Links for Sun 24.Apr.2022 [selected news items]
iPhone in Canada: Developers Upset Apple Removing Outdated But Working Apps
The email, titled “App Improvement Notice,” informs developers that they have just 30 days to update old apps before they are booted off the App Store.
“You can keep this app available for new users to discover and download from the App Store by submitting an update for review in 30 days,” Apple writes in the email. “If no update is submitted in 30 days, the app will be removed from sale.”
iPhone in Canada: Canada’s Plan to Regulate Internet Blasted by Twitter and More, Reveal Unsealed Documents
According to the University of Ottawa professor, this broader package of consultation submissions goes to show that the government was determined to keep the majority of submissions hidden from the public eye until legally compelled to release them, that a lot more internet platforms participated in the consultation than previously disclosed, and that feedback on the government’s plans was overwhelmingly negative.
The most notable submission came from Twitter, Geist noted, which warned that the proactive monitoring of content proposed by the government:
“sacrifices freedom of expression to the creation of a government run system of surveillance of anyone who uses Twitter. Even the most basic procedural fairness requirements you might expect from a government-run system such as notice or warning are absent from this proposal. The requirement to ‘share’ information at the request of Crown is also deeply troubling.”
Twitter went on to blast the government’s website blocking plans, likening it to China, North Korea, and Iran…
iPhone in Canada: Why SpaceX Starlink Isn’t Used for Rural High Speed Internet Roll Outs by Canada
The federal government has used Starlink on occasion, mentioning usage in Manitoba, without going into specifics. But Starlink has “capacity limits in the north” and is not able to meet the demands of the government, according to Vujic, noting the satellite internet service was not always a sustainable solution.
Ottawa says its biggest priority is scalability with its rural high speed internet roll outs, and that is possible with fibre lines. Despite the high initial setup costs, service “gets cheaper” as new homes are built in rural areas. The government wants to make sure its internet infrastructure can meet future demand.
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The $46,637,325 cost for Keewaytinook Okimakanak to install high speed for 182 homes ($256,249.04 per location) in Fort Severn and Peawanuck (Weenusk) was also confirmed as accurate.
NYT: Orrin Hatch, Seven-Term Senator and a Republican Force, Dies at 88
Overcoming poverty and representing Utah, he became a powerful figure in Washington, helping to build a conservative majority on the Supreme Court.
An interesting snapshot of recent history.
NYT: Can Your Diet Help Prevent Dementia?
Walnuts can improve cognitive function. Blueberries can boost memory. Fish oil supplements can lower your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
You may have noticed these buzzy “brain food” claims scattered across online health articles and social media feeds. But can certain foods or diets really stave off or prevent dementia?
Experts say that while nutrition studies are notoriously challenging to carry out, there is a compelling and ever-growing body of research that does suggest that some foods and diets may offer real benefits to an aging brain. So we spoke with two dozen researchers and pored over the research to better understand the links between diet and dementia.
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Two diets in particular, the Mediterranean diet and the MIND diet — both of which encourage fresh produce, legumes and nuts, fish, whole grains and olive oil — have been shown in scientific studies to offer strong protection against cognitive decline.
One study, published in 2017, analyzed the diets and cognitive performance of more than 5,900 older U.S. adults. Researchers found that those who most closely adhered to either the Mediterranean diet or the MIND diet had a 30 to 35 percent lower risk of cognitive impairment than those who adhered to these diets less closely.
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Four pillars of a ‘brain-boosting’ diet - Leafy greens - Colorful fruits and vegetables [what? Beets but no potatoes or cauliflower?!] - Fish - Nuts, whole grains, legumes and olive oil
A good solid article.
Link for those without a NYT subscription
Reuters: France’s Macron beats Le Pen to win second term
The first pollsters’ projections showed Macron securing around 57-58% of the vote. Such estimates are normally accurate but may be fine-tuned as official results come in from around the country throughout the evening.
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A first major challenge will be the parliamentary elections in June and opposition parties on the left and right will immediately start a major push to try to vote in a parliament and government opposed to Macron.
NYT: Can We Solve Drought by Piping Water Across the Country?
Today, there are some enormous water projects in the United States, though building a pipeline that spanned a significant stretch of the country would be astronomically more difficult. The distance between Albuquerque, for example, and the Mississippi River — perhaps the closest hypothetical starting point for such a pipeline — is about 1,000 miles, crossing at least three states along the way. Moving that water all the way to Los Angeles would mean piping it at least 1,800 miles across five states.
So the engineering and permitting challenges alone would be daunting. And that’s assuming the local and state governments that would have to give up their water would be willing to do so.
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“It’s not worth it,” Dr. Pierce said of the pipeline idea. “You’d have to exhaust eight other options first.”
NYT: Climate Activist Dies After Setting Himself on Fire at Supreme Court
A Colorado man who set himself on fire in front of the Supreme Court on Friday in an apparent Earth Day protest against climate change has died, police said.
The Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C., said that Wynn Bruce, 50, of Boulder, Colo., had died on Saturday from his injuries after being airlifted to a hospital following the incident. Members of his family could not be reached immediately for comment.
Kritee Kanko, a climate scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund and a Zen Buddhist priest in Boulder, said that she is a friend of Mr. Bruce and that the self-immolation was a planned act of protest.
“This act is not suicide,” Dr. Kritee wrote on Twitter early Sunday morning. “This is a deeply fearless act of compassion to bring attention to climate crisis.”
She later added in an interview that she was not completely certain of his intentions, but that “people are being driven to extreme amounts of climate grief and despair” and that “what I do not want to happen is that young people start thinking about self-immolation.”
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“The press spoke then of suicide, but in the essence, it is not. It is not even a protest,” Thich Nhat Hanh wrote of the monks, adding that “to burn oneself by fire is to prove that what one is saying is of the utmost importance. There is nothing more painful than burning oneself. To say something while experiencing this kind of pain is to say it with utmost courage, frankness, determination, and sincerity.”
bunny.net: CDN Pricing | Affordable Pay As You Go CDN
Two simple pricing plans designed for any budget. Scale from a few gigabytes to hundreds of petabytes per month. $1 monthly minimum applies
Europe & North America: $0.01 /GB…
CDN = Content Delivery/Distribution Network
(from Vincent Ritter, @vincent on micro.blog)
MagPi magazine: Build a Raspberry Pi NAS
These file- and media-serving black boxes can punch a hole in your bank account, particularly the professional versions aimed at businesses. Now, thanks to the improved throughput of Raspberry Pi 4 with USB 3.0 and Gigabit Ethernet, you can build a fully featured NAS for a fraction of the cost.
There is a newer article somewhere in /tutorial but I couldn’t find it again. :-(
#links