monday without approving any additional coronavirus relief, effectively signaling that the prospect of an aid package ahead of next week’s contest is dead. # ** Republicans_weren’t_happy_about_Facebook’s_push_to register_more_voters ** Facebook announced earlier this week that it had registered 4.4 million new voters through the drive, far exceeding its initial goal of 4 million. The project comes amid a nationwide surge in registration and early voting for the 2020 election. With six days remaining before polls close, more than 70 million votes have already been received, more than half the total votes counted in the 2016 election. # ** Why_Joe_Rogan’s_Latest_Podcast_With_Conspiracy-Monger_Alex Jones_Is_OK_With_Spotify ** Spotify has not removed the “Joe Rogan Experience” episode with Jones, which also remains available on YouTube and Apple Podcasts, despite a backlash on social media. On YouTube, the episode has garnered more than 4.5 million views less than 24 hours after it was posted Tuesday (Oct. 27). “The Joe Rogan Experience” joined Spotify’s lineup in September under a multiyear pact reportedly worth $100 million. The show will become available exclusively on Spotify this December. A Spotify spokesperson declined to comment, and neither YouTube nor Apple has commented on the “JRE” episode with Jones. # ** Hundreds_of_Trump_supporters_stuck_on_freezing_cold_Omaha airfield_after_rally;_7_taken_to_hospitals ** Hundreds of President Donald Trump’s supporters were left in the freezing cold for hours after a rally at an airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, on Tuesday night, with some walking around 3 miles to waiting buses and others being taken away in ambulances. o **** Censorship/Free Speech **** # ** Another_Section_230_Reform_Bill:_Dangerous_Algorithms_Bill Threatens_Speech ** Representatives Malinowski and Eshoo and have introduced a Section 230 amendment called the “Protecting Americans from Dangerous Algorithms Act” (PADAA). The title is somewhat of a misnomer. The bill does not address any danger inherent to algorithms but instead seeks to prevent them from being used to share extreme speech. # ** Facebook’s_Content-Moderation_Policies_Are_a_Hot_Mess ** The proliferation of divisive and hateful content is baked into Facebook’s business model: The platform profits from finely targeting ads to users who are most likely to respond to them. # ** Content_Moderation_Case_Study:_Facebook’s_Moderation_Of Terrorist_Content_Results_In_The_Removal_Of_Journalists’_And Activists’_Accounts_(June_2020) ** Summary: In almost every country in which it offers its service, Facebook has been asked — sometimes via direct regulation — to limit the spread of “terrorist” content. # ** We_Need_to_Think_About_Xinjiang_in_Internationalist_Terms ** Recent media coverage has pushed the Chinese government-operated “re-education camps” in Xinjiang into mainstream consciousness in the United States. Americans are increasingly learning how, over the last few years, Chinese state institutions have detained more than 1 million Uighur and Kazakh people and subjected these Turkic-speaking Muslim minority groups to a program of “de-extremification,” entailing political and religious indoctrination, compulsory language education, and industrial training. # ** China’s_Stateless_Nations_–_Quillette ** First, the expansion. The Chinese authorities are looking to win recruits to their hyper-nationalist cause, and so Party propaganda now preaches a new China—a China that includes not only the 1.4 billion citizens living within the country’s borders, but also the huaqiao (Chinese citizens living overseas) and the huaren (ethnic Chinese with foreign citizenship).3 “The unity of Chinese at home requires the unity of the sons and daughters of Chinese abroad,” according to a CCP teaching manual for United Front cadres. The Party hopes that by appealing to these vast groups, it can “awaken their ethnic consciousness,” in the semi-mystical words of He Yafei, deputy chief of the Party-run Overseas Chinese Affairs Office (OCAO). And so the huaqiao and the huaren are told that their blood connects them to the motherland, no matter what it might say on their passports. The message is a loud one: Beijing now enjoys total control of virtually all Chinese-language media in Australia, as well as most Chinese community and professional associations in Western Europe and the United States. Future generations are being recruited too, at summer camps for young Chinese organised by the OCAO.4 We are witnessing the attempt to construct a global identity—one that straddles all borders, proudly representing Beijing on every continent. o **** Freedom of Information/Freedom of the Press **** # ** Trump_says_ex-staffer_who_penned_‘Anonymous’_op-ed_should be_‘prosecuted’ ** The revelation puts to rest a lingering question in Washington as to the anonymous author’s identity. White House aides were quick to dismiss Taylor when he revealed he penned the op-ed. o **** Civil Rights/Policing **** # ** ‘He_Needed_Social_Supports,_Not_Bullets’:_Mass_Protests Engulf_Philly_Streets_for_Second_Straight_Night_Over_Police Killing_of_Walter_Wallace ** “This killing must be thoroughly investigated, and the officers responsible for Wallace’s death must be held accountable for their actions.” o **** Internet Policy/Net Neutrality **** # ** Community_Broadband_In_The_Age_Of_Covid ** When it comes to the goal of ensuring all Americans have affordable and reliable Internet access, we are pretty much stalled. Sure, the FCC will make noise every year about our quest to bridge the digital divide, but it has focused solely on for- profit private solutions. And while there are many hundreds of good local companies making important local investments, the FCC has tended to throw the most money at the few extremely big ones (the same big ones that are on the other side of the revolving door at the FCC for most employees, whether staff or political appointees.) # ** Schools_Teach_by_Text_Message_as_Covid_Widens_Philippine Digital_Divide ** The pandemic has shut schools around the world, exacerbating a digital divide that leaves poorer children with less [Internet] access falling behind wealthier, more connected students. The Philippines is an extreme example. At least 60% of households have limited [Internet] access, according to the World Bank, and mobile [Internet] speeds are less than half the global average, Speedtest Global Index data show. Two weeks after the shutdown, AHA decided to deliver lessons using a low-bandwidth version of Facebook Inc.’s Messenger because it’s free. The problem is, the service strips out videos and photos. That left teaching via text as the best option for most poor families with kids at the school, according to AHA founder Jaton Zulueta. # ** How_to_become_a_great_Internet_warrior ** Individualism divides the society into too small chunks. It’s also undemocratic. On the other hand, populism is very democratic! Because the root of the word comes from Latin, populus = people. Which means if you are being populistic, you are the voice of the people, ergo you are being democratic, and in Greek, demos = people, so you are the voice of the people for the people! You cannot go wrong when TWO ancient languages full of philosophy agree with you! [...] A glorious end to a glorious guide. Now you know what it takes to be a successful online warrior. It’s not about hard work, it’s not about essence, integrity, tolerance, or anything silly like that. It’s about helping others realize the errors of their ways through firm application of irrefutable principles of your broadminded convictions, which stem from your geo-socio-political superiority. As the old adage says, if you can’t beat them, get more people, and then beat them. This article was composed using the latest advancement in AI/ML, fake news, censorship, trolling, social media tips and tricks for career improvement, and Linux, built on top of serverless container cloud microservice servers hosted in a solar-powered coal-based leased data center offshore farm, and has been carefully screened by a most diverse team of fact checkers and truth seekers. o **** Digital Restrictions (DRM) **** # ** Soumya_Sriraman_to_Lead_Channels_Business_at_Amazon_Prime Video ** As head of Prime Video Channels, she will oversee a business that sells Amazon Prime members subscriptions to third-party streaming services like Showtime and HBO. It’s a business she knows well, having sat on the other side as president and CEO of niche streamer BritBox for the last three years. A key architect of the BritBox platform, Sriraman grew the service — which offers its subscribers access to British television — to 1.5 million subscribers. Earlier this year, the company, which is owned by BBC Studios and ITV, announced it would expand the service into up to 25 countries. o **** Monopolies **** # **** Patents **** # ** Hague_Court_of_Appeal_sets_Dutch_approach_to equivalence,_reversing_District_Court_in_pemetrexed saga_–_The_IPKat ** Hot off the press is a decision by the Hague Court of Appeal (CoA) of 27 October 2020 handing Eli Lilly another win in its pan- European battle over infringement of its pemetrexed patents [here, in Dutch]. Eli Lilly’s patent enforcement campaign has resulted in numerous decisions, including landmark rulings on the doctrine of equivalents in the UK and Germany. The ruling by the Hague CoA contributes to this bounty of legal fodder on the doctrine of equivalence in two important ways. First, it reverses the District Court’s 2019 decision which, in rejecting Eli Lilly’s claims, constituted an outlier among European decisions in this dispute [here]. Second, the CoA laid down the Dutch approach to the doctrine of equivalents, synthesizing prior decisions and bringing it in line with approaches taken elsewhere in Europe. To this Kat’s knowledge, this is the first time that the CoA has so explicitly set out a principled application of the doctrine of equivalents. The CoA’s formulation of the equivalence test The crux of the pemetrexed cases is that Eli Lilly’s patent claims a combination of vitamin B12 (claim 1) and B12 with a folic binding protein binding agent (claim 2) together with a specifically specified salt: pemetrexed disodium. The question is whether generic companies can avoid infringement of these claims by using a different salt (in the case of Fresenius, the Dutch defendant: tromethamine). The CoA began its analysis by citing Article 69 of the European Patent Convention and its Protocol. Section 1 of the Protocol stipulates that in the interpretation of a patent, a position must be taken that “combines a fair protection for the patent proprietor with a reasonable degree of legal certainty for third parties”. Section 2 adds that “due account shall be taken of any element which is equivalent to an element specified in the claims.” In applying these principles, the CoA performed a two-step test: in the first step, the question is whether the accused product conforms to all features of the claim. If not, the second step inquires whether differing features are nevertheless equivalent to the claim features. According to the CoA [at 4.4], this is currently the “leading” approach in most European jurisdictions. Dutch courts, however, had previously also taken a one-step approach whereby account is taken of equivalents in the initial interpretation of the claim. While not explicitly disapproving the one- step approach, the CoA’s application of the two-step approach and its emphasis on its conformity with the law of other EPO states suggest that going forward, the two-step approach will become the standard also in the Netherlands. # ** Wednesday_Whimsies [Ed: Sophie Corke at IP_Kat (new ‘Kat’, the old ones left) doing ads for corrupt EPO; the old Kats exposed the crimes, not advertised for criminals] ** This year’s edition of the European Patent Office’s annual East Meets West forum on patent knowledge from Asia and beyond will take place online on 23-25 November 2020, with a registration deadline of 12 November 2020. # ** First_to_File_Rule_and_Transferring_Venue ** The courts generally follow a first-to-file presumption for situations like this where there are two different cases filed in two different venues that involve the same parties and substantially overlapping issues. [...] Fed. Prac. & Proc. § 3854 Standard in Considering Transfer—Interest of Justice. I should also note here that the Federal Circuit repeatedly refers to this as the “first-to-file rule” while I think it is more of a presumption. Their naming of this as a “rule” foreshadows their conclusion — that it must be followed. Nitro’s motion to transfer was filed under 28 U.S.C. § 1404. That statute permits change of venue for convenience and in the interest of justice. Typically this type of transfer analysis considers a balance of public and private factors: interest of justice; judicial economy; court’s familiarity with the law; local interest in deciding the case; convenience of the parties and witnesses; plaintiff’s forum preference; etc. # ** Unified_Welcomes_New_CFO_to_its_Executive_Team ** Unified is pleased to announce Mary Malone has joined as Chief Financial Officer and a senior member of the executive team. Ms. Malone brings a wealth of experience working for several companies in the intellectual property space. Additional information about Ms. Malone is available below as well as under the Team section of Unified’s website. # ** Two_Arnolds_for_the_price_of_one_(part_1) ** The key facts of the dispute are summarised in the IPKat’s post on the first instance judgment. US-based Celgard (claimant/ respondent) and China-based Senior (defendant/appellant) are rival manufacturers of battery separators, which are used in lithium-ion batteries for (among other things) electric vehicles. [No doubt the atmosphere in the courtroom was electric.] A former R&D employee of Celgard (Dr Zhang) joined Senior in early 2017, following which Senior quickly expanded its range of products, gained market share and (allegedly) changed the formulation of a particular binder used in its products. Celgard said this was all because of unlawful disclosure and use of its trade secrets. Celgard brought proceedings against Senior in the English High Court earlier this year, shortly after Celgard learned from a UK-based customer (with which Celgard was negotiating a significant new contract) that the customer was looking at Senior as a potential supplier. Celgard, concerned that it would be undercut if Senior became a “qualified” supplier, sought an interim injunction to restrain Senior from supplying sample separators to the customer. Celgard’s claim is based on breach of an equitable obligation of confidence and/or breach of Regulation 3 of the Trade Secrets (Enforcement, etc.) Regulations 2018, which partially implement the Trade Secrets Directive in the UK. At first instance, Celgard secured an interim injunction. The judge (Trower J) found that there was a serious issue to be tried; that English law governed the claim as pleaded; and that England and Wales was the proper place to hear the claim. [...] This kind of international trade secrets dispute seems to be increasingly common. It is interesting to note how vigorously Senior has resisted the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales and instead argued that China is the proper forum for the dispute. This is in spite of the fact that the Chinese courts – by Senior’s own submission – would be empowered to injunct Senior to prevent the exportation of the battery separators to the UK (and other jurisdictions). One can speculate that China would have provided a friendlier forum, but this is – as suggested – only speculation. This dispute has a clear UK dimension – the possibility of Senior selling to a UK customer – so it seems logical that the English court should have jurisdiction to hear the dispute. As one would expect, the claim seems to have been pleaded carefully in order to maximise the likelihood of this result (and, notably, Arnold LJ seemed to have doubts regarding the English court’s jurisdiction to hear the element of the action concerned with Senior’s potential vicarious liability for Dr Zhang’s alleged misappropriation of the trade secrets, which took place in the US and China). # ** FOSS_Patents:_The_lemmings_of_patent_injunction reform:_Microsoft,_BMW,_Deutsche_Telekom_joined ip2innovate_during_German_reform_process ** Political decision-making processes tend to be so complex that it’s often very difficult to identify a clear causation between what went wrong and why. In connection with Germany’s patent reform, which has been carefully crafted by the country’s government to change almost nothing at all (see my initial reaction to yesterday’s official legislative proposal), one can infer from publicly-accessible documents that the Brussels-based ip2innovate lobby group (Google, Daimler, SAP etc.) committed the colossal blunder that most likely condemns the reform effort to fail. “Be careful what you wish for.” IP2I advocated the term “Einzelfall” that is now the central term that will render the reform ineffectual because the government’s official legislative rationale clearly defines it as “hardly ever happens.” Now the losers are trapped in a no- through one-way street as they can’t lobby against their own proposal. They dug their own reform’s grave. Germany’s leading information & communications technology news site, Heise online, quotes my analysis in an article on yesterday’s legislative proposal, including my criticism of IP2I’s lack of strategic sophistication. For what I know, however, chip makers Nvidia and Intel, while they’re longstanding IP2I members, can’t be blamed for the “Einzelfall” crap. Were IP2I only a fringe group of the patent reform movement, the others could still combat that “Einzelfall” term effectively. But birds of a feather flock together, and lemmings famously follow other lemmings. With the sole exception of Volkswagen (the whole group including subsidiaries like Audi and Porsche), IP2I’s membership directory lists practically every large German organization that demands injunction reform. # **** Trademarks **** # ** One_Restaurant_Sends_Cease_And_Desist_To_Another Over_The_Word_‘Juicy’ ** If it seems like there are more stupid trademark battles per capita fought in the restaurant industry, it’s not because you’re crazy. It’s very much a thing. Whether it’s Taco John’s wanting to own “Taco Tuesday”, McDonalds insisting only it can call a fish sandwich a “filet o’ fish”, or two Brazilian restaurants fighting over the rights to use image of a fire in their logos, the common theme you should notice is how these battles are all over things that are descriptive or generic. And, yet, these fights rage on. # **** Copyrights **** # ** Alleged_KickassTorrents_Operator_is_Now_Officially_a Fugitive ** All defendants in the criminal case against KickassTorrents are now at large. A few weeks ago the news broke that alleged operator Artem Vaulin had fled Poland. After that happened his U.S. legal team withdrew from the case. The court has now officially moved the matter to the fugitive calendar, which means that it will remain inactive until there’s a new arrest. # ** Sender_of_False_DMCA_Takedown_Notices_Ordered_to_Pay £370K_in_Damages ** An individual who filed false copyright complaints with platforms including Facebook, Amazon, and Instagram in order to damage a rival’s business has been heavily punished by a court. In a default judgment handed down this week, the defendant was ordered to pay almost $370k for abusing the DMCA. ╘══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╛