Tuesday, September 30, 2025

AI-designed viruses are here and already killing bacteria | MIT Technology Review

As seen online:

“The Stanford researchers say they purposely haven’t taught their AI about viruses that can infect people. But this type of technology does create the risk that other scientists—out of curiosity, good intentions, or malice—could turn the methods on human pathogens, exploring new dimensions of lethality.”

— from AI-designed viruses are here and already killing bacteria | MIT Technology Review as of 30 September 2025

Against the protection of stocking frames. — Ethan Marcotte

Against the protection of stocking frames. — Ethan Marcotte:

As seen online:

“The technology is a failure, and I’d like to invite you to join me in treating it as such. I’m not the first one to land here, of course; the likes of Karen Hao, Alex Hanna, Emily Bender, and more have been on this beat longer than I have. And just to be clear, describing “AI” as a failure doesn’t mean it doesn’t have useful, individual applications; it’s possible you’re already thinking of some that matter to you. But I think it’s important to see those as exceptions to the technology’s overwhelming bias toward failure.”

— from Against the protection of stocking frames. — Ethan Marcotte as of 30 September 2025

See: Karen HaoAlex Hanna, Emily Bender

Sunday, September 28, 2025

IASEAI'26 will be 24-25 February 2026

As seen online:

“The International Association for Safe and Ethical Artificial Intelligence (IASEAI) invites submissions for its second annual conference, taking place 24-25 February 2026 (main conference) and 26 February 2026 (workshop day) in Paris, France.”

— from IASEAI'26 as of 28 September 2025

Friday, September 26, 2025

Media factsheet: eVisas – Home Office in the media

As seen online:

“British citizens who do not have a British passport because they are dual nationals (excluding Irish passport holders) may need to take action in future regarding how they prove their right of abode. Updates on this will be provided in due course.”

— from Media factsheet: eVisas – Home Office in the media as of 26 September 2025

I’m a Mizrahi Jew. Do I Count as a Person of Color? – The Forward

As seen online:

“To find out, I spent weeks talking to people in the black, biracial and Mizrahi communities. What I learned surprised me. Turns out, nobody quite knows how to categorize Mizrahi Jews.”

— from I’m a Mizrahi Jew. Do I Count as a Person of Color? – The Forward as of 26 September 2025

Friday, September 19, 2025

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." | CCCB LAB

As seen online:

“In 1962, in his book “Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry into the Limits of the Possible”, science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke formulated his famous Three Laws, of which the third law is the best-known and most widely cited: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”. 

The visualization below aims to explore this concept, offering a general classification of ‘magical acts’ and a timeline of what could be the evolution of their technological counterparts (you can click on any technology or ‘magical family’ and visit Wikipedia to get an idea of the concept).”

Other two laws:

1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, they are almost certainly right; when they state something is impossible, they are very probably wrong. 

2. The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.

— from "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." | CCCB LAB as of 19 September 2025

Key parts of Trump's economic agenda now in Supreme Court's hands | Reuters

As seen online:

“Robert Luther III, also a George Mason University law professor, said the president has the power to direct U.S. economic policy and he expects the Supreme Court to agree with Trump both on tariffs and in firing Cook. "President Trump has made clear that his tariff policy is at the heart of his economic policy. If the Supreme Court rips one pillar out of that foundation, the building will collapse," Luther said.”

— from Key parts of Trump's economic agenda now in Supreme Court's hands | Reuters as of 19 September 2025

Thursday, September 18, 2025

The Rise of Fileless Malware: The Invisible Cyber Threat Hiding in Memory (and How to Stop It)

As seen online:

"Because little or nothing touches the disk, it’s harder for signature-based antivirus to flag and block."

True, but who uses purely signature-based antivirus? Are there any products left that only use signatures?

— from The Rise of Fileless Malware: The Invisible Cyber Threat Hiding in Memory (and How to Stop It) as of 18 September 2025

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Local amplification of seismic waves from the Denali Earthquake and damaging seiches in Lake Union, Seattle, Washington - Barberopoulou - 2004 - Geophysical Research Letters - Wiley Online Library

As seen online:

“study the spectral amplification of long period (1 to 100 sec) seismic waves in the Puget Lowland, and the coupling of seismic and water waves. The earthquake ruptured along the Denali fault system, one of the largest strike-slip fault systems in the world”

— from Local amplification of seismic waves from the Denali Earthquake and damaging seiches in Lake Union, Seattle, Washington - Barberopoulou - 2004 - Geophysical Research Letters - Wiley Online Library as of 16 September 2025

New Android RAT uses Near Field Communication to automatically steal money from devices | TechRadar

As seen online:

“RatOn merges traditional overlay attacks with automatic money transfers and NFC relay functionality—making it a uniquely powerful threat”

— from New Android RAT uses Near Field Communication to automatically steal money from devices | TechRadar as of 16 September 2025

Sunday, September 14, 2025

Burger King Uses Copyright Law to Nix Security Research

As seen online:

“The researcher said the dashboard also reported insights based on the audio being run through an artificial intelligence system designed to measure an employee's "friendliness" score. The AI system also assessed how long an employee kept other customers waiting, recorded if they attempted to upsell customers and were successful - including how - and whether they opened every customer interaction with the phrase, "You rule." ”

— from Burger King Uses Copyright Law to Nix Security Research as of 14 September 2025

EFL Sky Bet Championship table, results, fixtures, stats - The English Football League

EFL Sky Bet Championship table, results, fixtures, stats - The English Football League:

As seen online:

“Fixtures and table for Coventry City FC results”

— from EFL Sky Bet Championship table, results, fixtures, stats - The English Football League as of 14 September 2025

Friday, September 12, 2025

Best new crime dramas, Sept 2025: Gripping UK TV crime drama

As seen online:

“Patience, a budding criminologist who has autism and works in Yorkshire Police records department.”

— from Best new crime dramas: Gripping TV crime drama series to know as of 12 September 2025

Home | Bartz, et al. v. Anthropic PBC

As seen online:

“In the meantime, if you believe Anthropic may have downloaded your book(s) from LibGen or PiLiMi, please click the button below and provide your contact information.  If the settlement is preliminarily approved, formal notice will be sent to class members’ known email and mailing addresses.”

— from Home | Bartz, et al. v. Anthropic PBC as of 12 September 2025

cobb, stephen - Search - Anna’s Archive

As seen online:

“The largest truly open library in human history. 53,622,165 books, 101,300,806 papers — preserved forever.”

— from cobb, stephen - Search - Anna’s Archive as of 12 September 2025



ISBN Lookup: The Book Search Guide - BookScouter Blog

As seen online:

“ISBN search sites provide book details, including title, author, publisher, etc. If a person is interested in purchasing a book, the ISBN helps to find it.”

— from ISBN Lookup: The Book Search Guide - BookScouter Blog as of 12 September 2025

Thursday, September 11, 2025

Rocket Dog Sugar Glider Camel Clogs – Rocket Dog UK

As seen online:

“Whether you’re dashing out for a coffee, working from home in joggers, or pairing them with wide-leg jeans for a Saturday stroll, these slip-ons bring warmth and ease with every step.”

— from Rocket Dog Sugar Glider Camel Clogs – Rocket Dog UK as of 11 September 2025

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Sunday, September 7, 2025

David Loye: Rediscovering Darwin

As seen online:

“Even more remarkable in a battered world desperately in need of moral guidance is the Darwin who wrote 92 times not of selfishness but of the Moral Sense as the ultimate over-riding prime driver of evolution. ”

— from David Loye: Rediscovering Darwin as of 7 September 2025

Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Tracy Cobb's Patent

 As seen online:

“A rectilinear-motion bearing, for a table or slide of a machine tool or other apparatus having a V-shaped guideway, comprises a carrier in the form of a strip of sheet metal or synthetic plastic material of V-shape in transverse cross'-section or, alternatively, in the form of a pair of flat strips arranged adjacent the inclined walls of the guideway, each strip having therein a number of apertures 2, in each of which is mounted a roller 3.”

— from GB867755A - A bearing for a table or slide of a machine tool or other apparatus having a v-shaped guideway - Google Patents as of 3 September 2025

Monday, September 1, 2025

The Myth of October 7 Video

As seen online:

“Palestinians have been treated continually with inhumane contempt. The slaughter in plain sight is vile. Our Labour government with a supposedly intelligent humanitarian as a leader who is sanctioning & supporting this traumatic destruction of a whole country is an abomination.”

— from REVEALED: The Myth of October 7 | Patreon as of 1 September 2025