Environmental groups want America's FCC "to slam the brakes on orbital datacenters," writes The Register.
They're arguing for an environmental impact assessment for what could be 1 million satellites:

Earthjustice, acting on behalf of DarkSky International, Environment America, and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), filed a petition this week... The filing doesn't target any single company. Instead, it asks the regulator to put the entire emerging orbital datacenter sector on hold while it assesses the cumulative effects of proposals from SpaceX, Starcloud, Blue Origin, Cowboy Space, and any similar applications that follow. According to the petition, those proposals collectively seek "well over a million datacenter satellites" in low Earth orbit.... " increasing the existing volume of satellites in low-earth orbit by multiple orders of magnitude."

The groups argue that the FCC is trying to apply licensing rules written for much smaller satellite constellations to an entirely new class of infrastructure. "If ever a situation warranted a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement [PEIS], it is this one," the petition says. It argues that a single review would allow the agency to examine "the risks, alternatives, needs, costs, and impacts of this sudden transformation of Earth's exosphere" before deciding whether any of the projects are in the public interest. The petition raises concerns about rocket launch emissions, pollutants released as satellites burn up during atmospheric reentry, depletion of the ozone layer, orbital debris, light pollution, impacts on wildlife, and interference with astronomy.

It also argues that the combined effects of these constellations cannot be understood by evaluating applications one at a time.... "It is difficult to imagine a better example of multiple projects presenting essentially identical impacts and risks that compound synergistically and cumulatively than the present proposals..." The petition argues that the FCC's current approach, which generally treats satellite licenses as categorically excluded from detailed environmental review, is no longer fit for proposals measured not in dozens or thousands of spacecraft but in hundreds of thousands and, potentially, millions.
If the FCC agrees, orbital datacenter operators will have a mountain of paperwork to clear before sending their hardware skyward.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

"Flexible, app-based scheduling lets large pools of part-time workers choose four-hour shifts and even select the type of work they prefer," writes long-time Slashdot reader Tony Isaac. While the system started during the pandemic when factories faced severe labor shortages, the model is now "supplying hundreds of trained workers each week... while giving people — from retirees to sidejob hustlers to longtime employees — control over their hours."

NPR says it's attracting "people who may not be seeking a traditional career in the industry or even a 40-hour workweek,"
It's a change that manufacturers including Stanley Black & Decker and Georgia-Pacific are embracing... Today, in any given week, about 450 flexible workers — roughly half the pool — pick up shifts at the [GE Appliances] plant, with workers putting in an average of 24 hours a week. Their contributions have been key to GE Appliances' $180 million expansion of the Georgia plant, completed last year, which added 600 new jobs... [Darcy Duvall, the plant's director of human resources operations] has also come to see that many workers prize flexibility despite the significant trade-offs — like lower pay and almost no benefits. MyWorkChoice employees can opt into their own group healthcare plan, but few do... The flexible work option has also helped GE Appliances keep longtime employees with decades of experience on the job.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

In March, Anthropic's Claude "quietly deployed software to spy on China-based customers," reports the Washington Post — apparently to unmask Chinese rivals "suspected of hijacking its technology to make their own AI tools smarter."

Last week Anthropic removed the spyware "after a software developer revealed its existence and privacy advocates criticized Anthropic, saying it had surveilled its own users."

Anthropic's tracking code was designed in part to catch Chinese firms "distilling" its AI models, a technique that involves pressing a large, expensive AI system to serve as a tutor to a smaller, cheaper one. Asking the larger system huge numbers of questions — hundreds of thousands or more — generates responses that can be used to upgrade the power of the smaller one on the cheap. Distillation isn't illegal, and it has been used for years in the AI industry. But distillation without permission is against AI companies' rules, and, used effectively, is giving Chinese AI companies a major leg up, American AI companies say... Anthropic and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI have both accused Chinese AI companies of using this technique to build copycat AI models of their own.

In a May blog post, Anthropic said that Chinese companies' use of distillation, along with evading U.S. export controls on high-end computer chips, has allowed them to "trail closely" behind U.S. models. But if these techniques can be blocked, it might be possible for the United States to "lock in a 12-24 month lead" on Chinese capabilities, the company said... This month, Anthropic said in a letter to U.S. senators that was obtained by The Post that it uncovered a campaign in which Chinese tech giant Alibaba's Qwen AI team used roughly 25,000 fraudulent accounts to generate more than 28.8 million exchanges with Claude to improve its own technology. In February, Anthropic made similar accusations against the Chinese firms Deepseek, Moonshot and MiniMax and said the campaigns were "growing in intensity and sophistication...." Anthropic and OpenAI have appealed to the U.S. government, arguing that distillation amounts to intellectual property theft that harms the U.S. in the geopolitical AI contest....

That Chinese AI labs are using U.S. models to improve their own technology appears beyond dispute. In a February 2025 study, researchers from China's Peking University and the state-funded Chinese Academy of Sciences developed methods to detect signs of distillation in leading large language models. They concluded that, with the exception of ByteDance's Doubao, most domestic models they tested showed substantial evidence of distillation, mostly drawing from U.S. models... In one set of intensive tests, a Qwen model misidentified itself as Claude nearly a third of the time, the Chinese researchers found.

U.S. firms have also used distillation to piggyback on AI systems made by others. In 2024, OpenAI released a tool to make it easier for customers to distill its own models and produce data sets for AI training. SpaceX founder Elon Musk said in court testimony in May that his AI company xAI used distillation to train its models and that the technique is common throughout the industry.

The article also notes that Anthropic "said it has banned nearly 700,000 accounts that were using Claude in China." But the article includes this quote from Kyle Chan, a fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution's China Center. "Anthropic's framing is that this is a geopolitical contest for basically the future of the world and freedom and democracy. It's that this is not just undercutting the U.S. commercially, but undercutting American strategic advantage in the most powerful technology we know today."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

"We need you in the fight," says the American legal expert in privacy, surveillance, AI, and Internet freedom of speech who became the EFF's new executive director in March.

As EFF celebrates the anniversary of its founding 1990, "Each headline is different, but they tell one story: Many of the threats that once seemed hypothetical are now reality, and EFF's work to ensure technology supports rights, justice, freedom, and innovation for all people has never been more critical."

Governments and large corporations possess surveillance capabilities that were unimaginable just a few years ago. Ever greater concentrations of power are shaping speech, creativity, markets, and democratic institutions. Governments are increasingly seeking to control the internet and people's ability to access information and communicate freely. Our community's work is fundamental to the future of our countries, our livelihoods, and literally our lives...

These are perilous times. It is also a moment of extraordinary possibility. The future of AI has not been written and we can work together to get it right. We can make sure our laws reflect the needs of the modern digital age. We can build the technologies that empower rather than marginalize communities.
For me, the work starts with recognizing that digital rights are not a siloed policy issue. We must fight and win on the digital terrain to organize, speak freely, access healthcare, find work, receive an education, and participate fully in democracy. We can and must reject a false choice between innovation and civil liberties, and build power across movements to make sure technology truly works for people...

EFF's founders understood something remarkably prescient: Technology and civil liberties would become inseparable. Now we all live digital lives, and the important digital rights issues that EFF has worked on since 1990 have become kitchen-table issues all around the world. EFF's founders understood that how technology is built, developed, used, and controlled deeply intersects with rights, justice, freedom, and democracy. EFF's unique combination of world-class lawyers, activists, and public interest technologists pursue change simultaneously in the courts, legislatures, companies, and our communities, and pierce through false choices. This integrated, intersectional approach, grounded in deep legal, policy, and technical expertise, is a linchpin in fighting and winning against some of the most powerful forces in the world — both governments and trillion-dollar companies.

We defend people against unlawful government data collection and challenge license plate and face surveillance in our communities. We shape AI law and policy to protect civil liberties and support creativity and innovation. We push companies to strengthen encryption, fight to ensure you have the right to own what you buy, and build public interest technologies like Privacy Badger and Certbot that millions of people rely on every day. This work matters because it all answers the same question: Will technology empower or control us?


Major battles the executive director sees on the horizon"


"Challenge increasingly sophisticated government and corporate surveillance systems that endanger our rights, democracy, safety and security."

"Preserve strong encryption and online anonymity."


"Ensure AI is developed and used in ways that respect fundamental rights and works for those who build it, use it, and are affected by it."

"Confront the concentrations of power that limit access to new creativity and defend the rights of developers to build and innovate."

"To meet these challenges, we must not only utilize the powerful levers of successful litigation, smart policy interventions, and effective public interest technology tools. We must also build a broader movement that recognizes that fights on the digital terrain are integral to all our fights for rights and justice... Together, our EFF community can help broaden the public conversation about technology's role in society and continue building the collective power necessary to shape the future rather than react to it....

"I'm looking forward to meeting more of you at my first EFFecting Change livestream on August 12 with Cory Doctorow, and hope this conversation is just the beginning of finding new ways to work together..."

The blog post ends by noting that "We need you and others in the fight. Please renew your membership, become a recurring monthly supporter, and introduce someone new to EFF by snagging them a gift membership.

"Everything we accomplish — every lawsuit, every policy victory, every public interest technology tool, every campaign — is possible because people like you are committed to ensuring technology strengthens freedom, privacy, creativity, and opportunity for everyone.
"The future we want and need will be built by people and movements working together to ensure technology empowers rather than oppresses.
"Let's build that future together."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Meta "said in a court filing on Monday that four states were seeking $1.4 trillion in penalties," reports Reuters, "over accusations the company designed its Facebook and Instagram platforms to addict young users and misled the public about their safety."

Meta put forward the figure in its response to the attorneys general's filings on how penalties should be calculated if the states prevailed at trial. The number, which has not previously been disclosed and is close to Meta's market capitalization of around $1.5 trillion, comes ahead of an August trial in Oakland, California, over the claims brought by California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey against the company. Meta said the amount was unsupported by the evidence. "A sanction of that size has no analog in the history of consumer protection enforcement," the company said in the filing. "The plaintiffs' outlandish calculations have no basis in fact or law," the company said in a statement, adding that it would continue to defend itself against the states' demands.

A spokesperson for California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement the lawsuit "alleges Meta has prioritized profits over the safety of kids and fueled the mental health crisis we see impacting a generation of American children. The California Department of Justice looks forward to holding Meta fully accountable at trial in August...."

Meta has denied the allegations, saying the attorneys general have no evidence it misled consumers about its platforms' alleged addictiveness because "social media addiction" is not an established psychiatric condition, and therefore statements that its platforms were not addictive could not be false... Last month, [U.S. District Judge] Rogers rejected Meta's bid to cancel the trial, saying there remained factual disputes over whether its social media platforms were addictive, whether Meta falsely denied it designed them that way, and whether it "partially" directed the platforms at children.



"A further 14 states have brought claims under their own laws, which will be heard at a separate trial in February..."


Thanks to Slashdot reader Sparkatron for sharing the article.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The NATO chief Mark Rutte is quite annoying. It is in a worthy cause.

In een Tsjechisch onderonsje was Linda Nosková lange tijd dominant. Het leek een eenzijdige wedstrijd te worden, maar Karolina Muchová knokte zich naar een derde set. Na een snelle break was het uiteindelijk toch Nosková die de sterkste bleek.

Meerdere journalisten van The New York Times zijn door de regering-Trump gedagvaard. Dat meldt de Amerikaanse krant zaterdag.

De helft van de Nederlanders die met vakantie gaat doet dat in eigen land. Voor hen én de buitenland-gangers geldt een sterke trend: steeds langer wachten tot je definitief boekt.

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

SergioQ79 - Osanpo Photographer - posted a photo:

A Takamatsu ci sono luci, insegne, gallerie commerciali e strade serali come in molte città giapponesi. Ma il ritmo è diverso. Non c’è la stessa calca, non c’è la stessa pressione continua di Tokyo. La città resta accesa, ma lascia spazio per camminare e guardare. Anche per questo Shikoku continua a sembrare un Giappone più accessibile, meno consumato dal passaggio dei visitatori.

高松にも明かりがあり、看板があり、商店街があり、夜の道がある。日本のほかの都市と同じように街は動いているが、速度が違う。東京のような混雑や強い圧力は少ない。街は明るいままでも、歩いて見回す余白が残っている。だから四国には、まだ人の暮らしに近い日本が残っているように感じる。

Takamatsu has lights, signs, shopping arcades, and evening streets like many Japanese cities. But the rhythm is different. There is not the same crowding, not the same constant pressure as Tokyo. The city stays lit, but it still leaves room to walk and look around. This is also why Shikoku still feels like a more accessible Japan, less worn down by the flow of visitors.

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Kijk, het is natuurlijk komkommertijd en alle inktkoelies van DPG kookoenen in hun tuinhuisjes in Burgh-Haamstede of op de camping in Bakkum, en ik snap heus wel dat je dan geen zin hebt om een van A tot Z door Frenske geregisseerd “interview” met zijn buklaaf Jantje Hoedeman even te factchecken, of daar komisch op te reageren in een cursiefje. Maar dat niemand - maar dan ook níemand - de inktzwarte leugen over zijn leerstoelen aan de universiteiten van Oxford, Florence en Bologna aan de kaak stelde, is een regelrechte schande. Iemand moet het vieze werk doen en u mag drie keer raden wie. Juist ja… Geloof me, ik ben liever lui dan moe, en het is bloedheet in mijn studeerkamer in Villa Vischlugt, maar toch ging ik aan waarheidsvinding doen. Ik stuurde een keurige brief aan de door Frenske genoemde universiteiten, en verwachtte niet meteen antwoord omdat het natuurlijk zomervakantie is. Vervolgens vroeg ik informatie over deze brandende kwestie aan Lumo, ChatGtp, Grok, Gemini, Claude en Perplexity, en die onverdachte geesten in de machine kwamen allemaal met hetzelfde resultaat: Frenske liegt dat het gedrukt staat.

Perplexity reageerde zelfs grappig, voor een robot althans: “Alles wat publiekelijk verifieerbaar is, wijst erop dat Frans Timmermans geen formele leerstoelen bekleedt aan de universiteiten van Oxford, Bologna of Florence. Zijn opmerking in het interview lijkt meer op een retorische of opgeblazen claim dan op een feitelijke beschrijving van concrete hoogleraarschappen.”

“Opgeblazen claim” vond ik een mooie vondst van de ghost in de machine want die past precies bij de oude dikke Frenske die als een megalomane vorst overal ter wereld met alle egards werd ontvangen en strooide met miljoenen, louter en alleen tot meerdere eer en glorie van zichzelf.

De opgeblazen brulkikker liep echter leeg door de maagomleiding en wat dies meer zij en de rammelende knekelzak die ik zag in het Algemeen Dagblad, deed mij in niets meer denken aan de moddervette smulpaap, zoals afgebeeld op het omslag van mij ongeautoriseerde biografie De Dunne Timmermans.

Timmermans komt niet voor in de lijsten van hoogleraren, onderzoekers, gastdocenten of bestuurders van de universiteiten van Oxford, Bologna en Florence. Hij wordt ook niet genoemd bij de drie UNESCO Chairs die de Universiteit van Florence huisvest. Evenmin is er een openbare aankondiging van een benoeming als visiting professor, honorary professor, fellow of chairholder aan de universiteit.

Wel hoestte Claude dit op: In november 2021 richtte de Florence School of Regulation de Timmermans Chair op, een naar Frans Timmermans vernoemd onderzoeksprofessoraat, gefinancierd door de Enel Foundation en gericht op Europees klimaat- en energiebeleid. De constructie riep meteen kritiek op, vooral van Corporate Europe Observatory. Het kernprobleem: Timmermans was op dat moment als Uitvoerend Vice Voorzitter van de Europese Commissie verantwoordelijk voor de Green Deal — hij bepaalde dus beleid dat energiebedrijven als Enel rechtstreeks raakte, terwijl datzelfde Enel via een stichting zijn leerstoel financierde. Dat wekte de schijn dat een bedrijf zich op deze manier toegang tot de hoogste EU-klimaatbeleidsmaker kon verschaffen. Daar kwam een transparantieprobleem bovenop: uit CEO-onderzoek bleek dat van vijfenzestig lobbygesprekken er door Timmermans' kabinet slechts drie minuten aan registratie waren bijgehouden, waardoor onduidelijk bleef welke partijen precies toegang hadden. Bredere zorgen betroffen de "revolving door" tussen EU-functies en het bedrijfsleven, twijfels over naleving van de ethische code voor commissarissen, en oproepen van oppositiepolitici tot strengere regels voor voormalige commissarissen.

Het zou natuurlijk zomaar kunnen dat Frenske tijdens zijn commissariaat als klimapaus overal met geld gestrooid heeft en als tegenprestatie allerlei titels en leerstoelen heeft geëist. Let wel, die centen komen van u, de hardwerkende belastingbetaler. En toen dacht ik aan de "Timmermans-gate" over de miljarden aan EU Green Deal-gelden die naar NGO's zouden zijn gegaan om lobbywerk te doen.

Op 23 juli 2025 diende de Taxpayers Association of Europe (TAE) een strafklacht in bij zowel het Openbaar Ministerie in München als het Europees Openbaar Ministerie (EPPO) in Luxemburg. De klacht van de richt zich op de manier waarop tijdens de Europese Commissie (2019–2024) EU-subsidies aan milieuorganisaties (ngo's) zouden zijn verstrekt en gebruikt. De TAE stelt dat onder verantwoordelijkheid van voormalig Eurocommissarissen Frans Timmermans en Virginijus Sinkevičius EU-geld is gebruikt om milieu-ngo's te financieren die vervolgens actief zouden hebben gelobbyd voor de beleidsdoelen van de Europese Commissie zelf. Volgens de TAE zou dit een ontoelaatbare vermenging zijn van overheid en lobby: de uitvoerende macht zou met belastinggeld organisaties hebben betaald om politieke druk uit te oefenen op het Europees Parlement en lidstaten. De organisatie betoogt dat de subsidieverlening onvoldoende transparant was en mogelijk in strijd met Europese begrotings- en subsidieregels heeft plaatsgevonden.

Ik mailde Michael Jäger, voorzitter van de Taxpayers Association of Europe (TAE) en die antwoordde: "Wij waren verrast om uit uw vraag te vernemen dat er mogelijk een 'Frans Timmermans Chair' bestaat aan een academische instelling, die kennelijk wordt gefinancierd door de Europese Unie samen met Enel. Als publieke middelen zijn gebruikt om een leerstoel te financieren die de naam draagt van een zittende of kort daarvoor afgetreden EU-politicus, dan wekt dat een zeer twijfelachtige indruk. Vanuit het perspectief van de belastingbetaler is transparantie in zulke gevallen van essentieel belang. Burgers hebben het recht te weten hoe EU-gelden worden besteed, wie daarvan profiteert en of mogelijke belangenconflicten zorgvuldig zijn onderzocht. We zitten bovenop de zaak, er lopen nog meer zaken tegen Timmermans, bijvoorbeeld in Oostenrijk. U hoort van ons!"

Aan het einde van de vrijdagmiddag mailde Chiara Mazzotti van het Bureau voor Publieksrelaties van de Universiteit van Bologna mij. Ze wilde een scan van mijn paspoort om te verifiëren of ik werkelijk die wereldberoemde gonzo-onderzoeksjournalist was. Chiara was “not amused” dat de Frans Timmermans rondbazuinde een leerstoel te hebben aan de Universiteit van Bologna, want dat straalt natuurlijk slecht af op zo’n eerwaardig instituut. Na het weekeinde krijg ik meer informatie en een officiële verklaring van de Uni.

Wordt vervolgd!

I have a single AWS instance, with a static IP, not behind a load balancer or CloudFront. How do I block all of Hong Kong? I gather the answer has something to do with WAF but I don't understand.

Please use small words, URLs, and assume that I have no idea what any of the acronyms you used mean.

Previously, previously, previously.

​Bob gaat trouwen, dus zijn beste vrienden zijn druk bezig met het organiseren van een vrijgezellenfeest. Het plan is om een hele dag te vullen met leuke activiteiten, zoals lasergamen, varen en steengrillen. Het enige probleem: het festijn kost vooralsnog maar €100 per persoon. Een schandalig laag bedrag dat opgekrikt móét worden.

De twee vrienden die het organiseren overleggen druk over mogelijkheden om het vrijgezellenfeest wat prijziger te maken. “Misschien kunnen we er een extra dagje aan vastplakken? Want dan moeten we wel een overnachting erbij regelen. Dan kunnen we ook op de tweede dag nog gaan karten en paintballen, en ’s avonds hebben we de tijd om een paar uurtjes bankbiljetten te verbranden. Zo slaan we meerdere kostenverhogende vliegen in één klap!”

Als het vrijgezellenfeest na deze aanpassingen nog niet duur genoeg is, hebben de organisatoren nog één troef achter de hand: een voedselgevecht met cashewnoten en pijnboompitten.

​

&

A largely figurative painter with a penchant for literary citation, Andrew Salgado turns his attention to the still life in a new body of work. Wanting to depart from his narrative-driven process in favor of subject matter allowing for greater intuition and spontaneity, the artist began to render vibrant bouquets in his signature gestural marks. Color ripples across each canvas, presenting the stylized florals in various states of blossom and decay.

Salgado is an avid, eclectic reader, and while his still lifes operate at a remove from his typically reference-rich compositions, they still contain snippets of texts and art history. Awash in blues of all shades, “The Prince,” for example, emerges from a Thomas Bernhard novel that follows an aristocratic protagonist’s descent into paranoia and obsession. In Salgado’s painting, the singular, focused color palette and flowers splayed in every direction mirror the frenetic energy of a message left on the table.

There’s also “Dear Theo,” which centers on a bright cluster of sunflowers synonymous with Vincent van Gogh. Like the title, a scribbled note at the bottom right is addressed to Theo, the Dutch painter’s brother and longtime financial supporter. “To be sufficiently heated up to melt those golds and those flower tones, not just anybody can do that,” Vincent famously wrote Theo. “It takes an individual’s whole and entire energy and attention.”

Being attuned to one’s energy and attention is also critical in this body of work. Rather than follow a rigid, predetermined path, the artist opted for more freedom and the ability to latch onto a thought or association and allow it, and the paint, to lead.

Glory! is on view from July 16 to August 15 at BEERS London. Keep up with Salgado on Instagram.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Andrew Salgado’s Gestural Still Lifes Pulse with Energy appeared first on Colossal.