Recent Entries

From More or Less: Behind the Stats at 2025-04-26 06:00:00

Are 80% of women really only attracted to 20% of men? (p0l6hw9y.mp3)

Netflix’s psychological drama Adolescence has started a debate about teenage boys and misogyny in modern society. It tells the story of a seemingly normal young boy, Jamie, who is arrested after the brutal murder of a girl in his class.

The series focuses on how young men are being radicalised against women by various podcasts, blogs and forums that make up the anti-feminist movement, the so-called ‘manosphere’. These podcasts often give men tips about how to be an ‘alpha’ male and promote the idea that feminism has set back men's rights. They use a range of material to back up their claims, including statistics. One such statistic was quoted in Adolescence and used to explain Jamie’s hatred towards women - that 80% of women are only attracted to 20% of men. Where does this claim come from and is it true? We look into the alleged maths behind the misogyny. Presenter/Producer: Lizzy McNeill Series Producer: Tom Colls Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown Sound Mix: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-04-25 22:43:09

New study shows why simulated reasoning AI models don’t yet live up to their billing

Top AI models excel at math problems but lack reasoning needed for Math Olympiad proofs.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-04-25 21:38:02

FBI offers $10 million for information about Salt Typhoon members

FBI accepts tips by TOR in likely attempt to woo China-based informants.

From A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry at 2025-04-25 18:32:20

Collections: How Gandalf Proved Mightiest: Spiritual Power in Tolkien

This week, I want to keep unloading my Tolkien-related thoughts, turning from last week’s character study to a look at the way ‘magic’ and spiritual power work in Tolkien’s legendarium and in particular to how contests between fundamentally magical beings in Middle-earth are decided. This is a topic that I think even the best adaptations … Continue reading Collections: How Gandalf Proved Mightiest: Spiritual Power in Tolkien →

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2025-04-25 17:00:00

763: You're in the Gibson Area Now (09959ae7-3c4b-45d9-b932-91e186e82c9d.mp3)

The year is 1995. The films: “Hackers” and “The Net,” in which computers are proven to be dangerous for society. One is a ridiculous movie about teen hackers that knows it’s silly, and the other is a ludicrous thriller about adult hackers that doesn’t....

From Ahoy at 2025-04-25 15:16:23

2000.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ahoy Merch: https://ahoy-shop.fourthwall.com/ 00:00 Introduction 00:35 Nintendo 64 01:58 Game Boy Color 03:03 PlayStation 05:53 PC 11:35 Dreamcast 14:53 PlayStation 2 19:23 Conclusion

From Schneier on Security at 2025-04-25 12:07:19

Cryptocurrency Thefts Get Physical

Long story of a $250 million cryptocurrency theft that, in a complicated chain events, resulted in a pretty brutal kidnapping.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-04-25 12:00:57

In the age of AI, we must protect human creativity as a natural resource

Op-ed: As AI outputs flood the Internet, diverse human perspectives are our most valuable resource.

From School of War at 2025-04-25 10:30:00

Ep 192: Raymond Jonas on Europe’s War on the Monroe Doctrine (~165 year ago) (NEBM9333419060.mp3?updated=1745541723)

Raymond Jonas, Jon Bridgman Endowed Professor in History at the University of Washington and author of Habsburgs on the Rio Grande: The Rise and Fall of the Second Mexican Empire, joins the show to discuss a failed-but-spectacular 19th Century attempt by European powers to undermine the Monroe Doctrine. ▪️ Times      •      01:42 Introduction     •      03:31 Transatlantic relations      •      05:20 Europe distracted     •      08:39 Secession and unrest        •      12:46 Maximillian I        •      17:55 Continental powers      •      20:01 Britain, France and Spain         •      26:13 What the Americans did right      •      28:23 Napoleon III     •      30:09 Mexico and the Confederacy         •      35:20 Slavery adjacent       •      38:46 What went wrong         •      42:07 Benito Juarez    •       44:33 Maximillian’s execution    •       46:20 European alarm Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

From Ink Stained Wretches at 2025-04-25 09:45:00

The Interview: Lahav Harkov on News Coverage of the Israel-Gaza War (NEBM7975827669.mp3?updated=1745551811)

This week, Eliana flies solo and sits down with Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov for a conversation about her path through Israeli and American media — and what the press got wrong and (less often) right about the Israel-Gaza war. Wretch on! If you have a story you want to discuss with us, email us at wretches@nebulouspodcasts dot com. Show Notes: New York Magazine: Everything We Know About the Gaza City Hospital Blast  The Washington Post: Israel’s war with Hamas separates Palestinian babies from their mothers  Reuters: Gaza mother's hopes for return of long-jailed son dashed The Atlantic: The War That Would Not End  60 Minutes: Freed Israeli hostages Yarden Bibas, Keith Siegel, Tal Shoham describe horrors of being held captive by Hamas  CNN: Hersh Goldberg-Polin: The ‘happy-go-lucky’ Israeli-American who became a symbol of Israel’s enduring hostage heartbreak  The Atlantic: What the Media Gets Wrong About Israel  Tablet: An Insider’s Guide to the Most Important Story on Earth

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-04-24 21:02:40

New Android spyware is targeting Russian military personnel on the front lines

Trojanized mapping app steals users' locations, contacts, and more.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-04-24 20:35:15

New Linux Rootkit

Interesting:

The company has released a working rootkit called “Curing” that uses io_uring, a feature built into the Linux kernel, to stealthily perform malicious activities without being caught by many of the detection solutions currently on the market.

At the heart of the issue is the heavy reliance on monitoring system calls, which has become the go-to method for many cybersecurity vendors. The problem? Attackers can completely sidestep these monitored calls by leaning on io_uring instead. This clever method could let bad actors quietly make network connections or tamper with files without triggering the usual alarms...

From The Briefing Room at 2025-04-24 13:44:00

Can the UK become an AI superpower? (p0l66b59.mp3)

The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer wants the UK to become “one of the great AI superpowers”. Earlier this year the government published a plan to use artificial intelligence in the private and public sectors to boost growth and deliver services more efficiently. Once mainly the preserve of the tech community, AI really entered public awareness with the release of ChatGPT, a so-called “chatbot” founded by the US company OpenAI at the end of 2022. It can write essays, scripts, poems and even write computer code …and millions of people are using it. David Aaronovitch and guests discuss whether the UK could become a successful AI hub, as the government hopes and asks if we'll be able to compete globally with the US and China, the home of huge tech companies?

Guests: Dame Wendy Hall, Regius Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Web Science Institute at the University of Southampton. Eden Zoller, Chief Analyst in Applied AI, Omdia. Professor Neil Lawrence, the DeepMind Professor of Machine Learning at University of Cambridge and author of The Atomic Human Jeremy Kahn, AI Editor at Fortune magazine and author of Mastering AI: A survival guide to our superpowered future.

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Caroline Bayley, Kirsteen Knight, Nathan Gower Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman Sound Engineer: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

From Strong Message Here at 2025-04-24 09:45:00

How Much is a Pint of Milk? (with Rob Burley) (p0l60vjn.mp3)

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.

Helen Lewis and Armando Iannucci are joined by the BBC's former Live Political Editor to discuss the art of the political interview. What's a valid question? What's a cheap gotcha?

They also discuss Paxman's beard, the best political interviews and how to get the most out of a politician who is bending over backwards to say absolutely nothing.

Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.

Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

Sound Editing by Chris Maclean Production Coordinator - Katie Baum Executive Producer - Richard Morris

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.

From Emperors of Rome at 2025-04-24 03:06:44

Crassus vs Spartacus (250424-crassus02.mp3)

In the tales of Hollywood Crassus will always be the antagonist to the slave hero Spartacus, but is that how would he see himself? A war against slaves is something that no self respecting Roman would like to be pushed into. And yet here we are.

Episode CCXL (240)

Part II of Crassus

Guest:
Assoc. Professor Rhiannon Evans (Classic and Ancient History, La Trobe University)

From The Rest Is History at 2025-04-24 00:05:00

559. The Rolling Stones: Satanic Majesties of Sixties Rebellion (Part 2) (GLT1390188077.mp3?updated=1745417239)

"We're not worried about petty morals." What happened to the Rolling Stones in 1967 to see them on the brink of imprisonment and mass censure, while at the height of their success, with fame, fortune, mansions, world tours, and best selling albums to their names? Was Brian Jones, the band's founder, murdered, after being found floating in his swimming pool? Under what pressures and against the backdrop of what other controversies, did they produce some of the best rock albums of all time? And, what occurred during their infamously deadly concert at the Altamont Raceway…? Join Dominic and Tom as they discuss the uproarious climax of the Rolling Stones’ extraordinary career: their entanglements with the law, the evolution of their sound, their personal lives; sex, drugs, death, and the birth of rock… EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/restishistory Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From The Media Show at 2025-04-23 17:43:00

Pentagon leaks, reporting on the death of the Pope, Genius Game (p0l60p2t.mp3)

Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins discuss some of the biggest media stories this week including: The latest on the Pentagon leaks in America from David Smith Washington Bureau Chief for the Guardian newspaper. Political commentator Isabel Oakeshott and Peter Cardwell author of "The Secret Life of Special Advisers" consider the relationship between politicians and the media in the UK. As the TV show Genius Game begins on ITV, we hear from its executive producer Tamara Gilder. The series is based on a South Korean Show and is fronted by David Tennant. Tony Pastor from Goalhanger podcast company talks about the role of advertising revenue in the industry and how are media outlets covering the death of Pope Francis? Tom Kington Italy Correspondent for The Times newspaper joins us from the Vatican Media Centre.

Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai

From Schneier on Security at 2025-04-23 17:02:48

Regulating AI Behavior with a Hypervisor

Interesting research: “Guillotine: Hypervisors for Isolating Malicious AIs.”

Abstract:As AI models become more embedded in critical sectors like finance, healthcare, and the military, their inscrutable behavior poses ever-greater risks to society. To mitigate this risk, we propose Guillotine, a hypervisor architecture for sandboxing powerful AI models—models that, by accident or malice, can generate existential threats to humanity. Although Guillotine borrows some well-known virtualization techniques, Guillotine must also introduce fundamentally new isolation mechanisms to handle the unique threat model posed by existential-risk AIs. For example, a rogue AI may try to introspect upon hypervisor software or the underlying hardware substrate to enable later subversion of that control plane; thus, a Guillotine hypervisor requires careful co-design of the hypervisor software and the CPUs, RAM, NIC, and storage devices that support the hypervisor software, to thwart side channel leakage and more generally eliminate mechanisms for AI to exploit reflection-based vulnerabilities. Beyond such isolation at the software, network, and microarchitectural layers, a Guillotine hypervisor must also provide physical fail-safes more commonly associated with nuclear power plants, avionic platforms, and other types of mission critical systems. Physical fail-safes, e.g., involving electromechanical disconnection of network cables, or the flooding of a datacenter which holds a rogue AI, provide defense in depth if software, network, and microarchitectural isolation is compromised and a rogue AI must be temporarily shut down or permanently destroyed. ...

From Schneier on Security at 2025-04-22 17:03:17

Android Improves Its Security

Android phones will soon reboot themselves after sitting idle for three days. iPhones have had this feature for a while; it’s nice to see Google add it to their phones.

From School of War at 2025-04-22 10:30:00

Ep 191: Mark Dubowitz on Iran and the Trump Administration (NEBM7221755761.mp3?updated=1745283473)

Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and host of The Iran Breakdown podcast, joins the show to discuss the Iranian nuclear program, where things stand with the Trump administration’s pursuit of a deal, and the prospects of an Israeli attack. ▪️ Times      •      01:33 Introduction     •      02:04 Beginnings      •      04:25 A weapon is the purpose     •      07:31 Enrichment        •      12:32 JCPOA        •      16:54 “The worst deal…”      •      18:46 Can Iran reach the U.S.?         •      23:53 Dismantle the program      •      29:01 Splitscreen     •      34:09 Risky and futile        •      41:02 Pacing   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 2025-04-21 17:22:09

Annoyed ChatGPT users complain about bot’s relentlessly positive tone

Users complain of new "sycophancy" streak where ChatGPT thinks everything is brilliant.

From The Rest Is History at 2025-04-21 00:05:00

558. The Rolling Stones: Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll (Part 1) (GLT1663902020.mp3?updated=1745166333)

What are the origins of Britain’s original bad boys, The Rolling Stones? Where did they all come from and how did they meet? What was it about the 1960s, with its air of sexual liberation, newly elected Labour government, and rising youth culture that allowed them to burst onto the musical scene? Who was Brian Jones, the band's troubled founder? And, what made the Rolling Stones, even from the earliest stages, so much more controversial than The Beatles? Join Dominic and Tom as they discuss the rise of one of history’s greatest, sexiest, and most suavely devilish bands, and the glaring light they shed upon the tumultuous 1960s. _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From More or Less: Behind the Stats at 2025-04-19 06:00:00

The pioneers of proof (p0l4ykkw.mp3)

Here are More or Less we’ll all about the facts. Every day we use a toolkit of known proofs to try and answer our listeners’ questions. But who do we have to thank for this toolkit and how did they set about proving the unknown? Luckily for us mathematician Adam Kucharski has just written a book about this very topic called ‘Proof: The Uncertain Science of Certainty’. Join us to hear more about some of the proof pioneers included in his book, from estimating the number of German tanks during WW2 to an unsung heroine of statistics. Presenter: Tim Harford Producer: Lizzy McNeill Series Producer: Tom Colls Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound Mix: Annie Gardiner

From A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry at 2025-04-18 19:01:46

Collections: Why Celebrimbor Fell and Boromir Conquered: the Moral Universe of Tolkien

This week (and probably next) I want to talk a bit more Tolkien, but in a someone different vein from normal. Rather than discussing the historicity of Tolkien’s world or adaptations of it, I want to take a moment to discuss some of the themes of Tolkien’s work, which express themselves in the metaphysical architecture … Continue reading Collections: Why Celebrimbor Fell and Boromir Conquered: the Moral Universe of Tolkien →

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2025-04-18 17:00:00

762: Wolf in Goat's Clothing (632d0b34-c990-4bb5-99f8-bf67814c3dc7.mp3)

Huff some ether, dress for an ORTBO, and always keep an eye out for a private place beneath a tarp—we’re here to discuss the second season of “Severance,” a story that goes beyond the first season with some twists and turns that might be Kafkaesque, but are definitely Kafka-ish....

From The Django weblog at 2025-04-18 15:19:46

Django Admin Theme Roundup 2025

One of Django’s most appreciated features is the built-in admin functionality. In fact, it was ranked as the most useful contrib app in the 2023 Django developer survey.

With a few lines of code, Django automatically generates an administrative interface to add, update, and edit objects in your database. While it's not meant to replace a full-featured frontend, the admin makes rapid prototyping possible and provides a lot of functionality out of the box.

However, the admin’s focus is not on a flashy user interface and some people have found it to be a little plain – some have even called it ugly! But fortunately, like all Django applications, the admin’s CSS and HTML templates can be overridden and tweaked. Here are a few projects which have done that, and are recently updated as of early 2025.

Chime in on the Django forum thread here with your favorite Django admin theme or if I missed any other options!

Note that these packages are listed in the order of the “easiest” integration to the hardest. However, the later libraries also tend to provide more features.

Dracula

A dark (and light) theme for the Django Admin based on the very popular Dracula which has themes for 400+ applications. This library is a quick win to give the admin a bit of pizazz without requiring much setup or changing the default admin functionality.

• Dracula Homepage
• Dracula Code

Django Daisy

Django Daisy is a responsive admin built with DaisyUI and TailwindCSS. Application icons can be added by utilizing Font Awesome. Very minimal (and completely optional!) configuration.

• Django Daisy Documentation
• Django Daisy Code
• Django Daisy Demo (demo/demo)

django-jazzmin

A drop-in theme for the Django admin that utilises AdminLTE 3.2 & Bootstrap 5. All of the configuration is optional which means the installation is very straight-forward. However, it also includes the ability to create custom menus, convert all pop-ups to modals, and a slick UI customizer. django-jazzmin also includes a wide selection of built-in themes.

• Django Jazzmin Documentation
• Django Jazzmin Code

django-admin-kubi

Kubi applies a Bootstrap 5 facelift to the Django admin, but also adds Sass support for custom styling and Font Awesome icons. It includes a sidebar menu for easy navigation and support for some third-party packages, including django-modeltranslation, django-modeltrans, django-import-export, django-two-factor-auth, and django-colorfield.

• Kubi Code

django-jet-reboot

Modern template for the Django admin interface with improved functionality. It provides the ability to create a custom dashboard and modules. Also includes user-selectable themes through the UI.

• Django JET Reboot Documentation
• Django JET Reboot Code

django-semantic-admin

A responsive Django admin theme based on Semantic UI. Includes JavaScript datepicker and timepicker components. Includes support for django_filter and django-import-export.

• Django Semantic UI Documentation
• Django Semantic UI Code
• Django Semantic UI Demo (admin/semantic)

Simple UI

A modern theme based on vue + element-ui which comes with 28 different themes. The documentation is originally in Chinese, but there is a translation in English.

• Simple UI Documentation
• Simple UI Code

Grapelli

Grappelli is a grid-based alternative to the Django admin which provides a few nifty features such as a custom TinyMCE integration, customizable dashboard, and inline sortables which can be updated by drag and drop.

• Grappelli Homepage
• Grappelli Documentation
• Grappelli Code

django-admin-interface

A modern responsive flat admin interface which comes with optional themes that can be installed for Bootstrap, Foundation, and U.S. Web Design Standards, and customizable by the admin itself. Other features include replacing admin pop-ups with modals, accordions in the navigation bar to collapse applications, sticky filters and buttons to prevent them from scrolling off the screen, and a language switcher. Also includes support for django-ckeditor, django-dynamic-raw-id, django-json-widget, django-modeltranslation, django-rangefilter, django-streamfield, django-tabbed-admin, and sorl-thumbnail.

• Django Admin Interface Code

Unfold

Unfold transforms the Django admin and is built with TailwindCSS. It includes custom widgets, pages, and admin sites. Also provides a language selector, conditional fields, custom filters, tabs, and additional features for actions. There are a lot of available settings and it is extremely customizable.

• Unfold Homepage
• Unfold Code

From Ink Stained Wretches at 2025-04-18 09:45:00

Legion of Wretches (NEBM8855851452.mp3?updated=1744934338)

This week, we dive into Trump’s showdown on two fronts: immigration and Ivy League endowments. Then we head to space to marvel at the bravery of Blue Origin. And finally, we unwrap the explosive piece on Elon Musk’s quest to spawn a generation of genetically gifted super-babies. Wretch on! If you have a story you want to discuss with us, email us at wretches@nebulouspodcasts dot com. Time Stamps: 1:57 - Front Page 51:48 - Obsessions 1:00:56 - Reader Mail 1:06:41 - Favorite Items Show Notes: Mediaite: Fox News Reporter Confronts Trump AG Bondi on ‘Gang Member’ Claims — Straight-Up Asks ‘Why Not Show the Evidence?’  The Washington Free Beacon: Harvard Rejects Deal With Trump Admin, Putting Billions in Federal Funding at Risk  The Washington Post: Trump administration asks IRS to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status The Washington Post: Trump’s D.C. U.S. attorney pick appeared on Russian state media over 150 times  Financial Times: CNN’s Mark Thompson: ‘Our entire industry is going through a revolution’  The Wall Street Journal: The Tactics Elon Musk Uses to Manage His ‘Legion’ of Babies—and Their Mothers  Politico: GOP representative: ‘Left has to look in the mirror too’ after condemning Shapiro arson attack  The New York Times: One Giant Stunt for Womankind  The Washington Free Beacon: Holding Space: Women Rejoice as Bezos Gal Pal, Others Make History The New York Times: How Trump Might Unwittingly Cut Emissions From Online Shopping The Wall Street Journal: Porsche Heir’s Plan to Build a Private Tunnel Has His Alpine Neighbors Fuming NBC News: Government's case against Mahmoud Khalil is reliant on tabloid accounts, review of evidence shows  Red State: Salem Media Group Strikes Deal With Donald Trump Jr. and Lara Trump Freddie deBoer: John Oliver is (Still) Part of the Problem  The Wall Street Journal: Navy SEAL. Harvard Doctor. NASA Astronaut. Don’t Tell Mom About This Overachiever.

From The Django weblog at 2025-04-18 08:07:28

See you at PyCon US in Pittsburgh!

We’ll be at PyCon US 2025, and hope to see the Django community and all our Python friends there ❤️! We have been granted a community booth at the conference – come say hi in the Expo Hall during open hours. There may be Django stickers available to pick up!

Represent Django

For our Individual Members – if you’d like to help us showcase Django, we’re looking for help staffing the booth (members-only forum)! This is a great opportunity to give back to support our project – consider it!

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-04-17 23:42:23

Company apologizes after AI support agent invents policy that causes user uproar

Frustrated software developer believed AI-generated message came from human support rep.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-04-17 17:38:01

Age Verification Using Facial Scans

Discord is testing the feature:

“We’re currently running tests in select regions to age-gate access to certain spaces or user settings,” a spokesperson for Discord said in a statement. “The information shared to power the age verification method is only used for the one-time age verification process and is not stored by Discord or our vendor. For Face Scan, the solution our vendor uses operates on-device, which means there is no collection of any biometric information when you scan your face. For ID verification, the scan of your ID is deleted upon verification.”...

From Net Assessment at 2025-04-17 15:37:00

Why the Trump Administration Will Struggle to Make National Security Policy (Net_Assessment_-_Episode_1_v2.mp3?dest-id=808287)

Chris, Melanie, and Zack launch their first Stimson-hosted Net Assessment show with a look at policymaking in the Trump administration. What are the major areas of consensus and disagreement within the administration? Through what lens will policy makers look at challenges such as China? And is a lack of ideological coherence a net positive or negative? Grievances for House GOP leaders playing games with the calendar to avoid a tough vote; for DOGE’s spending cuts that won’t drive the savings they claim, but that are creating havoc; and (again) for the Navy’s troubled Constellation frigate. Attas to Princeton President Christopher L. Eisgruber for standing up for academic freedom; for President Trump’s executive orders on the maritime industrial base and acquisition reform; and to Deputy DNI for Mission Integration William Ruger. And a bonus attagirl to our biggest fan: Melanie’s mom!

Links:

• Tanner Greer, “Obscurity by Design: Competing Priorities for America’s China Policy,” Foreign Policy Research Institute, March 27, 2025.
• Ross Douthat, “Trump Is on a Path to Failure,” New York Times, April 12, 2025.
• “Gambling on Armageddon: Costs and Risks of Nuclear Modernization,” Online Event, Stimson Center, May 1, 2025, 2-3 pm ET
• Joseph Trevithick, “First Constellation Frigate Only 10% Complete, Design Still Being Finalized,” TWZ, April 10, 2025
• Alistair MacDonald and Gordon Lubold, “The Warship That Shows Why the U.S. Navy Is Falling Behind China,” Wall Street Journal, March 20, 2025
• Emma Ashford, “Foreign Policy Is Much More than a Liberal vs. Conservative Brawl,” War on the Rocks, March 13, 2020
• Kenza Bryan and Demitri Sevastopulo, "Donald Trump Plans to Stockpile Deep-Sea Critical Metals to Counter China," Financial Times, April 12, 2025. 
• Arthur Delaney, Igor Bobic, and Jennifer Bendery, "GOP Changes House Rules to Prevent Themselves from Blocking Trump's Tariffs," HuffPost, April 9, 2025. 
• Erin Banco, Gram Slattery, and Humeyra Pamuk, "Trump Envoy's Embrace of Russian Demands Worries Republicans, US Allies," Reuters, April 12, 2025. 
• “The University President Willing to Fight Trump,” The Daily, New York Times, April 9, 2925.

From The Briefing Room at 2025-04-17 14:16:00

What cards does China hold? (p0l4zpnw.mp3)

President Trump’s fury with China shows no sign of abating. High tariffs - first imposed by the US but now on both sides - are giving way to a very real trade war between the world’s two biggest economies. China’s President Xi Jinping is refusing to blink - so far - and in the past week he's been on the road in South East Asia, visiting Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia. Where this goes now depends in large part on China's calculations about the capacity and determination of both sides to endure a trade war. So what cards does China hold ? And what are the implications for China's own economy and for the rest of us?

Guests: Damien Ma, Economist, Kellogg School of Management, Chicago Rana Mitter, ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School Isabel Hilton, visiting Professor at the Lau China Institute, King's College, London David Henig, Director of the UK Trade Policy Project

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Caroline Bayley, Kirsteen Knight, Lucy Pawle Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Sound Engineer: James Beard Editor: Max Deveson

From The Django weblog at 2025-04-17 10:00:00

Run your tests against Django's main!

This is the blog version of a talk! If you prefer, watch the recording on YouTube:

Django is known for its stability. The framework makes a strong commitment to API stability and forwards-compatibility, ensuring that developers can rely on it for building long-term, maintainable projects. A key aspect of this commitment involves extensive testing and structured releases—an area where testing by Django users can significantly enhance Django’s reliability. Here’s a closer look at how this works, and how you can contribute 🤝.

How Django stays stable

Django's stability is upheld through rigorous testing. As of Django 5.2, there are more than 18,000 tests run against all officially supported database backends, Python versions, and operating systems. Additionally, Django follows a well-structured deprecation policy, ensuring that public APIs are deprecated over at least two feature releases before being removed.

The feature release schedule is systematic and structured:

1. Active development happens on the main branch.
2. A stable branch (for example stable/5.2.x) is forked when an alpha release is made.
3. After a month, the beta release follows, where only release-blocking bug fixes are allowed.
4. A month later, a release candidate (RC) is published, marking the translation string freeze.
5. If no critical bugs are found, the final release is published after a couple of weeks.

With this structured approach, Django ensures that releases are stable. However, bugs can and do occasionally slip through the cracks!

Catching issues early

The best time to catch issues is before they reach the final release. Ideally, potential bugs should be caught at the pull request stage, but keeping up with all changes is challenging. This is where the community can help—by running their tests with Django's main branch.

How you can help

You can set up your test suite to run with Django's main branch in your tests pipeline. Here's an example using GitHub Actions, a popular Continuous Integration platform:

test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    continue-on-error: ${{ matrix.experimental }}
    strategy:
      matrix:
        include:
          - python: "3.13"
            django: "git+https://github.com/django/django.git@main#egg=Django"
            experimental: true
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-python@v5
        with:
          python-version: ${{ matrix.python }}
      - run: pip install -r requirements.txt
      - if: ${{ matrix.experimental }}
        run: pip install "${{ matrix.django }}"
      - run: python -Wd manage.py test
  

If you maintain a Django package, you likely already test with multiple Django versions. Adding the main branch ensures that your project stays ahead of potential breaking changes.

Why this helps you

Running tests with Django main allows you to detect when changes in Django break your project. Sometimes, this happens due to the removal of internal APIs (that were never intended for reuse outside Django 🙈). If your tests fail, you can identify which commit caused the issue and adjust your code accordingly.

For example, on the Wagtail CMS project, recently caught an issue when an internal class, SubqueryConstraint, was removed from Django. This wasn't a bug in Django—it was the removal of an internal workaround that was no longer needed. If your project relies on internal APIs, testing against main is crucial to avoid surprises.

Why this helps Django

Testing with main doesn't just help your project—it helps Django too. Sometimes, your tests may fail due to legitimate regressions in Django that its test suite doesn't cover. Reporting these issues ensures they get fixed before the next release.

For example, just two days before Django 5.2 alpha was released, Wagtail tests on main helped detect a bug where calling .full_clean() on a child model in a multi-table inheritance setup triggered an unintended database query. This regression was promptly fixed, ensuring a smoother release for all users.

Take action: test against Django's main and report issues

By running your tests against Django's main branch and reporting any issues you find, you contribute to a more stable framework for everyone. It's a small step that makes a big impact.

So, take a few minutes today to update your automated tests setup and help keep Django as reliable as ever!

From Strong Message Here at 2025-04-17 09:45:00

Liberation Day (with Soumaya Keynes) (p0l4s85h.mp3)

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.

This week, Helen and Armando are joined by economist and journalist for the Financial Times, Soumaya Keynes. They take a look back on Liberation Day - what exactly was America being liberated from? What was the response in China to the tariffs? and Soumaya wades into the murky waters of Truth Social.

Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.

Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Katie Baum Executive Producer - Richard Morris

Produced by Pete Strauss. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.

From The Rest Is History at 2025-04-17 00:05:00

557. 1066: The Norman Conquest (Part 4) (GLT5156716826.mp3?updated=1744796910)

What happened in the aftermath of the Battle of Hastings? What horrors did William the Conqueror have to inflict upon his Anglo Saxon subjects in order to consolidate his new realm? And, what role did castles, the Harrowing of the North, and the Doomsday Book play in the creation of a new England? Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss William the Conquerer's new reign in the wake of the Battle of Hastings, and the true nature of the Norman Conquest. _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-04-16 23:21:38

OpenAI releases new simulated reasoning models with full tool access

New o3 model appears "near-genius level," according to one doctor, but it still makes mistakes.

From The Media Show at 2025-04-16 17:37:00

Reporting on the British Steel crisis, should we 'ditch' intellectual property law? and Saturday Night Live for Britain? (p0l4t8yq.mp3)

Katie Razzall talks to Katy Balls, Political Editor of the Spectator as she heads off for her new posting as Washington Editor for the Times and Sunday Times. What's it like reporting on the industrial crisis which led to the recall of parliament at the weekend? Sky's Economics Editor Ed Conway describes his difficulties gaining access to the Chinese owned British Steel factory in Scunthorpe, BBC North reporter Jo Makel has followed the story for years and former BBC political correspondent Nick Jones is a veteran of industrial reporting and author of "The Lost Tribe: Whatever Happened to Fleet Street's Industrial Correspondents?" Intellectual property law in the age of artificial intelligence under threat: At the weekend Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter, posted “delete all IP law” on the social media platform, now rebranded as X. Current owner Elon Musk swiftly responded to the tweet with: “I agree." Dr Hayleigh Bosher, Reader in Intellectual Property Law at Brunel University, takes us through Dorsey's argument and what it tells us about Big Tech's changing attitude towards copyright. Amit Katwala, features editor at Wired, profiles Alexis Ohanian. The co-founder of Reddit is now a venture capitalist who has made headlines for acquiring the social media platform Digg, and joining Frank McCourt's 'People's Bid' for US TikTok. And is the UK ready for Sky's Saturday Night Live, the hit American show which will soon be on our screens ? We talk to comedian Tamar Broadbent and Caroline Frost from the Radio Times about what we can expect from the remake.

Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai

From Schneier on Security at 2025-04-16 16:19:30

CVE Program Almost Unfunded

Mitre’s CVE’s program—which provides common naming and other informational resources about cybersecurity vulnerabilities—was about to be cancelled, as the US Department of Homeland Security failed to renew the contact. It was funded for eleven more months at the last minute.

This is a big deal. The CVE program is one of those pieces of common infrastructure that everyone benefits from. Losing it will bring us back to a world where there’s no single way to talk about vulnerabilities. It’s kind of crazy to think that the US government might damage its own security in this way—but I suppose no crazier than any of the other ways the US is working against its own interests right now...

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-04-16 12:15:44

Researchers claim breakthrough in fight against AI’s frustrating security hole

Prompt injections are the Achilles' heel of AI assistants. Google offers a potential fix.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-04-15 19:43:29

4chan has been down since Monday night after “pretty comprehensive own”

Early info is unreliable, but the site has been mostly unavailable for hours.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-04-15 17:02:54

Slopsquatting

As AI coding assistants invent nonexistent software libraries to download and use, enterprising attackers create and upload libraries with those names—laced with malware, of course.

From School of War at 2025-04-15 10:35:00

Ep 190: Michael Doran on “Restraint” and the Middle East (NEBM3168041757.mp3?updated=1744685070)

Michael Doran, senior fellow and director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at Hudson Institute, joins the show to discuss “restraintism” as a factor in Trump’s choices in the Middle East. ▪️ Times      •      01:46 Introduction     •      02:20 What is it?      •      05:01 Left, right, center      •      06:56 Syria ’07        •      11:47 Iraq Study Group        •      17:21 Populist expression      •      27:34 Balance         •      30:20 Obama v Trump      •      34:56 Oscillation     •      42:16 Back to JCPOA?         •      45:49 Snapback      •      47:44 Syria ’25     •      52:09 Iran and Turkey Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

From The Django weblog at 2025-04-14 22:10:40

DSF member of the month - Öykü Gümüş

For April 2025, we welcome Öykü Gümüş as our DSF member of the month! ⭐

Öykü Gümüş has been Django developer for many years. She has been DjangoCon Europe organizer in 2018 and Django Girls mentor in Istanbul for multiple years. She has been a DSF member since November 2019.
You can learn more about Öykü by visiting Öykü's GitHub Profile.

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

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

Hi, I am Öykü, software engineer currently based in Germany.

I studied Computer Engineering in Istanbul, and during my university years, I realised I really enjoy being part of tech communities such as Django Girls, PyLadies and etc.. And I have been trying to play an active role in such groups ever since! Apart from that, I like drawing, and currently trying to improve my illustration skills. In general, I enjoy learning new things. For example started learning cello after 25 years of age, and loving every minute of my attempts to play it. I also love cycling and hiking. Germany is offering so much in those areas and I am always looking for a chance to get on the road.

How did you start using Django?

During my university studies, I started working as a part time developer and my first ever job was with Django. Loved how versatile it was!

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

Besides Django, I’ve used Flask, which gives you more control and is great for microservices, and FastAPI, which I really like for its async capabilities and performance. If I had magical powers to add something to Django, I’d probably improve its async support to make it more seamless throughout the stack. Right now, you can work around it, but it’s not as smooth as in FastAPI, for example.

What projects are you working on now?

Lately, I’ve been diving into GraphQL—experimenting with Graphene in Django and playing around with Apollo Client on the frontend. It’s been interesting to compare it with traditional REST APIs and explore how it can streamline data fetching in more complex UIs.

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

There are a few Django libraries I keep reaching for, both core and third-party. Core-wise, I really appreciate how solid the django.contrib.admin is. It saves so much time in early development. Also, Django’s ORM and authentication system are very well designed—I rarely need to look elsewhere unless I’m doing something super custom. For third-party libraries, a few that I really enjoy using: django-rest-framework django-allauth and graphene-django

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

The ORM, the "Batteries Included" policy and Django's amazing community ❤️

You have been mentor for DjangoGirls+ multiple times, how did you start to mentor? Do you have any recommendation for potential folks interested to mentor?

Oh yes, I met with Django Girls in Istanbul and immediately wanted to take part by mentoring and couldn't love it more! It has great atmosphere and provides such a supportive environment, that I can safely suggest everyone just at least try it once. It's amazing to see the direct impact you can make on people by simply being there. One thing anyone interested in mentoring should never forget is to always maintain an inclusive and safe space.

You were part of the DjangoCon Europe organization in 2018, what makes you volunteer for this event?

The kindness of the organisers of another conference actually. It was Europython 2017 folks, and they kindly provided me, student at the time, a financial aid to join the conference and it was my first tech conference ever! Loved it so much, that I thought I should pay it forward. 🙂

Is there anything else you'd like to say?

Thanks so much for the chat—really enjoyed it! I also just want to say how valuable communities like this are, especially for folks starting out or navigating their path. Having spaces where people can share, support, and learn from each other makes a huge difference.

Thank you for doing the interview, Öykü !

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-04-14 21:53:51

When is 4.1 greater than 4.5? When it’s OpenAI’s newest model.

OpenAI's brand new "GPT-4.1" has a funky name but reasonable performance for the price.

From CGP Grey at 2025-04-14 20:47:51

The Simple Secret of Runway Numbers [Re-upload: V2]

Thank you, Bonnie Bees, for making this video possible: https://www.patreon.com/cgpgrey ## Related Videos + Talking about Making the video on Cortex: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYYPV-ZlRIk + How to be a Pirate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YFeE1eDlD0 + Social Security Numbers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Erp8IAUouus + Metric Paper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUF5esTscZI ## Special Thanks + Mylos Besseling: www.youtube.com/c/mylosairplanefan + Dr. Charlie Freeman: Department Chair and Distinguished Teaching Professor at SUNY Geneseo + Doug Moss: Owner of AeroPacific Consulting + John H. Mott: Advanced Aviation Analytics Institute for Research at Purdue University + Office of the Secretary General: International Civil Aviation Organization + Derek Muller: https://www.youtube.com/veritasium ## Patreon Executive Producers: Bobby, Bob Kunz, Andrew Bereza, Rebecca Wortham, Nevin Spoljaric, Donal Botkin, BN-12, Marco Arment, George Lin, Richard Jenkins, Phil Gardner, Martin, Steven Grimm, David Tyler, iulus, Xueqi, Colin Millions, Oliver Steele, Andrea Di Biagio, Henry Ng, Jason Lewandowski, Alex Simonides, سليمان العقل, Tim Stumbaugh, rictic, Nicholas Welna, Meekay, David White, Derek Argueta, shannon cherng, Anthony Paolilli, Emmett Jayhart, Katie Scheper, Andrew, Jeromy Johnson, Michael Ritter, Pluto, C C, Bogdan Toma, Brian Tillman, Chad Bramwell, jill hoffman, Nicolas Dedual, Derek Bonner, Mikko, Orbit_Junkie, Tómas Árni Jónasson, Dennis Dimka, Rick Edwards, Daniel Kwak, Bear, chrysilis, Drago175, Emil, Esteban Santana Santana, Freddi Hørlyck, John Rogers, Peter Lomax, Rhys Parry, Veronica Peshterianu, John Lee, Maxime Zielony, Elizabeth Keathley, Birdstryke, Darn https://www.patreon.com/cgpgrey ## Music & Sound + Kevin MacLeod Track Name: Fig Leaf Times Two Kevin MacLeod on YouTube: youtu.be/UcOXTd9Ix7g Music from: incompetech.com + David Rees: http://www.davidreesmusic.com + duckduckpony: https://freesound.org/people/duckduckpony/ ## Kurzgesagt Posters - https://shop-eu.kurzgesagt.org/collections/posters/products/black-holes-infographic-poster - https://shop-eu.kurzgesagt.org/collections/posters/products/periodic-table-poster

From Schneier on Security at 2025-04-14 17:04:48

Upcoming Speaking Engagements

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

• I’m giving an online talk on AI and trust for the Weizenbaum Institute on April 24, 2025 at 2:00 PM CEST (8:00 AM ET).

The list is maintained on this page.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-04-14 16:55:47

Amid Trump tariff chaos, Nvidia launches AI chip production on US soil

New announcement seems aimed at appeasing Trump, signals company shift.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-04-14 12:08:27

China Sort of Admits to Being Behind Volt Typhoon

The Wall Street Journal has the story:

Chinese officials acknowledged in a secret December meeting that Beijing was behind a widespread series of alarming cyberattacks on U.S. infrastructure, according to people familiar with the matter, underscoring how hostilities between the two superpowers are continuing to escalate.

The Chinese delegation linked years of intrusions into computer networks at U.S. ports, water utilities, airports and other targets, to increasing U.S. policy support for Taiwan, the people, who declined to be named, said.

The admission wasn’t explicit:...

From The Rest Is History at 2025-04-14 00:05:00

556. 1066: The Battle of Hastings (Part 3) (GLT3522014441.mp3?updated=1744371038)

Following King Harold Godwinson’s climactic victory at the Battle of Stanford Bridge, and the death of Harald Hardrada, what did he do when news reached him that William of Normandy’s army had landed further south? How did the two armies finally come together for one of the most totemic clashes of all time, on the morning of the 14th of October 1066? What exactly unfolded during the infamous Battle of Hastings? And, how did Harold truly meet his grisly end? Join Tom and Dominic as they unfold, in spine-tingling detail, the build up to and events of one of history’s greatest collisions: Harold Godwinson vs William of Normandy at the Battle of Hastings. _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From CGP Grey at 2025-04-13 23:06:57

Death to Nickels

- Thank you, Bonnie Bees, for making this video possible: https://www.cgpgrey.com/bonnie ## Related Videos: Death to Pennies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5UT04p5f7U ## Bonnie Bees: 💚 The Wall of 1,000 Thanks: https://www.cgpgrey.com/wall-of-thanks 🎩🐤🎩 And the 100 Top Chickens: - Rebecca Wortham - Bob Kunz - Kate Scheper - Donal Botkin - BN-12 - David White - Andrea Di Biagio - George Lin - Nancy Flores - iulus - Xueqi - Tim Stumbaugh - Bogdan Toma - Brian Tillman - Chad Bramwell - Nicolas Dedual - Nicholas Welna - Richard Jenkins - Martin - Chris - Meekay - سليمان العقل - Jason Lewandowski - Manuel O. Maldonado - Norm - rictic - Silvainius - Derek Bonner - Eliri SDH - Freddi Hørlyck - Peter-Claire Lomax - Vero - John Lee - Maxime Zielony - John Rogers https://www.patreon.com/cgpgrey - https://www.patreon.com/cgpgrey Work is Work Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

From The Week in Westminster at 2025-04-12 11:55:00

Vicki Young presents coverage of an emergency Commons sitting to discuss the future of British Steel (p0l4097n.mp3)

Radio 4's assessment of developments at Westminster

From More or Less: Behind the Stats at 2025-04-12 06:00:00

How much is a human life worth? (p0l3w8cp.mp3)

What is the cash value of a human life?

That’s the question at the heart of The Price of Life, a book by journalist Jenny Kleeman. It turns out that there’s not just one price, there are many - depending on exactly how that life is being created, traded or destroyed. Tim Harford talks to Jenny about what she discovered.

Presenter: Tim Harford Producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-04-11 19:45:40

That groan you hear is users’ reaction to Recall going back into Windows

Snapshotting and AI processing a screen every 3 seconds. What could possibly go wrong?

From GoodFellows: Conversations from the Hoover Institution at 2025-04-11 18:57:19

Viewer Mail: The GoodFellows Answer Your Questions (20250411-goodfellows-mailbag.mp3)

What are the economic and geopolitical effects of President Trump’s imposition of tariffs on America’s trading friends and foes? In an episode devoted solely to viewers’ questions, Hoover senior fellows Sir Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster delve into the certain volatility (and uncertain logic) of Trump’s tariff maneuvers and more.

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2025-04-11 17:00:00

761: Exposition Ant Farm (22454863-fb9e-4700-8e6f-0bfcb0acfa25.mp3)

Spray on some insect repellant and don your hazmat suit, because Del Toro Club has re-formed to discuss a gigantic layer cake of infinite bugs, 1997’s “Mimic.” Parts of it are very Del Toro indeed, while other parts leave us scratching our heads about why something that had a whole lot of potential ended up playing as a pretty good B (not bee!) Movie instead. Are the Weinsteins to blame? (Yes.)...

From A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry at 2025-04-11 14:26:06

Collections: The Siege of Eregion, Part V: What Tactics?

This is the final part of our five part (I, II, III, IV) series on the Siege of Eregion in Amazon’s Rings of Power. Last time, we looked at the orc siege and marveled at both their lack of works and also their nonsensical siege engines, concluding that Adar had launched a siege assault which … Continue reading Collections: The Siege of Eregion, Part V: What Tactics? →

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-04-11 12:15:59

Researcher uncovers dozens of sketchy Chrome extensions with 4 million installs

Even weirder: why would Google give so many the "Featured" stamp for trustworthiness?

From Schneier on Security at 2025-04-11 12:06:11

Friday Squid Blogging: Squid and Efficient Solar Tech

Researchers are trying to use squid color-changing biochemistry for solar tech.

This appears to be new and related research to a 2019 squid post.

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

From Schneier on Security at 2025-04-11 12:04:47

AI Vulnerability Finding

Microsoft is reporting that its AI systems are able to find new vulnerabilities in source code:

Microsoft discovered eleven vulnerabilities in GRUB2, including integer and buffer overflows in filesystem parsers, command flaws, and a side-channel in cryptographic comparison.

Additionally, 9 buffer overflows in parsing SquashFS, EXT4, CramFS, JFFS2, and symlinks were discovered in U-Boot and Barebox, which require physical access to exploit.

The newly discovered flaws impact devices relying on UEFI Secure Boot, and if the right conditions are met, attackers can bypass security protections to execute arbitrary code on the device...

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

Ep 189: Andrew Roberts on October 7th and Antisemitism (NEBM8568772590.mp3?updated=1744337818)

Lord Andrew Roberts, the Bonnie and Tom McCloskey Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution and chair of the 7 October Parliamentary Commission Report, joins the show to discuss October 7th revisionism, the potency of antisemitism, and the strange effort to reinterpret World War II. ▪️ Times      •      01:56 Introduction     •      02:35 Why?      •     03:48 No room for debate      •      05:34 Not “accidental”        •     16:13 Cooper’s conclusions        •      20:13 Peace with Hitler      •      22:53 Destroying the foundation         •      25:06 Free speech     •      27:39 Gaza endgame Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack

From Ink Stained Wretches at 2025-04-11 09:45:00

Just Joshing (NEBM5516060287.mp3?updated=1744342489)

Josh Kraushaar, editor-in-chief of Jewish Insider, fills in for Eliana to discuss the latest on tariffs, the White House press pool, and Stephen A. Smith flirting with a presidential run. Wretch on! If you have a story you want to discuss with us, email us at wretches@nebulouspodcasts dot com. Time Stamps: 3:27 - Front Page 58:20 - Obsessions 1:05:40 - Reader Mail 1:07:55 - Favorite Items Show Notes: The Wall Street Journal: The False Tariff Headline That Sent Stocks on a $2 Trillion Ride  The Independent: Fox News pundit believes Trump tariffs will reverse ‘crisis in masculinity’  NBC News: A 'disaster': Gretchen Whitmer's talk on tariffs and meeting with Trump anger fellow Democrats CNN: Federal judge says White House’s punishment of Associated Press is unconstitutional  Status: The Pool Filter  NBC News: Supreme Court gives boost to Trump administration's deportation plans under Alien Enemies Act  Jewish Insider: Netanyahu pushes back on anti-Israel trends in meeting with podcasters  LA Times: Broadcast television is in trouble. Stations are asking Washington for help  Barrett Media: Stephen A. Smith No Longer Ruling Out Possibility of Running for President in 2028 The Washington Post: Don’t damn the torpedo bats CBS News: Fossil fuel companies target America's love of college sports The New York Times: Bloomberg Has a Rocky Start With A.I. Summaries  Mediaite: Trump Orders DOJ To Investigate Prominent Critic in Shocking Oval Office Remarks: ‘I Think He’s Guilty of Treason’ CBS News: Photojournalist witnesses Venezuelan migrants' arrival in El Salvador: "They had no idea what was coming"  The Atlantic: I Should Have Seen This Coming

From Schneier on Security at 2025-04-11 01:35:00

Reimagining Democracy

Imagine that all of us—all of society—have landed on some alien planet and need to form a government: clean slate. We do not have any legacy systems from the United States or any other country. We do not have any special or unique interests to perturb our thinking. How would we govern ourselves? It is unlikely that we would use the systems we have today. Modern representative democracy was the best form of government that eighteenth-century technology could invent. The twenty-first century is very different: scientifically, technically, and philosophically. For example, eighteenth-century democracy was designed under the assumption that travel and communications were both hard...

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-04-10 23:37:13

Researchers concerned to find AI models hiding their true “reasoning” processes

New Anthropic research shows one AI model conceals reasoning shortcuts 75% of the time.

From The Briefing Room at 2025-04-10 13:45:00

What's Trump's tariff hokey cokey all about? (p0l3klpf.mp3)

Rarely has it been so difficult to see the wood for the trees. The trees being Donald Trump’s new tariffs announced on what he called Liberation Day and which took effect this week, plus the immediate responses to them. And the wood being the economic strategy that lies behind it all. ​​ ​​That strategy seems to evolve on a daily basis. Having vowed to ‘stay the course’ on tariffs earlier this week, yesterday saw Trump issue a change that ‘came from the heart’ - that change being a 90 day pause for everyone except China. It’s hard to keep up with the plot changes and in this programme we’re not going to try. Instead we’re going to step back and explore the origin’s of Trump’s love of tariffs, find out what history tells us about their effectiveness and we’ll ask whether Trump does actually have a grand plan. ​​ ​​If he does, what is it and can it succeed?

Guests:

Douglas Irwin, professor of economics at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire Meredith Crowley, Professor of Economics the University of Cambridge Duncan Weldon, economist and author of "Two Hundred Years of Muddling Through" Mehreen Khan, economics editor of The Times

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Ben Carter, Kirsteen Knight and Beth Ashmead Latham Sound engineers: James Beard Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison Editor: Richard Vadon

From In Our Time: History at 2025-04-10 10:15:00

Cyrus the Great (p0kxnp44.mp3)

Melvyn Bragg and guests explore the history and reputation of the Persian ruler Cyrus the Great. Cyrus the Second of Persia as he was known then was born in the sixth century BCE in Persis which is now in Iran. He was the founder of the first Persian Empire, the largest empire at that point in history, spanning more than two million square miles.

His story was told by the Greek historians Herodotus and Xenophon, and in the Hebrew bible he is praised for freeing the Jewish captives in Babylon.

But the historical facts are intertwined with fiction.

Cyrus proclaimed himself ‘king of the four corners of the world’ in the famous Cyrus Cylinder, one of the most admired objects in the British Museum. It’s been called by some the first bill of human rights, but that’s a label which has been disputed by most scholars today.

With

Mateen Arghandehpour, a researcher for the Invisible East Project at Oxford University,

Lindsay Allen, Senior Lecturer in Ancient Greek and Near Eastern History at King’s College London,

And

Lynette Mitchell, Professor Emerita in Classics and Ancient History at Exeter University.

Producer: Eliane Glaser

Reading list:

Pierre Briant (trans. Peter T. Daniels), From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire (Eisenbrauns, 2002)

John Curtis and Nigel Tallis (eds.), Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient Persia (The British Museum Press, 2005)

Irving Finkel (ed.), The Cyrus Cylinder: The King of Persia’s Proclamation from Ancient Babylon (I.B.Tauris, 2013)

Lisbeth Fried, ‘Cyrus the Messiah? The Historical Background to Isaiah 45:1’ (Harvard Theological Review 95, 2002)

M. Kozuh, W.F. Henkelman, C.E. Jones and C. Woods (eds.), Extraction and Control: Studies in Honour of Matthew W. Stolper (Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, 2014), especially the chapter ‘Cyrus the Great, exiles and foreign gods: A comparison of Assyrian and Persian policies in subject nations’ by R. J. van der Spek

Lynette Mitchell, Cyrus the Great: A Biography of Kingship (Routledge, 2023)

Michael Roaf, Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East (Facts On File, 1990)

Vesta Sarkosh Curtis and Sarah Stewart (eds.), Birth of the Persian Empire (I.B.Tauris, 2005), especially the chapter ‘Cyrus the Great and the kingdom of Anshan’ by D.T. Potts

Matt Waters, King of the World: The Life of Cyrus the Great (Oxford University Press, 2022)

In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio production

From Strong Message Here at 2025-04-10 09:45:00

Three Word Slogans (with Cleo Watson) (p0l3c9by.mp3)

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.

This week, Helen and Armando are joined by author, broadcaster and former adviser to Theresa May and Boris Johnson, Cleo Watson. Taking a look back at the three word slogans that defined politics in recent years, especially those that relate to Cleo's time in number 10.

Why are they so catchy?

Hands Face Space... Take Back Control... Strong Message Here....

Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.

Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Katie Baum Executive Producer - Pete Strauss

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.

From The Rest Is History at 2025-04-10 00:00:00

555. 1066: Slaughter at Stamford Bridge (Part 2) (GLT1524879968.mp3?updated=1744220170)

In the tumultuous climax of 1066, why was Harold’s very own brother Tostig the first of the mighty foes he had to face? How did Harald Hardrada then launch his invasion of England, and how much resistance did he initially receive? And, what unfolded at the bloody battle of Stamford Bridge, in which Harold Godwinson and Harald Hardrada, two terrible kings, faced off at long last? Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the Battle of Stamford Bridge, the last great clash between vikings and Anglo Saxons, for the English throne… _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-04-09 20:32:31

OpenAI helps spammers plaster 80,000 sites with messages that bypassed filters

Company didn't notice its chatbot was being abused for (at least) 4 months.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-04-09 20:20:07

After months of user complaints, Anthropic debuts new $200/month AI plan

Two-tiered "Claude Max" expands rate limits and offers traffic priority to subscribers.

From The Media Show at 2025-04-09 17:40:00

IPL cricket , the end of The Lady magazine, Tech bro profile Nvidia boss Jensen Huang, impact of tariffs on TV and the streamers (p0l3d6g9.mp3)

Katie Razzall and guests discuss some of the biggest media stories this week: As the cricket season gets going Tim Wigmore cricket commentator at The Telegraph focuses on the Indian Premier League which has become one of the most valuable sports media events ever. Former Editor of The Lady magazine Rachel Johnson and current editor Helen Budworth discuss the closure of the UK's oldest women's magazine and the BBC's deputy economic editor Dharshini David and Max Goldbart the International TV editor at Deadline news site consider the impact of President Trump's tariffs on the TV and streaming industries as well as tech companies. Tony Allen, CEO of the Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS) based in Stockport has been tasked by the Australian government to trial age assurance technologies, following the government's decision to ban social media for those under 16. He'll be giving an update on his progress . Our latest tech-bro profile tells the story of Jensen Huang who founded the chip company Nvidia. Stephen Witt, author of "The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World’s Most Coveted Microchip" out this week tells his story.

Producer: Lisa Jenkinson

From Schneier on Security at 2025-04-09 12:02:57

How to Leak to a Journalist

Neiman Lab has some good advice on how to leak a story to a journalist.

From The Django weblog at 2025-04-09 07:22:15

Annual meeting of DSF Members at DjangoCon Europe

We’re organizing an annual meeting for members of the Django Software Foundation! It will be held at DjangoCon Europe 2025 in two weeks in Dublin, bright and early on the second day of the conference. The meeting will be held in person at the venue, and participants can also join remotely.

Register to join the annual meeting

What to expect

This is an opportunity for current and aspiring members of the Foundation to directly contribute to discussions about our direction. We will cover our current and future projects, and look for feedback and possible contributions within our community.

If this sounds interesting to you but you’re not currently an Individual Member, do review our membership criteria and apply!

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-04-08 21:47:23

“The girl should be calling men.” Leak exposes Black Basta’s influence tactics.

Disclosure of tactics, techniques, and procedures provides rare glimpse into secretive group.

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-04-08 19:26:33

Carmack defends AI tools after Quake fan calls Microsoft AI demo “disgusting”

Carmack: "Power tools" like AI are "central to all the progress in computers."

From Schneier on Security at 2025-04-08 12:08:13

Arguing Against CALEA

At a Congressional hearing earlier this week, Matt Blaze made the point that CALEA, the 1994 law that forces telecoms to make phone calls wiretappable, is outdated in today’s threat environment and should be rethought:

In other words, while the legally-mandated CALEA capability requirements have changed little over the last three decades, the infrastructure that must implement and protect it has changed radically. This has greatly expanded the “attack surface” that must be defended to prevent unauthorized wiretaps, especially at scale. The job of the illegal eavesdropper has gotten significantly easier, with many more options and opportunities for them to exploit. Compromising our telecommunications infrastructure is now little different from performing any other kind of computer intrusion or data breach, a well-known and endemic cybersecurity problem. To put it bluntly, something like Salt Typhoon was inevitable, and will likely happen again unless significant changes are made...

From School of War at 2025-04-08 10:30:00

Ep 188: Jonathan Horn on MacArthur and the Battle for the Philippines (NEBM1117481207.mp3?updated=1744074636)

Johnathan Horn, former White House speechwriter and author of The Fate of the Generals: MacArthur, Wainwright, and the Epic Battle for the Philippines, joins the show to discuss the defeats, victories, and legacies of Douglas MacArthur and Jonathan Wainwright, the highest-ranking American POW of WWII. ▪️ Times      •      01:56 Introduction     •      04:36 Arthur MacArthur      •      09:33 The Philippines      •      16:13 Wainwright        •      18:20 War Plan Orange        •      27:06 Crisis      •      32:34 MacArthur leaves         •      35:20 Bataan and surrender        •      43:18 Captivity      •      48:34 Postwar  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 2025-04-07 20:54:47

Meta’s surprise Llama 4 drop exposes the gap between AI ambition and reality

Touted 10M token context proves elusive, while early performance tests disappoint experts.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-04-07 12:03:36

DIRNSA Fired

In “Secrets and Lies” (2000), I wrote:

It is poor civic hygiene to install technologies that could someday facilitate a police state.

It’s something a bunch of us were saying at the time, in reference to the vast NSA’s surveillance capabilities.

I have been thinking of that quote a lot as I read news stories of President Trump firing the Director of the National Security Agency. General Timothy Haugh.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote:

We don’t know what pressure the Trump administration is using to make intelligence services fall into line, but it isn’t crazy to ...

From The Rest Is History at 2025-04-07 00:05:00

554. 1066: The Shadows of War (Part 1) (GLT1461163139.mp3?updated=1743965575)

Why is 1066 the most important year in English history? Who were the three main candidates vying for the English throne on the eve of Edward the Confessor’s death? And how did the coronation of one of them on the 14th of October 1066 trigger one of the most famous invasions of all time? Join Tom and Dominic as they launch into the dramatic series of events, at the dawn of 1066, that sparked the build up to the Battle of Hastings… _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From The Week in Westminster at 2025-04-05 11:00:00

05/04/2025 (p0l2hhb2.mp3)

The BBC's Deputy Political Editor, Vicki Young, presents a special programme looking back at the year so far in British politics.

To discuss the major political developments of recent months she is joined by the Political Editor of The Daily Telegraph, Ben Riley-Smith, the Chief Political Commentator of The Times, Patrick Maguire, and The Observer columnist and chief leader writer, Sonia Sodha.

From Schneier on Security at 2025-04-04 22:03:48

Friday Squid Blogging: Two-Man Giant Squid

The Brooklyn indie art-punk group, Two-Man Giant Squid, just released a new album.

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

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-04-04 21:17:13

NSA warns “fast flux” threatens national security. What is fast flux anyway?

Used by nation-states and crime groups, fast flux bypasses many common defenses.

From A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry at 2025-04-04 18:07:35

Fireside Friday, April 4, 2025

Fireside this week! I am still a bit behind after attending the annual meeting of the Society for Military History – conferences always leave me a bit tired and slow to get back to writing, even as they also stimulate my thinking – so the conclusion of our look at Rings of Power must wait … Continue reading Fireside Friday, April 4, 2025 →

From More or Less: Behind the Stats at 2025-04-04 18:00:00

Trump tariffs: All about the deficits (p0l2j62v.mp3)

US President Donald Trump has announced sweeping tariffs on global trade, adding taxes of as much as 50% to imports from some countries.

The tariffs, he says, are “reciprocal” – calculated to address currency manipulation and trade barriers that other countries place on the US.

However, when you look at how the new tariffs were actually calculated, that claim does not add up.

Tim Harford speaks to Thomas Sampson, an associate professor at the London School of Economics, to understand what is going on.

Presenter: Tim Harford Producers: Lizzy McNeill and Nathan Gower Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: Neil Churchill Editor: Richard Vadon

From The Incomparable Mothership at 2025-04-04 17:30:00

760: Send Them to the Sea (49de4e57-1624-429a-977b-a34f70284929.mp3)

In a world full of creative projects turned into intellectual property, our panelists join together to choose remakes and reboots that please us, those that displease us, and those items that are out there, waiting to be remade....

From Schneier on Security at 2025-04-04 12:02:25

Troy Hunt Gets Phished

In case you need proof that anyone, even people who do cybersecurity for a living, Troy Hunt has a long, iterative story on his webpage about how he got phished. Worth reading.

From Ink Stained Wretches at 2025-04-04 09:45:00

Take a Whiff of This Tariff (NEBM2842665931.mp3?updated=1743719034)

Do you smell that? It’s the McRib Shower Gel—available only in Germany. Aside from that, we’ve got Liberation Day, Cory Booker’s latest stunt, White House Correspondents’ Dinner drama, and more. Wretch on! If you have a story you want to discuss with us, email us at wretches@nebulouspodcasts dot com. Time Stamps: 2:02 - Front Page 1:00:12 - Obsessions 1:07:43 - Reader Mail 1:11:29 - Favorite Items Show Notes: The New York Times: How Are Trump’s Tariff Rates Calculated?  Mediaite: Fox News Anchor: Trump Should Tell Americans Worried About Their 401(k)s to ‘Support’ It Like a ‘War Effort’  The Washington Post: Musk to keep spending on politics despite Wisconsin loss, GOP doubts AP News: Democrats demoralized by Trump get a boost from Wisconsin voters and Cory Booker’s speech  Politico: The Mystery Buyer of That $23 Million DC Mansion? Mark Zuckerberg.  New York Post: Joe Rogan calls the possibility of non-criminals being deported with violent gang members ‘horrific’  The Hill: Elon Musk says he sent MAGA influencer Ashley St. Clair $2.5 million, open to paternity test  Fox News: Trump says he gave Tiger Woods blessing to date Vanessa Trump: 'Let them both be happy'  The Washington Post: White House correspondents’ dinner scraps plan for comedian to host The Guardian: In a new book, top Biden aide describes ‘out of it’ president before Trump debate Mediaite: Trump-Backed Head of the FCC Threatens ABC’s Broadcast License In Fox News Interview Los Angeles Times: Steve Kornacki exits MSNBC for new deal with NBC News and NBC Sports The New York Times: The Big Fat Windsor Knot Takes Washington The New York Times: Steak Fries: Deservedly Reviled or Underappreciated Edible Spoons? The Free Press: The Double Standard in the Human-Rights World  The Telegraph: Hamas ‘quietly drops’ thousands of deaths from casualty figures NBC News: Trump won’t rule out seeking a third term in the White House, tells NBC News ‘there are methods’ for doing so The Dispatch: Donald Trump, Franklin Roosevelt and the Allure of Permanent Power The Dallas Morning News: Reviewing The News' coverage of the Robert Morris scandal Nieman Lab: How to leak to a journalist  The New York Times: How a Black Progressive Transformed Into a Conservative Star

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-04-03 22:16:49

Google unveils end-to-end messages for Gmail. Only thing is: It’s not true E2EE.

Yes, encryption/decryption occurs on end-user devices, but there's a catch.

From Net Assessment at 2025-04-03 22:07:00

One Last Trip Around the World? (NA_4.2.25_2.mp3?dest-id=808287)

Chris, Melanie, and Zack are joined by a special guest for a big announcement. They also lament the demise of the Office of Net Assessment, debate the merits of DOGE, and discuss Secretary Hegseth’s visit to Asia and the strength of those alliances. 

If you would like to support Net Assessment, please consider donating to this special fund: https://www.stimson.org/support/

From The Briefing Room at 2025-04-03 13:58:00

What's happening in Turkey? (p0l25jqk.mp3)

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Turkey in the past two weeks in protest at the arrest and jailing of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu. He’s seen as one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's strongest political rivals and since his arrest he’s been voted as the opposition party’s presidential candidate in the next elections. He’s been accused of corruption, which he strongly denies and his supporters see his detainment as a political move by the Government. David Aaronovitch and guests discuss whether we’re witnessing the end of democracy in Turkey.

Guests: Mark Lowen, BBC Correspondent and former BBC Istanbul Correspondent Dr Ziya Meral, Lecturer in International Studies and Diplomacy, SOAS Firdevs Robinson, Turkish journalist and broadcaster Monica Marks, Assistant Professor Middle East Politics , NYU in Abu Dhabi

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Caroline Bayley, Kirsteen Knight and Beth Ashmead Latham Sound engineers: Dave O’Neill and James Beard Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Richard Vadon

(Image: Demonstration organised by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) against the detention of Istanbul’s mayor, in Istanbul, Turkey - 29 March 2025. Credit: Tolga Bozoglu/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

From Schneier on Security at 2025-04-03 12:05:29

Web 3.0 Requires Data Integrity

If you’ve ever taken a computer security class, you’ve probably learned about the three legs of computer security—confidentiality, integrity, and availability—known as the CIA triad. When we talk about a system being secure, that’s what we’re referring to. All are important, but to different degrees in different contexts. In a world populated by artificial intelligence (AI) systems and artificial intelligent agents, integrity will be paramount.

What is data integrity? It’s ensuring that no one can modify data—that’s the security angle—but it’s much more than that. It encompasses accuracy, completeness, and quality of data—all over both time and space. It’s preventing accidental data loss; the “undo” button is a primitive integrity measure. It’s also making sure that data is accurate when it’s collected—that it comes from a trustworthy source, that nothing important is missing, and that it doesn’t change as it moves from format to format. The ability to restart your computer is another integrity measure...

From Strong Message Here at 2025-04-03 09:45:00

Fist Emoji, Flag Emoji, Fire Emoji (with Ava Santina Evans) (p0l1y42d.mp3)

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.

Following the remarkable security breach dubbed 'Signalgate', Helen and Armando are joined by political editor of Politics Joe, Ava Santina Evans, to discuss how casualness has crept into political communication. Is it a threat? Is it just cringe? And why oh why do we still use the suffix 'gate' for a scandal, given its origins are over 50 years old?

Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.

Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Katie Baum Executive Producer - Pete Strauss

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.

From The Rest Is History at 2025-04-03 00:05:00

553. The Last Viking: Warrior of the New Rome (Part 2) (GLT5802152245.mp3?updated=1743594277)

Harald Hardrada; exiled prince of Norway and mercenary, has landed in the greatest city on Earth: Constantinople. There he joins one of the most prestigious military organisations in the world, the Varangian Guard, charged with protecting the Emperor. Almost the next ten years of Harald’s young life are spent at war protecting the city from enslaving raiders. But then, he becomes embroiled in the dark and complex political intrigues and plots of the Byzantine court. Zoe, the formidable wife of the recently deceased Emperor Michael IV, who had been exiled by her husband’s successor, recruits Harald to help her seize the throne. Wealthy, influential and renowned in the world’s most glittering city, things have never seemed better for Harald. But then, does he overreach and embark upon a dangerous affair with the empress herself? Imprisoned for his crimes, Harald manages to slay the terrible serpent haunting his prison cell, and escape at last back to Kyiv. But his ambitions still lie further north, in Norway, and the throne he is determined to reclaim… Join Dominic and Tom and they discuss Harald Hardrada’s astonishing time as a Varangian Guard in Constantinople, his hair-raising escape back to Scandinavia, and his fight for the throne of Norway, on the road to the dramatic climax of his epic life: the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066. EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/restishistory Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Biz & IT – Ars Technica at 2025-04-02 18:06:06

AI bots strain Wikimedia as bandwidth surges 50%

Automated AI bots seeking training data threaten Wikipedia project stability, foundation says.

From The Media Show at 2025-04-02 17:51:00

Impact of Adolescence drama, Nintento Switch 2 launch, The Young Turks (p0l1yx5y.mp3)

We explore the impact of the hit Netflix drama, Adolescence, which has sparked national debate over boys' media consumption and online misogyny. Katie talks to Cenk Uygur, founder of US progressive network The Young Turks and, on the afternoon it's released, we get the lowdown on Nintendo's long-awaited Switch 2 console.

Guests: Claire Holubowskyj, Senior Research Analyst, Enders Analysis; Dr Marcus Gilroy-Ware, Lecturer in Creative Digital Media SOAS, University of London; Oli Dugmore, Editor, Joe; Cenk Uygur, Host, Founder, CEO, Young Turks; Keza MacDonald, Video Games Editor, The Guardian

Presenters: Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins Producers: Simon Richardson and Lucy Wai

From Schneier on Security at 2025-04-02 12:04:08

Rational Astrologies and Security

John Kelsey and I wrote a short paper for the Rossfest Festschrift: “Rational Astrologies and Security“:

There is another non-security way that designers can spend their security budget: on making their own lives easier. Many of these fall into the category of what has been called rational astrology. First identified by Randy Steve Waldman [Wal12], the term refers to something people treat as though it works, generally for social or institutional reasons, even when there’s little evidence that it works—­and sometimes despite substantial evidence that it does not...

From The Django weblog at 2025-04-02 11:16:11

Django 5.2 released

The Django team is happy to announce the release of Django 5.2.

The release notes showcase a composite of new features. A few highlights are:

• All models are automatically imported in the shell by default.
• Django now supports composite primary keys! The new django.db.models.CompositePrimaryKey allows tables to be created with a primary key consisting of multiple fields.
• Overriding a BoundField got a lot easier: this can now be set on a form, field or project level.

You can get Django 5.2 from our downloads page or from the Python Package Index. The PGP key ID used for this release is: 3955B19851EA96EF

With the release of Django 5.2, Django 5.1 has reached the end of mainstream support. The final minor bug fix release, 5.1.8, which was also a security release, was issued today. Django 5.1 will receive security and data loss fixes until December 2025. All users are encouraged to upgrade before then to continue receiving fixes for security issues.

Django 5.0 has reached the end of extended support. The final security release, 5.0.14, was issued today. All Django 5.0 users are encouraged to upgrade to Django 5.1 or later.

See the downloads page for a table of supported versions and the future release schedule.

From The Django weblog at 2025-04-02 10:37:50

Django security releases issued: 5.1.8 and 5.0.14

In accordance with our security release policy, the Django team is issuing releases for Django 5.1.8 and Django 5.0.14. These releases address the security issues detailed below. We encourage all users of Django to upgrade as soon as possible.

From More or Less: Behind the Stats at 2025-04-02 09:00:00

Is one in four people in the UK disabled? (p0l1q67d.mp3)

Donald Trump is raising tariffs on Canada, but has his northern neighbour done anything to deserve them?

In her Spring Statement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that the UK’s fiscal “headroom” was, again, £9.9bn. We explore this curious coincidence.

Is it true that one in four people in the UK is disabled? And what does that mean for the state of our workforce?

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news.

Presenter: Tim Harford Reporter: Lizzy McNeill Producer: Nathan Gower Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

From Emperors of Rome at 2025-04-01 14:17:00

Crassus and the Social Wars (250402-crassus01.mp3)

Marcus Licinius Crassus was an influential politician in the late Roman republic, famous for the wealth he accrued and the power that he held. An ally of Caesar and a rival of Pompey, he rose to prominence during the social wars, but would never get the military glory he believed was his owed.

Episode CCXXXIX (239)

Part I of Crassus

Guest:

Assoc. Professor Rhiannon Evans (Classic and Ancient History, La Trobe University)