Paul Sutton @zleap@qoto.org

Farm to create biggest natural grassland in southern England

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/29/farm-create-biggest-natural-grassland-southern-england?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

A universe in motion seen from the International Space Station during a night pass over Earth.

Expanding the electric grid requires using SF6, a greenhouse gas.

"Used primarily in high-voltage electrical switchgear in electric #PowerGrids, SF6 is one of the most potent greenhouse gases on Earth. In the 21st century, atmospheric concentrations of SF6 have risen sharply along with global electric power demand, threatening the world's efforts to stabilize the climate."

#SF6: GWP = 24,300, Atmospheric lifetime > 1000 years

https://phys.org/news/2024-03-atmospheric-china-emissions-potent-greenhouse.html

@ned My immediate thought is that pranks can be hurtful, but rarely is a pun so.

Random, unordered, probably useless thoughts on today's apocalypxze...

Part of the success in getting this into Debian may be the result of there being no xz maintainer there. It is "maintained" by people whose attention is normally elsewhere doing occasional non-maintainer updates.

This code will have been running on the machines of a lot of distribution maintainers. If it has already been exploited, it could be that its real purpose has already been achieved and the real problem is now elsewhere. I sure hope somebody can figure out a way to determine if this backdoor has been used.

The multi-front nature of the attack, including multiple efforts to get the malicious code installed more widely more quickly, suggests we're not just dealing with a lone sociopath. I fear we'll never know who was really behind this, but I would sure like to.

There is surely more where this cam from.

OpenAI holds back wide release of voice-cloning tech due to misuse concerns https://arstechnica.com/?p=2008632

“The GMB estimates that paying 1,300 additional workers costs Amazon over £300,000 a week.”

Amazon would rather do this at one warehouse than have its workers form a union.

This is how much they fear unions. If this doesn’t convince you how important unions are, nothing will.

https://novaramedia.com/2024/03/28/amazon-warehouse-in-chaos-due-to-union-busting-dirty-tricks/

Also, how is this legal? Surely the law must be revised to disallow this sort of bad faith retaliation (good luck under the Tories or the Thatcher Fan Club).

#TradeUnions #amazon

It is surprising how often, when I say "Hey, I'm reading this really interesting book..." people immediately respond with "Oh, you have TIME to read?! I don't even..."

Like... what is that?
What makes people jump right to that?

It bugs me for a bunch of reasons.

1. Yes, I am busy too. I make time because it relaxes me.

2. No, I don't care how much you read and I'm not judging you. You don't need to defend yourself.

3. I wanted to share something I found fun, geez.

#reading

Linux is open source so anyone can contribute.

This means, as just happened with xz, that malicious software can be added to the system.

It also means that anyone can also look in depth, catch it, fix it, and tell us about it.

C3PO:

Backdoor found in widely used Linux utility breaks encrypted SSH connections

https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/03/backdoor-found-in-widely-used-linux-utility-breaks-encrypted-ssh-connections

Look. I know picking up dog shit isn't particularly fun. But if you have a dog in the city, you just have to do it. Don't be a toxic individualist, be a real community member and bag that shit 💰💩

There is no excuse not to! Some people walk to work and might not be able to change their shoes. Some people have meically-needed mobility devices they would prefer to not get shit on. Please. Get your shit together. I love your dog but I hate you.

Western governments struggle to coordinate response to Chinese hacking

Chinese hacking attempts are not isolated events. Rather, they constitute the ecosystem in which all western governments must navigate their relationships with Beijing.

In a report published on 27 March, Google said China “continues to lead the way for government-backed exploitation”.
#APT31 alone has been linked to hacks in France, Finland and of Microsoft, while New Zealand said this week that another well-known Chinese hacking outfit, #APT40, attacked its parliament in 2021 (the Chinese embassy in New Zealand denied the allegations).

A recent leak of data from the Chinese cybersecurity firm #iSoon revealed the extent to which China’s hackers for hire compete for government contracts,
sometimes hoovering up data from foreign agencies "on spec" with the hope of selling it to the highest bidder.
In the case of APT31, the US Department of Justice alleges that the hacking operation was💥 directly run by a provincial department of China’s ministry of state security.💥
But in general, said Mei #Danowski, a China cybersecurity expert and author of the "Natto Thoughts" newsletter,
🔸nearly every cybersecurity firm in China 🔸would have some sort of contract with government clients.
With a cybersecurity industry worth an estimated $13bn, that is a lot of potential hackers.

That leaves western governments struggling to coordinate an effective response to hacks or hacking attempts.
In many cases, the Chinese government has #plausible #deniability about responsibility, and it is not always clear what the impact of data breaches are.
Audrye #Wong, an assistant professor at the University of Southern California, said that while #Russian-based hacks oftene “sow discord and chaos”, #China was “more cautious” and “still very much cares about shaping perceptions of China and the Chinese Communist party”.

Many western international security experts refer to the maxim that while Russia may be the storm, China is climate change.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/29/western-governments-struggle-coordinate-response-chinese-hacking?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

🎉 Exciting news! After 5 years away, OggCamp, the ultimate unconference for open source and free culture enthusiasts is back for a triumphant return in 2024! 🌟

🗓️ Join us at The Manchester Conference Centre on October 12th and 13th.

🚀 Get ready for a weekend filled with innovation, collaboration, and community spirit!

🔗 Stay tuned for the Call for Papers (CfP) and ticket announcements – watch this space! 🎟️

#OggCamp2024 #OpenSource #TechConference #Manchester