2026-03-20 23:20:58
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals throws out a 2024 FTC order barring Intuit from advertising TurboTax products as "free" when many taxpayers are ineligible (Jonathan Stempel/Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/world/us-appeals-c
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals throws out a 2024 FTC order barring Intuit from advertising TurboTax products as "free" when many taxpayers are ineligible (Jonathan Stempel/Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/world/us-appeals-c
Grüne: Urabstimmung zur Parteireform!
Ich habe mir angesehen, was konkret vorgeschlagen wird: https://blog.till-westermayer.de/2026/03/parteireform/
Here is wisdom. I learned this too late in life, and am still not sure I’ve learned it well:
❝Don’t feel like you need to fix everything. A common response to bearing witness to another’s trauma is to try and fix it. We don’t want others to suffer. That said, you may not be offering what the other person or group is clearly stating they need. If they need you to listen, and you choose to act but not listen, then you have both not supported them in their trauma and violated a boundary.❞
https://community.hachyderm.io/blog/2024/08/12/hachyderms-introduction-to-mastodon-moderation-part-1/
Zugebaute #Batteriespeicherkapazität pro Monat in #Deutschland mit Stand vom 17.03.2026.
397 Datensätze ohne #Batteriespeichertechnologie herausgefil…
"Doel’s feat wasn’t just a display of ingenuity; it also highlighted a growing problem—specifically, the mounting burden of landfill waste. According to a 2024 report by Wired, 137 billion pounds of e-waste, including vape pens, are generated each year. Only one quarter of that waste is recycled."
Man uses 500 disposable vape batteries to power up electric car - Good.is
https://www.good.is/british-engineer-uses-over-500-disposable-vape-batteries-to-power-up-an-electric-car/
The dramatic transition of the extreme Red #Supergiant WOH G64 to a Yellow Hypergiant: https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.19329 - this 2024 paper, already mentioned by me in connection with other observations of that star in https://skyweek.wordpress.com/2024/11/24/allgemeines-live-blog-ab-dem-24-11-2024/ ("Die enge zirkumstellare Umgebung des Roten Überriesen WOH G64 ..."), has now been formally published: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-026-02789-7.epdf?sharing_token=7UR_XvTAZerqnMHPRyA0LtRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0N7FejDObMF3AkHA10E71tuouxDX6yP8bM1QCFKGVVZLl8bT37LMadR8u4ukhACilFI60-Zxl0e00Bc0v3qXkG29yIQr7uTE0sd644q7We4d6ay5Tblhxc-UABROlAnuDs=
RE: #WikimediaCommons in 2024. Former Associat…
Germany U-turns, Won't Intervene on Israel's Behalf in ICJ Gaza Genocide Case - @…
https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/europe/2026-03-19/ty-article/germany-u-turns-wont-intervene-on-israels-behalf-in-icj-gaza-genocide-case/0000019d-05c2-d65b-abfd-95deeaff0000
Archive https://archive.ph/P3UBr
This marks a shift from Germany's January 2024 stance, when it backed Israel in the case. Berlin says its decision not to intervene stems from its own ICJ defense in a case accusing it of violating international law by supporting Israel's war in Gaza
The Republican former lieutenant governor of North Carolina,
Mark Robinson,
has admitted he "misled" voters during his unsuccessful 2024 gubernatorial campaign
when he denied posting racist and offensive comments on a pornography website
– suggesting he did so to protect Donald Trump’s successful presidential run.
Robinson, who worked in furniture manufacturing before entering politics in 2020, told the "After the Call" podcast on Thursday:
“Apple Vision Accessibility: The 2025 AppleVis Report Card”
https://www.applevis.com/blog/apple-vision-accessibility-2025-applevis-report-card
“Overall satisfaction with VoiceOver accessibility on Apple products decreased compared to 2024.”
Sources: contract electronics manufacturer Zetwerk plans to file for an IPO in India, aiming to raise ~$550M at a ~$4B valuation; it was valued at $3.1B in 2024 (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/world/india/zetwerk-plans-conf…
🎧 Unsere Podcast-Hörempfehlung zum Wochenende: "Tatort Kunst: Museumseinbrüche - Chinesische Beute", eine Produktion des Deutschlandfunks von 2024, moderiert von Rahel Klein und Stefan Koldehoff.
1️⃣ 2️⃣ 3️⃣ In drei Folgen beleuchtet das Team die Vorgehensweisen, mögliche Motive und Gegenmaßnahmen.
Stay safe and stay tuned!
🔗
Spanne der Bruttospeicherleistung von #Batteriespeichern pro Inbetriebnahmejahr von Unternehmen in Deutschland mit Stand vom 17.03.2026.
397 Datensätze ohne #Batteriespeichertechnologie herausgefiltert.
Der Datenbestand enthält unplausible Datensätze.
…
The levels of victimhood demonstrated by the "strudel studio" author charging $49 per year for the free/open source @… project, wrapped in their closed source editor plugin and abusing the (unregistered) strudel trademark with zero prior engagement with the community.
At this point if I looked I'd probably find many more similar projects an…
Parteireform?! Einerseits ein bisschen seltsamer Zeitpunkt dafür, gibt ja gerade durchaus inhaltlich relevante Fragen der Politik, andererseits beim starken Wachstum von Bündnis 90/Die Grünen nachvollziehbar, dass an einigen Stellen nachgesteuert werden soll.
Ich habe mir die Vorschläge des Bundesvorstands, die jetzt zur Urabstimmung gestellt werden sollen, mal angeschaut und erste Eindrücke aufgeschrieben.
📢 Merz mit 91,2 Prozent als CDU-Chef wiedergewählt
Der CDU-Parteitag hat den Parteivorsitzenden Friedrich Merz erneut zum Parteichef gewählt. Er erhielt 91,2 Prozent der gültigen Stimmen. Der Kanzler erzielte damit ein besseres Ergebnis als 2024.
➡️ https://www.
FilmLA: in H1 2025, Los Angeles soundstage occupancy averaged 62%, down from 63% in 2024 and a 35.4% drop from the 96% peak in 2016; shoot days fell 8% to 7,940 (Erik Pedersen/Deadline)
https://deadline.com/2026/03/los-angeles-soundstage-report-1236758623/
Ähnlichkeiten mit dem Challenger-Unglück liegen auf der Hand.
NASA Chief Classifies Starliner Flight As 'Type A' Mishap, Says Agency Made Mistakes - Slashdot https://science.slashdot.org/story/26/0…
Wind-solar-nuclear electricity production in China, 1992-2024
https://energy-charts.info/charts/energy/line_race_electricity_production_cn_1990-2024.html
Amazon acquires Zurich-based autonomous robotics startup Rivr, formerly Swiss-Mile; PitchBook: the startup was valued at $110M in an August 2024 funding round (The Information)
https://www.theinformation.com/articles/amazon-acqu…
Spanne der Bruttospeicherleistung von #Batteriespeichern pro Inbetriebnahmejahr von Privatpersonen in Deutschland mit Stand vom 17.03.2026.
397 Datensätze ohne #Batteriespeichertechnologie herausgefiltert.
Der Datenbestand enthält unplausible Datensätze.
🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on #BBC6Music's #CraigCharles
True Faith:
🎵 Take Me Away
#TrueFaith
https://glenhorsborough1.bandcamp.com/album/true-faith-take-me-away-glen-horsborough-2024-edit
Trey Hendrickson excited for fresh start with Ravens, says he's in a 'win-now window' https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7115487/2026/03/13/ravens-trey-hendrickson-2026-nfl-free-agency/
Funny they are looking into 2020 but not 2024 where there are some definate oddities in the results for House Represenitive races vs national and state wide race results for that district.
FBI subpoenas election records in Arizona, expanding 2020 inquiry https://ground.news/article/fbi-subpoenas-election-records-in-arizona-expanding-2020-inquiry_77e5cd
TechInsights: chip manufacturing emissions will climb by ~33% to 247M metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030, roughly equivalent to Algeria in 2024 (Aaron Clark/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-…
Apropos Ryan Gosling/Der Astronaut - meine Kurzbesprechung zum zugrundeliegenden Buch ‚Project Hail Mary‘ von Andy Weir findet sich hier: https://blog.till-westermayer.de/2026/01/science-fiction-und-fantasy-winter-edition-2025-26/
Bin …
Perplexity says it has no plans to further pursue advertising, which it introduced in 2024, phasing out ads late last year over fears it would erode user trust (Cristina Criddle/Financial Times)
https://www.ft.com/content/6eec07a5-34a8-4f78-a9ed-93ab4263d43c
@… how come I see these in my feed? I suspect they have a “science” hashtag, but I don’t see it in the app.
https://reddthat.com/post/61631735
Anyway to show those?
Qualcomm says it plans to buy back another $20B worth of shares and is raising its quarterly cash dividend, after unveiling a $15B buyback in November 2024 (Lynn Doan/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-17…
🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on #BBC6Music's #ChrisHawkins
Yard Act:
🎵 We Make Hits (6 Music Session, 4 Mar 2024)
#YardAct
https://open.spotify.com/track/7mYTcajvGEU4LZeHQ8V5w2
The people who actually decide elections aren’t in the base
— and they’re turning.
Political independents and soft partisans — voters Trump converted in 2024 to beat Harris — are more loosely attached to Trump and support his policies less.
When political conditions deteriorate for the GOP, it’s these voters who are the first to leave.
What MAGA elites think might matter to other elites (people who have dinner with Steve Bannon),
-- but when it comes to electi…
Jährlicher Zubau und Rückbau der #Windenergieleistung in #Deutschland. Stand: 10.03.2026.
Summen der Inbetriebnahmen und Stilllegungen pro Jahr.
Der Datenbestand enthält ggf. unplausible Datensätze.
👉 Zusatzlesestoff:
"Digital Technologies and Reading Habits of Students: A Scoping Review"
https://doi.org/10.1515/opis-2025-0040
"This scoping review aims to map the literature on the types of digital technologies and the purposes of using digital technologies by secondary school students."
Berlin-based Upvest, which builds trading APIs for neobanks and retail lenders, raised $90M in equity, sources say at a $735M valuation, up from ~$413M in 2024 (Arno Schütze/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/20
🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #MiddayShow
Neil Diamond:
🎵 Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So Good)
#NeilDiamond
https://sonnenwellen.bandcamp.com/track/neil-diamond-sweet-caroline-geh-haim-illegal-2024
https://open.spotify.com/track/62AuGbAkt8Ox2IrFFb8GKV
Martian ionospheric response during the may 2024 solar #superstorm: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-69468-z -> ESA’s Mars orbiters watch solar superstorm hit the Red Planet: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/ESA_s_Mars_orbiters_watch_solar_superstorm_hit_the_Red_Planet
Phobos ransomware leader facing 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to hacking charges https://therecord.media/phobos-ransomware-leader-facing-20-years
It's January 4th and I've already got a few orders this year for my little hobby business.
One from the UK, one from Ireland, and one from Switzerland.
Last year we shipped close to 80% of the orders to the US and almost 20% to the UK, with a few other countries besides those two.
I do feel like I'm seeing fewer US sales since the beginning of 2024, file that as you will.
Overall sales were down a bit in 2024 but I did a few larger projects for folks that …
#MarshallAllen interview (2024):
“the space age is here to stay,
there’s no place you can run away.
Run to the rock to hide your face,
rock cried out ‘no hiding place.’
Interessant, dass Leute so 800.000 € übrig haben, um sie der #CDU zu spenden 🤨
(So viel habe ich nicht, aber ich habe im Rahmen meiner Möglichkeiten an @… gespendet und weiß gerade wieder gut, wieso)
Commanders land Oweh on 4-year, $100M deal https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/48155924/commanders-land-odafe-oweh-4-year-100m-deal-agents-say
Trump:
“I’ll avoid foreign military entanglements” ... “We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars that we end, and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into.” - January 20, 2025
“I’m not going to start wars, I’m going to stop wars.” - November 6, 2024
“Great nations do not fight endless wars… As a candidate for president, I loudly pledged a new approach. Great nations do not fight endless wars.” - February 5, 2019
A $5$-Approximation Analysis for the Cover Small Cuts Problem
Miles Simmons, Ishan Bansal, Joe Cheriyan
https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.01462 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2602.01462 https://arxiv.org/html/2602.01462
arXiv:2602.01462v1 Announce Type: new
Abstract: In the Cover Small Cuts problem, we are given a capacitated (undirected) graph $G=(V,E,u)$ and a threshold value $\lambda$, as well as a set of links $L$ with end-nodes in $V$ and a non-negative cost for each link $\ell\in L$; the goal is to find a minimum-cost set of links such that each non-trivial cut of capacity less than $\lambda$ is covered by a link. Bansal, Cheriyan, Grout, and Ibrahimpur (arXiv:2209.11209, Algorithmica 2024) showed that the WGMV primal-dual algorithm, due to Williamson, Goemans, Mihail, and Vazirani (Combinatorica, 1995), achieves approximation ratio $16$ for the Cover Small Cuts problem; their analysis uses the notion of a pliable family of sets that satisfies a combinatorial property. Later, Bansal (arXiv:2308.15714v2, IPCO 2025) and then Nutov (arXiv:2504.03910, MFCS 2025) proved that the same algorithm achieves approximation ratio $6$. We show that the same algorithm achieves approximation ratio $5$, by using a stronger notion, namely, a pliable family of sets that satisfies symmetry and structural submodularity.
toXiv_bot_toot
RE: https://mastodon.social/@europeanspaceflight/116182982779024614
Two tiny German satellites (PocketQubes) will be among the payloads, ERMINAZ-1U and ERMINAZ-1V: see https://forum.amsat-dl.org/index.php?thread/4540-erminaz-1v-and-erminaz-1u/ and https://destevez.net/2024/06/decoding-erminaz/ for details.
Sources: General Catalyst is in talks with investors to raise about $10B; it raised $8B in capital in 2024 and had more than $40B in AUM as of last summer (Natasha Mascarenhas/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/20
U.S. forces have launched military operations with Ecuador against
“designated terrorist organizations”
inside the South American country,
Southern Command said Tuesday.
The military released no details on the operations
but suggested in a statement that it was an extension of strikes carried out by the Trump administration
against suspected drug trafficking organizations in the region
In January 2024 gangs stormed a TV station,
taking staff ho…
🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on #BBC6Music
Lynks:
🎵 USE IT OR LOSE IT (6 Music Session, 20 Feb 2024)
#Lynks
https://lynkslynkslynks.bandcamp.com/track/use-it-or-lose-it-2
https://open.spotify.com/track/72YhBiqyf312dbifU3yHbx
A profile of Nscale founder Josh Payne, a former coal miner in Australia who moved to London and started the data center developer in 2024 amid the AI boom (Adam Satariano/New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/business/nscale-ai-data-center-boom.html
Niedersachsens #Kommunen profitieren vom neuen #Beteiligungsgesetz zur #Windkraft.
Betreiber zahlen 0,2 Cent pro Kilowattstunde an die Gemeinden. Allein durch 2024 genehmigte Anlage…
Publicis reports 2025 net profit of €1.65B, down from €1.66B in 2024, and total revenue up 8.5% YoY to €17.4B, but PUB falls 8% driven by AI fears (AdriŠ Calatayud/Wall Street Journal)
https://www.wsj.com/business/earnings/p…
Sources: Apple made ~55M iPhones in India in 2025, up 53% YoY from 36M in 2024, ~25% of total iPhone production as it shifts away from China to avoid tariffs (Sankalp Phartiyal/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/20
Canada will allow TikTok to continue operating in the country under new security commitments, reversing a 2024 order to wind down TikTok's Canadian subsidiary (Thomas Seal/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/20
Good Morning #Canada
On this International Day of Happiness I think we should check on Canada’s world ranking on the #Happiness scale. It appears we're are not happy.
I've put some blame on #PeePee in the past for negatively impacting Canadian satisfaction surveys because he incessantly tells us we're broken. Yes, he is exploiting rel issues but maybe working on real solutions would be a better approach. The latest World Happiness Report 2026 has Canada falling 25th place, continuing a downward trend - 18th in 2025 and 13th in 2024. The report suggests that countries who use social media for 5 hours a day, particularly young people, are less happy than those who are doomscrolling less. IMO our youth are not happy because their salaries can't keep pace with the cost of living, but an algorithm would constantly reinforce that if you're active on the platforms owned by U.S. tech bros.
Happy I'm on #Mastodon
#CanadaIsAwesome #ItsTheAlgorithm
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/world-happiness-2026-canada-25-9.7134296
👻 #Mythos zum #Frühstück: 😱
„Erneuerbare Energien sind die teuersten“.
Eine Umfrage hat diesen Glauben in der deutschen Bevölkerung erst 2025 wieder gezeigt. Schauen wir uns die Kosten an. Wie schneiden
"India expected to install about 42.5 GW of new solar capacity in 2026"
#India #Energy #Renewables #SolarPower
49ers LB Fred Warner and his wife Sydney welcome newborn daughter, Bella https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47544383/fred-sydney-warner-san-francisco-49ers-new-baby-born
Bitcoin dived below the $73,000 mark on Tuesday, hitting its lowest price since November 2024 as heavy selling resumes amid mounting geopolitical concerns (Liz Napolitano/CNBC)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/03/bitcoin-price-today.html
Aug. 12 2024. IIRC I risked my life a bit taking this picture in #Ahmedabad #Gujarat #India. 😅
#photography #amateur #FensterFreitag #WindowFriday
Shanghai-based MiniMax reports 2025 revenue up 159% YoY to $79M, above ~$71.4M est., and a $1.87B net loss, up from a ~$465.2M loss in 2024, after its IPO (Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-02/china-ai…
Hathern (Charnwood, Leicestershire), June 2024
#photography #ukphotographer #documentingplace #documentingspace
Ilya Lichtenstein, sentenced in Nov. 2024 to five years in prison for hacking Bitfinex, has been released early due to First Step Act, Trump's prison-reform law (CNBC)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/02/bitcoin-hacker-ilya-lichtenstein-bitfinex-razz…
🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on #BBC6Music's #ChrisHawkins
Lynks:
🎵 USE IT OR LOSE IT (6 Music Session, 20 Feb 2024)
#Lynks
https://lynkslynkslynks.bandcamp.com/track/use-it-or-lose-it-2
https://open.spotify.com/track/72YhBiqyf312dbifU3yHbx
🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on #BBC6Music's #6MusicsJukebox
Shabaka Hutchings:
🎵 Living (6 Music Session, 11 May 2024)
#ShabakaHutchings