Featured Links - September 30. 2024

Links to things I found interesting but didn't want to do a full blog post about.

Seagulls at the beach

• iPhone, Android Users Warned After 50,000 Message Email Bomb Attack. It doesn't sound like a common problem, but it could be really messy if you get hit by it.
• The Internet Archive’s Fight to Save Itself. "The web’s collective memory is stored in the servers of the Internet Archive. Legal battles threaten to wipe it all away." I am appalled at the way big business is attacking the Internet Archive. 
• Physicists Reveal a Quantum Geometry That Exists Outside of Space and Time. 'A decade after the discovery of the “amplituhedron,” physicists have excavated more of the timeless geometry underlying the standard picture of how particles move.'
• "The fall of Kodak wasn't because of digital cameras" says History in the Dark.  "The once-mighty camera giant was actually an early pioneer of digital tech, and if it wasn't for the iPhone things could have been so different."
• The Tragically Hip: The small-town band that united Canada. If you don't know about The Hip, you are missing something special. The new documentary about them on Amazon Prime is wonderful.
• Marvel and DC lose trademark on "superhero". "Marvel and DC have jointly held the trademark for the word "superhero" since 1980, but no longer. The United States Patent and Trademark Office, in response to a petition from Superbabies, Limited, has canceled the trademark. Anyone can now produce works using "superhero" without fear of a lawsuit from either of the entertainment behemoths." Another blow against the evil empire.
• 45 years ago CompuServe connected the world before the World Wide Web. CompuServe was my introduction to online life, sometime in 1985. 
• Canada’s Leaders Must Reject Overbroad Age Verification Bill. "Canadian lawmakers are considering a bill, S-210, that’s meant to benefit children, but would sacrifice the security, privacy, and free speech of all internet users." It seems that legislative ignorance and stupidity about the internet is not limited to the US and Britain.
• Paralyzed Jockey Loses Ability To Walk After Manufacturer Refuses To Fix Battery For His $100,000 Exoskeleton. "traight's experience is a nightmare scenario that highlights what happens when companies decide to stop supporting their products and do not actively support independent repair. It's also what happens without the protection of right to repair legislation that requires manufacturers to make repair parts, guides, and tools available to the general public."