Recent Entries

From Wittenberg to Westphalia at 2025-11-05 04:15:54

Episode 102: Greeting Gregory (media.mp3)

In today's episode we run through the election of Gregory the 7, watch Henry do something clever and seemingly break up the Saxon rebellion, all while Milan is in total chaos.

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From Quite right! at 2025-11-05 00:01:00

Rachel Reeves’s Budget ‘bollocks’ and Britain’s everyday crime crisis (media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=WDVMT8EzTi5IQgMcd79SUFITgLKbX9Ff9aP4O5hJDRU)

To submit your urgent questions to Michael and Maddie, go to: spectator.co.uk/quiteright

This week on Quite right!: Rachel Reeves goes on the offensive – and the defensive. After her surprise Downing Street address, Michael and Maddie pick over the many kites that have been flying in advance of the Budget at the end of the month. Was she softening the public up for tax rises, or trying to save her own job? Michael explains why Reeves is wrong to say that Labour’s inheritance is the reason for our current economic misfortune and says that it is ‘absolute bollocks’ that Brexit is to blame.

Next, a chilling weekend of violence sparks a bigger question: are we witnessing the rise of nihilistic crime in Britain? From the Huntingdon train stabbings to rampant shoplifting, are we becoming used to the ‘anarcho-tyranny’ that is taking hold – where petty crimes go unpunished and public order breaks down?

And finally, from Halloween to Bonfire Night, the culture wars go seasonal. Michael and Maddie debate whether we should loathe ‘pagan’ Halloween and instead turn 5 November into a national holiday.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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From Schneier on Security at 2025-11-04 12:05:54

Cybercriminals Targeting Payroll Sites

Microsoft is warning of a scam involving online payroll systems. Criminals use social engineering to steal people’s credentials, and then divert direct deposits into accounts that they control. Sometimes they do other things to make it harder for the victim to realize what is happening.

I feel like this kind of thing is happening everywhere, with everything. As we move more of our personal and professional lives online, we enable criminals to subvert the very systems we rely on.

From School of War at 2025-11-04 10:30:00

Ep 244: Oren Cass on a Strategy of Reciprocity (NEBM3691720440.mp3)

Oren Cass, founder and chief economist of American Compass and author of the article A Grand Strategy of Reciprocity for Foreign Affairs, joins the show to discuss how the United States should think about the current strategic moment. ▪️ Times 00:01 Introduction to Free Markets and Trade 00:43 Discussion on China and Global Strategy 02:15 Historical Context of American Grand Strategy 04:40 Assumptions about China 07:40 Strategic Competition and Spheres of Influence 10:00 Economic Decoupling and Its Challenges 13:30 Relationships with Other Countries 16:00 Concept of Reciprocity in Alliances 20:00 US-Mexico-Canada Relations and Global Implications 25:00 The Role of the Trump Administration 30:00 Future of Global Alliances 35:00 Economic and Security Strategies 40:00 Conclusion and Final Thought Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-11-03 17:23:11

OpenAI signs massive AI compute deal with Amazon

Deal will provide access to hundreds of thousands of Nvidia chips that power ChatGPT.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-11-03 12:05:25

AI Summarization Optimization

These days, the most important meeting attendee isn’t a person: It’s the AI notetaker.

This system assigns action items and determines the importance of what is said. If it becomes necessary to revisit the facts of the meeting, its summary is treated as impartial evidence.

But clever meeting attendees can manipulate this system’s record by speaking more to what the underlying AI weights for summarization and importance than to their colleagues. As a result, you can expect some meeting attendees to use language more likely to be captured in summaries, timing their interventions strategically, repeating key points, and employing formulaic phrasing that AI models are more likely to pick up on. Welcome to the world of AI summarization optimization (AISO)...

From The Django weblog at 2025-11-03 07:00:00

Announcing DjangoCon Europe 2026 in Athens, Greece! 🏛️🇬🇷

We’re excited to share that DjangoCon Europe returns in 2026 — this time in the historic and sun-soaked city of Athens, Greece 🇬🇷, with three days of talks from April 15–17, 2026!

Photo by Rafael Hoyos Weht on Unsplash

DjangoCon Europe is one of the longest-running Django events worldwide, now in its 18th edition - and 15th country!

What’s on the agenda

We’re preparing a mix of Django and Python talks, hands-on workshops, and opportunities to collaborate, learn, and celebrate our community. Whether you're new to Django or a long-time Djangonaut, DjangoCon Europe is designed to help you build new skills and connect with others who care about open-source software.

Athens provides the perfect backdrop — a lively, accessible city full of culture 🏛️, great food 😊, and spring sunshine ☀️.

Join us in Athens

DjangoCon Europe thrives because people across our community take part. As the organizers prepare the programe, there will be many ways to get involved:

• Attend the conference in person in Athens
• Submit a talk or workshop proposal (stay tuned for our Call for Proposals announcement)
• Sponsor the conference and support the Django ecosystem
• Volunteer your time to help the event run smoothly

Stay updated

We’ll share details on proposals, tickets, sponsorship packages, and sprints in the coming weeks, via our newsletter on the conference website.

Sign up for updates

We are also on:

• Twitter/X: @DjangoConEurope on Twitter/X
• LinkedIn: DjangoCon Europe
• Mastodon: @djangoconeurope@fosstodon.org

From The Rest Is History at 2025-11-03 00:05:00

614. Walt Disney: The Great American Storyteller (GLT5465018421.mp3?updated=1762128594)

How did Walt Disney come to found the company that still bears his name, and would change the world forever? How did Disney help to establish American culture as the most dominant culture in the world? And, was Mickey Mouse Walt Disney’s greatest invention?  Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the story behind the wonderful world of Disney, and the man from whose marvellous imagination it sprung.  ______ Start generating your own greener electricity for less, with £500 off Solar. Visit ⁠https://www.hivehome.com/history⁠ for more information. T&Cs apply**Output and savings varies by season, electricity usage and system size. Paid-for surplus requires an eligible SEG tariff. Offer for new customers only. Ends 17th November. ⁠Learn more at ⁠⁠https://www.uber.com/onourway⁠ ______ Join The Rest Is History Club: Unlock the full experience of the show – with exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to every series and live show tickets, a members-only newsletter, discounted books from the show, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at therestishistory.com For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Video Editor: Jack Meek  Social Producer: Harry Balden Assistant Producer: Aaliyah Akude  Producer: Tabby Syrett Senior Producer: Theo Young-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From The Django weblog at 2025-11-02 14:29:05

Five ways to discover Django packages

With tens of thousands of available add-ons, it can be hard to discover which packages might be helpful for your projects. But there are a lot of options available to navigate this ecosystem – here are a few.

New ✨ Ecosystem page

Our new Django’s ecosystem page showcases third-party apps and add-ons recommended by the Django Steering Council.

State of Django

The 2025 State of Django survey is out, and we get to see how people who responded to the survey are ranking packages! Here are their answers to “What are your top five favorite third-party Django packages?”

Thank you to JetBrains who created this State of Django survey with the Django Software Foundation! They are currently running a bit promotion campaign - Until November 11, 2025, get PyCharm for 30% off. All money goes to the Django Software Foundation!

Django Packages

Django Packages is a directory of reusable Django apps, tools, and frameworks, categorized and ranked by popularity. It has thousands of options that are easily comparable with category "grids".

Awesome Django

Awesome Django is more of a community-maintained curated list of Django resources and packages. It’s frequently updated, currently with 198 different package entries.

Reddit and newsletters

The r/django subreddit often covers new tools and packages developers are experimenting with. And here are newsletters that often highlight new packages or “hidden gems” in Django’s ecosystem:

• Django News - Weekly Django news, articles, projects, and more.
• Real Python (Newsletter and podcast)

From The Week in Westminster at 2025-11-01 11:02:00

01/11/2025 (p0md06lh.mp3)

Ben Riley-Smith, the political editor of the Daily Telegraph, assesses the latest developments at Westminster.

Ben discusses the troubles at the Home Office with two former Home Secretaries: Alan Johnson, who served under Gordon Brown and Amber Rudd, who served during Theresa May's premiership.

Following the row over the China spying allegations, Ben discusses managing relations with China with Lord Sedwill, the former Cabinet Secretary and former National Security Adviser and Labour MP Matt Western who is the chair of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy.

The 'Speaker's Conference' - which has been investigating abuse and intimidation towards politicians - published its final report this week. Ben discussed the findings of the report with Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons.

And, in the week that the Prime Minister discussed his musical tastes on the Radio Three programme 'Private Passions', Ben spoke to two musical politicians about the power of music: Labour's Baroness Thangam Debbonaire, who was a professional cellist and the LIberal Democrat MP Anne Sabine, who plays the bassoon.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-10-31 21:03:56

Two Windows vulnerabilities, one a 0-day, are under active exploitation

Both vulnerabilities are being exploited in wide-scale operations.

From A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry at 2025-10-31 18:42:32

Miscellania: Europa Universalis V Confirmed! (First Impressions)

Something different this week! The folks at Paradox Development Studios were nice enough to give me a review copy of the upcoming Europa Universalis V (releasing Nov. 4) ahead of release so that I could share some thoughts! For the unfamiliar, Europa Universalis is a series of strategy games covering the early modern period (traditionally … Continue reading Miscellania: Europa Universalis V Confirmed! (First Impressions) →

From More or Less at 2025-10-31 17:00:00

Halloween special: How many people did the real Dracula impale? (p0mczgpf.mp3)

Vlad III Dracula, the Wallachian Prince who became Bram Stokers inspiration behind his famous vampire 'Count Dracula,' was a brutal ruler. So brutal that history dubbed him 'Vlad the Impaler' due to his penchant for that particularly gruesome form of execution. Which, without going into too much detail, involved driving a large stake or pole through someone's body - often vertically.

Chroniclers and historians claim that he impaled over 20,000 people during his reigns which, if true is a very, very big number. But is it true? We speak to Historian Dénes Harai whose paper: 'Counting the Stakes: A Reassessment of Vlad III Dracula’s Practice of Collective Impalements in Fifteenth-Century South-eastern Europe' attempts to set the record straight.

Let's travel back to 1431 to separate the math's from the myth.

Presenter/Producer: Lizzy McNeill Series Producer: Tom Colls Sound Mix: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon

From The Django weblog at 2025-10-31 16:47:10

Django Developers Survey 2025 results

The results from the 2025 Django Developers Survey are now available. This is the fourth annual report conducted from November 2024 to January 2025 by the Django Software Foundation in collaboration with JetBrains PyCharm.

The full report contains infographics, quotes, and dedicated sections so you can easily navigate through all the results. There is also a The State of Django 2025 blog post highlighting key Django trends in 2025 and actionable ideas for your own Django development.

From School of War at 2025-10-31 09:30:00

Ep 243: Alexander Mikaberidze on Russia’s Failed Battle with Turkey… in 1809 (NEBM9757666642.mp3)

Alexander Mikaberidze, Professor of History at LSU Shreveport and contributor to An Unavoidable Evil: Siege Warfare in the Age of Napoleon (From Reason to Revolution 1721-1815),  joins the show to discuss the siege of Brăila and the lessons of the Russo-Ottoman War of 1806-1812. ▪️ Times 00:00 The Shifting Balance of Power in the Black Sea 02:00 Siege Warfare in the Age of Napoleon 04:09 Decisive Battles vs. Positional Warfare 08:30 The Evolution of Strategy: 18th to 19th Century 14:16 The Debate on Siege Tactics in the Russian Military 21:27 Kutuzov's Strategic Evolution 25:26 Geopolitical Context: Russia and the Ottoman Empire's Rivalry 31:31 The Siege of Brăila: A Military Catastrophe 38:39 The Cost of War: Casualties and Consequences 50:40 Lessons in Military Culture: Accountability and Adaptation Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

From The Rest Is History at 2025-10-31 00:05:00

Spartacus and Gladiators, with Mary Beard (GLT6726080326.mp3?updated=1761845796)

Where did gladiatorial combat originate? Who was Spartacus, the legendary gladiator? How did he come to lead the most famous slave revolt in all Roman history? How did the rebellion unfold? And, what was Spartacus’ fate..? In the grand finale of our thrilling series on four of classical antiquity’s most notorious subjects, Tom is joined by the world renowned classicist Mary Beard, to discuss gladiators and the famous gladiator turned rebel Spartacus. Sign up to The Rest Is History Club to get the whole episode! _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Exec Producer: Dom Johnson Senior Producer: Theo Young-Smith Producer: Tabby Syrett Assistant Producer: Aaliyah Akude Video Editor: Jack Meek Social Producer: Harry Balden Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2025-10-30 19:00:00

790: Serious Academic Arguments (251be3d5-61ea-4d0c-a227-db3b0ca06759.mp3)

It’s time for another Old Spooky Club, as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Stuart Gordon’s horror-comedy classic, “Re-Animator”, which bears very little resemblance to the works of H.P. Lovecraft. We’ve got notes about severed heads, chomped-on fingers, lobotomized deans, weird character motivations, creepy stalkers, a literal blood bath, and everything Barbara Crampton....

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-10-30 18:24:32

ChatGPT maker reportedly eyes $1 trillion IPO despite major quarterly losses

It could be "one of the biggest IPOs of all time," according to Reuters.

From The Briefing Room at 2025-10-30 16:09:00

How should we handle historic public inquiries? (p0mcsc6y.mp3)

When a disaster or serious event happens, such as the Grenfell Tower fire, the Manchester Arena terrorist attack or the Covid pandemic, you can be pretty sure that a public inquiry will follow. They’re popular with the public as a means of investigating serious state failure. And for Governments they can be a good way of kicking a difficult issue into the long grass, as usually by the time the inquiry is finished a different set of politicians will have to deal with the report.

There are currently 25 public inquiries in progress in the UK today - the most ever, with six announced so far this year. They range from one into Scottish child abuse, which is the longest current inquiry, to another into a police restraint death which has just lost its chair and the lawyers working for the inquiry, to Covid 19 - the largest currently underway. And which by the end of June this year had cost 177 million pounds. David Aaronovitch and guests discuss how these public inquiries work, what they achieve and who, if anyone, benefits from them?

Guests:

Judith Moritz: BBC Special Correspondent Deborah Coles, Executive Director, INQUEST Emma Norris, Director of Policy and Politics at IPPR think tank, Professor Lucy Easthope, emergency planner and responder and visiting Professor at the Centre for Death and Society, University of Bath.

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Caroline Bayley, Kirsteen Knight, Cordelia Hemming. Sound engineer: Duncan Hannant Editor: Richard Vadon.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-10-30 15:54:18

After teen death lawsuits, Character.AI will restrict chats for under-18 users

AI companion app faces legal and regulatory pressure over child safety concerns.

From Strong Message Here at 2025-10-30 09:45:00

Deep Disillusionment in This Country (with Stewart Lee) (p0mclhrz.mp3)

This week, Armando is joined again by Stewart Lee to look at how political actors use language.

Wes Streeting says there is a 'deep disillusionment in this country', and says there is a “growing sense of despair about whether anyone is capable of turning this country round". Why is that? And does politicians speaking in that way confound our misery? We look at Sarah Pochin's comments about black and asian people in adverts, and the responses across parliament to that. We also look at how much news is just speculation, and how politicians use speculation to further their arguments.

We also look at how we get our news - is it exhausting to have to keep fact checking things ourselves? Is it preferable to the alternative?

Armando shares his confusion at Immersive experiences, and Stewart invents a new word, and we hear about Starmer's charm offensive.

Got a strong message for Armando? Email us on strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

Listen to Strong Message Here at 0945 on Radio 4, and an extended version is available on BBC Sounds.

Sound editing: Chris Maclean Production Coodinator: Jodie Charman Executive Producer: Pete Strauss Recorded at The Sound Company

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

From Net Assessment at 2025-10-30 09:00:00

Are Rising Powers Over? (Net_Asssessment_-_30_Oct_2025_v1.mp3?dest-id=808287)

Chris, Zack, and Melanie get together to talk about Michael Beckley's new article, "The Stagnant Order and the End of Rising Powers." What consequences might the decline and greying of populations have for global security? Has the era of transformative discoveries ended? Has the United States become a "rogue superpower, with little sense of obligation beyond itself"? Have corruption, political dysfunction, and waning innovation made it impossible for states to pursue agendas of economic growth and national security?

Chris has a strong grievance for Congress which has failed to do its constitutional job and is again putting the country through a government shutdown, Zack praises President Trump for securing a peace deal between Cambodia and Thailand, and Melanie is frustrated by President Trump putting more tariffs on Canada because of an ad featuring President Reagan that he didn't like. 

Links

• Francis J. Gavin, The Taming of Scarcity and the Problems of Plenty: Rethinking International Relations and American Grand Strategy in a New Era (International Institute of Strategic Studies, 2024).

• Brian Mann and Sarah McCammon, "People are having fewer kids. Their choice is transforming the world's economy," NPR, October 27, 2025.

• Julia Gledhill, "What You Need to Know about Pentagon and Military-Related Spending in H.R. 1," Stimson Center/Costs of War Project, October 23, 2025.

• Pooja Salhotra, "In Trump-Friendly Iowa, the President's Policies Have Hit Hard," New York Times, October 26, 2025.

• Lalee Ibssa and Ivan Periera, "Trump Raises Tariffs on Canada 10% After Reagan Ad Airs During World Series," ABC News, October 26, 2025.

• Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Closes Billion-Dollar Deals with Australia, White House, October 20, 2025.

• Nicholas Eberstadt, "The Age of Depopulation: Surviving a World Gone Grey," Foreign Affairs, January/February 2025.  

• Greg Iacurci, "ACA Enhanced Subsidy Lapse Could Hit Early Retirees Hardest Amid Shutdown Fight," CNBC, October 17, 2025.

From The Django weblog at 2025-10-30 08:48:56

Django is now a CVE Numbering Authority (CNA)

We’re proud to announce the Django Software Foundation has been authorized by the CVE Program as a CVE Numbering Authority (CNA)! 

What it means for Django to be a CNA

Our security team deals with vulnerability reports on a daily basis, and every so often some turn out to be real vulnerabilities for us to fix and publish. CNAs are organizations responsible for the regular assignment of CVE IDs to vulnerabilities, and for creating and publishing information about the vulnerability in the associated CVE Record. Each CNA has a specific scope of responsibility for vulnerability identification and publishing. As a CNA, we are more autonomous through this process. For full details, see our scope on the new CVE Numbering Authority page.

How to report a vulnerability

For reporters, our process remains completely unchanged: to report a security issue in Django, please follow our security policies to report over email at security@djangoproject.com.

How our CNA operates

Our CNA is currently run within our existing security team, with support from the foundation’s President and Vice President. Day to day, the Django Fellows take care of CNA activities. Check our CNA page for more information and ways to contact us about CNA matters.

—

Thank you to Natalia Bidart for initiating our application process to become a CNA! And if you have feedback or questions, come say hi on the Django forum in Django as a CNA.

From The Django weblog at 2025-10-30 05:00:00

DSF member of the month - Anna Makarudze

Due to the Malcolm Tredinnick Memorial Prize announcement in September, we paused our regular DSF Member of the Month feature for that month.

For October 2025, we welcome Anna Makarudze as our DSF member of the month! ⭐

Anna is a Django Girls+ Trustee and has dedicated years to growing Django globally. She served as DSF President and founded DjangoCon Africa, helping expand Django's reach in the world. She has been a DSF member since August 2016. You can learn more about Anna by visiting Anna's Linkedin profile and her GitHub Profile.

Let’s spend some time getting to know Anna better!

Can you tell us a little about yourself (hobbies, education, etc)

I graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Computer Science from Midlands State University, Gweru, Zimbabwe, many years ago (2009). I am now pursuing an MSc in Software Engineering at Blekinge Institute of Technology in Karlskrona, Sweden, courtesy of a scholarship from the Swedish Institute. I have completed numerous courses for various IT certifications over the years, most of which have expired. I have also taken management courses to keep upskilling myself, as I enjoy learning.

Regarding hobbies, I enjoy baking, especially trying out new cake and pastry recipes for fun; it's my favourite way to relax after busy or stressful times. I also enjoy walking, particularly in areas with lush greenery and natural beauty, but my fear of snakes and creepy crawlies limits my solo adventures into the woods. My fear of snakes is justified; my family home (parents’) is located within a very natural reserve with many indigenous trees and forests, close to Lake Kyle in Masvingo. Although the area is stunning, it does have snakes and other wildlife such as hippopotamuses and crocodiles (if you go too close to the lake). I have encountered snakes many times at my parents’ house because of the numerous trees, so I have learnt to avoid them as most are venomous. Additionally, being African, a fear of these creatures and death is instinctive for me. I also enjoy listening to music, reading books, and occasionally watching a good film.

How did you start using Django?

I learnt Python in 2015 through Treehouse as part of a scholarship from Muzinda Hub’s Entrepreneurship training. We were expected to develop a Python project at the end of the three-month course, and I chose to use Flask. A friend of mine, Humphrey Butau, used Django, and he encouraged me to try it. After that, I was hooked.

What other framework do you know and if there is anything you would like to have in Django if you had magical powers?

I also know Flask, and recently, through school assignments, I have had to use Express JS. If I had magical powers, I would want Django to support NoSQL databases like MongoDB out of the box, just as it supports SQL databases. I have been working with the django-mongodb-backend and realised that it works if you either download their template or do some extra work to be able to run the default Django migrations.

What projects are you working on now?

As part of my Master’s studies, I am actually working on quite a number of projects for the two courses I am currently taking (until 31st October). For the Software Evolution and Maintenance course, we have been working on Home Assistant, which is also based on Python. We are working on a fork, though, so that we don’t flood the upstream with pull requests from Python, but it has been amazing seeing all the integrations available in it. My group and I chose to work on the Google Tasks integration. I will likely want to continue experimenting with Home Assistant even after the course ends.

For the Cloud Computing and Big Data Analysis course I am undertaking, I have recently completed two projects: one involving provisioning and orchestration of two RESTful Django microservices with Kubernetes, and another focused on Big Data Analysis using Express JS. Currently, I am working on implementing monitoring for an application that utilises Clojure and a MongoDB database, although I intend to develop the monitoring in Python.

Besides that, I am personally developing a MongoDB version of a Conveyances app I created several years ago, which was built using Django, Django Rest Framework, Vue, and Postgres. The app had nested data due to the restrictions of a SQL database structure, so I want to experiment with NoSQL to see how simpler it would be. I had meant to do this before DjangoCon Africa and present a talk on it, but the toll of organising a conference blocked me, so I am finally working on it now.

What are you learning about these days?

I am currently learning about cloud computing and Big Data, with a focus on provisioning and orchestrating Big Data Analysis cloud architectures. I am also learning how to improve and monitor the performance of these systems in terms of CPU, memory, and storage utilisation.

Which Django libraries are your favourite (core or 3rd party)?

My favourite Django core libraries are the Django ORM and Django Admin. They make it very easy to set up a functional website with minimal effort. The ORM simplifies database connections and queries, and Django Admin provides a ready-to-use backend admin interface. My favourite third-party library is Django Rest Framework. It makes creating RESTful APIs with Django quick and straightforward.

What are the top three things in Django that you like?

The top three things that I like in Django are the management commands, migrations and the authentication systems. I like how the management commands make it so easy to quickly automate stuff, whether it's the default Django management commands or if you have written your own. Django migrations do the work for you in terms of making changes to the database, and you need not worry about writing the SQL statements.

The authentication system is fairly basic, but it can get you started with minimal effort on your part. This makes Django fulfil its tagline of being “The framework for perfectionists with deadlines”. I have used it in most of my projects for my Master’s programme, where we were chasing deadlines, and it always turned out to be true.

You were previously a board member and President of the Django Software Foundation, what would you suggest to someone wondering if they should take this role or being part of the board?

Being part of the Django Software Foundation board is an excellent way to contribute to the Django community, as you can shape and influence important decisions related to Django and its ecosystem. While the DSF Board does not dictate the technical direction of Django, it does influence how those who impact the technical direction are selected or governed.

As President, you also have the chance to implement your ideas on the future of the Django community, the staff who maintain Django, and the direction of Django events. Although it may require more of your time than being an ordinary member due to additional responsibilities, it is a valuable opportunity to develop and strengthen your leadership skills.

Anyone who uses Django, even if they haven't contributed code but have attended or organised Django events, can be part of the DSF board. I joined the DSF board at the end of 2017 for 2018, after using Django for just over two years, so you need not worry about your level of experience. All you need is your commitment and a clear plan of what you hope the DSF board should achieve during your term.

You were the chair of DjangoCon Africa this year, what do you think is required to organize a conference like this? Why do you think this is important conference like DjangoCon Africa?

Organising a conference like DjangoCon Africa requires substantial community engagement, significant time, effort, and resilience. Firstly, Africa differs from other continents in many ways. In some aspects, these differences are advantageous, while in others, they present challenges. Technologically, Africa is a greenfield; there is ample opportunity for technological advances, and we have the population to pursue this, meaning most of our attendees are eager to learn and contribute to the community. We also have the “Ubuntu” community spirit ingrained within us, which makes our DjangoCon Africa events feel like home.

However, this presents a significant challenge regarding funding, as there are not many successful Django-based startups capable of financing an event as large as DjangoCon Africa. Our colonial history as a continent creates major obstacles to international financial transactions, mainly due to numerous structural barriers. This makes it notably harder for corporate sponsors without local offices to offer sponsorship.

Despite these challenges, I believe it is essential to organise DjangoCon Africa because it is the only continent where many Africans can travel visa-free or without restrictions. My first DjangoCon events were in Europe and then the US, and I have faced numerous visa applications each time I needed to travel. Within Africa, I can visit many countries visa-free. Once I arrive, I am often mistaken for a local until I speak, and then I am limited to speaking English, not their local language. DjangoCon Africa's programme is curated specifically for Africans, featuring talks suited to their level of understanding and offering numerous beginner workshops to help them get started, while also catering for mid-level and advanced programmers.

DjangoCon Africa takes over a year to plan, which demands a significant time commitment. When we are halfway through organising it, I ask myself why I keep getting into trouble by arranging a DjangoCon. After each event, I feel tired and exhausted but incredibly fulfilled because of the impact I can see we have achieved from that single occasion. While other events are more polished and well-established, DjangoCon Africa has only hosted two events so far and remains far from perfect, yet I still sense its impact despite all the imperfections. One can only truly understand the feeling of being at DjangoCon Africa if they have attended it.

I know you are a Django Girls+ Trustee, could you tell us a bit more about Django Girls+ and how we could be involved in Django Girls if we are interested?

Django Girls Foundation is a non-profit that empowers women+ to organise free programming workshops for women+ by providing the resources they need. Django Girls+ workshops are one or two-day events where participants are exposed to web development using Python and Django using our popular, beginner-friendly Django Girls Tutorial, which is open source. The participants get to learn at their own pace with the help of coaches.

We also have several open-source resources to help our volunteers run and organise our workshops: the Organiser Manual, Coach Manual, Organiser FAQs and Tutorial Extensions. In the 11 years that Django Girls+ has existed, (put some statistics + links)

There are several ways to get involved with Django Girls+. One can apply to organise a workshop in their city or become a coach at one of our events. They can also contribute to all the resources mentioned above, as well as our open-source website. They can also contribute financially by supporting us through Patreon, donating via PayPal or GitHub Sponsors (put links). If they are corporates, they can reach out to me as the Fundraising Coordinator and we can discuss a partnership. (link to fundraising email).

Django is celebrating its 20th anniversary, do you have a nice story to share?

Being part of the Django community since 2016 has been a blessing in my life. I have travelled to many countries for Python and Django conferences, forming many meaningful friendships that have become essential to me. I have contributed to Django in many ways, and in return, Django has given me so much. I have been able to showcase my leadership qualities through the Django community, and I am grateful to them for allowing me to be myself and celebrate my identity as an African woman who’s passionate about coding and community.

One of my favourite memories from DjangoCon Europe 2018 is taking a pedal boat ride with my good friend Jessica Upani in Heidelberg, right after DjangoCon Europe 2018. We had previously visited a castle, and it had been lovely. While on the boat, Jessica, true to her nature, kept laughing and not taking our safety seriously, while I, on the other hand, was panicking that we might capsize. We had no life jackets, and I was sure I wouldn’t swim well in the river. When we disembarked, I felt relieved and told her I was worried we would capsize and I wouldn’t be able to swim, and she admitted she was worried too. Who does that? With that, I say happy 20th birthday to Django. I have so many fond memories to share from the Django community.

Is there anything else you’d like to say?

The Django community has put in a lot of work to make the environment welcoming for beginners and for everyone, especially minorities. I have made many genuine friends over the years, whom I am always excited to meet again at various community events. I am one of those people who came for the framework and stayed for the community, and I would like to see this continue.

Thanks so much to all the work the DSF board members (past and present) have done all these years. Things move slowly in Djangoland, as Carlton Gibson likes to say, but it has been a great pleasure watching every board build on what the previous boards have started, and I hope to see that continue. Special thanks to all the working groups, members and volunteers that support the DSF - Django is great because of you.

Thank you for doing the interview, Anna !

From The Rest Is History at 2025-10-30 00:05:00

613. Nelson: Glory at Trafalgar (Part 6) (GLT7193792251.mp3?updated=1761782432)

How did the British fleet prepare for war, on the morning of the Battle of Trafalgar? With the flags of both fleets flying and both Nelson and the French admiral Villeneuve glittering in their uniforms, how did the two fleets finally collide? Amidst the rivers of blood, the blast of canons, the flying splinters, and the swirling smoke, how did Nelson’s ships and sailors fare? And, cornered by three enemy ships, what would be the fate of Nelson aboard his Victory…? Join Dominic and Tom as they reach the glorious, tragic climax of their epic voyage through the life and battles of Horatio Nelson, at the height of the Napoleonic Wars. _______ Start generating your own greener electricity for less, with £500 off Solar. Visit https://www.hivehome.com/history for more information. T&Cs apply* *Output and savings varies by season, electricity usage and system size. Paid-for surplus requires an eligible SEG tariff. Offer for new customers only. Ends 17th November. Learn more at https://www.uber.com/onourway _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Video Editor: Jack Meek Social Producer: Harry Balden Assistant Producer: Aaliyah Akude Producer: Tabby Syrett Senior Producer: Theo Young-Smith Exec Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-10-29 21:04:45

NPM flooded with malicious packages downloaded more than 86,000 times

Packages downloaded from NPM can fetch dependancies from untrusted sites.

From GoodFellows: Conversations from the Hoover Institution at 2025-10-29 20:00:00

Trick or Treat? A Fight Between Good and Evil with Michael McFaul | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution (GoodFellows_2025-10-28_-_Mike_McFaul_wip03_Podcast_9avd0.mp3)

At a time of “hot wars” across the globe, there’s also an ideological “cold war” featuring two foes: those who embrace freedom and those who oppress it. Michael McFaul, the Hoover Institution’s Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow and author of the newly released Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, America, Russia and the New Global Disorder, joins GoodFellows regulars John Cochrane and Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster to discuss where he departs from the Trump administration on its approach to Russia and China (one autocracy economically dwarfing the other), his suggestions for course change, and why he holds “guarded” optimism for America’s future. After that: John and H.R. go “trick-or-treating”—weighing the pros (“treats”) and cons (“tricks”) of a new White House ballroom, a Chinese military purge, the latest inflation numbers and gold prices that no longer glitter, a CEO’s tariff worries, New York City on a non-hallowed eve of “democratic socialism,” plus a new and tougher American citizenship test (could Sir Niall Ferguson pass it?). Finally, as Halloween approaches, John and H.R. give us their go-to candies. Subscribe to GoodFellows for clarity on today’s biggest social, economic, and geostrategic shifts — only on GoodFellows.

From The Media Show at 2025-10-29 17:40:00

Play for Today relaunch, diversity in advertising, streaming consolidation, Bettany Hughes and Treasures of the World (p0mcknt8.mp3)

Katie Razzall and guests discuss some of this week's media stories including: The relaunch of the drama series Play for Today by Channel 5 with actors Anita Dobson and Nigel Havers who star in one of the new productions and Graham Kibble-White Head of TV & Radio at The Telegraph. After Reform MP Sarah Pochin complained about adverts being "full" of black and Asian people we look at representation in UK advertising with Dino Myers-Lamptey, Founder, The Barber Shop and Sara Denby, Director, Oxford Future of Marketing Initiative, Oxford University. We discuss consolidation in the streaming industry and ask what it could mean for producers and views with the CEO of Curve Media Camilla Lewis and historian Professor Bettany Hughes tells us about founding her production company Sandstone Global and her new TV series Treasures of the World.

Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Content Producer: Lucy Wai

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-10-29 14:46:21

Nvidia hits record $5 trillion mark as CEO dismisses AI bubble concerns

"I don’t believe we’re in an AI bubble," says Huang after announcing $500B in orders.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-10-29 13:40:15

New physical attacks are quickly diluting secure enclave defenses from Nvidia, AMD, and Intel

On-chip TEEs withstand rooted OSes but fall instantly to cheap physical attacks.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-10-29 11:09:57

Signal’s Post-Quantum Cryptographic Implementation

Signal has just rolled out its quantum-safe cryptographic implementation.

Ars Technica has a really good article with details:

Ultimately, the architects settled on a creative solution. Rather than bolt KEM onto the existing double ratchet, they allowed it to remain more or less the same as it had been. Then they used the new quantum-safe ratchet to implement a parallel secure messaging system.

Now, when the protocol encrypts a message, it sources encryption keys from both the classic Double Ratchet and the new ratchet. It then mixes the two keys together (using a cryptographic key derivation function) to get a new encryption key that has all of the security of the classical Double Ratchet but now has quantum security, too...

From Emperors of Rome at 2025-10-29 05:27:41

Viriathus (251029-viriathus.mp3)

Viriathus was a Lusitanian leader who rose from humble beginnings to become one of Rome’s most formidable enemies. A skilled tactician and master of guerrilla warfare, he led his people in resistance against Roman expansion in Hispania during the second century BCE. Celebrated for his honour and leadership — even by the Romans who fought him — Viriathus’s story is one of resilience, betrayal, and the enduring struggle for freedom against empire.

Episode CCXLIX (249)

Guest: Dr Christopher Gribbin (Adjunct Lecturer, Classics and Ancient History, La Trobe University)

From Quite right! at 2025-10-29 00:01:00

‘I was reported for bullying!’: inside the Home Office dysfunction & collapsed grooming gangs inquiry (media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJpbiI6Imh0dHBzOi8vczMuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9hc3NldHMucGlwcGEuaW8vc2hvd3MvNjg1MTc5MmQwMDJmOWRhNDlhN2ZiZWY1LzE3NjE2NzY0NjI3MjMtYTFjYTI0YzYtYTdlNS00MDdiLTg4ZTEtOTdjNmJkODc1YWRkLXB1YmxpY0ludHJvLm1wMyIsIm91dCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vczMuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9hc3NldHMucGlwcGEuaW8vc2hvd3MvNjg1MTc5MmQwMDJmOWRhNDlhN2ZiZWY1LzE3NjE2NzY0NjU3OTctZTU4Njk4NmUtMzZjMS00Mjk2LWFkOGYtNGUyMzkzMGQ1ZTFjLXB1YmxpY091dHJvLm1wMyIsInN0YXR1cyI6InB1YmxpYyJ9&sig=8qNF_eIxRoMvQDxFp7CDtJDXKP82OvDFqS3mLdKRF_M)

To submit your urgent questions to Michael & Maddie, go to: spectator.co.uk/quiteright

This week on Quite right!: the great Home Office meltdown. After a week of fiascos – from the accidental release of a convicted migrant to the collapse of the grooming gangs inquiry – Michael and Maddie ask: is the Home Office now beyond repair? Why is Britain’s most important department also its most dysfunctional? And what does it say about a civil service more obsessed with ‘listening circles’ and ‘wellbeing surveys’ than actually running the country?

Then to Westminster, where Jess Phillips faces fury over the grooming gangs inquiry. Are ministers diluting the investigation to avoid awkward truths about race and culture? Michael argues that empathy is no substitute for justice – and that Labour still can’t bring itself to confront the problem honestly.

Next, Maddie shares an extraordinary personal story of her mother’s nightmare tenant – thirty dogs, tens of thousands in damages, and zero help from the state – as she and Michael debate whether Britain’s social contract is breaking down, and if new housing laws will only make things worse.

Finally, the big news of the week: Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau’s hard-launch romance. But what do Justin Trudeau’s sartorial choices say about the state of politics and pop? And who would be their British equivalent?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson. 

Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.

For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.

Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-10-28 18:11:36

OpenAI data suggests 1 million users discuss suicide with ChatGPT weekly

Sensitive chats are rare but significant given the large user base.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-10-28 15:02:30

Expert panel will determine AGI arrival in new Microsoft-OpenAI agreement

New deal extends Microsoft IP rights until 2032 or until AGI arrives.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-10-28 11:01:20

Social Engineering People’s Credit Card Details

Good Wall Street Journal article on criminal gangs that scam people out of their credit card information:

Your highway toll payment is now past due, one text warns. You have U.S. Postal Service fees to pay, another threatens. You owe the New York City Department of Finance for unpaid traffic violations.

The texts are ploys to get unsuspecting victims to fork over their credit-card details. The gangs behind the scams take advantage of this information to buy iPhones, gift cards, clothing and cosmetics.

Criminal organizations operating out of China, which investigators blame for the toll and postage messages, have used them to make more than $1 billion over the last three years, according to the Department of Homeland Security...

From School of War at 2025-10-28 09:30:00

Ep 243: Joshua S. Treviño—Is Trump After Regime Change in Venezuela? (NEBM9830999463.mp3)

Joshua S. Treviño, Chief Transformation Officer at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and senior advisor at the America First Policy Institute, joins the show to discuss the Trump administration’s military strikes on seaborne cartel traffic and its strategy in the Western Hemisphere. ▪️ Times 00:00 Understanding U.S. Military Strategy in Venezuela 02:26 The State-Cartel Synthesis: A New Paradigm 05:30 The Role of the U.S. Military in Drug Interdiction 08:39 Legal Framework and Controversies Surrounding Military Actions 11:46 The Broader Implications of Regime Change  14:26 Divisions on the Right: Perspectives on Foreign Policy 21:50 The Strategic Implications of Military Action Against Maduro 30:19 Assessing the Venezuelan Opposition's Readiness 33:53 Colombia's Evolving Relationship with the U.S. 37:00 The Complex Dynamics of U.S.-Mexico Relations 41:55 The Threat of Cartels and Their Impact on U.S. Society Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

From Schneier on Security at 2025-10-27 15:03:15

Louvre Jewel Heist

I assume I don’t have to explain last week’s Louvre jewel heist. I love a good caper, and have (like many others) eagerly followed the details. An electric ladder to a second-floor window, an angle grinder to get into the room and the display cases, security guards there more to protect patrons than valuables—seven minutes, in and out.

There were security lapses:

The Louvre, it turns out—at least certain nooks of the ancient former palace—is something like an anopticon: a place where no one is observed. The world now knows what the four thieves (two burglars and two accomplices) realized as recently as last week: The museum’s Apollo Gallery, which housed the stolen items, was monitored by a single outdoor camera angled away from its only exterior point of entry, a balcony. In other words, a free-roaming Roomba could have provided the world’s most famous museum with more information about the interior of this space. There is no surveillance footage of the break-in...

From Schneier on Security at 2025-10-27 11:08:11

First Wap: A Surveillance Computer You’ve Never Heard Of

Mother Jones has a long article on surveillance arms manufacturers, their wares, and how they avoid export control laws:

Operating from their base in Jakarta, where permissive export laws have allowed their surveillance business to flourish, First Wap’s European founders and executives have quietly built a phone-tracking empire, with a footprint extending from the Vatican to the Middle East to Silicon Valley.

It calls its proprietary system Altamides, which it describes in promotional materials as “a unified platform to covertly locate the whereabouts of single or multiple suspects in real-time, to detect movement patterns, and to detect whether suspects are in close vicinity with each other.”...

From The Rest Is History at 2025-10-27 00:05:00

612. Nelson: The Final Showdown (Part 5) (GLT2077045869.mp3?updated=1761501300)

After two years at sea chasing the combined fleet of France and Spain, what was Nelson’s next step? Upon returning to his beloved Emma, how was the heroic Nelson received? What was the terrifying Napoleon Bonaparte scheming for his fleet across the seas? And, would Britain finally face an imminent French invasion, and with it apocalypse - for both Britain and Nelson himself? Join Dominic and Tom as they discuss the build up to one of the most totemic naval clashes of all time - Trafalgar - and Nelson; the man behind it all. _______ Start generating your own greener electricity for less, with £500 off Solar. Visit https://www.hivehome.com/history for more information. T&Cs apply* *Output and savings varies by season, electricity usage and system size. Paid-for surplus requires an eligible SEG tariff. Offer for new customers only. Ends 17th November. This episode is sponsored by Anthropic, the team behind Claude. Try Claude for free today at Claude.ai/RestIsHistory _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Video Editor: Jack Meek Social Producer: Harry Balden Assistant Producer: Aaliyah Akude Producer: Tabby Syrett Senior Producer: Theo Young-Smith Exec Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From The Django weblog at 2025-10-25 18:53:48

On the Air for Django’s 20th Birthday: Special Event Station W2D

Back in July, we celebrated a very special occasion: Django’s 20th birthday 🎉 To mark the occasion, three amateur radio operators (including myself) spent the next 14 days, operating evenings and weekends, broadcasting a special event call sign: W2D.

Over those two weeks, we completed 1,026 radio contacts with radio operators in 47 geopolitical entities (for example, the continental US, Alaska and Hawaii are considered separate entities). The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issues special event "call signs" for these types of events. We selected W2D for 20 years of Django, but the reference to "Web 2.0" during Django's early years was a bonus!

Over 7,000 lookups were counted on a main callsign lookup site as radio operators checked into what W2D was about. Ham radio is a very popular activity, with more than 750,000 licensed hams in the US!

We created a custom certificate inspired by the design of the Django admin interface for those who made contact with us (certificates are common / expected for events like this in the radio hobby). Here is a sample one, other amateurs contacting the event were able to generate/download their own Django admin inspired certificate from a Django site (which does repeat for those who contacted us multiple times):

Thank you to the amateur radio operators who made the event possible and of course those who contacted us! Thanks to you this was a fun time for us all. Additionally, thank you to the Django Software Foundation and its members who make the Django Web Framework and its community possible.

This screenshot shows 3 other stations (ON7EQ from Belgium, PC2J from the Netherlands, and WA4NFO from the US all calling W2D on "20 meters" (14 MHz, so named because the wavelength would be 20 meters long per wave) All of the orange bubbles in the map show the other stations receiving the signal from W2D being transmitted with 30 watts of RF power. The antenna is an approximately 63 foot long piece of wire running between a balcony and a fence post.

This map shows approximate locations of each geopolitical entity worked during the special event and a count of contacts made in each.

Check out our birthday website for more events – up next, PyDay + Cumple Django organized by PyLadies Colombia in Bogotá 🇨🇴 💛💙❤️

From The Week in Westminster at 2025-10-25 11:41:00

25/10/2025 (p0mbscp3.mp3)

Radio 4's assessment of developments at Westminster

From More or Less at 2025-10-25 06:00:00

Is your housework split sexist? (p0mbnq09.mp3)

Do you ever have fights with your partner about who does more of the housework and whether it’s fair? Well data might have the answer.

Corinne Low is an associate professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She analyses surveys of how people spend their time, particularly in terms of “home production” - that is things like cooking and cleaning, and “market work”, that is, paid work.

If you’re the male half of a heterosexual couple, then she’s got some stats you should hear.

Tim sat down to talk it all over while Corinne was in the UK to promote her new book on the subject - titled Femonomics in the UK, and Having It All in the US.

Presenter: Tim Harford Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Janet Staples Sound mix: Giles Aspen Editor: Richard Vadon

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-10-24 22:53:20

A single point of failure triggered the Amazon outage affecting millions

A DNS manager in a single region of Amazon's sprawling network touched off a 16-hour debacle.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-10-24 22:07:38

Friday Squid Blogging: “El Pulpo The Squid”

There is a new cigar named “El Pulpo The Squid.” Yes, that means “The Octopus The Squid.”

As usual, you can also use this squid post to talk about the security stories in the news that I haven’t covered.

Blog moderation policy.

From A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry at 2025-10-24 19:07:07

Fireside Friday, October 24, 2025

Hey, folks! Fireside this week! I don’t have a burning topic this week, but as I’ve mentioned, I’m teaching Latin 101 and 102 this semester (and next). One of the things that’s interesting about that is of course students learning vocabulary for the first time tend to learn pretty simple 1-to-1 definitions. That’s necessary and … Continue reading Fireside Friday, October 24, 2025 →

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2025-10-24 17:30:00

789: A Hunting Lodge for Rich Weirdos (a20e9bcb-c5ae-45e8-87c8-7cbbb5a8b2de.mp3)

We celebrate the 50th anniversary of the longest-running theatrical run of all time—“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”! It’s an unapologetic musical about being yourself (and giving yourself over to pleasure). It spawned a cultural phenomenon that’s still evolving, and making some of us feel old! If you’re a weirdo, you’re welcome here....

From Schneier on Security at 2025-10-24 12:01:14

Part Four of The Kryptos Sculpture

Two people found the solution. They used the power of research, not cryptanalysis, finding clues amongst the Sanborn papers at the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art.

This comes as an awkward time, as Sanborn is auctioning off the solution. There were legal threats—I don’t understand their basis—and the solvers are not publishing their solution.

From School of War at 2025-10-24 10:30:00

Ep 242: Michael Sobolik on On Donald Trump’s Trade War with China (NEBM3012679546.mp3)

Michael Sobolik, senior fellow at Hudson Institute and author of Countering China’s Great Game: A Strategy for American Dominance, joins the show to discuss the current state of relations between the U.S. and China as Xi Jinping and Donald Trump are scheduled to meet in South Korea next week. ▪️ Times 00:00 The Broader Competition: US-China Relations 02:51 Trump's Trade Strategy: A Historical Perspective 09:35 China's Strategic Objectives: Beyond Economics 14:16 Xi Jinping's Goals: The Summit Agenda 18:20 Export Controls: A New Era of Trade Tensions 22:36 The Stakes of No Deal: Economic and Strategic Implications 26:35 Decoupling from China: Challenges and Opportunities 33:05 Defining a Good Deal: Beyond Trade 37:22 TikTok: The Information Warfare Front Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

From The Rest Is History at 2025-10-24 00:05:00

Julius Caesar, with Mary Beard (GLT5960616428.mp3?updated=1761239376)

What is the main difference between Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great? When did Julius Caesar become one of the major players of the Roman Republic? What was the true nature of Caesar’s relationship with Cleopatra? How did he manage to defeat his enemies to become Dictator of Rome for life? And, how did he finally meet his violent, blood-spattered end?  In the third episode of this exclusive new series on ancient history, Tom is joined again by the world renowned classicist Mary Beard, to discuss Julius Caesar: the legendary Roman general who changed Rome forever, and doomed himself along the way… _______ Twitter:@TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Senior Producer: Theo Young-Smith Producer: Tabby Syrett Assistant Producer: Aaliyah Akude  Video Editor: Jack Meek  Social Producer: Harry Balden Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From The Briefing Room at 2025-10-23 20:10:00

Is there a crash coming? (p0mbf950.mp3)

Some of the biggest figures in finance, from the CEO of JPMorganChase to the Governor of the Bank of England, have been warning of potential shocks to the global economy.

As excitement continues to build about the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence, the US stock market has boomed, potentially forming a fragile bubble. Meanwhile, recent bankruptcies in America have raised worries that a rapid growth in lending by private companies (so-called shadow banks) might be built on shaky ground - and have invoked memories of the subprime mortgage debacle that kicked off the Great Financial Crisis in 2007. And if that wasn’t enough, the threat that Donald Trump might reignite his tariff-driven trade war still looms over the global economy.

So how worried should we be? David Aaronovitch speaks to the top experts to find out.

Guests: Katie Martin, markets columnist at the Financial Times Duncan Weldon, economist and author of Blood and Treasure Simon French, Chief Economist and Head of Research at investment company Panmure Liberum

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Nathan Gower, Kirsteen Knight Editor: Richard Vadon Programme Coordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound Engineer: Duncan Hannant

From Schneier on Security at 2025-10-23 12:04:48

Serious F5 Breach

This is bad:

F5, a Seattle-based maker of networking software, disclosed the breach on Wednesday. F5 said a “sophisticated” threat group working for an undisclosed nation-state government had surreptitiously and persistently dwelled in its network over a “long-term.” Security researchers who have responded to similar intrusions in the past took the language to mean the hackers were inside the F5 network for years.

During that time, F5 said, the hackers took control of the network segment the company uses to create and distribute updates for BIG IP, a line of server appliances that F5 ...

From Strong Message Here at 2025-10-23 09:45:00

In Hindsight (with Ria Lina and Tim Shipman) (p0mb36xn.mp3)

This week, Armando is joined again by comedian Ria Lina, and Political Editor of The Spectator, Tim Shipman.

We're looking back at looking back. In a week where a scandal-hit Prince renounces his titles and the Chinese spy case continues to pose questions of language for the government, people's previous decisions are being put under the spotlight, we look at how public figures respond to the repercussions of their past. Of course, hindsight is 20:20.

Speaking of 2020, there's also chat about the covid inquiry, and whether we're getting the results we need, or just lurid detail?

Got a strong message for Armando? Email us on strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

Sound editing: Chris Maclean Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman Executive Producer: Pete Strauss Recorded at The Sound Company

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

From The Django weblog at 2025-10-23 08:28:17

PyCharm & Django annual fundraiser

We are excited to share the news about our annual fundraiser – and a new way for you to benefit from it. We need your help to support key initiatives such as:

• Django Fellows: Ensuring the rapid development and maintenance of Django.
• Djangonaut Space: Onboarding new contributors to the Django project.
• Django Girls: Making the Django community accessible to programming beginners around the world.

From today to November 11, you have a unique opportunity to support Django through our "Buy PyCharm, Support Django" campaign. By purchasing PyCharm, you benefit in two powerful ways:

1. Enhance your development: Gain access to a professional tool designed to maximize your productivity with features like first-class database management, API management, and frontend support.
2. Support Django ✨: Contribute directly to the Django Software Foundation. When you purchase PyCharm at a 30% discount through our special campaign link, JetBrains will donate an equal amount to the Django Software Foundation.

Get 30% off PyCharm, Support Django

This is a wonderful opportunity to contribute to the community that supports you and improve your own development process with a top-notch tool.

Thank you for your ongoing support and dedication to Django. Together, we can ensure the continued success and growth of the framework we all rely on.

Other ways to donate

If you would like to donate in another way, especially if you are already a PyCharm customer, here are other ways to donate to the DSF:

• On our website via credit card
• Via GitHub Sponsors
• For those able to make a larger donation as corporate sponsors ($2000+), check out our corporate sponsors form

From The History Book Buffs at 2025-10-23 04:58:00

Inside Operation Biting: The History Book Buffs read Max Hastings. (https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2025-9-22%2F409755656-44100-2-76bd373b13dbd.mp3)

🔍 Inside Operation Biting: Antonia and Roger review Operation Biting, Max Hastings's account of one of WWII’s Most Daring Raids | Churchill, Radar & Revolution

Step into the shadows of World War II as we uncover the high-stakes raid known as Operation Biting, brilliantly chronicled by legendary historian Max Hastings. In this thrilling breakdown, we explore one of the war’s most fascinating and covert missions — where technology, strategy, and courage collided on the cliffs of Nazi-occupied France.

Discover how Churchill’s bold strategic vision led to one of the first successful British airborne operations, and how the scramble to dominate radar technology turned warfare into a science. We spotlight the personalities behind the mission, the “Boffins” driving innovation, and the raid's lasting impact on military strategy and propaganda efforts on the home front.

💥 Whether you're a student of military history, a fan of WWII deep dives, or fascinated by the blend of warfare and invention, this episode delivers insights, surprises, and plenty of storytelling firepower.

👥 Featuring: Max Hastings
🎯 Topics: Operation Biting, Churchill’s War Cabinet, airborne operations, radar capture, technological warfare, WWII strategy, and more!

🔥 Key Highlights:
00:00 – What Was Operation Biting?
01:48 – The Boffin's War: How Tech Changed the Battlefield
06:33 – Churchill’s Role in Taking the Fight to the Nazis
12:02 – The Human Element: Soldiers, Scientists & Strategy
17:42 – The Raid Itself: Execution, Challenges, and Heroism
23:18 – What Came After: Lessons, Legacy & Military Evolution

💬 Memorable Moments:
“Would you rather jump out of a dark plane?”
“Warfare is the mother of invention.”
“Everything went right during the raid.”

📚 Related Keywords:
WWII, Operation Biting, Max Hastings, military history, Churchill, radar, airborne raid, British commandos, World War 2, technological innovation, The Boffin’s War, espionage, war strategy, WWII operations, history documentary

👍 Like this content? Don’t forget to Subscribe, Like, and Comment with your thoughts on Operation Biting or your favorite WWII military operation!

#WWII #MilitaryHistory #OperationBiting #MaxHastings #Churchill #RadarWar #AirborneOperations #BoffinsWar #WW2Raid #WarfareTechnology

Let me know if you want a shorter version or a version tailored to a different audience (e.g. more casual viewers or academic enthusiasts).

From The Rest Is History at 2025-10-23 00:05:00

611. Nelson: Bonaparte Prepares to Strike (Part 4) (GLT9281187489.mp3?updated=1761174762)

With Britain at war for more than eight long years, and her people depleted and hungry, how did her government react to the news that Napoleon Bonaparte was planning a full-scale invasion in 1801? What happened when Nelson tried to attack the French at Boulogne, and what was the terrible cost? Why was the provisional peace treaty signed between the British and the French at the end of September, doomed to fail? Meanwhile, how was Nelson’s personal life with the flamboyant Emma Hamilton, in their ostentatious new home, developing? And, with Britain declaring war on France in 1803, would Nelson rally, and seize his destiny at last? Join Dominic and Tom as they trace the aftermath of Nelson’s triumph in Copenhagen, his notorious personal life, and his clashes with Napoleon’s fleet.  _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Exec Producer: Dom Johnson  Senior Producer: Theo Young-Smith Producer: Tabby Syrett Assistant Producer: Aaliyah Akude  Video Editor: Harry Swan Social Producer: Harry Balden Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-10-22 23:35:41

Cache poisoning vulnerabilities found in 2 DNS resolving apps

At least one CVE could weaken defenses put in place following 2008 disclosure.

From The Django weblog at 2025-10-22 18:00:00

Django 6.0 beta 1 released

Django 6.0 beta 1 is now available. It represents the second stage in the 6.0 release cycle and is an opportunity to try out the changes coming in Django 6.0.

Django 6.0 assembles a mosaic of modern tools and thoughtful design, which you can read about in the in-development 6.0 release notes.

Only bugs in new features and regressions from earlier Django versions will be fixed between now and the 6.0 final release. Translations will be updated following the "string freeze", which occurs when the release candidate is issued. The current release schedule calls for a release candidate in about a month, with the final release scheduled roughly two weeks later on December 3.

Early and frequent testing from the community will help minimize the number of bugs in the release. Updates on the release schedule are available on the Django forum.

As with all alpha and beta packages, this release is not for production use. However, if you'd like to try some of the new features or help find and fix bugs (which should be reported to the issue tracker), you can grab a copy of the beta package from our downloads page or on PyPI.

The PGP key ID used for this release is Natalia Bidart: 2EE82A8D9470983E

From The Media Show at 2025-10-22 17:29:00

Reporting on the Prince Andrew scandal, 'slow journalism' and how AI is influencing how we consume news (p0mb4gr6.mp3)

Ros Atkins talks to Paul Salopek the journalist who’s walking around the world in search of stories. We catch up with him in Alaska. We’ll hear about new research on how AI is influencing how we consume news - and what impact that is having on the information we trust - with Luke Tryl, from the think tank More in Common, and Niamh Burns, senior analyst in Tech and Media at Enders Analysis. And how have the media reported the Prince Andrew scandal with royal biographer Robert Hardman, broadcaster Simon McCoy and royal correspondent Emily Andrews. Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Content Producer: Lucy Wai

From Schneier on Security at 2025-10-22 12:03:14

Failures in Face Recognition

Interesting article on people with nonstandard faces and how facial recognition systems fail for them.

Some of those living with facial differences tell WIRED they have undergone multiple surgeries and experienced stigma for their entire lives, which is now being echoed by the technology they are forced to interact with. They say they haven’t been able to access public services due to facial verification services failing, while others have struggled to access financial services. Social media filters and face-unlocking systems on phones often won’t work, they say...

From Quite right! at 2025-10-22 00:01:00

Should Prince Andrew be exiled? And how multiculturalism failed in Birmingham (media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=5P8HuuT0YNfM2Bp_LJSOJXTNK1FWN-Rf1-g0PuQkdTU)

This week on Quite right!: the slow-motion disgrace of Prince Andrew. As Virginia Giuffre’s new book reignites the Epstein scandal, Michael and Maddie ask: how much longer can the monarchy carry its most toxic member? Or should the Duke of York be stripped of his titles and sent into exile?

Then to Birmingham, where sectarian politics, bin strikes and football collide. After Israeli fans were barred from attending a Europa League match, Michael and Maddie debate how Britain’s second city became a byword for failed multiculturalism. Has the country finally started telling the truth about integration – or just found new ways to divide itself?

Finally, the British Museum’s attempt to out-glamour the Met Gala. From Ed Vaizey’s ‘LSD-infused Del Boy’ outfit to George Osborne’s A-list trolling in front of the Elgin Marbles, Maddie asks: have we reached peak luvvie? And what would a truly British gala look like?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.

For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.

Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-10-21 12:07:34

A Cybersecurity Merit Badge

Scouting America (formerly known as Boy Scouts) has a new badge in cybersecurity. There’s an image in the article; it looks good.

I want one.

From School of War at 2025-10-21 10:30:00

Ep 241: Julian Jackson on Nazi-Occupied France and Pétain (NEBM7551390508.mp3)

Julian Jackson, Emeritus Professor of Modern French History at Queen Mary University of London and author of France on Trial: The Case of Marshal Pétain, joins the show to discuss the rise and fall of “the Lion of Verdun”; Philippe Pétain. ▪️ Times    01:06 Introduction    01:53 How Pétain became the “Hero of France” in WW1    11:32  France sues for peace with Germany in 1940    18:52 The legality of the armistice    27:49 Churchill’s take on the armistice             33:48 What Was Vichy France?    41:43 Vichy’s treatment of the Jews        53:05 Distancing France from extermination             58:13 Why does Pétain stay a servant to the Nazis    01:07:38 Vichy and Pétain on trial today             Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-10-20 23:18:22

NSO permanently barred from targeting WhatsApp users with Pegasus spyware

Ruling holds that defeating end-to-end encryption in WhatsApp harms Meta's business.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-10-20 12:00:28

Agentic AI’s OODA Loop Problem

The OODA loop—for observe, orient, decide, act—is a framework to understand decision-making in adversarial situations. We apply the same framework to artificial intelligence agents, who have to make their decisions with untrustworthy observations and orientation. To solve this problem, we need new systems of input, processing, and output integrity.

Many decades ago, U.S. Air Force Colonel John Boyd introduced the concept of the “OODA loop,” for Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act. These are the four steps of real-time continuous decision-making. Boyd developed it for fighter pilots, but it’s long been applied in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. An AI agent, like a pilot, executes the loop over and over, accomplishing its goals iteratively within an ever-changing environment. This is Anthropic’s definition: “Agents are models using tools in a loop.”...

From The Rest Is History at 2025-10-20 00:05:00

610. Nelson: The Battle of Copenhagen (Part 3) (GLT9153225543.mp3?updated=1760902107)

With fears that the powerful Danish fleet would join with the French against the British, what great gamble did Horatio Nelson take? After taking the drastic decision to attack the Danish fleet in their own harbour, what challenges did Nelson and his men face? How did the bloody Battle of Copenhagen in 1801 then unfold? And, what would be the consequences of this epic naval clash for Britain, Napoleon’s France, and Nelson himself? Join Dominic and Tom as they discuss the First Battle of Copenhagen, in the next dramatic phase of Nelson’s triumphant, though very dangerous, career… ______ Start generating your own greener electricity for less, with £500 off Solar. Visit https://www.hivehome.com/history for more information. T&Cs apply**Output and savings varies by season, electricity usage and system size. Paid-for surplus requires an eligible SEG tariff. Offer for new customers only. Ends 17th November. Search Vanguard to find out more. When investing, your capital is at risk. Tax rules apply. _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Video Editor: Jack Meek Social Producer: Harry Balden Assistant Producer: Aaliyah Akude Producer: Tabby Syrett Senior Producer: Theo Young-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From The Week in Westminster at 2025-10-18 11:00:00

18/10/2025 (p0m98rhn.mp3)

Financial Times political editor George Parker assesses the latest developments at Westminster.

Following the big political row over the China spying allegations, George speaks to Helena Kennedy, a Labour peer and human rights lawyer, and Peter Ricketts, former National Security Adviser and now a crossbench peer.

To discuss Rachel Reeves' options in next month's Budget, George is joined by Helen Miller, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, and Rupert Harrison, a former adviser to George Osborne and now a senior adviser at the wealth management company Pimco.

The Government's latest amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill have attracted criticism from environmental groups. Labour MP Chris Curtis and Green MP Ellie Chowns debate the plans.

And, in the week that Margaret Thatcher would have turned 100, George speaks to the man that tried to replace her: Conservative grandee Michael Heseltine.

From More or Less at 2025-10-18 06:00:00

Nobel economics prize 2025: What's the big idea? (p0m97vlk.mp3)

Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt have been awarded this year’s Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.

The three are sharing 11 million Swedish kronor, over a million dollars, after being recognised for their work in the area of “innovation-driven economic growth”. But why does this area matter and what did the three economists actually do? We turn the tables on our presenter Tim Harford, to explain all.

If you’ve seen a number in the news you think we should take a look at, let us know: moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Lizzy McNeill Reporter: Tim Harford Series producer: Tom Colls Sound mix: Donald MacDonald Editor: Richard Vadon

Image credit: Johan Jarnestad / The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

From GoodFellows: Conversations from the Hoover Institution at 2025-10-18 02:18:00

It’s The Economy, Israel and Tariffs, Stupid | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution (GoodFellows_2025-17-01_-_Russell_Berman_26toed.mp3)

A hostage return and the signing of a cease-fire agreement signal a new chapter in the long-running dream of peace in the Middle East. Did it matter that the key negotiators, on the US side, were financiers and real-estate developers rather than scions of America’s diplomatic corps? Russell Berman, a Hoover Institution senior fellow and codirector of Hoover’s Working Group on the Middle East and the Islamic World, joins GoodFellows regulars Niall Ferguson and John Cochrane to discuss the sturdiness of the Trump White House’s 20-point peace plan, the futures of Hamas and the Abraham Accords, the likelihood of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reliving Winston Churchill’s fate (a successful wartime leader rejected by a war-weary electorate), plus whether the “real estate-ism” approach to diplomacy is applicable to President Trump’s upcoming meetings with his Russian and Chinese counterparts. After that, Niall and John reflect on the likelihood of a market crash (it is October, after all), the chances of a full-fledged tariff war with China, the merits of a US-Argentina currency swap, plus an ominous warning from the International Monetary Fund regarding global debt. Finally, the fellows salute the legendary economist Thomas Sowell, the subject of a Hoover Institution tribute later this month.   Subscribe to GoodFellows for clarity on today’s biggest social, economic, and geostrategic shifts — only on GoodFellows.

From A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry at 2025-10-18 01:04:15

Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part V: Life In Cycles

This is the fifth and final part of our series (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IVa, IVb, IVc, IVd, IVe) looking at the structures of life for pre-modern peasant farmers and showing how historical modeling can help us explore the experiences of people who rarely leave much evidence of their day-to-day personal lives. I’ve been stressing … Continue reading Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part V: Life In Cycles →

From Schneier on Security at 2025-10-17 22:02:47

Friday Squid Blogging: Squid Inks Philippines Fisherman

Good video.

As usual, you can also use this squid post to talk about the security stories in the news that I haven’t covered.

Blog moderation policy.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2025-10-17 17:48:11

788: He's Just Bob (ff246d9d-e0b6-4040-9760-5b209225f909.mp3)

We’re back on the Marvel movies with “Thunderbolts*”, a film that (to our surprise?) is not a nihilistic story about villains pretending to be heroes (see: Suicide Squad), but instead a story about some troubled not-quite-heroes learning that they can be better if they connect to other people and work on their own issues. But also with explosions and fights and stuff....

From Schneier on Security at 2025-10-17 12:03:53

A Surprising Amount of Satellite Traffic Is Unencrypted

Here’s the summary:

We pointed a commercial-off-the-shelf satellite dish at the sky and carried out the most comprehensive public study to date of geostationary satellite communication. A shockingly large amount of sensitive traffic is being broadcast unencrypted, including critical infrastructure, internal corporate and government communications, private citizens’ voice calls and SMS, and consumer Internet traffic from in-flight wifi and mobile networks. This data can be passively observed by anyone with a few hundred dollars of consumer-grade hardware. There are thousands of geostationary satellite transponders globally, and data from a single transponder may be visible from an area as large as 40% of the surface of the earth...

From School of War at 2025-10-17 10:30:00

Ep 240: Lance R. Blyth on Mountain Warfare (NEBM8069241565.mp3)

Lance R. Blyth, command historian at the North American Aerospace Defense Command and author of Ski, Climb, Fight: The 10th Mountain Division and the Rise of Mountain Warfare, joins the show to discuss the history and tactics of fighting at altitude.        ▪️ Times     •      01:31 Introduction     •      01:41 Marine     •      04:55 L.A. riots              •      07:22 From horses to skis     •      10:13 Antecedents              •      13:56 Advantage                 •      15:40 The Germans         •      17:55 The Winter War               •      22:51 French surrender     •      25:58 Specialized divisions     •      31:37 Volunteers      •      33:49 Training     •      36:50 Delay and Italy               •      42:16 No doctrine      •      45:29 The Gothic Line     •      52:00 Success     •      55:35 Afghanistan Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

From The Rest Is History at 2025-10-17 00:05:00

Alexander the Great, with Mary Beard (GLT3435890752.mp3?updated=1760627337)

No one was like him, terrible were his crimes… Where was Alexander the Great born, and who were his parents? What drove him to go beyond the Aegean empire he had already carved out for himself, and conquer lands beyond the limits of the Greek world? Why did Alexander eventually turn back, after ten years of conquest? And, how much of his legend is actually true?  In the second episode of this exclusive new series on four of the most iconic subjects from classical antiquity, Tom is joined again by the world renowned classicist, Mary Beard, to discuss one of history’s most famous men: Alexander the Great….hero or villain?  **To hear the full episode, and all the other exclusive new episodes from Mary and Tom's ancient history series, coming out every Friday for the next four weeks, join The Rest is History Club at ⁠therestishistory.com⁠** _______ Twitter:@TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Video Editor: Jack Meek  Social Producer: Harry Balden Assistant Producer: Aaliyah Akude  Producer: Tabby Syrett Senior Producer: Theo Young-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-10-16 21:40:49

Nation-state hackers deliver malware from “bulletproof” blockchains

Malicious payloads stored on Ethereum and BNB blockchains are immune to takedowns.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-10-16 21:25:08

Ars Live recap: Is the AI bubble about to pop? Ed Zitron weighs in.

Despite connection hiccups, we covered OpenAI's finances, nuclear power, and Sam Altman.

From The Briefing Room at 2025-10-16 16:07:00

Is the UK in a data crisis? (p0m904mw.mp3)

As Rachel Reeves approaches a tricky budget, her job has got that much harder. Some of our most fundamental economic data, statistics that policymakers are used to accepting at face value, suddenly have major question marks over their accuracy.

The UK’s top stats agency, the Office for National Statistics, finds itself under considerable pressure as falling response rates to its surveys leave politicians flying blind. David Aaronovitch asks what this means for government decisions and how the ONS can rebuild confidence in its most vital statistics.

Guests: Georgina Sturge, research affiliate at the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford Professor Denise Lievesley, former Principal of Green Templeton College, Oxford Chris Giles, economics commentator at the Financial Times. Peter Lynn, Professor of Survey Methodology at the University of Essex

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Producers: Nathan Gower, Kirsteen Knight, Cordelia Hemming Studio engineer: Duncan Hannant Editor: Richard Vadon

From Net Assessment at 2025-10-16 12:59:00

Can Foreign Aid Be Reformed? Should It Be? (Net_Assessment_-_16_Oct_2025_v1.mp3?dest-id=808287)

Chris, Melanie, and Zack review Adam Tooze’s recent article on the failure of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – and Western-directed aid efforts generally. What should be the goals of foreign aid? Can development assistance, as it has recently been implemented, actually make a meaningful long-term difference in living standards? What might steep cuts in foreign aid mean for poor countries? In an era of great power competition, should we look at development assistance as a way to counter China’s influence? Grievances for the Trump administration’s policies toward China and its new deals with Qatar, and to the US Senate for failing to assert its authority over the war powers. Attas to President Trump for successfully brokering a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas, and for negotiating a new deal with Finland to build icebreakers.  

Links:

• Adam Tooze, “The End of Development,” Foreign Policy, September 8, 2025,

• Evan Cooper and Alessandro Perri, “Scenarios for US Foreign Aid in 2035,” Stimson Center, September 19, 2025

• Max Bearak and Lazaro Gamio, “The U.S. foreign aid budget, visualized,” Washington Post, October 18, 2016

• Rand Paul, “The Constitution Does Not Allow the President To Unilaterally Blow Suspected Drug Smugglers to Smithereens,” Reason, October 8, 2025

• Kathryn Watson, “Hegseth announces Qatar will build air force facility at U.S. base in Idaho,” CBS News, October 10, 2025

• “Putting the Global Order Back Together,” International Affairs Forum, Traverse City, MI, October 23, 2025

• Valentina Finckenstein, How International Aid Can Do More Harm than Good: The Case of Lebanon, LSE Ideas, February 2021.

• William Easterly, The White Man’s Burden: Why the West’s Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good, Penguin Books, 2007.

• “Aid Cannot Make Poor Countries Rich,” The Economist, March 6, 2025.

• Noah Robertson, Katie Tarrant, Ellen Nakashima, “Bipartisan Move to Restrict Trump’s War Powers Fails in Senate,” Washington Post, October 9, 2025.

• Steve Holland, Anne Kauranen, Jeff Mason, and Gram Slattery, “Trump and Finland’s Stuff Approve Deal for Icebreaker Ships,” Reuters, October 9, 2025.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-10-16 12:06:51

Cryptocurrency ATMs

CNN has a great piece about how cryptocurrency ATMs are used to scam people out of their money. The fees are usurious, and they’re a common place for scammers to send victims to buy cryptocurrency for them. The companies behind the ATMs, at best, do not care about the harm they cause; the profits are just too good.

From Strong Message Here at 2025-10-16 09:45:00

The End of the Age of Terror and Death (with Stewart Lee) (p0m8s9pp.mp3)

One one hand, the world is going to hell, on the other, the age of terror and death has ended, so which is it? Stewart Lee joins Armando to take a look at this maximal approach to political language.

How do you do moderate politics with caps lock on? What's the smart way to diffuse complex arguments about politics? And given the details still to be worked out in the Isreal Gaza peace process, is this week's Peace Summit Trump's 'Mission Accomplished' moment?

Have a message for Armando? Drop us a line on strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

Listen to Strong Message Here at 09:45 on Thursday mornings on Radio 4, or the extended version on BBC Sounds.

Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman Executive Producer: James Robinson Sound Editing: Chris MacLean Recorded at The Sound Company

Strong Message Here is produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies, and is a BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

From The Rest Is History at 2025-10-16 00:05:00

609. Nelson: The Gathering Storm (Part 2) (GLT8067718474.mp3?updated=1760546366)

After two years at sea, what happened when Horatio Nelson - now Britain’s most celebrated naval commander - finally returned home, to his wife and father? Following his involvement in the poisonous politics of Naples, his terrible treatment of the Jacobite rebels, and starting an affair with the notorious Lady Emma Hamilton, how was Nelson received? And, with the storm clouds of war gathering above the Baltic, in what heroic way would Nelson next be called to serve his country? Join Dominic and Tom as they discuss Nelson’s controversial return to Britain, his relationship with Emma Hamilton, and the road to the legendary Battle of Copenhagen… _______ Start generating your own greener electricity for less, with £500 off Solar. Visit https://www.hivehome.com/history for more information. T&Cs apply* *Output and savings varies by season, electricity usage and system size. Paid-for surplus requires an eligible SEG tariff. Offer for new customers only. Ends 17th November. Search Vanguard to find out more. When investing, your capital is at risk. Tax rules apply. _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Video Editor: Jack Meek Social Producer: Harry Balden Assistant Producer: Aaliyah Akude Producer: Tabby Syrett Senior Producer: Theo Young-Smith Exec Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-10-15 21:05:39

Thousands of customers imperiled after nation-state ransacks F5’s network

Risks to BIG-IP users include supply-chain attacks, credential loss, and vulnerability exploits.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-10-15 19:53:00

Anthropic’s Claude Haiku 4.5 matches May’s frontier model at fraction of cost

Tiny, fast model hits coding scores similar to GPT-5 and Sonnet 4.

From The Media Show at 2025-10-15 18:22:00

Reporting the Gaza ceasefire, Bari Weiss profile, Today in Parliament (p0m8sdkg.mp3)

Channel 4’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy and The Independent’s Bel Trew join us to discuss their reporting on the Gaza ceasefire. Professor Lee Edwards from the LSE analyses how the media has been framing recent events. Also on the programme, who is the new editor-in-chief of CBS News? Semafor’s Max Tani profiles Bari Weiss. Plus, the BBC’s Susan Hulme reflects on the future of Today in Parliament as it celebrates its 80th anniversary.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-10-15 16:14:52

ChatGPT erotica coming soon with age verification, CEO says

Sam Altman claims new tools can detect mental distress while relaxing limits for adults.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-10-15 12:02:18

Apple’s Bug Bounty Program

Apple is now offering a $2M bounty for a zero-click exploit. According to the Apple website:

Today we’re announcing the next major chapter for Apple Security Bounty, featuring the industry’s highest rewards, expanded research categories, and a flag system for researchers to objectively demonstrate vulnerabilities and obtain accelerated awards.

1. We’re doubling our top award to $2 million for exploit chains that can achieve similar goals as sophisticated mercenary spyware attacks. This is an unprecedented amount in the industry and the largest payout offered by any bounty program we’re aware of ­ and our bonus system, providing additional rewards for Lockdown Mode bypasses and vulnerabilities discovered in beta software, can more than double this reward, with a maximum payout in excess of $5 million. We’re also doubling or significantly increasing rewards in many other categories to encourage more intensive research. This includes $100,000 for a complete Gatekeeper bypass, and $1 million for broad unauthorized iCloud access, as no successful exploit has been demonstrated to date in either category. ...

From More or Less at 2025-10-15 09:30:00

Are millions of people getting Motability cars for anxiety and ADHD? (p0m8l2x5.mp3)

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. This week:

The Conservative party conference has been told that millions of people are getting free cars from the government because they have ADHD and anxiety. Is that right?

The chair of the Labour party says that only 3% of farmers will be affected by proposed changes to inheritance tax. Is that true?

The charity Movember claim that two in five men die too young. What does that really mean?

And Tim’s mid-life crisis has manifested itself in a marathon run. We ask a scientist if data can help him finish faster.

If you’ve seen a number in the news you think we should take a look at, let us know: moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Tim Harford Reporter: Nathan Gower Producer: Lizzy McNeill Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound mix: Gareth Jones Editor: Richard Vadon

From Quite right! at 2025-10-15 00:01:00

Lab leaks & spy scandals: was Cameron wrong about China? (media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=lZ1qXs34_o-cHOZNYVKdU2wTKfi6JZIcGfa_xsqIGds)

This week on Quite right! Michael and Maddie turn their sights to Westminster’s latest espionage scandal – and the collapse of the case to prosecute two men accused of spying for China. Was the case dropped out of incompetence, or out of fear of offending Beijing? As Michael puts it, ‘Either we’re not being told the truth, or this is a government of staggering incompetence.’

They also unpick the growing row over Jonathan Powell, Keir Starmer’s National Security Adviser, and his alleged role in shelving the case. What does his re-emergence, along with Peter Mandelson and other ‘Sith Lords of Blairism’, tell us about the return of New Labour’s old moral compromises?

Elsewhere, Donald Trump’s surprise Gaza peace deal has upended diplomatic expectations and ushered in a new style of negotiation – the ‘Manhattan real estate’ approach – which has succeeded where the UN’s moralising failed. Is it Trump’s world and we’re all living in it?

Finally: The Traitors. Maddie confesses she’s never watched an episode, but would Michael be a traitor or a faithful? What does the show reveal about the darker truths of human nature? And which politicians would make the perfect traitors?

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.

For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.

Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-10-14 22:01:50

Feds seize $15 billion from alleged forced labor scam built on “human suffering”

Scams like this one net billions from well-educated victims.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-10-14 17:58:21

Nvidia sells tiny new computer that puts big AI on your desktop

The 1 petaflop DGX Spark system runs AI models with 200 billion parameters locally for $4K.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-10-14 17:01:11

Upcoming Speaking Engagements

This is a current list of where and when I am scheduled to speak:

• I and Nathan E. Sanders will be giving a book talk on Rewiring Democracy at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, on October 22, 2025 at noon ET.
• I and Nathan E. Sanders will be speaking and signing books at the Cambridge Public Library in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, on October 22, 2025 at 6:00 PM ET. The event is sponsored by Harvard Bookstore.
• I and Nathan E. Sanders will give a virtual talk about our book Rewiring Democracy on October 23, 2025 at 1:00 PM ET. The event is hosted by Data & Society...

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-10-14 14:51:00

OpenAI wants to stop ChatGPT from validating users’ political views

New paper reveals reducing "bias" means making ChatGPT stop mirroring users' political language.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-10-14 12:09:54

The Trump Administration’s Increased Use of Social Media Surveillance

This chilling paragraph is in a comprehensive Brookings report about the use of tech to deport people from the US:

The administration has also adapted its methods of social media surveillance. Though agencies like the State Department have gathered millions of handles and monitored political discussions online, the Trump administration has been more explicit in who it’s targeting. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new, zero-tolerance “Catch and Revoke” strategy, which uses AI to monitor the public speech of foreign nationals and revoke visas...

From School of War at 2025-10-14 10:30:00

Ep 239: Charles C. Mann on How the System Works (NEBM6741620581.mp3)

Charles C. Mann, author of “How the System Works” in The New Atlantis, joins the show to discuss the complexity and vulnerability of the hidden processes that sustain human life on our planet.       ▪️ Times     •      01:49 Introduction     •      02:31 Interconnected      •      05:43 Medical care              •      09:20 Feeding humanity     •      11:56 Three advances             •      20:42 Water                •      26:34 Energy          •      36:05 Keeping pace                •      38:35 Hurdles      •      41:12 Solutions                •      45:26 Public health          •      56:38 Concerns             Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-10-13 22:36:35

No fix yet for attack that lets hackers pluck 2FA codes from Android phones

Malicious app required to make "Pixnapping" attack work requires no permissions.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-10-13 17:36:38

Rewiring Democracy is Coming Soon

My latest book, Rewiring Democracy: How AI Will Transform Our Politics, Government, and Citizenship, will be published in just over a week. No reviews yet, but can read chapters 12 and <a href=https://newpublic.substack.com/p/2ddffc17-a033-4f98-83fa-11376b30c6cd”>34 (of 43 chapters total).

You can order the book pretty much everywhere, and a copy signed by me <a href=”https://www.schneier.com/product/rewiring-democracy-hardcover/’>here.

Please help spread the word. I want this book to make a splash when it’s public. Leave a review on whatever site you buy it from. Or make a TikTok video. Or do whatever you kids do these days. Is anyone a SlashDot contributor? I’d like the book to be announced there...

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-10-13 17:15:53

Why Signal’s post-quantum makeover is an amazing engineering achievement

New design sets a high standard for post-quantum readiness.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-10-13 12:04:31

AI and the Future of American Politics

Two years ago, Americans anxious about the forthcoming 2024 presidential election were considering the malevolent force of an election influencer: artificial intelligence. Over the past several years, we have seen plenty of warning signs from elections worldwide demonstrating how AI can be used to propagate misinformation and alter the political landscape, whether by trolls on social media, foreign influencers, or even a street magician. AI is poised to play a more volatile role than ever before in America’s next federal election in 2026. We can already see how different groups of political actors are approaching AI. Professional campaigners are using AI to accelerate the traditional tactics of electioneering; organizers are using it to reinvent how movements are built; and citizens are using it both to express themselves and amplify their side’s messaging. Because there are so few rules, and so little prospect of regulatory action, around AI’s role in politics, there is no oversight of these activities, and no safeguards against the dramatic potential impacts for our democracy...

From The Rest Is History at 2025-10-13 00:05:00

608. Nelson: Slaughter in Naples (Part 1) (GLT8594694484.mp3?updated=1760304813)

What happened when the heroic Horatio Nelson, victor of the Battle of the Nile, sailed into the seething city of Naples? Why would his meeting with the glamorous celebrity, Lady Emma Hamilton, shape the rest of his life? And, why would his decision to lend his support to the foolhardy Neapolitan campaign to “liberate all of Italy” from the formidable French, prove to be one of the most controversial episodes of Nelson’s career? Join Dominic and Tom as they voyage deeper into the life of Nelson, and the incident that nearly destroyed his reputation forever…. Start generating your own greener electricity for less, with £500 off Solar. Visit https://www.hivehome.com/history for more information. T&Cs apply**Output and savings varies by season, electricity usage and system size. Paid-for surplus requires an eligible SEG tariff. Offer for new customers only. Ends 17th November. Join The Rest Is History Club: Unlock the full experience of the show – with exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to every series and live show tickets, a members-only newsletter, discounted books from the show, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at therestishistory.com For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Video Editor: Harry Swan Social Producer: Harry Baldwin Assistant Producer: Aaliyah Akude  Producer: Tabby Syrett Senior Producer: Theo Young-Smith Exec Producer: Dom Johnson  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices