Linux Torvalds expects Linux 7.2 should be released next weekend "unless something really bad
pops up," Torvalds said while announcing today's release candidate.

But there's something interesting about Linux 7.2-rc7, writes Phoronix. "By the time the Linux kernel typically hits a -rc7 release things have usually settled quite well. But in today's world of AI/LLM coding/review agents, the kernel activity continues at an all-time high."



Tons of bug fixes continued to trickle in across the kernel spectrum for all sorts of issues. The HWMON hardware monitoring subsystem saw several critical and high severity bug fixes, on the memory management side was a nasty race condition leading to a use-after-free in the kernel for the past eight years, Btrfs restored its fixup worker infrastructure to deal with silent data loss, lots of AI patches in the networking realm, and the kernel was patched for the Safe RET Interrupt Vulnerability.





Linus Torvalds wrote in the 7.2-rc7 announcement:

"Another week, another -rc.

I can't say that I'm exactly thrilled about the size of this all, but
it is what it is: the new normal with a lot of fixes, many of them due
to review by various AI tools.

And nothing looks particularly scary per se — it's just that there's a
lot here. Most of it is fairly small, although we have a couple of
larger diffs: s390/zcrypt fixes stand out in the diffstat, and so does
btrfs bringing back the fixup worker infrastructure. And some
netfilter ipset fixes.

But aside from a few places like that, most of this is just lots of
tiny fixes. It's pretty much spread all over — drivers (gpu, sound,
networking, you name it), filesystems, core networking, arch code...

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

A Massachusetts newspaper reports that officials from the town of Littleton (population: 10,141) "claim that five of Littletonâ(TM)s Flock Safety cameras were switched back on by the company without informing the town..."


Littleton had temporarily disabled the cameras earlier this year, according to the article, but upon discovering the cameras were still active, city officials say they directed the Town Counsel "to initiate cancellation of the contract with Flock Safety and directed the Town Administrator to coordinate the removal of the six cameras on public ways" with the Department of Public Works.

Ironically, it's the same Massachusetts town that last year was breached by a Chinese-state-sponsored hacking group for over 300 days.

Flock has also considered dashcams installed in hundreds of thousands Uber, Lyft, and delivery drivers' vehicles "to scan license plates those drivers travelled passed," reports 404 Media, "essentially turning Uber and Lyft drivers into roaming surveillance vehicles, according to a Flock presentation shared with 404 Media...
404 Media first revealed the intended partnership last August when multiple sources provided information on the plan."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

NBC Bay Area brings news from the small idyllic California town of Suisun City (population: 29,518). The city council "declared a state of emergency Saturday after a cyberattack that shut down computer systems including 911 public safety operations."

"Malicious software infected and compromised" the East Bay community's information technology systems beginning about 5:45 a.m. Friday, the city said on social media. "The cybersecurity incident hit critical public safety operations, including 911 routing, police and fire dispatch, records and city services," the city said.
"There is no imminent threat to the public," the city said. "All public safety services remain active." The city shut down its computer network "to contain the threat and preserve evidence for a federal investigation," it said... Suisun City dispatchers were taking calls for service through the Solano County dispatch center. Suisun City police officers and firefighters continued responding to calls for service, the city said, but online city services and internal operations were unavailable.

On Facebook the city said it was "working alongside federal, state and regional agencies, including the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and California Office of Emergency Services to maintain emergency services, investigate the incident and restore systems."

But Bay Area PBS station KQED notes "They're only the latest local government in the region to be hit by a cyberattack."

Earlier this year, Foster City and Pittsburg experienced other cyberattacks that impacted services in their own jurisdictions. Foster City declared a state of emergency after a March ransomware incident that shut down many services for more than a week. Pittsburg lost almost $1 million to a February phishing attack, though over half of it was recovered.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The film-maker’s take on Homer’s epic has beaten his previous record holder The Dark Knight Rises

The Odyssey has become the highest grossing film of Christopher Nolan’s career, having made more than US$1bn at the global box office less than a month after its release.

The blockbuster, which was released on 17 July, is an adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic and follows Matt Damon as Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca, on his perilous 10-year journey home after the Trojan war.

Continue reading...

BEDMINSTER (ANP/RTR/DPA) - Amerikaanse gevechtsvliegtuigen hebben twee vliegtuigen onderschept in de buurt van president Donald Trumps golfclub in Bedminster in de staat New Jersey. Dat bevestigt het North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). De vliegtuigen schonden een tijdelijk vliegverbod in het gebied en werden door de F-16's het luchtruim uit begeleid.

Trump bracht het weekend door op zijn golfclub in Bedminster, waar het LIV-golftoernooi gehouden werd. Het is niet bekend hoeveel gevechtsvliegtuigen werden ingezet voor de actie. NORAD gaf ook geen verdere details over de vliegtuigen die het vliegverbod schonden.

I hate the 80s, all over it's relationships Tall handsome man being described by a woman in the 80s Read the extended description please

You women and your "precious" height preferences, or should I say height requirements. I'm going to blame this on your parents. Your parents met in the 80's or 70's, an era where women were of unparalleled beauty, and young men from those decades always dreamed of drowning in them. Your mother obviously stood out in her high school and college, chewing gum or with a lollipop, and got all the attention for her looks. Only for her to be cruel to guys shorter than her or her height, and ended up with a tall, muscular, long-legged, big-haired jock who was a bully during his youth. And then they both raised their daughters to view the tall as the attractive and handsome ones, and tell them that they're the ones "all" girls dream of. And then wished for them to end up with a 6 foot tall Prince Charming who could protect her, because apparently short men can't protect because they're "weak"... **Your parents never should've met** Tall handsome man being described by a woman in the 80s And fuck the 80s. It had too many tall men, the decade was too masculine, and women and schoolgirls back then with their "cutesy" hair and smiles wore shirts that exposed their shoulders and the laces of their bras and short shorts just to attract their ideal guys (who were "tall"). Women back then who showed off their bodies and acted kinky were only thinking of tall men. Every man that appeared in commercials and p*rn back then looked like clones of Robert Hays... And Ronald Reagan was clearly seen as attractive to women back then... Sigourney Weaver, who's 6 feet tall, was **ONLY** seen with men **EVEN TALLER** than her back then... Of course tall women have **ALWAYS** not wanted to date shorter men since it makes them feel like their mother...​ The male taller norm was at it's **ABSOLUTE WORST** back then, taller girl shorter guy couples were nonexistent back then, and women back then apparently were more likely to view tallness as attractive than today's... There existed dating shows back then, and of course the women mentioned "Tall" when describing men, apparently "short" has **NEVER** been seen as attractive in men! The women being with guys to wear heels with insecurity of course existed back then, and of course, it was associated with taller men... Tall women today are known for making the "I'm tall myself, so I need someone even taller" bullshit, and they've obviously **ALWAYS** been like this! Because being with a shorter guy back then just would've drawn stares... Women back then **ALWAYS** mentioned Tall when describing men back then. And men being tall helped with first impressions with women... Fuck those first impressions over uncontrollable traits! Just look at the Gillis and Avis study from 1980, it was all about the male taller norm in mate selection, and they found only 1 couple where the woman was taller than the man out of 700 different couples! Women were **ALWAYS** attracted to men being taller then themselves! And they **NEVER** found men being shorter than them as attractive! Apparently short men have been disadvantaged getting dates for the entire 20th century...! **ALL BECAUSE OF WOMEN**! This one chicken mcnugget commercial from 1985 showed a woman recieving a fortune from a fortune cookie telling her that she'd meet a "Tall handsome man"... And the song Micro Monster from A Pup Named Scooby Doo (which was from the late 80s) contains a line "He's nasty and he's so tall~!"... High schools back then were straight up hierarchies ruled by tall jocks (who ALWAYS had girls), and short guys back then struggled and were called losers! Teenage girls have just **ALWAYS** been spoiled boy-obsessed bimbos who'd do nothing but lay on their beds and talk to their friends on the phone about their crushes, and they **ALWAYS** mentioned "tall"... This was also the golden age of cheerleading, and of course, cheerleaders have **ALWAYS** been associated with tall preferences, and jocks were all they dated... And let's not forget valley girls... They were **ALWAYS** into tall men... **I fucking hate Valley Girls! They were the most cruel girls in history when it came to underdog boys!** In high schools during the 80s, they were nothing like in movies, ONLY jocks and cheerleaders were treated with respect and got dates... Look at high school footages from the time! They contained very tall guys walking with girls a whole head shorter than them, and would crane their neck down to kiss them, and they were also clearly overprotective of their girlfriends and would attack any shorter guy who'd dare to just say hello to their girls, and it was apparently justified all over the reason and who did it... These are also the **ONLY** types of guys that took their girls to Lover's Lane and to drive-in movies... Big haired women just **COULDN'T** be seen without a taller man...! Why shouldn't I associate the female hairstyles back then with height preferences and exclusion?! Taller guy shorter girl couples were more common back then than today... After all, relationships back then were still traditional... I'll tell you Gen X women right now that **men don't have to be taller than women!** I know for a fact that you Gen X women dated jocks during your high school years... Why?! Tell me why! And if you're going to deny all of this to me... Then you better give me proof that corrects me

‘Eigenlijk ben ik, als het erop aankomt, een behoorlijk dapper mens’, zei Merel Pauw (artiestennaam Elmer) halverwege Zomergasten. Dat dacht ik nu ook. Hier zat iemand die hyperbewust is van zichzelf, die het liefst de hele avond in een hoekje zit te gamen om zichzelf te beschermen tegen de boze buitenwereld, en die toch had besloten de sprong in het diepe te wagen en op deze avond haar ziel en zaligheid op tafel te leggen.

 ‘Je moet toe bewegen naar waar je bang voor bent’, zei ze. En dat deed ze. Vol overgave. En tegelijkertijd vol twijfel.

Dat Merel Pauw een vat vol tegenstrijdigheden is, blijkt al uit haar naam, waarin twee zo verschillende vogels samenkomen: de bescheiden merel en de ruimte opeisende pauw. De merel en de pauw wisselden elkaar op deze mooie zomeravond continu af. Zodra de pauw teveel op de voorgrond trad, greep de merel in (handen voor de ogen, hoofd op tafel, relativeren geblazen). Kreeg de merel de overhand, dan besloot de pauw van zich te laten horen.

De avond begon bescheiden met een fragment uit How to with John Wilson over smalltalk. Het mereltje beschreef zichzelf als een alien die de gebruiksaanwijzing over hoe je koetjes en kalfjes bespreekt, niet had gekregen. Maar juist omdat ze die gebruiksaanwijzing mist, maakt de pauw die andersheid graag expliciet. Vandaar Elmer, haar alter ego met plaksnor. “Ik voel me comfortabel als ik de weirdo ben”, zei ze, “als ik met tien-nul achtersta en niemand nog iets van me verwacht, dan kan ik juist mijn grillige zelf zijn.” Door meteen te vertellen dat je moeite hebt met iets wat voor andere mensen heel simpel is, zeg je natuurlijk ook: deze avond zal niet aan oppervlakkigheid ten onder gaan.

Om de verpletterende gewoonheid van de Nederlandse norm nog steviger in de verf te zetten, kregen we daarna een modeshow te zien op een troosteloos plein in een regenachtig Ermelo. Merel Pauw liet het zien omdat het haar ontroerde, zei ze, deze mensen die vathouden aan een dorpstraditie, ook al kijkt er geen hond naar. Maar we kregen het natuurlijk ook te zien omdat het zo mooi contrasteerde met de veelzijdigheid van waar ze werkelijk van houdt: de kleurenrijkheid uit Kirikou en de Heks, de vuigheid van Peaches, de wonderschone horror van Under the Skin.

Kille dromen en warme tranen
Eigenaardig genoeg leidde het horrorhoekje tot het emotionele zwaartepunt van de avond. Nadat Pauw over nachtmerries in nachtmerries had verteld, vroeg Janine Abbring naar een terugkerende droom waarvan ze wist dat Pauw die had: de droom waarin ze droomt dat ze vergeten is haar zieke moeder te bellen.

Haar moeder, Leonoor Pauw, overleed in 2013 aan kanker. Nadat ze over deze droom heeft verteld, laat ze een fragment zien uit de film Brozer uit 2014, over haar moeder. De film was eigenlijk bedoeld als fictiefilm, maar werd steeds meer documentaire. Nadat we haar moeder eerst in haar eentje zien dansen, zien we vervolgens de hele familie, dus ook Merel zelf, haar zusje en haar vader George van Houts, bekend van Radio Bergeijk en De Verleiding. Haar moeder vertelt vervolgens hoe Merel, toen zeventien, naast haar was komen liggen om haar hand vast te houden, te vertellen dat ze van haar hield en dat ze nieuwsgierig was naar de tijd zonder haar moeder. Dat ze dat had gedurfd, dat ze op die manier het lijden van haar moeder had proberen te verzachten, deed haar met terugwerkende kracht verzuchten dat ze stiekem best wel dapper is.

Ze noemt het een aardverschuiving, het moment dat ze zichzelf over de grens duwt om bij haar moeder te gaan liggen en haar hand vast te houden. Even later relativeert ze de term aardverschuiving. En waarschuwt ze om alles wie ze is en doet terug te brengen tot de dood van haar moeder. Ze wil zich ook verzetten tegen het idee dat je vastgehouden moet worden: ze is heel goed in zichzelf vasthouden. Waarmee ze op een prettige manier de wat al te moederlijke Janine Abbring op afstand weet te houden.

Een soepele omgang met intersectionaliteit
Vervolgens konden we langzaam toe bewegen naar een tweede sleutelscène, waarin de komiek David Chapelle het onderwerp transgender aansnijdt. Zijn stelling: de reden dat we ineens zoveel over transgenders praten, is omdat het witte mensen betreft. Hoewel Pauw de grappen van Chapelle transfoob noemt, deed het haar wel beseffen dat elk mens vanuit een eigen kader naar de dingen kijkt. Je moet daarom ook niet denken dat de strijd die jij strijdt jou per definitie het recht geeft om de positie in te nemen die je inneemt.

Pauw stelt een soepele omgang met intersectionaliteit voor. Geen morele perfectie, maar een rijkdom aan perspectieven. Waarbij je beseft waar je vandaan komt en hoe anderen naar je kunnen kijken, zonder krampachtig vast te houden aan de labels die je voor jezelf hebt gereserveerd. Je moet blijven onderzoeken welke kanten er in je zitten. De mens is fluïde, ons brein is fluïde, gun jezelf de ruimte om in de omstandigheden te komen om iets aan jezelf te ontdekken.

Het fragment daarvoor, uit de film Quality Time,  ging over witte mannen van een zekere leeftijd die met zichzelf in de knoop liggen. Toevallig ben ik dat zelf ook, een witte man van een zekere leeftijd. Ik wil niet zeggen dat ik met mezelf in de knoop lig, maar zo nu en dan worstel ik wel degelijk met de plek die ik op deze wereld inneem. Pauw bleek zich in deze worsteling te herkennen. En van me te houden. We hebben gemeenschappelijke verhalen nodig, zei ze. Minder elkaar de maat meten, meer onze veelzijdigheid omarmen. Van de queerwereld in Amsterdam tot de catwalk in Ermelo.

‘Denk je dat de mensheid een comeback kan maken?’, vroeg Janine Abbring tot slot.
‘Mag ik hier eeuwig over twijfelen’, antwoordde Merel Pauw.

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo: