Test tubes are seen labelled "Bird Flu" words in this illustration taken, June 10, 2024. — Reuters

Canada has detected its first case of H5 bird flu in a person, a teenager in the western province of British Columbia, health officials said on Saturday.

This person is...

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Designed By: Elaine, Jewelry Designer, Exclusively for Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

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Designed By: Patti, Jewelry Designer, Exclusively for Fire Mountain Gems and Beads®

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Designed By: Patti, Jewelry Designer, Exclusively for Fire Mountain Gems and Beads®

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Renowned media figures, analysts urge Nawaz Sharif to submit to mandate of winners and concede defeat

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Disney seems increasingly uninspired and creatively vacant, relying on the powers of nostalgia to draw in an audience.

The movie seems like an intense, gripping thriller with a determined female protagonist

The trailer doesn’t give details about the plotline but shows the distressed protagonist trying to escape his...

Playing dress up with Sadia Tariq Güzel

The Voxom "BRS19" Brake Pads are asymmetrically shaped and feature indentations to ensure good braking performance. The Voxom "BRS19" Brake Pads have a 4mm hex socket for easy mounting.

• Contents: 1 pair
• Size: Compatible for V-Brake and U-Brake
• Extras: Asymmetric, 4mm Innensechskant

The Voxom "BRS15" Brake Pads are asymmetrically shaped within a mounting frame and feature indentations to ensure good braking performance. The Voxom "BRS15" Brake Pads have a 4-mm hex socket for easy mounting.

• Contents: 1 pair of high-performance brake pads
• Extras: Heat-resistant, angle adjustable, compatible with U-brakes and V-brakes

The Voxom "BRS2" Brake Pads are asymmetrically shaped and feature indentations to ensure good braking performance. The Voxom "BRS2" Brake Pads have a 4mm hex socket for easy mounting.

• Contents: 1 pair
• Size: 72mm for V-Brake and U-Brake
• Extras: Asymmetric, 4mm Innensechskant

The eclat "Force Male" Brakepads are made of soft rubber with a 6061-T6 alloy core and come with very solid brake force.

• Material: Soft rubber with 6061-T6 alloy core

The wethepeople "Reason FC" BMX Bike - Freecoaster | Matt Translucent Teal Raw Fade has a freecoaster hub which will allow you to ride fakie without pedaling. The wethepeople "Reason FC" BMX Bike - Freecoaster | Matt Translucent Teal Raw Fade is a really great equipped mid-class BMX complete bike with a 20.75" long frame including 100% 4130 CrMo quality with integrated headset and seat clamp, a Mid BB and full removable brake hardware. A high rised 4-piece street style handlebar, fork and the 3-piece crank set are made from 100% 4130 CrMo and build up a stable quality basic. The wheel set includes fully sealed front hub and a SaltPlus "PRO" freecoaster incl. hubguards laced into a double walled rim at the rear. A fat pivotal seat and great quality components like wethepeople "Logic" Pedale, eclat "Talon" U-Brake or wethepeople "Paragon Guard" sprocket made from alloy and nylon guard let the wethepeople "Reason FC" BMX Bike - Freecoaster | Matt Translucent Teal Raw Fade become one of the best mid-class BMX bikes you can get.

Note: The BMX bike comes with preassembled rear brake (U-Brake)

• Wheel Size: 20"
• BMX Frame: 100% 4130 CrMo, tappered top tube and chainstays, removable brakehardware, integrated seatclamp, Mid BB
  Top Tube (TT): 20.75"
  Chain Stay (CS): 12.75"
  Head Tube (HA): 76°
  Seattube (SA): 71°
  BB-High (BB): 11.75"
  Standover (SO): 9"
• BMX Fork: SaltPlus "Reason", 100% 4130 CrMo, 1-piece steerer tube, 15mm offset
• BMX Bar: SaltPlus "HQ", 100% 4130 CrMo, 4-piece
  Height: 9"
  Width: 29.5"
  Backsweep: 11°
  Upsweep: 3°
  Clamping Diameter: 22.2mm
• Grips: wethepeople "Perfect" Grips, flangeless
• Stem: Salt "Zion", topload, 50mm Offset
• Headset: Salt "PRO", integrated headset, sealed bearing
• Gyro: -
• Gyro compatible: Yes
• Brake Lever: Salt "AM", aluminum
• Brake (rear): eclat "Talon" U-brake, aluminum
• Seat: wethepeople "Reason" Pivotal, fat-padded
• Seat Post: Pivotal, aluminum, 200mm, 25.4mm
• Seat Clamp: Integrated
• Pedals: wethepeople "Logic", plastic
• Chain: Salt "AM" Z1 type, standard
• Sprocket: wethepeople "Paragon Guard", 6061-T6 aluminum with nylon guard, CNC, 25T
• Crank: Salt "Revo", 4130 CrMo, 3-piece, square profile, 160mm, 8 Spline 19mm Spindle
• Bottom Bracket: Salt, Mid BB, sealed bearing, 19mm
• Hub (front): Salt "PRO", aluminum, sealed bearing, 10mm (3/8") axle, including 2x SaltPlus "PRO" plastic hubguard, 36H
• Hub (rear): SaltPlus "PRO", Freecoaster, sealed bearing, 14mm axle, including 2x SaltPlus "PRO" plastic hubguard, 36H
  Driver: 9T RHD, sealed bearings
• Rim (front): Salt "Valon", aluminum, single wall, 36H
• Rim (rear): SaltPlus "Summit", aluminum, double wall, 36H
• Tire (front): wethepeople "Activate" BMX tire
  Width: 20" x 2.35"
• Tire (rear): wethepeople "Activate" BMX tire
  Width: 20" x 2.35"
• Pegs: 1 pair x Salt "AM" Peg

Having passed the mid-year point, it is always an interesting exercise to take stock of where we stand with respect to the approval of new medicines. Overall, when considering the volume of activity, things would seem to be looking up … Continue reading →

FDA has announced that the Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (OPDP) is planning a study to evaluate the influence that statements made in a promotional communication about patient adherence to a medication may have on the resulting preference for a … Continue reading →

FDA announced this week the formation of a new advisory committee – the Digital Health Advisory Committee – for the purpose of providing the agency with advice on matters related to digital health technologies (DHT). FDA does not form new … Continue reading →

For those working closely with the development of new medicines for FDA approval, it can be informative respecting the future to look back at recent activity and take note of any potential changes from years past. Now, with no more … Continue reading →

Back in December 2023, FDA announced intention in the Federal Register and in a press release to form a new FDA Advisory Committee to be called the Genetic Metabolic Diseases Advisory Committee (GeMDAC). As noted in a recent posting here, … Continue reading →

Plus: The Rascal Flatts Corvette, Chevy solar power charging stations and the rest of the week's automotive news.

Scheme to give subsidies worth INR36.79 billion on e-two wheelers, e-three wheelers, e-ambulances and e-trucks

Over US missile deployment in Japan, Moscow and Beijing will jointly engage in 'double counteraction,' says Zakharova

It weakened from a Category 2 hurricane to a tropical depression as it moved northeastward over central Mississippi

US Justice Dept announces Haimovich's actions include shipment of components with missile technology applications

Greece has one of Europe's lowest fertility rates, a dire demographic state driven by a decade-long economic crisis

Top court and electoral, military officials among 16 targetted as US aims to push Maduro into negotiations

Spanish FM Jose Manuel Albares will host the meeting with EU officials and Arab-Islamic Contact Group for Gaza

Natalia Silva, Steve Garcia, Cody Durden, and Yanal Ashmouz also secure victories at the MMA event

A 10-member team will compete in the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, from September 10 to 23.

Champions Italy open their title defence in Bologna against Brazil

Ryan Reynolds marked the Disney+ release of Deadpool & Wolverine on November 12 by sharing a humorous deleted scene from the film.

Four months after the movie’s theatrical debut, Reynolds celebrated its streaming launch by posting the unseen clip on his Instagram stories and X...

Ariana Grande lauds ‘always adorable' Ethan Slater amid movie 'Wicked'

Ariana Grande has shared insight into her beau, Ethan Slater's, supportive attitude towards her.

At the Los Angeles premiere of the Wicked, Grande, who portrayed the role of Glinda, candidly shared with...

Queen Camilla addresses health concerns after resuming Royal duties

Queen Camilla addressed her health concerns after returning to Royal duties following chest infection, due to which she took a brief break from work.

The Queen attended The Booker Prize Foundation at Clarence House...

Priyanka Chopra introduces daughter Malti to 'Citadel' world

Priyanka Chopra is keeping a smooth balance between work and life as shooting for the second season of Citadel begins.

The actress, 42, just announced the return via an Instagram post where the crew for...

All arrested members are currently under police custody on physical remand

Former PM and PTI founder’s sister draws parallels to the death of Egypt's former president Mohamed Morsi

On International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, AJK president condemns BJP-RSS regime

Masood says 13,000 Kashmiri boys have been abducted and kept in prison houses where they're being subjected to torture

Project was approved at a cost of Rs120 million

Nawaz Sharif has been kept in check with a scare, otherwise he would have fled long ago, says PTI founder

Privacy: Our analog parents had the ability to read news anonymously, however they wanted, wherever they wanted, and whenever they wanted. For our digital children, a government agent might as well be looking over their shoulder: the government knows what news sources they read, what articles, for how long, and in what order.

For our analog parents, reading the news was an affair the government had no part of, or indeed had any business being part of. Our analog parents bought a morning newspaper with a few coins on the street corner, brought it somewhere quiet where they had a few minutes to spare, and started reading without anybody interfering.

When our digital children read the news, the government doesn’t just know what news source they choose to read, but also what specific articles they read from that news source, in what order, and for how long. So do several commercial actors. There are at least three grave issues with this.

The first is that since the government has this data, it will attempt to use this data. More specifically, it will attempt to use the data against the individual concerned, possibly in some sort of pre-crime scheme. We know this that since all data collected by a government will eventually be used against the people concerned, with mathematical certainty.

In an attention economy, data about what we pay attention to, how much, and for how long, are absolutely crucial predictive behaviors. And in the hands of a government which makes the crucial mistake of using it to predict pre-crime, the results can be disastrous for the individual and plain wrong for the government.

Of course, the instant the government uses this data in any way imaginable, positive or negative, it will become Heisenberg Metrics — the act of using the data will shape the data itself. For example, if somebody in government decides that reading about frugality probably is an indicator of poverty, and so makes people more eligible for government handouts, then such a policy will immediately shape people’s behavior to read more about frugality. Heisenberg Metrics is when a metric can’t be measured without making it invalid in the process.

(The phenomenon is named after the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, which is traditionally confused with the Observer Effect, which states you can’t measure some things without changing them in the process. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle is actually something else entirely; it states that you can’t measure precise momentum and position of a subatomic particle at the same time, and does not apply at all to Heisenberg Metrics.)

The second issue is that not only government, but also other commercial actors, will seek to act on these metrics, Heisenberg Metrics as they may be. Maybe somebody thinks that reading fanzines about motorcycle acrobatics should have an effect on your health and traffic insurance premiums?

The third issue is subtle and devious, but far more grave: the government doesn’t just know what articles you read and in what order, but as a corollary to that, knows what the last article you read was, and what you did right after reading it. In other words, it knows very precisely what piece of information leads you to stop reading and instead take a specific action. This is far more dangerous information than being aware of your general information feed patterns and preferences.

Being able to predict somebody’s actions with a high degree of certainty is a far more dangerous ability than being vaguely aware of somebody’s entertainment preferences.

Our analog parents had the privacy right of choosing their information source anonymously with nobody permitted (or able) to say what articles they read, in what order, or for what reason. It’s not unreasonable that our digital children should have the same privacy right, the analog equivalent privacy right.

Privacy remains your own responsibility.

Privacy: Our parents, at least in the Western world, had a right to hold private conversations face-to-face, whether out in public or in the sanctity of their home. This is all but gone for our digital children.

Not long ago, it was the thing of horror books and movies that there would actually be widespread surveillance of what you said inside your own home. Our analog parents literally had this as scary stories worthy of Halloween, mixing the horror with the utter disbelief.

“There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being surveilled at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual device was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they listened to everybody all the time. But at any rate they could listen to you whenever they wanted to. You had to live — did live, from habit that became instinct — in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard.” — from Nineteen Eighty-Four

In the West, we prided ourselves on not being the East — the Communist East, specifically — who regarded their own citizens as suspects: suspects who needed to be cleansed of bad thoughts and bad conversations, to the degree that ordinary homes were wiretapped for ordinary conversations.

There were microphones under every café table and in every residence. And even if there weren’t in the literal sense, just there and then, they could still be anywhere, so you had to live — did live, from habit that became instinct — in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard.

“Please speak loudly and clearly into the flower pot.” — a common not-joke about the Communist societies during the Cold War

Disregard phonecalls and other remote conversations for now, since we already know them to be wiretapped across most common platforms. Let’s look at conversations in a private home.

We now have Google Echo and Amazon Alexa. And while they might have intended to keep your conversations to themselves, out of the reach of authorities, Amazon has already handed over living room recordings to authorities. In this case, permission became a moot point because the suspect gave permission. In the next case, permission might not be there, and it might happen anyway.

Mobile phones are already listening, all the time. We know because when we say “Ok Google” to an Android phone, it wakes up and listens more intensely. This, at a very minimum, means it’s always listening for the words “Ok Google”. IPhones have a similar mechanism listening for “Hey Siri”. While nominally possible to turn off, it’s one of those things you can never be sure of. And we carry these governmental surveillance microphones with us everywhere we go.

If the Snowden documents showed us anything in the general sense, it was that if a certain form of surveillance is technically possible, it is already happening.

And even if Google and Apple aren’t already listening, the German police got the green light to break into phones and plant Bundestrojaner, the flower-pot equivalent of hidden microphones, anyway. You would think that Germany of all countries has in recent memory what a bad idea this is. It could — maybe even should — be assumed that the police forces of other countries have and are already using similar tools.

For our analog parents, the concept of a private conversations was as self-evident as oxygen in the air. Our digital children may never know what one feels like.

And so we live today — from what started as a habit that has already become instinct — in the assumption that every sound we make is overheard by authorities.

Europe: Slack has updated its Terms of Service to let your manager read your private conversations in private channels. Our analog parents would have been shocked and horrified at the very idea that their bosses would open packages and read personal messages that were addressed to them. For our digital children, it’s another shrugworthy part of everyday life.

The analog plain old telephone system, sometimes abbreviated POTS, is a good template for how things should be even in the digital world. This is something that lawmakers got mostly right in the old analog world.

When somebody is on a phonecall — an old-fashioned, analog phonecall — we know that the conversation is private by default. It doesn’t matter who owns the phone. It is the person using the phone, right this very minute, that has all the rights to its communication capabilities, right this very minute.

The user has all the usage rights. The owner has no right to intercept or interfere with the communications usage, just based on the property right alone.

Put another way: just because you own a piece of communications equipment, that doesn’t give you any kind of automatic right to listen to private conversations that happen to come across this equipment.

Regrettably, this only applies to the telephone network. Moreover, only the analog part of the telephone network. If anything is even remotely digital, the owner can basically intercept anything they like, for any reason they like.

This particularly extends to the workplace. It can be argued that you have no expectation of privacy for what you do on your employer’s equipment; this is precisely forgetting that such privacy was paramount for the POTS, less than two decades ago, regardless of who owned the equipment.

Some employers even install wildcard digital certificates on their workplace computers with the specific purpose of negating any end-to-end security between the employee’s computer and the outside world, effectively performing a so-called “man-in-the-middle attack”. In a whitewashed term, this practice is called HTTPS Interception instead of “man-in-the-middle attack” when it’s performed by your employer instead of another adversary.

Since we’re looking at difference between analog and digital, and how privacy rights have vanished in the transition to digital, it’s worth looking at the code of law for the oldest of analog correspondences: the analog letter, and whether your boss could open and read it just because it was addressed to you at your workplace.

Analog law differs somewhat between different countries on this issue, but in general, even if your manager or workplace were allowed to open your mail (which is the case in the United States but not in Britain), they are typically never allowed to read it (even in the United States).

In contrast, with electronic mail, your managers don’t just read your entire e-mail, but typically has hired an entire department to read it for them. In Europe, this went as far as the European Court of Human Rights, which ruled that it’s totally fine for an employer to read the most private of correspondence, as long as the employer informs of this fact (thereby negating the default expectation of privacy).

Of course, this principle about somewhat-old-fashioned e-mail applies to any and all electronic communications now, such as Slack.

So for our digital children, the concept of “mail is private and yours, no matter if you receive it at the workplace” appears to have been irrevocably lost. This was a concept our analog parents took so for granted, they didn’t see any need to fight for it.

Today, privacy remains your own responsibility.

Bitcoin: As the dust settles after the November 15 bitcoin upgrade, the roadmaps have been updated with the new state of the protocol and people are starting to looking ahead to the next set of features. I thought I’d take the opportunity to give my view on it.

The new set of features ahead has been published on bitcoincash.org, which is for the most part spearheaded by the Bitcoin ABC implementation, but where Bitcoin Unlimited also deserves significant credit for research and development.

This is the current “you are here” map as of end-2018:

I like this roadmap for two reasons. Or rather, for two levels of reasons.

The first is that I see bitcoin as the path to a world currency. In order to be so, it will need to carry an insanely heavier load, and because of the typical velocity of money, each bitcoin must be valued far higher than it is today — to a point where single satoshis are no longer a small unit, but represent maybe a few cents. That quanta (smallest possible discrete value) is not small enough to provide frictionless automated microtrade, which is why I’m looking forward to — and have been discreetly applauding — the fractional satoshis on the roadmap. The bigger footprint a network gets, the more inertia it takes to change something, so getting these two items in with reasonable speed is something I regard as key.

The third key item is extensibility — the ability to extend the protocol without asking permission, akin to how early browsers started supporting random new HTML markup tags left and right. This drove the standards forward and allowed for rapid feedback cycles with the user community, and something similar will be needed for permissionless innovation on top of bitcoin to really take off.

These three taken together happen to represent the final phase of the three tracks that the roadmap lists. I have some understanding that each of them have necessary prerequisites that are being filled in some sort of logical order.

This brings me to the Law of Two Feet.

You see, it doesn’t really matter what I think of a feature, whether I like it or not. I am a diehard proponent of the Law of Two Feet: It simply means that if you don’t like something, then it is your responsibility — both toward yourself and the community you don’t like — to walk to a place you do like.

(Just to be clear, the Law of Two Feet is inclusive. It also applies to people who don’t have two actual feet.)

This is what I worded as the Freedom of Initiative and the Freedom to Follow, and it is absolutely key for permissionless innovation. You don’t get that the moment somebody is trying to give somebody else permission on what road they may choose.

Each of us have the freedom to take any initiative we want.

Each of us also have the freedom to follow any initiative we like.

But no one of us may tell another what they must or may not do.

I happen to very much approve of the above roadmap from where I’m sitting. But even if I didn’t, the freedom of initiative and freedom to follow are far more important than my opinion on this particular initiative.